Quickies for Halloween 12- The Strange and Fantastic Tale of El Duende 5

in #writing4 years ago (edited)

The angry mob showed up around midnight, shouting and banging on Morazan's door. Groggily, he put on a pair sweatpants and a t-shirt, then with his gun strapped to his waistband, he went out to see what the whole racket was about.


If you haven't done so, please read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, and Part 4 before you continue.


A flood of lights blinded him, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare.

"Where is the police?!" someone in the crowd shouted. "Why haven't you found La Senorita Patricia and captured the demon who took her?"

"We're prisoners in our own homes!"

Morazan saw a portly man bound up the steps and recognized him as Sergio Palacios.

"Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Could you tell me what this is all about?" he asked him.

The man adjusted his belt around his rotund belly and ran his fingers over his thick moustache. "What else? Real or not, El Duende's got people on edge."

He turned and waved at a lady who was holding a little girl by the hand. "Mrs. Lopez here says that El Duende paid her a visit earlier this evening."

"It's true!" said the lady coming up the steps, hauling a little girl in tow. "Tell him child, tell him what El Duende did to you."

Shyly, the little girl said, "El Duende clipped my toenails."

Morazan did not betray his emotions and kept a cool demeanor, but he briefly wondered if this was all a dream.

"He clipped your toenails?"

She nodded, hair falling over her face. "I was asleep, and he almost cut off my toe." The girl raised her foot and pointed at the band-aid wrapped around her big toe.

"Did you see him?"

She shook her head. "It was too dark. But I heard him laughing."

"Did he say anything?"

Again she shook her head.

Morazan patted her and commended her for her bravery. Then drawing the mayor aside, he said, "tell them that we're still investigating and we're making progress. We'll add more manpower and expand the search. We'll find her soon."

"When?"

"Soon."

Mayor Palacios adjusted his belt, slicked his moustache, turned to the crowd, and reassured them that the authorities were prioritizing the investigation, pleading with them to go home.

"What about our daughters?" a man shouted. "Do we just keep them under lock and key?"

"Mr. Morazan is a top detective, the best of the best, ladies and gentlemen. He will find Patricia and solve this problem by tomorrow evening."

"Hey, wait a minute," Morazan objected.

"We'll be back tomorrow evening then," said the man. "You better be right!"

The mob soon scattered, and before Morazan could have a word with him, so did the mayor.

He lay back in bed ruffling through his notes. He had coded each interview into neat tables and processed them into general themes using various visualization techniques. He had talked to five witnesses already. But there was one more person he wanted to interview. The detective had planned to pay him a visit tomorrow morning, but now that he thought about it, it was better to do so tonight.

Outside, he sat in the car for a moment dispersing the last cobwebs of sleep. A symphony of critters played a lullaby in the dark jungle. Like ghostly snakes, fine tendrils of mist roiled in the thicket. While above him, the sky glittered with its myriad stars and the odd satellite that crossed its trajectory. Look at that world out there, he thought. There are men and women who build those machines, and take them to the heavens! And here you are chasing after a damn Duende.

He turned on the Jeep and drove to his next destination.

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