Doppelganger (part III)

The doppelgangers merged and we drove to the head office, there we left the two suspects in the special cell. It was late, so we drove to Marina's to celebrate.

Each ordered a drink of our preference and toasted.

"To SAD!"

"To SAD!" We cheered and tinkled the cups.

"That was great!" I commented while giving the first sip.

"You guys shoudaf seen his face when he saw me in the car" Joey refers to his brother as 'me', which although it makes sense is kind of weird "Hands on your head, I said, and he became a statue. It took him a while to actually put the hands on the head."

"But that was a tad dangerous, no? Letting yourself get knocked out by a power drain like that... What if he was armed and wanted to shoot you just like the other one? I was climbing up the hospital from the outside at the time, so I wouldn't be able to help." Ewalyn said.

Joey shook his head while almost turning his beer over.

"No... I differed a little from the plan. Instead of waiting in the car while I was also inside, what I did was approach the entrance. If he pulled a gun, I'd shoot him from behind. But since after I fell he tried to get away, I went ahead and ran with the indarra to the car. Only after he was close enough to the vehicle I returned the power and got up.

His narration can get a little confusing when he refers to himself as 'I' in both points of view.

"Even so... I'm glad we got some good news among all that bad stuff happening." I said.

"This week has been indeed hard." Ewalyn agreed.

"You guys think we avenged Emma?" Joey asked.

There was a moment of silence.

"I don't know... We don't even know if it was them two who broke into SAD back then."

"There wasn't any long hair before, no?" Ewalyn asked.

"The cameras say no... But when it comes to non-humans... You never know, right?" Joey explained, "aliens or parasyte aches could've changed their appearance just because they knew they were caught by the camera that day."

"Therefore... Crane herself is gonna have to analyze the ductus and check if it's them."

It wasn't the most reliable measure, since she could only rely on memory, but it was still possible.

I opened my cigarrete pack.

"Hey! Can I get one?" Ewalyn asked.

I did as she said. She lit it.

"Those are different than the ones you were smoking the other day."

"So... These are the Tar Lights I told you about."

Joey stared the two of us, intertwining one with the other. He finished his beer and said:

"Guys... I think I'm going home..."

"Already? Let's celebrate!"

"I, uh... I'm kind of tired. You know... I had to 'merge', I spent a lot."

With greets he said goodbye and then it was just me and Ewalyn at Marina's. It was late, so there was no one else there.

"Back to the topic... What a teamwork today, huh?"

"Yeah! Props to the tough lieutenant."

"Congratulations to you too! To both of you... I mean... Three?"

Ewalyn smiled lightly. She wet her lips with another sip of beer.

"If I wasn't there... The tough lieutenant would've lost." She said it in a mocking tone.

"What's that? I just wanted to follow the plan."

"What if there was no plan?"

I didn't consider what I would have done if there was no plan, but I like to think I'd have achieved it somehow. Though strong the guy wasn't as experienced as he believed he was... All he had was the column trap set. But come to think of it, it was even better to have let Ewalyn participate that way and play the hero.

"This finesse of yours... We could be partners more often. It's very useful, when we combine it that way, isn't it?"

"It 'is' iseful..."

Ewalyn smoked her cigarette in the most natural way, as if she had been doing that for years. After a brief exhalation she said:

"You two surprised me! Can you always fight in the dark like that? Joey's okay because he's not human, but..."

"He is human! Theyare! Doppelgangers are humans!"

From the look on Ewalyn's face, she didn't seem to share the same opinion, but she didn't say anything. I went on:

"But actually, the trick is..." I removed a contact lens from my eye.

Woah! Is that infrared lens?"

"Not exactly infrared, but similar. It makes everything a little clearer... Light enhancing, I believe."

"May I see?"

I put the lens in her hands, accidentally touching them lightly. They were cold. And soft.

"You cold?"

"Abit... It's late, isn't it?" Ewalyn answered setting the lens aside.

"Wanna go home? I give you a ride."

"I'd love to, but... Doesn't your wife mind?"

"She... Well... She's a case apart."

"Really? Why?"

"Let's get to the counter. I'll tell you in the way back."

We made the payment and went to the car, the same black Utopia we came in.

"I think I'm gonna leave that car out in front of my house today. I don't feel like walking back."

"Well, you're the lieutenant! Plus you're right: the street is dangerous at this time." Ewalyn answered while she was fastening her belt on.

"I wouldn't mind being mugged if it's to arrest a few extra bad guys, though."

"Since you can fight in the dark, right?"

I laughed and then started the car. Ewalyn lived in Glen Meadow, not far from there by driving.

"So that means that when that unsub... What's his name again? Picelle? Pierre?"

"Pierre."

"When he attacked earlier in the dark... You two had seen him already? And Joey let himself be hit on purpose to put the plan into practice?"

"We noticed him earlier by the ductu. You could tell the direction he was coming from. But we didn't expect a surprise rush, we figured he'd wait for an opportunity... That way was a little better."

"Looks like I need to take some fighting lessons with you two..."

Ewalyn reclined her seat back and settled down. With the corner of my eye I couldn't help but notice her breasts.

She was a lot more blessed than Jane.

"I could drink another one of those." I said, "shall we go somewhere else?"

"At this time? So Jane really doesn't care?"

"True... I was talking about that... Actually, she cares. She always does. But it happens so often that I got used to it. I got used to it wrongly... I know I shouldn't, but lately I've been frequenting pubs, I've been getting back late on purpose, I make all the excuses, but to be honest what I've been doing is avoiding coming home as much as possible because of the way the things are going... Every night I come home and Jane is awake and it's the same thing.

"Well, that doesn't happen, like... 'Because' you're late? Even I would be a little... Disturbed.

- É diferente. Ela literalmente explode por qualquer coisa. Se eu chego no horário, se chego antes, se chego depois... Não faz mais diferença. É como se ela não estivesse realmente escutando. Hoje a razão será que eu tive que prender dois criminosos que só poderiam ser capturados de noite, mas ela não vai querer checar os fatos, ela só vai gritar, gritar e gritar... Você sabe... Outro dia eu comprei um daqueles Cinnoli Spice Cookies no caminho e entrei em casa comendo eles, e ela por um milagre havia me esperado para o almoço, então ela caiu aos prantos porque eu havia comido sem ela, sendo que ela faz isso comigo todo o santo dia. E eu tive que aguentá-la chorar por uma hora e meia até a hora de voltar à central. Realmente, Ewalyn... É um inferno.

"It's different! She literally explodes for anyething! If I arrive on time, if I arrive before, if I arrive later... It makes no difference anymore. It's like she's not really listening. Today the reason was I had to arrest two criminals who could only be captured at nighttime, but she won't want to check the facts, she'll just scream and yell and scream... You know... The other day I bought one of those Cinnoli Spice Cookies on the way and I came home eating them, and by miracle she was waiting for me for lunch, so she fell to tears because I'd eaten without her, while she does that to me all day long. And I had to put up with her for an hour and a half until the time I got back to the office. Really, Ewalyn... It's a living hell."

"Woah! Sorry to ask! I didn't know it was like that..."

"It's fine... Sorry myself for being so... Specific."

"But Joey said you guys were tagging along."

"That's what I tell him, yes."

"Really? You didn't tell even your best friend about the situation?"

That Joey!? My best friend!?

"It's not something I'm particularly proud of, so I avoid showing it as much as I can."

Until we reach Ewalyn's house in a dark, narrow street in Glen Meadow, we remained silent in our seats.

After about three minutes we arrived at the place: a nice house with a green wall and narrow gate, all made of rectangular stones in a dark and calm street.

"Is it this one? The one with the green wall?"

"That's right! Thanks!"

"I only brought you here that other time so I wasn't sure... Sounds like a nice place to live, huh?"

"It's perfect! There's no noise at all! Don't you wanna..."

"...Yes?"

"Er... Nothing."

She unbuckled her belt.

"Love... Is really strange huh? Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it just happens on one side... Sometimes it ends on both sides, and sometimes it ends on one side and sometimes it doesn't."

"It's really complicated."

"I was also married once, you know?"

"Is that so?"

"For only five months, but it didn't work out... Sean was a sweetheart, but after we started living together, how can I say it? He changed abruptly? Instead of being serious and dedicated he was sloppy and aggressive."

I sighed.

"Yeah... It's kind of what happens. Jane's change was more gradual. But still, it's there. And it's now reached this point... God in heaven... How did I let myself get used to living this way?"

"Well... I maybe because: you don't ponder about it, thus unconsciously end up thinking it's part of your life? Getting used can be dangerous. There are things you just don't realize. And a love that's faded is one of them. I think there's only two ways to bring you back to reality. The first is by pondering," she settled down on the seat, changing her tone of voice to a more decisive one, "that's wjhy it's important to talk about your problems to your friends, you know?"

You may be right..." I lit a cigarette, "and what would the second way be?"

"The second would be... When you find someone new? Someone different... Who awakens in you the same feeling you had at first... The feeling before the other person changed, and then you realize you missed it, and for some reason that feeling never appeared again and you didn't even realize..."

I caught myself admiring her eyes for a moment. They looked green from afar, but you could see from up close that they were of a graceful light brown shade."

Silence reigned as we stared at each other for an instant.

Then Ewalyn shook her head slightly, saying:

"Well... Anyway... It's late... I should go."

"Yeah... You're right."

She kissed me on the cheek and came down the car. I stood there watching her open the narrow gate of her house and then the door, until finally she got out of sight. Then I turned on the key and headed to my house: Jane's house. Time flew by as several things went through my mind. I wasn't exactly drunk, but I was stunned, or rather: slightly flown. Do you know when you do your routine without even realizing it? By the time I realized I was already standing in front of my house door. By the time I realized I was thinking of some excuse to turn around and leave, but it was already too late.

"Henry? Henry? Is that you?"

I heard Jane's voice getting closer and closer to the door.

"Where were you? I called you and..."

I hated that voice. Always with the same story. Why the hell is Jane up at this time of night?

I ignored her completely, diverting her and entering the house. I threw my stuff on the couch and slammed the door. She started screaming louder, and although it was slightly annoying I couldn't even hear her anymore.

Everything she said... Everything Ewalyn said moments ago... Was true. That feeling... Being next to her... Her words... Her look... Her company... That was all something I had lost for a long time. And now it's like I had found it all back.

It was as if everything I had seen in Jane almost ten years ago and that now no longer existed was being reborn in someone else. And suddenly I didn't see Ewalyn as just another beautiful coworker. It was different from Crane. Very different...

Really... I was stunned. I'd probably had a little too much to drink. Without hesitation I covered myself and went to sleep trying to calm my thoughts.