Myron knew exactly who was at the evidence section that day so he was confident that he wouldn’t be questioned. It was quite a surprise for him to hear Constable Sergei Grant, AKA Serg, to actually ask him what his request was for.

"No offense intended, Sir, but you aren’t connected to the team in charge of this case if I remember correctly,” the younger officer said while scratching behind his uniform’s collar. 

The Detective’s thoughts: “Ok, he’s not exactly aggressive towards me so that would mean he’s just a little unsure about the consequences of giving in to my request. Not so hard to deal with…”

"Yup, I do admit it. I’m not part of the investigators in this case. However, I have this feeling that there’s an angle here that we can use to finally bring down those bastards.”

"Do you mean the governor’s private army, The Argerlich?”

"Shhh, be careful what you say out loud, Serg. You know that there’s no proof that the governor is indeed the leader of those Argers.”

"Come on, Lieutenant, I don’t believe that you’re actually afraid of that old geezer. Besides, isn’t it an open secret that he really is paying for those mercenary ‘ogres’ to be loyal to him?”

Myron looked at the lower-ranking officer with slight shock and a bit of admiration. Shock because this youngster seemed to be acting stupidly and naively, especially for someone who had just been assigned here after recently graduating from the police academy. Yet he couldn’t help but admire the youngster's courage in saying these taboo topics out loud.

All of a sudden, the decorated senior officer decided to take this young arrival under his wing. Hopefully, he could save this brave one’s life by teaching him the ways of survival in this corrupt city of theirs while he got himself an assistant. Two birds with one stone…

Wait a minute… It could actually be three birds with one stone!

“Serg, how long have you been here at the precinct? Just came in the middle of last year, right?” Myron asked while half sitting/half leaning on the constable’s desk.

"Yes, Sir. I didn’t expect to be sent here, to be honest," Sergei answered while continuing to go through the tall pile of folders on his desk. “There’s already a lot of great cops here so I don’t think I’ll make a mark at all if I serve here. I’ve always dreamed of being a two-time decorated officer like you so I don’t mind making a big splash in a small pond instead of making a small one in a really big lake.”

“What if I tell you, I can help you out with that? I can mentor you on how to be a go-getter like me, because really… you aren’t going to get anywhere if you don’t bend the rules a little. You know, stepping out of your comfort zone and making waves? Because that’s exactly what I did to get all those awards. I know some of the stuff I do can be viewed as underhanded by some, but I do get results and it’s the kind the higher-ups appreciate and reward.”

Serg’s face perked up a little, his curiosity reflecting in his eyes. “You don’t say? Well, that sounds really tempting, Detective. Are you sure you’re okay with having me as your protege? I mean, why not the others here?”

The Lieutenant smiled the most endearing grin he could manage. "I just so happen to have a heart for newbies, especially the ones who are very driven. And I can see that in you, Sergei... I was just like you back then. So, if I can make it up the ladder, I’m sure you can do so too. Besides, I prefer working with people who are empty cups, the humble ones who are open to guidance. Most of the officers here are already set on their ways and won’t take advice that well."

“Especially if it’s a young upstart who has a tendency to be an ass-kisser and a bootlicker?” Serg asked with an amused and knowing look, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

Myron’s shocked expression couldn’t be hidden this time. But yes, there was still admiration for this young cop’s brevity.

"Sorry, Sir, but I got good ears. And since I’m just a nobody here, they tend to forget that I’m around when they start talking about the more infamous and famous personalities of the precinct.”

The Detective answered Serg’s naughty smirk with another one of his own. “So, I guess that’s you telling me that you accept my proposal? Or do you really intend to impress me first?”

"Both, since I did say I look up to you, Sir. So, when do we start?”

With a meaningful smile, Myron sat down on one of the chairs that was in front of the Constable’s desk. "We begin immediately when you finally release the case file that I requested from you a while ago, S.”

The slimmer cop’s smirk turned into a full grin. “Just give me a few minutes, Detective, and we're a go...”

+++

Jack was still in front of the mass of lumber workers, slowly coming out of the memories of his last teenage years. Yet, the images didn’t stop, and the ones that came next were not the easiest ones…

Not too long after the small argument between Jack and his father after church, he would be sent away to study. 

His father would have said at the time that it was because he had to continue the family business, and even if that was believable for him, he always kept in the back of his mind that his parents did that to keep him from thinking about his lost sister.

It had only been a few months when he left the village and lived in the city of another country while he graduated from his career in administration.

It would even help make the lie believable… 

That his sister was now with a guy… 

A foreigner, happy somewhere else…

Even Jack wanted to believe that.

But then, the other girls that disappeared from the village, where did they go? It couldn’t have been all fake, since he saw the monster with his own eyes. But then if it was all a fraud as the media said, what really happened back then?

The memories and thoughts kept mixing up in his mind, and the last one was the most puzzling and hurtful: It was of that woman he saw once while he was in his senior year in college. 

There was this lady, walking down the same side of the street, but was strolling in the opposite direction. She was lost in a conversation with a very young boy, almost a baby, who was insisting on walking by his mother’s side but could barely do that. Maybe a year and a half old, at most. A boy with white skin and dark hair, proud and still making an effort to walk while holding her hand. Meanwhile, the mom had a baby girl in her arms. The small girl had the same blond hair his sister had, bright and yellow like the sun.

And their mum was the living image of his sister! 

The same gray-greenish eyes, the same shape as her face, and even with that small scar on her chin… 

But then, many things could have happened for that particular woman to have gotten that nick on her skin. After all, in the whole wide world, it’s impossible that only his sister has had a bicycle accident when she was a kid, right?

He remembered the scar because he was there when the accident happened.

Riding with her on the same bike.

He was on the bar in front of her when she hit a large rock, lost her balance, and she hit him instead of flying above him and on to the ground. Both their heads hit while they fell to the side of the road. 

He got up complaining while rubbing his head, but she didn’t get up for a moment and was bleeding. 

They were close enough from their house to be heard, so he yelled for his father, who came out immediately. They then took his sister to the hospital.

After being released from the hospital, the only prize his sister got left to show was the scar she got from hitting her chin against her brother’s hard head. Of course, this gave her a free ticket to tease him and joke about it for the rest of their lives.

Well, until she was kidnapped, that is…

It was the one scar he could recognize, even if she was standing at the top of Mount Everest while he looked up from below. Which was one of the teasing statements he would tell her before. A little over the top, but he still felt it was kinda true.

It was then proven as soon as Jack saw her that day. He felt his heart stopping and almost going out of his chest and through his throat.

She didn’t even see him until they were very close, then smiled at him, like a stranger would do. And in those few seconds, she showed the same single dimple that his sister also had on the right side of her face... 

This “familiar” stranger continued to walk, her attention back to her talk with her young children.

“Anyone can have a scar like that… and her hair is red, not blond… she even had freckles, and Sorah didn’t… or did she?” he whispered, barely breathing, trying to think… trying to reason what the truth was, wondering if his mind was just showing him what he wanted so badly to see…

When she finally passed him, that’s when the tears came to his eyes.

“My sister would look exactly like her… and the kids… the ones she never got to have… Her scar was smaller, Jack… don’t kid yourself. Sorah is already gone...”

Jack completely stopped a few minutes after. For quite some time, he didn’t move, didn’t look back, didn’t keep on his way to where he was going… 

He just let himself hurt.

Jack blinked away the tears that threatened to come out, both on the vivid memory and on his current place and time.

“Yes, for her, I need to know,” he thought once more.

“But then, where would a wolf that big come from?” one of his employees said, fully bringing Jack’s thoughts back to the meeting.

“That’s one of the reasons why we need to make sure about the story being true… any part of it being true, as a matter of fact. We will start patrolling in teams, especially around the camp, since many of us live here practically out in the open. 

Also, the Elders will make a bigger effort to find the source of the information and picture, so, again, you can let me know if you think you have seen anything of importance. Thank you, that will be all.”

As everyone dispersed and Jack was now intently conversing one-one-on-one with the attendants, he suddenly saw Diwana and Eron arrive at the camp. He quickly ended his talk with his staff and went straight towards the couple like an arrow to a bullseye.

“Hey, Eron! You just missed the meeting. We were talking about the wolf spotted around here. It’s good that you’re safe, man. For a moment, when I heard about the wolf story, I thought you wouldn’t be coming back. Can’t blame you though, between the wolf and the welcome Mad Max and his team gave you,” Jack said to his new hire, making Dee worriedly look at Eron as she tried with all her might to hide it so that the newcomer wouldn’t notice.

“Heh, between the wolf and the dead squirrel, eh?” the charmer chuckled, sarcasm lacing his words. “Yeah, hard to tell which one is the bigger danger for sure.”

“Come on Eron, I’m serious! When the news was phoned in to me today, I thought you might have been already eaten by that wild animal. I seriously think you should take a room at Diwana’s house…” Jack finished, more worried about Eron’s well-being than the effect of the last few words he said to the two people in front of him.

“Yeah, she was actually telling me about it… I mean, the wolf, and the stories around it,” Eron said, slightly blushing. 

His thoughts: “Taking a room at her house, huh? Maybe I could take her room… damn it, Eron, shut up! The woman has been very caring about your welfare and here you are having lusty thoughts about her… again… and again... and again…”

“Yes, and I also offered him to sleep at the house again… I mean… for him... to rent a room… at my… the house… again…” she said, her face getting redder than Eron’s, as her words became slower and softer at the end.

To her relief, it seemed that neither man noticed, especially Eron, who was too shy to look in her direction at the moment…

“Am I… missing something?” Jack said, scratching his neck with a small, mischievous smile on his face.

“Oh no, nothing at all,” both Eron and Diwana said at the same time. That caused them to blush even more.

“Okay… whatever you say, you two…” Jack stated, his smile changing to a smirk, with one slightly raised eyebrow. “Just don’t die on me, ok, bro? You just got here so make sure you’re safe… please.”

“Sure, I… will,” Eron said, then trying to change the topic to one a bit more comfortable for him. "Miss Diwana, where would you like to settle to sell your food? I’m getting hungry… for food… I mean…” 

Even the charmer was surprised at how his words were so affected with her looking flustered and concerned. The change of subject he suggested definitely didn’t help him get the desired effect.

“I’m starting to think I should leave you two alone,” Jack said, his smirk turning into a grin. 

The foreman got a heavy slap on his arm, care of Diwana.

“What are you trying to say?!” the female food seller said, her face now red like a strawberry.

“NOTHING! I’m just having some fun because you seem to be getting along a lot better today compared to yesterday. Nothing wrong with that... riiiight?” Jack replied, rubbing his arm on the reddening spot that was hit by the lady.

Meanwhile, Eron was trying to stay quiet and thinking about all the wrong things his words and thoughts had done so far.

“Hungry, Eron?” he thought to himself, a bit angry. “Your big mouth never ceases to surprise me! I can almost see it coming - because of your poor choice of words she would probably take back her offer to rent you a room!” 

“Come on, Eron, please put the food here on the table. I appreciate your help very much,” Diwana said, still side-eyeing Jack as she walked to the group of benches and tables nearest them.

“Damn, it’s a miracle that Mad Max hasn’t shown up fuming with what I just saw… and where the fuck is he?” the lumber camp’s boss mumbled to himself, as he now wondered where his mill supervisor, Mad Max, was. 

He kept looking around, trying to find the supposed lumberyard’s resident “bad boy” since it was too out of character for Max to just not be around when his schedule was right about to start. 

And even weirder, not to be around when someone talked to Diwana… 

Which was what was happening right this minute as Eron was helping the pretty widow set up her wares…

And a few more minutes later, the unusual - even incredible - incident truly did happen… 

The egotistic squirrel-head was late for work.