Mala, her eyes flashing for a second, inhaled, and was not immediately able to exhale. She was afraid that Thunder had guessed that she was at the murder scene tonight. “A novel that has not yet begun can end very prosaically. – thought Mala. – The ending may be quite romantic – at the end of the first date, your lover shoots at you! – she grinned at her inept black humor, and tried to gather inside, so as not to show how worried she was.
Taking a breath, she said:
– I will answer your question. Required. But I want to know what exactly you mean. Are you interested in my skill or… or ability?
Thunder stared at her evenly. Mala did not even suspect that at this moment, he silently weighed out the best compliments to her, she thought that he was just looking for a place where she could bury her corpse. Thunder leaned forward:
– Your abilities.
She already wanted to confess everything, when he suddenly put his hand on her hair and stroked it, and then said:
– Let's go out, take a walk, do you mind? It's stuffy here, and the contingent is not quite suitable for a romantic meeting. Thunder stood up and held out his hand to her. Mala thought that, despite the gross negligence, the danger that was obvious, for some reason she could trust him.
Mala took his hand and they headed for the exit.
*****
At the place where Madame Piescu's body was found – an investigation team was already working. Captain Ulysses and Lieutenant Brick examined the scene.
– They were shooting at point-blank range – said the lieutenant.
– Yes, and the shot was silent. As in the previous 3 murders.
Ulysses was a conscientious man, and when he was assigned to investigate a new case, finding the killer was a matter of honor for him. Those killed always had families, loved ones, loved ones – the captain believed that the one who takes on the role of God and takes the life of another person should be punished. Recently, cases of barbaric reprisals have become more frequent, and this seriously worried the captain.
He squatted down and took the lifeless corpse of Madame Piescu by the hand. There was dirt under the nails, but they found no signs of a struggle. Apparently, the victim did not even resist, but simply, stunned by the sight of the weapon pointed at her, allowed herself to be killed. They also found a mysterious symbol on the victim's body: "Y", which, apparently, the killer had already carved out after the murder.
What all this meant while the captain did not know, but he understood that the killer was trying to tell them something. "Or is he one of those maniacs who want to be caught?" – the captain came up with different thoughts, but there were no clear versions yet.
– Lieutenant – tell them to take the body away. We examined everything here, and collected all the evidence. I don't think it makes sense to keep a corpse here anymore.
– Yes, as the captain say.
Lieutenant Brick took out his phone and made the necessary orders.
The chain of murders reminded the captain of something, but he did not yet understand what it was. Once upon a time, back in school, they studied distant solar systems, including systems where there were not one or two suns, but much more.
“And there something was said about the union of man and the cosmos, which is indicated by the symbol“ U ”and some kind of circle, a vicious circle, or a ring? – I don’t remember which opened any gates. We may be dealing with a cosmological madman. OK let's see".
– That's all for today! – commanded the captain, and went to the patrol car.
******
As they walked down the street, Mala could barely contain a shudder. She tried to stay out of the lonely alleys, even though she believed her new friend. As soon as she aligned her pace with the companion, he took her arm and spoke again:
– So will you answer my question? – he saw the embarrassment in Mala's eyes and tried to calm her down. “I won't hurt you, and I won't give out your secrets to anyone, baby. But you have to be honest with me. You have secrets from…. People?
Thunder lightly squeezed Mala's elbow, and it seemed to her that there was no point in hiding the truth any longer, he already knew everything.
– I will answer questions to the interlocutor only when he gives his name! – Mala tried to laugh it off. "Will this postpone the inevitable confession?" – was spinning in Mala's head.
The thunder caught on.
– Yes of course. Grom smiled politely and said his name. – I understand the name is rather unusual. But it's even more like a nickname, more than a name.
Mala knew his name, but did not want to betray herself. She was glad that, impressed by their first "date", she hadn't been foolish and hadn't called him by name even before he introduced himself.
– And you are Mala. I heard Nadia calling you by your name. You called each other. – he specified.
– Yes.…
They, continuing to walk along the street, nevertheless turned into a quiet side street.
“Well, the moment has come. This magical moment when they shoot me like … like a wild cat. " Mala knew that Thunder was waiting for an answer to his question. And the more she hesitates, the more suspicious it looks.
– In general, yes, there is some secret that I hide from people … ..
– I knew it! – Thunder proclaimed loudly. He stopped and looked at her with adoring eyes. He was triumphant.
– And what is it, dear? Rather, do not be weary! Tell me? – he looked into her eyes, cheerful sparks played in his gaze.
– Sometimes I…
– You are able to withstand fire … And you bend objects with the power of thought. And you … – suddenly a yard cat jumped out from under your feet and ran off somewhere with a yell. He looked at the cat, at Mala and caught her eye.
And yet, you .... Are you a cat ??. – Thunder finally finished. – It is so?
Mala smiled wryly. So he knew the answer? That is, it is not about this stupid cat, which is out of nowhere…. He knew her secret from the beginning. It means she will not survive.
“God! How is Caesar without me ?? ".
– Yours took. – Mala powerlessly dropped her hands. – so it is … Yes, at night I turn into a cat. I'm kind of like a werewolf, only I don't like that word….
Thunder looked at her, and love shone in his eyes.
He was not going to kill her, he generally felt nothing but joy. This girl was just like him. The same unhappy one, forced to hide her true nature from people. That's who he could love. They were friends in misfortune, but this did not make their passion wretched. It just had a bit of bitterness in it. And sadness.
CHAPTER 4
Captain Ulysses could not sleep today – the eyes of the dead woman stood before his eyes. He dreamed of her hands, all blue, lifeless, and the mysterious letter "Y" on his chest.
He got up, unable to imitate a sleeping man any longer, and opened his work computer. It took him 20 minutes to punch through the database – murder histories of similar victims – with a "U" on his chest. They all had a bad reputation. Someone was caught on theft, someone on domestic violence, or, like Madame Piescu, was involved in the story of suicide.
“It looks like our killer is a conscientious one. And kills out of disgust. An old story "– Captain Ulysses rubbed his chin.
He had no idea why there was a sequence of deaths – that is, to lead the police to think about a series of murders? After all, if it were not for this letter, they would never have been able to find out that these victims have something in common. Apparently this is some kind of superstition or ritual, the implementation of which is very important for the killer, – the captain suggested, taking an energy drink out of the refrigerator. When he poured himself a glass of Red Bull, he began to ponder further, along the way sipping a cool invigorating drink.