“I couldn’t agree more, Loren. It’s just that I’ve been unable to come up with any reasonable answers. Maybe there are none. The answer may be as far out as those space ships that brought you here in the first place.”
“Come on, Frank. You know I don’t believe in U.F.Os. and I don’t think you do, either. But if it’s a hoax, it’s a hell of a good job. It brought the media from all over the country to Mobile, Alabama, myself included, didn’t it?”
He got no argument there. Frank just bobbed his head.
“Anyway,” Loren continued, “so far, none of the reporters has found one shred of evidence to prove the existence of space ships, much less an explosion in space. Right now, though, what about Mona? I don’t see any connection at all. Damn, Frank, let’s get out of here. This is getting to me.” As an afterthought, he added, “I’ve got an idea. What do you say we ask the manager to let us take Pep with us? He’ll probably agree. The dog’s out of food and he’s got to be fed and watered. Besides, there’s no reason for him to stay here.”
When they offered to care for Pep, the manager put up no objection. “I was wondering what I was going to do about him anyway. According to what I’ve read, it’s no telling when Mona’ll be back. She’s a nice girl. Hope you find her soon.”
“Okay,” Dees said as he shifted Pep from one arm to the other. “Here’s your key. I’d appreciate it if you call me if anything — I mean anything — comes up.” He handed the man his card.
Pep didn’t resist leaving with them. On his leash, he let the newspaper editor walk him to the car as willingly as he would have gone along with Mona. It seemed that if his mistress was not home, Pep did not want to stay there, either.
On the way home, Frank asked Loren a question, “Do you have time for me to stop and get Pep checked at the vets?”
“Sure. Good idea.”
The only vet Dees knew was one Mona had done a feature story on a few months back. Thinking it may be the one she used, he went to that clinic. He lucked out. Dr. Warren was a white-haired man in his early seventies who’d treated only small animals. Frank didn’t even have to ask if Pep was a patient.
“Why, hello, Pep,” the receptionist greeted the dog the minute they came in. She reached across her desk and scratched his head. “My, you look thin.” She turned to Frank and Loren. “Is Mona sick or something?”
Dees’s explanation caused the girl to become wide-eyed. “I never read a word about that in the paper. Mona’s missing? I can’t believe it!” She hopped out of her chair, quickly flinging open a door to an examining room. “Dr. Warren — ” The door swung closed behind her and closed out the voices, but Frank and Loren didn’t need to hear; they already knew what she told the doctor.
Dr. Warren came out immediately. He removed the dog’s collar and handed it to Dees. In a gentle gesture, he took the pup, gave him a thorough examination and told the editor and the newsman, “He’ll be all right. Just a little undernourished. No malnutrition yet, thank goodness.” He gave the leash back to Frank who opened his wallet.
“How much do I owe you?”
Dr. Warren waved it off. “No charge. Just find Mona.”
Next, Frank drove to the police station. Asking Loren, “Can you stay here and watch Pep while I get them to analyze this collar? Maybe they’ll find some dirt or some other matter that could give them a clue as to where the dog’s been.”
“Sure,” Loren agreed.
Although he identified himself and explained the situation, Dees had very little luck with the collar.
“Sir,” the officer on duty said. “I don’t even know if I should take this.” He looked at the dog collar as if it were a foreign object.
“But, as I told you, it belongs to the dog of my reporter who’s missing, Mona Stewart.”
“Mona Stewart?” That, too, seemed foreign to the policeman. His eyes widened. “That’s the lady from The Times.” He pulled out a bag and with his handkerchief, gingerly took the collar, and dropped it into an evidence bag. “I still can’t promise you anything, sir. I’ll check with my superiors.”
Dees handed him a business card and asked him to call to tell him if he had anything to report, but he had little hope that this visit would be productive. He left, wondering if it would prove anything if the dog had been near the spot where the space ships were reported. He hoped that wouldn’t happen. Even the thought of it made him shudder.
When he and Loren arrived back at the paper, he discovered that Hurricane Dennis had taken precedence over his reporters being missing. National media members were elated to already be on the scene to report the sensational news. The storm was over, and as soon as they finished giving all the details on the aftereffects, they’d pack up and return to their home bases. Evidently, they’d decided that the evidence of space ships was inconclusive because they’d found no debris to make claims authentic and they considered the populace around that particular area unreliable. In fact, although they didn’t put it in print, one reporter had been heard telling Detective Tony Romano, “This is just a bunch of rednecks wanting to stir something up. Sounds a hell of a lot like that movie filmed here way back — Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Maybe somebody watched a rerun and got the idea of this sighting — looking for a little excitement.” It was obvious that Romano was eating this up and savoring every bite. It gave him an excuse to low-key his investigation.
At any rate, after interviewing local residents, the big-time operator media representatives were positive that something had stirred up imaginations and this was the result. Sophisticated prize-winning journalists felt far superior to those they were interviewing. They were ready to leave town. The storm gave them an out. They could always say it destroyed evidence. They picked up their cameras and tape recorders and moved on to events with more reliable sources.
Only Loren stayed, and that was mainly because he wanted to help Frank find Rob and Mona. However, he had commitments, and even he would have to leave soon. Frank was glad to see the rest of them go. As long as they were in his territory, it hampered his paper’s efforts. And on this story, he had a lot more at stake than usual. Whether or not there actually were space ships in the Mobile area, Mona and Rob had not returned. Although their boss went hot and cold on possible reasons for their disappearance, he wanted to find them very badly. One minute, he’d see some rational explanation — such as their running away together. The next, he feared something dreadful had happened to them.
But no amount of reasoning gave him the true answer. Whatever the deep, dark mystery was, Frank didn’t have the information to fathom it. All he hoped for now was that he could pursue the case without the United States government sending their clods down to gum up the works. But because of the connection with U.F.Os., he knew there was a good chance that they would. Any opportunity to spend the taxpayers’ money would not be missed. He was afraid that before it was over, a full-scale investigation would take place. He hated the thought of it, but he realized that there was nothing he could do to keep it from happening.
Chapter 15
HEARING THE NEWS OF THE investigation going on concerning the space explosion and their disappearance further unnerved Mona and Rob. They didn’t feel ready to face reporters yet. But if they appeared in Mobile, they’d soon be spotted. If the national media representatives were still around — and they had no way of knowing that they’d be gone — they’d descend on them like vultures. Besides, they owed loyalty to their own newspaper — The Times should break this story first; that is, if Dees found it worthy. They put off leaving Pensacola and returning to Mobile.
But Mona and Rob also knew that they couldn’t wait much longer or some hotshot reporter in Pensacola would find them out. Pensacola wasn’t that far from Mobile. They had to make a move. They sat around the old oak dining table and discussed the options with Doc while a handyman he’d used in the past finished removing the tree that had fallen in the living room and tried to drain water out of the flooded part of the house
.
“We can’t sponge off of you forever, Doc,” Mona said. “And we’ve have our own lives to live. But what are we going to tell people? We couldn’t make Dr. McNally believe us. How can we make anybody else? Even Frank Dees; especially Frank Dees. He’s a skeptic.”
Rob let out his breath. What Mona said was true. The circumstances would give no weight to their story at all. Making somebody believe them was an almost impossible task. For almost half a century, others claiming sightings failed in their efforts to be convincing. Why should he and Mona be treated any differently? Thinking of the futility of it all, Rob recalled one such assignment himself. A young Baptist minister in Citronelle once claimed he’d seen a U.F.O. Rob had gone to the interview tongue-in-cheek and he came back totally unconvinced. If he didn’t believe a man of the cloth, why should anyone believe him?
Voicing his thoughts, he looked straight at Mona. “We have to face facts. We probably can’t convince anyone to believe us. And that makes me doubt the wisdom of even attempting to tell our story at all.”
Before he could continue, Doc interrupted. “You won’t be able to live with yourself if you don’t try, Rob. You’re a reporter, and truth is the most important tool of your job. Words may be meaningless to others, but not to you. Your integrity is at stake.”
Rob hung his head. “You’re right, Doc,” he conceded. “But, damn it all, what can I do? I’ve thought about proof. How can we prove our story? The first thing I ask for when I do an interview is documentation. And here we are without one thing that we can document. If you never had a sighting yourself, would you have believed Mona and me?”
“I suppose not,” the doctor admitted. “But there could be some proof that you just haven’t found yet. I could go to Mobile with you. Maybe all three of us could return to the scene and find something.”
Mona chimed in. “I doubt it. Even if we wait till we’re sure all the commotion has died down and the reporters have left, some reporter’ll be hanging around out there for weeks hoping to luck out on a big break. He or she will comb that area one more time and if there’s one fragment of a clue left, somebody’s going to beat us to it.” She bit her lip. Itching to scream out, “I have proof! It’s right here in my purse!” she restrained herself. She just didn’t feel comfortable doing that in front of Doc.
“Hang on a minute, young lady.” Doc sat up straight in his chair as if he just had a productive thought. “You know, there may be proof after all. One of you might have something in your system that’s foreign to known matter. We’ve been so busy thinking about that implant that we haven’t given any thought to residue that might still be in your body. Maybe from those food capsules that you took.”
The speculation had a double meaning. If they’d still retained something from the capsules and if it wasn’t harmful, it could be good, provided a way could be found to extract it intact. That would be proof. However, they could have harmful elements in their bodies, and that would be bad. It was also possible that Rob had something left in that tooth cavity. In any event, this gave them a few more things to worry about. The idea wasn’t necessarily consoling.
Seeing the lines on Mona’s face, Doc read her mind. He looked her in the eye. “What you’re thinking is probably nothing to worry about. If the pills haven’t hurt you before now, they probably won’t. As for that implant, it’s surely washed away by now. Look, Mona, don’t feel bad about dropping it. That might be the best thing that could have happened.”
Since Miss Croft came in with a pot of hot tea and cheese crackers just then, Doc didn’t see Mona cringe with guilt. And when Miss Croft said, “I’m glad to see Demetrius, Dr. Romano. Why, he beat me here.”
Mona was relieved that the subject had been changed. She was also glad that it stayed changed.
“And he’s already removed that tree. He’s a hard worker and I’ll bet he’s in demand right now after that hurricane. How’d you get him so fast?” asked Jane.
Doc smiled. “You just have to know the right approach, Miss Croft.” He didn’t tell her that he’d given Demetrius a fifth of Wild Turkey in addition to a promise of a fat paycheck and a big bonus. Instead, he just said, “Thanks for these.” He held up a cracker spread with cheese and nibbled on it.
Doc and Mona weren’t hungry after that big breakfast, but eating broke the tension, so they picked at the food. Rob looked at it with a yearning, but was still afraid it might hurt to chew, so he left it alone.
Mona’s mind didn’t stop, though. It was awhirl trying to discern what to do next. Doc’s medical background may have given him the idea of an angle to find proof, but Mona didn’t think it was feasible. Even if foreign matter was detected in their bodies, who could tell what it was, and what would it prove? Could they even find a radiologist willing to lay his credibility — his reputation — on the line to prove the bizarre? She doubted it. No, Doc’s good intentions notwithstanding, that was not the path to take. That capsule was their only hope.
The phone rang and Miss Croft called to Dr. Romano, “Doctor, it’s for you.”
“Nick,” said the voice on the other end as he cleared his throat. “This is Joe. I’ve been listening to all this news and, well, to be perfectly frank, I thought Mona and Rob would have turned themselves in by now. Are they still there by any chance?”
Before replying, Nick speculated on what his friend was up to. Was it possible that he’d had second thoughts? Had he been influenced by news reports to the point of doubting his own judgment? Romano decided to feel him out.
“Why do you ask?” he hedged.
“Damn it all, because I just heard that all the media members are leaving Mobile and even though they didn’t say your reporters had been located, I thought maybe Mona and Rob had owned up to the hoax.”
So, Joe’s original opinion remained intact. “No, they’re still here,” Doc replied offering no further information.
By that time, McNally was worked up. “Well, you can tell them for me that I’m tired of bearing this burden of covering for them. If they aren’t going to tell the truth, I am. In fact, I almost did last night. I just happened to run into an old friend at Navarre — Frank Dees. It seems that he’s their editor and I’m going to drive to Mobile to talk to him today. If they want first chance at it, they’d better make it fast. Either way, he’s going to hear the truth from me as I see it.” Without giving Nick a chance to reply, he slammed the phone down in his ear.
Pushed into a corner, Mona and Rob had to act. Time had run out. The only edge they had if they wanted to get to Dees first was the fact that they were about twenty miles closer than McNally. This realization brought them to their feet.
Looking at Mona but addressing Doc, Rob said, “This is it. We’ve got to go. Want to come along?”
“No, thanks, Rob. If you don’t think we can find new evidence at the scene, I’ll pass. I’m tired. I’ve ridden this problem just about as far as I can. It’s up to you, now.”
The old man slunk in his old horsehair armchair, which had seen better days, trying to reclaim some of the ease of the life he’d lived before Rob and Mona. But his squirming to get comfortable wasn’t working. The excitement of recent days revitalized his spirit. In his mind, he knew he’d have to go back to practicing medicine in a serious way. Laziness no longer fit.
He got up, offered them the use of his car, and handed them the keys. After he saw the couple off by waving goodbye, he waded into his still flooded office.
“Miss Croft,” he called in a booming, authoritative voice, sounding like his old self, “please come take a letter and be prepared to make a lot of copies. I want to let every one of my patients know that I’m back in practice.”
Chapter 16
MONA HAD THOUGHT OF Pep many times during their stay in Pensacola, but with so many other problems, she hadn’t had time to dwell on his welfare. Riding in Doc’s car back to Mobile, she finally voiced her concern.
“Rob,” she said in a wistful voice, “I’m so worried about
Pep. I wonder what happened to him. I sure hope he got away and that he found some food and water.”
“He may have found his way home, Mona. You said he’s a smart little dog.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t know if he’s that smart.” She rubbed her temples. The anxiety piled on anxiety was giving her a headache.
“You okay?” Rob looked at her.
“No, not really. This is just too much. I think your headache’s contagious. Now, my head’s pounding and throbbing.”
If it hadn’t been for that, she’d have told him that she’d confiscated the capsule. But she couldn’t just say that she’d taken it; he’d want details of her plans. She wasn’t up to going into detail right now. Not with her aching head. It would have to wait.
Rob produced two pills that Doc had given him and handed them to her. They must have been powerful because they acted quickly and in just a few minutes, they took effect.
“Feeling better?” asked Rob solicitously.
“Much.” She shook her head. “But I’m woozy. Those pills must have a relaxant in them.”
She leaned back on the seat and let her thoughts drift. She needed that. The pressures of this experience were really getting on her nerves and she wasn’t normally a nervous person. A few more days like this and she felt that she’d be a candidate for an emotional breakdown.
In addition, she was dead tired. With her energy depleted, she could barely think straight. They still hadn’t decided what to tell Frank, either. It was all too much. Leaning back against the headrest, she let the pills take effect and allowed herself the blessed relief of falling fast asleep.
Rob’s brain buzzed. He’d decided to tell Frank the truth — the whole truth — and let happen what may. If Dees didn’t believe him, well, he and Mona might have to get another job.
Time Will Tell Page 20