Wren looked at the wall clock while cleaning off the dust from the books with a soft homemade whisk broom.
7:27 pm.
Did he have any food? He is so forgetful sometimes. I don't think so.
It was almost night now. Orion had been out since the morning. And he hadn't even had any breakfast. She doubted that he even had a drop of water. He was probably killing his thirst by gulping his saliva, she felt.
She looked at Aunt Honey who was arranging the new book stock.
"Aunt, is there any food left that I can pack for Orion?"
Aunt looked at her. She smiled. "I already packed. So we both are thinking the same."
"You did? Then what are you waiting for?"
"For 7:30"
"It doesn't matter!!! HE IS SO DUMB, HE IS PROBABLY TIRED WITH HUNGER AND DOESN'T KNOW WHY!" She shouted, rushing to get the tiffin box.
"Sorry. Calm down, dear. I would have gone but wanted to help you a little."
Wren had been working hard all day with all chores and other work to keep herself distracted from the stress. Stress because she was worried all day. And the visit of the maroon guy didn't help any way.
Wren rushed to the kitchen and found the tiffin box placed on the table conveniently. She picked it and rushed out of the backdoor to the lawn to the gate of a small alley on the back of their house. It was dark but it didn't matter. The dim lights coming out of the windows of the houses were enough.
She ran hurriedly, glad that she took the shortcut. In her way, she came across a restaurant that was bustling with officers.
"Wren!" A voice called from behind as she passed the restaurant.
She stopped, panting and looked behind.
"Robert?" She was familiar with Robert, meeting him in his patrols the other days.
"Yes. You are in a hurry. I don't think you should run around in the dark."
"Is Orion here?" She interrupted.
"No. He says he will stay there till he's done. Stubborn guy."
"No, no, no. That's not good. Tell me he had some water at least?"
Robert pressed his lips understanding where the conversation was going. But unfortunately, he had not been babysitting Orion and checking what he ate or didn't.
"Wren, give me the box. I'll give it to him. You should not be out in the dark. The killer's intentions aren't confirmed yet."
She saw his eyes on the box and hid it uneasily. She questioned herself why she did that. There was nothing to hide unless she was going mad.
Robert awkwardly continued, "If you want to give it with your hands then I think I will just accompany you. What do you say?"
"Th-thanks for caring about me." She said with short breaths. Robert nodded.
They both walked, Wren sprinting a metre ahead of him. Having Robert with her, Wren calmed a little and slowed her speed.
Places look different at day and night.
The road to the construction site looked eerie and melancholy, the orange ember lamps placed between huge distances. The sound of nature was loud at night. She felt grateful to have Robert with her.
When they reached the place, they saw Orion out of the building, walking around the tree where one victim was found to inspecting the other nearby places.
"Orion!" Wren shouted. She had never missed him this hard and even she was a little surprised about it. Must be because of the murders, she told herself.
Orion looked at the two in surprise. Robert walked towards him.
"Any findings, Orion Winters?" He asked.
"Very. But I think I will be able to make out more from it if left unbothered." He valued his 'me time' deeply.
"Just report the ones that you have in mind right now." Robert stated. To this, Orion shook his head. He did not like telling people things he was not 100 percent sure of. Even if there was just a single, almost insignificant doubt, he kept his mouth shut.
Orion ignorned Robert and looked at Wren who was waiting for their talk to complete.
"Orion, have you eaten anything since morning?"
His reaction was strange. His face startled. Of all that had been going in his mind, this was completely out of the topics. Food? It was now that he was hit with realization.
No wonder he had been feeling tired all day. His stomach was aching and thus, he had let the officers leave to get food without him for he felt his stomach was just bad.
"N...no." He mumbled with embarrassment. Robert first looked concerned but then started laughing at the detective's forgetfulness. Now he had one more topic to tease him in the future.
Wren handed him the tiffin box and then rubbed her shoulders. "Pheww, it's so dark and cold in here. How long have you been out?"
Orion ignored her question and opened the lunch box hungrily. Then he gave a groan.
"What's this? It's not even an appetizer. It's a snack."
Wren pressed her lips then gasped. "Come home then!"
"No, I'm busy."
"Robert can do the work. He is very 'professional'. Just tell him what you know. Then we go home and you have your own alone time with lots of food."
Robert agreed. "Yes, Orion. You need rest. Look at your face. So dark. No energy."
"It's dark because it's night, dummy." Orion responded quickly. "Well, you guys got to know that the victim inside was from a press right?"
"Yes, we did."
"So remember I went out for some hours with some of your patrol guys? I then went my way to inquire about that press. That press was a long distance. I took a train and reached very fast. The press was in a village near the forests. Turns out a journalist named Tyler was missing. That's what they said. It took me a lot of time to know more about him but he has a half-Dolvian ethnicity."
Robert clicked his tongue. "Dolvs. Oh, that community is so protective of each other. Don't tell me the murderer was a Dolv. Oh wait. That explains the missing footprints. Their ancestors used to hunt from trees right?"
"Yes, those wild people. Yes, we are getting to it. But then, there were two footprints of murderers remember. One which now we know climbed the tree and went away. The other, we saw the footprints walking away by road normally. I don't think the murderers were a team if they went separate ways."
"So one murderer isn't a Dolv?"
"Mhm."
"Then who are they?"
"That's where my unbothered time comes. I won't explain. Bye." Orion said and joined Wren.
Wren held him as he let his tired frail body take her support. "Oh I am so damn hungry. And it's such a long walk to home. And it's so dark. And-"
"-Stop complaining Orion."
They walked slowly until they reached the road that led to the bookstore.
"Can't we take the shortcut from the back?"
"No. That road is too dark. How will I protect you if the Dolv pops out?"
"Makes...sense." He mumbled and yawned. He was sleepy too. "Oh by the way... The other murderer was a RS agent." He whispered in her ear.
"I know. Why else would you hide it from Robert?" She said loudly in exhaustion.
She dragged him till they reached the gate. She stopped and took deep breaths. She was tired too. Orion let go off her and stood still.
He walked in, slowly. The light from the glasses were bright enough to lit the way. He stopped. His eyes widened with horror and disbelief. He looked back at Wren.
"Wren. Who came to the bookstore today?" His voice was cold.
She walked towards him. She should have directly told him about the maroon guy. But she didn't. She remembered Sameul came as well. And in investigation, you assume innocent none.
"Why? Who was here?" She expected to hear Red Scorpion.
"The Dolv."
She stopped. The maroon guy was an agent or not? There are many agents throughout the country. If he was an agent then Sameul was the Dolv. But then if Sameul is innocent, then there was no agent, only the Dolv as an disguise of a agent. But why?
Her mind worked quick and restlessly. She sometimes stopped to understand what she was thinking.
She didn't think Sameul, the sweet guy, was a Dolv. But then why would the Dolv be the maroon guy? Shouldn't he hate the organization?
Orion dropped to the ground, clenching the grass and gritting his teeth. His body trembled with rage.
"The murderer escaped from my hands at my very home."
Now he had hunger for more. He had a hunger to catch the murderer.