Tarizon: Desert Swarm

by William Manchee

  Chapter 17

  Bat Mountain Corporation

  Jack Carpenter was starting to lose interest in the Bat Mountain Site when the FBI called. It had been exciting at first but now it had become a distraction he didn’t need. His business normally kept him busy six days a week and he was getting behind on some of his jobs because of it. It was a relief when the government took over the site and he could get back to business as usual.

  The news that Colonel Martin had been killed by bats, however, blew his mind. He’d heard of the Lone Pine Devil and knew ranchers often blamed the unexplained loss of livestock to it, but he’d never heard of a bat attacking a human in his lifetime. He’d gone exploring in caves before and ran across bats but they’d always kept their distance. He couldn’t imagine someone capturing bats and using them as weapons, but admitted to himself it might be possible.

  He agreed to meet Agents William Pierce and Melanie Sanders at Deep Springs College where they were also interviewing George Palmer. When he got there he went over his discovery of the Bat Mountain Site. George had already filled them in on the research he’d done there before the feds took over the site. Both of them were able to provide the agents rock solid alibis so the mood was relaxed.

  “So, had you had any problem with bats?” Agent Sanders asked.

  “No,” George replied. “I never saw one the entire time I was there.”

  “Me, either.” Jack agreed. “I’ve done some hiking on Bat Mountain over the last 25 years and there are plenty of bats in the caves up there, but I’ve never heard of them attacking humans.”

  “What about before that?”

  “Well, I thought you might ask about that so I looked it up in an old history book I have. Back in 1878 it was said that 37 Spanish settlers disappeared in this area and their rotted corpses were found by a team of copper miners. Weeks later Father Justes Martinez showed up at a mission near San Diego and claimed the party had been attacked by winged demons sweeping down from the trees in the deep of night.”

  Agent Sanders frowned. “So, you’re buying Reverend Little’s sermon?” she asked.

  “No. I’m just saying the myth about the Lone Pine Demon is that it is the protector of the environment and natural wonders of the desert. It attacks those who seek to disturb the natural balance of nature in this area. So, the bats attacking Colonel Martin, kind of makes sense, if they perceived he was disturbing mother nature. If you believe in the myth, that is.”

  “Do you believe in it?” Agent Sanders asked.

  “No. Not really. Like I said, I haven’t heard of anyone being attacked by a bat since I’ve lived here.”

  “So, do either of you know anyone in Reverend Little’s congregation who might be capable of murder.”

  “No,” Jack said. “I don’t know of anyone in the group that well, but they all strike me as passive types. The only aggressive one in the bunch is the high school principal, Paul Barnes. He pretty much handles logistics for Reverend Little.”

  “So, Paul Barnes is the chief administrator for the church?”

  “Unofficially. The Reverend would tell you he handles administration but in reality he delegates it to Barnes.”

  “So, if someone was hired to make it look like bats had killed Colonel Martin, you think Barnes would have arranged it?”

  “Right. The Reverend couldn’t have done it,” Jack said.

  “So, how easy would it be to catch a bat?” Agent Sanders asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it, but I was thinking about that today after I heard about the attack.”

  “Really, did you come up with something?”

  “Well, you couldn’t sneak up on them. They’d just fly off, but if you could figure out how they go in and out of the cave you could put up netting over the entrance. Then if you turned on a light or created a loud noise, they’d fly into the net and you’d have them.”

  “Hmm. Interesting idea,” Agent Sanders noted.

  “I wouldn’t want to be the one removing them from the net, though,” Jack said. “They’d be pretty pissed off.”

  Sanders laughed. “No. Me either.”

  “A better idea,” George interjected, “would be to fill the cave with a gas that would knock them out for a while. Then you could gather them up and transport them to the murder site and be gone when they woke up.”

  Agent Sanders looked at Agent Pierce and nodded. “Right. I bet that was how it was done.”

  George shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what kind of gas to use. Did you catch any of the bats?”

  “No, but there was some bat guano,” Agent Sanders said thoughtfully. “We might be able to test it for traces of chemical residue.”

  “Right. And if you found some you might be able to trace it to the killer,” Jack said excitedly.

  Agent Sanders laughed. “Have you had any law enforcement experience?” she asked. “You seem to have a nose for investigation.”

  “Yes, I was an MP during the Korean War. One of my assignments was criminal investigation. I thought about going into law enforcement after I got out, but I would have had to move to the city. There wasn’t much opportunity around here.”

  “Well, you’ve been a big help, both of you,” Agent Sanders said as she got up. “If we have any more questions, we’ll call you.”

  Jack and George nodded and showed the two agents out. Cindy and Dolly had been waiting in the lounge so they joined them there. They had agreed to go out to dinner after the interviews, so they drove into Lone Pine to their favorite restaurant, the Mt. Whitney. It served great food and had excellent service. The hostess directed them to a booth.

  “So, now that the Feds have left the Bat Mountain Site are you going back?” Jack asked.

  “No. I asked Randy about it and he said they were opening the area to the press and tourists but that no more scientific study would be allowed.”

  Jack frowned. “So, they’ve figured out what’s going on?”

  “So they say. The official word is that it is simply a geological uplift. They claim that the rock formation has been buried there for thousands of years and is surfacing now due to a recent earthquake.”

  “Does that make sense?” Jack asked.

  “Not really. Uplifts take hundreds if not thousands of years. An earthquake could accelerate the process but it would have to be a big one and I don’t know of any around here lately that could have caused this type of geological event. ”

  “So, do they think the scientific community is stupid?”

  “I guess.”

  “You’re not going to let them get away with this charade, are you?” Dolly asked.

  George laughed. “Absolutely not.”

  “Good. How are you going to prove they are full of shit?”

  George shrugged. “I’ve already collected a lot of data from the site that I’m still analyzing. In the meantime I have students visiting the site daily to take pictures and keep an eye out for any changes that might be occurring.”

  “Don’t you think it’s odd that the owners of the Bat Mountain Corporation haven’t surfaced,” Cindy interjected. “If I turned on the TV and discovered the government had set up camp on my land I’d be a little upset.”

  “That is a bit odd,” George agreed.

  “What do you make of it?” Jack asked.

  “Well, whoever owns the property has something to hide, obviously. So, they’ve gone into hiding and aren’t talking.”

  “Well, I guess Dolly and I need to go to Vegas and snoop around. Maybe we can find the attorney who set up the corporation or someone who knows him.”

  “Good,” Dolly said. “I wouldn’t mind doing a little gambling and seeing a few shows.”

  “Why don’t we all go,” Cindy suggested.

  Jack smiled. “Okay, then. After work on Friday we’ll head on over there.”