Chapter 32: K&R

A couple of hours before...

The clock on the wall tickled in the silent room, the ambience of the space was similar to a detective's shelter. Leandre sat in the dimly lit room, his gaze locked onto a picture of a young girl and a boy, barely in their twenties, who had been missing for over a week. Across from him was Liam, his trustworthy ally, observing Leandre with keen interest.

"These two are studying at the University of Crete, Sir." Liam began. "They went to Elatias forest last week and had been missing since then. This forest is popular among the students for a romantic escape, but there was no word of deaths or missing cases until now."

"How can you be certain that they ventured into the forest? There is a possibility that they went elsewhere." Leandre inquired Liam, his mind racing with alternative scenarios.

"As per the police investigation, they looked into the CCTV footage after their parents lodged a complaint at the police station. The police searched through the footage of the last recorded clip, and it eventually aimed at the main road that winds its way to this forest." Liam added.

"I am not sure if this will be helpful," Liam began, showing an article on his laptop to Leandre. "Take a look at this article. A traveller claims to have witnessed a terrifying creature lurking in the forest at the very time the young couple went missing. Unfortunately, the traveller remains anonymous, making it impossible to uncover further clues."

Liam continued. "The police searched the forest with the K-9 unit but didnot find them. So, they are closing the case."

"But here is the catch. On the passage of Melanon trek, our search party stumbled upon something unnerving." Liam thurst the pictures before Leandre, which he had taken on his camera.

Leandre stared at the paw prints etched on the muddy soil, each paw tipped with razor-sharp claws, and there was a set of human footprints imprinted just a few steps away from the paw prints.

"It looks like a large dog?" Liam asked with uncertainty. "And those human footprints must be the girl or boy running away from this dog."

Leandre's eyes locked onto the image, exploring every inch with keen intensity. "Negative. These paws are too enormous for a dog," Leandre remarked, his voice deep. He noted the two front and middle toes were notably longer than the side ones. "This." He picked the picture and traced the paws with his thumb. "Looks like a wolf."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

But something about the size of the human footprints seemed off to Leandre. They were larger than the missing boy or girl's height. "This is strange." Leandre looked at Liam and spoke with a sense of urgency. "Liam, only allow students, or anyone for that matter, once we come clean with this case. Put a restricted signboard at the entrance."

"Yes, sir!"

"Contact the wildlife experts, and learn about this animal. Also, Organize another search party to find the missing boy and girl, dead or alive. I will track the address of this traveller. If we don't act fast and leave this creature alone, more cases of missing persons will follow." Standing up with an air of authority, Leandre said, his voice firm. "I don't want any single person to get hurt."

"Yes, sir," Liam said. "I will be on it."

"I am leaving. Call me if you need anything." As Leandre reached for the door, Liam asked. "Sir, I heard a girl called you little Giraffe."

Leandre's jaw clenched as he stared at Liam, his anger radiating. "Is that Knox who told you?"

"Umm..yes." Liam pressed his lips, stifling his laughter.

"Get the work done fast," Leandre replied sharply before leaving the room, cursing Knox.

Leandre started the car off to the academy. With Duncan busy with the Prime Minister meeting, he got a chance to escape from the academy, though it was unofficial, by slipping through compound walls. As he changed the lanes on the drive, Leandre caught a glimpse of a little girl squatting beside a palm tree playing with pebbles. "Kalhys?" He muttered. "What is she doing here?"

Leandre parked the car on the side of the road and quickly got out, striding towards the little girl. She was donned in an elegant tiger-print top which she paired with black trousers and a blueback pack hanging from her shoulders.

"Kalhys!" Leandre called her, his voice stern.

Kalhys lifted her head, and her eyes lit up instantly. ''Leandre!'' She exclaimed in her sweet voice. "What are you doing here?"

Leandre's voice dripped with frustration as he approached Kalhys. ''I swear, Kalhys, you always find a way to surprise me with your sudden appearances. What brings you here all alone again?'' He asked, the anger clear in his voice. He couldn't fathom how her parents could be so careless in sending the little girl out alone.

Kalhys looked down, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to go to the museum, but my mom and dad said no. I got upset and ran away from home."

''Do you take me for a fool to believe you?'' His words sliced through the air like a razor, cutting through her heart. The passersby stared at him as if he were a heartless brute preying on a helpless child.

Leandre's heart sank as he realized he had pushed the little kid too far. But he couldn't help the nagging fear that someone might take advantage of her innocence. He knelt down, his eyes softening as he gazed at her face looking at him with a teary face. "Kalhys." He softly called her, and her tears rolled down her eyes, tugged at his heartstrings, threatening to undo him.

''I am sorry, Kalhys." Leandre heart was heavy with pain. He lifted his hand to wipe her tears but froze mid-air as she flinched away from him. His heart clenched at the realization that his outburst had angered her.

"I_" Leandre watched her open the backpack zipper, fish out a blue bandanna, and begin wiping her tears in silence. The gesture tugged at his heartstrings, bringing a lump to his throat as he fought to contain his emotions.

"I don't need your help." Her words were sharp and defiant as she carefully folded the bandanna, tucking it back into her backpack. Leandre couldn't help but smile at her actions, which were both innocent and adorable. The sight of her tiny hands expertly folding the cloth made him long to scoop her up in his arms. As he watched her stow away the bandanna, his eyes caught sight of two initials, K&R, carefully knit into the fabric.

"Mom scolds me," Kalhys struggled to speak, her words punctuated by hiccups. "Dad scolds me... and now Leandre also. Nobody wants Kalhys." She managed to say, her voice trembling.

''I promise I will never speak harshly to you again. I will buy you a toy. Will that make you happy?'' Leandre hopefully asked, but the floodgates continued to stream down her face,

''A doctor toy set? Kitchen toys?''

Coaxing a child, Leandre realized, was far more challenging than sipping a cup of latte in Duncan's office. He glanced around, noticing that the passersby were watching him with interest. He only hoped he would not be labelled as the man who made a little girl cry in the middle of the street.

''Didn't you want to go to the museum? How about I take you there?'' Leandre tested the waters for one last time.

Kalhys' tears dried up instantly, and a spark of excitement lit up her eyes. ''Really? Let's go then.'' She exclaimed, tossing the pebbles into her backpack. With a burst of energy, she scampered towards Leandre's car and looked up at him, who was taken aback by the sudden shift in her demeanour. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up." She said, waiting for Leandre to do the service of opening the car door.

"Firecracker took my joke to heart!" Leandre let out a heavy sigh before heading back to the car and opening the door for Kalhys. He made an attempt to help her into the seat, but she refused. She buckled her seatbelt, her tiny legs swinging back and forth.

''Which museum you wanted to go to?'' Leandre whipped out his phone and scoured google for the nearest museum. "There's one right around the cor_

''None of them. I want to go to the Acropolis Delphi museum." Kalhys said with determination.

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