Ch 28 - Inquisition

We were making our way around the huge

structure that housed the lake when we noticed that

someone was coming down the clay wall opposite the

one we had climbed. Paddling ahead, Lucy signaled for

me to duck, and she did the same, leaving us at the

height of the mounds of vegetation that sprang up from

the bottom of the marsh.

385

— That's Alexander Boseman, — she declared,

still with a tone of curiosity. — What would he be doing

in the Steppesaurus area?

— Maybe he went hunting one of them?

— Let's follow him; he's taking the alternative

road back to the ranch. Be discreet and row without

causing too much commotion.

Obeying her order, I slowed down the paddling,

which also slowed us down and allowed Boseman to

disappear around the bend in the road, without us being

able to catch up with him in time. By this point, we were

moving at the same speed as the alligators around us,

perhaps even slower, as they kept crashing into the

canoes and knocking us off course. With Boseman out of

sight, though, Lucy paddled vigorously again, and so did

I, propelling us harder across the bayou. We could now

reach the bend and would soon see the old man again.

— Didn't he look a little pale to you? — asked

Lucy.

— And strangely enough, he didn't have Sicarius

with him, — I answered. — Alma said that he doesn't

go hunting without bringing his dear dog.

— It seems that Mr. Boseman's experience on the

dry bed was not really positive.

Paddling parallelly, we were now heading toward

the ranch, wondering what horrors Boseman had been

subjected to.

⬫⬫⬫

— How am I going to explain this to Alma? —

Alexander Boseman thought. Of course, Sicarius was

his, but she would want to know details, especially what

386

he was doing in that remote area and why he had taken a

hound to the place, where the animals he swore he didn't

want to hurt lived. Well, maybe this was a good time to

include her in the plan, or take her out of the equation

once and for all — as soon as he got to the ranch.

⬫⬫⬫

— Bloody rats! — cried Keene, sitting in his tiny

boat. — How dare they abandon me? — He knew that

bringing that blasted dean along would only thwart his

plans. Now he wanted to finance the details of the

expedition, which had always been his role! But as soon

as he reached the ranch, they would pay for that.

⬫⬫⬫

Frederick Frost was now leaning back in the

comfortable armchair that Boseman had reserved as his

favorite. In Boseman's own presence, there would be no

chance for him to enjoy the piece of furniture, but with

the old man away hunting, he could relax quietly. Next

to him, stirring a huge pot over the wood stove, Alma

Boseman was once again telling him about her trip to the

South Pacific:

— So I said: you'd better put on some sunscreen,

Alexander; your white legs will cook like shrimp in

jambalaya, but he wouldn't listen to me! He never wants

to listen to me...

Frost was not bothered by the hostess's repetitive

narrative; on the contrary, he even encouraged her to

keep going, by occasionally expressing surprise and

shaking his head, indicating shock. It actually had not

387

been bad at all to spend these days in the south — here

he ate well and slept comfortably, now that Keene was

no longer around. His own departure was strangely

random. Frost still remembered that they were talking,

he and Alma Boseman, when Jacob, from his silent state,

got up and left, without ever saying where he was going.

But at last, supreme peace now reigned, and so it would

continue.

BLAM

With a huge slam, the ranch door opened, waking

Frost from his semi-conscious state. Getting up, not so

much with the fright, but mainly so that Alexander

wouldn't see him sitting in his armchair, he stretched out

his jacket, eliminating the creases left by the long sitting

time. As Alexander reached the kitchen, he rolled his

eyes from one to the other and whimpered:

— Oh, dear, you don't know what's happened!

— What is it, Alexander? — Alma's voice

sounded charitable and laden with pity.

— Those beasts attacked us, — Boseman

continued, already shedding tears. — We were hunting

and one of those monsters got Sicarius and devoured

him! — Bringing her hands to her mouth, Alma

exclaimed:

— No!

— Yes, my dear, it's true.

Alma then threw herself around her husband's

neck, hugging him and crying.

— I'm sorry, Mr. Boseman, — Frost interjected,

— were you hunting in the remote area?

— No, of course not! — he cried in a whining

tone. — We were outside the area; deep in the bush.

388

— But...how could it be? — Frost insisted. These

animals are of such a shy nature, despite their predatory

habits; they have never left the area they inhabit.

— Well, then I guess they have left it now! —

Boseman's tone now possessed a bit of acidity.

— There is still some peace, — Frost thought,

looking ruefully at the armchair. — Although he had

returned, there was still no sign of...

BLAM

The door was heard banging once more against

the inner wall of the ranch, and some strangely

determined footsteps entered the house. When they

reached the kitchen, it was Jacob Keene who had now

joined them.

— Great, — Frost thought, already raising his

hand to his forehead.

— All right, where are those pests? — he

shouted.

— So there's another one besides you? — Frost

asked ironically.

— Quit your cheekiness, fatso, where are your

protegés?

— Who are you referring to? — Boseman asked,

still having Alma's face lying on his chest.

— Lucy and Kevin Lane! Those bastards

dumped me in the outlying area and didn't even leave the

boar meat behind. — Hearing the mention of the meat,

Alexander Boseman cast a suspicious glance at his wife,

who returned him a coy smile.

— Well, I have no idea where they might be, —

replied the farm owner, — But if they are smart, they

389

will be studying those animals, just like I told them to do

when I called them.

BLAM

— Oh, for God's sake, — Frost cried, already

feeling a headache. The approaching footsteps were

now as steady and fast as the previous ones. As we

crossed the trophy room that Boseman kept, we reached

the kitchen, where we found all the rest of the team, plus

the owners of the alligator farm.

— Ah, there you are! — cried Jacob.

— Sorry, Doctor, we don't have time for that

right now, — Lucy interrupted.

— Well, get some, then! — he insisted. — How

dare you abandon me to the risk of being attacked by

those wild animals!

Lucy had her gaze focused on Boseman, but kept

turning to Keene, trying to solve this minor problem

first:

— You went there alone, not knowing if you

would find us! I don't think anyone needs a babysitter at

your age!

Pride wounded, Keene glared at her, imagining

that it would be great to have a leather glove at the

moment. He wouldn't challenge Lucy to a duel, but he

might make the offer to me. Crossing his arms, he

plopped himself down in Alexander's armchair, keeping

a steady gaze on Lucy.

— Mr. Boseman, — she said, changing her tone

to a much softer one. — Would you be aware of who

installed a pond pump in the outlying area?

— A pond pump? — he repeated, finally

releasing his wife from his arms. — Why, no, but

390

frankly, anyone could have done it! There are more

people living in this area, you know.

— True, — I had the presence of mind to say, —

but the pump is relatively new, which coincides with the

expansion of your farm.

— But what is this? Are you scientists or

detectives? That's not what I called you for!

— Now, you don't pay a cent for the operation...

— Keene hissed from his comfortable armchair.

— Let us calm down, please, — Frost ordered.

— We'd better, — said Boseman. — Maybe it's

no big deal to some city slickers, but we lost our Sicarius

to those monsters!

— You're right, — Keene spoke up again. — We

don't mind the death of domestic animals.

— Jacob! — scolded Frost.

— Now, what did I say? Are you afraid we'll be

kicked off the ranch and you won't have a comfortable

bed anymore? Welcome to the jungle! — said the man

who was still complaining of having slept on a tree.

— No, don't worry about it, — Boseman

announced in a controlled tone. — I'm very forgiving,

and I intend to let go of all the nonsense I heard today.

You can continue to use my home as your base of

operations. — As he spoke, he walked between us.

When he got close to me, he growled: — But it better

not happen again! — His threat haunted me, more than

any wild animal's roar could, and I felt a horrendous

chill; the cold one feels when meeting human

wickedness. Leaving the room, he finally walked out,

leaving us alone again.

391

— Excuse me, children, — Alma said as she

addressed us both, already distributing her coconut

candy. We knew that this would be followed by a

specially prepared speech to explain her husband's

actions and justify them on some weak basis. As

predicted, she introduced the subject:

— You know, that animal has been here for over

ten years now...

— Yes, but why don't you leave him? — Keene

asked. Frost brought his hand to his forehead, again, but

Alma kept going with her explanation, unperturbed.

— He can sometimes be explosive and even

dangerous, but he is a good-hearted man. — As she

spoke these words, she stirred the pot again, to keep it

from burning, and began to ramble on, still on the same

subject, but this time mulling over the facts with herself,

and no one else. Meanwhile, Frost turned to Keene once

more:

— And you, Jacob? What was that

"we-don't-care-about-pets" thing?

— Don't be silly! Pets don't need someone who

cares! At this point, it would be almost impossible for

any of them to become extinct...they are scattered all

over the earth, although they are weaker these days. We

domesticated chickens and now they don't fly anymore,

the same with cats and they barely know how to hunt a

mouse these days; with wolves and they've become a bag

accessory. Despite all this forced adaptation that we have

caused, they are the cause of extinction of native species,

not the other way around. For example, cats brought

over from Europe are driving Australian marsupials to

extinction. Fortunately, scientists in Australia know

392

which side deserves more support and have created a

clever system. A trigger camera recognizes the feline's

movement and shoots jelly mixed with poison. The

animal licks its fur, goes to sleep, and never wakes up.

Simple. Practical. No violence or shocked faces. All this

is...is...well, you're making me give a speech; I sound

like a Lane!

— But, Doctor, — I introduced, causing his

mood to regress, — you have a cat, don't you?

— That's right. But Nebula was neutered and

prevented from leaving the inside of my house. In my

own way, I have rid the world of an ecological hazard.

Looking back at Frost, I noticed that he kept his

shocked expression.

— How can you think something so cruel? —

said the dean. Shifting his eyes discreetly, he noticed that

Alma was still doing her monologue, unaware of her

surroundings.

— I'm glad she didn't hear any of that, — he

added.

— Well...we can't disagree with the argument, —

I reasoned.

— What? You agree with Jacob? Lucy, tell me

that you haven't become a psychopath, too.

— I haven't, but... I believe that to some extent he

is right — wild animals require much more of our

attention than domestic ones.

— Honestly...I never thought I would hear that

from you two. What would Anthony think of that?

— Excuse me, Mr. Frost, — Lucy's voice became

a bit more acidic, — but what do you know about my

father? Wasn't he just a bad investment with no return?

393

— Well, I never... well, maybe I have...

— Yes, you said that when we were in South

Africa. With all due respect, you have no right to say

what my father would think. — With that, she left and I

did the same. I didn't want to stay behind this time and

give the impression that I was supporting Frost. Slowly,

each of us was taking our own side on each issue. The

last thing I heard was Keene's voice addressing the dean:

— It hurts to be the monster sometimes, doesn't

it?

⬫⬫⬫

Dinner that night was a terrible social experience,

just as every social experience seems to be. We were all

gathered at the table, Lucy and I at one end, the

Bosemans at the other, Keene isolated on one side, and

Frost facing him. With the exception of Lucy, we were

all dining without much interest in the huge alligator tail

steak, and even less interest in conversing.

— Mr. Boseman, — Lucy introduced, — Now

that we have identified the species and learned

something about it, what do you intend to do about it?

I'm sure my team is eager to know; after all, that is the

purpose of the work we do. — With a calm tone,

frighteningly transformed, the old man answered:

— Well, since they are such reclusive beings, I

intend to keep our coexistence that way.

— What if they don't remain so reclusive

anymore? As I told you, the inner lake is dry, and soon

the puddles will dry up as well. Have you already

planned what to do in case they move into your farm?

394

— Should this happen, I wouldn't stop the

animals from drinking or even feeding; I have enough

alligators to cover myself and my ranch with their skin.

— And if they attack your ranch...?

— I'm afraid I would have to eliminate them.

Satisfied?

— Quite.

— Well, while you're conjecturing, — Keene

interjected, — I'll retire to my chair outside, since my

bed has been repossessed.

— Pardon? — Boseman asked with a wry smile.

— You've worked up the courage to sleep outside?

— Yeah, it shouldn't be that hard, now that the

one thing I was afraid of no longer poses any threat, —

Jacob replied, wiping the smile off Alexander's face.