Ch.118Chapter 8 – And Then There Was Nothing (3)

# June 21, 1929, 4:32 PM

Red Wood Casino Construction Site

Downtown Pollard Island

The waiting room was thick with cigarette smoke. Organization members wearing white gloves sat pressed against me on both sides. When the signal came from the inner room, they finally released me.

It wasn’t completely free. I had to surrender my wallet and gun. And two organization members stuck close behind me, likely monitoring to ensure I didn’t try anything foolish.

The casino’s interior construction had entered its final stages. The walls were adorned with marble of various colors and patterns, and the lights installed on them were extremely luxurious. The mosaic floor gave the impression of an ancient Roman road.

Jazz music, currently in fashion, could be heard from deep within the inner room. The construction seemed completely finished. When the mahogany door was pushed open, a spacious room came into view.

The left wall held record albums and a gramophone, while the right featured an antique bookcase, though not a single book was visible. In the center were a coffee table and sofa, and on the central wall hung a magnificent fresco depicting an angel piercing the devil’s heart.

And below it. Beside the elongated desk that resembled a fortress stood taxidermied tiger and lion. Both faced forward, roaring. Their glass eyes reflected the light with a glimmer. Though both creatures appeared threateningly lifelike, they couldn’t match the intimidating presence of Aurora Savio seated behind the desk. Dressed in a purple dress, Aurora gazed indifferently at me and the organization members flanking me.

“Change the record before you leave. Wait in the corridor and come back when the music ends.”

After changing the record, lively jazz music still burst from the gramophone, though a different tune. Both organization members bowed their heads and closed the door.

Aurora interlaced her fingers behind the desk. She wore a pearl necklace around her neck. The white glove on her left hand remained in place.

“A distinguished guest has arrived. Sit on that sofa. The music’s a bit loud, isn’t it? It helps prevent eavesdropping.”

The sofa was long enough to seat four people. Aurora stood up. The opal earrings dangling below her ears sparkled. She twirled once before me. The back of her dress was cut as deeply as the front.

“Do you notice anything different about me?”

It would be harder to find what hadn’t changed. The only things that remained the same were her eyes like burning coal, the white glove on her left hand, and her smile. When I shared my honest observations, Aurora laughed with a giggle.

“You’re always so amusing. But that’s not what I wanted to hear. Besides my clothes. Anything different?”

Her hairstyle was slightly different, and her skin had become a bit more tanned… her skin?

Come to think of it, there were no bruises on her body. Aurora covered her mouth with her gloved hand.

“You’re completely groveling now. But thank you for noticing. Yes, I’ve been taking care of my figure and getting skin treatments. I’ve changed my business direction a bit. I’ve decided not to get involved in shooting and getting shot for a while.”

Then she sat down beside me and crossed her legs. Her dress revealed her side leg, similar to a cheongsam.

“The biggest reason is money, of course. Money is pouring into not just Pollard but all the East Coast cities. The O’Malley gang and us probably won’t have any reason to fight for a while. We’re all too busy collecting the money that’s flowing in. And above all…”

Aurora’s fingers tickled the back of my hand.

“I feel like I’ve only ever shown the person I care about my bruised and injured self. Ah. This doesn’t suit me, does it? It’s embarrassing. I do it so well on the radio though… Ahem. Anyway.”

Aurora rose from her seat, opened the desk drawer, and took out a small box.

“This might seem sudden. But it’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while. Remember? When I said if you came to me, I would make you a king. That wasn’t a lie. I’ve been preparing step by step since that day, and now… I want to talk about the results. But before that, I wanted to tell you.”

Aurora tried to appear calm, but I could see her earrings trembling slightly.

“This casino. It will be completed soon. Of course, it belongs to the White Hand. I’ve hired almost everyone I need, but the manager position remains open. I want you to take that position.”

It wasn’t just ‘a bit’ sudden. I stared at Aurora blankly.

“No matter how I think about it, you’re the most suitable. You’re brave, dignified, wise, and fearless. I knew it. From the first time I saw you, I saw what was inside you. I told you, didn’t I? That the family given to me was a mess, but the family I create would be different.”

Aurora held out the box to me. Carefully, as if it were the Holy Grail. I took the box and unwrapped it.

Inside was a pair of white gloves. They weren’t made of cloth but expensive leather, sewn with gold thread, with jeweled decorations at the wrists.

“Become part of my family.”

Aurora’s eyes were still burning, but they no longer resembled the wild, raging wildfire of before. They were quiet and subtle, like the fireplace embers sharing a small warmth.

Her cheeks were clear, her lips red and glossy. Aurora’s right hand touched my cheek. It was a warm hand filled with passion.

“You don’t have to answer right now. I can understand if you refuse. As long as you don’t leave… you won’t do that, will you?”

I nodded. Suddenly, Aurora gasped sharply. It was an attack. She urgently pointed to the desk. When I opened the drawer, an asthma inhaler was immediately visible. I put it to Aurora’s mouth, and while the attack subsided, her rough breathing took time to calm.

“Stay with me for a moment.”

Aurora collapsed onto the sofa. When I sat beside her, she leaned against me. I could see tears forming in her slightly closed eyes.

“Can’t you just… come to me? Can’t you be mine alone? I’ve changed so much. But you haven’t changed at all. Haha… Yes. Just tell me you refuse. Then it would be easier for me to say no to you too.”

There was only one thing Aurora would say no to me about. The warehouse clearance matter.

“Believe me. If it were purely about me, I would have told you everything. But the warehouse issue… it’s not just my problem. My subordinates. My family is involved too.

It’s tied to the families my organization members need to take care of. The livelihoods of the Italians our organization looks after are at stake. If you had become my person, I could have told you as internal information. But if you’re going to be this stubborn, I can’t tell you.”

I said it was fine. That she didn’t need to apologize. Because it was Aurora’s right.

“For an ordinary person, I would say the same. But it’s your request. I can’t say that. I don’t want to disappoint you. If you knew how much my heart aches right now. If you knew how scared I am that you might feel hurt by me…”

The gramophone’s song reached its climax. The needle was approaching the center axis. The song was about to end.

Aurora, who had been biting her lips, stood up. She moved the needle back to the edge of the record.

As if nothing had happened, the song started playing from the beginning again. Aurora also took her place behind the desk.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do it. But the record is still long before it ends, and the tune is cheerful. So sit there and tell me why you need that information. Those gloves… they’re a gift. Take them.”

Before the needle reached the center axis, before the music ended, before the organization members came back in, I was able to explain the situation to Aurora.

When I looked back at her as I was leaving, she didn’t seem much different from when I had entered.

* * * * *

# June 22, 1929, 9:10 AM

Crayfield Detective Agency

Pollard Island

Crayfield poured out his complaints.

“Come on, my friend. You should have at least brought a croissant, instead of showing up empty-handed? Especially when you’re going to ask for a favor? When will you ever grow up? You couldn’t get the information? That’s fine. You upset your informant? Well, sometimes that happens if necessary. But to a woman? Good grief, my friend. It’s exasperating. Truly exasperating.”

The reason for his excitement seemed to be that he wasn’t fully sober yet. He still smelled of alcohol.

“Oh my. That was the finest rum I’ve ever tasted in my life. I realized that what I’ve been drinking all this time wasn’t rum but octopus urine. Anyway, Father Michael had plenty of reasons to hate snakes. As you know, he’s definitely not an ordinary person either. To become the head priest of Pollard Island’s church.”

Father Michael had previously been in Central and South America, he said. His postings changed constantly, and his tenure varied at each location. In some places, he stayed for over a year, while in others, just a week.

“The jungle is a curious place. It has everything, but thoroughly rejects anything foreign. You either become part of the jungle or get expelled from it. Religion is the same. At one time, a Catholic heretical faith spread rapidly across Central and South American countries. A religion where snakes were worshipped as supreme deities, with Satan and God’s roles reversed.

Angels were depicted as half-snake, half-human, heaven was believed to be underground, and demons were thought to descend from the sky. To prevent demons from descending, they believed in burning foul smoke, with human smoke considered the most effective.

It was a deeper-rooted heresy than expected, and since it spread among Catholic believers, it propagated quickly. After Father Michael and his team uncovered evidence of the heresy, they dismissed everyone involved, including an archbishop.

Needless to say, the snake was Yig. All the high officials were Yig’s followers, and Michael personally opposed them. From Yig’s perspective, he became someone to kill. Without Father Michael’s desperate struggle, Central and South America wouldn’t have remained intact. Well, judging by how he usually speaks, he’s not one to exaggerate, but rather speaks with humility.”

Crayfield tapped the desk a couple of times.

“But in 1927, something very unusual happened. It didn’t make the newspapers. It was buried without a trace. Somehow, a temple typical of Central and South America appeared in Alaska. A passing fighter plane discovered the temple, and the two most famous archaeologists at the time engaged in a public exploration competition. Of course, this wasn’t the era of Scott and Amundsen, and Alaska was American territory, so who reached it first wasn’t significant.

So the competition rules changed. The winner would be the one who reached the site first, found meaningful clues explaining what the ruins were, and announced them—a story that scholars and students would appreciate. But the news about these two people disappeared from the newspapers. It was reported that they organized exploration teams and made a noisy departure, but after that, nothing.

Professor Alejandro from Miskatonic University completely disappeared, and Professor Felton from the University of California returned alive but couldn’t speak a word, possibly due to psychological trauma. Rumors circulated that he received intensive observation treatment at a Boston mental hospital, but it’s not certain. There were also sensational rumors that three people returned, not two, and one disappeared immediately upon return. But that’s just at the level of an urban legend.”

I asked what happened to the temple.

“It vanished. Continued bad weather and strong winds made aerial reconnaissance impossible, and when they searched again three months later, it had disappeared without a trace. As if nothing had ever been there. But it didn’t leave nothing behind.

The Alejandro-Felton team brought back decorative stones from the temple. They were divided into two pieces. These pieces were supposedly kept at Miskatonic University but disappeared at some point, either stolen or lost. But look at this.”

Crayfield handed me today’s morning newspaper. It was an article about the interior view of Pollard’s temporarily opened ‘Natural History Museum.’ A photo was attached.

“Here. See this corner? This half-cut stone. It’s very similar to the decorative stone in the photo Father Michael showed me. Here. A sculpture with a snake’s head and human upper body. You can even see wings on its back. Such sculptures are rare. The question is where and how they obtained this piece, and where the other piece went…”

The telephone rang. Crayfield picked up the receiver.

“Who did you say?”

Then he handed the receiver to me.

“It’s for you.”

I asked who it was. A male voice responded.

“The owner of the gloves is calling for you. Come to Pier Warehouse 11-C at eleven o’clock. Leave Crayfield behind. Come alone.”

Then the call ended. I told Crayfield about the conversation.

“This is troubling.”

Crayfield tilted his head.

“It’s troubling. What change of heart did that young lady have overnight? Do you really trust her?”

I said I did. In fact, we didn’t have many other options right now.

“Since you say you trust her, I’ll trust her too. But be careful.”

Crayfield patted my shoulder.

“And please, this time, at least buy some bread to bring along.”