“Yes, exactly. Now what I get are combinations of the three or a completely different picture altogether. Usually, my only chance to learn is when I can directly compare it to what the substance is for me.” Andi sighed. “Which throws us back to square one.”
George shook his head. “Not necessarily. We already know it’s not artificial. Can you tell if it’s an element or a chemical compound?”
Andi furrowed his brows. “The moths knew it very well, as if it was a part of them or some kind of memory. Not something they had learned…. It’s a compound.”
“Good. Can you identify parts of it?”
“I’m not sure. For moths, things are based on scent, pheromones. The substance smelled—good? God, I hate this! Why can’t I see this more clearly?” Andi put the fork down with enough force to make the plate vibrate.
“You’re doing great! Don’t sell yourself short. I mean, you’re trying to translate from a language that not only uses different words and letters but also a completely different view of the world.” George took the plate to rescue it from breaking. “You know what’s probably the most important thing I learned from you? How small a human’s view of the world is. You opened up my sight, and I don’t want to imagine how hard it must be for you to constantly mediate between the two. Now back to the problem at hand. Did you sense anything you recognize?”
“There was something familiar about the substance. Something that had nothing to do with why the moths knew it.” Andi furrowed his brows in concentration. “It’s something I’ve seen before…. Oh my God, I’m so stupid!” He slapped his hand against his forehead, then winced. The headache obviously wasn’t gone completely. “It’s a protein. I sensed the structure of a protein!” Andi shook his head. “And not just any protein. It resembles the silk spiders use to weave their nets.”
“Wonderful! We’re getting somewhere.” George got his cell out and opened the search engine.Silk protein that resembles spider silk. The list of hits was seemingly endless. The one standing out, though, was the silk of caterpillars. George clicked on the most promising-looking link and was faced with a complicated sequence of letters connected through lines. Underneath it saidprimary structure of fibrin. “Does that ring any bells?” George showed Andi the screen.
“Actually, it does. I recognize a part of the structure.” A slow smile spread on his lips. “I think we found it!”
“Which brings us right to the next question—what was it? I only know silk as clothing or very expensive cloths.”
“They didn’t wear it. Their clothes were a mixture of cotton and polyamide. The usual for most people.”
George started typing into the search engine again.Use of silk. He stared at the screen. “Silk is used in skin-care products. Did you know that?”
“No. But it’s a possibility. And Josephine Garr works for a skin-care company.” Andi started drumming his fingers on the bar. “Which would explain why I sensed it in their house and, since they definitely were in the cabin, also there. But the two weren’t the ones herding the victims into the lake. The traces were weaker on them, perhaps because of their clothing. If it was contract killers, they would have worn something sturdy and practical and thick enough to keep evidence like hair from falling down.”
Which made everything vague again. George wanted to curse while knowing he had to keep his cool, and not just for Andi’s sake. “Okay. There’re a few things we can say for sure. The substance is silk as produced by insects.” He hesitated. “Wait a moment. There are tons of butterflies around here. Which means a lot of caterpillars. You should know what that looks like, shouldn’t you?”
Andi groaned. “Iknowwhat silk looks like. For caterpillars and butterflies. And ants and wasps. Moths are different. I could only make the connection because moths get caught in spiders’ webs all the time, which was my frame of reference here.”
“Oh. I see. That complicated, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Sorry.” George stared back at the screen of his cell. “We know it was silk from caterpillars on the women, most probably from a skin-care product. It also wasn’t clothing in any shape or form.”
“Yes, and my guess is they use it on a daily basis, because while it wasn’t the most prominent thing, it was still strong enough for the moths to register with the women at the lake. On Tabitha and Josephine, it was a lot stronger, which means their exposure is greater in whatever shape it happens.” Andi started rubbing his temples, a sign that he needed to get back to bed.
“Probably part of Josephine’s job.” He put the cell down. “You go back to bed, and I’ll write down what we’ve found out.” He made a face. “And I have to write that damn memory protocol.”
“I don’t envy you.” Andi was already on his feet. “I’m sorry. I really should lie down.”
“Go.” George made a shooing motion. “I’ll wake you for dinner.”
Andi left the kitchen with a weak smile on his face. After George heard the door to Andi’s bedroom shut, he took care of the dishes, then sat down to do his homework.
12. Traces and Leads
IT WASa wonderful evening, the air was already cooling down due to the cold season coming, though still warm enough for Andi to enjoy it before he had to go underground for hibernation, that’s what his kind did, they were the exception, not dying like the other crickets, though how he knew that he couldn’t say, he was on the ground, the soil a bit dry and crumbly, hard to walk on it even with six legs, he wanted to get to a more vantage point, where his song would carry farther, going up the small hill where he had dug his tunnel for the winter, his back legs already rubbing against each other, producing the typical sound of a summer evening, but summer was over, these were the last flares before everything slowed down, he would go to sleep, deep in the earth, unaware of everything around him, just wonderful darkness, unconsciousness, nothing to worry about, no pain, no pictures and images and sensual input, just rest, how wonderful that sounded, he hadn’t rested in ever, couldn’t remember what it felt like to be at peace, it was all too much, had been for a long time, he really should go underground, close his eyes and wait until the spring sun woke him again to new life and a new cycle and perhaps a new chance, but not for him, there was a shadow, a rushing of wings, Andi felt his life wink out, was catapulted from the mole cricket back into the world, and he hated it, how it overwhelmed him with everything, he just wanted to sleep, he needed to sleep, to get rest, he—
“Andi! Wake up! You’re dreaming!” George’s voice cut through the promise of darkness and peace, yanked him back like it had done so many times before, and what would he do once George left him and his grip on reality thinned even more? HisOmahad died at the ripe old age of ninety-five, had been a part of life till the end, but her family had known, had been able to help her, had admired her, while he didn’t have anybody, except for George who would be leaving soon and….
“Andi! If you don’t wake up right now, I’m going to put you under the cold shower! I mean it!”
“That’s so mean.”
“I’d do it, though!”
Andi slowly opened his eyes. George was leaning over him, his eyes full of worry, one hand on Andi’s shoulder, ready to shake him out of his stupor. “Are you back?”
