by J P Barnett
Deirdre rethought the situation from the beginning multiple times. She had to solve this.
She needed more information.
Sitting down at her desk, she logged onto her computer and pulled up the research that had been digitized upon her request, clicking through old photographs and reading through reports her staff had painstakingly typed-up from handwritten manuscripts. Yes, all the information appeared to drive her toward one conclusion.
Her heart pounded. Her face flushed. Her hands shook. A lifetime of achievement stood on the brink of extinction. She had no friends, a string of failed relationships, and never got enough sleep. There was nothing in her life worth anything except her career. How could she get out of this mess without losing it?
It was a stupid careless mistake, driven by hubris and the shadow of loyalty. She hadn’t taken the time to consider the possibilities. If she had, she would have seen this coming. It was entirely her mistake, though, and despite the ramifications, she could still fix it.
She pushed back from her desk, spinning her chair towards her file cabinet. Leaning over to reach the bottom-most drawer, she put in the combination, popped it open, and peered inside. Her breath caught in her chest. She had only used it a couple of times, all in the same week of training, and now, as she scooped it up in her hand, she worried that she wouldn’t remember how to use it.
How hard could it be, though? Point it. Pull the trigger, right?
The gun felt heavier than she remembered, but the longer she held it, the more natural it began to feel. She vaguely remembered something about a safety, so she checked it to be sure she wouldn’t accidentally shoot herself.
Gingerly, Deirdre put the gun in her purse. She blinked away tears. Was this fear? Maybe, but she could conquer it just like every other challenge in her life.
Chapter 9
Shandi and Jake had shared most of their childhood but standing before her in the archive room of the Rose Valley Reporter, she saw him for the first time.
Though she’d always pictured Jake as a generously-framed individual, he’d lost a lot of mass during his recovery. Still, though, he easily hulked over her. After the accident, he’d grown a beard to help hide some of the scars, which to Shandi made him more distinguished. His deep, dark brown eyes danced with wild excitement as he relayed Bernard’s story about the beast.
In high school, Shandi had fallen in love with this part of Jake’s personality. His passion was contagious. Jake might say the two of them had a lot in common, and Shandi might have agreed at one time. In hindsight, though, she’d just been reflecting Jake’s enthusiasm. Her confidence had concealed from her more impressionable side. She loved all her friends dearly, of course, but Jake had made a bigger impression on her than most, something she only realized years after he’d left Rose Valley. Jake finished his retelling of Bernard’s tale. In this instant, Shandi realized her enthusiasm was real and her own.
“There has to be a link,” she said thoughtfully.
Jake smiled. “Exactly. There has to be, right? You really should convince Dan to digitize this stuff. I was bummed when I couldn’t get this online. How am I going to find anything without a search engine?”
“Oh, we do have a search engine. We call it ‘your eyes’. It’s not quite as fast, but it gets the job done.” Shandi smiled. “It actually shouldn’t be that bad. Bernard said it was 1942?”
Shandi walked to the left of the room and gently ran her fingers along the spines of the volumes. On this side of the paper’s archive room, each dusty spine displayed a single golden year.
“You’re in luck,” she said. “Back in ’42, the paper was only published once a week. We’ve only got 52 papers to look through. Shouldn’t be too bad.” She happened upon the volume she was looking for and stretched up to snag it.
As she reached, Jake appeared behind her, almost too close. He grabbed the book with ease, and for a brief moment they brought it down in tandem. Shandi let go and Jake carried it to the lectern in the middle of the room, which Dan had commissioned specifically for perusing old issues of yellowing newspapers.
Jake sat the book down and stepped aside. “I don’t want to get in trouble with Dan. Maybe you should do the honors.”
Shandi lifted the cover and placed it against the surface of the lectern. The first paper read Volume 1508, Wednesday, January 7, 1942. They both scanned the cover. Only smiling faces and minor accomplishments stared back at them. No mutilated livestock or terrified townsfolk. She flipped the page. Each paper in 1942 boasted only two pages, each printed on the front and the back. Every waxy page crackled with fragility, requiring Shandi to use both hands to turn each one.
As they read and searched, silence filled the room. Shandi presumed to know how quickly Jake read, and so turned the page at a consistent pace. He didn’t complain. After a few minutes of page-turning, doubt started creeping in. Perhaps Bernard made it all up: the gleeful rantings of a mischievous old man.
Then she came to Volume 1549, Wednesday, October 21, 1942.
She stopped. The clear, bold headline overtook the front page. Under the catchy words stretched a tall, solemn-faced man in a lab coat, standing next to a mass of something indistinguishable, obscured by the shadows of cruder photography. Shandi shivered at the thought of what it might be.
The caption read: “Dr. William Cordova, with one of the affected animals.”
While Jake could see over her, Shandi moved to the side so he could get closer. He quickly did so, putting them side by side, her shoulder touching his bicep. To her surprise, she didn’t mind him in her personal space. Without any words, they both leaned in to read the article.
***
LIVESTOCK MUTILATIONS DESTROYING ECONOMY
A rash of animal mutilations has ravaged local ranches. Timothy Jones of the Big J ranch has lost half of his sheep this year. Many other ranchers in the area have reported similar losses.
Dr. William Cordova of Arrowhead Research has been studying the phenomenon with the cooperation of local ranchers.
The animals are often torn to pieces according to Mr. Jones, with only minor evidence of being eaten. Mr. Jones has theorized to this reporter that such cases were likely the work of scavengers.
Mr. Jones described the culprit as a man-like beast with supernatural speed and strength.
Dr. Cordova disputed Mr. Jones description. “There is no evidence that an animal as described by Mr. Jones exists. It was likely a trick of the light.”
Mr. Jones refuted Dr. Cordova’s assessment, insisting that he saw a feral man attacking his sheep. He claims to have shot this creature at short range, but that it was not injured and quickly ran back into the trees near his property.
Regardless of the culprit behind these mutilations, the economic impact on Rose Valley is significant. Though Dr. Cordova has assured us that this event will soon stop, ranchers are understandably very concerned.
***
As she read, her heart-rate quickened. This article definitely described whatever Macy saw on the road. Shandi attempted to collect herself, wondering if she should just blurt this out to Jake.
Once Jake finished, Shandi spoke first.
“Why was Arrowhead Research even involved in this? Seems odd that they would have been interested.”
“I dunno.” Jake shrugged. “They were probably the closest thing to experts in town. It doesn’t seem that strange that they would have been consulted. It’s wild that Arrowhead’s been around that long.”
Jake reached into his pocket to get his phone, slightly dragging his shirt up as he did so, revealing the scars along his side. Shandi tried not to wince.
“Mind if I take a picture?” Jake asked.
“Of course not. Go right ahead. There’s probably some rule about no flash or something? I dunno. This isn’t a museum.” Shandi moved away from the lectern to sit in a chair along the wall.
She had promised Cam she wouldn’t tell anyone about the incident with Macy and Wes, but she woul
dn’t be able to keep that promise. It pleaded to be shared. Too important. Too vital to this line of research. It also didn’t hurt that Jake would find it valuable, and that somehow satisfied her.
“So, uh. I have something I want to tell you,” Shandi finally said, before she had even fully given her mouth permission.
Jake dropped his phone back into his pocket. As he crossed over to her, she realized she was sitting in the room’s only chair and that he would be towering over her. She didn’t like that feeling, and immediately stood up.
“Oh yeah? What’s up?”
“So, last night, Macy got into an accident, and—”
“Oh my God,” Jake cut in. “Is she okay? Why didn’t you tell me? We didn’t have to do this today.”
Shandi shook her head. “No, no. She’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
He seemed to calm down. He had only met Macy once or twice. The two of them certainly had no relationship. Why would he care so deeply for Macy?
“Anyway. Her boyfriend. He swerved to keep from hitting something. Ran into a fence post. No harm done.”
Jake eyed her. “Okay. I’m glad she’s okay. I assume there’s more?”
Shandi nodded and took a deep breath. “The thing he almost hit. I think it was this thing. That Tim Jones describes in the paper.”
She watched as his face shifted from confusion to excitement. Jake absent-mindedly stroked his beard as she recounted the entire story. His excitement grew when she described the drawings, and then visibly fell when he learned that the sheriff had taken them.
Jake seemed excited. “This is amazing. This should be on the front page of the paper. How is it not on the front page of the paper? This should be national news. This is a big deal, Shandi. A big deal!”
She agreed, but still felt helpless. “It’s something, all right. I want to get this in the paper, too, but my hands are tied. I promised Cam I wouldn’t. He needs to keep it a secret in case others see it. I need something else to go on. A photo or some more eyewitnesses. Something that doesn’t get funneled through the Sheriff’s Department.”
Jake’s eyes dropped briefly, imperceptibly. Did the mention of Cam annoy him? Whatever his reaction, it disappeared quickly and without lasting signs of emotional baggage. They each shared a rocky past with Cam, and she worried that Jake might see her acquiescence to the sheriff as a betrayal.
He moved on with his thoughts. “Others might have seen it. There might be more in the paper after October 21. We should see if we can find something. And then maybe...”
Jake trailed off before resuming. “Can you look through this? I’ve gotta go talk to Steve. Maybe we can bait this thing out.”
Shandi felt Jake’s exhilaration flow through her like electricity. They built off each other’s energy, it seemed, and, in that moment, she felt more alive than she had in years.
In that moment, Shandi Mason may well have done anything for Jake Rollins.
But for now, she only nodded.
Chapter 10
“You know these things ain’t free, right?” Steve said, expertly coaxing one sheep out of the herd.
Jake looked on, happy to let Steve do the work. “I’ll reimburse you? How much does a sheep cost? Like $50?”
Steve laughed. “Try more like $300. These are premium sheep, man.”
“Seriously? Three-hundred for a smelly animal that you then have to feed and take care of? Are you sure you’re in the right line of work?”
“It’s a living,” Steve shrugged.
Though sheep-wrangling was not part of Jake’s array of skills, he did have his part to play. He’d spent the bulk of the day playing around with motion detectors he’d gotten at the hardware store. If he managed to rig everything up correctly, they would trigger his phone to take live video at the detection of the slightest motion, whether from the sheep or the beast.
When he’d come home with all the equipment, Steve rightfully pointed out that Jake could have just bought a game camera instead. Jake acted as if he wanted the challenge of figuring it all out, but it had really just never occurred to him to buy one.
“Okay,” Steve said. “She’s not going to be happy about this. They don’t like being away from the herd. She’ll probably bleat all night long. It’s going to be annoying.” He put a collar around the sheep’s neck, then attached a leash that was bound to a stake in the ground.
“With any luck, the beast will come for her and shut her up,” Jake teased.
Steve gave Jake a stern look, then shook his head.
“Don’t get my sheep killed, man. Scare away whatever comes for it. I’m going to the opening game tonight, so you’re on your own if the ‘beast’ comes calling.” Steve put the word beast in air quotes.
Tonight’s celebration of catching pigskin and helmet-knocking precluded any hope that Jake would have back up. The entire town would flock to the stadium, but Jake couldn’t stomach the thought of so much socializing just yet. In fact, he had been bedridden the previous football season, so he hadn’t been to a single football game since his return to Rose Valley. It was not unthinkable that this could make him the town pariah.
“Oh, hey,” Steve said. “Assuming you don’t get eaten by the ‘beast’ tonight, wanna come over for dinner tomorrow? Cory’s coming over.”
He weighed his options. He didn’t relish the thought of being a third wheel, but he would be within walking distance to the guest house, so he would have an easy out.
“Are you sure? I hate to intrude.”
“Nah. Don’t worry about it. Cory wants to get to know you better anyway. You are living on my property, after all.”
Jake’s feelings on Cory constantly flipped back and forth. Steve had been single for a long time, and Jake wanted to be happy to see him in a relationship, but he worried that Steve had taken the only choice available to him. Steve deserved better than to settle, but the dating pool of Rose Valley was not very deep.
“Yeah, okay, sure,” Jake finally relented.
“Great. It’ll be fun.” Steve started his walk back to his house. “Speaking of which, enjoy your monster hunting tonight.”
“Later.”
As Steve walked away, Jake immediately went to work setting up the equipment. He preferred to stay outside and try to see the creature firsthand, but he thought better of it once he started reflecting on those gory bits of bifurcated lamb. Keeping his limbs intact seemed like the more important goal. And getting it on video would be a crucial start to getting the word out.
There’d been no word from Skylar Brooks since Jake had sent the email, and this nagged at him. Maybe Mr. Brooks would take him and the situation more seriously if there was footage. At the very least, it would provide the third-party evidence that Shandi would need to take this thing public.
As Jake fumbled with the setup, the sheep made a terrible racket. Steve hadn’t been lying about that. Jake had carefully chosen the location of his bait so he could watch from the window of the guest house. Hopefully the beast wouldn’t see fit to go farther and barge into his space.
After he finished up, Jake returned to his guest house, rolled the rickety computer chair to the window and sat down.
Now he would wait.
Jake had a primal instinct to want to see this thing for himself. He had spent a lifetime fascinated with cryptids, always wondering in the back of his mind if it was all merely fantasy and folklore. Tonight, everything would change. Tonight, he would prove something no one ever had.
He found it easy to keep watch at first, the adrenaline of excitement surging through him, but boredom pushed its way in before long. He got up and made some coffee, guzzling it down as fast as he could. The minutes and hours ticked by, and he fought hard to remain vigilant, pushing back against the sleep that threatened to overtake him.
He tried to think about things. About Deirdre. And Shandi. The football game. Perhaps next week, he’d work up the courage to go. It would be a good excuse to hang out with his friends, and there
had been a time when he legitimately enjoyed the sport. Yes. He would go next week.
Somewhere lost in thoughts, he lost track of his surroundings as his eyelids betrayed him, and he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 11
Shandi gave the attendant five dollars and entered Jaguar Stadium. It was a paltry sum of money, but it irked her that press didn’t get in for free, even if the paper footed the bill. Sports reporting barely elevated itself above the weather.
Shandi’s understanding of football had grown mightily over the years, especially when Macy had started crushing on Wes Morris. Her daughter, who had previously spent entire football games beneath the bleachers with her friends, had transformed into an avid football fan. Their courtship only existed in Macy’s dreams the previous football season, but her crush became an obsession and she insisted that learning about football would endear her to Wes. Clearly, it had worked.
As Shandi walked up the stairs into the bleachers, she took note of Cam standing along the fence. The fence acted as a shrine for the true football fans of Rose Valley. Mostly peopled with old men, all those armchair coaches who viewed the players as little more than figures and stats.
Ironically, Cam had despised football when they were married. Once he’d seriously committed to running for sheriff, though, he became an overnight expert, as one did not get elected as sheriff in Rose Valley without credentials as an enthusiastic Jaguars fan. The fact that Macy had also quickly learned the game for her own selfish reasons bothered Shandi.
The game hadn’t even started, and the fencers were already yelling to some of the players and at the coaches.
“Oh come on! That play will never work!” one guy yelled.
“Seriously, you’re warming up Campbell?” another man’s voice echoed.
The litany of critiques filled the air, in such great volume that Shandi lost track of it all. Listening to the complaints on the fence, one might think that the Jaguars had no hope, despite a mountain of statistical evidence to the contrary.