“Died, you say?”Roy asked, watching her very closely. “What, if anything, do you remember about her?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. I was just a baby when it happened and my father never wanted to talk about her.”
“That’s odd—weren’t you ever curious? Most young girls would want to know about the woman who gave them life. Most have pictures or a trinket of some kind to remind them of a parent who’s passed away.”
“I tried to broach the subject a few times with my father but he seemed reluctant to talk about it so I never pushed the issue. Anyway, what difference does it make?” she said, not liking the path this conversation was taking. “And what does my past have to do with anything that’s happening here and now? You said you’d explain things, Roy, so why don’t you do just that instead of asking me a million questions?”
“I’m sorry, Evangeline.” Roy said with sincerity. Rick watched the man across from him intently, an idea forming in his mind as he listened to the conversation. “I didn’t mean to upset you. When I’ve finished my story you’ll understand why this information was so important. Alright, you said you came to Moon Lake to escort the Peters girl. Isn’t that a bit unusual for a narcotics officer?”
“I’ve already told you she was a witness in a murder case back in New York. The victim, her boyfriend, was a dealer my team and I had been watching for a long time so I took his death personally. I needed to get as much information about his murder as possible. The cop in charge of the investigation was being—well— let’s just say his team and mine weren’t playing well together. I knew if I was going to get anywhere with this case I’d have to use my imagination. When I found out they’d released Selene to go home I offered to drive her. It was the only way I could get close enough to her to really question her.”
“Did she tell you anything?”
“Not as much as I’d hoped but I had to try. Look, the only reason homicide let her go was because they didn’t think she knew anything that could help with the case. I think they’re wrong. She does know something—she just doesn’t realize it yet.”
“Interesting, and it was that night, after you left Selene’s, that you came across Rick here…” Roy said nodding towards the vampire, “…and the dead, let’s call them what they were, werewolves?”
“Yes,” she replied, not looking in Rick’s direction.
“But, according to my men, the bodies were found deep inside the woods. What were you doing there—alone in the woods in the wee hours of the morning? It’s not the normal place you’d find a New York detective—now is it?”
Evangeline gave him a disgusted look. She didn’t have to explain herself to Roy or anyone else for that matter but—just this once—she would, “I saw something, a dark shape of some kind— keeping pace with my car from the tree line. That in itself was strange so I stopped the car and that’s when I saw it. It looked sort of like a wolf—but it was the largest wolf I’d ever seen. Its body seemed—distorted somehow.”
“Again—a werewolf,” Roy told her.
“Well I didn’t know that then, did I? Anyway, I thought it was going to attack but it was distracted by something and the next thing I knew it ran off into the woods.”
“And you thought it would be smart to follow this large beast into the darkness of the woods?” Rick asked leaning towards her, unable to conceal his anger at her stupidity.
“Yes, I did. I had a gun and I know how to use it—well,” she said leaning in to meet him head on.
“Was it loaded with silver bullets?” he asked.
“Well—no.”
“Then it wouldn’t have done you a damn bit of good no matter how good a shot you are. Good thing I got to them first.”
“Well how was I supposed to know they were werewolves? Those things aren’t even supposed to exist! If I’d known what they were I might have been a little…oh hell, this whole thing is insane!”
“Insane—maybe—but real. Look everyone—can we focus here?” Roy cut it. “If we keep this up it’ll be daylight soon and some of us have work to do,” he said with a sharp look at Rick.
The two of them backed away from each other, apologizing to Roy.
“Sorry.”
“Yes—sorry.”
“Okay then, so you followed the beast. I’m surprised you kept up with it. They’re usually very fast.”
“I didn’t—keep up with it, I mean— but I know a little about tracking—and I followed the scent of blood.” This comment surprised them as both men turned to stare at her.
“You could smell it?” Rick asked.
“The blood?” Roy chimed in.
“Yes.” Eva replied a little hesitantly. “I know—it seemed a little odd to me at the time, too but, now that I think about it, it just goes along with my enhanced eyesight and hearing…” she stopped when both men stared at her again, “…something—else—that—I’ve—seemed—to—have acquired—lately. Ever since I came to this place—what…” she shouted at Roy, “Is something happening to me—is there something wrong with me?”
“Calm down, Eva.” Roy said touching her arm gently.
Rick watched the other man, a spark of—was that jealousy—flaring up inside of him. That’s impossible, he told himself, I barely know her. But that didn’t matter. He really didn’t like Roy touching Eva but he forced himself to focus on the conversation.
“When did you first notice these changes, Eva?” Roy was asking.
“Oh…” she responded trying to think back to when it all started. “…a few days, maybe a week ago.”
“About the time Jaclyn was killed.” Roy said to Rick.
“Exactly about that time,” Rick replied in amazement.
“Jaclyn—who’s Jaclyn?” Eva asked in confusion.
“That’s what I’m about to tell you but, first—I have one more thing I have to ask you.”
“Alright…” Eva said with a sigh, “… ask away.”
“Thank you.” Roy replied as he rose and started to pace once again, back and forth while he thought about how to phrase his next question. Stopping before the table, he grabbed the back of the chair in front of him and leaned in towards Evangeline. “Eva, and this is very important, you have to answer me honestly.”
“I’m always honest,” she said not sure if she should be offended or not.
“I would expect that of you so—tell me—besides your heightened senses has anything else strange happened to you lately?” he asked and both he and Rick watched Eva closely as they waited for her to reply.
He knows about the visions…, Eva thought … but how? She clasped her hands on the table in front of her, her right forefinger rubbing gently back and forth across the soft, smooth skin. Then, deciding she had no choice but to trust the two men, she told them about the visions as well as her strange dream.
“Yes, as a matter of fact something else has been happening—but you knew that already—right?” she asked Roy.
“I suspected as much. Tell us about it.”
I’ve had these—visions—and they make no sense to me at all so— if you can explain them I’d really appreciate it. They’re about wolves and one in particular that seems to be their leader.”
“What does this wolf look like?” Roy asked.
“It’s large for a wolf, with gold colored fur—and eyes. Beautiful eyes that I’ve seen not only on this particular animal…” she said as she raised her own eyes to stare at Roy, “…but on a woman as well.”
“This woman was in your vision?”
“Yes—and I dreamt about her the night I arrived at the Inn. She was lovely, with those strange golden eyes and hair to match and she looked to be about forty or maybe even fifty.” Eva paused for a moment before she asked, “She’s a werewolf, isn’t she?”
“She was, but no
t the same kind as the ones you encountered in the woods. She was Loupe Garou, a type of supernatural wolf—but she’s dead now.” Roy told her. What else happened in your dream?”
“In the visions, the wolves seemed to be protectors—of humans and animals alike. But in the dream the pack, with the golden wolf in the lead, were hunting in the woods. The golden wolf seemed to sense danger—that’s when she changed.”
“Changed?” asked Rick.
“Yes, one minute the wolf was there—and the next it’d transformed into a woman. Then—from out of the darkness a black mist approached and, even in the dream, I could sense the evil penetrating every square inch of it. The woman ordered the pack to go. When she was alone she seemed to come to a decision. That’s when she walked into the mist and disappeared.” As she talked, Eva’s eyes began to fill with unshed tears. The next thing she knew, Rick had placed his own hand, a very cold hand, she noticed, over her own in a gesture of comfort.
“Please—go on, Eva. What happened next?”
“I heard screams—and horrible growls and howling and then—the mist just evaporated. When it was gone the pack returned and formed a circle around something that was lying on the ground. Then, led by a large red wolf, the pack began this mournful howling. Honest to god, if I didn’t know better I’d say they were crying. Then, my own body seemed to float towards the mound on the ground almost as if—as if it was important that I, as well as the pack, saw what was there.”
“And what was there, Eva?” Roy asked as he looked at Rick strangely. The vampire’s hand tightened its hold on Evangeline’s but she pulled it from his grasp with a sob as she covered her face, the tears rolling down across her cheeks.
“It was her—the lovely golden woman—only she wasn’t lovely anymore. She was dead. Torn to pieces—her heart ripped from her chest by something horrible—something monstrous that had been inside that black mist. Oh god,” and she let the tears flow.
His emotions in turmoil, Rick found himself rising from his chair. He went to the sobbing woman and pulled her up from the chair and into his arms. She clung to him tightly as he whispered words of comfort to her softly. After a few minutes she seemed to gain some semblance of control but she didn’t release her hold on Rick so he stayed where he was—holding her—stroking her hair—offering her comfort until…
Desire began to rise inside of him like a tidal wave and with it—the hunger. He could feel the beast within him fighting to be released while his brown eyes changed to the blood red of the monster he fought to control. He had to move—he had to put some distance between himself and Evangeline—but how was he supposed to do that without upsetting her even more.
It was then that Roy, realizing what was happening, ran into the kitchen, returning in seconds with two large glasses. “Here—let me take her,” he said to Rick as he pulled Eva from the vampire’s grasp, seating her once again in a chair. “Drink this, Eva. It’s wine…” he said when she looked at him questioningly with tear filled eyes. “…it’ll relax you.”
“And this is for you,” he said to Rick as he handed the vampire a goblet of rich, red liquid that Eva assumed was wine also even though it had a strange scent. It smells like wine mixed with—blood—but that’s crazy, right she thought to herself. I must be losing it. I wish someone would tell me what’s happening to me, she thought as she watched Rick down his entire glass in one gulp. Oh great, he’s an alcoholic on top of everything else was the thought that flashed across her mind as she took another, much larger, sip from her own drink.
“I’m sorry Eva…” she heard Roy say, “…I didn’t mean to upset you but I had to know everything.” he told her as he sat back down at the table. Rick remained standing putting a safe distance between himself and Evangeline.
Eva remained quiet for a few seconds as a wild thought occurred to her, “My dream—it was real, wasn’t it—It wasn’t a dream at all? The woman is—was —real and she actually died that way—didn’t she—and recently?”
“Yes.”
“Who was she—and why should she affect me the way she does. Why choose me to haunt in visions and dreams. Why, Roy—tell me?”
“Because—she was—your mother, Eva.”
A look of pure shock appeared on Eva’s face as she stammered, “My—my mother! No—she couldn’t be. My mother died a long time ago. My father told me so. He—he wouldn’t have lied about something like that. He wouldn’t—oh god!” Evangeline cried as the truth finally hit her. “My mother was a werewolf. My father knew this and that’s why he took me away—that’s why he said she’d died—so he wouldn’t have to tell me something I couldn’t possibly understand.” Then as another thought occurred to her, Evangeline had to ask, “Was he one as well—a werewolf, I mean?”
“No, Eva, he wasn’t. That’s the only reason she allowed him to take you from her. She wanted you to have as normal a life as possible and she knew that wouldn’t happen here. She also knew that, no matter how your father felt about her, he would keep you safe.”
“She was right here, in Red Rock, all this time and she never contacted me?” Eva asked as the realization of what she’d lost hit her full force.
“She thought it was in your best interest to stay as far away from you as possible—and your father agreed. She knew the time would come when you—would feel the need to return. Then, and only then, would her identity be revealed to you—so we could all help you with the transformation.” Roy said watching her closely as Rick took a step closer to the table in case he was needed again—no matter how much it cost him personally.
“Transformation—what transformation? What are you talking about?” Eva asked as panic began to rise inside of her. “Roy—tell me what you mean. What transformation?”
“Think about it, Eva—the heightened senses—the visions—the almost desperate need to come back to this place. You can try and convince yourself you came here because of Selene but something more than a police investigation brought you back to Moon Lake and Red Rock. It was instinct, Eva, pure and simple.”
“You don’t mean—you can’t,” she sprang up from the table and began pacing the room. Her breathing became ragged as she tried to understand all that she’d just heard—and all that Roy was trying to tell her. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. The truth was right there in front of her—indisputable—and irreversible. She stopped dead in her tacks and turned to face the two men looking at her with great concern. “I’m a werewolf aren’t I?”
Their silence told her more than any words could have. “Come on, Roy—I can deal with it. I’m stronger than you think—and I want to hear you say the words.”
Roy cast a furtive glance at Rick before responding. “Then yes, Evangeline, you are a werewolf—but you are something totally different than the creatures Rick killed—the monsters that are committing these gruesome murders.”
“Oh, so now you’re telling me there are actually different types of werewolves—sort of like the many nationalities of the human race—is that what you’re saying?”
“Even though I realize you’re being sarcastic…” Roy said with infinite patience, “… that’s a good comparison.”
Evangeline tried to absorb this astounding revelation. He’s crazy—they all are. Werewolves—they’re just some figment of a money hungry director’s imagination enhanced by high tech special effects. They—are—not—real, she told herself but no matter how many times she said it she knew Roy was telling her the truth. She could feel it deep within her—sense the changes going on inside of her and, according to these two men, everything began happening as a result of this Jaclyn’s, her mother’s, death. What did it all mean? There was only one way to find out. It was obvious Roy could tell her all she needed to know so she needed to suck it up and listen to what he had to say. I can have a nervous breakdown later—when I know the entire truth.
“Okay—so I�
�m a werewolf—a different type—but one all the same. You need to explain to me the differences and why this Jaclyn’s death seems to have been the spark that started it all. But first, I have one more question that’s relevant to this whole situation,” she said as she focused her attention on the man sitting silent across the table from her. Raising her hand, she pointed to Rick, “He killed three werewolves by himself—monsters according to you both. So tell me—just what kind of werewolf is he?”
Chapter 14
“No kind—I’m not a werewolf, Evangeline.” Rick’s words were a mere whisper but she heard them as clearly as if he’d been standing beside her. He was staring at Roy but pulled his eyes away from his friend to focus all of his attention on Eva.
Roy cleared his throat as the two people across from him stared at each other. “Umm, Rick, this conversation’s going to have to wait until another time. In case you haven’t noticed—it’s almost dawn.”
Rick heard him but couldn’t seem to drag his eyes away from Evangeline—but he had too. If he waited much longer she would find out exactly what he was—before either him or Roy had a chance to prepare her. With an effort he lowered his eyes and stood up, the legs of his chair screeching across the wooden floor. “Excuse me—I—have to go,” and he started to walk away.
“Go—go where. You can’t leave until you’ve explained yourself.” Evangeline demanded as she grabbed him by the arm. She didn’t know why but she had to know about him. It was—important. “You say you’re not a werewolf but you run with this pack. And, I may be naïve when it comes to supernatural creatures, but I’m pretty sure no human could take down three werewolves the way you did and survive to tell the tale. Come on, Ferrante—Rick…” she corrected, softening her voice a little, “…you owe me that much. I’ve had enough surprises for one night—and I need to know who and what I’m dealing with here.”
A Soul in Torment Page 25
