Tanya and Louise picked up their cool boxes and walked out of the room. Shaw grabbed Amy’s shoulder as she was about to follow them.
“Hang back,” said Shaw, and he listened to the girl’s footsteps descending the stairway. “Was Johno taking drugs?”
“Oh, Dad, why do you have to think the worst of everyone? No, he wasn’t taking drugs. Look, I have to go.”
“Okay, sweetheart. I’ll see you out there.”
She was right. Sixteen years in law enforcement made it hard to trust anyone. He watched her walk through the door. Ted sleeping in his SUV was an unlikely story and bothered him. It could be another white lie. Saying Johno wasn’t taking drugs could be a big lie. They could have all been on drugs. Why else would Amy hallucinate about a creature outside her tent? Amy had suffered a lot over the years to put up with the aftermath of his drinking. Drugs could be her way of escaping.
He wished he hadn’t thought about the drinking. He’d not given a thought to his demon drinking all day. His fingers were shaking. He needed coffee, but it would have to wait. Shaw walked over to the window and parted the slats in the blind. He watched Amy and her friends drive away. Shaw made his way to the corridor and opened Amy’s bedroom door. He looked across at his own door. Images flashed through his mind of where he’d stashed his bottles of JD.
Shaw hesitated. He realized that once he stepped over the threshold at Amy’s bedroom, he was crossing a line. A line of blind trust. The telephone ringing stopped him mid-step from entering her room. He closed her door, hurried to the living room, and picked up the handset.
“I have Frank on the line,” said Jim.
“Put him through.”
“Brett, I’ve found Johno. He’s alive and stable, but unconscious.”
“Where was he?”
“I’ll explain when I get there. I’m tired as hell. I need to concentrate on driving. Let the women know at the church hall that the men folk are on their way back and to wait for them. I need you to contact Johno’s parents. They’ve taken him by helicopter to UCLA medical center in LA. I should get to the office in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll see to it.”
Shaw tapped the handset on the cradle and dialed Amy’s cell.
“Hello.”
“Amy, tell Louise they’ve found Johno and ask her to contact his parents. The air ambulance has taken him to UCLA medical center in LA.”
“Oh, my God, will he be okay, Dad?”
“Frank says his condition is stable.”
“Johno’s mom’s here. I’ll tell her and Louise.”
“Tell the women to stay there. The men are on their way back to the hall.”
“I will, love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart. Listen. I need you home tonight.”
“Okay.”
Shaw replaced the handset. The television was on mute, when he saw a map of California. He picked up the remote and released the mute.
“..... high pressure along a two thousand mile stretch off the coast over the last eighteen months has been holding off the Pacific low pressure front that brings the winter rain, leaving the West Coast under emergency drought conditions. NASA, have released startling images showing the Folsom Lake in February, two thousand and eleven, at almost full capacity. In contrast, they have released new images showing the lake at a mere fifteen-percent capacity. The Sacramento Lakes, which are the main supply of water for LA area, are at their lowest for over one hundred years. More than seventy communities en route have only thirty days supply of water. The governor...”
Shaw turned off the television. He didn’t need reminding that Breakers Pass was suffering shortages. He was just thankful that the town had their own supply and filtration from Breakers Lake, outside of the Federal system. Gyp was asleep on his rug. Shaw needed Jim to debrief him about his visit to the farmstead over at Claymore before Frank arrived. He made his way to the office. His thoughts turned to Ted. He’d never had to consider Amy would hide things from him until she had started seeing Ted. Amy was a straight A student and surrogate housekeeper. She’d always been the perfect daughter. He decided he would have to talk with Ted, man to man. Shaw wasn’t about to allow him to lead her astray and ruin her future. He walked into his office.
“Have you finished the report on you visit to Hetherington’s farm?” Shaw asked.
“It’s in the printer tray.”
Shaw picked it up, ambled over to his chair and flopped onto his chair cushion.
“Yorkshire terriers! Can’t see why they’d need to lock them up in the barn?”
Jim held up his bandaged hand.
“They said to open the barn door at my own risk. Vicious little critters they are.”
Shaw read on.
“So, Maria arrived a little after six. She gave their goat an injection and stayed for a meal, leaving at ten thirty after she received a phone call.” Shaw tapped his Biro on the desk. “That would be the call from Ed Grimes.”
“How do you know that?”
“Her cell phone. The question is why he called?” Shaw pushed back into his chair. “Maybe he was checking up on his dog, Vinnie?” He chewed on his Biro top.
“Frank’s here,” said Jim.
Shaw looked over his shoulder. Frank was lifting something out of the back of his vehicle. He went outside to meet him.
“Amy’s tent, I think?” said Frank. “I don’t know who the chairs belong to and there are two more tents?”
“I’ll help. We’ll get them all inside and let Amy sort them out.” Shaw peered over the tailgate of Frank’s four by four. Seeing three tents, reminded him there were three couples. He felt a hot flush in his cheeks “What’s in the garbage bag?” Shaw asked and hauled it over the tailgate.
“Just garbage.”
Shaw opened it and picked out an empty vodka bottle. He looked at Frank.
“Garbage, you say?” Shaw rummaged around the empty beer cans and pulled out a blindfold. They’d obviously been partying when they were playing Ted’s game that Amy had mentioned. It would explain Johno wandering away from the camp. Frank must have sensed Shaw’s agony.
“Listen, Brett, don’t be hard on Amy.”
“Amy? It’s not her I’m going to be hard on, it’s that no good boyfriend of hers.”
“Brett, Ted aside, we need to get the things stowed away. We need to talk about what I found out there. I need to get home to the missus, and my bed.”
Jim joined them, and they carried everything inside, then dumped the items in the corridor. Jim and Frank pulled up their chairs to the desk and sat opposite Shaw. The office phone rang and he answered.
“Dad, Louise wants me to go and visit Johno with her parents. Is it okay? I’ve phoned Aunt Mary and she says we can all stay with her.”
“Just you, Louise and Johno’s family, no one else?”
“Yes, why.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he lied. He was pleased that she would be spending some time away from Ted. “Sure you can go. Phone me regularly and keep me posted on how Johno is doing.”
Shaw replaced the handset.
Frank opened the image file on his cell phone and passed it to Shaw. Frank recounted what he’d seen leading up to the ravine as Shaw scrolled through the photos, and Frank finished his report.
“So, that’s it, can I go now?” Frank asked.
Shaw put down the cell phone, then buried his head in his hands.
“Soon, I’m just thinking,” Shaw said. His mind raced over events in all directions. Amy had said Ted ran over to the camp on his bare feet when she had screamed. Another thought elbowed the notion out of the way. He raised his head. “Jim, for the vet to have travelled back home, she’d have had to pass the intersection where you found the stag. Can you recall any other wounds other than the critters that had been chewing on its neck?”
Jim stroked his chin. “Come to think of it, no. I just assumed it had been rutting with another stag, because part of its antler was missing. I
thought maybe it had died of exhaustion.”
“Rutting in July!” said Frank. “Maybe October, but not now. Did it have claw marks on its back, or bite marks on its legs?”
“No, like I said, it was just the broken antler and its neck damaged.”
“Wild cats usually bring them down from behind before moving to the neck, and even then they kill for food,” said Frank.
“Who took the carcass?” Shaw asked.
“The preppers. They have a base over at the old silver mine,” said Jim.
“I think I need to pay them a visit tomorrow,” said Shaw. “They can tell me about the feral dog.”
“If you’re going out there, you could take a look here. It’s a twenty mile detour though,” said Frank, and took out his notebook. He tore off a sheet and passed it to Shaw.
“What is it?”
“The vet at the wild life park phoned me back. He forgot to mention earlier that there’s another animal park that’s been closed to the public for years, but it still has wild animals. I can’t find the telephone number listed.”
Shaw could see that Frank was drained of energy and he need to wrap up the meeting.
“Okay, I’ll call there on the on my way to the silver mine. You’d better make your way home, Frank. You too, Jim, and both give your wives my apologies.”
Jim didn’t need telling twice and disappeared through the door. Frank held back.
“What’s on your mind, Frank?”
“The bare footprints at both the vets and the ravine, that’s what’s on my mind. Is there something you’re not telling me? We can possibly explain the dog tracks away with a number of scenarios, and possibly the wild cats’ tracks giving chase on the mountain. But not the damned bare footprints. Look, the photographs I took don’t do justice to what I saw. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s like the dog tracks turned to human footprints.”
“Yeah, the photos. I need you to copy them to a computer.”
“I’ll download them at home and send an e-mail with the images attached. But what do you think about the bare footprints? I mean, have we got some Tarzan running around with a feral dog?”
Shaw allowed himself a laugh.
“I doubt it. There’s bound to be a logical explanation. Johno might be able to enlighten us when he recovers to tell us if we have a creature running around that can transform into a human. There again, judging by the empty cans and vodka bottle, that’s exactly what he may think he saw. Like I say, we’ll find a logical explanation if we keep digging.”
Shaw sat back. He knew exactly where he was going to dig.
Chapter 16
SHAW rested on the sofa, wearing his pajamas. He heard Amy moving around her bedroom. Gyp lay by his feet. Shaw opened his laptop and pressed the power button.
“That’s it, I’m all packed,” said Amy, as she swept in the room, coming to a halt in front of him.
“Don’t go wandering off alone around LA.”
“I won’t. I’ll be at the hospital with Louise and Johno’s parents when I’m not with Aunt Mary.”
“And don’t forget to phone me as soon as you arrive... and regularly after that,” he said, as she patted Gyp, then she headed for the door.”
Shaw heard Amy call out, to the patter of her shoes descending the stairway. “God knows what you’re going to do when I’m at uni? I won’t be phoning every two minutes?”
He heard the door open and then close. Shaw placed his laptop to one side, then walked to the window. Parting the blind slats, he watched her drive away. Shaw turned and picked up the telephone handset and called Mary.”
“Hello.”
“Mary, it’s Brett. Thanks for letting Amy and Johno’s parents stay. They’re on their way.”
“No problem, my pleasure.”
“Listen, Mary, I need you to have a quiet word with Amy. I have situation here and I don’t know how to handle the problem.”
“What is it?”
“You know; women’s things. Stuff that Cath would have talked to her about.” Shaw could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. “Listen, she’s taken to running with a guy up here. He’s three years older than Amy is. I think they’re... you know?”
He heard a muffled laugh in the earpiece.
“Hell, Brett. You mean she’s sleeping with the guy? How is it any different than when you met Cath? You were four years older than her, or have you forgotten?”
“Well, yeah, I know, but I mean protection and all that.”
“We’ve already talked about contraception. She’s been taking the pill since she was seventeen and a half, so stop worrying.”
Shaw held the handset away, staring at the mouthpiece and then snatched it back to speak.
“Are you saying my daughter sleeps around and you didn’t think to tell me?”
Mary laughed “No, she’s not sleeping around, like you say it’s a woman thing. She was having irregular periods and it’s evened them out. Besides that, she’s being sensible by taking precautions, that’s all.”
Shaw took a moment to digest what she had said.
“Right, okay, but the other thing is, he’s leading her astray. I think she’s drinking underage.”
“And where do you think she’s picked that up from, her boyfriend, or you? You’re not exactly a role model in the drinking department.”
That truth stabbed him in the gut.
“Whatever. Just have a talk with her about her relationship and point her to it not standing in the way of her future at university.”
“Okay, I will, but I think someone needs to talk with you. You’re going to have to realize that she’s on the cusp of leaving the nest as an adult. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a credit to you, but you need to let her go and breathe life.”
Shaw knew that she was right. They said their goodbyes.
“That’s it, Gyp, just you and me tonight and soon it’ll be every night.”
Gyp bolted over to the window, jumping up with his paws landing on the sill. He pushed his nose through the slats and snarled.
“What is it, boy?”
Shaw jumped up from the sofa. Parting the slats, he glanced around outside. A dark shadow darted behind some bushes at the front yard of the house across the street. He rubbed his eyes and stared hard. He thought it was too big for a domestic cat, maybe a large dog or someone crouching. Gyp’s paws danced along the sill, dragging the slats with him, casting light outside. Over to his left, something darted between gate at the field and behind the hedgerow. Gyp whined, jumped down and tugged at Shaw’s pants with his teeth.
“Get off me. What did you see?”
Gyp barked, jumping up and down on his front paws. Whatever he’d seen, it wasn’t like Gyp to get that excited. He moved away from the window and turned off the light. Gyp scratched at the apartment door.
“You’re not going out running after strays. Settle down.”
He walked back to the window and peeked out through the slats. Two minutes watching and he shrugged his shoulders. A fox slinked across the street, and then it ran off toward the field.
“There’s nothing there, boy, only a fox,” he said, and walked over to the wall to flick the light switch on.
Shaw ambled over to the sofa and sat. He lifted his laptop onto his knees. Gyp jumped into the space it had left. He took out a pen drive from his pocket and uploaded the images taken at the vets. Frank had sent his e-mail. He downloaded the pictures and Frank’s report and copied them to his pen drive. Gyp sat alert at the side of him as he scrolled through the pictures. Shaw started to type scenarios. He started with Ed Grimes as his main suspect for involvement in the vet’s death, and the arson attack. He made a list of questions he needed him to answer. He took a sideways glance at Gyp, to see him staring at the screen.
“What’s up, Gyp,” he said, and patted Gyp’s head. “Do you want something to eat? I’m making a coffee.”
Shaw put out a bowl of dog food and then sat with his mug of black coffee and place
d it at the side of the sofa. His mind was more active than it had been for as long as he could remember. With his eyelids heavy, he fought the inevitable, but felt himself drifting.
Shaw awoke to banging coming from the direction of the downstairs office door, and pushing himself to his feet, he stumbled to the window. He looked at his watch. It was 10: 30 a.m. He pulled on the cord, parted the blind slats, then opened the window. Frank was standing below, and looked up at Shaw.
“Let me get dressed. I’ll be down soon.”
Shaw hurried to the bathroom, took a quick shower, then dressed.
“Come on Gyp,” he said, and opened the door to his apartment. He hesitated at the bottom of the stairway. There had been no foul taste in his mouth, no pounding headache, and his vision was clear. He realized that he’d not drunk himself to sleep as he opened the door to Frank, and Gyp slipped outside.
“I thought it was your day off, Frank?” Shaw said, as they made his way to the office.
“Yeah, but the missus has gone to church with her sister and friends. I’m at a loose end. I was wondering if you wanted company on your visits.”
“First things first, I’ll fill the coffee Jug.”
Shaw set about making the coffee, filling the coffee maker with water from the cooler.
“We need a fresh water bottle for the cooler, we’re almost out,” Shaw said. “I’ll pick one up on my travels.”
He noticed the LED flashing on his answer phone and pressed playback. There was just the one message from Amy saying that she had arrived safely. He wasn’t sure he wanted Frank’s company. His mind carried on from where it left off when he’d fallen asleep. He was still worried about Amy, and he wanted time alone to think about the events surrounding Maria and Johno. It was too early to haul Ed Grimes in for questioning, least not until all the forensics results and the autopsy was complete. Maria’s death could be simply a case of a ferocious dog savaging her. It could be Ed Grimes dog. It could be a dog that she’d tried to rescue after a fight with the stag. The bare footprints and the arson attack clouded the issue. Amy’s revelation that Ted’s Polly was a dog and not some bird, together with her saying that he was away from the camp, arriving in his bare feet, gave him reason for concern.
The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles Page 11
