XVIII – Missed call
After continuous begging and whining, the Dragon had eventually agreed on taking a few days off and took her on a cruise. Of course, Giuliano wouldn't hear of leaving his precious Caterina behind, just like Anastasia insisted their butler came along.
'How is everything?' Caterina read on the screen of her phone first thing in the morning. Truth be told, it was a late morning of staying in bed until eleven and listening to the waves washing against the walls of the yacht. They were somewhere in the Yellow Sea, and the girl was ready to enjoy every second of her one week vacation. Sometimes, enjoying a vacation meant lazing around.
'Could've been better.'
'A. or V.?'
'Both. It's disgusting how much A. trusts him. Makes me sick.' the girl replied.
'I can imagine that.'
'How are things with your S.?' Caterina asked about his father, Soichiro.
'Wonderful, really. Some crime scenes make my stomach turn. I wish the death penalty would be seen as a necessity already, it would save many innocent lives.'
Light sighed, as the voice inside his head was tempted to start rambling on the matter yet again. It happened several times a day – whenever he thought of crimes and the pain and suffering of the victims, and the grieving of the families… He just couldn't stop that voice from exposing more and more arguments. Sometimes he wanted to throw something at it, make it shut up, yell out loud 'I've got it! I agree with you, just stop trying to convince me already!', only he couldn't do any of these. The one who argued with him was another side of himself, a darker, stronger, more radical side of him.
'I don't know. People kill because they want to. Then, they brow their own brains. It's like that law in England that had people hanged for attempting suicide.'
The boy smiled when reading her text. He knew about it too, read it somewhere without giving it much importance.
'I suppose that's true. Can I call?' he sent in return.
'Nah. A. is fighting with him again, so I'll go swim for a bit. I'll call you in maybe an hour.'
Caterina could hear them clearly on the small ship. The woman was starting to cry again.
"Caterina, Caterina, always Caterina! What about my needs?!"
"How dare you be so ungrateful?! Caterina is my only child, of course I will put her first! You agreed long ago to all of this. ALL of it."
"I did not!"
"She is the reason you are breathing right now, woman! Do I have to remind you that every five seconds?!"
Caterina had her bathing suit on as she walked up the stairs and on the deck. Sick and tired of arguments like that, she jumped into the crystal clear water and began swimming, allowing her ears to fill with water and the soothing sounds of the sea.
In his cabin, Vincent was listening closely to the fight going on between his official masters. Because unofficially, he had a different master – one who paid him in green American dollars, opening doors wherever he went. Ah, that was the scent of wealth! He loved his old, wrinkled hands smelling like those green banknotes so much!
The butler was free for a few hours. He had convinced the woman he was sea sick, so he could rest in his cabin for hours at a time. But just then, he heard Caterina jumping into the water. The girl could swim well, even if her mother could not… How convenient. Almost too easy. But before that, he wanted to fish for some spicy details about the girl. Opening the door quietly, the old man sneaked into Caterina's room, looking for the most vital device in any teenager's life – her phone.
In the mean time, Light had been called to yet another crime scene. This time, it was a car accident with a child involved and a driver pulling out his hair and crying his eyes out.
"I-I-I didn't even see him! I s-swear! I…! He… He appeared, out of nowhere he just… ran! Oh, God! I didn't mean it! I-I didn't! It was an accident! Oh, Lord!"
As the driver of the car was taken away in handcuffs and desperate tears, the child's blood was slowly drying on the asphalt. Light looked at all the details, his two personalities conflicted to the worst degree. His old self was moved by the poor man's feelings – accidents happened all the time, right? But his dark side would have liked the driver in the death row. He had wounded that five-years-old. The kid wasn't dead yet, but the dark version of Light thought he will die soon enough judging by how much blood there was on the ground.
"Light?" someone called his name as the teenager jumped.
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? You can go, if you want."
Light shook his head. "I'm staying," he declared in front of the officer. "How is the boy?" he asked just as the policeman was about to leave.
"I honestly don't know… I hope he makes it, but…" the officer shrugged. "I think he hit his head pretty bad."
Under the guidance of others and having already learned the procedures, Light began working alongside with the policemen in looking for clues. The car had been going too fast, but according to witnesses and the marks on the asphalt, the driver had tried to slow down and avoid the child a moment before the impact. A little too late, the dark side of Light thought as his other side was content that the driver had tried to avoid the accident.
'He is still a criminal if that child dies. Why was he to blame of anything? So young and innocent…' the voice argued as Light thought about it. Eventually, he found himself avoiding the discussion and hoping that the little boy survived, even if his chances were scarce.
In a few hours, it was lunch time. After that, Light returned home. His mother and his sister were both gone, probably out shopping, so he took the freedom of calling Caterina. He picked up his phone and went through the contacts, finding her name and pressing the green button. It rang… and rang… and rang, until the voicemail robot answered with the all too familiar "The person you try to call is not available. Please check the number, or try-" He hung up. How strange…
Vincent watched the phone as its screen lit up and it kept vibrating again and again. That boy Caterina had been involving in some family business was calling again. What should he do about it? The fighting was over, he had to prepare something for lunch, but he was too busy hiding the phone he stole from the girl's room.
Suddenly, he heard the door to her room slamming shut.
"Padre?" her unmistakable voice called loud enough for half of the sea to hear her. "Padre. I can't find my phone."
The man's hands began to tremble. He had to get rid of it fast, without destroying the data… Looking around, he came up with the solution. Vincent took out the memory card and the SIM from Caterina's phone, then let it drop as close to the sea level as possible. Lucky for him, the windows were close enough so that nobody would hear the splash. Who would think of looking for it in the middle of the Yellow Sea? And it wasn't like she didn't afford a new one anytime. That spoiled brat had to simply ask for anything she wanted in order to get it.
"If you are so certain, go and look through his cabin." The old man heard his master saying just outside the door. He closed the window as fast as his joints allowed him and laid in bed, pretending to be sick and slumbering.
"Very well." Caterina agreed with confidence as the door opened.
"Vincent, leave the room for a few minutes," the man demanded in a calm voice. He despised the servant, but didn't let it show in front of his family.
"But signore, may I ask what is the cause of this?" Vincent sat up, pretending to be dizzy and holding his temple.
"Yes. My phone, you thief!" Caterina accused him.
"Caterina, remember what I told you…" her father reminded her in a calm and almost warm voice, not for a second taking his eyes off Vincent. The way he glared ice daggers at the old man and addressed his daughter so lovingly were so opposite, it made the Dragon look almost frightening to the butler.
"Young mistress, I apologize, but I am deeply disappointed by this accusation. I had been in my cabin this whole day, and besides, what use would I have of your cell phone?"
Caterina rolled her eyes. Knowing himself clean of evidences, Vincent left the cabin and went into the kitchen. He was pleased with himself – the act was right, the time was perfect, and he had the two most important pieces of the girl's phone – the contacts, messages and logs on one, and the pictures, notes and video recordings on the other. Just a little bit more and he could make sure to spend his retirement in luxury, probably in Amalfi. Or should he choose something more exotic, like the Maldives? He had time to think about it once he received the money.
However, the man began growing anxious. What took them so long? He had lunch ready, but it was almost time for dinner. The sun was starting to set and he couldn't think of anything but the worst. He had the SIM and the memory card in an inner pocket of his vest, he had checked them at least five times. Still, only Anastasia showed up at the table.
The woman had been crying, but she trusted Vincent so much she relaxed completely around him and smiled weakly. She looked defeated from all points of view.
"Would you like anything to drink, signora?"
"Yes… A lemonade would do, thank you."
The butler returned to the kitchen. He took a lemon out of the fridge and began rolling it on the table in an attempt of making it juicier. Just then, he received another message from his unofficial master.
'Tonight.'
When they finally returned, Caterina was still biting the inside of her lips, walking slowly and absent-mindedly. Her father sat at the table, while she leaned with her elbows over the railway.
"Well? Have you found anything, my dear?" Anastasia asked her husband, who sighed and shook his head.
"Nothing. But if you say you did not take it and I know I did not, then it must be somewhere on this yacht."
"I left it there, on the bed." Caterina repeated what she said earlier. "Right in the middle. I looked everywhere for it. It's no longer on this ship, that's the only logical explanation."
"Well, it couldn't have simply disappeared into thin air." Anastasia pointed out the obvious as the girl rolled her eyes and eventually joined them at the table.
"I suppose, no. I'll dive tomorrow, but I think I'll be taking the key with me. I'd rather lose it in the sea than have anything else 'disappearing' from my cabin." Caterina picked up her fork and began playing with it.
"I'm sure you'll find it, sweetheart. And even if you don't, we'll buy you another once we reach the shore." Anastasia tried to make things better, only to be stung by another of the girl's glares.
"It's not that. I had messages, recordings, notes, important stuff saved…" she mumbled.
"Why were these so important?" her father asked.
"…They were, okay?" Caterina mumbled after a moment of silence. "Some of it, anyway."
The old man listened closely, but didn't intervene. He just did his job and served them, without any other unnecessary exchange of words.
After barely having touched her food, Caterina stood up and threw her top and shorts on the deck, jumping in for another swim.
"I will join her." The Dragon stood up as well and went into his cabin to change. He was an experienced swimmer. In fact, it was a hobby of his – learning anything he thought useful, including hand-to-hand combat, martial arts, swimming, mountain climbing, and a few other sports. It was the reason his body had remained strong through the years.
Anastasia on the other hand was terribly afraid of the water. She knew the yacht was safe and she loved being near the sea, but panicked if she ever was to find herself in deep water. She remained at the table, playing with her almost empty glass of lemonade and glancing over the dark waters. Her mind began playing tricks on her as she remembered the shame and loneliness she felt every time she was alone.
Vincent took out his second phone and sent the signal he was ready to do what they told him to do. He sent the number '3' in response to the previous 'Tonight', which meant the countdown had began.
Taking a kitchen knife, he approached the blonde in silence. The woman sighed, trying not to give in to tears again.
"Vincent…" she whined, "Sometimes I feel like they would be much better without me. Perhaps I shouldn't have come…"
Anastasia looked over the dark surface of the water, trusting her butler completely. 'Poor little lamb,' he thought.
"Perhaps… Signora, why don't you go look at the stars? It's such a beautiful night! Let me clean the table."
With a faint nod, she stood up and dragged her feet on the deck where Caterina had been standing less than half an hour ago. She watched the stars and the calm waves until the sea and the sky met in complete darkness. Somewhere, far to her right, she could see water splatters as her husband and their daughter swam together. It wouldn't be the first time they went far from the yacht. When she asked her husband a few years ago, back when he seemed to still have a little bit of sympathy left for her, he said it helped him calm down. 'There's only me, the waves and the stars… The only sounds are the wind and my limbs through the water. You should learn how to swim, it's very relaxing.' Anastasia didn't. She was afraid of the water if she couldn't reach the bottom and keep her head at the surface at once.
Rosa was fearless. Unlike her mother, the girl loved the sea and often went to swim far from the shore or the yacht. Giuliano had taught her how to swim since she was two years old. Eventually, the man stopped offering to help his wife overcome her fear of deep waters. Why would he…? He could always take Rosa with him for company.
"They get along so well…" she mumbled when she heard her butler coming out from the kitchen.
Vincent walked behind her. "Can you see them, signora?" he asked in a low, calm voice. The woman nodded, watching the rhythmical movements above the water. "Perhaps they really are better without you, my lady…"
Confused, the blonde turned her head and threw Vincent a look over her shoulder. "…Do you really think, Vincent? Oh, how my heart aches to see them like that…" But in a flash, she saw light reflected into something long and shiny. "Vincent…?" she asked with the fear of a deer finding herself in the lion's den.
"Yes, signora?" he asked in the same calm voice, though a smirk was spreading across his old, wrinkled face. "Do not worry, baby doll. I promise it will be quick." He slapped his gloved hand over the woman's mouth, muffling her desperate cries and feeling her tears through the fabric. She realized what was going to happen, but it was much too late.
The cold blade of his knife sliced through her thin skin, as the blood began to pour from her throat and cascade over her silicone-filled chest, running down the front of her shirt. Anastasia was wasting her last seconds crying hot, bitter tears of betrayal, struggling to gasp for air through the pain. At the last moment, he threw the blonde overboard, watching her as she kept trying to gasp for air and swallowing her own blood mixed with salty water and tears. He watched her kicking in all directions, unable of controlling her actions. What was going on in her head, he wondered… Was she aware of her own death? Was she denying the truth? Or was she simply going insane with all kind of mixed feelings, her mind incoherent and dizzy?
Going to the fridge, the butler took out all of the fresh meat he could find and threw it overboard as well, with as much blood as possible. It would only be a matter of time before the place became a buffet for sharks and that was exactly what he hoped would happen. Vincent then went to clean the blood from the deck and the railway, changing his gloves, vest and shirt and hiding those in a bag in one of the kitchen cupboards, along with the rags he used to soak up the blood. He looked at it as the blood began to dry on the fabric. A dark, sticky liquid with the scent of raw pork meat. Disgusting.
Turning on the water, he washed his hands until no reddish brown could be seen. He checked in between his fingers and under his nails as well. Still, something about it made him feel his hands were still filthy. When he held his hands close to his nose, he could feel the scent of blood along with Anastasia's sweet perfume still on his skin. The man turned on the water again, this time so hot he could barely stand it. He used a brush to scrub everything on his hands, quite possibly one or two superficial layers of the skin.
Eventually, the butler picked up the phone he used to keep in touch with the Dragon's enemies and sent the text '2'. Right after the device announced him the message had been sent and received, he turned on the engine of the yacht and began driving it South. With no intention of setting foot on Japanese land again, the man was now rushing towards the life he always wanted.
Clueless of what happened back on the yacht, Caterina was swimming with her father. Having some much more frail arms and legs, she decided to lay on her back and float, watching the stars and relaxing completely. The girl knew her father must have been somewhere underwater – she heard him coming to the surface to breathe every now and then, never too far from her. It gave her a feeling of security. That, and how calm the sea was under a sky clear of clouds and covered in stars.
From time to time, Caterina glanced back towards the yacht. Its lights were easy to spot in the darkness, she only had to turn her head. However… At some point, she began to think that the ship was moving. She couldn't have floated that far away from it, but the lights were growing smaller and weaker by the second.
"Padre?" she called in the dark, standing in the water so she could turn and look around easier. Her father returned to the surface soon enough.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked, reading the worry on his daughter's face.
"I think it's moving, and fast." Caterina nodded towards the yacht and the Dragon followed her movement.
"It is…" he said, chewing a curse he didn't want his dear Caterina to hear. "It must be that traitor, that incompetent cockroach!" he growled as he watched the light lot disappearing. The man looked at the stars next. "He's going South. Come on, let's swim towards the North-West. We must be close to the Chinese shore."
"Padre? What are we going to do next?" the girl asked, well aware she didn't have to list everything they lacked. Her father was enraged and that was never a good sign.
"Act. We will make him think he has an advantage."
Although tired, Caterina began swimming in line with her father. Somewhere behind them, the sea was becoming agitated.
"Don't look back and swim faster," the Dragon instructed. Caterina didn't need anything more. Trying to keep the thought of sharks out of her mind, she continued to swim as fast as her body allowed her.
Back on the yacht, Vincent was pouring himself a glass of champagne and trying on one of the Dragon's suits. It was at least two sizes too large for a frail little old man like him, but he found other precious things. Buttons, watches, and enough cash to last him for a month. Since his employer said nothing about such things, Vincent thought he was free to keep and use them as he wished.
As soon as he reached Taiwan, the butler sent another text – '1'. The job was done. Though there were things he had not considered…
A little more to the West, the Dragon was using his influence to gradually take back his power. He knew many people and he had helped many children climb their way from the street to the wealthy class of society. Bank directors, hotel chain owners, managers, administrators, politicians – there was nowhere in the world he had absolutely no one.
With a little effort, the Dragon managed to find a cab. He sat in the back with Caterina, both of them soaked in salty water. The girl was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open. It was dawn by the time they reached shore and her limbs ached horribly. Still, she said nothing – she was too afraid of appearing weak and frail, a crybaby.
The Dragon told the cab driver an address and the other man turned to look at them strangely. "That's not a safe area, mister. I'll leave you at the railway."
"That's fine."
"It should be about a ten minute walk to that address. No cab will take you there, that quarter is infamous."
"Start the engine," the father demanded and the driver nodded, obeying the order immediately.
Caterina leaned on the window, feeling the glass vibrating under her temple and shaking her brain. She looked straight ahead, past the driver's left shoulder. The streets were getting darker, with less and less people or street lights. Still, she kept telling herself she had no reason to fear anything. Her father was with her after all, right? It was all that mattered.
The cab driver had noticed the scars on his client's body and knew this one was probably of those who had stared death in the eye more than a couple of times. Even so, a few minutes later, he decided it wouldn't do any harm to ask.
"Do you mind?" He had a cigarette in his hand. They were waiting at a traffic light.
"Do you?" the father repeated the question for Caterina, avoiding her name.
"…Yes. I hate the scent."
The driver put the cigarette back in its package and held back a sigh. Once the traffic light turned green, he drove on. It would be another half an hour before he spoke again.
"I'll leave you just around the corner. Do you have the money, or is somebody expecting you?"
"None. You will trust me to bring you the money later. Either you wait around here for about an hour, or I will contact you tomorrow."
The driver began to grow irritated, but the man with the scars was also intimidating.
"How do you plan on contacting me?"
"I will remember the plate number. It is going to be a matter of time before I find you and pay."
"…Very well. Be quick when you take off."
Author's Notes:
Chapter proofread by Eat4Fun, a little late because of schoolwork, stress, and life. This time it was my fault for not sending this chapter to my beta earlier, but hopefully it will be good enough to be worth the waiting.
Well... now you know. Vincent is evil, Anastasia's name was on the Grim Reaper's list, and we're heading towards a crazy, global event towards the end of this part.
Also, please take the time to review, and if you're not too busy becoming the next L or not too crazed turning into the next Kira, check out my other stories. Different fandom and nowhere near as insane as this one, but still. It won't hurt to take a look, right? Also, keep an eye on my profile for updates about my schedule or announcements.
Also, here's a spoiler - another one of the characters you've been seeing around a lot will soon enough be dead. Guess who? You can still save this character, if you want.
