“Most likely the people who did this to me.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe it’s even possible.”
“You and me both. I’ll never forget the first time I turned into a tiger. I almost tore off my own tail.”
She blinked. “You’re joking.”
“I wish. I’d just transformed, and was totally freaked out, and I saw something waving out of the corner of my eye, so I twisted around and grabbed it. Bit myself so hard I drew blood and turned back into a man.”
“You mentioned last night that blood acts as a trigger.”
“To go from tiger to dude, yeah, but only a serious injury gets me wearing fur.”
“Yet the legends claim the transformation happens via magic or fasting.”
“Not eating, eh? I’ll have to try it and see if it works. Now, I don’t suppose we can wrangle me a shirt and shorts? Maybe some shoes, even flip-flops, so I don’t draw too much attention?”
“I can do that, but where will you go?” she asked.
“Not sure. I’m thinking I’ll head for the jungle on the southern tip. Some guy called Arthur Locke, back in 1954, wrote about weretigers. He claimed they had a settlement at the foot of some mountain.”
“Do you remember the name?”
His expression twisted. “I’m going to massacre it, but it was Gung An something.”
“Gunung Angsi,” she murmured.
“You know of it?”
“Yes, but I doubt you’ll find any harimau. It’s a popular tourist spot.”
His shoulders slumped. “I didn’t figure I’d find them still there. Locke’s account spoke of abandoned homes and stuff, but he was pretty convinced he met some tiger-shifting people, and it’s the only lead I have.”
Her brow arched. “And on the basis of this very old story, you intend to get lost in the forest?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“I might, actually. I have a friend who works at the museum,” she mused aloud.
“You think this friend can tell me more about weretigers?”
“Not exactly. He’s a custodian, but he’s got access to all the rooms in the museum, even those off-limits to the public.”
“How does that help?”
“Because there are artifacts and some old writings that might provide clues.”
“How soon can we go find out?”
“After dark. If we want to poke around in the rooms not open to the public, then we’ll have to wait for the museum to close for the night.”
“Of course.” Duh. He could have smacked himself for being dumb. “Anything we can do in the meantime?”
“Not really, and I need to go to work.”
“Can’t call in sick?”
She shook her head. “Given you disappeared and I was the last to see you, there will be questions. If I don’t show up, I’ll look suspicious.”
