by Jessie Cox
“What are your thoughts about this Cherokee vampire?” He asked before wetting down a cigar with his tongue and biting off the nub and putting it in the ashtray.
“I don’t know, sir,” Ray admitted. “The logical part of me thinks it’s someone who knows the legend and is using it not just to kill, but to frighten. The spiritual side of me knows that sometimes evil spirits can take control of a person and use their bodies for evil purposes.”
The Captain lit his cigar and squinted at Ray through the smoke, before saying, “It’s that second part that I not only refuse to believe, but do not want to hear spoken of. Is that clear? You are a good cop, but leave the Indian at home when you are in uniform.”
Anger flared in Ray’s eyes, and for an instant this fat, cigar puffing Yoneg was going to be shown what a savage was capable of.
The Captain read Ray’s thoughts and sat further back in his chair.
“No offense meant,” he said. “I just don’t need the whole department on a spook hunt.”
“No problem, sir,” Ray replied. “Maybe you should put out a memo that tells us all to make sure we have our ‘white’ on when we are in uniform.”
The Captain frowned and said, “I think you should go now, before there is a problem between us.”
Ray’s smile was not pleasant when he replied. “Yes sir. My thoughts exactly.”
Captain Abraham watched as Ray left. When he had gone, the Captain looked at his cigar and said, “Damn minorities, always pissed off about something.”
At that moment Ted was on the phone with his ex-wife Ellen and getting angrier by the minute.
“No,” he said. “Toby and Sarah will not get head lice from the Indian children they play with. No, they won’t be swimming in a creek with a bunch of naked savages and no, they will not be required to eat dog for supper!”
After listening a few more minutes and making assurances, Ted replied, “Okay. It’s all settled. I’ll pick them up at the Tulsa Airport at 10 a.m. on Monday. You and George have my blessings. Have a great time and don’t worry about a thing.”
After hanging up Ted paused as he thought about Ellen and George getting married. “Poor George,” he thought. Then he laughed.
Chapter 11
Ray sat in a grumpy mood at Maggie’s Cafe. Captain Abraham’s words still stung. The racist bastard. In his mind, Ray had just placed a red hot coal on the Captain’s out stretched tongue, when a soft hand caressed his cheek. The mental image of the Captain vanished in a puff of smoke.
“Hi Ray,” Trudy said. “I still have fifteen minutes before I get off work. Would you like some coffee while you wait?”
“That would be great,” Ray said. “Any idea of where you’d like to go tonight?”
“Go?” Trudy asked with a smile. “No
where. We are going to sit right here for a few hours and get to know each other. Is that all right by you?”
“Sure,” Ray said. “That will be fine. I wasn’t sure what you had planned.”
U’tiun’ta’ moved unseen in the dark alleys of the town of Slick. An oil boom town in the 1930’s, only a few businesses that fronted the highway and a small number of occupied houses among the deserted ruins make up the town today.
These derelict buildings, though dangerous, give shelter to the society outcasts who pass through on a regular basis. Slick is not the type of town where you leave your door unlocked while you are away, nor at night.
A man once known as Martin Grady, sat on a concrete floor in front of a small campfire in the largest of the deserted buildings. His supper, which was supplied by an unfortunate, but overly friendly cat, cooked slowly on the stick he turned. His evening libation was from the inattention of the clerk at the local family market. It was a cheap sweet wine, but beggars and thieves can’t be choosers. At one time ‘Grady’ as he was now known by, rode the grub-line. He would go to a house or a business and offer to work in exchange for a meal. Those days were gone, as people in general are afraid of strangers. Besides. It’s easier to steal. So what if you get caught. The worse that can happen is you get roughed up a little by the cops. The three hots and a cot for a few weeks, not to mention a shave and a shower, more than made up for that.
Some said that living the ‘free life’ was becoming too dangerous. Too many homeless folks found dead, killed by some nut that didn’t like his father. “So much bullshit”, Grady thought. If you were always on the alert and chose your hiding places to sleep in, well, nothing or no one would be able to hurt you.
Grady removed the carcass from the flames and set it aside to cool. Picking up the bottle he judged the amount of liquid left in it.
“Just enough for a few sips before supper and the rest for a good night toddy,” he told himself, lifting the bottle to his lips.
Outside something watched Grady through a broken window. With the patience of a hunter, it waited for its victim to feast well. Later it would, too.
It was close to midnight when Amos told Timmy they need to clean their catch and start home. Going down by the water, and using a sharp knife and pliers from a Leatherman tool that Amos had in his
pocket, the fish were soon skinned. Directing Timmy to bring one of the burlap bags Amos had hidden at the beginning of the season, Amos filleted the fish on the flat top of a large rock before putting the fillets in the bag, then dunking the bag in the river.
“Keeping the fish wet keeps them fresh,” he told Timmy.
Gathering their gear and the fish, Amos had Timmy douse the campfire. Taking the poles and bait, while Amos carried the fish and the unused blanket, Amos told Timmy to wait.
“Close your eyes and count to one hundred,” Amos said. “When you are done open your eyes. You will see better in the starlight.”
Timmy did as he was told, and though the night was still filled with shadows when he opened his eyes, he could clearly see the path that led to the road home.
They walked in silence down the road. Each was occupied with his own thoughts. Suddenly Timmy asked. “Uncle. Do you think these fishing poles would work to kill U’tiun’ta’, if she jumped from behind a bush at us?”
“I’m sure they would,” Amos said with an unseen smile. “We will use them against her if she comes at us, but instead let us walk silently that we might sneak by any ambush she might try.”
They were halfway home, when they heard a scream that sounded like a woman in mortal agony. It echoed from the river’s marsh to their left.
“What was that, Uncle?” Timmy asked in a quivering voice.
“Only an owl,” Amos lied, not wanting to frighten the boy, but knowing it was the scream of a black panther that officially does not exist in Oklahoma.
“Come,” Amos said. “It grows late. Let us walk a little faster.”
Chapter 12
Ray steered his ragged pickup home, slowing to check the Redwing store as he always did in passing. The security lights were on, the door closed, and the iron security gate was in place. Resuming speed and his thoughts about Trudy, he drove the last three-quarters of a mile to his driveway.
After turning in and parking, Ray entered the house. The emptiness and loneliness rushed from the walls to meet him. He half hoped and half expected Jan to run into his arms to kiss him hello, but there was no Jan, no kisses and no love anymore. Even the room and all that was in it disappeared, leaving only this hollow shell of a man and the loaded revolver on the stand by his chair.
Sitting down, Ray picked up the gun and inspected it closely. “It would be so easy. A squeeze of the trigger and then oblivion,” he thought.
A knock at the door interrupted his contemplation. Ray was tempted not to answer the door. He neither wanted nor needed company, but the knocking came again. Angered, Ray stood up from his chair and rushed to the door.
“Who are you and what the hell do you want?” he yelled.
“It’s me, Grayson. I need to talk to you,” came the answer.
Ray opened the door. “I apologize for
my abruptness, but I am not in the mood for company.”
“Sometimes such a mood is the best time to have company,” Grayson replied. Then, doing the unthinkable, he entered without invitation.
“Welcome to my lodge. Will you eat?” Ray asked in an angry tone.
“Thank you. No,” Grayson replied, as he paused in the middle of the living room. “She is here. Did you know that?” Grayson asked.
“Who is here?” Ray asked, still angry.
“Your woman,” Grayson answered. “Her spirit fights the evil that wants you to take your life, but she cannot win if you do not help her.”
Ray motioned for Grayson to sit on the couch and went back to his chair.
“Your woman loves you,” Grayson continued. “She is not gone, but is just around a curve in the trail, waiting for you. She can see you through the trees, though you cannot see her. She does not want you to mourn her loss, for there is no loss. Her passing is but a small step in a love that will not die.”
Ray sat in silence for a moment.
“You say she is here,” he said.
“Yes,” Grayson replied. “She has not completed her journey to ‘Home’, because she is worried about you. She wants you to find love and happiness, that you might walk the path you were created for. Only then will she go on.”
Ray pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and dabbed at wet eyes.
“Your words are wise and give great comfort,” he said. “I thank you.”
Grayson nodded and said. “There is another matter we need to speak of.”
“U’tiun’ ta’.” Ray replied.
“Yes,” Grayson said. “She has returned. I’ve seen her in the flames of the Sacred Fire.”
“Do you know where she is?” Ray asked.
“No,” Grayson replied. “But legend says she prefers Old abandoned houses and barns. I would suggest you look in those.”
“There are many such places in this area. It could take a long time,” Ray said.
“That is true,” Grayson admitted. “But there is one clue as to where she is, that many do not know about. When U’ tiun’ ta’ takes possession of someone’s body she allows the person to take a memento of their life with them.”
“What kind of memento?” Ray asked, shifting to a more comfortable position in his chair.
“It can be many things,” Grayson replied. “A prized necklace or special beadwork. Whatever the possessed person wants.”
Ray pondered the new information, but didn’t see it to be much help.
“Thank you,” he told Grayson. “Maybe this is the new lead that will stop this madness.”
“You are welcome,” Grayson said, standing to leave.
Ray stood to walk him to the door.
Just before going out, Grayson turned to Ray and said, “Don’t forget what I said about your woman. She is depending on you.”
After Grayson left, Ray went to the kitchen for a beer before he returned to his chair. Popping the top, he took a sip and tried to set the can on the table, but the revolver was taking up too much space. Opening the table drawer, Ray put the pistol inside and closed it. After another sip from the can he put it on the table. Then leaning back he closed his eyes and visualized Jan.
“We need to talk,” Ray told the vision.
Chapter 13
The next morning, Ray was up early. No longer needing to seek refuge in sleep, he made a fast trip outside for a few sprigs of wild green onion. While the bacon was frying, he shredded cheese, washed and diced the onions, then mixed them with whipped eggs in a large bowl. The bacon done, he drained most of the grease into a container, then setting the pan back on the burner, added the contents of the bowl. Once the omelet was cooked on one side, he turned and bowed to an imaginary audience and said, “Watch this!”
Grasping the wooden handle, he made a sharp side motion with the pan, but instead of the omelet flipping, it sailed across the room and made a perfect landing on his table. Giving both the pan and the omelet a sour look, he scraped the ruined omelet back into the pan and had scrambled eggs instead.
When he was done eating, he did a quick cleanup of the kitchen and the few dishes. As he was not due at work for a few hours, he took a long, leisurely shower. Dressing in shorts and tee shirt, he spent a quiet hour in his old ragged lawn chair with his thoughts divided between Trudy and where he would start his search while on patrol.
“So many places,” he said aloud. “I might as well go in early and get started.”
Going in, he shaved and put on his uniform before going to his truck.
As he drove past the convenience store, he saw Barb out sweeping off the driveway in front of the gas pumps. Ray honked his horn and waved. Looking up and seeing who it was, Barb motioned for him to stop.
Ray slowed the truck and turned into a parking place. Before he could open the door, Barb was by his open widow.
“What’s the trouble, Barb?” Ray asked.
‘We’ve been having a growing problem with shoplifters,” Barb said. “Mostly it’s children and mostly it’s candy and ice cream.”
“Well, if you know they are taking things, why don’t you call the kid’s parents?” Ray asked.
“Because the parents are usually with them,” Barb said. “They have to know what their children are doing, but do nothing to stop them. Any ideas of how I can get the shoplifting stopped without losing customers?”
“I’d tell them that I had to add it to their bill,” Ray said.
“That’s an idea,” Barb replied. “Maybe I’ll try that.”
“Guess I had better go,” Ray said.
“Okay,” replied Barb. “You are looking more cheerful than I’ve seen you since...uh. In a long time.”
“Thanks,” Ray said, before starting his engine and pulling back up onto the road.
Once at work, Ray found a list of abandoned houses and barns in his office mail box. The note attached read; “Ray, I have sent a partial list of places to the Light Horse of both the Creek and the Cherokee. That way we do not waste man hours by two different officers checking the same place twice.” It was signed “Inspector Watts.”
Ray glanced at the list and could think of a half dozen more places in the same area that were not on it.
He didn’t find Ted in his office, or in the lunch room, but met him in the parking lot, as he went to his patrol car.
“Hello Inspector,” Ray said. “Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you.”
“Sure, Ray,” Ted replied. “I just returned from a DOA. Some homeless guy’s body was found in an abandoned warehouse in Slick. It looks like the work of our vampire, but this time the hands and feet were bound.”
“Think it’s a copy-cat killer?” Ray asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Ted replied. “We’ll have to wait until Sam gives us the report. You wanted to see me?”
“Yes sir,” Ray said. “It’s about this list. It isn’t complete.”
“I know,” Ted replied. “I’ve sent word to everyone receiving the list that if they know of any other places, they are to check them, too.”
“Talk about searching for a needle in a haystack,” Ray said.
“Yes. I know,” Ted replied. “But the fear of vigilante action is growing amongst the powers that be, if we don’t find the killer soon. I’m considering calling Ellen and canceling the kid’s visit until we get this cleared up.”
“I don’t think you need to do that,” Ray said. “Toby and Sarah will be okay. Timmy and Naomi will look out for them.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” Ted replied, unconvinced. “You seem to be in a good mood this morning. Did something happen?”
“Yes,” Ray answered. “I talked to Jan last night and everything is fine.”
Ted was still standing in the parking lot with his mouth open, when Ray drove out.
Chapter 14
After dropping Timmy off at his house, Amos took the fish fillets to Maggie’s cafe.
Though it had b
een closed for hours, he went around to the back where the large chest freezer sat on the loading dock. Taking the freezer key from its hiding place, he unlocked the lid. Taking a couple of plastic bags from the roll hanging on the wall, he placed the fillets inside them, then sealed them with twist ties before setting them inside. Writing a note to Maggie on a handy pad, he wedged it between the wooden door and the door frame for her to find when she came in, in the morning. Locking the freezer and replacing the key, he picked up his burlap bag and his fishing pole, then started for home. But when he reached the bottom of the stair, something moved in the shadows.