“No need to apologize. What is it?” Moser felt fear rising in his gut, cutting like acid.
“There’s someone on the line that’s been waiting for you. I told her you were in a meeting and you would call back, but she insisted on waiting until you were done. She’s been on the line for twenty minutes now. She said it was an emergency, but refused to call 911. She said it had to be you.”
“Did she give her name?” he asked, although he was already picturing Jessica Cleary in his mind. She was so persistent, and so sure of herself and her conclusions. He almost envied her that.
“Yes sir. Jessica Cleary. She’s on line one. Should I—”
“I’ll take the call,” he said. “Thank you, Charlene.”
Moser changed course, abandoning the men’s room and heading toward his office. Once inside, he shut the door and sat down in his creaking chair. He took a deep breath and grabbed the phone off its cradle. He tucked it against his ear and pressed the blinking light next to line one. “Moser here,” he said.
“Detective Moser? This is Jessica Cleary.”
“Yes, Jessica. How can I help you today?” Moser could feel a knot in his stomach, growing heavy with anticipation.
“I heard the news about the Arlington house,” she said.
“I had no doubt you would. Is that why you are calling?”
“Well, yes and no, I guess.” She sounded flustered.
“Is everything alright, Jessica?” he asked.
“Do you still think it is a sick bear?”
“That is up for debate at this point. I can’t discuss details of—”
“The news said there were footprints,” she said. Silence followed, then: “Paw prints.”
What imbecile leaked that intel to the news? Probably the same bastards running around here thinking some serial killer trained his dogs to attack rich people, Moser thought. He said, “Yes, I suppose there is no harm in confirming that detail. We did find paw prints around the victims.”
“Have you thought more about what I said? About the chupacabra?”
Moser said nothing. That damn chupacabra talk was what just got him kicked off the case. His case. “I've considered it,” Moser said, “but I haven’t drawn any conclusions at this point.”
“Even after one of your own men—someone young, strong, and trained to protect others—was taken down by the same thing? A sick cougar might be able to kill an old woman who was caught off guard, but a young police officer with a gun?”
Silence on Moser’s end.
Jessica continued, “You really think some sickly animal could do that?”
Moser sighed, “I don’t know what I believe anymore, Jessica.” And that, blunt as it was, was the truth. He just didn’t know anymore. Not at all.
“Well,” she went on, “I’m not going to berate you with my beliefs again. I made my thoughts perfectly clear when we spoke last week. I thought these most recent deaths might have been enough for you to consider what I found out, but oh well.”
“Jessica, I—”
“That’s not why I called anyway,” she said, cutting him off.
“It's not?” Moser asked, surprised.
“I’m not calling to try to convince you that a chupacabra is attacking people out in Wasp Canyon. I’m calling because I know where it is going to go next. Maybe you won’t believe me about what it is, but I’m hoping you could at least try to consider the fact that it is going to keep attacking people. And that I know who’s next.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Moser asked. He began massaging his temple as Jessica explained her theory about the chupacabra going from house to house, and that Jasper’s house and the McElroy’s were next. Moser already met the McElroy’s; he had talked to them while investigating the Arlington case and the victim’s assumption that the McElroy kids were involved in a prank. The kids were at a sleepover that night as it turned out, although after seeing what was left of Arlington, Moser had not even considered those two kids being involved in any way.
“You need to get the McElroy’s out of there as soon as possible,” Jessica said.
“I can’t make people leave their homes without proper cause,” Moser said. I can’t make them do anything anymore, since I’m no longer on the case, he thought miserably.
“You don’t think this is proper cause?” Jessica asked.
“Proper cause has to be something people will believe. If I go over to the McElroy’s and say a Mexican goat-sucker is on the loose and it is coming for them next, they will laugh in my face.”
“Well, you don’t have to say it that way,” Jessica said.
“Look Jessica, even if I might be considering that what you said is true, that doesn’t mean the department—or my superiors—will feel the same way. I cannot issue an evacuation based on a hunch that only I have. Many others would have to support this theory, and I’m telling you right now, I will not get that amount of support at this juncture. Not when I bring up the word chupacabra in a police station.” Moser squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the heavy weight of shame pushing down on him. Maybe I should have at least looked at the bodies. The chief is right—I don’t deserve to be on this case.
Silence from Jessica’s end of the line. After a considerable pause she asked, “Well, can’t you stick with the rogue predatory animal thing? Say it’s a bear or a cougar that’s working its way down from the mountains, and that the McElroy’s house could be attacked next. It would at least get them away from the area while your men try to find it and kill it.”
“No one will ever consider a bear or mountain lion capable of breaking into one of those homes, no matter how sick it was or how much of a man-killer it might be. I cannot force them to leave their home based on that theory—at best I could only get them to promise not to go outside at night. And I wouldn’t even be able to enforce that.” Especially since I am off the case.
“So you’re basically saying there is nothing you can do?” she asked.
The disappointment in Jessica’s voice matched the growing disappointment Moser felt in his own chest. I wonder if this is how she felt when I turned her away that day she came to the station. What I did to her, the chief just did to me.
Jessica’s voice cut into Moser’s thoughts. “What if I could prove it?”
“Prove it?”
“Prove that it exists. The chupacabra. If I can prove it, your men would have to act then, right? No more twiddling their thumbs and saying ‘Gosh, I just don’t know.’ They would have to evacuate the entire area and call in for more help to find it and kill it.”
Moser frowned. “Yes, I suppose if there was proof of its existence then we would have to change course and act accordingly. But Jessica, there is no way to prove that this—thing—actually exists. We have dozens of men looking and they have found no trace of it.”
“Can you have your men set up stakeout units around Cameron’s house and the McElroy house each night and wait to see if it shows up?”
“The Jasper house? No, I highly doubt I will get approval to have multiple units deployed to watch a vacant house based on the premise that a bear or mountain lion might show up one night. I could possibly get a unit over to the McElroy house, but even that is unlikely. Especially since everyone is going off the assumption that this is a normal animal that is incapable of getting indoors. As far as my superiors are concerned, as long as the McElroy’s stay inside, they should be fine.”
“I thought your superiors would want to catch this thing as quickly as possible.”
“They do, but they also don’t want to make fools of themselves, setting up stakeouts based on the hunch of some waitress. It would make for a lot of bad press.”
“And that’s what they care about most—saving face and avoiding bad press?”
“Jessica, I hate to say it, but that’s what a lot of high-up officials care about most.”
“And what do you care about most, Detective Moser?”
Moser sighed, considering t
he question. “I care about stopping this thing, whatever it might be, before it kills one more person.”
“And if I supply you with proof that it is a chupacabra, will you make every effort to get your department on board to hunt it down and destroy it? And to get everyone that’s still living out there out of harm's way?”
“Yes, I would do that. You have my word.” Moser waited for a moment, and when she didn’t say anything else, he asked, “Jessica, what are you planning on doing? How could you possibly get proof that this thing exists?”
More silence. Finally she said, “If your men won’t go to Cameron’s house, I will. I will get you your proof, and then it is up to you to stop it.”
Moser shook his head and let out a silent whoosh of air. “Jessica, I cannot permit you to trespass on private prop—”
“You could come too, if you want,” Jessica suggested. She waited for Moser to respond, and when he didn’t, she went on. “You told me what you wanted most was to stop it before it kills someone else. And since your superiors aren’t willing to do anything, I don’t see any other way. I’m not going to sit back and wait for the breaking news story that two children were slaughtered, or that they lost their dad when he tried to protect him. No freaking way. I’m going to Cameron’s house Friday night, whether you help me or not. I’ll get you your damn proof, and then you’re going to do everything in your power to find it and destroy it. That’s what matters most, Moser. You said so yourself.”
Moser opened his mouth to speak, but Jessica had already ended the call. The line was dead.
Chapter 45
The phone rang in the Cleary house almost immediately after Jessica set it back in its cradle. She had just ended a rather unsuccessful call with Jerry McElroy. Or rather, he had ended it when he hung up on her. Jessica tried to explain the situation to McElroy as best she could, trying desperately to convey the danger that his family was in. McElroy kept asking why the police weren’t telling him all this if it was, in fact, true. When Jessica failed to produce an acceptable answer to that question, McElroy threatened to call the police himself—only this time it would be to report her for harassment. He said he’d had enough reporters sniffing around following the deaths of his three neighbors, just trying to catch him out of the house to snap pictures of his family and shove a microphone in his face. He wasn’t going to subject his family to such things, and that’s why they were staying put. He couldn’t even get out of his driveway to go to work without news vans swarming his car. As long as the police said it was safe for his family to remain at home, then that’s what they were going to do—with the curtains drawn and the gate entrance to his driveway securely fastened. He hung up on her, threatening once more to call the police if she called again.
Jessica had not expected much to come from the conversation—her dad would have behaved in the exact same fashion. She still felt she had to try, though, and that’s what she had done.
And now the phone was ringing, buzzing in its cradle and its red light flashing. Now what? She picked up the phone. It was still warm from when she had talked to McElroy. Jessica expected the call to be for her mom, since it was her mother’s phone line, after all. To her surprise, the call was for her.
“Jessica,” a familiar voice said, “this is Dr. Wyatt calling.”
Jessica felt her stomach flutter. Why hadn’t she looked at the damn caller ID? Not that it would have done any good, either her mom would have answered the call or Dr. Wyatt would have left a message that Andrea could have overheard.
“Um, hello Dr. Wyatt,” Jessica said.
“I tried to get a hold of you on your cell multiple times, but it seems you were always too busy to answer.” When Jessica said nothing, Dr. Wyatt pressed on. “We had an appointment yesterday afternoon. Had you forgotten?”
“Uh, no, I didn’t.”
Wyatt sighed. “I was afraid of that. Jessica, you must not discontinue our sessions. We were making such—”
“Progress?” Jessica interrupted. “Yeah, we were. Until you decided I was crazy.”
“Jessica, I never once said you were crazy, nor did I ever think it.”
“Yes, you did,” Jessica said. “I saw it on your face and heard it in your voice, when I told you that the thing that chased me was not a normal animal.”
“Jessica, I hate so much that something terrible happened while you were doing an activity that you actually enjoyed. And something that I suggested. I never thought it would be so dangerous.”
“That’s not why I stopped coming.”
“It’s not? Then why?”
“I already told you. You think I’m crazy. Have you even been watching the news?”
“Yes, I have seen the news.”
“And you still don’t believe me?”
“Jessica,” Dr. Wyatt said, “I cannot give in to fantastical theories, no matter how much I might want to. It is my job to keep you grounded, and to keep you focused on your recovery.”
“My recovery?” Jessica asked. “You think that refusing to even consider the possibility that I could be right is going to help with my recovery? I trusted you.”
Silence on Dr. Wyatt’s end. “I’m a woman of science,” she finally said. “I am incapable of believing that there is a mythical explanation to what is happening in Wasp Canyon right now.”
“And that’s why I can’t continue to see you,” Jessica said.
“Jessica—”
“I came to you to get help with my grief. Well, I think I have decided that I will handle my grief, my way.”
“Jessica, please listen to me—”
“Just let me grieve.” Jessica said, and hit the End button on the portable phone. She set it down on its stand, reached around the base of the phone, and unplugged the power cord. Her mom had her cell phone if she needed to make a call, and within a few days, this would all be over anyway. She would plug the phone back in when she got back on Friday.
Jessica heard the TV’s volume increase in the living room. “Jessica,” Andrea called, “come in here and watch this. It’s the chief of police. They are having a press conference about Wasp Canyon. Maybe they found the wolf!”
“Doubtful,” Jessica muttered to herself. She headed toward the living room. Since last week’s argument, neither Andrea nor Jessica had brought up Wasp Canyon. Things seemed to be going back to the realm of normalcy, although both women were becoming quite skilled at feigning a normal routine.
Jessica entered the living room, her boot clunking on the floor as she went. The chief of police was on the screen, looking shiny and uncomfortable under the harsh camera lights. Andrea was sitting on the couch, watching the chief fumble through his speech to the press. Andrea looked up from the screen as Jessica came in, hitting the mute button when she saw her daughter wincing. Jessica sat down next to her, groaning as the weight came off of her ankle.
“How’s your ankle doing, dear?”
“Hurts, but it’s getting better I think.”
“We have your follow-up appointment with the doctor early next week. I hope you didn’t forget.”
“I didn’t. I’m just worried about what he is going to say.”
“Well, we will cross that bridge when we come to it.” Andrea put her arm around Jessica, and Jessica leaned in and rested her head on her shoulder. “You ok, honey?” Andrea asked.
“Yeah, just tired I guess.”
“You’re not just saying that to get out of cleaning Tofu’s litter box, are you?” Andrea asked.
Jessica laughed. “No, of course not. I would never do such a thing.”
“Uh huh. Sure you wouldn’t,” Andrea said, and unmuted the television. They sat side by side, watching the increasingly uncomfortable-looking chief drag his way through a storm of frenzied questions coming from a horde of reporters.
Jessica looked over at the recliner that was positioned next to the couch. Tofu was fast asleep with his white belly turned up toward the ceiling. All the yelling reporters had not awoke
n him. Jessica figured Tofu was unphased by television volume—his previous owner probably liked to have it turned way up on her TV, as well. Anything to make such a big house feel less lonely.
Chapter 46
“He really is making himself at home, isn’t he?” Jessica asked, watching Tofu prance around the kitchen in preparation for his dinner. The afternoon was drawing to a close, the sun ready to give up its hold on the day and let the night take over. It was Friday, August 17th.
“I’ll say,” Andrea agreed. “You ok, hon? You seem a little more down than usual.”
“More down?” Jessica snickered.
“No, I don’t mean it like that. I just meant—”
“I’m ok, Mom. My ankle just hurts, that’s all.”
“Do you want me to cancel tonight? It’s just dinner and a movie with the book club ladies. We can have our own movie night here instead.”
“Naw, you go,” Jessica said, watching Tofu quiver his behind as he rubbed up against Andrea’s leg. “You were excited about this one, weren’t you? You guys were gonna watch the movie based on the book you just finished.”
“Yeah, but that always gets me irritated, you know. They always change way too much in the movie. I can stay here if you want company.” Andrea set the food bowl down and Tofu began greedily gulping down the contents.
“I got Tofu,” Jessica said. “Thank you, though. You go have fun, and I will see you in the morning.”
“The morning? I won’t be out that late, honey.”
“I think I’m going to turn in early tonight. I’m pretty tired, and like I said, my ankle hurts.”
Andrea kissed Jessica’s forehead. “Perhaps that is for the best. You need your rest.”
“I sure do,” Jessica said. She looked down at Tofu, who had already consumed half of his dinner. “I’ve been having a little trouble sleeping lately, so when you get home could you leave my door shut? I don’t want to risk getting woken up after I manage to fall asleep.”
“Well, I suppose so. Are you sure you don’t want me to check in on you?”
Wasp Canyon Page 22
