In the center of the room was an old mammoth of a generator. Sonja couldn’t help but wonder at the contraption’s age, as it too had a similar coating of age.
“Well, let me see if I can get this puppy running,” she offered, stepping over to the side with controls.
“You’d think one of those men in there would be a little more willing to jump in and help,” Brenda complained, as she huddled up next to Sonja to get a look at the controls, and for the warmth as well.
“Yeah, but they obviously have no obligation to us or anyone else,” she guessed. Finding the starter, she gripped the handle and pulled on it a few times. The components of the generator whirred with each pull but never turned on.
“What’s wrong?” Brenda asked.
She sighed. “Looks like this will take a few more steps than I thought.” Turning around, she scanned the shelves for a can of machinery lubricant.
“Anyway, you’d think they’d know something about generators.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Sonja offered. “What do you know about those guys, anyway?”
Brenda shook her head. “Nothing much, really. The man in the fishing gear is a doctor.”
“Yeah, that’s what the other guy said.”
“Anyway. He told me he was going on his first ever fishing trip this week. He seemed pretty excited about it.”
“Well, to each his own.” Sonja shrugged. “Do you have any lubricant?”
“Sure thing, hon,” Brenda responded, scanning the top shelf. “There it is,” she pointed up.
“Thanks.”
“I think the other man is a news anchor,” she admitted.
“A news anchor?” Sonja asked, reaching up to grab the can.
“Yeah. Not a local one,” she shrugged. “I travel to Salt Lake on and off throughout the year to see my daughter, and I remember seeing him on the news there whenever I visit. I can’t remember his name, though.”
“That’s too bad.”
“But I do remember that the last time I watched a segment with him in it, he was doing a story on crimes related to local bars and night clubs. My memory isn’t great.”
Crouching down, Sonja used a screwdriver to begin removing the air filter plate on the generator. “I’m impressed that you remembered he is a news anchor, just from seeing him on the TV a few times.”
Brenda shrugged. “Honey, it was way more than a few times. I watch a lot of TV. It’s my one addiction.”
Sonja laughed. “I understand that.” Undoing the last screw, she removed the plate revealing the machinery inside.
“He was here the earliest of everyone. Stopped in for a late lunch before the sky even got cloudy.”
“Then he got stuck here because of the storm?” Sonja asked, undoing the choke mechanism inside.
“Yep, but he had his lunch with another man.”
“Another man?” Sonja asked. “Was it a friend of his?”
“I hardly think so. Just two strangers sitting down to a meal together. They were both at the counter, so it isn’t so odd.”
“Where did the other man go?”
“They were the only two in my restaurant at the time, but the other man left after he finished eating. Said he had to be in Utah by nightfall.” She shrugged. “I even topped off his glass bottle with freshly brewed coffee.”
Sonja felt her heart skip a beat. “Glass bottle?”
“Yeah, like ones you get milk delivered in. He was carrying coffee in it to keep himself awake long enough to complete his trip.”
A rumbling growl of thunder shook the tiny shed.
Brenda shivered. “I sure hope he’s doing all right in this weather.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sonja lied. She was almost certain the hitchhiking ghost was real, and that he was the man who had died in the car wreck down the road. Did it also mean that he really was turning into a wolf spirit, one who might try and kill people in the restaurant somehow?
Sonja thought of Frank and the other officers out there on the road, trying to take care of the car accident in the horrible storm.
She hoped they’d be okay.
“Do you think you can get it started up?” Brenda asked, getting impatient to go inside.
“Possibly.” Leaning into the generator, she sprayed some of the lubricant into the machine, just the way her own father had shown her in the past. Closing the choke again, she pulled on the ignition cord. This time, the machine sputtered to life on the first try, growling as it breathed power into the building. “There we go,” she announced.
The hanging light bulb in the shed flickered on, revealing a lumpy shape in the corner of the room. As Sonja glanced at it, she let out a frightened squeak when it leaped toward her. A blur of a face with matted fur and barred teeth came at her, pushing her out of the way and running into the rainy night.
CHAPTER 11
* * *
For a moment, Sonja was sure it had been the hitchhiker again, leaping up to attack her. As her mind began to clear, however, she knew that couldn’t be true. If it had been the spirit of the hitchhiker, and a ghost, it would have had the same misty, ethereal quality she’d seen out in the woods.
Also, this man had been much shorter than the ghost she’d seen earlier.
No, this had to be human.
“Heavens, what was that?” Brenda screeched.
“I think it was Harvey,” Sonja told her.
“Harvey. You mean that boy from earlier?”
“That’s the one. He probably realized he wasn’t going to make it very far in the storm, so he hid out here for shelter.”
“B-but,” Brenda stammered nervously. “He had fur on his face.” She swallowed hard. “And fangs. Just like your friend described.”
“I don’t think he actually had fur and fangs,” Sonja confided in her.
“Then what the heck did he have over his face?”
“I have an idea,” Sonja noted, “but we have to check inside first.”
* * *
Brenda turned out the light inside the shed and the two women headed back out into the rain. Walking up to the back door, Sonja pulled on the handle. The door didn’t move.
“It’s locked,” she shouted over the wind and the rain.
“Darn it,” Branda exclaimed.
“Do you have the key?”
“No, I forgot it. The door automatically locks from the inside.”
Sonja glanced along the back of the building, spotting the second door. “How about that one?”
“It leads to the hallway with the men’s bathroom behind the store, but it’ll be locked as well.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
Hurrying over to the door, Sonja pulled on the handle. The door stayed firm in its molding. “No luck.”
“Darn it. If only I’d thought ahead.”
“We’re just wasting time standing out here. We’ll just have to walk around to the front.”
Pulling her poncho tighter around her body, Sonja headed to the side of the building where she’d heard Dillon and Harvey arguing earlier. She was getting uncomfortably wet, and the puddles of water and mud around the building were beginning to soak through her shoes.
It would be heck to try and clean them off later.
Turning the corner on the building and walking in the wet darkness, she noticed the beam from Brenda’s flashlight pass over something in the mud. Instantly, she felt her heart hammer its way up into her throat.
“Brenda,” she shouted. “Stop where you are.”
“Why? I’m getting soaked, hon,” she shouted.
“Give me the flashlight for a second.”
Without another hesitation, the restaurant owner handed over the light. Sonja directed it’s beam at the spot just below the window of the women’s restroom. Gasping, Sonja knew she’d been right.
Dillon lay face down in a puddle of water.
“Oh, my word,” Brenda exclaimed.
Both women
dashed over as fast as they could to the young girl.
“Is she breathing?”
“I don’t know,” Sonja responded, grabbing the woman’s shoulder and turning her over. As she did, she felt her stomach heave slightly.
Dillon looked as if she been bitten by a wild animal.
CHAPTER 12
* * *
“Where is the doctor?” Sonja shouted as they burst through the front door and into the dining area. Scanning the room, it was the same as before. The news anchor sat nearby at his table, and Alison was huddled down in her chair with the cup of coffee.
“Still in the bathroom, I believe,” The anchor shrugged. “He hasn’t been back here.”
“Hurry,” Sonja pleaded, running toward the shop and ultimately the bathroom hallway. Arriving at the door to the men’s bathroom, she hammered her fist on the wood. “Doctor? We need you immediately. This is an emergency.”
There was no answer. Sonja began to have a sick feeling in her stomach.
“Doctor, if you’re in there please answer me.”
Again, no one spoke in return.
She tried the door. It was locked. “Do you have a key?”
“I do,” Brenda exclaimed, running toward the other side of the building.
In less than a minute she was back with the key and had it in the lock. Unlatching the door, she opened it and both women stepped inside.
The room consisted of a sink, a urinal, and one stall.
Crouching down, Sonja quickly scanned for feet inside. None were there.
“Where is he?” Brenda blurted out.
“He’s not in here,” Sonja commented. “He’s gone.”
* * *
Grabbing the first aid kit, the two women ran back outside to where Dillon was laying. Sonja instinctively knew it was too late, but couldn’t bring herself to admit it yet.
Leaning over the young woman in the rain, she noticed bits of animal hair on her. Bending close, she tried to listen for a breath.
Nothing.
“What’s happening?” Brenda urged.
Grasping Dillon’s wrist, Sonja ran her fingers along the skin, searching for a pulse.
When she felt nothing there, she leaned in and listened to the chest.
“Is she still alive?”
Sonja sat back up, feeling herself sink in the mud. She shook her head. “No, she’s gone.”
* * *
“There are some strange things happening here,” Sonja commented as she removed the muddy poncho and handed it to the restaurant owner.
“What’s going on?” Alison asked, standing up and examining the wet and muddy women. “Why did you need the doctor?”
“Someone’s been attacked by an animal,” Brenda informed her.
“Attacked?” Alison exclaimed, going slightly pale again. “Are they okay?”
Sonja shook her head. “No. She didn’t make it.”
“I-It was the ghost,” Alison blurted nervously. “I saw him. He had fur.” She swallowed nervously. “And fangs. It was him.”
Sonja shook her head. “No, it wasn’t a ghost.”
“Y-yes it was. I saw him.” She was beginning to shake uncontrollably.
Walking over to her friend’s side, she hugged her close. “It wasn’t.” She carefully led her friend back to the chair and sat her down. “Just sit here and drink your coffee.”
“O-okay,” she mumbled.
She knew her friend wasn’t doing very well. Her anxiety was kicking into high gear and Sonja had no way of stopping it.
“Did you say someone was attacked by an animal?” the news anchor blurted out.
She nodded. “It’s true. We found that young woman outside.” Sonja glanced around the room. “Did she leave a bag in here? Maybe it has some ID in it.”
“Right there,” Brenda pointed to the spot under the table.
Sonja dashed over and began digging through it. It contained a few articles of clothing, some toiletries, and a money clip with nothing else but an ID card in it. “Dillon Larson,” she announced. “Her address is in Pueblo, Colorado.”
The anchor stood up. “Are you sure it was an animal attack?” He protested. “I mean, after all, we did see that man come in here earlier and argue with her. Heck, he basically threatened her.”
Sonja shook her head. “I don’t think so, but if you would care to look at the body yourself, it’s just outside.”
The man went slightly pale. “No, no. That’s quite alright. I only report the news. I don’t go around investigating dead bodies of my own accord. That’s a job for the police.”
“And that’s where you can help,” Sonja agreed. “I want you to call emergency services. Get a cop out here.”
“On it,” he proclaimed, stepping into action for the first time that evening.
“And what was your name, sir?” she asked. “So we can call you if we need help with something.”
“The name’s Byron. Byron Hallowell,” he announced as if he were on television. “News anchor for Channel Four News, Salt Lake.”
“Thanks for your help, Byron.”
He nodded, drawing out his phone from his pocket and dialing.
CHAPTER 13
* * *
“Shouldn’t we try and bring in the poor girl’s body?” Brenda asked when Sonja walked back into the convince shop. “I mean, wouldn’t it be respectful?”
Sonja shook her head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asked, a sadness crossing her face as she spoke. “I mean, after all, if it was my daughter out there I wouldn’t want everyone to just leave her in the mud.”
“Well, it’s a little more complicated, I think. We should wait for the police to arrive.”
“How’s that, hon?”
“I suspect this wasn’t an accident,” Sonja whispered, leaning in close so no one would hear her.
“What do you mean? How is that possible?”
“I think someone wanted this to look like an animal attack, but it really isn’t.”
Brenda’s jaw dropped. “You don’t mean—?”
Sonja nodded. “It was staged. I’m thinking this was murder, probably someone who we’ve seen here at the station tonight.”
Brenda’s eyes darted unconsciously back and forth as she considered what Sonja was saying. “Then why are you telling me?”
“Because you are the only person who I know couldn’t have done it. I’m ninety-nine percent sure about Alison as well, but I don’t want her getting more nervous than she is already.”
“Well, How do you know it wasn’t me? I mean, it wasn’t, of course.”
“I heard Dillon and Harvey arguing outside when I was in the bathroom. When I came out, I heard you in the kitchen with P.J.”
“Right, right, and?” Brenda pressed, still unclear on the whole picture.
“After you sent P.J. to lay down, I came into the kitchen with you. You’ve been with me ever since.”
“Ah,” Brenda exclaimed quietly. “So, you and I have alibi’s for each other for the time of her death.”
Sonja nodded. “Exactly.”
Brenda’s face went from recognition back to confusion again. “But, how can you know it was murder? I mean, it looked like animal marks on her neck to me—not that I’m an expert or anything.”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure yet, but I have an idea of how to figure it out.”
“How is that?”
“This way,” Sonja instructed, waving a finger at the station owner and guiding her toward the broken display in the shop.
“Ally fell into this earlier when the power went out. She was sacred, thought she saw someone outside.”
“So?” Brenda shrugged, not seeing the connection.
“Okay,” she prepared to explain her current thought process fully. “So, remember how Harvey jumped out at us in the shed?”
“Yep. Scared the dickens out of me.”
“You thought he had fur and fangs
, right?”
She nodded. “Must have just been my imagination.”
“But it wasn’t,” Sonja told her. “Don’t you see?” Crouching down on the floor, she started sifting through the souvenirs. Once she had laid out each of the animal skulls in a row, she instantly saw that she’d been right and looked up at Brenda.
The woman’s eyes widened with recognition. “The wolf skull is missing.”
“Exactly.”
“And I bet one of those furs are missing as well.”
Sonja nodded. “I think someone is trying to divert attention away from the murder. Someone’s trying to scare us.”
“And you think it’s Harvey?”
Sonja shrugged. “I can’t be positive. The man in the shed seemed about the same height as Harvey, but for all we know it could be someone else.”
She gasped. “Which means the murderer is still somewhere in this building or on the grounds around the station with us, now.”
CHAPTER 14
* * *
“No luck,” Byron announced, walking into the shop with his phone still out. “I’ve tried it every which way, but I just can’t get a signal.”
“Okay, I’ll have to try mine,” Sonja said, standing up from the pile of skulls and skins.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
“Ally knocked them over when the power went out,” Sonja informed him, “You know when she screamed?”
“Oh, is that what that was?” he asked nonchalantly.
Sonja tried not to roll her eyes at his complete lack of concern for his fellow human being.
Most men she knew would have come running if they heard a girl screaming.
“Anyway, if you need me I’ll be in the restaurant,” he nodded, turning on his foot to walk back to his table.
“He’s a real piece of work,” Brenda muttered as she watched him go. “Maybe it wasn’t Harvey. Maybe it was him who killed that girl. Who else but a killer would react like that when he heard someone was dead?”
Scary Sausage Waffle (The Diner of the Dead Series Book 13) Page 5