Things slowed down for Christian Sharp as November turned into December. He got to get back in touch with Cole his oldest friend and it was starting to feel like they have always been best friends, like nothing ever changed. Chris also got to bond with Charlotte Luminare who to him was a kindred spirit. They lived very similar lives with parents who did very similar jobs, they just handled that same job in different way.
Valmont Sharp set it up with the Albern New Mexico school district for Chris to start in January. For now Chris has to catch up with his school work via Charlotte’s private Tutors. After some hours of begging and pleading to her father Charlotte convinced him that she would be better off transferred to the school along with Chris. Francois eventually caved in.
Down time for Sharp monster hunting machine is very slow, it's slowed almost to a standstill. At times Jocasta or Nashton Wayte would have a potential lead that did not pan out. On December Third Wayte shown up with what looked like some important news but it was not about Tarque. Nashton Wayte is fifty years old and is very good looking for his age. Wayte is prematurely graying which it adds to his air of authority, light gray green eyes and a strong hard face. He is mostly in good shape but has a bit of a belly which is simply age starting to catch up with him.
Chris, Cole, Charlotte and Valmont are spending some off time in the entertainment room as Nashton Wayte and Yosif Jocasta barge into the room. Chris, and Cole are playing Marvel Vs Capcom two with Valmont waiting to play winner. Charlotte we reading a book and looking up to see how the game is going. Nash enters the room and all the eyes fall on him. He has a huge folder full of papers between his arms and as looking pissed off as Jocasta just looks distressed. “This can't right Val it can't!”
Valmont puts his hands down, he senses his friend's distress, “What can't be?”
“Guess who escaped from a Alaskan Mental Hospital two months ago and I just learned about it yesterday?”
Valmont's mouth drops open and he drops the glass of soda that was in his hand. He does not care that it spilled all over the clean carpet, “No.” There is only one person who would have escaped from an Alaskan Mental Hospital that matters to him, “Vargas Thanatos? But we should have been notified right away if he escaped.”
“Wait, wait the werewolf?” Chris drops his controller and looks at his father in shock, “He was sent to a mental hospital?” Some things about this business still catch Chris off guard. He is still adjusting to this new world after all.
Valmont shakes his head and explains, “We had to cover it somehow. As you know the 'official' story of the Werewolf of Glacier Pass is that Vargas Thanatos was not a werewolf but a deranged serial killer who believed he was a werewolf. I was a hero for solving a real murder and stopping a real killer even if I turned the events into a sensational show. Now because we could not admit Thanatos was a werewolf, well he was found criminally insane and sent to the mental hospital. All we could do was watch him. Really his mental state was getting worse and worse to the point where he does not even remember he's human anymore.”
From there Nashton continues, “Because of his condition he was always in isolation. Last thing we needed was for him to transform around the other patients, that would he hard to cover up. We made sure there was little chance the employees finding out the truth. Except for the ones in my employ.”
“Wait now Nash.” Valmont starts to point out, “Don't you get weekly reports on Vargas from your contacts at the hospital? If we escaped two months ago wouldn't you have known?
“My contacts were compromised with out my knowledge. They are dead and were replaced. I indeed have been getting reports each week and according to them Vargas is still in his cell. However I found a connection between Vargas and Tarque, I will get to that. Because of this I wanted to visit Vargas personally and when I got to the hospital I learned the truth.”
“Wait now a connection between Vargas and Tarque?” Valmont thought about it for a second, “Oh yeah it was the Glacier Pass show where Tarque had his freak out and falling out with my show. But isn't that a bit of a stretch to visit Vargas seeing as he can't talk.”
“I know but he recognizes words and names and reacts to them, especially Sharp. Anyway there is more I learned that Tarque was sending letters to many of your enemies, including Vargas as I got a hold of one letter that was intercepted by my contacts. It told me very little. Just that it was the final letter, final means there were more. I wanted to see what Tarque wrote to Vargas.”
Valmont nods his head, “And so you went to the hospital and there you learned the truth.”
“Yep. Anyway my sources at the hospital were gone replaced clearly someone there is working for those mysterious 'others' in your shows and were pretending to be my contacts. Sadly I don't know who.” It's clear that Nash is not pleased with his failure to be on top of things. He is a man who loves being kept in the loop. “Now Sharp that's all I have. I basicly wanted to give you the heads up on Vargas. Now he has not killed anyone in Glacier Falls or anywhere else in Alaska, There have been no murders that match his MO and he won't be changing it now. My guess is whoever freed him has him on a short leash for some intended purpose. I will find out who and why and when I do you will be the first to know.” With that Nashton Wayte left the Sharp Manor to move on to his next job. His work is never done.
Valmont turns to Jocasta who was clearly here for a reason. “You have been awfully quiet my old friend. I thought you were with Wayte.”
The aging professor shakes his head, “Merely a coincidence.” He says with a very formal English accent, “I was about to start my job, there are a couple new shops in Albern I needed to check out and I came to see if Chris wanted to join me. Give him a taste of one of the more mundane tasks of the Sharp show.”
“Ah I see,” Valmont turns to his son who is standing close by with Cole and Charlotte, “Would you like that?”
“What job is this?” Chris asks having the feeling that everyone but himself knew what this was about.
“Ah yes as you know Albern New Mexico has benefited from the Sharp Monster Manor being a couple miles out of town, especially the tourist trade.” Valmont smiles believing it's a good thing that he turned the sleepy town into a mildly popular small city. “Now for years lots of tourist trap shops have popped in Albern. Shops that sell occult books, magical items and wards, remains of monsters, spirits, and demons, Wicca shops, potion and charm stores and so on. Now a majority of these are purely fake and perfectly harmless but once in a while one of these shops is the real deal selling stuff normal people should not have access too. Also some of these fake stores may occasionally sell a real magical item or potion without knowing it.”
Cole laughs, “Hey remember when that one store, 'a Sharp Experience' actually sold a real mummies hand with their fake ones and the hand came to life in the person's home. Almost choked them to death from what I remember.”
“Oh yeah, it was not from the actual mummy used in my show though, would have been neat it it was.” Valmont then gets back to what he was saying. “Anyway once a week Jocasta, because he knows what to look for checks out the stores and looks for items they should not be selling. He also checks out new store's carefully to make sure that they are not legitimate shops of their kind which do exist but should not be public. Since it's a fairly safe job Francois even allows Charlotte to go with.”
Charlotte frowns, “It's the only thing me father lets me do that's related to the show. I once found a love charm that actually worked.” She blushes, “I would rather not talk about it.”
Chris is interested in this job even if nothing will probably happen, “Why not. Hey dad are you coming too?”
“Na son, just you, Charlotte and Cole should go. I have other things I need to do in light of the whole Vargas ordeal.”
Jocasta taps his walking stick on the ground three times, “Okay okay lets get going.” The old man starts walking to the door of the study much faster then you would think for someone in his
mid seventies.
Chris walks up to him into the hall, “Hey where are we going?”
Jocasta stops and puts on his reading glasses. He then looks at the piece of paper in his hand, “Okay the first stop is Gibbins Voodoo Trinkets, I really don't think it will have anything special given that it's co owned by an ex lawyer who probably is just trying to get richer. Still you have to check everywhere.”
Chapter Seventeen
Valmont Sharp: Monster Hunter Page 17
