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Chapter Eight

He felt like he had to watch his back every single time he ventured out the front door now. He was not really scared of that though, being killed was the least of his worried. He wanted the truth, that was all. Something so simple but could be absolutely devastating to so many people when he discovered it.

A week had passed since the incident and he had been detained by the police for questioning for a little over five days. They always asked the same questions, like they were testing him, hoping to catch him in a lie about the sniper and he was not allowed to leave. Not until the autopsy results had come back on Marilyn's body.

The report had shown some interesting findings but had also taken almost five days to complete. It had shown that Marilyn had suffered from Type-2 Diabetes in the early stages and probably would not have become aware of it until a few years later. However, the most interesting part that absolved Janus of all suspicion of this crime was the bullet that was found.

It was confirmed as being fired from a long ranged, B1988 semi-automatic sniper rifle and the bullets trajectory matched the physical evidence in the office itself, suggesting that it had come from the Furadyne Cosmetics building just across the central plaza which was vacant of staff except for a tiny security force at the front desk during the night.

There was something more interesting about the bullet which had baffled the team who performed the autopsy. The bullet was also a capsule which was designed to open when it impacted the body, releasing a powder anticoagulant into the wound which would hinder the body's natural attempts to close the wound and prevent additional bleeding. People shot even in a minor place with this kind of bullet would bleed out anyway and probably die without proper medical care in hours.

This made the bullet an efficient, nasty weapon.

Janus had finally been released from the cells after a rigorous five days of interrogation where he almost felt that the police were almost desperate to pin the crime on him. Having someone in custody already for the crime was much more media friendly then having somebody still at large with the dogs of the media accusing the police of doing nothing.

However he had avoided going to Marilyn's memorial service as he did feel a certain level of responsibility for her death. The bullet was meant for him. Somebody had tried to kill him and he could not understand the reasoning or how anyone could have known about his investigation.

This all seemed to be somehow connected to his investigation into Yiff. He needed to discover the truth. For the sake of two people's memories now.

***

Seventeen Years Earlier...

The entire mansion was quiet, there was not a sound except the wind outside. Some of the servants were still up, preparing the food for the next day and there was a faint sound of footsteps as the Canid security guards routinely patrolled the perimeter.

The night was extremely calm but Janus was unable to sleep.

He just could not take it anymore. He had tried to get Mrs Skuld and his father to listen to what Elise had been doing to him and he just could not seem to get anyone to take him seriously. His father had told him to "Stop inventing stories" as Mrs Skuld claimed that she had never witnessed Elise doing anything of sort with the small kit.

Nobody would understand. Maybe it was because none of them actually wanted to consider it.

Now he had been pushed to far.

He waited... for hours until everyone had gone to bed in the massive mansion and then he made his move.

He had previous stolen some food from the kitchen quarters downstairs while the chefs were unaware of it and wrapped it up in an old shirt, placing it into a bag with other essentials.

This manor was practically a fortress and he would have to wait until morning, when his father left to go to the office in order to stowaway on the huge tower elevator and then work his way to freedom.

Anything to be away from her.

He slowly and carefully opened the door of his huge bedroom, abandoning his warm and comfortable four poster bed and creeping out into the large marble floored hallway.

Janus had taken the time to plan this operation to the letter. His first real operation. He had played soldier in the garden alone when he was younger but this time he was playing for real.

He crept down the hallway, trying not to make a sound, trying not to wake anyone as he approached the huge master staircase.

"This is so stupid!" his mind kept telling him.

Where was he going to go? What was he going to do? He had tried to think these things through and decided that he wanted to be an actor. There was a travelling theater that was currently down at the dockyard for a few nights and he would stow aboard their ship to join them.

Anything to be away from her.

There was a noise and the sounds of hushed voices coming from a room on the way down the hallway. One that he would pass if he was going to make it to the staircase.

He took great care as he passed. One paw carefully placed in front of the other. He heard his name and could slowly but surely make out that his father and Elise were talking.

Curiosity got the better of him as he listened closer to the door.

"His grades are slipping darling, the teachers are really concerned that if this keeps up, he will be expelled from the Education Center."

His father, who Janus could not hear through the door responded.

"Yes" he said in his deep voice. "But do you think we really need to send him all the way to a specialist school. Anasera is so far away..."

Janus's eyes widened as he understood what they were talking about. They were going to send him away. Anasera was the country that bordered Vulnira and was fifteen hours away by plane at least!

"Trust me darling, it will really help install some discipline in the boy. I've already enquired about the school and they are happy to take him. They deal with many mentally dysfunctional children."

Janus was horrified at the conversation. Elise was lying. He had been doing really well at school but she had all his performance reports sent directly to her. How was he mentally dysfunctional? He had nothing wrong... It was all her!.

He accidentally knocked the small table next to the door as he turned around in sheer panic to leave, causing his parents to see him for a small second.

He needed to get away... He would not let them send him to Anasera, where he would never see his friends from the Education Center or Mrs Skuld again!

As he darted down the corridor, almost reaching the top of the stairs, he felt a paw grab him before he could run down them. He turned round in horror to see Elise had caught up with him and was now holding him by the wrist... very tightly.

"You should be in bed sweety" she said in her calm manner. Janus struggling against her, his paw suspended in the air as his father came out of the room to see them standing there.

"You're a liar!" spat Janus, looking to his father. "Father! She's lying!"

"I am very sorry that you needed to hear that sweety" smiled Elise sweetly. "But I'm afraid the decision has already been made. Isn't that right..." she looked at Janus's father with a renewed sense of triumph. "Darling?"

Janus could not do anything. He was powerless in this situation. Elise had won. She would get him sent away for some purpose. It all made sense now. She had been hurting him to claim that he was making up stories, she always hurt him in ways that never left any visible marks on his fur or body.

She wanted him out the way!

Janus felt an intense surge of anger, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Summoning an intense rage, he yanked his hand free and pushed Elise back, causing his father to come running down the hallway.

Elise, unable to keep her footing was pushed back, falling down the stairs backwards, her soft head, so laden with makeup and other cosmetics smacking the cold marble staircase on the way down.

She finally came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, blood trickling from her head.

Janus's father rushed down the staircase and past Janus to help her. Janus, who should have been relieved, was horrified by what he had down but also confused that his father had not thrown him down the stairs as well. Maybe he had not seen clearly what had happened, it was dark in the hallway.

Infact, he felt many different emotions all at the same time. The one that troubled him the most though...

Was relief...