Call for Help

"I don't mean to spoil the moment, but if I may ask, what do we do with this… new information?" asked Shekau.

"Right. Thank you," said Ryne. "As of now, I believe that the two humans that we met earlier may have something to do with this. Our efforts might be more fruitful if we focus on keeping track of them."

"How do you suppose we do that?"

"There's a chance that this human named Eddie is our killer, but we're not exactly sure until we catch him in the act. Or get more evidence that points to him being so. What we could do is to keep an eye on him and maintain a lookout for the killer."

"I see. I will inform the others, then."

"I will join you, Shekau. You would need someone who knows what he looks like."

"That is a good idea."

"By the way, since he works for the Mayor, that's the leader of this walled colony of humans, he would probably have a schedule."

"What is this 'schedule' you're talking about?"

"It's a set time for doing certain activities. In his case, he would be in the Mayor's Office during most of the day, leaving him to do any possible dirty work at near sunset, to possibly the middle of the night."

"Come to think of it, evening was the time the killer went on his spree. We'll find a way to organize the patrols according to the information that you have given us."

"Shall we go, then?"

"After you, Mr. Prauza."

The two tomcats leaped out of the room's window and into the streets below. It was now just Ryne, Nini, and Fonmi at the inn.

"I was actually this close to following them, but I thought you might need some help."

"Thank you for that."

"So, what are we going to do while we wait for them?"

"I feel like I should try and contact this man called Mallory. He may have a clue about Eddie, at least, considering he's his friend. I am also curious as to whether Prauza's right or not. The same goes for Eddie for that last one, actually."

"How will you be doing that?"

"Hmm, I have his number, so I could call him."

Ryne's hands were about to tap on the appropriate button for Mallory's number, when he thought that the man might be busy. And considering that it hasn't been long after they had their 'interview,' it seemed awkward to suddenly ask for a follow-up.

He decided that it would be better to ask for an appointment instead. And so he searched for Caitlyn's number and dialed that.

"H-Hello?" said the voice on the phone.

"Hello. Is this Ms. Caitlyn? Mr. Mallory Miller's assistant?"

"Y-Yes. Who is asking?"

"My name is Spencer Smith, and I would like to ask if I could book an appointment with Mr. Miller?"

"What is this for, again, Mr. Smith?"

"Well, you see, I'm working on a project with this classmate of mine. We're from Illemore College, and we got to interview Mr. Miller and his friend Mr. Bennett for it."

"Mm-hmm, please go on."

"Well, actually, Mr. Bennett was our subject, and it just so happened that Mr. Miller passed by to accompany Mr. Bennett on his appointment. Anyway, we're-"

"Wait, you saw Mr. Miller earlier?"

"Uh, yes. Why?"

"I'll explain later. Please, continue. Sorry about that."

"Right. It's all right, miss. Uh, where was I? Oh. We're writing this paper about the psychological effect of pets on people with mental illness. We didn't have much time to talk earlier, so we didn't get to ask everything. If possible, we would like to speak with him at a more relaxed time."

Actually, it would be best if you could schedule it for me as soon as possible, thought Ryne, but he didn't say it that way.

"I see. Oh, Mr. Miller! Welcome back!" said Caitlyn, suddenly talking to someone else on her end.

"Thank you, Caitlyn," said a male voice in the background. "Don't spend too much time on me. You have a caller."

"Ah, sorry about that, Mr. Miller…"

There was a pause as Mallory went inside his office. Ryne could tell from the sound of the door opening and closing.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Smith," said Caitlyn. "Mr. Miller just went in."

"I could… um, hear that."

"Ah yes… I uh… Oh no, I'm really sorry…"

"Please, calm down…"

Caitlyn took a deep breath and continued. "Okay, so… I would have to ask Mr. Miller about your request, since it's not business-related. Is that all right?"

"I understand. We understand, Ms. Caitlyn."

"Right… Um, may I have your names, please? So I can take note of it properly."

"So, it's Spencer Smith, and my classmate's name is Ella Allen."

"Ella Allen… Hm, this person…" said Caitlyn, her voice growing softer, as if she doesn't want anyone else to hear what she's saying. "Sorry if this is out of the blue, but do you know if she wrote a paper on the mythological origins of Illemore?"

"Uh, yes, she told me about it once," answered Ryne, recalling Ella's theory.

"I see. Are you and Ms. Allen free later, Mr. Smith? Like, after office hours? I-I know you're a college student, and there are classes in odd hours, but…"

"I'm free today, don't worry. I was practically dragged out of the only one I have. I'm not quite sure about Ella, though."

"Okay."

"Is something the matter, Ms. Caitlyn?"

"There's actually something I'm worried about, and I think you might be able to help. Please meet me at…"