“There’s no reason for a lot of people to use it. There’s nothing out here that interests locals. I mentioned the kids, but they don’t come out here during the week.”
“And there’s no way that the body was out here over the weekend, right?” Jack asked. “There’s no way Sully stumbled upon the kids while they were partying and they panicked or anything, is there?”
Zach shook his head. “No. From what I understand, he’d been dead only about twelve hours or so when they found him. I should caution that he hasn’t been formally identified yet because of the condition of the body, which no one would expand on when I asked about it. If he’d been out here longer, the scavengers would’ve got to him even more than they apparently did.”
“Yes, but we’re supposed to believe the Chupacabra got to him first,” Jack pointed out. “It seems to me that’s a scavenger of sorts.”
“I guess you have a point.” Zach smiled into the mirror. “You don’t seem excited to look for the Chupacabra, Jack. Why is that?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Jack replied, suddenly finding something fascinating to stare at through his window.
“I mean that everyone else seems excited at the prospect of seeing something strange,” Zach said. “Charlie, who is just as cute as an umbrella in a mixed drink, can barely sit still. You, on the other hand, are kind of sour and morose.”
“Sour.” I snorted under my breath. “That’s a good word for you.”
Jack scalded me with a dark look before cracking his neck. “I am determined to keep the members of my team safe. I’m sorry if you find my questions off-putting. They go with the job.”
“Jack is good at his job,” Chris added. “He’s not a natural believer like the rest of us. I think that’s good. He anchors us to reality when some of us might fly away. Isn’t that right, Charlie?”
I was surprised to be addressed in such a manner. “It’s good that he’s protective,” I agreed, meaning every word. “If he could occasionally be protective without being a douche, that would be great.”
Zach barked out a laugh. When I risked a glance at Jack I found him watching me with glittering eyes.
“That was a joke,” I offered lamely.
“Very funny.” Jack’s tone was dry. “Very, very funny.”
Yeah, I would pay for that one later. For now, I had more important things to focus on. “Have you ever seen the Chupacabra, Zach?”
“Now that there is an interesting question.” Zach beamed as he talked, although his tone bothered me. He was about the same age as Jack, who also found it necessary to talk down to me, but Zach did so in a manner that suggested I was stupid. When Jack did it, he acted as if I needed constant supervision and he was the one who needed to provide it. Zach’s tone was completely different, yet somehow I didn’t like it.
“I guess I can’t say with any certainty that I saw the Chupacabra, but I did see something when I was out here one day,” Zach started. “It was after a tour and, for once, I had my own vehicle and I was the only one left. Most of the time I drive people out to the town, but this was a bigger group and they wanted their own vehicle, so I met them at Hooper’s Mill.
“Anyway, they left and I was about to go myself when I heard something in the saloon and I decided to check it out,” he continued. “That was probably a mistake, but since I spend so much time in Hooper’s Mill I couldn’t stop myself.”
“They have a saloon?” For some reason that part of the story snagged my interest. “Maybe you can get your drink there, Jack.”
“Keep talking and I might find a way to make that happen,” Jack warned.
Zach barreled on as if he didn’t hear us snarking at one another. “The saloon was empty, but I could’ve sworn there was a moment where I saw something in the mirror behind me,” he said. “I know that sounds odd – I tend to be more of a ghost fanatic than a Chupacabra fan – but I swear I saw something in that mirror.
“So, I pretty much scared the bejesus out of myself and hurried back to the truck,” he continued. “It was almost dark. There’s a reason I won’t stay in Hooper’s Mill after dark, and it was only reinforced when I got in my truck.
“I flicked on the headlights, and there, right in front of me, was the strangest creature I’d ever seen.” Zach’s voice hopped a little as his excitement grew. “So there I am, sitting behind the wheel of my truck, my palms are sweating something fierce. The creature – I don’t know what else to call it – had eyes that glowed red. Now, I’m willing to admit that part might’ve been my imagination, but it didn’t feel that way in the moment.”
“I’m sure it was your imagination,” Jack said, rolling his eyes.
Zach ignored him. “So the thing is spitting and growling, and all I can think is that it’s some weird iguana or lizard monster, because it had spikes along its back. Well, I have to tell you, my heart was going something fierce and I thought I might pass out. All I could think to do was get away, so I spun out of there so fast I wasn’t even thinking when I pulled onto the highway.”
“You didn’t think to take a photo?” Chris was understandably disappointed.
“No, but I wish had,” Zach replied. “When I got back to town I was worked up and people asked what happened. I told them, and they laughed at me, of course.”
“Of course,” Jack echoed. I elbowed him in the stomach to silence him, but all he did was smirk when he caught my arm before I could do any real damage.
“I’m not sure I saw the Chupacabra,” Zach hedged. “Whatever it was, I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“Well, I’m hopeful we’ll see it, too.” Chris happily patted his knees in excitement. “I can’t wait to see this place. It sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“Yeah,” Jack muttered. “It’s going to be a real barrel of ghosts and Chupacabras.”
HOOPER’S MILL WAS PRETTY much exactly what I’d imagined. I couldn’t stop my head from swiveling back and forth as Zach pulled to a stop in front of a ramshackle building. I unfastened my seatbelt and hopped out before Chris had a chance to utter instructions.
“Hey!” Jack grabbed my arm when I moved toward the saloon, his grip tight and his eyes icy when he stopped my forward momentum. “Let’s come up with a plan before you run off half-cocked, okay?”
I knew he was only doing his job, but he was such a wet blanket I couldn’t help being disappointed. “We’re in a ghost town, Jack.”
“No, we’re in an abandoned town that just had a possible murder,” Jack corrected, causing me to deflate a bit. “Chill for a second and let us talk.”
My inner snark goddess came out to play before I could stop her. “You mean let the adults talk?”
Jack refused to be backed into a corner. “If that’s how you want to look at it. Let’s come up with a plan first. Okay?”
His expression was almost pleading, so I relented. “Okay. I didn’t mean to run off like a ninny. I just … it’s exciting.”
“Yes, well, at least you called yourself a ninny this time.” Jack led me to the spot at the front of the truck where Chris and Zach waited. “I think we should stick close together for this first inspection, Chris. We don’t know the area, and we need to get the lay of the land before we start running around willy-nilly.”
Chris, his expression blank, shrugged. “You guys can stick together as much as you want, but I intend to get a full rendering of the street and as many of the buildings as I can with the camera. I want to take it back tonight and make a plan for a much bigger excursion tomorrow.”
“Then we’ll all do that,” Jack offered.
“I want to look in the saloon,” I argued.
“She wants to look in the saloon,” Zach repeated, grinning. “How about I take Charlie to the saloon and you guys film the street? We’re not going to have a lot of time to waste because the light is limited. We only have an hour before we should turn back.”
“See, you heard him,” Chris pressed. “We don’t h
ave a lot of time. I have to get the video.”
“And you should watch him, Jack,” Zach added. “I’ll keep an eye on Charlie.”
Jack looked as if that was the last thing he wanted. “Let’s switch that around.” Jack ordered, catching Zach off guard before he could wander into the saloon with me. “You know the town’s layout better. You go with Chris. I’ll stick with Charlie.”
“Oh, now, as much as I like Chris, I think Charlie will be more fun.” Zach adopted a mock grin that probably made most women go weak in the knees. I wasn’t most women.
“I like Jack’s idea.” I wasn’t saying that merely because Zach irked me. I wanted to talk to Jack in private. “We’ll check out the saloon. You guys handle the filming.”
“Oh, well … .” Zach looked as if he was going to put up an argument, but I didn’t give him the option. I grabbed Jack’s arm and jerked him toward the saloon. Both swinging doors were intact, but just barely.
“We’ll see you guys at the truck in an hour,” I called out.
“We’ll see you,” Jack sneered as he followed me. He kept a triumphant look on his face until we were out of Zach’s line of sight and then let it drop. “Why are we checking out the saloon again?”
“Because it’s the saloon and that’s where all the cool things happened in old west towns,” I replied, as I released his arm and scanned the room. It was dark and dry, termite-infested furniture making ghostly heaps in corners. Time had ravaged the furniture to such a degree it was impossible to figure out what items used to litter the room. The floor was uneven and warped and webs drifted from the low ceiling. The chandelier, which must’ve been beautiful and shiny at one point, looked as if it was one stiff breeze away from falling.
The bar remained standing, although the planks sagged in places. The shelves behind the bar were long gone. The mirror that remained was splintered, making my reflection look like something straight out of a funhouse.
I was delighted. “Wow,” I murmured. “Is this place the coolest or what?”
“Or what,” Jack replied dryly, scuffing his foot against the floor as he tested his weight in various spots. “This floor won’t hold much longer. This place isn’t safe.”
“I’m starting to think you don’t think anything is safe.”
“That’s my job.”
“Yeah?” I cocked an eyebrow as I tilted my head. “Can I ask you something?”
“If I say no, will that stop you?”
I shook my head, causing Jack to heave out a sigh.
“Ask away,” Jack supplied, running his hands over the bar as I debated how best to broach the subject.
“If you hate me so much, why did you step in and suggest that I come out here with you guys instead of Laura?” I asked finally.
Jack jerked his gaze over his shoulder and met my eyes. “I don’t hate you, Charlie. Why do you think that?”
“Because you act like I’m the little sister you never wanted and I’m insisting on tagging along on your great adventure, which you’re convinced will ruin everything.”
Jack ran his tongue over his lips, considering. “I don’t mean to be Captain Killjoy. I take my responsibilities seriously. You’re gung-ho, and there are times I worry that’s going to get you in trouble.”
“Fair enough.” I meant it. “Still, you had a prime opportunity to leave me behind at the hotel and you fought to include me. Why?”
“Because even though you’re a righteous pain in the behind – and that’s exactly what you are some of the time – you’re also eager to learn and willing to put in the work,” Jack replied. “Laura’s lazy. She only has this job because of her father. You deserve the opportunity to prove yourself.”
“So even though you hate me … .”
“I don’t hate you.” Jack cut me off with a curt headshake. “Stop saying that. I feel the need to protect you. If that comes off as surly or morose, that’s not my intention.”
“Okay.” I accepted his apology without any lingering doubts. I could tell he meant it. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“All of the mean things I’ve been thinking about you. I thought you were obnoxious, but now I’m starting to think that’s simply your personality.”
Instead of being offended, Jack barked out a laugh. “I guess we’re even. Neither one of us can run from who we truly are.”
“I guess so.” I turned back to the saloon. “We should look around. If Zach’s tall tales are to be believed, we need to be far away from this place when darkness falls.”
“Do you believe his tall tales?”
“I don’t know.” I saw no reason to lie. Even though Jack irritated me at times, I knew him to be trustworthy. “There’s something about him I don’t like. I wish I could say that I don’t trust him to do his job, but it’s something else.”
“Something how?” Jack was intrigued. “Something … sexual?”
I was almost relieved to hear him bring it up first, and I let loose a weighted sigh. “Thank you. I didn’t want to say something and look like an idiot if I was reading him wrong.”
“If it’s any consolation, I don’t think you’re reading him wrong,” Jack offered. “But I don’t think you’re reading him entirely right. He’s clearly a player. He probably doesn’t have many options in a scarcely-populated area like this. That’s why when he sees pretty single women his age he jumps all over them.”
“That explains why he’s been flirting with Laura,” I clarified. “I think he’s been acting weird with me, too.”
Jack’s expression was hard to read. “What did I just say?”
“You explained why Zach has been hitting on Laura. I’m talking about me.”
“You don’t have a rock-solid image of yourself, do you?” Jack made a tsking sound and shook his head. “Trust me, Charlie, he’s more than willing to take a tumble with both of you.”
I didn’t consider myself a prude, but I was horrified. “Together?”
Jack’s chuckle was so warm and unexpected I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I’m sure he would love that, but I think he’d take you on separately, too. If he makes you uncomfortable, stay away from him.”
“Okay, well … thank you for arranging for me to come.”
“Don’t make me regret it,” Jack warned, assuming his stalwart Marine persona. “Stick close to me while we go through the building. No wandering off.”
I clicked my heels together as I mock saluted. “Sir, yes, sir.”
“Oh, and my headache is back.”
“You need to get used to that.”
“I’m starting to figure that out on my own.”
5
Five
“Look at this.”
Jack and I spent five minutes searching the room before something caught my eye on the floor toward the back wall. Jack eased around the counter and knelt, his eyes dark as they scanned the rotting planks.
“What is that?”
I held my hands palms up and shrugged. “Chupacabra tracks?”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the spot in question before lifting the camera around his neck and snapping a few photos. I watched him, intrigued by his focus, and waited until he was done to ask the obvious question.
“Do you think they were left by a Chupacabra?”
Jack met my gaze and pursed his lips. “I’m going to be honest with you because I think you’ve earned it. I don’t believe in the Chupacabra.”
“I’m pretty sure I already knew that.”
“There are other types of animals out here.” Jack adopted a pragmatic tone. “It could be a coyote … or maybe a feral hog … or … um … .”
“The Chupacabra,” I finished, grinning.
“Fine. It could be the Chupacabra.”
Even though he’d conceded, I decided to tell him what I was really thinking. He’d been open and amiable since we’d talked things out, so I hoped I wasn’t risking our new-found peace. “
I’m not sure I believe in the Chupacabra either.”
Jack’s eyes flashed with something I couldn’t quite identify. “I thought you believed in everything.”
“I believe in some things,” I corrected. “I believe in Bigfoot. I still think that’s what I saw in my tent that night in Hemlock Cove.”
“Fair enough.”
“I also believe in paranormal abilities … and psychics … and ghosts … and witches.” I had no idea why I threw that last one in. It was pushing things, but I also knew witches were real because I’d met a few when we were searching for Bigfoot. Of course, Jack didn’t know that. I kept it from him because I was hiding my own magical secret and was desperate to keep everyone from finding out.
“Witches, huh?” Instead of reacting with disbelief, Jack merely smirked. “I guess I can get behind some of that.”
“Not all of it?”
“I saw a lot of things when I was overseas. A few of them couldn’t be explained. I think I’m with you on the ghosts.”
“Because ghosts can be internal and external?” I had no idea why I asked the question. It wasn’t the first time the word “haunted” jumped to the forefront of my brain when I thought about Jack. Whatever happened to him when he was in the military, it wasn’t something he was over. Heck, perhaps it was something he’d never get over. But he clearly didn’t want to talk about it.
“Exactly.” Jack snagged my gaze. “Aren’t you haunted by certain things from your childhood?”
That was an annoying question. One he already knew the answer to. My adoptive parents died when I was eighteen. I still didn’t know my birth parents … or how I inherited an ability I was still learning to control and always desperate to hide.
“I guess I am,” I conceded, glancing around. “I still think the Chupacabra would be more fun than internal ghosts.”
Jack grinned as he stood. “You have a point.” He flicked his eyes to the dark area down the hallway before clearing his throat. “I’m going to check down there. I want you to stay here.”
The Chupacabra Catastrophe Page 4
