Rougarou II

by Judith Ann McDowell

  Out of control Paul bucked and rammed into the satin vault stroking him like a soft velvet hand.

  As chills racked her body, she tightened the magic muscle responsible for crowning her the sweetheart of Parish High. Without warning, she felt hot liquid slam against the slick walls of her pedal-soft tunnel and she strengthened her hold. Keeping him nestled inside until all the throbbing, like a patting hand for a job well done, had ceased.

  Tina sat up fumbling through their scattered clothes for her pipe “There you are my little friend.” She picked up the pipe happy to see it remained full enough to do its work.

  “Thank you, Tina.” Paul glanced over at her, his boyish face flushed with feeling. “That felt good.”

  With the pipe halfway to her mouth she flicked the lighter closed to stare at him. “Are you telling me you’ve never been laid before? When he looked away, she grinned.

  “I just fucked a virgin!” She laughed. “And all this time I thought, with your looks all those stories about your being cherry, had to be just that! Stories!”

  “You don’t have to make a big deal of it.” He looked away as hot shame crept over him, overshadowing the good feelings he had been enjoying.

  “Poor Paul.” She laid back crossing one long leg over the other to swing her foot back and forth. “Eighteen-years-old and never been laid! Until now!” She corrected herself. Enjoying the hell she had to be putting him through.

  “I suppose you’re going to tell everybody.” He watched her, trying to gage how much he could trust what she told him.

  “Now, Paul, do you think I would do something like that after what we just had together?”

  “I don’t know.” He gathered up his clothes then froze as he heard a rustling in the nearby trees.

  “I’m not going to tell…” she broke off her words as he held up a hand for silence.

  “Get dressed!” he hissed at her.

  Tina jumped to her feet. “Don’t you take that tone with me!”

  “Don’t cop an attitude, Tina. I think we got company.” He pulled his shirt over his head, zipped his jeans.

  “All right, Todd, you asshole! We know you’ve been watchin’. I hope you got an eye-full! You pervert!”

  “Tina! Be quiet! I don’t think it’s Todd. He might be a lotta things, but he’s not the kind to spy on me when I’m with my girl.”

  “How would you know, Paul? I’m the first girl you’ve been with!” she shot back, but as he continued to scan the trees she felt her stomach roll. “Then who do you think it is?”

  “I don’t know. I do know we need to get out of here and fast!” Paul shoved her clothes into her hand. “Hurry up!”

  Tina shoved one leg in the pant-leg of her cutoffs then stopped as she saw someone walking towards them. Without hesitation she ran to Paul. “Someone’s coming.”

  Lawrence Hindel continued walking, his own fear, of who else might be watching the young couple, making it hard for him to breathe.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” Paul tried to sound authoritative.

  “Lawrence Hindel, the owner of this estate.” His breathless tone washed over them as his green eyes skimmed over Tina’s nakedness. “I want you both to get off my property. Now!” His breath escalated as he glimpsed glowing eyes peering at them from the stand of large oaks.

  With her usual arrogance, Tina tossed her head making her long mane of red hair cascade down her naked back. “I would think a man small as you would show more respect when you know you’re out-powered.” She smiled up at Paul “Don’t you agree, love?” She trailed her long nails down his chest.

  Paul jerked away, his heart thudding as he watched anger boil up in Lawrence’s eyes. “Get your clothes on, Tina,” he growled, ignoring the sullen glare she shot his way. “Mr. Hindel has told us to leave and that’s what we’re gonna do!”

  “A very wise decision, young man.” Anger, at Tina’s rebellious stance silencing his unease. “However, I fear the choice has come too late.”

  With real fear choking the very breath from his lungs, Paul turned to follow Lawrence’s calm gaze.

  Tina cried out as she saw figures emerging from the trees.

  Smelling her fear, they loped towards her their claw-like hands reaching out to encircle her.

  “Paul! Help me!” she screamed her terror as one of the beasts grabbed her by her long red hair to slam her to the ground.

  “I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen,” Lawrence told them. “Now, I guess you will have to pay the price for your stupidity.”

  Paul stared in open-mouth horror as the female tried to pull him against her. “Get away from me! You ain’t real!” He could hear himself saying the words, but they sounded as though they came from a long way off.

  “Oh I assure you they are quite real.” Lawrence laughed backing away to give his guests more room. “I doubt you will enjoy what they have planned for you. However, as their host, all I can do is allow them their fun.” He turned and without another word left them to the horror already closing in on them.

  Chandra watched the grueling sight unfolding before her and tried to turn away. But the horror refused to loosen its hold.

  Nothing has changed. I thought that by destroying Jonathan everything would be safe again but, it isn’t. The evil is still here surrounding my son with its filthy touch just like it did when Jonathan walked these grounds.

  Tortured-screams split the silence and she looked over at Lawrence. Hoping to see the same sick aversion covering his face as she knew had to be covering hers. She didn’t see it. She saw the same depravity glittering in his eyes as she had always seen in Jonathan’s.

  “Jonathan!” she screamed aloud into the blinding chaos. “Your evil is finished here. Go back to the darkness where your soul belongs.”

  “Evil does not die, Chandra. Remember? It only lies dormant. Waiting.”

  She turned to see who could be voicing the same words she herself had spoken long ago and her heart froze at the sight of a tall, handsome man dressed all in black, standing beside her. “Rafael,” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”

  “Did you think I would not come? My grandson is all alone now that you have destroyed his father.” His steel-gray eyes, looking so much like Jonathan’s she felt her heart cringe in terror, stared out at her.

  “You should not be here.” She found herself backing away from him and cursed her weakness. “Lawrence does not need you to protect him. He has me.”

  Deep laughter rumbled from his throat silencing her. “You are but a weak shadow of what my son made of you.” Disgust strengthened the coldness glaring out at her as he stepped closer. “Lawrence will come to loath the memory of the woman whose body gave him transport to this plane. Yes, Chandra,” his soul leapt with vindication as he watched pain replace fear, “I know you are his mother.”

  “He promised he would never tell anyone!” She fought to stay in control. “He promised!”

  “Jonathan would never keep a secret of such magnitude from me. I gave him life! I gave him immortality!” His anger mounted and he did nothing to stop it. “Together, for over two centuries we walked the dark side. Together, we ruled over the accursed.” He lifted a trembling fist wanting so much right at that moment to destroy her. Realizing he could do nothing against her spirit, he chose to allow his anger to destroy her instead. “You ruined our empire.” He delivered the words on a whisper and yet the hatred in those quiet words spewed forth with all the devastation of a crushing blow.

  “Yes, I did.” She nodded acknowledging his words and in doing so felt her control flow back in. “The time had come for Jonathan’s evil to end.” The strength in her voice snapped his head around and his angry glare flowed over her. “I am well aware of how much you wish to destroy me. However, you know and I know, you are powerless against me.”

  “There are many earth-bounds roaming this land that would be happy to do my biding.” He leashed his anger refusing her control over his emotions
. “You are right, I can’t touch you, but others can. Remember, they too are made up of energy and able to interact with the spirit.”

  “You are speaking of dark entities, Rafael. Do you think they could be a challenge to me?” She smiled pushing him to respond in anger.

  He sidestepped her baiting of him. “Yes, Chandra, I do. The dark side is getting stronger with every breath we take.” Rafael chuckled, enjoying the look of surprise slipping across her face. “If you do not believe me then look to the Church of Rome and all the evangelists hawking their wares each and every night on the airways and in their temples and churches.”

  “You are not making sense. Are you trying to make me believe priests and other men of the cloth are dark entities?”

  The look of confusion covering her face transferred itself to his. “Are you telling me this is all new to you?” The anger he had been harboring earlier dissipated as a feeling of euphoric joy washed over him. “I will try to explain the workings of the world in a way even you in your blind ignorance, will be able to understand.”

  She tried to remain calm as his eyes filled with hunger at the sounds and smells filling the air around them.

  With great effort, he brought his attention back to Chandra. As though speaking to a child he translated his beliefs. “The struggle between good and evil has been going on since the beginning of time.” He waited as she nodded her acceptance of his words thus far. “The Catholic Church, wanting to be sure they had unquestionable control over the spreading of the word, took a verse from the Bible and held it up as proof that God entrusted His priests with His holy word. They alone could speak on what God would and would not allow. As if they didn’t hold enough power,” he shook his head at the enormity of the situation, “they also let it be known for any soul to pass through the gates of heaven they first had to confess to the priests each and every sin they had ever committed.” He glanced over at her. “Chandra, even you must see the humor here.”

  “I already know all this.”

  “You will afford me the respect I am entitled by remaining silent until I have finished.”

  He waited to be sure he would be obeyed.

  “In turn for this soul searching,” he continued, “the priests, at their discretion, could absolve that sin or continue to hold that soul accountable thus keeping that soul earthbound for eternity. They had to know that by taking such power unto themselves their own downfall would be immanent.” He gave up and allowed the laughter to spill forth.

  “You believe that all priests are evil, then?”

  “Not all, no. However, you must admit, what is going on in the Catholic Church today doesn’t hold most of them up for sainthood!” he countered.

  “You’re referring to all the pedophiles in the priesthood.”

  “Not just in the priesthood, in all walks of the so-called chosen. Evil abounds everywhere. What better place to hide from the unsuspecting-ignorant than in God’s own house?”

  Words she had said some time back spilled into her mind like a forgotten foe. ‘Children trust with their very souls. It is this innocence that calls and tempts the evil to come for them.’

  As though he could read her thoughts, he replied, “Children are taught to trust those who are deemed second to God. As long as they do, we, on the dark side, will never want for what we covet most.”

  Chandra stood in the shadows as Rafael walked past her to join in on the rape and destruction of the two unfortunate teenagers and her heart cried out for their souls.

  She thought that by destroying Jonathan Hindel she could put an end to his evil. Too late she realized, Jonathan owned but a small part of the legacy.

  Chapter Three

  Donavan walked past the desk, just as Jeff, the station’s dispatcher, handed him the phone.

  “I think you’re gonna want to handle this, Lieutenant.”

  Donavan set down his cup of coffee, an irate glare, directed at the man sitting behind the desk, as he reached for the phone.

  “This is Lieutenant Hays.” He tried to keep the anger from sounding in his voice. “What can I do for you?”

  “I need you to get out to the Statler house as soon as possible,” the man on the other line said.

  “All right. What is this concerning?”

  “My son, Paul, went out with a few of his friends last evening and hasn’t returned.”

  “Has he ever stayed out like this before?” Bracing the receiver with his chin Donavan worked on removing the lid from the Styrofoam cup.

  “No, but then he never had a date with Tina Crawford before.”

  Donavan rolled the name around in his mind trying to put a face with the name and came up empty. “What does this Tina look like? You say the name like I should know her.”

  “With her reputation I thought everyone would know her.” The voice of the man on the phone took on a pious tone.

  “By any chance am I speaking with Reverend Statler?” Donavan rubbed his eyes his patience with the man growing short.

  An exasperated sigh greeted him before the man replied, “Of course you’re speaking with Reverend Statler! Why else would I tell you to get out to the Statler house!”

  “I’ll get out there as soon as I can.” He hung up the phone not trusting himself to stay on the line any longer.

  “What’s up, partner?” Jack walked into the room, picked up Donavan’s coffee.

  Before Jack could take a sip Donavan reached out retrieving his cup. “I just talked to Reverend Statler.” He dropped the name on a sour note. “Seems his son went out with the town’s wild child and hasn’t come home yet.”

  “Nothin’ strange ‘bout that.” He walked over to the coffee-dispenser and placing a cup beneath the lever pulled it forward. “Maybe she’s teachin’ him some new moves.

  “Let’s hope that’s all it amounts to. In any case, I told him I’d come over there and check it out. You going?”

  “Sure. Why not?” He turned the sugar-shaker up-side-down over his cup, something he had been doing of late since quitting smoking. “Are you gonna check with the girl’s parents to see if she’s showed up?”

  “I thought I’d talk to Statler before I involve her family. Since I didn’t find out how old Jr. is I’m not sure yet what direction I want to go.”

  “Ready when you are.” Jack closed the cylinder on a 38 Smith and Wesson.

  “We’re going to talk with a preacher not the James Gang.” Donavan placed a new notepad inside his shirt pocket. “When are you going to invest in a shoulder-holster? Jamming a gun in your belt looks a little unprofessional.”

  “Shoulder-holster won’t work for me.” He followed Donavan to the door. “Too much chance of the gun gettin’ hung up in the leather.” Jack gave him a wicked grin. “‘Sides, seein’ I’m packin’ might make Preacher Statler a little more respectful.”

  ***

  A short, squat woman dressed in a dark brown dress buttoned to the throat and hanging just below her ankles answered their knock.

  “Are you the officers my husband sent for?” She dabbed at her eyes with a small handkerchief.

  “Yes ma’am.” Donavan showed her his badge and she stepped aside to let them enter. “I’m Lieutenant Hays and this is my partner, Detective Olivier’.”

  “I’ll talk with the officers, Doris,” Reverend Statler told her without rising from his chair. “You can be about your business.”

  “Yes, James.” She bobbed her head in compliance. “I’ll bring some coffee.” She turned away then stopped. “How do you gentleman take your coffee?”

  “This isn’t a social call, Doris.” He dismissed her with a flick of his pudgy hand.

  Doris dropped her eyes. Her unquestioning submissiveness reminded Donavan of a cowering dog who has been kicked to the curb and he took an instant dislike of the obese man, dressed in a navy-blue suit, who remained seated as they entered the room.

  “Thank you anyway, Mrs. Statler,” Jack spoke up. “Price of coffee bein’ what it is we ca
n understand your husband wantin’ to conserve on it when he can.”

  “Yes…well…I’ll just be about my business then and let you get on with helping us find our son.”

  Without waiting for an invitation, Donavan and Jack sat down on the couch to find out what they could on the missing boy.

  “What’s your son’s name and age, Mr. Statler and about what time did you see him last?” Donavan withdrew the notepad from his shirt, flicked open his pen.

  “My son’s name is Paul. He just turned 18 and I guess he left around six o’clock last evening.”

  “Ever had any problems with him staying out all night before this?”

  “My son is a good, God-fearin’ boy!” His proud head came up and his fat hands latched onto the lapels of his suit coat. “I’ve never had a moment’s problem with him since the day his mother gave birth to him.” His fleshy jowls shook with conviction.

  “My dad would have had just the opposite to say ‘bout me!” Jack snickered.

  Statler edged forward in his chair. “Your pa must not have been a God-fearin’ man.”

  “My ole man didn’t have to fear God. He had all he could do to handle mom!”

  “Mr. Statler, we’re here to find out about your son, so let’s try and stick to the subject.” The tone of his voice left no room for argument.

  Statler looked at him for a moment then decided he had said enough.

  “You said on the phone your son had a date with a girl named Tina Crawford. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.” He swallowed as though saying her name left a foul taste in his mouth.

  “You also said he planned to be with some of his friends?”

  “Todd Shrimpton and Alex Johnson. Both are strong Assembly of God Christens. They belong to my church. I would take an oath that neither of those boys drink alcohol nor do any kind of drugs. They’re both God-fearin’ Christens.”

  “Oh Christ!” Jack breathed.

  Statler’s head whipped around. “What did you just say, Detective?”

  Before Jack could respond, Donavan spoke up, “He said, Go Christ! Detective Olivier’s parents raised him Baptist. That was one of their school cheers.” He glanced at Jack daring him to argue. “Now, if we could get back to the business at hand. Have you called the other boys or Tina to see if they know where Paul might be?”