****
The cloud cover broke again and above and behind Johnny Goth the Moon lit the scene before him. He smiled. Shining Moon was to be Elizabeth’s Indian name, he decided, at that moment. He was standing quietly in the shadows, pausing in his quest for Elizabeth for a few moments to watch Ned put sugar into fuel tanks.
The shape-shifter made it look easy. Currently Ned was in the form of a deputy that was now consulting with his fellow cops at the far end of the machines and men assembled along the Goth property line. As he stood in front of each fuel tank he simply grow an extra arm in back that opened the tank and dumped sugar inside of it.
But the real officer was returning, walking straight towards Ned. Johnny walked up to the man casually.
“Hey!” the deputy said, as he recognized Johnny and reached for his gun, “aren’t you ...”
Johnny knocked him out with a quick punch to his chin, grabbed him under his arms and carried him into the shadows and far enough away to not be easily heard.
It took only a minute to heal and revive him. When the deputy woke he was lying face up with his hands tied behind his back, and Johnny kneeled beside him. “Where did they take Elizabeth Winters?” Johnny asked, as the man’s eyes opened and focused on his captor.
“Mr. Goth! I don’t have nothing against you or her, I’m just doing my job.”
“Answer my question,” replied Johnny firmly.
“They drove her up that old logging road that goes up the South side of the valley. Then they say she jumped out of their squad car.”
“She got away?”
“No. Look, I didn’t have nothing to do with any of it.”
“I believe you. What happened to her? Tell me.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Goth. They say she fell off the cliff.”
Johnny felt like he had been slapped across the face. “Where?” he whispered.
“A mile or so down the valley. South side.”
“When?”
“Half hour ago, tops. But they ain’t found her body yet and it’s driving the Sheriff nuts.”
“They haven’t found her body?”
“It's not at the cliff bottom where they expected to find it. They figure she must have got snagged on the way down. They’re going to get searchlights and climbers there in an hour or two.”
“Who left here with her and drove her up the cliff?”
“Not me. It was the Sheriff, Skunk, and that Indian top cop named Small Bear.”
“Where are they now?”
“At the cliff somewhere, I think. I don’t know. Listen, that’s all that I know.”
Johnny stood up and stared down-valley, then at his captive. “I’ll have to leave you tied up, but you’ll be OK.”
“I feel OK. Didn’t you slug me hard? I’m not even sore.”
“Good,” said Johnny, as he tied the man’s feet together and gagged him. “If I were you I’d wait until morning when you can see what you're doing, then hop towards the road. Work off the gag and call for help. Then leave the entire area. If I see you again I won’t be so generous.”
With that, he disappeared into the night.
The cliff where the deputy had indicated was crowded with uniformed searchers carrying lights. Using all his senses Johnny searched himself and quickly concluded that Elizabeth’s body was nowhere in the vicinity. What he did find however, was very disturbing.
Secrets of Goth Mountain Page 49