The night was quiet and in the morning Ivo and Yvonne were gone by the time I woke up. I'm not saying I forgot about Vanessa during the day, but I had enough work to occupy myself. The next day of the Carpenter house party, like the other bigger balls, always has extra work in store. I didn't even count how many post-event pills were prescribed, smears were taken, and I cared for young people suffering from the after-effects of party drugs. I didn't even have to send that girl to the hospital who was involved in a slightly rougher act, she managed with painkillers. Fortunately. Luckily, there was only one of them this time. That's why I hate balls.
I get relieved when I get home and my landline rings. Vanessa's new husband is on the other side of the line. Fortunately Ivo, Yvonne and their new friends are not home yet. Tyler Moore informs, that Vanessa, pardon, in her new name, Jazz, is still sleeping despite the anesthetics are already stopped. A full day has passed and she is still asleep.
"Why is she still sleeping?" I ask anxiously Tyler, her husband.
"It is said, that she is nervous and tense. Even so, she's not awake. " he sighs. "She's tied up because she's hoeing, and she wants to escape. The doctors are afraid that the wound will rupture, so they want to wake her up. But Jazz is on strike, and she refuses to wake up. Her dreams are not so peaceful, but if I'm next to her, she calms down. So don't worry. She will wake up soon."
"Could you stay by her side until she is awake?" I ask intently. It is true that they are married, but they are still strangers to each other. I can't ask him for this favor, and yet I can only ask him to take care of Jazz.
"Sure, we'll stay by it. Not just me, but the rest of the family. Unfortunately, I can't stay with her all the way, no matter how much I want to. "
"Thank you very much." I sigh. This promise is more than I could hope. Jazz is not left alone, and now that is the most important.
"Pascal!"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." I am amazed. Why does he ask so nervously?
"How can such a young girl gather things for so many nightmares? Her nightmares are almost constant. It is scary. I wouldn't be in her place. "
"This is easy to do around here." I sigh. "I've already told you that this community doesn't tolerate protruding individuals. They do anything to either break in or destroy them. You didn't believe me. "
"No. Not really, even now. No modern society today can have such an attitude towards people. "
"Do you still think so? Even now, when one of their victims is lying in front of you? "
Silence. Tyler Moore is thinking.
"I do not know." he says hesitantly. "Did something happen anyway?"
"No. Her parents don't look for her officially if it is what you are interested. Her birthday party was also held without her, getting the usual amount of extra work for me and my partner. The family, I assume, will hire a private detective to find her. Or not, and they'd rather be set her dead. The latter is more likely. "
"Are you that sure?"
"No, but it is the most possible outcome. I've seen a lot of that before. This is such a society. Can I ask you for something else? "
"Of course, if I can, I'll do it."
"Don't ask Jazz about here former life. Let her build her new life freely with a clean start. "
"It's okay. If she doesn't talk about it, we won't ask." he promises sincerely.
"I hardly believe, that she will speak, that's why I am worried. I just want to warn you that in the case of Jazz, the skeletons will be tilted out of the closet in the most unexpected situations. Don't be scared. There will be a lot."
"Can we expect more nervous breakdowns?"
"Yeah, there are good chances for another one, but I'll talk to your doctor. Jazz may need to support her nerves a bit. "
"You shouldn't get her drugged." the new husband growls. "She wants to compete in martial arts. The training alone will treat her nerves."
"I know, and I'm very grateful you help her, but Jazz is weak now. She will probably need for a bit of medical care."
"I'll tell Andrew to call you, but please find something to solve the problems of her nerves without medicines!"
We've even exchanged a few polite words, and we'd just put it down when the little company bursts into our living room.
"Tyler, do you want to talk to your sisters?" I ask her, with the secret hope that the Moore girls will storm out of my house immediately. Their brother is sympathetic, but the girls are somehow not the tip of my heart. Although, I know that Jazz in safe hands by their brother, so it eases my anger at them a little. I hold the handset toward them and they look like I could no longer live if I could be killed with their eyes. The older one takes over when listening becomes embarrassing. They don't talk much, just a few polite words and then they hang up the phone.
"You have a great brother." I grin at them. Taylor Moore's smile faded, but Savannah Moore looks like gloomy anyway, I couldn't wade into her soul.
"You don't know our brother." finally says the smaller one.
"Sure. He just slept here the night before. " I note innocently, and Yvonne's face is shown her disappointment. I have been sure, that she likes the big brother of the girls. "So we didn't have enough time to know each other well, but he seems to be a kind man. I even took him out to the morning train. " For this they all raise their heads.
"Didn't you see that girl at the station?" Savannah Moore asks hopefully. "I mean Vanessa Carpenter?"
"I wish I had seen her!" I sigh because I suddenly remember that I should just be nervous about our Sleeping Beauty.
"You could join the search." she offers to the three youngsters.
Ivo, Yvonne and Taylor Moore are all relieved, and hurry to get out of the house. Savannah Moore stays. Although I wish her to vanish, there is something suspicious in her behavior. She is just standing, and her fingers are trembling. Damn. Another one. I should send her to hospital. I should. But her brother is protecting Jazz. This makes me forgiving. Savannah Moore is, I think, an annoying, agitated, somewhat haughty woman, but terribly young. This one is just as young as my wife was when she gave life to Ivo. I feel sorry for her.
"You were at the party yesterday too, weren't you?"
She shortly nods.
"Sit down, I bring my bag."
"There's no need." she sighs.
When I return to the living room, Savannah Moore is till standing in the same place and pose, like before. I light into her eyes, but the movement of her pupil is normal.
"Did you eat or drink something at the party?" I ask her, while checking her pulse. It is high a bit.
"Just some whiskey. In the room of Mr. Carpenter."
"Do you remember everything that happened? Don't have a time out? Didn't you wake up in a place you don't know how you got there?"
She shakes her head. Great. At least she wasn't drugged.
"Weren't you forced to have sex?"
She shudders, her face distorted. I'm sorry for her, but sometimes things has to be said directly. There is no point in sugarcoating.
"No. Not me."
Savannah Moore is spilling everything about the evening. She didn't see the act itself, but she did see the end result. As I see, just the thought was enough for her. It is just the beginning, and this young woman has no idea about things of this town.
"They held the party without their daughter." she said, and finally sits down. Her legs can no longer bear her own weight, and her hands are trembling more. "They're not even looking for her."
I don't comment her words. So my assumption was correct, the Carpenters didn't involved the police. Probably a private detective would be their next step.
"Do you think, that girl is still alive?" she asks, and sees me with the eyes of an abused puppy.
"Faith is never certainty." I avoid the direct answer.
"It is said, the first 24 hours are said to be critical of disappearances." Savannah Moore stands up again, and begins to walk up ad down.
"It was already over, when her disappear was noticed. We haven't seen Vanessa in a longer time."
"I hate her." She simply states, and looking at me, like she is waiting for my disapproval. I don't react. Her nerves are already strained to the point of the breaking. "Morishita-san specifically asked me to take care of her, but I have never get to like her. I have never intended to taking care of her, but I didn't want to kill her!"
The thread breaks and Savannah Moore begins to cry. Loud, painful.