Parker didn’t wait when they all took another step he fired at the lead man. The round clearly passed through the man making a trail of what looked like blue smoke as it passed through him. The man, not so much as staggered, kept coming. Parker fired three more rounds in quick succession. The man kept coming. As the man reached out for Parker, Parker unsnapped his baton and swung it violently at the man. The baton passed cleanly through the man as the bullets had done but the effect was quite different. The man evaporated in a cloud of blue smoke.
Looking on in a surprise that lasted only a few seconds, Deshawn unsnapped his own baton tossed it to his left hand while still holding the Glock in his right hand swung it at the closest man to him with the same results. He didn’t really believe what had just happened but he was a resourceful man and decided in an instant to go with what worked. He holstered his Glock and removed his flashlight from his belt clip and advanced on the strange figures swinging both the baton and the flashlight wildly at them. The men did not retreat but as the two policemen swung and hit them one by one they disappeared into the darkness.
When they were again alone on the beach, Parker said,” What just happened De?”
“You know as much as I do.”
“Are you too alright?” A man in the Swat team shouted from up in the edge of the woods.
“Not a scratch,” Parker said.
“Did you hear the shots?” the man in the woods shouted.
“We fired some. Is that what you mean?” Deshawn said.
“No. It sounded like four high caliber rounds fired from the Hunter house while you were fighting off the Indians or whatever they were.”
“Call for backup and stay here, Ranson. Maria is there with Hunter. I’m going to see what the firing up there was about. Maybe they had more Indians. He moved in a slow jog toward Tony Hunter’s house. He heard two more rounds being fired and broke into an all-out sprint. He climbed over the tree and reached the bottom of the steps where he heard a steady stream of firings in the house. Drawing his Glock from its holster he warily climbed the steps. As he did he heard a crash from above and something smashed into the vegetation to his left.
Chapter 22
“What the hell are you doing?” Thad said to Maria. “Shoot him.”
“I can’t,” she said.
“Well I sure as Hell can. He grabbed the gun from her hand and pointed it at the Indian and fired twice.
The Indian staggered back stood upright and stepped again toward Thad.
Thad raised the gun then lowered it to his side. “I can’t. I don’t know what to do.”
Tony knew what was happening. He stepped to the gun picked it up and fired twice.
The Indian staggered back, regained his composure and again started walking toward Tony. As he did he became the civil war soldier. Tony fired again. The soldier became the warrior and slowly faded into Maria. The Maria staggered back again from the shot. This time Tony was not fooled. He fired at the Maria image six more times each shot driving the Indian who was again the Indian back across the porch.
The gun clicked empty. Tony pulled the trigger twice more with no result and threw the weapon at the Indian. The India caught it in the air, tossed it aside and stepped toward Tony.
Tony charged the man forcing him backwards into the railing and the screen surrounding the porch. He hoped to shove the man through the screen and railing onto the rocks twenty feet below, but the man was too strong, and managed to stay upright.
Tony used all the strength he had to try and push the Indian into the screen and through the railing but could not move the man. He kicked at the Indian’s ankles and hit them but there was no effect. The two of them bounced against the railing and screen causing it to groan from the pressure but Tony could not shove the man through the railing. The rail began to bend but held fast. The Indian got his hands around Tony’s throat and began to squeeze. Tony could not breath and felt his head getting a light feeling as if he was about to black out. He made one last desperate push against the Indian and felt the railing give way. He braced himself in his mind for the twenty foot perhaps fatal drop to the rocks below. It cannot end like this. It’s too early. I have a lot yet to do and what will happen to Dad now?
Chapter 23
Tony was sure that he had lost this fight and his life when Maria and Thad pushed him and the man further into the railing. The man lost his balance and fell through the railing and the screen and disappeared into the darkness below. Tony was about to follow him but four strong hands grabbed him and pulled him back onto the porch.
“What in the Hell is going on up here?” Deshawn Barnes said as he arrived at the top of the steps.
“Call for backup Deshawn and come with me. A man fell over the edge of the porch onto the rocks below.”
“Already called for backup.” He punched the talk button on his shoulder and said. “Ranson. Get up here, now. Meet me at the bottom of the steps.”
“It’s easier to get there through the house,” Tony said. “Follow me.” He led them to the front of the house and down the stairs to the basement.
Deshawn again punched the call button. “Correction Ranson. Go to the bottom of the steps and wait. Call backup and have them come to the front of the house.”
“I’ll wait up here for them,” Thad said.
Tony Maria, and Deshawn went down the steps into the basement where Tony turned the overhead lights on and through the basement lined with cardboard packing boxes to the door out to the concrete patio that lay directly beneath the porch above.
Inside the door Tony flicked the switches that turned on the lights strung beneath the porch and the spotlights that lit up the woods and rocks just outside the door.
Maria and Deshawn moved toward the edge of the patio toward the rocks and the river beyond. “Stay here, Tony,” Maria said as she and Deshawn moved into the rocks.
No need to tell me twice.
Sergeant Joe Marshal, Office Bob Michaels, and Thad came thru the doors and out onto the patio. “What’s going on,” Joe said to Tony.
“A man attacked us and we pushed him through the railing and screen and onto the rocks down here. Maria and Deshawn and looking for him out there.”
Ranson Parker pushed his way through the underbrush and joined them.
“Well don’t just stand there, Ranson,” Joe said. Get in there and help them.”
Ranson, looking reluctant did as he was told.
“Want to tell me who it is we are looking for here,” Joe said to Tony.
“A man, Tony said. He came through my porch doors and started to attack us. We shot at him and I struggled with him and the three of us pushed him through the porch screen and railing and he fell to down here.”
“Ok. First let’s find him then we will go into detail what you all saw and did leading up to this.”
Maria came back onto the patio and said. “Hello Joe. We found tracks leading all the way to and into the river. Apparently, he went into the water and disappeared. I left De, Ranson, and Bob down by the water.”
“All right, get on the horn and move the Swat team down here. Because Bob is the only one to not see anything here, leave him down by the river. He can show the team where to start. The rest of you join me upstairs.”
Chapter 24
When they were assembled in Tony’s great room, Joe started. “Ok, now tell me what happened out here. You first Ranson since you called in the first report.”
“De and I, we were waiting on the beach like you told us to do when a bunch of Indians came out of the woods and attacked us.”
“Wait a minute, ‘a bunch of Indians’?”
“Well that’s what they looked like to me. There was eight of them. They had feathers in their hair, and loincloths, and Indian sandals. and they were dark skinned but not black like De.”
“Deshawn?”
“That’s what they looked like to me too.
“And what did you do about them?”
“De
told them to stop twice and pointed his Glock at them, but they just kept coming. So, I got out my pistol too and when they were about twenty feet away and showed no signs of stopping I fired one shot over their heads. My second I fired into the sand in front of them. When they were about ten feet away and still coming, I fired directly at the leading one. Hit him dead center in the chest. The shot went clear through him making a clean hole but he kept coming. Then I saw De take out his baton and hit one of them. Then the weirdest thing you ever saw. The baton passed right through him making him swirl like smoke and the smoke just went up into the sky and was gone. Then I took out my flashlight and swung at one of him with it and he evaporated just like the first one had. We both swung at them then and they all were gone like they never had been there in the first place. I never saw anything like it.”
“How does that sound to you Deshawn?”
“Same as I saw. Then the man in the woods said that he had heard shots coming from up here. So, I told Ranson to call in and stay behind and started jogging up here. On the way, I heard a large number of shots, maybe ten or so and I ran the rest of the way.”
“So you both agree with this story?”
“Yeah we do, cause that’s what happened.
“OK. Maria tell me what happened up here.”
“When my shift ended so I came home. Tony, Thad, and I watched the action down on the beach for a while but it got chilly out on the porch so we came inside. Tony turned on the gas logs and we sat down with a drink. We hadn’t been here long when I saw an Indian open the sliding door from the porch. I got my Glock and told him to stop, but he didn’t so I fired at him once hitting him in the chest. I was going to fire at him again when he became Tony. One second the Indian was there and there were two Tonys there and I didn’t know which was which so I couldn’t fire again.”
“Then I took over,” Thad said. “At least I intended to take over. I took the gun out of Maria’s hand and shot the Indian but by the time the bullet, hit he was no longer the Indian. There were suddenly two Maria’s there so I couldn’t fire again. I dropped the gun on the floor. Then I saw Tony pick it up and shoot the second Maria. I was horrified but quickly saw that the second Maria was still the Indian.”
“Tony,” Joe said.
“Well I have had some experience with this Indian switching what he looks like. I saw it when I was twelve years old again tonight on the beach so I didn’t hesitate to shoot him. When I did he appeared to change into the two images I had seen before, first a dead civil war soldier and then a Samurai warrior. I knew it was just the Indian. I have no idea how he can change his appearance like that but I knew it was an illusion so I kept firing at him until I ran out of ammunition. He kept staggering back as each round hit. By the time I was out of bullets he was against the screen and rail at the river side of the porch. I tried to push him over but he was too strong. As he and I were about to both go over, Maria and Thad grabbed me and he went through the screen and rail. We looked over for him on the rocks but even with a big flashlight we couldn’t see him.”
“Just then Deshawn came up the steps,” Maria said. “So I told him to get Ranson up here and we would go and find the man who I believed would certainly be dead. He had been shot thirteen times with .45 caliber rounds and had fallen close to twenty feet onto the rocks. But we found not hide nor hair of him. You saw the depression in the brush where he landed and his tracks going toward the river, and that’s about it.”
“I see. Describe this Indian.”
“Same as what I told you earlier on the beach. It sure looked like the same man. There is a big difference here between this Indian and the ones Ranson and Deshawn saw on the beach. I wrestled with him both on the beach and up here and he did not evaporate into smoke.”
Joe punched the button on the communications device on his shoulder. “Bob, anything to report.”
The tinny voice came back loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “Not a thing. The Swat team guys report that they could see his tracks going into the water and for bout ten feet in compressing the weeds there but then the tracks disappear. He may have begun swimming. There’s little chance of finding anything else.”
“OK Bob. Tell them to call it off and start a search of the surrounding property. You stay here tonight. I’ll send you relief at four in the morning.” Then to Maria, Ranson, and Deshawn, “make out full reports on these incidents before tomorrow morning. I’m going to have a rough time filing a report on this myself. Your reports will help, but I doubt anyone will believe us. I dread taking this to the chief let alone the commissioner or the council, but that’s my problem. Just get me those reports ASAP.” He turned and walked out the front door. Over his shoulder he said. “Ranson, you ride back with Deshawn. Leave your car here for Bob,” and he was gone.
Chapter 25
Bob came up from the river bank through the house. “I’ll be out in the car,” he said. “I can file my report from out there. If you need anything just sing out.”
“I’ll walk out with you,” Maria said. “I’ll move my car so Thad can get out and file my report from out there.” She kissed Tony on the cheek, hugged Thad, and went behind Bob.
“I think I’ll get on home too,” Thad said.
“Stay a minute and have a drink with me?”
“Helen will be worried. Besides I have something I want to do before I go to bed tonight.”
“Thanks Thad.”
Shortly after Thad left, Maria came back in the house.
“That was quick.”
“Not much to it. How about fixing me a drink?”
“Coming right up. Say is your Glock loaded again?”
“Yes and I have the riot gun from my car as well.” She moved into his arms and kissed him long and hard on the lips.
Tony started the gas log again and they cuddled together on the couch. An hour later Thad called.
“Hello Tony. Are you busy?’
“Got time. What’s up?”
“I’ve been looking at some things on the computer tonight. Would you join me in the morning for a walk on the beach?”
“Sure. What are we looking for?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure just yet. I need to do a little more research first. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning maybe about ten o’clock. I’ll come to your house.”
“See you then.”
Two hours later, in the king-sized bed, Tony awakened to a clicking noise coming from his office down the hall. He reached out in the dark for Maria, but she was not there.
He found her in his office in front of his desk top computer. The only light was the blue coming from the screen.
When he entered the room, she turned and looked up at him, “Oh, Did I wake you?”
“That’s no problem. What are you doing here in the dark?”
“There’s something I wanted to check out.”
“It couldn’t wait until morning?”
“I have that trouble sometimes. When something is bugging me I can’t stay sleep.”
“What is it that’s so disturbing that you can’t sleep? Is it something. I said, or did, or didn’t do?”
She stood up and wrapped her arms around him.
He could feel her nipples pressing into his chest through her thin nightgown and his t-shirt.
She kissed him long and passionately. “Not a thing you did or didn’t do. Something you said about what happened when we were kids got me to thinking. I just wanted to check it out.”
“And did you discover anything?”
“I need a little more time. I did find a newspaper report about one of the incidents. I need to get to the office tomorrow where I can look at police reports and the FBI and State files before I will be able to figure out if there is a correlation with what we are saw tonight.”
“Do you think there might be a connection?”
“I can’t say yet, but it is certainly worth looking into further. Right now, why don’t I shut this thing off
and go back to bed.”
“That’s surely the best suggestion I’ve heard today.”
Chapter 26
The next day when Maria had gone to work, determined to solve the mystery of what was currently happening to children disappearing and how it might relate to what happened in 1986. Tony decided to call his old buddies from back then and see what thoughts they might have concerning then issue. He thought about talking to his high school football teammates about it but that didn’t seem like it would help much. The first one that came to mind was his neighbor Tom Barker, but that seemed like a useless venture. He and Tom had not gotten along since Tony moved back to Potaucac, and they had been involved in several disputes since Tony moved into his parent’s home, making them next door neighbors. Anyway, Tom had just accused him of being involved in Bobby Martin’s problems. No, it was better to not involve Tom at all.
His second thought was Paul Wells, former teammate and now Doctor Wells in charge of records at State Central Hospital. That didn’t make much sense either since Paul’s family had moved to Potaucac just before Paul started to high school. Paul might have heard about what was happening now but he would be of no help about what happened in 1986.
Jeff Withers was one of his close friends back then but he went to college at Ohio State and never came back to Potaucac afterwards. Tony didn’t know where he was.
Eric Stone’s family move away in 1888 and he hadn’t had contact with Eric since.
So, the only one available was Ned Jefferson. Ned had been his best friend back then but they grew apart after they found Lisa in that cave. It seemed to drive a wedge between them. They talked about it for a while but both of them stopped wanting to relive it. When Tony went to high school and started playing on the basketball team, they drifted even further apart and each developed different group of friends. Ned still lived in Potaucac and ran the local pool hall. Tony called him once when he got back to town but they had nothing in common and it never went further that that one conversation.
The Watcher: A Tony Hunter Novel Page 10
