Chapter 8

Mark flinched seeing me; he attempted to get up from his seat earning a hit on his head with the car and an OW from his mouth, making his cigarette drop to his thighs. I stepped back to let him get out of his car.

"Wow! You are seriously disturbed."

"No, I was just focused on cracking my case. It's a tough challenge. Lemme open the door for you."

"Don't bother! I won't get in. I don't sit in stranger's cars. Are you planning to kidnap me? Then Do your work."

"Oh!" he adjusted his pose and walked to the tank, searching through many unorganized objects, then pulled a coat, a hat and a magnifying glass. He handed me the first items and left the last one in his pocket.

"We need to get in shapes of detectives; Alexandre said I could count on you so Don't drop me and get inside the car. What's the point of arguing when you will get in eventually?"

His long brown coat and his hat made him look like a sherlock holmes but with a cigarette instead of a pipe. "Mustn't you have a pipe to complete the cosplay?"

"I don't cosplay, miss… Later. We have a case to crack and Alexandre clearly said I must rely on you. Don't drop me! I need an assistant and today will be your first day with me."

Eventually, I sat down. The car had all kinds of trash inside. He cleaned my side but left his side unattended. I don't know how to feel about all this but my blood raced in my veins and my temperature rose. His driving was chaotic. When we arrived at the Fontainebleau, I had to apply pressure on my stomach to keep myself from vomiting. I swallowed.

"What the hell was that? I thought my intestines would come out from my mouth."

He ignored me and engaged in the dark forest, taking out the lamp torch from his pocket. I see he was prepared for this little excursion. It was pitch dark but this didn't stop me from looking around me, searching for any lead, for the goal we came here for.

My legs moved cautiously as if they had a mind on their own, being wary of each cracking sound. The overpowering sound of the wind slipping through the woods sent a shiver down my spine. There was nothing here, no sign of struggling or anything. No wonder the case was closed.

"I don't see anything. Maybe, I will head back. I don't feel secure in this forest at night."

He turned his whole body towards me, blinding me with the light of his lamp torch. "Why do you want to go back? I am not really kidnapping you and you are not a kid to kidnap you. I am investigating a kidnapping case and you are not secure with me. This isn't the normal reaction I get usually… It's strange! Why do you feel insecure in a forest everyone is used to visiting?"

"Everyone is scared of places like this. Do you expect me to see a fairy I could ask for a wish? And you are the strange one… You are not Sherlock Holmes to dress like him… I don't go with strangers. If it wasn't for Alexandre, I wouldn't follow you here and I'd like to go back."

"Do you think I would rape someone like you? I don't do virgins. Anyway, you are not my type and you aren't as beautiful as my cat. So Get those stupid thoughts out! Don't you have a job with me! Your job assistant is only a cover or your real mission. Alexandre is a cautious one."

Huh? Did he know about it from the beginning? This isn't something I will get used to. I placed a hand on my throat and stared at him without blinking. My other hand pulled the bag closer to my chest and a heavy feeling in my stomach engulfed me. This surprised me!

"So he sent me with a psychopath inside a dark forest. Maybe, you are the kidnapper and acting like you aren't."

"Have you considered writing stories? Because you have such a wild imagination. To put it simply, Alexandre told me about his goal and I am also working under him. I am a detective but he pays me and I would like to keep my salary. Being a freelancer isn't easy; it takes time to be popular. Unlike him who received help, I don't intend to use that. I am jumping at every opportunity and if I crack this case, I will earn slight popularity, which will bring me, clients. Everybody wins."

"What a surprise! You are a hypocrite on top of a psychopath. I don't like you. You make my skin crawl."

"Don't shower me with compliments, I am a shy guy," he smirked. "If we find the body, maybe everything will change."

"Didn't you consider the girl who turned crazy?" I slowly approached him, keeping an eye on each movement he makes. If I see anything unusual, I will remove my sandals and run away.

"I did but her words didn't enter my mind. She was blabbering about anything."

All of a sudden, I slipped but I quickly caught myself and adjusted my clothes. His coat was quite handy; I didn't feel cold. A wolf howled in the distance. I wasn't scared; I was accompanied by a psychopath who wasn't scared. He walked casually like he was the only one in this world.

"Do you see why this is a hopeless case? Nothing is shown. Not a hint, not a lead. Everywhere I look, it's a dead end."

"Maybe, you looked in the wrong places."

"Do you think the idea didn't cross my mind? I looked through all the paths, that's why I wanted an assistant. Perhaps, you can see what I couldn't. Alexandre was optimistic towards you; he insisted you could solve the case or find something no one saw."

This had to be true if it was Anais, but I wasn't her. Ah! Where are you, Anais?

My eyes darted towards a small creature I recognized as a moon saint. What's a moon saint doing in a dark forest? Normal humans cannot see them so the light she shed was private only to my eyes. Moon saints are small. Unlike fairies who have wings and are bigger, moon saints are smaller but they have the power to turn shortly into humans. They don't possess bodies. My case is odd. Maybe, she must have an explanation for what I am going true. Maybe, I would leave early and return. I was willing to lose my first mission and return.

I approached her and found out it was my friend from the moon; Elodie. When she saw me, she flew towards me, throwing herself at my face. Was she hugging me?

"You don't know how much I searched for you… Aaah! I thought something bad happened to you."

I moved to a nearby bush, acting like I was doing my job but I wanted to speak to her.

"How did you know it was me?" I whispered.

"Oooh! We, moon saints, have a unique life signature. Yours is slightly mixed with something else, but I can recognize you. I tried to search for you but you faded like a boom. It was certainly concerning."

"I am two ranks above you but nothing I read or used brought you to me. Therefore, I came down searching for you. I was lucky enough to see you again. A moon saint told me you were here."