Between Dusk and Dawn

by Lynn Emery

  “Thank God Sharon hid some mini prizes for our little ones,” Jackie, another of the many cousins, said. Her three year old son clutched a toy action figure. “Now excuse us while we go collapse on the sofas.” She left with another cousin who carried her three year old son.

  The others laughed as the two women huffed and puffed their way along. Chase pulled LaShaun to him. “We better get started before we’re too old to run after babies.”

  “Stop,” LaShaun whispered close to his ear.

  She could only hope no one else had heard him, especially Adrianna. Chase winked at her like one more mischievous kid at the party. LaShaun leaned into his embrace when he gently rested his arm around her shoulders. The younger generation didn’t notice, but LaShaun glanced up to find Chase’s mother staring at them. Her pink lipstick lips pressed together in a thin line.

  For another hour or so the children seemed more than happy to keep the party going until they all dropped from exhaustion. The parents had no such plans since it was a school night. At six thirty Elaine, her husband and Jessi’s baby sister performed the honor of rolling out Jessi’s big cake. The birthday girl clapped her hands with delight. The decorations on it were from a popular television show about a girls club. Jessi cut the first few slices, and then her mother took over. Soon Mrs. Broussard and several of her middle-aged female relatives were busily wiping up gobs of butter cream frosting, and melted ice cream. The children, now fueled by more treats, began another spirited game of hide and seek. By seven thirty the adults were more than ready to round them up and head home. Elaine stood and got everyone’s attention.

  “Everett and I want to thank you guys for helping us with Jessi’s party. I know some of y’all took off from work early, and we appreciate you.” Elaine beamed. “We’ve got the best family around.”

  “You betcha,” Bruce, Jr. chimed in. “Now we got to get our little revved up motors settled down.”

  “Lord yes. I’m about to round up my crew. Look at ‘em running around like crazy outside,” Sharon said and laughed.

  A male cousin yawned and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wish I could suck up some of that energy.”

  The rest of the adults laughed. The group split into those helping clear the table, and those who went outside to gather up the children. The orange and yellow lanterns against the darkness gave the back yard a warm glow. LaShaun, Sharon and Adrianna were in the den laughing at Mr. Broussard’s jokes when Elaine came in with one of their cousins, Debra.

  “We can’t find Melanie,” Debra said, and twisted her hands together. Her husband walked in.

  “Come on, Deb. You know Melanie likes to explore. She’s probably in one of the rooms in this big old house.”

  “No, she was outside with the other kids. And she does like to wander off.” Debra glanced out to the darkness. “Maybe she went into the woods.”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t do that. Little five year olds are afraid of the dark,” Sharon said and rubbed her shoulders.

  “No she’s not. Melanie likes adventures, and the dark doesn’t scare her.” Deb looked around at her husband who nodded agreement. He stepped forward and took his wife’s had.

  “Adrianna and I will look in the house, starting with the back rooms,” Elaine said.

  “Yeah, Deb. We’ll find her in no time,” Adrianna said with a reassuring smile that Debra didn’t return.

  Chase came in. “What’s up?”

  “Melanie wandered off to explore, and we’re going to find her. I’m sure she just found a great place to hide and then drifted off to sleep,” Mr. Broussard said.

  The adults started off in different directions calling her name. After twenty minutes the children joined them in the search for little Melanie. Chase and LaShaun were in the front yard when Elaine found them.

  “Have you seen Jessi?” Elaine’s face had lines of worry making her look ten years older.

  “She’s with the other kids in the backyard, right?” Chase said.

  “We can’t find her either.” Elaine grabbed his arm. “She’s gone and so is Melanie.”

  LaShaun felt the tingle that signaled trouble. “Maybe they’re somewhere hiding together and thinking how much fun that we’re all looking. You go back the house. We’ll take outside.”

  Elaine nodded. She seemed eager to think the best. “Okay, you’re right. I’ll bet they’re playing hide and seek, and they don’t realize the game’s over.” She rushed back into the house.

  When a long howl echoed in the distance LaShaun put a hand on Chase’s shoulder to stop him. “Listen.”

  Chase shook his head. “I don’t hear the kids.”

  “I’m not talking about the kids. I...”

  Bruce, Jr. came out to the front porch. “Guys, we got a problem.”

  Inside the children sat around looking scared, and the adults stood in a huddle. When Chase and LaShaun approached, Mr. Broussard left them and walked up to Chase.

  “We found the hair ribbon Melanie was wearing snagged on one of the shrubs,” he said low. “We haven’t mentioned this to Deb yet. She’s on the verge of hysteria as it is.”

  “Jessi saw Melanie wandering off and went to get her back,” LaShaun murmured.

  Mrs. Broussard joined them in time to hear her. “So you know about this, huh? You carry trouble with you everywhere you go. If you--”

  “Stop,” Mr. Broussard said as he frowned at his wife. “This isn’t the time to talk about evil spirits. Do you want Debra to have a complete meltdown, Liz?”

  “Dad’s right, mama. Let’s focus on what’s real,” Chase said, reverting to law officer mode. “Since we haven’t found them anywhere inside the house or the immediate area outside, and the ribbon was on a bush, then it’s a logical conclusion that they’ve gone farther than we thought.”

  “I think we should to call the sheriff’s office to help us look,” Mr. Broussard said to Chase quietly.

  “I agree, but we’re short so only two deputies are likely on duty. And they could be miles away on the other side of the parish.” Chase rubbed his chin. “If we don’t find her in the next thirty or forty minutes, I’ll call the guys on duty and all off duty deputies as well. They’ll have big spot lights we can use in the dark.”

  “That’s a plan,” Mr. Broussard agreed.

  “We’ll let the some of the ladies keep the kids occupied. Then we’ll split up in two or three person teams to search the woods. We’ll need as many flashlights as we can find,” Chase said. He and his father stood apart to discuss the search plan.

  “You brought this on us.” Mrs. Broussard spun around and stomped across the porch. Her footsteps rang out on the wooden surface until she yanked open the front door and let the screen door slap shut behind her.

  “I’ll get the others up to speed and organized.” Mr. Broussard followed his wife into the house.

  “Honey, I’ve got two big flashlights in my truck. Better get my gun, too. I didn’t want to say that in front of the folks.” Chase strode to his Ford F-10 with LaShaun taking long strides to keep up with him. He handed a flashlight to LaShaun. “We’ll use these snake lights cause you can bend the handle around your neck so the light shines in front of you. That frees up your hands.”

  “Great.” LaShaun positioned it so that the lamp rested on her chest. Then she pulled the silver knife and a derringer from the sleeve in her jacket and put both in an outer pocket.

  “We’re searching for two little girls, not going to battle.” Chase stopped to stare at her. “Don’t tell me...”

  “I heard a howl, and we haven’t caught up with the gang Willie Dupuis described. Orin Young is still on the loose with them.” LaShaun pulled open the truck door after Chase remotely unlocked it.

  “C’mon now, LaShaun. We have no proof that Orin is involved. As for the rougarou theory... geez, this would have to be on Halloween when we’re talking about this crap.” Chase kept moving as he talked. He unlocked a metal case under the front seat. He clipped his badge
and then his gun holster to the belt he wore.

  LaShaun lifted one of the two shotguns from the rack in the rear window of the pickup. She checked the shotgun even though she knew Chase kept it clean and in good shape. “At least we’re ready for anything.

  “Humph, too bad we don’t have silver bullets,” Chase retorted.

  “We do,” LaShaun replied and hefted the shotgun. She pointed to his Glock. “Your handgun, too.”

  “What the... Are you kidding me?” Chase froze in place.

  “Monmon Odette always said, ‘C’est mieux prend gar’ que ‘pardon’.”

  << Cajun French that translate to “Better safe than sorry”>> LaShaun jerked a head toward the woods. “Let’s get started. You and me are a team. Right?”

  Chase snapped out of it to follow her. “You can’t be messing with my service revolver. I mean, silver bullets ain’t regulation.”

  “I made sure they meet the same standards. Those bullets will stop anything coming at us, human or otherwise.”

  “Damn,” Chase muttered.

  He used his cell phone to call his father and tell him they were going in a northwest direction. Then they headed into the woods. They had gone twenty yards when another howl pierced the air. LaShaun felt the hair on her arms stand up. Chase, about ten yards to her right, flashed his beam in her direction.

  “Probably just a dog,” he said, though his tense expression implied he wasn’t so sure.

  LaShaun gave a non-committal shrug as her only reply and kept going. They left the boundary where Mr. Broussard kept wild plants hacked away. In ten yards they wove their way between tangles of prickly ash. Other thick shrubs pulled at their clothes. LaShaun reflected on the other name for the native plant, Devil’s walking-stick. She shook off such thoughts so she could focus. Chase didn’t notice she’d stopped and kept going. LaShaun stood and let the sounds around her sharpen. Six yards to her left a small animal hunkered down in fallen leaves. No harm from that direction. Then, as though issuing a challenge a low growl bounced off the oak trees. LaShaun caught sight of the light Chase had wound tightly around his left upper arm. She pushed her way through bushes and around tree trunks to catch up with him. He was headed away from the direction that she wanted to go. As the light receded LaShaun realized something was following Chase.

  “Oh Lord, he thinks I’m behind him.” LaShaun started to run, but a low growl stopped her.

  “If you want to save those little pups you better follow instructions,” the rumbling voice said just over her shoulder.

  LaShaun spun and in the same motion let the strap holding the shotgun slide from her shoulder. She pointed the short barrel at a dark figure. “You better convince me those kids are safe, or I’ll kill you.”

  The figure huffed out a nasty chuckle. “This ain’t up for negotiation, bitch. You want those brats alive or dead? Your choice.”

  She heard distant voices of the other adults calling the names of both girls. LaShaun felt the cold damp air seeping inside her. “Move then.”

  “I figured you’d see the light. Keep up.”

  Then the figure loped off at a trot that turned into a jog. LaShaun got an idea from her adversary. She slung the light around so that it hung from her back. The figure seemed not to care about her flashlight, probably figuring she was cut off. He increased his pace and LaShaun struggled to follow. She stumbled over tree roots and other objects. She managed to pull her cell phone out of her jacket pocket but couldn’t get a signal. Sweat made her hands slippery and she dropped it. The back light on the screen winked out. She spent precious seconds clawing through dirt and grass, but couldn’t find it.

  “Try to pull any tricks and they die,” the voice hissed back at her, then took off again.

  She gave up on the cell phone and followed him. After what seemed like forever the figure led her to a rough path through a meadow of long grass. In the distance a square of light glowed yellow surrounded by black night. And she knew. She’d arrived at the house Willie Dupuis described. The house Patsy talked about where they had such fun parties, but then Patsy had a decidedly twisted definition of good times. And this was the house Verlena had talked about.

  The figure stopped and waved her forward. In a split second LaShaun decided she would not to go any farther. From the outline she gambled the figure was a man. Willie and Patsy described the gatherings as sexually charged, maybe fueled by drugs or alcohol. One thing was sure from their descriptions, the members were driven by lust.

  “Wait a minute, handsome. I want to know what kind of party I’ve been invited to.”

  The figure turned around slowly. “Party is right.”

  “Manny told me a little bit. Before you have to share me, let’s have some one-on-one action. Ten or fifteen minutes extra, and they won’t miss us.” LaShaun ran her hands over her body and nodded behind her. “There’s a pile of leaves over there.”

  Breathing heavily, he walked closer to her. “What game you playin’, girl?”

  LaShaun swung the flashlight so that it pointed at her briefly, opened the top buttons of her shirt and then hid the light. “A game you’re gonna like. On second thought, let’s go on in. You can’t handle me on your own.”

  The man drew the back of his hand across his mouth. “I’ll make it so you won’t be satisfied with another guy. You’ll have the best night of your life, right up until we go inside.”

  LaShaun knew the real answer; right up until the time they kill her. She stood legs apart and rolled her hips. “I’ve always liked it rough. You got big hands, which means you’re big all over.”

  “Damn, I like the way you talk.”

  “You’ll like what I do even more,” LaShaun said.

  The man covered the space between them. “I don’t know what you think you got up your sleeve, but it ain’t gonna work. Now get in them woods, lay down and spread ‘em.”

  LaShaun kept up a steady stream of graphic sex talk as she walked backward. “You ready?”

  “Get on the ground. Hurry up before I bust outta these jeans,” the man said, frantically pulled at the waistband trying to find the button. He stood close to her panting.

  “Speaking of what I have up my sleeve,” LaShaun hissed.

  She aimed for his face and sprayed the silver solution. The man yelped in surprise, and seconds later in pain. His large hands covered his face, but he recovered faster than she’d thought he would. He slapped her so hard LaShaun heard ringing in her ears. Disoriented, she staggered and the man pounced on her. The spray bottle flew from hear grasp. Suddenly the flashlight around her neck felt like a noose.

  “I don’t need light. I can find what I want without it.” He crushed the bulb into the hard earth. He growled when he touched the shotgun. In one movement he pulled it away from her and tossed it several feet away. “You won’t need this either.”

  For a few seconds LaShaun froze as horror washed over her. His hot breath smelled of rotten meat and caused her to gag. When he grabbed at her wrists LaShaun came to life and slashed at him.

  “I like a girl with some fight, but... what’d you spray on me.” The man shook his head and then clawed at his neck. “Feels like I’m burnin’.”

  LaShaun pushed him aside and raised the knife to stab him. Suddenly a dark shadow came down with force. A loud thud of a solid object brought another sharp groan of pain from the man. She rolled away from him and felt hands pulling her up.

  “You hurt?” Chase said.

  “I’m okay. We have to make sure he can’t make noise and bring the others out here. The house, over there.” LaShaun spoke quickly as she went to the prone figure, no more than a lump of dark more dense that the rest of the night.

  “How many?” Chase whispered.

  “I don’t know. Looks like he’s knocked out,” she said.

  “Take off his shirt and gag him.”

  LaShaun used her knife to shred the man’s sweaty shirt and then stuffed it into his mouth. Working together they dragged him to a ta
ll pine. Chase handcuffed him so that the hugged the tree trunk.

  “Please tell me they found the kids,” LaShaun said and tried to catch her breath.

  “No. The others went in the opposite direction searching. My cell phone signal is cutting in and out.” Chase stuffed it into his jacket pocket after punching the keys in frustration.

  They both looked at the house. Chase wore an intense expression for several seconds. LaShaun paced in a circle squeezing out every ounce of extrasensory perception she could to figure out their next move. Then she saw it, a flash in the trees.

  “We need to confirm the girls are in there,” Chase said finally. “You stay here while I take a look.”

  “They’re not in the house,” LaShaun cut him off. “Remember what Manny said? They like being in the woods.”

  “Damn,” Chase muttered. He squinted into the dark. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Just follow me,” LaShaun ordered with certainty.

  “No way. I don’t want you to get hurt. Plus you can lead my deputies back here.” Chase checked his shotgun then slung it back over his shoulder.

  “If we both go we’ve got each other’s back. Hopefully your cell phone signal held up long enough for M.J. to use the GPS tracker app. Maybe she’s got the right general direction.”

  “Big maybe,” Chase replied.

  “We’re wasting time. We stick together.” LaShaun spoke fast and low to make her point.

  “So much for me trying to be protective of you. Okay, let’s go. I’ll decide the next move depending on what we find. No debate. I’m the officer in charge.” Chase checked the position of his handgun in the holster on his belt as he spoke.

  “Yes, sir,” LaShaun replied softly.

  With a nod they set off. Both were careful to move quickly, yet quietly. Chase waved LaShaun to stay a few steps behind him. The leaves under foot were still soggy from rain in previous days, making their movements quieter. Still, LaShaun worried that their adversaries had the keen hearing and smell of wolves. She imagined Chase snorting in disbelief at the idea. The one they left handcuffed to a tree seemed quite human. Except for the furry feel of his hands, LaShaun thought grimly.