Mudcat

by John Quick

  “You didn’t see what I saw,” she said. “I got this for protection, and that’s exactly what I’m going to use it for. If that thing comes back, I’m putting three rounds in its damned face and then I’ll let you take over.”

  Rob raised an eyebrow at that, but kept his mouth shut. It was obvious that whatever she’d seen, it had her good and rattled.

  She led him around the side of the house and through the wooden gate set into her privacy fence. Rob winced as his feet immediately sank into the ground when he entered the back yard. If the ground was already this squelchy, it was probably only a matter of time before the lake itself rose high enough to brush up against the house. He glanced up at the sky, and thought that the rain had let up slightly, but he couldn’t be sure. He hoped it had; if it didn’t give them something resembling a break before too much longer, there wouldn’t be a town left to worry about.

  He returned his attention to the ground before him, not wanting to wind up stepping into mud thicker than he anticipated and getting himself stuck. Not only would it look exceptionally unprofessional, it would be damned embarrassing. Doubly so, considering his present company. He saw that Leanne had produced a fairly powerful flashlight from one of the pockets in the rain suit, and was using it to pick her way across the yard, heading down to where he could dimly make out the raised waterline that was the lake. A large form was starting to come into view now, lying motionless in the grass. Rob assumed it was her dog, but the rain was still coming down too hard for him to be able to see very far ahead of him.

  As they got closer, he was finally able to confirm his suspicions. The form lying there in and starting to bob slightly as the water level increased was definitely that of a dog, and even from here he could tell that it was quite dead. He put a hand on Leanne’s shoulder, stopping her, and stepped past her.

  “You don’t need to see this,” he said softly. “Let me go check it out, then we’ll get back to the house.”

  He could tell she wanted to ignore him and keep going right alongside him, but she also didn’t want to see her pet in this condition. She gave him a reluctant nod, and made sure to keep the flashlight beam trained on the dead dog ahead of them so he could have a better view of it. He smiled sympathetically, and pulled his own Mag-Light free of its place on his utility belt, then clicked it on and approached the animal.

  The first thing he saw was that its head was gone. Not just cut off, or even ripped off, but gone altogether. He swept his light across the ground around him, expecting to see it lying some distance away, but there was nothing. Frowning, he squatted, feeling moisture licking at the seat of his pants despite his effort to prevent that very thing from happening, and studied the wounds. They bore more than a passing resemblance to those he'd seen on the bodies of Annie Fordham and Chase Wilcox earlier in the day. He felt safe in assuming that whatever had attacked them had killed the dog as well.

  On the one hand, this was good in that it gave him the direction the thing was heading. On the other, he was still no closer to figuring out what it was in the first place. Worse, if it was headed further along the lakeside in this direction, finding it was going to be damn near impossible. The general elevation only lowered the further down the road you went, and dead-ended at a gravel turnaround just at the edge of the water. If the road was already starting to flood out this far from the water’s edge, then that area was guaranteed to already be nothing more than an extension of the lake itself.

  He leaned back and frowned deeper as his eyes fell across what appeared to be a deep indention in the ground leading from the dog’s carcass to the water below. It, too, was similar to what he’d seen near the body of Chase Wilcox, and for the first time he found himself wondering if there maybe wasn’t something to what Leanne claimed had done this.

  Rob stood and made his way carefully back to where Leanne stood watching him, struggling to keep his balance as he forced his way through the thick muck that was trying to hold him in place. He motioned toward the house, and she nodded before turning and starting back that way herself. He allowed himself one final look back at the dead animal, his mind still trying to come up with a rational explanation for what had happened, and then he followed after her.

  They headed up onto her back deck where Rob saw a Coleman lantern in the center of her wrought iron table, its wicks turned to low. Leanne switched off her flashlight and set it down, then turned the knob that made the lantern glow brighter.

  “Well?” she asked, turning to face him.

  His mind was still going a hundred miles an hour, trying to put pieces together without even knowing what the final picture was supposed to look like. Finally he took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before shaking his head slowly.

  “I have no idea,” he said. “I’ll agree that it looks like something killed the dog, but I couldn’t even begin to guess what it could’ve been that did it.”

  “I told you what it was,” she replied coolly. “It was a fucking mutant catfish.”

  “I know that’s what you think it was….”

  “Don’t patronize me, Rob,” she said. Her tone had shifted and now he could hear anger slipping through her carefully controlled mask. “I’ve lived in Ashford Fork my entire life, I’ve seen more catfish than I care to remember seeing, and I know damned well what that thing was.”

  Rob sighed. “Look, I’m not saying you’re making it up. But what you say you saw? It’s just not possible.”

  She opened her mouth to argue some more, but he held up a hand to stop her.

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’m going to,” he said. “Maybe it will help you understand my position, here. Annie Fordham and Chase Wilcox were found dead off an old service road next to the lake this afternoon.”

  Her mouth snapped shut as shock filled her eyes.

  “We’re not sure what happened yet,” he continued. “But from the way it looks, something attacked and… ate… part of them. The wounds they had are the same as what’s on your dog down there. You say it was a catfish, and nothing I say will change your mind. Fine. But I grew up around here, too, and I’ve never in my life seen a catfish get aggressive enough to attack something on the shore, much less seen one actually capable of killing and eating people, not to mention the dog or that all of them would’ve fought back. You’re telling me that it’s the size of a person, and from the wounds I saw on those bodies, I’d say it would almost have to be. Catfish can grow big, I’ll grant you that, but that would have to be the biggest damn catfish in the world. So put yourself in my shoes, and try to see this the way I’m having to.”

  Little by little he saw the rest of the anger drain from her face. Finally she sighed deeply and shook her head. “I hear you, Rob, really I do, but I know what I saw. And if the thing’s aggressive enough to go after my dog, for whatever reason, I have to think it would have no qualms going after a couple of people, too.”

  Rob sighed again. He still couldn’t find it in himself to agree with her, but he also didn’t have any desire to argue with her about it. “Either way, there’s not much I can do about it tonight, not with this rain the way it is. I’ve also got a couple of collapsed bridges to deal with.”

  That got her attention. Her head snapped up, eyes wide. “The bridges are out? Both of them?”

  He nodded. “No idea what happened yet, but they went down around the time I stared out this way, apparently.”

  She nodded. “What do you do now?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve got people out closing the roads, and Charlene calling it in to the state, so I guess for now it’s wait and see.”

  “So stay here tonight.”

  He gave her a confused look. “I just said….”

  “That you had nothing to do other than wait,” she finished for him. “You can do that here as well as you can anywhere else. And considering what I saw out there, and what it did, I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”

  Rob felt his heartbeat speed up as he tri
ed to pick the right words. “Leanne, look, I’m flattered that you’ve asked, but I don’t think this is the right time for us to….”

  She chuckled as he trailed off. “I don’t either, and while two hours ago it would’ve been a different story, I’m as far from in the mood as I can get. I’m genuinely just asking for another person to be in the house with me, so I know I’m not alone if that thing comes back, whatever it was.”

  He knew she’d phrased that last specifically to appeal to him, to give the impression that she was letting him win the argument, but it didn’t matter. He could understand what she was saying, and had to admit that he would be thrilled for the chance to get his boots off, peel off his drenched socks, and hope that his feet managed to dry before he had to get dressed again in the morning. And she had another point as well, there was nothing he could really do about anything—the murders or the collapsed bridges—until morning. Slowly, he began to nod.

  “I’ll need to check in first,” he said. “But if you really want me to stay, I’m willing.”

  She smiled and pecked a quick kiss on his cheek. “I do. Thank you, Rob.”

  His skin tingled where her lips touched it, and he smiled back at her before taking a step down off the deck. “I’ll meet you around front?”

  She nodded and started toward the door leading into the house. “I’ll grab you a couple of towels. I think I’ve even got some sweats that might fit you, if you’re okay with that.”

  “As long as they’re dry.”

  She laughed and disappeared into the house. He shook his head and made his way back around to his truck, then leaned in and keyed his radio.

  “Unit Two to Dispatch,” he said. “You still there, Charlene?”

  There was barely any wait before she came on the line. “I’m here, Rob. How’s your fish hunt?”

  He ignored her sarcasm. “What’s the latest on the bridge situation?”

  “Andy and Boyd have about got the north bridge secured for now,” she replied immediately. “Eddie and Dwayne finally made it out and headed to the southern bridge to try and secure it until Public Works can get down there and put up something more appropriate. Should be done here in the next hour or so.”

  “And what did state have to say?”

  “That they’ll check it out first thing tomorrow,” she replied, irritation creeping into her voice. “But they don’t think they’ll be able to do much until the rain lets up. They said as long as we’ve got power, we should just sit tight and they’ll take care of it as soon as they can.”

  “Helpful as always,” he muttered. “Anything else going on I need to know about?”

  “Eddie and Dwayne say they think there’s a car down there in the wreckage of the bridge, but they can’t be sure,” she said. “They don’t hear anybody calling for help or anything.”

  “Can they get down to it?”

  “Negative,” she replied. “Maybe once Boyd gets out there, they can figure something out, though.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “No idea how long that car’s been down there now, so hopefully whoever was in it had enough sense to get away before it went down. I’m going to be out of service for a little while out here, try and get some sleep.”

  “Oh, I doubt you’ll be getting much of that,” she said. He could see her smile without even having to be there for it. “Should I put on some extra coffee in the morning?”

  “Cute, Charlene,” he said. “The road’s damn near flooded out, and I’m dead on my feet. Leanne didn’t want to be alone after her dog got killed by whatever it was that attacked it, so I agreed to stay out here in case it comes back.”

  “Is that what she used?”

  “Give Eddie a call, have him come back and run dispatch once they get everything secured down there at south bridge,” he said, ignoring her. “Then you get home and get some rest yourself. Looks like tomorrow’s going to be another long day.”

  “You’re probably right about that,” she agreed. “Steph’s doing one last check over near the boat dock, since we’re betting the road’s flooded out that way, too. I’ll see what she found then send her and Andy home before heading out myself, if that’s good with you.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

  “I’d never interrupt true love,” Charlene said.

  Rob shook his head and dropped the mic back on top of the radio, got out, and headed back to the house where he could see Leanne waiting with towels and a change of clothes. She had changed out of her rain suit, and now was wearing a fluffy robe that looked warm, dry, and downright comfortable. He had the sudden certainty that she was wearing nothing underneath, and probably hadn’t been wearing anything under the rain suit, either. He knew he wasn’t here for that, and she’d confirmed that she wasn’t thinking along those lines either, but he couldn’t help but wonder if there weren’t still some surprises ahead for him tonight.

  He could only hope they’d be pleasant ones.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The first thing Jake noticed as he awoke was that he was freezing. That he was naked and lying on the floor came next, followed swiftly by the fact that not all of him was freezing. His front half was actually fairly warm, the result of discovering Carrie curled up against him, also naked. After a moment of blissful confusion, he remembered that he’d come to her place after her car got stuck in a deep washout in the road, and that while ostensibly drying off, they’d ended up doing a great deal more than just that.

  He also remembered that the power was out, and while there’d been some discussion about starting a fire, they hadn’t gotten around to that before everything happened.

  He sat up and waited for his eyes to adjust to being opened again, and to the very low level of ambient light in the room. He stood up carefully, not wanting to wake Carrie up just yet, and felt his back cramp a bit from sleeping on the hard floor. He’d done it before, but only when he’d just plain passed out, so it wasn’t by choice. This was the first time he could remember doing so while sober, and he had to say that he hated it. He stretched and twisted, working some of the kinks out and nearly sighed with pleasure as his spine crackled like a bowl of Rice Krispies and seemed to slip back into alignment. Once he felt like he could walk without stumbling, he made his way carefully over to one of the living room windows so he could take a peek outside.

  It was still raining, and from the way the road looked, it had picked back up again at some point. Now it didn’t seem to be that bad, but it was definitely steady. He had a feeling it would last the rest of the night, which meant there wasn’t much hope of Carrie getting her car again tomorrow. Not that he was overly upset about that. It would give them a chance to talk, and maybe to rekindle the relationship they’d once had. Obviously, they’d already made some headway in that area—at least he liked to think they had—but one night together didn’t mean they were back in a relationship.

  He headed over to the towel where they’d thrown their wet clothes and winced when he felt how damp they still were. He could put them back on, but he had a feeling they’d just make him even colder than he already was. He had a dim recollection of leaving some clothes here once back when they were actively dating, but he had no idea where she would’ve put them. From the way his bladder nearly throbbed in his abdomen, he had more pressing concerns anyway.

  It was a good thing he’d been here before, and was able to find his way down the hallway to the bathroom mostly by feel. Still, he bumped up against the wall or something sitting in the hall that he didn’t remember being there more often than he cared to admit. He vaguely remembered the flashlight sitting discarded on the coffee table next to the pair of candles that had obviously burnt themselves out at some point and wished he’d thought enough to grab it. He considered going back for it, but his bladder reminded him that it was in dire need of emptying. He’d already made it this far, so there was no point in turning back now.

  He moved slowly through the b
athroom, hands extended until he finally felt the cool porcelain of the toilet. He lifted the lid, positioned himself in what he hoped was the right spot, and began to urinate. He let out a breath when he heard the distinctive sound of it hitting the water in the bowl, and was thankful that he’d managed to not splatter it all over the floor around the john instead of in it. When he was done, he flushed, then rinsed his hands under the sink before slowly making his way back out of the room again.

  He nearly tripped when he reemerged into the hallway, and then remembered that Carrie had knocked down one of the shelves in her hall closet while attempting to get them towels and pull out the candles. He cursed under his breath when his big toe rammed up against something hard and unyielding, and balanced precariously as he held his injured foot in both hands in the age-old pose of “please make this pain go away.”

  When the beam of light hit him, he nearly fell over from his shock, raising one hand from his foot to shield his eyes.

  “That is not your most attractive angle,” Carrie said from behind the light.

  “Cute,” he muttered. “Can you move that down a little, please? I think you just blinded me.”

  She chuckled, but lowered the beam to his feet. He could see her better now, enough to realize she’d put on her light robe before coming to scare the shit out of him. He could also tell that she was apparently as cold as he was, since her nipples jutted at the fabric in twin points on her chest. He felt himself start to grow hard again, and willed himself to look away. Apparently she’d noticed as well, since she let out another series of giggles.

  “Bet you wish you had some way to hide the fact you’re a raging perv, don’t you?”

  “That would be nice,” he said. “But more because I’m freezing my ass off. Didn’t I leave some clothes here?”

  She started down the hallway toward him. “It’s not much. A pair of swimming trunks, a t-shirt, and maybe a pair of jeans. I don’t remember, exactly. Lucky for you I didn’t throw it all out while I was pissed at you. I think they’re in my closet.”