“Must be the head of their group,” uttered Pound. Jessica stared back at him in disbelief. Pound then helped her to her feet, and smiling, he walked back with her to the porch of the house for shelter. One by one and bone by bone the skeletons marched into the depths of the sea until the last one descended below the surface, and the red light that had pierced the night sky faded to a warm aquatic glow and then into nothingness.
“When does your shift end?” he asked her as he wiped the first layer of mud from his face. He was covered from head to toe in filth, and Jessica was not in much better shape from the incident.
“I think my shift is over, but . . . how am I going to explain this?” she asked with exasperation as she looked all around at the surrounding damage.
“You know, with a name like Bodie Island, what can you expect?”
Chapter 3
*
Promotion to Bait
*
Sherry Lance laid the manila envelope down on the desk and said, “Dr. Tatum, we have a potential problem. The democratic senator from North Carolina, Richard Fromage, has personally placed a rush on this case.” Theresa Tatum picked up the envelope and sliced through the top with her desktop letter opener which was ominously shaped like a cavalier’s sword. Placing the mini-sword back into its sheath, she extracted the three-page description known as a traveler and quickly scanned the pages for specifics.
“What the . . . ! Why is everything weird happening in North Carolina this week?! You would think that place was the nexus of Armageddon or something!” she exclaimed as she set the traveler down and lifted the handset of her desk phone to quick-dial an agent. A half-minute later she hung up and tried the next button, for which she left a lengthy message to Pound. Hanging up again, she nervously drummed her fingers on the desk as she stared intently at Sherry. “No one’s answering. We’ll wait here for fifteen minutes, and if neither of the guys call back, the case is on us.”
“Us? Dr. Tatum, what do you mean, ‘us’?”
“Sherry, I hired you when I came on board with the plan of promoting you to agent status over time. Since then, you have performed admirably, and there is room on the budget this year for a promotion to Assistant Agent. That is if you believe you can handle the duties and accept the position,” Dr. Tatum said as she paused. “I believe in you.”
For a moment Sherry was taken back with the suddenness of the promotion and the implications, and she remained speechless for even longer. “Well, at any rate, I need to grab a few items from the store room in preparation,” Dr. Tatum remarked as she stood. “Please let me know your decision when I get back.”
Sherry watched Dr. Tatum exit the office as she continued to reflect introspectively. She was not entirely confident in herself, but opportunities like this were few and far between these days. Then a sparkle turned into a smile, and she ran back to her cubicle and gathered her belongings for a trip south.
**********
The traffic was daunting on I-95, but the conversation between the two young ladies was constant and refreshing, like a sleepover with friends might be. Their destination was a city in western North Carolina called Blowing Rock, a place which neither of the ladies was familiar, and there was much excitement about the adventure.
“What do you think our chances will be of solving the curse, Doc? It is the first time for both of us.”
“I am hopeful that we can appease the senator, whether we discover what happened to the senator’s daughter or not. Like it or not, we work for the government and where the government is involved, politics is key. To uphold our organization’s reputation we were required to act quickly, which we have done. But that does not mean we will be able to solve the case,” Dr. Tatum replied as she turned her eyes from the road for an instant. “We will put on a good show, though,” she said smiling.
“Politics,” replied Sherry, nodding her head in agreement.
**********
At the hotel, Dr. Tatum had secured a room on the fifth floor overlooking Blowing Rock and the valley below. The scenery from the room window was picturesque with clouds of smoke falling like a blanket on the mountains that evening.
“It’s beautiful,” remarked Sherry.
“Stunning,” agreed Dr. Tatum.
After a few moments of taking in the surrounding landscape, they unpacked and prepared for the late evening dinner meeting with the Senator’s private detective who had also been assigned to the disappearance. Apparently Senator Fromage had left no string unpulled, but as Sherry pointed out to her new assistant agent, “If we miss any details in the investigation, Detective Jackson will take up the slack.” The dinner meeting proved differently.
“Let me introduce myself. I am Detective Bat Jackson,” said the young man dressed in a suit and tie. Reaching out his hand, he reminded Dr. Tatum and Assistant Agent Lance of the actors in 1930’s gangster movies: handsome, intelligent, and mysterious. “And you are Dr. Theresa Tatum and Sherry Lance with the DAM. It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said as he shook each of their hands.
“Greetings,” replied Dr. Tatum. Sherry nervously blurted out something about nice hair as she gazed into his dark eyes. “Let’s get to business,” snapped Dr. Tatum as she whipped out a pen and journal at the table.
“Of course. Where do you want to start,” he replied as he helped Sherry with her chair. Dr. Tatum had already seated herself.
“With the subject. The Senator’s daughter Carol Fromage was visiting Blowing Rock for the weekend according to the file we were given. Is that correct?”
“That is what has been conveyed by her family, yes.”
“And she was last seen at the local overlook?”
“Yes, that too, is what has been reported, but this fact was reported by the local authorities and not by the family. The family knows no more about her movements than we do.”
Sherry interjected, “What have you found since you’ve been here?”
“Ah, I see. You need my help.”
“If we are going to work together, then yes, we would like your input,” said Dr. Tatum.
“As separate entities, we must each gather our own information and arrive at our own conclusions,” replied Detective Jackson with a smile. Then he added, “But I can take you to the overlook tonight for your own assessment.”
“That would be wonderful,” said Sherry with a look of delight which disappeared as the toe of Dr. Tatum’s pointed shoe struck her shin.
“Detective Jackson, I think that you owe it to your country to share any information on the case that you have obtained up to this point,” stated Dr. Tatum with indignation.
“What if my data leads you in the wrong direction? That would be a shame that my country does not deserve. My agency will lead its own independent investigation, as will the DAM,” said Detective Jackson as he sipped his glass of wine. At that moment, the waiter arrived to take their ordered and diffuse the tension.
“I have the gentleman’s order. Can I get drinks and appetizers for the ladies?”
Dr. Tatum and Sherry Lance ordered their meals, and as the evening passed, they could not help but notice the unusual appetite that Detective Jackson displayed: red wine and rare beef. Along with this, it seemed that he had done all of his investigating at night.
“Ms. Fromage disappeared at night. Besides, I have found that some places are stone cold dead during the day, but at night they are vibrantly alive.”
“Disgusting,” thought Dr. Tatum.
“I’m anxious to start. Are you ready?” asked Sherry of Detective Jackson as she took the mint from the table and stood.
“I’ll take you to the overlook,” he replied with a toothy grin.
**********
The roads were deserted on the way up the mountain, and the loneliness of the route gave the three investigators the creeps. The ladies both sat in the back seat as Detective Jackson drove, and when they reached the top of the mountain, there wa
s a one-lane parking lot with only one car visible.
“The local police report detailed the scene. Carol’s vehicle was discovered here, unlocked, and she was never found. The front desk clerk at the hotel reported that Carol did in fact drive away after dark the night she disappeared. The rest is a mystery,” said Detective Jackson.
“Thanks. We’ll take it from here,” replied Dr. Tatum as she latched onto Sherry’s arm and persuaded her away from the car and toward the overlook.
“When you’re ready to leave, just call. You have my cell phone number,” Detective Jackson said as he held up his phone and then walked into the shadows across the street.
“He’s cute, like an alligator,” whispered Dr. Tatum. Sherry giggled.
“Maybe he was trying to give us a hint at dinner. Maybe we should stake the place out tonight,” suggested Sherry.
“We really have no other leads, but I don’t know if I’m ready for an all-nighter.”
“Come one, where’s your sense of adventure,” coaxed Sherry.
Dr. Tatum paused to think then answered. “All right, but we’ll have to take turns with the watch. We’ll both stay up until midnight then I’ll need to get a few hours of shut eye.”
They both sat at the edge of the overlook, leaned up against a tree several yards into a shadowy forested area, and they waited patiently that evening for something significant to happen. A young couple parked in the lot and made out on the hood, then left. Several individuals arrived and looked out at the city, took pictures with their cameras and just quietly observed the twinkling of the city lights.
Then it happened. At 11:45 p.m. Dr. Tatum stood up to stretch and rub her eyes when a car rounded the last turn up the mountain and parked in the lot. The driver’s side door opened and a young lady got out and strolled up to the overlook and sat down to observe the city below, much as many of the others had done. As the spectator sat calmly taking in the view, Dr. Tatum noted movement from three directions around the young lady. Then three sets of glowing red eyes shined through the night from just above ground level, followed by guttural growling as the beasts surrounded the lady at the overlook. Pinned at the brink she screamed as a beast lunged at her, knocking her off balance. Before Dr. Tatum or Sherry could make a move to help, a black shape swooped through the night air and caught the off balance victim and leaped above the reach of the beasts, standing between and guarding her as she gained shelter in her car. Surrounding the car the beasts caught a whiff of something in the air, and as if they were alerted, the beasts disappeared into the shadows of the night.
When she was certain the area was clear, Dr. Tatum gave the signal to Sherry to call Detective Jackson for assistance. The ringtone sounded on the other end, and they were shocked to see the black figure holding a cellphone and answering.
“Detective Jackson,” the voice answered.
“Is that you?” Sherry asked urgently.
“Of course its me,” he whispered. “Who else would it be.”
“No,” she replied rolling her eyes. “Next to the car. Did you just save that girl?”
“I helped,” he answered as they came walking out of the woods with a look of disbelief on both of their faces.
“How did . . . what were those things?” Dr. Tatum asked, stumbling over her thoughts and words.
“I don’t know, but I’ll bet they had a part in Carol’s disappearance.” Then he knocked on the window of the car, and the glass rolled down a few inches to reveal the lady inside who was apparently still shaken by the attack. “Dr. Tatum and Agent Lance. Let me introduce you to Mary Fromage, Carol’s sister.” Dr. Tatum and Sherry looked at each other in surprise.
**********
“What were you thinking?” Detective Jackson inquired of the scared young lady. They were in the hotel bar talking over the encounter at the overlook in a whisper. “Your father should know what just happened out there.”
“You think my father doesn’t know? You think that he’s in the dark about this stuff?” she asked sarcastically.
“What are you saying, Mary? Are you saying the Senator knows what’s going on?” asked Dr. Tatum.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t know, but . . . but he asked specifically for your Department’s help, didn’t he?” That much was true, and no one at the table could deny that she had put her finger on the truth.
“We just want to help, and find your sister,” Sherry reassured her.
“Telling my father won’t help so don’t even think about it. If he finds out, I won’t be allowed to help at all. Those beasts that we saw . . . that is the first real clue that has been found since her disappearance,” Mary added.
“It’s true,” agreed Bat. “Before tonight, we’ve had no leads. Mary came to me and asked if she could help, and I couldn’t turn down her offer. But if I had had any inkling that she would have been in danger, I would never have let her come along.”
They all looked from one to the other, then Sherry spoke. “I have an idea that will allow Mary to help, but won’t put her in any significant danger. I’ll dress up as Mary, and I’ll be the bait tomorrow night.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” commanded Dr. Tatum. “If Detective Jackson hadn’t intervened when he did, we would . . . well, I don’t like to think about the outcome. And you Jackson, what were you thinking? Mary could have been seriously injured tonight.”
“You’re right, Dr. Tatum,” said Detective Jackson. “But she wasn’t hurt, and if it hadn’t been for Mary’s bravery, we wouldn’t have seen the beasts . . .”
“You don’t know that,” Dr. Tatum interrupted. “And you don’t know that you can out maneuver them again.”
“I’m certain I can,” argued Bat. “If Agent Lance is willing to risk it, then I say let’s go for it.”
“You’re ready to risk the ladies’ lives. How brave of you,” retorted Dr. Tatum.
With the tension level growing between the two, Sherry laid down the gauntlet. “This will work. It’s what we should do, and I am willing to try, Dr. Tatum.”
Seeing that she was going to lose this battle, Dr. Tatum relented with conditions. “When the beasts appear again, you will run, Sherry. But, I’m holding you responsible if anything goes wrong, Jackson.”
“It won’t,” he said as he sat back in his chair.
“Good, then let’s hear your plan,” replied Dr. Tatum.
**********
After much haggling of the details, a concrete plan of attack was agreed upon by the DAM and Detective Jackson. The team broke away for the night with Bat escorting Mary safely back to her room which just happened to be in the same hotel where the others were staying. Dr. Tatum and Sherry ventured back to their room and talked along the way.
“Listen, Sherry. I brought a tool along with me that may prove helpful in a tight spot. Before we turn in, I want to show you what we have.”
“I’m pretty tired, really. Can it wait until tomorrow?”
“Yes, I suppose, but don’t forget.”
**********
When Dr. Tatum woke up the next morning, Sherry was gone and her cell phone was on the table next to her bed. “Where is she?” she thought as she showered and prepared for the long day ahead. Checking the time on the clock, it was 11:15 a.m. She had slept in late that morning, and there was much ground to cover in preparation for the trap that night. Morning turned to afternoon, and then to evening, and there was no sign of Sherry. Worry crept in, so Dr. Tatum made a short visit down to Detective Jackson’s room where a “Do Not Disturb” sign was hanging from the knob. Suspicious, she knocked on the door repeatedly with no answer. Undaunted she marched back to her room to find that Sherry had returned.
“Where have you been all day? I was worried when you didn’t take your phone.”
“I’m sorry, I woke up early and decided to go out to the overlook to check out the territory in the daylight.”
“You should
have woken me up. I could have gone along, too. Was Jackson with you?”
“No, I haven’t seen him today.”
“He didn’t answer the door either,” Dr. Tatum said to herself. Perhaps he was exhausted, or maybe he had company. After all, he was handsome and single.
“Oh, before, we go anywhere else,” Dr. Tatum continued, “we need to work with the tool that I brought along from the store room.”
“Sure, but can we get dinner first. I’ve been in the field all day,” replied Sherry.
Reluctantly, Dr. Tatum gave in to hunger, but with the promise of training afterwards. At the restaurant in the hotel lobby, they sat across from each other in a booth and watched traffic go by outside. The sun had set and night was slipping in. Before the waiter arrived, Detective Jackson made an appearance, and noticing Dr. Tatum and Sherry, he came over to greet them.
“Good evening, ladies. Would you like some company over dinner?”
“Sure,” Sherry replied before Dr. Tatum could object. Bat sat beside Sherry who had slid over in the booth to make room for him.
“I’m afraid I’ve been sleeping all day. I have a condition that makes night work more suitable than the day shift.”
“Really. And what condition is that, if you don’t mind my asking,” inquired Dr. Tatum.
“I don’t mind. I have a rare allergy to sunlight. It burns my skin,” revealed Bat.
“You poor thing. That’s terrible. How did you ever go to school like that?” asked Sherry with sympathy.
“It wasn’t easy. My parents home-schooled me. Being a detective works out well for me, too, since most major crimes happen at night.”
The conversation continued after dinner until 9:00 p.m., and Dr. Tatum remembered she needed to train Sherry before the stakeout. “I hate to break this up, but we really do need to prepare and move out,” she said when the receipt was brought back by the waiter.
“I will meet you here with Mary in thirty minutes,” replied Bat with a wink.
The Uncanny Tales of Crush & Pound 1 Page 3