Why Not Murder

64. Gone

64. Gone

Maya and Tara were going to Brockton in Maya's canoe but before that they stopped at Maya's cabin. Dog was not around. All of the electronics that Dog had set up were gone as well as all the computer equipment. They walked the area around the cabin looking for him and saw no sign of him. Tara was amazed with the tree stump carvings that Maya had done.

"Dog has obviously left," Maya said, "If he were going away just for a short period of time, he would not have disassembled all the computer systems he had going here. However, there is no disorder so the place has not been searched. He may have found out that the cops are considering him still to be alive and has fled."

Then something happened which completely diverted their attention. Two ravens, the same two ravens that had stayed inside the cabin during the last winter, landed on the cabin roof, fighting viciously. The ravens were approximately three feet tall. Whenever Maya had seen them before, they had always shown affection for one another. What had happened to cause the rift? Maya and Tara just watched, standing still. The ravens ignored them. One broke away and flew to the top of a nearby tree, quickly followed and attacked by the other. At last one raven fell to the ground quivering. The other perched on top of it and was stabbing it with its beak repeatedly in the eye. Then it stopped and jumped off. It nudged the dead raven making a strange sound over the lifeless body. It stayed around the dead raven making affectionate gestures trying to revive it. A fox appeared and the raven aggressively flew at it so that the fox ran away. Same thing happened with a porcupine. Then a small adult brown bear appeared. Maya and Tara still watched silently without moving. The raven was no match for the bear who swiped at it so hard that one wing was damaged with the direction of the feathers distorted. The bear grabbed the dead raven in its jaws and sauntered away. The wounded raven was making all sorts of distress sounds. Maya picked it up. From the cabin they used strips of clean rags to make a bandage to hold the wing in place properly so that it would heal. The women got themselves organized for the trip across the lake. They took the raven with them. It could stand and perched on the front bow. Night was falling, however since the weather was so fine and the sky so clear with a full moon, they decided to start their trip right away. Dog not being there and the fight of the ravens gave Maya and Tara an ill-boding premonition and they quickly and quietly left, speaking only the most essential words.

The moon was brighter than usual casting eerie shadows and reflections on the flat, still surface of the water. The raven became silent and often turned to look at Maya and Tara with an odd look. The air was still. Florescent fish of all sizes could be seen flickering in the depths of the water. They were far from the land and knew they were alone.

Tara paddled in the front of the canoe and Maya, in the stern. The only sound was the quiet dipping of their paddles. Then Tara said, "It seems that the raven regrets its actions if that's possible."

Maya replied, "I agree. Legend has it that ravens are more intelligent than humans in many ways."

"So true," Tara said, "And this one appears to have reached an expansion of consciousness."

"One of the reasons," Maya said, "ravens are more intelligent than us is because it's said that they communicate with the dead."

"What shall we call it?" Tara asked.

"She's a female I noticed while wrapping the bandage," Maya said, "How 'bout Sori?"

"Good idea," Tara replied, "She is quite sorry. Maybe one day she'll let us know what happened between them."

There were many lights on at the central island and they avoided it. A huge barge with a crane was moored close to it and they could hear human voices carried over the water talking excitedly.