Crow's Path Ch. 02

At first she told herself that it was simply to check for inconsistencies, areas where she would need to run her razor a few more times. Then her fingers found an area that was slippery for reasons not involving bathwater. The excuses faded away in her mind. She was an adult, she was allowed to play with herself if she wanted to, and right now all she could think about was Roger.

She hadn't yet tested to see how soundproof her room's walls were, so the first moan was stifled into her knuckles. A single finger teased at where her lips parted down below, soft circles against the womanly skin that formed her opening. Once Sam knew her body was fully aroused she slowly eased her finger inside. The tip instinctively curved up to feel along the extra sensitive flesh of her g-spot while her palm pressed firmly over her clit. She knew exactly how to move her hand so that as she fingered herself her palm would massage the tiny bundle of nerves.

Sam imagined Roger next door. A fantasy played forward in her mind, one that involved her shouting for help and Roger bursting through her door wearing only a towel because obviously he also was enjoying a shower at this very moment.

In truth, Roger was indeed taking a shower at that very moment. If Sam had imagined that Roger was currently busy stroking his cock using complimentary hotel soap as lubrication while imagining her naked body soaking in the bath, she would have been accurate. Roger braced himself firmly against the glass door of the shower, eyes closed as he made long, slow strokes with his other hand. He hadn't even bothered to wash the rest of his body yet. As soon as he'd stepped in the water and lathered his hands he could focus on nothing else besides Sam's body.

Sam gained her courage next door, letting her moans escape in increasing volume as her hand continued to massage between her legs. She had slowly worked a second finger through the hole and now her fingers took alternating turns tickling her g-spot. Her chest heaved and her breath deepened as she approached climax. Her mind filled with images of Roger holding her from behind with his hands firm on her hips. She imagined one final thrust rocking her body forward before he unleashed his lust within her. It was too much for her to handle.

Sam's fingers continued to play as the contractions in began. She didn't moan this time, rather she held her breath in a silent gasp of pleasure as the orgasm coursed through her body. Even in the soapy bathwater she could feel the difference as her fingers continued to slide in and out of her, her juices making the ride easier with each motion. For two full minutes all of Sam's worries and fears were forced away from her mind as she spread her legs over the tub's edges and let the orgasm tingle across her figure. When it finally began to subside she clasped her legs tight around her hand and began to giggle and blush.

Across the hall Roger was also finishing his deed. It wasn't quite as sensational as the orgasm taking place a few dozen feet away, but Roger was grateful for the release. He imagined Sam standing from her bath and stepping onto the cold tile floor, still dripping with bits of bubble foam clinging to her curves. He imagined her bending over to grab a clean towel from the shelf, her bottom visible with more soap running down her leg.

Roger didn't make it past this last image. The tension in his balls reached critical and with more force than he expected he began to empty them. His cock throbbed in his hand and he grunted with each pump as the orgasm peaked. He opened his eyes when it was finished, slowly looking down at his handiwork. His cum had hit the shower door and the water was slowly washing the pearly white liquid away. He followed with his eyes as the pool of bodily fluid swirled toward the drain and was carried away as though it had never existed. It immediately reminded him of the bathroom in Claire's hotel, and the images of Sam left his mind.

Next door to Sam, Crow was still awake as well, but his mind was far from sex at that moment. At least sex unrelated to the case at hand. He now sat on the bed in just his boxers, the folder containing everything they knew about the case open in front of him. His mind worked hard to piece together the clues as he read over each item, but nothing solid was forming at the moment.

With a sigh Crow placed the folder away in his nightstand drawer and shut off the lamp. He ignored the soft sounds coming through the wall behind him which he felt certain could only mean that Sam was enjoying her personal time. As long as it wasn't screaming he could reasonably block it out. Other thoughts had of course occurred to him as he imagined the scene taking place in the adjacent room, thoughts that made him hard and horny. But Crow refused. He had made it so long without thinking of Sam as anything more than his assistant and tonight certainly wasn't the moment to ruin that façade. Instead, he turned on the television and drifted off to sleep with sound of some talk show keeping his mind from wandering to naughty places. It would work for now.

---

Sam awoke to a light rapping at her door. She checked her bedside clock and saw that it was just after seven. Their interview at the hospital was at ten, so her alarm had been set for an hour later. With sleep still in her eyes Sam left the comfort of her bed and walked to the door. She considered slipping on one off the bath robes that were provided but decided that anyone bothering her at this hour would be okay with seeing her in the shorts and t-shirt she slept in.

She looked through the peephole and found Rodger standing there for the second time. He looked to be fully dressed. Sam was suddenly self conscious about her appearance but lacked the time or energy to do anything about it. Hoping she didn't scare him, she opened the door.

Roger gave her his usual pleasant smile when their eyes met. "Hey! I thought you might want to grab some breakfast before we get started today. I know for a fact that the chef in this particular hotel makes the most amazing pancakes you've ever eaten!"

Even as her eyes struggled to adjust to the light, Sam had to give the guy credit and return a smile. "Roger, it's seven in the morning! What are you even doing awake at this hour!"

What she didn't expect was for Crow to suddenly appear next to Roger, also fully dressed and ready to go. He gave his assistant a glance and sighed. "Sorry Roger, I should have warned you that our leading lady here has had problems with punctuality in the past."

Sam cut him a nasty look. "I was only late that one time!"

Crow laughed in reply. "No, Sam, you've been late plenty more than that. I just happen to be the best boss ever and I cut you some slack."

It was true, Sam had often shown up for work several minutes past the starting time. Crow had never felt the need to argue over it, however. When she did arrive to work, the work itself was worth every penny he paid her.

Sam growled and threw a playful punch at her boss. It was easy enough to dodge given her current state. Roger got another laugh out of that as well. Sam did finally adjust enough to see him clearly. Yesterday he had been a pressed uniform meant more for show than operation. Today he was in his actual duty uniform, and she much preferred this. Tan pants and boots with a blue polo shirt that accentuated all of his muscles. His belt still carried his sidearm in a drop-down holster on his leg and there were spare magazines as well. OC spray, handcuffs (Sam's mind went places it shouldn't), and a radio were also present.

Her focus was returned when Crow spoke again. "Why don't you take a moment and get ready, and we'll wait on you, no rush."

Sam returned to her room and spent the next half hour putting herself together. She didn't need much time with her hair and makeup but she couldn't decide which clothing to choose. Deciding that she couldn't keep standing around in her underwear she finally settled on a knee-length blue dress that would show off her waistline and the legs that she had just shaved a few hours prior. The look she received from Roger when she stepped outside told her that this was a good decision. Even Crow had the familiar fluster that she had come to expect whenever she showcased her legs around the office.

Roger had been spot-on with his claim that these pancakes were amazing. Crow was used to Sam's unexpected appetite, but Roger was quite dumbfounded at just how much food could go inside of such a tiny figure as hers.

"I think there's a void where her soul used to be. It's like a black hole, you can throw as much as you want at it but there's always room for more," Crow joked as Sam folded another whole pancake into her mouth.

Sam tried to throw a rebuttal back but with mouth so full she was only able to mumble something that they couldn't understand. When she finally swallowed the last bite and took a breath, she decided to change the subject away from her eating habits. "What's the plan for today boss?"

"We still have an hour before we need to be at the hospital. I figure we could go over the details of the file while we wait," Crow answered.

"Fuck, I left the thing on my desk back in the room. I flipped through it last night but was too tired to take anything in." It was true to an extent, though Sam neglected to mention that her exhaustion was mainly her own doing.

Crow of course already knew this but wasn't annoyed enough to embarrass his friend. "There's not much to go over. None of the reports have shown anything abnormal so far. Stephanie and Jason are long gone, presumably being looked over by their own doctors back home if the need arises. Not much we can do about that, but Claire is still here and that may be our best shot at figuring all of this out."

Roger checked his phone when it vibrated. After reading the text for a brief moment he revealed the news to them. "Those samples they took last night from the shower were shipped off this morning. We may have something back within a week." Contrary to what television advertises, processing DNA evidence isn't instantaneous. "They also have the results from the cleaning staff. Nothing nasty came up in their bloodwork and none of the other tests of environmental samples have shown anything abnormal."

Sam sighed. "Well that means we can probably rule out this being an environmental cause. I'm still hoping that drugs were involved, that this was some sort of wild hallucination and the splatter we found last night in the bath was just casual shower sex."

"We all hope for that. Problem is Stephanie and Jason were both found to be clean, and I have a feeling Claire's full report will be similar. Even if there were drugs, sharing a hallucination isn't something I've ever heard of," Crow replied.

"What if they all took drugs from the same dealer, and wherever they meet this guy there's something in the location that makes them think about invisible fuck monsters?" Roger offered. "It's kind of like when we dream, we base them off of what we see during the day sometimes. Maybe it's the same principle?"

Sam appreciated the effort, especially since it was technically plausible from her perspective. But Crow was right, with two clean toxicology reports and a likely third on the way, drugs were quickly losing credibility as well.

Roger looked back at his phone when it vibrated again. He studied the message carefully before sending a quick reply, then putting his phone away. He went back to finishing his eggs without mentioning it, and Sam took this as an opportunity to change the subject.

"That wasn't more about the case, was it?" she asked, hoping that it wasn't.

Roger didn't even bother looking up from his plate. "Nah, just security bullshit. A couple of tourists rented a pair of bikes yesterday and didn't have them back in by closing. They want us to keep an eye out for them."

Crow lifted an eyebrow. "Is that normal around here?"

Roger shrugged. "We've only been doing this stuff for a few weeks now. Hard to judge what's normal with so little time, but I imagine it won't be the last time it happens. There's a lot of trails out in that forest, so much that even our patrols out there don't cover all of it. They probably got lost on the way back and didn't make closing so they just kept the bikes for another day."

"What if they got hurt out there?" Sam asked.

Roger finally looked up from his eggs. "It's possible, but I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet. Nobody goes anywhere without a cell phone these days and the service works all over the island. There's two of them so I figure if anything went wrong then one of them would at least call for help. If they're out there and need help, one of our patrols will find them soon I'm sure."

Crow signed for the check while Roger was talking, making sure to charge the meal to his island credit. "Well, keep us updated if you hear anything over that radio about the situation. Or anything important at all."

----

The trio arrived at the hospital earlier than necessary but Crow wanted to meet LeCroix by the lab before the interview began. She gave them a smile when they approached and Crow was glad to see that she was in good spirits. She especially smiled for Roger when he entered behind them.

"Good to see you ditched that awful thing you were wearing yesterday, Officer McCuen."

Roger grinned. "Had to, Ma'am. Strict orders from Samantha to dress for comfort from now on."

Sarah gave Sam an appreciative smile before explaining. "That wasn't my idea. Sebastian loves appearances and insisted that whoever picked you guys up had to be in their best attire."

"We appreciate the gesture but Roger is more useful to me if he can actually draw his gun without first having to remove his shirt," Crow said.

Sam blushed slightly as she imagined the scene for herself. If anyone noticed they kept quiet.

Sarah continued. "Well, I have a couple of good news items to share with you before we go up. First is that her bloodwork is completely finished now and there were no traces of drugs in her system."

Crow furrowed his eyebrows. "That's good for her, but it definitely rules out this being a drug related hallucination for us."

Sarah considered this but didn't change her posture. "True, but it also means I don't have to dedicate resources to finding an unknown drug dealer on the island. We don't have the resources for that kind of work right now."

"Fair enough," Crow replied. "What's the other good news?"

"Claire has been cleared to go home by her doctor. Once the interview is over she'll be taken to the helipad. Her parents are flying her out today. Apart from the obvious, she's as healthy as she was the day she set foot on this island."

"That really is good to hear." Sam was genuinely happy for the girl. "And we'll at least get to talk to her before she leaves."

"Indeed. She's waiting for you now if you're ready?"

Crow nodded anxiously. "Let's not keep her waiting then. Lead the way, Captain."

In such a small island hospital it was a short walk to the private room where Claire had been treated. Crow found it to be cozier feeling than any other hospital he'd ever been inside, but then again it hadn't yet acquired that dreadful smell he was accustomed to. The window overlooked the beach and the room itself was clean and white. Claire was no longer wearing her hospital gown and had changed into jeans and a t-shirt for the trip home. She seemed chipper on first inspection and Crow wondered if this was still a remnant of whatever spell she had found herself under.

"Claire, this is Detective Crow and his assistant Samantha. And you remember Roger from..." LeCroix cut herself off as she began to mention the events that had landed Claire in this room.

"Oh right, you're the one who showed up that night!" Claire seemed happy to see Roger's face again under such different circumstances.

"That's right. How are you feeling? You look much better now that you're skin's not blue," Roger replied.

Claire returned a laugh. "I'm much better now, thanks. I just wish I knew what exactly had happened."

Crow took a seat in one of the chairs across from her while Sam and Roger sat on the edge of the bed. Sarah remained by the door to stay out of the way. Crow immediately followed up her statement.

"So I take it you don't remember much about what happened? Not now, at least?"

Claire's smile faded as the questions began, but the cheerfulness didn't waver. "I'm afraid not, detective. I've been told that when it all first happened I was pretty clear when I gave them the details, but it seems like every day since then I've been forgetting more and more."

"What's the last thing you do remember?" Sam asked.

"It's hard to focus on it really. You know it is when you wake up from a dream and everything is so clear at the moment, but an hour later you can't remember any of the details? Then, hours or days later you'll start remembering bits and pieces but never the full picture?"

"Is that what it feels like?" Crow asked.

"More or less, yeah. I remember right before it all happened. Jen and I were out with some of our friends but I felt really tired and decided to go up alone and get some rest. The rest is kind of blurry after that, but there are a few details I can recall. I remember being in the shower, pressing up against the wall with my hands and looking straight down at my feet."

"Think hard about that moment Claire. Can you remember any details at all about what was happening? Could you see anyone's feet behind you?"

Claire shook her head. "It was just my feet, I remember thinking about it at the time."

"That's okay, but think really hard about it Claire. Any detail you can think of about that moment could be of help."

She closed her eyes. "I remember feeling really confused and conflicted, like I wasn't sure what emotions I was supposed to be feeling at the time."

"That's good, that's good. What else?" Crow prodded.

"I don't know, it's really hard to concentrate." She kept her eyes closed and everyone watched her in silence as she thought. "I think...I think I remember seeing something now, but it's really hard to focus on the exact image."

"Just tell us what you can, sweetie."

"I was looking down, and I couldn't see anyone's feet behind me but...but I think I there was something odd there. I can't quite see it in my memory but I remember thinking that the water wasn't acting the way it was supposed to, like it was flowing around the area behind me in the places where someone's feet would have been."

The chill was felt by everyone in the room. Sam held in a gasp as the hairs on her arm stood on end. Roger exchanged a glance with Crow but kept his composure. They teach you to never give your witness information that isn't earned. It's better to hear it from them first before bringing it up, but Crow had to know the answer to their unspoken question.

"You're doing good Claire. I have one last question about that before we move on. Did you think there was anything else odd about the imprints in the water? Maybe the shape of it or..."

"You mean the four toes?" She offered. Her tone hadn't changed in any way.

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant," Crow answered. He heard LeCroix shuffling behind him, unaware still of what they had discovered the night before. He would fill her in later.

"Funny, I remember thinking about that too," Claire continued.

"You don't seem too bothered by any of this," Roger finally asked. He felt the emotions coming back to him now, the same mix of confusion and anger and fear that he had encountered the first time he'd seen her smile. He hoped the feeling would die quickly.

Claire turned to him now. "I really don't know how to put this into words, but you're right, it doesn't bother me when I remember the details of what happened. I know I'll end up forgetting them again soon enough. I'm pretty sure I won't remember anything at all by the end of the week, but it's more than that. Whenever these little images do come back to me, no matter how hard I try to feel angry or afraid, all I can ever feel is indifferent."