Track of the Beast: A Brock Stone Adventure

11- Junina

Junina was a petite girl with light brown skin and long, glossy black hair which she wore in a single braid. Her downcast eyes were big and brown. Constance couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for this lovely young lady who seemed so sad. At first, she was friendly, but she frowned at the mention of Trinity’s name.

“She asked a lot of questions,” Junina said. “Asked me about things I don’t like to talk about.”

Constance hurriedly explained the reason for her queries. “I don’t want to ask you anything personal. I am just hoping you can help me determine where she was going next.”

The girl shook her head. “She didn’t say. I just showed her around the school and told her what it was like to live here. Then she asked me about where I lived before.” Junina started to tremble.

Constance took her by the hand. “We don’t have to talk about that. Could you perhaps walk me around the building? Show me the things you showed her?”

Ward chose that moment to make an abrupt entrance. “Sorry.” His tone said he was anything but. “May I help you with anything?”

Constance smiled sweetly. “As a matter of fact, you can mind the office while Junina shows me around. Mrs. Carroll’s orders, you understand. Thank you so much.” She considered giving him a condescending pat on the cheek, but the thought of touching the sweaty man filled her with revulsion, so she settled for taking Junina by the hand and leading her out into the hallway.

As soon as they were out the door, Junina relaxed.

“Thank you for getting me away from him. He makes me uncomfortable.”

“He gives me the same feeling,” Constance said. “But he doesn’t scare me, and he shouldn’t frighten you, either.”

“It’s not him I’m afraid of. It’s Klaus, the caretaker. He does whatever Ward tells him to.”

Constance remembered seeing the quiet conversation between the seemingly ineffectual Ward and the intimidating Klaus. Was there more at play here than a simple relationship between supervisor and employee?

“What can you tell me about Klaus?” she asked.

“A few months ago, our old caretaker suddenly retired. Didn’t give a reason or say goodbye, even though he had been here for fifteen years. Klaus showed up the next day and Ward hired him on the spot.”

“Any idea where he came from?”

“New York. Russia before that. That’s all I know.”

They wandered the halls of the old building. For the life of her, Constance could not imagine what interest Trinity would have had in the history of this place. She had held out hope for the library, but it had been converted to an infirmary, the small collection of books either donated or put in storage.

“Was there anywhere in particular that Trinity seemed especially curious about? Did she spend a lot of time in any one place?”

Junina stopped in her tracks. “There was, but it’s downstairs. I don’t like to go down there.”

“Could you give me directions?” Constance asked.

“No, I will show you. You shouldn’t be alone in case Klaus is down there. He doesn’t get too forward as long as there are others around.”

As they descended the stairs to the lower level, Constance felt a rising tension. The air was cool and damp here, and the air smelled of mold. She tried to lighten the mood with casual conversation.

“Junina is a beautiful name. Is it from the Bible?” Constance couldn’t believe she was babbling about name origins. This place unnerved her. A chill ran down her spine and she was forcibly reminded of the ghost stories surrounding the so-called school for insane girls.

“Junina is the name I was given when I came here. My birth name is Colestah. She was a powerful warrior and medicine woman who could speak to the spirits.”

“I wouldn’t mind having her around if we encounter Klaus,” Constance said.

Junina managed a tiny laugh. “Your friend said something very much like that.”

“Trinity is a brave woman and she takes courage from stories of women like Colestah.”

“I am afraid she is too brave for her own good,” Junina said.

“What do you mean by that?”

“She was asking about dark, dangerous things.” Junina clenched her fists and began to shake.

Constance seized the girl by the shoulders. “Listen to me. You are exactly right. My friend has a tendency to get herself into trouble. I understand that you don’t want to talk about these dark, dangerous things, but it is very important that you tell me.”

“She wanted to see the cursed cellar,” Junina whispered.

“And what else?” Constance asked firmly.

The young girl squeezed her eyes shut. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

“She wanted to know where I saw the hairy men.”