Tyler and the researchers, cont’d

I refuse to complain about the heat or humidity, because I whine all winter long about the cold. However, I am glad to have had the opportunity to go swimming in a nearby river every day this week. Last night’s swim was around 8:30 or so, and preceded by ice cream from The Scoop. They do not skimp on the size of the scoops, either, and it was lovely.

***

Tyler continued playing the game for a few minutes, then raised reluctant eyes to Liam and Eva. His mouth was a thin line. He looked suddenly much older than his twelve years. With a grim look, he put the game aside and held out one hand.

Liam passed the pictures to him, and he and Eva watched the play of expressions on Tyler’s face as he studied the images. He went through them a second time.

“It’s kind of squashed,” he said at last. “What happened to it?”

“It got stomped by some cows,” Eva answered.

Tyler nodded. “Good. Serve it right. But I bet there were a bunch of these. The cows didn’t do so good. Right?”

Eva didn’t want to add to his anxiety, but lying to him seemed like a bad idea. “You’re right. The rancher lost quite a few cows to those creatures.”

“How many?”

“About thirty.”

Tyler stared at them. His lips shaped the words “about thirty” without sound. “Where?” he asked.

“I can’t tell you right now,” Eva said. “But can you tell if this is the same as the ones you saw?”

Tyler examined the pictures again. “It’s a lot like the ones that got Dylan, but it’s a bit different, too.” He shuffled the photos. “See here. Look at the face. This one has a shorter nose and rounder ears. But the teeth are the same.” He shivered. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget those.” He passed the pictures back to Liam.

He stowed them in his briefcase. “Maybe not the same, after all,” Liam said. “But maybe related although I don’t know how.” He and Eva exchanged a silent glance. “Thanks for your help, Tyler,” said Liam. Eva smiled at him.

Tyler nodded. “Did any cows escape?” he asked. “Were they sleeping or something? Why didn’t they run away?”

“We don’t know for certain, Tyler,” said Liam. “The rancher thinks they were attacked in the daytime but we don’t know if they were surrounded or too frightened to run.”

Tyler nodded again. He understood about being too frightened to move. “I heard that some people in a park got killed here in Toronto. And I saw them going after that homeless lady. Where do you think they go at night? Where do they go after they eat somebody?”

“That’s part of what we’re trying to find out,” said Eva. “We want to know as much as we can, so we can warn people about them.”

Tyler looked toward the window. “When I get home, I’m never going in the woods behind the school ever again.”

“I don’t blame you. Listen, take my card and if you hear of any more attacks, or you see anything more, call or email me. Okay?” Eva handed him a card with her contact information.

Tyler took it. “Sure. Are you going to find a way to get rid of them?”

“We’re going to try,” Liam answered. With that, the researchers took their leave of the boy, with more questions than ever.

***

And that’s it for today.