WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES Chapter Forty

WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES  

Chapter Forty

- That's impossible, my friend!

- I swear, Doctor Carneiro... I saw the beast... with those eyes that the earth will one day eat...

- I have no reason to doubt you, Deputy... the problem is that these animals have long since disappeared from the earth...

- I know what I saw... and it was one of those dimo... damo...

- Dinosaur... yes, from your description I would say it is a dino... the problem is that they have been extinct for centuries...

- For an animal that died so long ago, the one I found was in good health...

- You said yourself that you didn't even find any sign of the beast's footprints....

- Yes, that's right... but I know exactly what I saw. I was less than twenty meters from the animal...

Despite his skepticism, Doctor Carneiro could not disguise his euphoria... after all, if Juvêncio was right and the animal he saw was really a saurian, it would be his glory. He had to find a way, once the delegate's vision was confirmed, to capture the beast alive... to expose it to the scientific community. He would become famous with such a find... But first it was necessary to find the animal...

- There's something that intrigues me, doctor...

- What, my friend?

- If this lizard is responsible for the deaths...

- What's the matter?

- Well, he didn't seem like a blood drinker to me...

- AND?...

- And that's it, doctor... I think the animal is the... tool... used for the deaths in question... but...

- But...?

- But that doesn't explain the completely bloodless corpses, doctor!

Carneiro had to agree with Juvêncio. Even if the animal was real... and the good doctor still wasn't convinced of that... there was the problem of finding the bodies with their precious liquid completely drained... and as far as the doctor knew, saurians didn't drink blood. .. in other words, even if the existence of the dino was confirmed, the mystery remained....

- There's one more thing that worries me...

- What, deputy?

- I couldn't find the three girls around...

- Of course, they must be fine...

- I would like to share your confidence, doctor...

- Look, from what you said, they're not new to this kind of thing...

- Doctor, everyone is new to the unknown...

- Right, right... what I meant is that the three of them have the skills to get away in case of danger...

- I hope you're right...

The doctor was not as optimistic as he made Juvêncio seem. From what the Deputy had said, the three were lost in a forest where a prehistoric animal walked freely. It wasn't the best scenario. But there was one thing that the doctor, like the deputy, couldn't understand... if the animal was really a saurian, it must have been cold-blooded. Therefore, your time to hunt would be during the day, not at night. And all the attacks, from what has been understood so far, occurred almost at dawn, just when the temperature tends to drop more than expected... yes, the police chief was right... the math didn't add up.

Juvêncio wondered if it wasn't better to continue with his old line of investigation... trying to study the region's legends. Suddenly he could find the key to the mystery... damn, this case had more keys than an enchanted castle... the problem is that until now he couldn't understand what was going on around him.

At first everything seemed like a case of revenge by an oppressed race against what would be the oppressor race. Ultimately, this line of argument fell apart. Why? Now, if this type of attack came from a time further away than the founding of the town itself... the founding of the city... it could not be the revenge of a sorcerer in action...

There were stories told by the region's original people... Anhangá, Jurupari... well, at least he had something to work on... too bad he couldn't interrogate a legend... or could he?

He was left with the option of continuing to listen to the stories of the city's residents... the usual stories... marital betrayal, land dispute... yes, there were reasons for someone to want revenge, and there were many... The problem was find out who was interested in spreading terror and fear throughout the region...

Yes, Juvêncio was really worried. After all, although he had, at first, imagined that with the girls' arrival in the city things would become simpler, he now found himself worried about their fate. Well, it was already night and common sense recommended staying quiet in his corner until dawn... when the day lightened, he would hit Izabel and Company's tracks again...

Juvêncio decided to talk to Torquato and Santana. He wouldn't add anything to his story, but it was always good to hear other people's opinions. And suddenly Torquato could have some saving idea for the problem that Juvêncio couldn't see...

The two were still in Santana's office. Juvêncio greeted them, inviting them to join him for dinner... an invitation immediately accepted. And there the three of them went towards the pension... they were talking about the amenities of everyday life. Juvêncio decided that he would only talk about his foray into the countryside during dinner...

When they were already at the table, waiting to be served, Juvêncio decided to start the conversation that really interested him...

- Santana, can I ask you a question?

- Of course, doctor... if you like...

- First, let's leave this "doctor" thing aside...

- Right... what did you want to ask?

- You know the region's fauna well, I believe...

- Of course... in my free time I really like hunting... and I can tell you what types of hunting are found around here...

- I believe... lizards, are there many around here?

- Of course... and some really big ones...

Juvêncio got excited...

- How big?

- I've caught lizards weighing up to three kilos... my friend, what good meat these animals have...

The initial enthusiasm dissipated...

- No, no... I'm talking about a slightly larger lizard...

- Bigger, how much?

- About two meters tall?

- Two meters tall?! What kind of lizard is that?

- And with feet similar to those of birds...

Santana and Torquato laughed...

- Does this... lizard... have a beak, too?

- I'm serious, Santana. Have you never seen any animal like this?

- No. It's serious. Think about it... if there was a lizard that size around here, everyone would have seen it by now...

- Well, I don't know what to say... I saw one of these animals today.

Torquato and Santana almost jumped out of their seats...

- Jurupari!

- I don't know if it was Jurupari, Torquato. I know I saw him, just over twenty meters away from me...

- Where did you see that?

- Do you know Serra da Mãe D'água?

- Yes of course...

- It was close by...