Page 13 of Cursed By Fate

Vale placed a gentle hand on the man’s shoulder. “You respected your wife’s wishes and tried to find another way to help her. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

No one could’ve predicted that one.

I studied Ben’s face. “You don’t seem surprised to learn that monsters exist.”

“Nothing surprises me in this world. Besides, my family is originally from the Highlands. Our culture is filled with tales of supernatural creatures. It can’t all be made up, right?”

I appreciated his open-mindedness. Many people in his position would’ve denied their own reality before acknowledging the existence of monsters. The truth was too overwhelming for them.

“Mind if I take a look around your backyard?” I asked.

“Anything you need. I just want to find my wife.”

“I understand.”

Vale pushed back his chair. “I’ll come with you.”

Together, we exited through the back door and retraced the monster’s path to the water. A swath of grass was pressed flat from the door to the marsh.

“Odds are good that she’s dead,” Vale said in a quiet voice. “I’d very much like to find this monster before it takes another life.”

“Agreed.”

When Ben said he wanted us to find his wife, he meant he wanted us to find her body. He just couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He needed closure for him and his son.

“Know of any creatures that fit the description?” Vale asked.

“Not off the top of my head.” I walked along the perimeter of the yard in search of clues. “You don’t think there’s any chance the story is fake, do you?”

“You think Ben killed his wife immediately after she gave birth and invented a giant monster to cover his tracks?”

“I don’t think that, but maybe we shouldn’t rule it out.”

“Why would he ask us to find her if he already knows what happened to her?”

“As a cover.” Even as I answered, the words didn’t ring true. I was a decent judge of character, and Ben struck me as one of the good ones.

“Let’s operate on the assumption that the monster is real,” Vale said. “If we don’t find it, then I’ll reconsider.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I stopped short. “There’s blood here.” In addition to the blood, I found snapped sticks and a trail of herbaceous plant life that suggested the initial exit from the marsh as well as reentry.

Vale observed the marsh. “I saw a kayak by the side of the house. We should take it out. See if we can identify the path it took.”

It was a double kayak, so I took the front seat. Vale paddled, while I paid close attention to the surroundings.

“Maybe I should get Cowboy and one of the wolves out here,” Vale said.

I kept my focus on the marsh. “I’m an excellent tracker.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. I’m thinking about the blood and the smell of the monster. Might be more up their alley.”

“Worth a shot. Have you used that grand library of yours to research potential suspects?”

“I had a quick look yesterday, but I didn’t see anything helpful.”

“Would you mind if I looked?” I wanted to get into Vale’s library almost as much as I wanted to get into his pants. It was an incredible space.

“I figured you might.”