Loup-Garou: The Beast of Harmony Falls (The Ian McDermott, Ph.D., Paranormal Investigator Series Book 1)

by David Reuben Aslin

  Charlie bowed his head down for a moment, then glanced first at Ian and then directly at his grandfather.

  “Grandfather, do you still watch CNN and Jerry Springer every day?”

  “Yes, it makes life here on the reservation not seem so bad!”

  The three of them laughed. Charlie then figured time was wasting and he’d better get directly to why he and Ian were there.

  “Grandfather, you know what goes on around these woods better than any man alive. Tell me straight. What the hell killed Bud and them lost hikers? What kind of animal am I … What is it that me and Ian here are hunting?”

  Charlie’s grandfather took a deep breath and put both hands on his knees. He scooted forward just a bit in his chair. “It was said to me by my father when I was a boy, just as he was told by his father before him and on back as far as any man knows, that what you seek is neither animal nor man but both. It was said that it changes from man into beast at will. It was said that its power comes from the moon. Why the man becomes the beast, no one could say. Why the man surrenders to the beast only during certain months and certain years, this too no one could say. It was first called Sasquatch by my people, which means hairy man-beast. It was the white man who misunderstood the meaning and changed that to mean ape-beast. It is no ape-beast like the pictures show in my books. It was said by my ancestors that the beast is a man who is possessed by the spirit of a wolf. I do not know who the man-wolf is, but I believe it comes from an old family. Perhaps Indian, perhaps white man. There are many white men who live in nearby towns. Many are descendants of French fur trappers and hunters that settled in these mountains. It was said that it cannot die either by natural death nor can it be killed easily. There are ways to kill this man-wolf they called Loup-Garou. It was said to my people that the man cursed by the demon wolf-spirit is immortal except to fire and silver, and if its head be separated from its body. This was told to me by my father. This was told to my father by his father just as it had been told by our people for many generations before my grandfather’s time. These stories were told not as a tale to be told but as truths. This is all I know of these things!”

  Both Charlie and Ian just sat there. Neither could think of anything to say nor any further questions to ask.

  After an uncomfortable, silent moment, first Charlie then Ian stood up from their chairs. After mulling over the information he had been told, Charlie said, “All right then, good information. We’ll keep it all in mind.”

  Smiling, Charlie leaned forward and shook his grandfather’s hand. His grandfather then turned towards Ian, smiled, and extended his right hand. Ian responded with equally polite enthusiasm as he began shaking the old man’s hand.

  With Ian’s right hand still held within his own, Charlie’s grandfather spoke once again, this time directly to Ian. “You did not used to be a lawman. Are you not the great hunter who found the ugly fish? The one thought to be long gone from this world? You will need your skills and more for what you and my grandson are to hunt!”

  Ian was startled, which caused him to abruptly retract his hand from the chief’s grasp. “Uh, that’s right! But how’d you know?”

  Charlie’s grandfather smiled a large smile. “Your name and face is on the cover of one of my favorite old National Geographic magazines!”

  Astonished, Ian gazed over at Charlie. Charlie just stood there grinning while shaking his head. His grandfather never ceased to amaze him either.

  After a momentary pause, all three men began to laugh.

  Chapter 28

  Preparation – Part I

  Charlie and Ian were in Charlie’s car heading back towards town. A few minutes had gone by with neither of them saying a word. Finally, Ian could take the silence no longer.

  “Charlie, did you ever get in touch with Jenny with some sort of cover story about Bud not showing up to work? What if she’s been trying to reach him?’

  Charlie shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Don’t worry too much about Jenny. I told her Bud had to go out of town for a couple of days unexpected-like. Bud actually had been considering going to Seattle to meet with some lawyers of the family of those hikers, answer some questions and such. Surprisingly, she didn’t ask me any further questions about it. Fortunately, I didn’t have to lie more than I did. If this works out the way I’m hoping, those are tracks I should be able to cover. Jenny’s a good egg. She’s tight-lipped when it comes to not answering many questions asked by out-of-town lawyers, lawmen, or whatever. That pretty much goes for most folks from around these parts. We keep things to ourselves. If we wanted the world to know our business, we wouldn’t live secluded as we are up here in the mountains.”

  Ian was glad that Charlie didn’t have to dig a potentially deeper hole for himself. Ian also understood how the populace of the small township of Harmony Falls would be a self-reliant group of people, not likely keen on much interference from the outside world.

  “Say Charlie, changing the subject. You said this morning that when we go on stake-out tonight you wanted us to be better prepared. After hearing what your grandfather had to say and adding to that some wild theories I have of my own that I told you, just exactly how do you suggest we better prepare ourselves?”

  Charlie had been giving that very topic much deliberation.

  “Ian, that’s a sixty-four silver dollar question, and I do mean silver. I know a guy who lives just outside of town: Louis Batiste Charbonneau. Yeah, Ole Charbonneau. He’s the best taxidermist in these hills as well as a master gunsmith. Mind you, I mean a real old-world type craftsman. Anyway, here’s my plan. Soon as we get back to town, we go to my wife’s store. We collect up as much silver as she’s got in that jewelry case of hers. I’m gonna tell her everything. She’ll believe us when we both tell her all of the facts as we know them. She’s gonna lose it big time when I tell her about Bud. Be ready for that. Ian, we’re gonna take all that silver and have bullets made to fit that pop-gun of yours. Me, I’ll keep my faith in my 9mm Glock, which I’m gonna load with hollow-tip splatter points. If it’s of this natural world, those splatter rounds of mine will drop it and good. And of course, your weapon loaded with silver bullets would do the trick as well if it, well, is something else. You know, like you and my grandfather think. Hopefully, you pump enough silver into it to bring it down that way. We’re not taking any unnecessary chances. I’d rather us play the role of backward superstitious fools about the silver bullet thing than play the role of educated and enlightened dead men.”

  Ian nodded. “Plan for the worst and pray for the best. Isn’t that about how Bud would have put it?” He already knew the answer.

  Charlie replied, “Yeah, he’d have said something just like that. We’ll thank God for small favors. At least the rain stopped. Looks like it’s gonna be a nice, clear night tonight. The moon’s gonna be full. Now, that may or may not work in our favor for whatever it is we’re hunting, but assuming it has night-vision and can see plain and clear in pitch-darkness, at least maybe that evens up the score a bit by giving us bright moonlight to see by.”

  Chapter 29

  Preparation – Part II

  Charlie pulled his car into a marked parking spot at the back end of the building. He took a very large breath of air then exhaled equally hard. Both Charlie and Ian sat there in the car a moment longer, collecting their thoughts. Ian broke the silence.

  “Charlie, let’s say for instance that what we’re gonna be dealing with actually does fit the general description of a werewolf. I mean if that’s the case, then it’s safe to assume that there may be more of these creatures lurking about. Not necessarily in this neck of the woods. I would guess they are mainly loners. But I’m just saying. What if many of the old legends are true? It seems to be a commonly-held belief that if you’re attacked and bitten by a werewolf but don’t die, you become infected. Infected I guess would best describe it. Anyhow, you then will become a werewolf yourself.”

  Charlie looked at him intently. “Ian, if that’
s right, how’d it all get started in the first place? Where did the first werewolf come from?”

  Ian thought for a second, then replied, “Maybe there’s something to your ancestors’ belief in animal spirit guides and shapeshifting. Maybe if a person’s spirit was, say, the wolf and then coincidentally he was bitten by one, it somehow created some kind of aberrant, incipient new species. Hell, I really don’t have any idea. I’m getting too far out there with speculation. It’s just impossible to say. Kind of like which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

  Charlie could wait no further. “Let’s go in and face the music. This should be interesting if nothing else. Elaine is gonna either buy into some or all of what we tell her or she’ll be making a call to have us put in straightjackets and a padded cell!”

  Ian raised his eyebrows, took a deep breath, and let out a sigh before nodding in agreement. The two men exited the car.

  Elaine smiled widely the second she spotted Charlie and Ian enter the store. Her smile was cut short when she noticed the bleak expressions on both men’s faces.

  She spoke first. “Hi boys, you both look like you just saw a ghost. You want something to eat? I’ve got some freshly made chicken strips and jo-jos getting ready to come up.”

  Both men’s expressions didn’t change as they approached her.

  “What, Charlie? My God, nothing’s happed to Jeremy?”

  Charlie shook his head, assuring her that wasn’t it. “No Elaine, Jeremy is fine. But we do need to talk. Let’s go to your office in the back. Jackie can cover for a few minutes, right?”

  “Yes, of course. She came in a few minutes early. I was going to leave for the day in about twenty minutes. What’s going on?”

  Charlie motioned for Ian to follow them to the back room. The three stood there silently in Elaine’s office for a brief moment. Then Elaine said, “Okay Charlie, what in God’s name’s got you so …”

  Charlie grabbed a chair and motioned for her to sit down, and he and Ian remained standing.

  “Elaine, honey, I don’t know exactly how to tell you all that I have to, so I’m just gonna do it best I can.”

  The look on Elaine’s face softened. Before Charlie could utter another word, she said, “Oh my God no. It’s Bud, isn’t it?”

  Elaine had always been very perceptive. Almost psychic at times, Charlie used to say.

  Charlie bowed his head slightly. “Yeah, Bud’s … Honey, Bud’s dead!”

  Elaine gasped for air. She put both hands on her cheeks and began looking around the room, anywhere except into either man’s eyes. She was desperately fighting back tears that began silently flowing. After a few moments, she managed to gather herself and looked up into Charlie’s eyes.

  “How … How’d it happen?”

  Charlie looked over at Ian for a second then back at his wife.

  “Bud went after whatever animal killed them hikers and scared the hell out of Jeremy and Katie. He went late last night without telling me about it. Anyway, the thing, the animal … it attacked and killed him. Ian and I found … We found what was left of him up near the falls’ turn-off.”

  Elaine looked with disbelief at Charlie. “No … No mere animal could kill Bud O’Brien. No, it had to be something more. There’s something more to it. Tell me!”

  Once again, Charlie looked over at Ian before he spoke. “Elaine, whatever it was that killed Bud, it left nothing more of him than his head. We found more of them weird tracks that I told you about around where we found … I tell you, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before. Elaine, I don’t know exactly how to put this, but … Grandfather, he said, well, Ian and me too … I guess we think this thing is some kind of a …”

  Elaine interrupted with a cold, matter-of-fact expression on her face. “Monster. You all think it’s some kind of a monster just like Jeremy said. Charlie, you know our boy wouldn’t have made something like that up. And I believe you all may be right!”

  That was the single largest piece of evidence in Charlie’s mind to support the idea of some kind of monster. He knew as well as Elaine it wasn’t in his son’s makeup to create fantastic stories. Even still, both men were surprised by what Elaine said, but they both nodded their heads in agreement.

  Elaine continued, “Nothing short of a monster could have done that to Bud. He’s … He was the best damn hunter and backwoodsman I’ve ever known or even heard of. Charlie, you know as well as me about the stories of a monster living in these mountains, stories we were told as kids. I never thought of them as just stories and neither, I figure, did you! Charlie Redtail, you are not just my husband, and you’re not just a lawman for this town neither. You’re first and last a Cowlitz Indian brave. And I am the wife of a proud man. You hunt down and kill that thing that done this to Bud. Just make certain, my love, that after it’s done, you come back to me in one piece!” Elaine looked over at Ian. “That goes for both of you!”

  Ian couldn’t help but get choked up just listening to the pride that this fine woman had in their people. Not only was it apparent to him that she passionately loved Charlie with all her heart, but she loved their heritage as well.

  Charlie was a little choked up himself by his wife’s words. He cleared his throat and said, “Listen honey, we need to take some things from your jewelry case. Things I won’t be bringing back.”

  Elaine looked deep into Charlie’s eyes and said calmly, “Of course. After how Jeremy described that thing, and now Bud, you’ll be needing silver!”

  Both Charlie and Ian looked at Elaine with confused expressions on their faces.

  “Charlie, I know you have a hard time believing in such things, but I had another one of my, you know, visions. That thing, it’s a monster. Just take it! Take all of the silver in the case. Now go. Mind you, Charlie Redtail, you have Charbonneau make you as many bullets from it as he can!”

  Neither Charlie nor Ian could believe how she seemed to be able to read their minds. What was even more astonishing to them was her conviction that they would be facing a monster, not a murderous lunatic or some vicious rogue animal, a notion they had only considered to be a remote possibility.

  Chapter 30

  Craftsmen

  “Here we are. Old Charbonneau’s place. Mind you, this half-crazy Cajun lives in a small cabin just up this gravel driveway. You’re gonna meet a true old-world master craftsman. That is if he don’t shoot us both for trespassing. He’s getting up there in years, and his eyes aren’t so good,” Charlie explained as he made a left turn off of the main road just a couple miles west of town.

  Ian said, “What if he’s not home?”

  Charlie replied, “He’ll be home this time of day. He runs his little business of ammunitions, smithing, and stuffing furry animals out behind his cabin in a small shed. He’ll be home!”

  Ian looked over anxiously at Charlie as the two men drove up the long, gravel driveway. Charlie spotted Charbonneau’s old beat-up Ford pickup truck parked in front of his cabin.

  “See there, I told you he’d be here,” Charlie proclaimed, secretly relieved that he’d guessed correctly. Ian let out a sigh of relief as he smiled at Charlie.

  Charlie pulled his car up right behind the old truck. He put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and slumped back into his seat. He looked over at Ian. “All right. Ian, you let me do all the talking. Some of these old-timers, they get awful leery of strangers.”

  Ian nodded in acquiescence. Charlie continued, “Okay, grab that bag and let’s go talk to the old Frenchy.”

  The two men climbed out of Charlie’s car and walked up to the front door of the dilapidated, age-grayed cedar cabin.

  Charlie knocked a couple times on the door. Nobody answered. Charlie then waved his hand, motioning for Ian to follow him.

  “Ian, let’s go out back to his shed. That’s where he works his magic!”

  Ian followed Charlie around to the back of the cabin to a good-sized outbuilding. Through the door’s window, they could see Char
bonneau busy pulling something from a small brick smelter located at the opposite end of the building. Charbonneau then turned and began banging away on some metal that lay across an anvil.

  Charbonneau caught the two men looking in at him out of the corner of his eye. In one deft motion, he spun around and grabbed his double-barrel ten gauge shotgun and pointed it straight at their heads.

  “Who go dere?” the old man yelled.

  “It’s me, Charlie Redtail, and a friend of mine,” Charlie replied quickly.

  “Oh Charlie, dat you? Okay, okay. You c’mon inside, visit wit me, yeah?”

  Charlie opened the door. Charbonneau had already leaned his shotgun back in its corner.

  “Charlie, what kin I do yer fer, eh?”

  “Louis, my friend Ian here and me, we got a job for you. But mind you, it’s a rush job. Now, I’m gonna have to owe you on it, but you know my credit’s good, right?”

  “Yah, yah, you credit, she’s good.”

  Charlie continued, “Okay then. We got a bag of silver jewelry. You can keep the turquoise stones for a tip for doing us this big favor. Anyway, we need the silver melted down and bullets made from it to fit this gun.”

  Ian had already unstrapped his concealed pistol from his ankle holster. He handed both his gun and the small paper bag that was filled with Indian jewelry to Charbonneau.

  “Beretta … Ah, dat nice gun, oui?” Charbonneau remarked. Then he looked inside the paper bag as he handed Ian’s gun back to him.

  “Louis know size. Trente-deux cartridge. Plenty silver for maybe cinq bullet. De stones Louis keep, no charge you fer make de bullets! You hunt an’ kill de Loup-garou? I Charbonneau never see, but have heard tales of de beast. I hear tell of the man-beast since I boy by some de old time Injuns, like you grandfather. He tell you too, no?”