Dark Side of Noon (Wind Dancer Book 2)

by Tierney James

  “That evening. Safe and sound.” Perez stepped toward the couple waiting by the campfire. “He was sitting on a boulder about a half mile from where he disappeared. Scared out of his mind.”

  “How did he get there?”

  “No clue. The doctor on the scene said the ankle was in such bad shape, he couldn’t have gotten there by himself. No shoes or socks. Funny thing is, there were no scratches or marks on his feet as if he’d walked there, either. No twigs, snags, or debris on his clothes. As you probably noticed, there are signs everywhere about staying on the trail. It’s rough terrain.”

  “Were you able to get any information from him at all?”

  Perez stopped and puckered her mouth into a pooched expression. “Said a giant got him or something like that. He was pretty nonverbal, and his parents interpreted for us. But overall, he was unharmed.”

  “How does that relate to the little boy?”

  “About ten years ago, a little girl with cerebral palsy went missing from a school outing about ten miles from here. Picnic area. Playground. Family place. End-of-school-year trip for three classes of fourth graders. Plenty of parents there, but the little girl disappeared.”

  “Did they find her?”

  “Yes, only this time, the child appeared to have been injured because she’d had her leg braces removed. Evidence showed she’d fallen down a creek bank into the water and drowned. Whoever took her pulled her from the water and laid her on a large boulder where she’d be spotted. Her braces were next to her.”

  “No way she could have climbed that boulder.” Jacque spoke out of the corner of his mouth in a low tone.

  “Nope. An effort had been made to remove sticks and leaves caught in her hair and clothes when she fell. The case was never solved. Those two cases suggested they were taken, but they would have been unreliable witnesses.” She did a visual scan over the campsite again and leveled a hard gaze his way. “You never answered me about your stranger-than-fiction friend. Where is he? Hiding in your tent because the boogeyman is out there?”

  “He went after the boy,” Jacque admitted.

  She snapped her head around and frowned at him. “And you let him go?”

  They were in front of Ty and Ellie now, and they gazed at them in some kind of hope and expectation.

  “I’m Ty Kendal and this my wife, Ellie. Our little boy is Liam.”

  Perez appeared to soften as she shook their hands and took the edge out of her voice. “I know this is tough. Let’s get some information from you two, and our guys will head out. Okay with you?”

  Jacque stayed close enough to be able to listen to everything going on around the camp. Ellie retrieved a jacket that Liam had left behind and held it out to a member of the rescue team. She tried to explain how special it was to him and would never go anywhere without it. They remained respectful and tried to reassure her as they gently pulled it from her hands. A bloodhound appeared from one of the vehicles and was encouraged to sniff the jacket.

  The search and rescue team huddled up and spoke in calm voices. Everyone appeared to have a job, needing only bits of information to get the business of finding the child underway. Two-way radios were checked, along with the time, before they slipped into their backpacks and headed off into the darkness.

  “How long will this take?” asked Ty as the team disappeared into the night. “I mean, to find Liam?” He reached for Ellie’s hand before turning to the chief.

  “There’s no way to know for sure, Mr. Kendal. I’m sorry. I know that isn’t much comfort. What is lucky, however, is that Detective Marquette was close by and could notify me quickly.” The couple smiled at him. “The sooner we get the whole process activated the better the outcome.”

  Before Perez could continue, Ellie burst into tears again. “He was so happy after we left your camp, Jacque.” The mother sniffed. “All he could talk about was Wind Dancer. Kept calling him his buddy.”

  Perez perked up and cocked her head with interest. “Really? Why is that?”

  Jacque rubbed his chin and chuckled. “He told the boy a story about—”

  “I didn’t ask you, Detective,” the chief said casually. “I want to hear what they have to say.”

  Jacque bit the inside of his lip hard enough, he was sure he tasted blood. “By all means, Chief Perez.”

  “Wind Dancer made friends with Liam right away. Seemed to understand everything he said, which is really unusual.” Ty took a deep breath. “It was heartwarming how quickly they bonded.”

  Perez frowned at Jacque, suspicion written all over her face mixed with an icy dose of “well, well, well” contempt. She turned to Jacque. “You guys turn in for the night at the same time?”

  A trap, he decided. “No. I went first. I told him to but…he thought there was something prowling around across the lake. That narrow part on the east side.” He pointed to the spot, although it couldn’t be seen from this campsite. “I poured water on the fire then went to bed when he said it was gone.”

  “Did he say what it might be?”

  Jacque didn’t like where this was headed. “He wasn’t sure. Just that it was gone.”

  “Does he always take up with little boys so fast?”

  Jacque shoved his finger toward her like it was a loaded gun. “Now, wait a minute. Liam came to him, not the other way around.”

  Perez shifted her penetrating gaze to the Kendals. They nodded. “But he was still moving about your camp when you went to bed,” she stated matter-of-factly.

  “Yes. What’s the big deal?” Jacque asked.

  The chief motioned for him to move away from the anxious couple and walk with her.

  “When did you know there was a problem?”

  “I heard a scream and bolted straight up out of a deep sleep.”

  “And when did you encounter Wind Dancer?”

  “He stuck his head in my tent as I was trying to get up. Told me something was wrong.”

  “So, it’s possible he had never been to bed,” she mused. “And isn’t it possible your friend took the little boy?”

  Jacque remained quiet because the same idea had occurred to him.

  Chapter 7

  The blast of gunshots echoed through the forests, causing the first responders and Kendals to direct their attention toward the darkness. One by one, they moved closer to the campfire. A wind blew across the top of the trees, making them creak and pop as an owl flew through the camp.

  One of the first responders, a Native American, followed the flight of the bird before elbowing his partner. “That can’t be good.”

  Jacque moved up next to him. “What the hell does that mean? Are you talking about the gunshots?”

  The first responder doubled his arms across his bulky chest after toying with a kind of charm around his neck. “No, man. The owl.”

  “It’s a damn bird,” Jacque mumbled.

  “The Pueblo people think the owl is Skeleton Man, a god who has power over death and fertility. Owls were also thought to steal souls and work through bad medicine men to sicken and kill the owl’s enemies.”

  The partner of the Indian leveled a serious expression at the detective. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “No. Chicago.” Jacque took a deep breath. “Are those owls anything like a skinwalker?”

  Now both men stared at him. “Skinwalker?” The two paramedics exchanged looks with each other then back toward the darkness. “Don’t be sayin’ that word here. You don’t know what they can do,” the man warned.

  “Like hell I don’t.” Jacque pulled out his weapon and checked it. The two men raised their eyebrows as if concerned. “I know all kinds of creepy shit.”

  The story of how a skinwalker had nearly taken him to the afterlife in Chicago during the whole smallpox-parallel universe disaster was not one he liked to explain or share. It sounded crazy, and he feared telling the wrong person might get him thrown in the looney bin. But Wind Dancer knew the truth, and so did Cleo. They were there wit
h him. A chill ran over his entire body as he thought about it again.

  He caught a glimpse of Perez using her two-way radio as she moved closer to the paramedics.

  “You guys check to see if you can get anyone out in the field. I want to know what’s going on. I’ve got static.” She reminded them of the frequency they had agreed on earlier to stay in touch then they moved to their truck.

  “Is it unusual to not be able to reach your people on those things.” He nodded toward the radio she held in her hand.

  “Not really. They’re good, but in this part of the park, the hills covered in forest and boulders, Mother Nature in general can often block signals. If you’d like to climb one of those trees, I bet we’d get a better signal,” she said drily.

  He appraised her bland facial expression to decide if she was poking fun at him. “Funny.”

  Perez shrugged. “Probably wouldn’t work anyway. I got them earlier. After the gunshot, nothing.”

  The radio crackled to life. “Help. Comin’. Big.”

  “Come back,” Perez ordered as the radio crackled again.

  The two paramedics retrieved a second set of radios.

  “Nothing on the truck radio. Brought these.” The responder held up his then his partner did the same.

  The wind that had bent the trees earlier, stopped, leaving an eerie calm. Clouds rolled across the moonlit sky until they extinguished the light completely. Lightning spiderwebbed across the sky, followed by thunder.

  “Could this get any weirder?” Jacque said as he watched the Kendals sit down and begin to lose themselves in the dancing flames of the fire. He pretended to study the night sky again, where fingers of lightning flashed. Even this carried a kind of eerie beauty that made him shake his head.

  “What?” Perez said. “Just heat lightning. No big deal. Are you usually so skittish?”

  “When there’s talk of Skeleton Man, gunshots, a kidnapping, my partner missing, and something that beat the hell out of a car, yeah, I’d say I get a little skittish. Give me a good old-fashioned gang fight or a terrorist anytime. At least I understand that and can shoot it.”

  “Shoot it? That’s how you big-city cops work, isn’t it?” Perez taunted.

  “Damn straight.”

  “That’s the problem today. People don’t understand how the world works in the spiritual realm or with Mother Earth.”

  Jacque couldn’t help but chuckle at her remarks. “Lord help me,” he moaned. “You’re one of those new-age hippy types, aren’t you? I bet you’re a vegetarian, too.”

  “As a matter of fact, I am. Vegetarian, I mean.” She tried to call her people in the field again, without any luck. “I’m just saying, out here, life is different. Our culture is thousands of years old and some of the old ways still serve us well. Don’t knock things you don’t understand. I asked you to help me earlier, at the morgue, to get some street-smart opinions that would help with Karla’s case. But no. You and your friend couldn’t leave fast enough to start your vacation. And just so you know, I find your partner suspicious in all of this.”

  “And just so you know, I’d put my life in his hands any day of the week.” Noises came from the darkness, causing both Perez and Jacque to pull their weapons.

  “Something out there, Chief Perez,” one of the paramedics yelled as he and his partner went to stand next to the Kendals.

  Perez lifted her radio and called her people in the field. There was no response until heavy breathing came through.

  “Hello. Hello. Identify yourself. This is Chief Perez.”

  The radio crackled with static then as clear as day, the heavy breathing was followed by growling. No one in the camp made a sound. Even Chief Perez’s face contorted in confusion.

  Whatever trampled through the woods yelled for help, followed by gunshots.

  Both Perez and Jacque pulled out their weapons and took up positions near the ambulance. The paramedics waved the couple to get inside Jacque’s SUV parked nearby, before taking up positions near the Kendal vehicle.

  Several lights emerged, swinging erratically, as the sound of crunching twigs and voices carried on the still night air.

  “Comin’ in,” a man’s voice yelled several times.

  Moments later, four men staggered out of the woods, one being helped to walk. The paramedics rushed to assist them as Jacque and Perez ran forward to cover their retreat. Both stepped backward toward the others after a few minutes then returned their weapons to holsters.

  The men’s faces were scratched and bleeding. Jacque couldn’t tell if it was due to some kind of encounter, running through underbrush, or falls taken during their escape. Their eyes kept darting to the line of trees at the edge of camp. The slightest sound startled them.

  Perez put her hands on her hips. “What the hell happened out there?”

  “I don’t know.” This search and rescue guy was older, maybe forty-five. He kept trying to say words of encouragement to the other three, giving Jacque the impression he might be the team leader. “One minute we were doing our thing, and the next, something came at us.”

  “Where’s Tonya?” Perez asked.

  One of the rescuers shook his head and rubbed his face as if he hid tears. “One minute she was next to me, and the next, she disappeared. Just like that. Not a scream. Cry for help. Nothing.”

  “Was this before the attack or during?” Jacque asked.

  “During, I guess,” the partner said. “I mean, I don’t know. We were swinging at something big, no time to think. Then it was gone.” He shoved the hands of the paramedic away and jumped off the bottom step of the ambulance. “We gotta go find her. Maybe she’s lost. That thing is out there.”

  Then a shaky voice broke their concentration.

  “Thing?” They turned around to see Ellie Kendal standing rigid and wide-eyed.

  Jacque stepped to her side and led her to a stool by the fire. “When you’re attacked in the dark, your mind plays tricks on you, Ellie. It does seem monstrous, even for an experienced detective like me. And I’ve seen plenty. Wind Dancer is searching for your boy now. Maybe he’ll find Tonya, too. Okay?”

  She nodded like a toddler and folded her hands in her lap. The woman was shutting down, mentally and physically.

  “Keep your voices down,” Jacque warned. He noticed Ty sit next to Ellie and try to talk to her. “Chief Perez, do you care if I ask a few questions?”

  “Go ahead. I’m sure a clearer head would be best right now. Tonya was, I mean is a good egg. We can’t lose her.”

  Jacque took a deep breath. “Where’s the dog?”

  The handler stared up at the sky and puffed out his cheeks. “He took off, howling like he’d been shot. I’m hoping he’ll follow us here. I called at first but…”

  “I told him to shut up. We needed to get out of there and didn’t want whatever that thing was to follow us,” the team leader snapped.

  “My dog is out there,” the handler said and doubled his fists. Jacque guessed he was feeling messed up for leaving his partner. Handlers get pretty attached to their canines.

  “How far from here were you when the attack occurred?”

  “Mile and a half. Maybe two,” the leader guessed.

  “Did you find any tracks of anyone along the way? Maybe the boy or something he dropped?”

  “No, sir,” the handler admitted. “My dog got spooked just before the attack and tried to get away from me, whining, even tried to bite me when I reached to pet him. This is the sweetest animal. He wouldn’t hurt nobody. But he was scared and wanted loose. I thought he picked up the scent so I removed the leash for him to run. He’s good about that.”

  “But he didn’t?”

  “No, sir. He tucked his tail and headed this way, or so I thought. Then, out of nowhere, a large creature or man jumped us.”

  Jacque paused to think a second before continuing. “So, was it a man or an animal?”

  They all remained quiet, shrugged, appeared to wait on each other to sp
eak up. He wondered about the thing that tore up camp and whatever he encountered up the road, chasing a deer.

  The team leader let the paramedic bandage his head. “Keep in mind we were spread out, maybe ten feet apart. Well, until the attack. Then we all rushed in to help each other.”

  “Can any of you describe what this thing looked like? Any smells or textures?”

  “My flashlight picked up something tall, wide, but it was from behind. It held a stick, maybe a club, and knocked it out of my hand.” The youngest of the team finally spoke up.

  “Same for all of us. It moved fast. Long hair, I think.”

  “Bushy? Straight? Color?”

  The team exchanged glances and shrugged.

  “The Kendals said an animal came into camp and did all this damage you see.” Jacque made a circle with his hand to encompass the chaos. “Bear-like but wasn’t. I spotted a similar thing earlier chasing a deer. Reminded me of a hairy dragon with big teeth. And before you ask, I haven’t been drinking.” He grinned. But they remained straight-faced and shivered.

  “Anything else?” Jacque knew that in moments of surprise attacks, the details often got lost or mixed up.

  “One thing I noticed when it knocked the flashlight out of my hand. Just a whiff maybe. Probably wrong.”

  “What?”

  “I thought I smelled pasta. You know, like lasagna or pizza maybe?”

  “So, we’ve got a hairy, club-wielding giant, who may or may not have a pet bear and has a taste for Italian food.” Jacque shook his head and moved closer to the fire. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

  Chapter 8

  A light tap came at Cleo’s door as she poured her first cup of coffee. She set the mug of hot brew on the table and drew back the curtain on the door.

  A smiling Mansi lifted a chubby hand in greeting. “Morning, Ms. Sommers. I brought you a basket with a few things for your breakfast. Usually, I fix a big breakfast for guests, but today you are the only one. I thought maybe you would enjoy the view from your deck instead of at the dining room.” He sidestepped her and walked to the table where a curl of steam lifted from her coffee.