Paradise Harbour chapter 4

Chapter Four

It was still bright outside. I was nearly running down the street, and I am sure the horrified expression on my face shocked the people I passed, who looked at me strangely.

I flagged down a car and asked for a ride back to the hospital. The driver was an old-timer and kept glancing at my wrapped-up box. I had a feeling he knew what I had, but looking at his strong, steady face, callused hands, and honest eyes, I could tell he wasn’t the kind to try and cause me trouble.

Furtikos was still at the front desk. When he saw me again, his face registered surprise at the speed of my work.

I slammed the case of whiskey on the desk. “The guy is dead, horribly…torn

apart…by....” I shook my head. “Something...and your ‘supplies’ are right here.”

“Keep it down!” He grabbed the box and put it on the floor behind the desk. “Here, all the folders I have of Miss Van Dausen’s writing and work.” He handed me a couple of manila file folders. “Look, come back when you’re not so—stressed. I have more work for you if you’re interested.”

His nonchalance puzzled me. “You seem very calm about me mentioning a person being torn apart...by something.”

Furtikos shrugged and sighed. “Oh, yes. I can see how you’d be upset. But I told you, there are a lot of secrets here. This town is not easy for investigators...or anyone, for that matter. There are...things...that live in the shadows, that come from the ocean. There is more too, but if I’m the one to talk a lot to an investigator about the secrets, I’ll also be the one to join the investigator’s fate. So, I wish you good luck and to survive. ‘Til we meet again?”

I left the hospital with the papers as the sun was starting to set. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I walked slowly through the streets, heading back to my new home.

On my way, I saw a large poster on the wall. The Ferry Café. Come and listen to the most magnificent voice in Paradise Harbour: Magda! The poster had a tinted image of a tall, middle-aged woman with curly red hair and a green dress—Magda, evidently. Below it was the address and the notation that this was a jazz cafe. I love jazz. Perhaps I could relax at the Ferry Café and calm my shaken soul.

As I stood looking at the poster, the nearby streetlight went on. I realized that the sun had set, so I hurried over to get my evening meal at the Heavenly Diner.

I made my way down the left side of the street. As I walked past an alley across the pavement, I noticed someone standing there. I quickly turned and pretended to look in a store window, while actually, I watched the person loitering in the alley. He or she was leaning against a building, wearing a black cape with a hood that hid his or her face. The face turned in my direction, and the individual appeared to focus on me. Then something began to move beneath the robe that didn’t look natural, and I ran.

I ran all the way to my apartment, past the diner and straight inside, locking the door. I sat by the window checking the street, but I could see no one who looked suspicious. Cursing my own fear and paranoia, I decided to go out again, but I gripped my gun under my jacket. I took one of Aranxa’s notebooks to read while I ate my supper at the diner.

My heart was still beating a rapid tattoo as I entered the Heavenly Diner, but I was beginning to calm down. I greeted Bill and sat in an empty booth with a good view of the front door.

Apart from me, there was just one patron, a pretty young woman with medium- length black hair and a small white hat. She was reading a book, and I had a hard time avoiding looking at her. I ordered my food, and Bill brought me some tea, so I opened Aranxa’s notebook and began to read while sipping the warm liquid. From time to time, I looked up to check on the woman, and our eyes eventually met. She smiled and waved at me. I was surprised and timidly waved back. I wasn’t sure just what I should do as a gentleman in that moment, but I motioned for her to join me. To my surprise, she stood up and walked over. I quickly got up.

“My name is Cecilia. You moved into apartment number eight on Sinner Street, didn’t you?” she asked, in a pleasant, confident voice.

“Um...yes. My name is Luc. How do you know where I live?”

“I live in apartment number nine, next to you. And I love this diner, isn’t that funny?”

I smiled and sat down across from her. “Yes, it is. How long have you lived

here?”

As I asked this, Bill walked up to refill my teacup and smiled at us, then winked

at me. Cecilia clearly noticed and suppressed a smile. This made me feel even more nervous.

Cecelia answered me, “I have lived here my whole life, really.”

I got the impression that perhaps there was a period of time when she had resided somewhere else, but she preferred not to mention this, especially to someone she just met, so I did not press the issue. I did, however, notice a peculiar ring on her left hand. It looked like an octopus.

“That’s a very interesting ring. What does it mean to you?” I asked, and sipped some more tea, trying to shake off my nervousness, for I was feeling a great attraction towards her.

“This  ” She paused again for a moment. Her eyes grew sad. “It was a gift from

my late father—he was a very great sailor. He and my mother left me that apartment.” “They must be very proud of you, looking on from the other side,” I said with

compassion.

Suddenly Cecelia rose. “I have to go now, but let’s meet again soon. We can have a longer conversation. Perhaps we can visit the harbour. Have you been there yet?” she asked as she fished in her handbag for some money.

“Please, allow me to get this for you. And no, I have not been to the harbour. How about you show me this Saturday?” I asked, then remembered the time of day and my manners. “Please let me walk you home.”

“Oh no, please, don’t worry,” she said, grasping my hand in a quick gesture. I was at least happy that she let me pay her tab. Bill came by again.

“Beautiful girl. You gonna be drinking black tea all night? Not planning to sleep?”

“Just another cup. So, you’ve known her for a long time?” I asked.

“Oh no, she’s been a regular in recent months, but not before that.”

I nodded as he walked away. Finally, I opened Aranxa’s notebook and began to read with full focus.

Right away, I felt that the tone of the notes, despite being mostly medical, was dark and foreboding. But I noticed an interesting thing. At first, I thought they were simply mistakes, but words kept appearing in the wrong places. I paged back to where I had noticed the first one out of context and went through all of the words I had found so far.

“Harbour.” “Island.”

“Clan.” “Darkness.” “Kramik.”

I took a break from reading and just sat there, thinking. I had to put these words together; it must be some kind of message. Were they in this order intentionally? Was there an island you could get to from the harbour? Was there a clan on the island? Was that where KKK did their deeds? There was no mention of Jackson Thormund so far. But what darkness? What did “Kramik” mean?

There were a lot of questions to be answered, and perhaps many more would appear. What if the girl had been taken by one of those things I had seen in the boarded-up pub? I had only seen its shadow, but the horror I felt was chilling. That is, what I thought I had seen. Maybe my eyes had played tricks on me.

I considered what to do next. Saturday was in two days, and I decided I’d look at the harbour then when I went there with Cecilia. For the next two days, I would visit the university, try to find the local bars, perhaps that jazz restaurant, and try the police station and maybe speak to a detective.

I finally thanked Bill and walked out into the empty street. I wondered why Bill was not afraid to keep his place open all night. He had mentioned that during the day, his family members took some shifts.

As I walked down the sidewalk, one of the streetlights flickered, and a cat ran out of an alley, startling me. My heart was pounding from all the black tea I had consumed and also from the growing fear and questions I had. My nerves felt raw, and I struggled to calm myself.

I was almost at my door when I felt the sensation that someone was watching me. I turned quickly in several directions, but I could see no one. I peered up Sinner

Street into a darkened area where, evidently, the streetlight was out. Though I stared into the darkness, I detected no one, but I could not shake the feeling that someone, somewhere, was watching me. I took a deep breath and exhaled fully.

I cautiously opened my apartment door, and once inside, I turned on the lights quickly. To my surprise I found three large suitcases standing in the living room, with a letter attached to one of them. I swiftly opened it.

Dear Luc,

The men delivered everything Mr. Van Dausen promised and more. I am staying in a hotel called The Hook, located near the harbour. Let’s meet soon so you can give me your first updates, and then I can give the information to the boss. I brought a good telephone with me, and I’ll be able to relay information to the boss quickly, but he wants all your information in letter form as well.

See you soon, Mercedes.

So, Mercedes was in town and presumably wanted to meet with me first thing in the morning. For a brief moment, I thought of her in a romantic way, but then I thought of Cecelia. I mentally shook myself. I wasn’t there looking for a sweetheart. This job was the most important of my life, and I had not made much progress so far. I had to keep my mind strong and steady.

I began to unpack. Weapons, whiskey, clothes for all occasions, magazines, medicine, toiletries, and more were in the suitcases. I was very satisfied. Mr. Van Dausen had a lot of faith in me, and I had to push myself to the limits and deliver, but I wasn’t even sure Aranxa was still alive. That was the biggest question that tormented me all night as I took a very long time to fall asleep.