“Go make sure Cody is ready,” Maria said. “I’ll be out in a minute. And don’t forget your schedule.”
“Just because it’s a new school doesn’t mean I don’t know how to handle the first day, Mom. Golly.” Samantha left the room and yelled, “Cody! We’re fixing to leave!”
Aaron twisted his lips into a crooked smile. “I guess a quickie is out of the question.”
Maria chuckled and kissed Aaron. “We’ll have plenty of time for that tonight. Have fun chasing the bad guys.”
“I’ll be sure to run down any jaywalkers that resist arrest.” Aaron grabbed his gun off the bed and placed it in the holster on his hip. “And you have fun brainwashing—I mean, developing America’s future shrinks at the high school.”
†
Sheriff Richard Donovan greeted Aaron as he entered through the front door of the Lost Maples County Sheriff’s Department. Aaron had initially applied for a supervisory position at the county jail, but due to his extensive experience in law enforcement, Sheriff Donovan had instead offered him the position of Lieutenant Commander in charge of the Criminal Investigations Division. This small department consisted of one full-time investigator and two deputies that spent most of their time investigating crimes involving petty theft and the occasional assault. Small town law enforcement life was going to take some getting used to, but as long as the job came with a steady paycheck to help pay the new mortgage, then chasing down jaywalkers and old ladies with frying pans was just fine with Aaron.
“I think you’ll find this job quite the contrast from working in Travis County,” Sheriff Donovan said as he led Aaron past the dispatch room to the Investigations Division. “Worst crime ever committed in Lost Maples within the past five years was old Edith Reinhart assaulting her old man with a skillet.”
“Seriously?” Aaron laughed in hindsight at the stereotypical thought that had just crossed his mind.
“It’s the truth. That old paranoid bat was convinced her husband cheated on her with the new mail lady. Judge Phillips eventually dropped the charges, the alleged other woman ended up transferring to another route, and Edith Reinhart passed on a year later. Brain tumor got her.”
“Wow. You think it was the tumor that made her get all paranoid?”
“Hardly. Mr. Reinhart married his mistress mail lady a month after his wife died.” Sheriff Donovan smirked, his hand on the doorknob to the Investigations Division. “Turns out that old Edith was right after all.” He opened the door and stepped aside. “After you, Lieutenant.”
The Lost Maples County Sheriff’s Department Investigations Division was not what Aaron had expected. The space was organized and had good lighting. There was a guy in full uniform with his feet propped on a desk near the entrance of the office. He held a folded newspaper in one hand and a pen in the other. He appeared to be deep in thought. A small conference table rested in the middle of the room, with two larger empty desks on the far corner of the office space. The door to another office had the blinds closed over the interior windows.
The man seated at the desk nearest the entrance dropped his feet to the ground and stood as soon as he noticed Aaron and Sheriff Donovan step into the office. He laid the newspaper on the desk and held his hand out to Aaron. “You must be Lieutenant Sanders.”
Aaron shook the man’s hand. “I am. And you are…”
“Sergeant Scott Henderson, lead investigator.”
Aaron glanced at the newspaper on the desk. “Any high profile cases in that crossword puzzle I should be briefed on?”
“Um… well…”
“I’m just messing with you, Sergeant.” Aaron jerked a thumb in the direction of the other two desks. “So, who do those belong to?”
“Deputy Tim Copeland,” Sergeant Henderson said. “And Deputy Brianna Dilbecky.”
“Tim’s our patrol supervisor,” Sheriff Donovan said. “And Brianna… Well, let’s just say, if ya’ ever need a gopher, she’s yer gal. I got her running our cruisers through the car wash right now.”
“Right.” Aaron lowered his brow a little. “Because we want our vehicles nice and shiny when we arrest all those bank robbers and jaywalkers in town. Don’t you think that’s kind of sexist?”
“Sexist? Hell, she’s just grateful to have a job on the force.” Sheriff Donovan leaned toward Aaron. “Trust me when I tell ya’ that she don’t mind.”
“All right. I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“That’s the spirit!” Sheriff Donovan slapped Aaron on the shoulder. “In all seriousness, I do have Dilbecky to thank for finding ya’.”
“Oh?” Aaron raised his brow. “How’s that?”
“She’s the one who suggested expanding our recruiting into Austin. And when she seen yer application, she pulled it. You were way overqualified for a job at the county jail.”
“I guess we’re both lucky to have her on the force then, huh?”
“Let’s just keep that to ourselves, shall we?” Sheriff Donovan grabbed Aaron’s shoulder. “So, I noticed that old ‘Vette yer driving. Whatcha got, a seventy-eight?”
“Eighty-one.”
“You getting, what, twelve miles a gallon on that thing?”
“Try eight… if I feather the throttle.”
“Good God!” Sergeant Henderson said, eavesdropping. “You must have one heck of a woman at home. My wife would kill me if I drove a car with that type of mileage. She wouldn’t even let me get a Mustang with a V-6. Instead, I’m stuck driving a four-banging Sentra instead.”
“Yeah, well,” Aaron said, laughing, “my wife isn’t as understanding as you think. She’s always giving me a hard time and trying to convince me to sell it.”
Sheriff Donovan handed Aaron a set of keys. “Well, now ya’ can just enjoy that fine automobile on the weekends, and save a bit on the gas bill while yer at it. Lost Maples County is footing yer bill now—for the county vehicle, that is, not the Corvette.”
Aaron glanced at the keys in his hand. “I get my own car?”
“One of the perks I failed to mention when I hired ya’.”
“You can leave the Corvette here,” Henderson joked. “I’ll take good care of it for you during the week.”
“Fat chance, buddy.” Aaron pointed to Henderson’s desk. “Why don’t you get back to your crossword puzzle while the good sheriff shows me my new set of wheels?”
†
Bacon sizzled in one frying pan while Maria fried eggs in another as she cooked her family huevos rancheros for breakfast. Aaron sat at the kitchen table and read the Saturday edition of the Austin American Statesman on his smartphone, while Samantha rummaged through one of the many boxes still scattered throughout the house.
“I can’t find my scrunchies,” Samantha said, huffing in frustration as she searched through the boxes. “Oh, never mind. I found them.”
“Why don’t you take that box to your room while you’re at it, Sam,” Aaron said, scanning the news headlines. “It’s been two weeks already. I think it’s time to start getting rid of some of this clutter.”
“Hey, some of these boxes are yours, too!” she yelled back from the living room.
“Just take the box to your room,” Maria called from the kitchen.
“And tell Cody breakfast is almost ready.”
Aaron focused his attention back to reading the news. The Lost
Maples Record was only printed on Wednesdays and Sundays, so keeping his digital subscription to the Austin newspaper filled his need to read the newspaper every day. Plus, it kept him up-to-date with news from home. He scanned through more headlines and finally found one that caught his attention.
Search for Missing Teenagers Continues
AUSTIN – The search for three missing Austin teenagers continues. Christopher Henry Marwick, 17; Dylan Steven Welch, 16; and Jeremy Renee Craiger, 16, were last seen together in the Crockett High School parking lot. Marwick’s parents reported him missing when he failed to return home after borrowing his father
’s vehicle. Deputies found the red Ford F-150 pickup abandoned half a mile from the condemned Saint Hedwig Youth Home property. Law enforcement personnel from the Travis County Sheriff’s Department, Austin Police Department, and Texas Rangers searched the area and found three shovels near an article of clothing, but they would not speculate whether they believed the clothing belonged to any of the three missing boys.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of the missing teens, please contact the Travis County Sheriff Department’s hotline at 512-555-4352.
Goose bumps formed on Aaron’s arms as images of the chimera burned into his mind. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he remembered Chief David Hernandez performing the violent satanic ritual in preparation for sacrificing Cody to break the “Devil’s Nightmare” curse. Aaron tried to free himself of those thoughts, but something about this report of missing teens pressed heavy on his heart.
“You okay, honey?” Maria said as she set a plate of food on the table in front of Aaron. “You look like something is bothering you.”
“I’m fine.” Aaron took a sip of his coffee. “It’s nothing.”
“You sure?” Maria set two more plates of food on the table.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about how I kind of miss Austin already.”
Maria cocked her head back. “You do?” She returned to the stove and served herself. “I thought it was your dream to move out to the country.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love it out here. It’s just…” Aaron stared out the window at the clouded sky. A small flock of sparrows descended onto the branches of a tree near Maria’s vegetable garden. “I don’t know. I guess being a cop here isn’t what I expected it to be. It’s so damn boring. Maybe it’s the city boy in me.”
Maria called out to Cody and Samantha to let them know breakfast was ready. She sat across from her husband with her plate of Mexican-style scrambled eggs over corn tortillas. “You’re just not used to being able to relax and take it easy for a change. Give it some time. You’ll forget all that big city nonsense. I love it here.”
Aaron smiled and stabbed his fork into the eggs on his plate. “So, you don’t miss Austin at all?” The fork dangled from his fingers. “You don’t miss the counseling center?”
“Of course I do, but we had to do what was best for our family. Living in Austin just wasn’t right for us anymore. You know that.” Maria drank some orange juice and set the glass back down. “Why are we talking about this anyway?”
Cody and Samantha entered the breakfast nook and sat at the kitchen table. Cody shoveled a chunk of eggs and moved the fork towards his mouth.
“Not before we say grace, Cody,” Maria said.
The thirteen-year-old sighed and dropped his fork on the plate. Aaron glimpsed at his own fork and smiled at Maria. With only her eyes, she motioned for her husband to do the same. Aaron exaggerated a sigh and winked at Cody before complying. Samantha shook her head and held her hands out to Aaron and her mother. Aaron opened his other hand and offered it to Cody, who stared at it for a moment before taking it. Maria held Cody’s other hand and prayed a blessing over their breakfast. While she prayed, Cody tightened his grip on Aaron’s hand. Aaron opened his eyes, but Cody still had his head tilted down with his eyes closed.
“Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, dear Lord. In Jesus’s name. Amen.”
“Okay, let’s eat,” Aaron said and released his grip from Cody’s and Samantha’s hands. Cody glanced at him as he did so. There was something in Cody’s eyes Aaron had not seen for almost two years. He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped himself. What was going through Cody’s head?
“Hey, Aaron,” Samantha said, interrupting Aaron’s thoughts.
“When are we going to look at horses?”
“Horses?”
“Well, yeah. We’re still getting horses, right?”
“We’ll talk about that later,” Maria said while buttering up a piece of toast. “We still need time to get settled in first before we think about adding horses to the family.”
“What about a dog?” Cody asked with a mouthful of eggs. Whatever had him concerned had apparently vanished at the suggestion of pet ownership.
Samantha’s face brightened at the mention of a dog. “Oh, I would love to have a puppy. Can we, Mom?”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Aaron said. “Your mom and I will just end up having to take care of it like that stray cat you brought home last year.”
“So much for nine lives,” Cody smirked.
Samantha frowned and glared at him. “That’s not funny, Cody. It’s your fault Princess got ran over by th—”
“My fault? You’re the one that—”
“All right, enough,” Aaron said, stopping a recurring argument between the two kids. “Can we try to finish our breakfast in peace for a change?”
“He started it,” Samantha said.
Cody smiled and tossed a piece of bacon in his mouth.
CHAPTER TWO
Floaters
Aaron stared at the computer screen in his office at the Lost Maples Sheriff’s Department. With nothing to do but play Solitaire and surf the Internet, it was another mind-numbingly slow Monday morning in Small Town, USA. Sergeant Henderson attempted to improve his mental capabilities by working on a crossword puzzle, while the two deputies under Aaron’s command were out helping Sheriff Donovan remove pieces of old furniture from a rental property. The department was clearly overstaffed.
Aaron passed the time by reading an article in the Austin American Statesman about the attempted suicide of former Travis County Chief Medical Examiner Donald Luther at the Texas state prison in Huntsville.
The FBI and Texas Rangers had proven that Don had altered Jackson Smith’s autopsy report. He had made it appear as if the official cause of death had been a brain aneurysm. Investigators had exhumed Jackson’s body and found a small puncture wound on the back of his head, and toxicology tests and another autopsy also confirmed an unidentified chemical agent had caused Jackson’s heart to burn up and explode.
Luther had admitted his involvement in the occult, but he’d denied falsifying any autopsy reports. Evidence mounted against him had proven otherwise, and eventually led to a plea bargain in exchange for the names of other key members of Chief David Hernandez’s cult. Luther had faced the death penalty for accessory to capital murder. His plea agreement helped reduce his charges to second-degree murder, but he would still serve no less than twenty years in prison.
FBI agents later made several other arrests, including two attorneys, a physician, a child psychologist, two police officers, and even a travel agent in association with the chief’s cult. Two of them had admitted involvement in attempted capital murder and the ritualistic murders of over twenty people, including thirteen children and Homicide Detective Steven Riley. Due to a lack of evidence, authorities never filed charges for the deaths of Cullen Chandler, Jason Dexter, or Cody’s parents. The official police report filed correctly asserted a large animal had killed them.
New forensic evidence helped determine that the unidentified victim at Memorial Heights Cemetery was fourteen-year-old Kyle Blaney. FBI agents had also found his parents, Denise and Gerard Blaney, murdered in their secluded home on the outskirts of Austin. The investigation for those murders remained unsolved.
Aaron leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hand over his face. Donald Luther and David Hernandez had been his dearest friends for many years. It ripped through his soul that David had been the leader of such a vicious cult. He had lived a double life, fooling so many people. While Aaron had worked with and respected David as a decent, hard-working human being, the man had been collaborating in atrocious acts of evil.
Aaron couldn’t figure out why, but he actually felt sorry for them both. Maybe it was simply because of the admirable things they had accomplished on a professional level, and the people he’d perceived them to be on a personal level. Aaron had known Don as a goo
d man who was passionate about his work. He could argue that the man had been one of the best in his field. What had happened to him? What could possess a man like Donald Luther to get involved in the occult? For that matter, what had caused David Hernandez to turn to such evil?
Aaron’s office phone rang several times while he gazed at the mug shot of his old friend Donald Luther. He exhaled a dejected sigh.
Sergeant Henderson knocked on Aaron’s office door. “Sir, you have a call on line two. It’s your wife.”
“Thanks, Scott.” Aaron pressed the flashing button on his phone and lifted the receiver to his ear. “Hey, babe.”
“Did you turn off your cell phone? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”
“I’m sorry.” He grabbed his cell phone off the desk and pressed the power button. It didn’t turn on. “I guess I forgot to charge it last night. What’s going on?”
“It’s Cody.”
Aaron straightened his posture, an uncontrollable panic rising in his chest. “What about Cody? What happened?”
“He had a seizure or something.”
“Seizure?” Aaron grabbed his keys. “How? He doesn’t have epilepsy, or Jesus, at least that I’m aware of.”
“I know, Aaron. That’s just what the paramedics are saying.” There were other muffled voices on the other end of the call. “Hold on a second,” Maria said. A few seconds later she came back on the line. “They’re taking him to the hospital right now. Can you meet me there?”
“Already heading out the door. I’ll see you there.” Aaron ended the call, plugged the battery charger into his phone, and headed out of his office towards the department exit.
Sergeant Henderson motioned towards Aaron. “Yeah, he’s right here,” he spoke into his wired office phone.
“Can it wait?”
“Tim just got a call about a boating accident at Maple Hills Park.”
Aaron opened the door to the hallway and took a deep breath. After a week of boredom at the office, he now had two simultaneous events to deal with. “I’ve got a family emergency. Can you and Copeland take care of it?”
Devil's Nightmare: Premonitions (Devil's Nightmare, Book 2) Page 2