Chapter 14. We're just doing our job...

They were at least a group of fifteen men, tall, strong, and experienced in fighting. Some seemed younger and new to the group than the others, who were visible gangsters from the old school. However, no one of them could stop trembling in fear as one by one fell to the ground as if they were nothing. 

That woman was fearsome. Stronger than she looked and faster than any martial artist. How can she do that?

But that was not the strangest and most terrible thing of all. The shadow under her feet seemed to move between them, sucking the blood from the ground, leaving no trace.

As the woman with wild black hair kept fighting, blood came out of the men's mouths and wounds, but the blood continued disappearing. It was witchcraft. It should be. 

"Stop… stop, go..." the gang's leader was dragging himself on the ground, he couldn't feel his legs anymore, "please… don't come near me..." his mouth coughed blood. "Don't!"

Eva smiled and leaned in to watch him closely. "Would you have done the same for me? If I had begged you to let me go, would you have done it?"

"It's... we're just doing our job..."

It was the same speech of all time. Human consciousness shut down when a job and some money were more important than other humans' lives and their own dignity. They always managed to say that it was okay to stomp on anyone who got in their way because it was their job, they were needed to do that to survive. Well, they should all be slaves then… no consciousness is required. 

"I also have a job to do, I should survive. So, you must understand me," Eva said while cleaning her hands and hiding her fangs. "I'm just doing my job."

She kicked him hard in the head and knocked him unconscious. Then she grabbed the money from his wallet. It was a good wad of bills, maybe from Amanda. With that, she could start shopping for a while as compensation for the emotional damage and for wasting her time.

At least, Percy has his fill as he couldn't take form in the daylight yet. 

She took the keys to one of the lowkey cars they had used and drove off.

***

Meanwhile, at the Hart Mansion, the police had already scoured the entire forest and surrounding areas. 

The Hart family, being one of the most respected and powerful families in Crimson City, could raise many rumors and attract many reporters who couldn't help the temptation to dig for more info concerning such a powerful family. Therefore, the inspectors had to hurry to search throughout the territory fully before those reporters arrived.

"We found nothing, sir," one of the officers approached Inspector Helsing with tiredness in his voice. They had searched for the entire morning till the evening inside that damn, humid forest. "There is not a single trace of a wild animal, which is weird…"

Helsing nodded. "Pack up everything and let's go back. Maybe that thing went north, we have to alert people on that side."

Somehow, he already knew they wouldn't find anything. He took one of his cigarettes out of his jacket and looked at the mansion. Big and stately, a bit lonely at the edge of the woods but two streets downhill from the main avenue. 

It was a strange location for a mansion from such a family. It wasn't even on a fancy avenue with a lot of security. Why would the Hart family own a place like that? Also, he wondered why Mrs. Hart, the wife of billionaire Mr. Kian Hart, was riding a bicycle in ordinary clothes to her home. It was a long distance from the school she attended to Hart's residence. 

He knew that he shouldn't get involved in such marital matters, but given the circumstances, he was curious. Mrs. Hart seemed to be ignored by her husband, and according to Helsing's research, the Hart family loathed her.

According to her profile, it was said that she was a straight-A student, with no parents and some relatives living outside of the city in the countryside. She worked part-time at an internet cafe near BlackRose College and no one seemed to know her real identity as Mrs. Hart. 

Humble, gentle, and kind, but the woman who answered the phone was nothing like that. Not humble at all. She even sounded a little bit sassy. 

"Sir-sir," he was so focused on his memories of that woman's voice over the phone that he missed the moment a young maid came near him. 

He had already seen that maid before, with vague and curious eyes, plain and short. The girl was always on the lookout for the investigators and officers. It was disconcerting. 

She didn't seem to have anything to do in the house but ask questions.

"Miss Ana," Helsing replied wearily, lighting his cigarette with the taste of mint, wishing for that girl to leave him alone. "Please tell Mrs. Roberts that we'll be leaving this afternoon. We are done with..."

"I-it's not that, I wanted to tell you something," Ana pursed her lips. "It's about Martha... but I don't know how to say it..."

"What are you talking about?" Helsing raised a brow. 

"I... that day..." Ana looked around carefully, this was her moment to say what she knew. "That day I asked Martha to go upstairs to the second floor and tell Miss Eva that... that... she should come down for breakfast. After that, I never saw her again..."

Ana knew it was wrong for her to spread the Hart family secrets, and her aunt would certainly get mad at her, but she had to tell someone and satiate her curiosity. 

She had gone up to that woman's room a few minutes ago, and it looked the same as always, smelly, dusty, and disarranged.

However, the sheets were not on the bed, and there appeared to be a trail of blood on the bathroom floor. 

She thought it was Martha's, it must be hers, but when she looked again, there was no blood, it was as if it had disappeared immediately. 

The house must be possessed by some evil entity. It must be a demon that ate Martha. That woman must have summoned it. She ran out of the room scared and looked for the detective.

"And why didn't you say this before? What time was this?"

"At six in the morning... I didn't know whether to say it, please don't tell my aunt about this."

"Your aunt?"

"Yes, Mrs. Roberts."

Helsing frowned. "She knew?"

Ana nodded without thinking too much. "But I don't want to cause trouble. It's just that it seemed very strange... and there's another thing... I went to Miss Eva's room to... to clean it but I saw... I saw a bloodstain in the bathroom. But it disappeared, it must have been witchcraft."

"Ana!"

From behind, Mrs. Roberts looked at her niece with anger in her eyes. She had told her not to say anything to the Inspector but that idiot ignored her and opened her mouth.

"Mrs. Roberts," Helsing turned to the housekeeper, "I thought you would cooperate with us in everything. Why didn't you tell me that Miss Martha Nuvell went to see Mrs. Hart that morning?"

"It's not something that was relevant, some employees go every morning to look for Mrs. Hart when she is home to wake her up and serve her breakfast."

Her voice was commanding, and she seemed to be telling the truth, but Helsing only smiled. He could always distinguish a liar, and that old woman was lying, while the naive Ana was telling the truth.

"Still, you could have helped us establish when Miss Nuvell was last seen alive, and by whom. I think we'll have to re-investigate all employees, I'll let Mr. Hart know."

Mrs. Roberts paled nervously and looked at her stupid niece. Now she had to hide everything and gather all the servants to give a coordinated explanation.

She also had to find that idiot Eva so she wouldn't throw them off on their heads. And she knew very well how. She already had it planned in case Mr. Hart ever divorced Eva and the card was required back. There shall be a backup plan. 

Ana tried to leave without her aunt seeing her, but her aunt caught her by the collar of her uniform. "I told you not to say anything!"

"But… It's just… I found blood in the bathroom, what if Miss Eva is cursing us and bewitching us? What if she wants to kill us all for tricking her?"

"You are an idiot!"