Possession Is Nine-Tenths of the Law
Page 4
Felix twisted around awkwardly and swung the branch at the water behind him, whacking it up and down like he was beating a carpet. The air was filled with splashing water. Between Felix’s assaults and the powerful flow of the creek, the entity was unable to maintain a solid form.
Jerry dragged Felix clear of the water and helped him to his feet. They stood together and watched as the entity was pulled away by the current. The water churned and splashed and leaped high in the air. Shapes formed and were torn apart, then reformed only to be torn apart again. It was like watching an invisible man drowning.
They turned and went up the bank to where Jessica was sitting under the tree. She looked at them with bleary, fearful eyes.
“Is it gone?”
Felix looked at Jerry, as if expecting him to answer. When he didn’t, Felix said, “Yes, it’s gone. You’re safe.” He slumped to the ground next to her.
Jerry looked down at them, then turned and looked back at the creek.
He couldn’t give her an answer because he didn’t know if it was gone. Some monsters you could kill, others you could only send away for a while. As he watched the water flowing endlessly by, Jerry wondered which kind this one was, and if they’d ever see it again, around one bend in the creek or another.
The Pages were grateful to have their daughter back, but it was clear they wanted to move past the horrific incident as quickly as possible.
“They wouldn’t even let us in to dry off,” Felix grumbled as they walked back to the car.
“They gave us towels,” Jerry said, wrapping his tighter around his shoulders.
“It’s probably because we brought her back all scratched up.”
Jerry shrugged. “She wasn’t exactly in mint condition when we got here.”
Felix gingerly touched the back of his head. “I think I have a mild concussion.”
“If it makes you feel better, I left my CliffNotes Bible in Jessica’s bedroom.”
Felix shot him a look.
“It’s kind of funny if you think about it.”
“Shut up, Jerry.”
“You want to hit the Loose Moose tonight?” Jerry said. “Drinks are on me.”
“I just want to go home, get out of these wet clothes, and sit in a hot tub for about five hours.” Felix made a face. “Maybe a hot shower instead.”
They reached the car and Jerry started patting his pockets. He grinned sheepishly at Felix. “No keys.”
Felix frowned at him. “Where are they?”
“The creek?” Jerry offered.
Felix slumped against the car and closed his eyes. He looked like he might cry.
Jerry tried his door; it was open. He slipped behind the wheel. “Hey, I left the keys in the ignition. Finally, some good luck, eh?”
Felix opened his door and climbed in. “Don’t call me for a while, okay, Jer?”
“Did I ever tell you about the PIA agent I tried to pick up this one time? I told her we were both agents so why don’t we get together for a drink, and she—”
“Drive, Jerry.”
Jerry drove.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ian Rogers is the award-winning author of the dark fiction collection Every House Is Haunted, which won the ReLit Award. His novelette, “The House on Ashley Avenue,” was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and has been optioned by Universal Cable Productions. His short fiction has been selected for The Best Horror of the Year and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing. He is also the author of SuperNOIRtural Tales, a collection of stories featuring supernatural detective Felix Renn. Ian lives with his wife in Peterborough, Ontario. For more information, visit http://ianrogers.ca.
OTHER TITLES BY IAN ROGERS
There are haunted places in the world, all existing in reality and every bit as tangible and accessible as the house next door. Sometimes it is the house next door.
In this brilliant debut collection, Ian Rogers explores the border-places between our world and the dark reaches of the supernatural. The landscape of death becomes the new frontier for scientific exploration. A honeymoon cabin with an unspeakable appetite finally meets its match. A suburban home is transformed into the hunting ground for a new breed of spider. A nightmarish jazz club at the crossroads of reality plays host to those who can break a deal with the devil . . . for a price. With remarkable deftness, Rogers draws together the disturbing and the diverting in twenty-two showcase stories that will guide you through terrain at once familiar and startlingly fresh. Winner of the ReLit Award for Short Fiction.
© 2012 Ian Rogers
ChiZine Publications
http://chizinepub.com
Felix Renn is a private investigator in a supernatural world, an alternate reality where a dark dimension called the Black Lands co-exists alongside our own. Travelling to and from the Black Lands is dangerous—and illegal—but that doesn’t stop some of the creatures that reside there from crossing over into our world from time to time.
In this collection of stories, Felix encounters a variety of terrifying entities, including ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and the dreaded Black-Eyed Kids.
In a world where paranormal has become the norm, each new case may be his last.
SuperNOIRtural Tales collects all of the Felix Renn stories published to date, as well as a brand-new 50,000-word novel, The Brick.
Featuring an introduction by Mike Carey, author of the Felix Castor novels, co-author of The Steel Seraglio and The House of War and Witness, and writer for the DC/Vertigo comic book series Lucifer, Hellblazer and The Unwritten.
© 2012 Ian Rogers
Burning Effigy Press
http://burningeffigy.com
COPYRIGHT
FIRST ELECTRONIC EDITION
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law © 2014 by Ian Rogers
Cover artwork © 2014 by Vince Haig
All Rights Reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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EPub Edition: October 2014
EPub ISBN: 978-1-77148-368-1
ChiZine Publications
a CZP eBook
Toronto, Canada
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Edited and copyedited by Sandra Kasturi
Proofread by Klaudia Bednarczyk
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $20.1 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada.
Published with the generous assistance of the Ontario Arts Council.