by Joshua Grove
“Shit!” Jason yelled, dropping a handful of fries into his lap. Goddammit, in my new mustang, he thought to himself. He looked up and smiled, immediately apologizing for his language. “I’m so sorry. Professor Bearson?”
“Yes, Mr. Styles. A pleasure to see you again,” he said with a wide smile. The professor was a massive man. Jason figured he must have been at least 6’5, with a chiseled, square face and dark eyes. He looked weathered, with silky grey hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“And you, Professor,” Jason said. His father had raised him with manners. If it got back to the good doctor that Jason hadn’t been polite, he would get the shit kicked out of him. Well, verbally anyway. He had been working out since he was fifteen, and now, ten years later, he had a body he could be proud of. Not to mention all the women he wanted. Ah, the women.
“Shall we?” the professor asked.
“Shall we what?” Jason asked, confused.
“Dispense with the pleasantries,” the professor said coolly. “Please, call me Anish.”
“Sure,” Jason said uncomfortably. “Would you like to see the weapon?”
“Yes, please,” Anish said in his deep voice. His accent didn’t seem as heavy in person as it was on the phone. Regardless, Jason couldn’t figure out where it was from. He figured Native American, though he thought the professor was born and raised in Minneapolis. Jason reached into the backseat and pulled the weapon from a box. It was vacuum-sealed in a large, clear bag. He stepped out of the car and handed it to Anish, then proceeded to lean over and clean up the fallen fries.
“Very interesting,” Anish said as he rolled the weapon in his hands. Jason stood back up and faced Anish. Only 5’9, the professor towered over him.
“What do you think?” he asked, trying to sound intelligent.
“I think this is very interesting,” he repeated.
That’s helpful, Jason thought. Those Indian types are very quiet. Must be his culture. He fought the desire to shake his head, thinking the old professor was being a tad rude. Perhaps he could join me in my culture and my time period.
“I apologize for being cryptic,” Anish said as he raised an eyebrow. Jason immediately felt uncomfortable.
Can he hear my freakin’ thoughts?
“And no, I can’t hear your thoughts,” Anish laughed heartily. Jason wanted nothing more than to get back into his mustang and drive home and get laid.
“So what do you think it’s from?” Jason asked, trying to forget his discomfort. He was genuinely interested in what the professor thought about the mysterious weapon/artifact.
“I think it’s hard to say,” Anish said, making Jason think that the weapon wasn’t the only mysterious thing at McDonald’s tonight.
“Can I get you something to eat for the drive to Crimson Falls?” Jason asked.
“I ate before I came,” Anish said flatly. “We should hit the road.”
For someone with good English slang, he sure could use a lesson in politeness, Jason thought. He tried to push the thought away, afraid the freaky professor could hear him. Anish smiled and turned back toward his car, holding the weapon tightly in his right hand.
“I’ll take this with me,” Anish said without turning around. “I know the way, so don’t worry if I lose you.”
Jason laughed. “I seriously doubt you’ll lose me. I have a five liter engine with..” but Anish cut him off mid-thought.
“Of course, of course,” Anish laughed. He climbed into his ancient Ford F250. The door creaked as he closed it.
“Piece of shit,” Jason mumbled as he sat down in his black mustang. He revved the engine, just to show the professor that he could smoke his ass if he wanted. Anish waved from the window and slowly pulled out of his space. He then drove over the curb and into the grass, accelerating and flying onto the road. Cars swerved to miss him, honking their horns in anger.
“Holy Christ,” Jason cried in amazement. Maybe he had misjudged the professor.
* * * * * *
3
Anna sank into her chair once she heard Sam reviewing the tapes with Damien. She looked at her children who were sitting at the conference table and let out a deep sigh. Tommy looked up at her from his book on Abraham Lincoln.
“What’s up, Mom?” he asked. She knew he wasn’t really reading, but was trying to remain calm so she didn’t worry.
“How’s your book?” she asked without answering his question.
“It’s great!” he said with feigned excitement. “Did you know that the Gettysburg Address is only 272 words long?”
“I didn’t know that,” she lied. He had told her that the previous week when he had finished reading the very book he now held in his hands. “We could use another president like him.”
“Amen to that,” Tommy said. “I know I told you to vote for Obama, but he is really letting us down. I thought he would fight for us.” Anna had to laugh at his serious demeanor and sincere dedication to politics.
“Maybe you will be that president,” she said, honestly believing he had the capacity to do it.
“Why couldn’t I be president?” Trish said as she stopped writing in her journal to join the conversation.
“You could be president!” Anna said with delight.
“I told you to vote for Hillary,” Trish said indignantly to Tommy. “If we had elected her, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“And what do you know of this mess?” Tommy asked, frustrated with his little sister.
“Okay, guys,” Anna said as she held her hands in the air.
“You guys are freaking lame,” Trevor said without looking up from his Stephen King novel. “You’d be better off spending your time and money on a flight to Canada. This country is screwed.”
“Ever the optimist,” Anna laughed.
“Mom, seriously,” Tommy said. “What’s going on? Who was that in the woods? And what happened to Uncle Ron?” Anna remembered all the times Ron had visited, especially after her husband had left.
“I can’t believe you guys watched that,” she said, frustrated. “I wish I had known you were in the room when that was going on.” She looked at Trisha, who shrugged her shoulders.
“She wasn’t there,” Tommy said, recognizing the concern in Anna’s eyes. “And how could we not? It was so crazy. Like a movie or something.”
“I wish it were as simple as that,” Anna confided. “It would be nice to have a script so I know what happens next. But unfortunately they weren’t actors on those screens and there won’t be some sappy Hollywood ending.”
“Well Tarantino’s films usually don’t have happy endings,” Trevor added.
“That’s helpful,” Tommy said as he punched his twin. Trevor pushed his chair back, but Anna slammed her hand down on her desk.
“Really, boys! Now’s not the best time to irritate your mother,” Anna moaned.
“Are we going to have to sit here for the rest of the night?” Trisha asked. “Because I’m getting seriously bored.”
“Are you hungry?” Anna asked.
“Starving,” all three of her children said in unison.
“There’s pizza and soda out there. Go and gorge yourselves.”
“Are you hungry, Mom?” Tommy asked.
“Always taking care of Mamma,” Trevor sniped. “Mom, I will bring you some pizza.”
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry at the moment, boys,” Anna promised. “Now go and get yourselves something to eat. And make sure Janet isn’t sleeping on the job,” she joked. She watched as they filed out of her office. She noticed how Trisha walked like her. Her long black hair reminded her of when her hair used to be all black. Now there were streaks of grey, and her hair was only shoulder length. Trevor and Tommy both walked like their father, and they looked like him, too. Dark, spiked hair and brooding eyes. Every time she looked at her sons’ eyes she saw her husband. It was like getting punched in the gut several times a day.
She remembered back to the previous year when she thou
ght her family was happy and whole. The day he left began like any other day. Thomas had left for work at the high school where he taught American History and Government, taking the twins with him. Trisha was sick, so she had stayed home from school. Anna decided to work from home that day, catching up on paperwork. The sound of the phone ringing still haunted her mind’s ears. It was 11:23am.
“Hello?” Anna said.
“Anna? Hi, it’s Mildred.” Mildred Snyder was the principal of the high school, and Thomas’ boss. She had been over for dinner the previous night.
“Hi, Mildred. Is everything okay?”
“I wanted to talk with Thomas, make sure he’s okay.”
“What do you mean? He’s not at work?”
“No, Anna. He dropped off the twins and then said he was going home to spend the day with Trisha because she was sick.”
Anna hadn’t been able to find the words to answer Mildred. Why would Thomas have lied to his boss? More importantly, why hadn’t he come home?
“Anna, are you still there?”
“Yes, Mildred. I’m sorry. I will track him down and have him call you.”
“Okay,” Mildred answered nervously. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Anna hung up the phone and immediately called Janet. “Have there been any accidents?”
“Sheriff Blackwood?” Janet asked.
“Yes, Janet, it’s the sheriff. Have there been any accidents?”
“No, ma’am. Nothing at all. Is everything okay?”
“You’re sure there haven’t been any reports?”
“No, Sheriff. Is everything okay?”
Anna hung up the phone and called her neighbor to come watch Trisha. She scoured the streets until school let out, then picked up the twins.
“Have you talked to your father?” she asked them.
“Isn’t he home?” Tommy asked. “He said he was going home to make sure Trisha was okay.” She could see the panic on both her sons’ faces.
“I’m going to drop you off at home. Mrs. McKenzie is there. She’ll make dinner for you. I told her to make sure you guys do your homework.”
“Mom, what the hell?” Trevor asked, confused and worried.
“Language.”
They rode home in silence. She dropped them off and quickly pulled out of the driveway and began retracing the steps her husband would have taken. She called Sam and asked him to help her find her husband and they searched late into the night. There was no sign of Thomas, his Range Rover, nothing.
“I can make a few calls to some friends. Trace his cell, any credit cards he may have used,” Sam offered. Anna reluctantly accepted.
Before she knew it, two weeks had passed and there was still no trace of Thomas. It was like he fell off the grid. The kids were not dealing well with their father’s disappearance, and she tried with limited success to help them through it. Father Matthew was a good friend throughout the ordeal. Soon she began attending mass again with her children, finding comfort in both Matthew and the rituals of Catholicism.
Now, a year later, very little had changed. Thomas simply disappeared. Missing Persons, the FBI, you name it, all failed to find him. Anna finally came to the conclusion that he didn’t want to be found. He simply up and left the life they had made together. Although it still made no sense to her, she had resigned herself to the belief that he was gone forever.
“Sheriff?” Janet asked, startling Anna from her memories.
“You might consider knocking, Janet,” Anna said sharply. Janet looked to the floor. “I’m sorry, Janet. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“It’s tense around here,” Janet said softly. “I understand.”
“What do you need?” Anna asked with as little frustration as possible.
“There is a Professor Bearson here to see you,” she reported.
Anna glanced at her watch. “That was fast. Great. Send him in, Janet. Thanks.”
“Right away.”
Anna stood from her chair and watched as a tall, wide, older Native American walked toward her office. Although he was smiling, she could tell he had a no nonsense, stern demeanor. She liked him already.
“Professor Bearson,” she said as she walked from behind her desk with her hand outstretched. He shook it firmly. She noticed in his other hand he held the murder weapon.
“Sheriff Blackwood,” he replied. “It is an honor to meet your acquaintance.”
“An honor?” Anna laughed. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve that.”
He smiled broadly. “Your reputation precedes you, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Anna.”
“And please, call me Anish.”
“I am so grateful, Anish, that you came so quickly. I had hoped Dr. Styles would be here to greet you as well. I will call and let him know you have arrived safely.”
“I have called him, Ms. Blackwood. He is on his way and should be here at any moment.” Literally, at that moment, David Styles walked through the door.
“Anish!” David cried with delight.
“David!” Anish reciprocated. “So wonderful to see you again!” The two men embraced for a brief moment, then held each other’s shoulders as they looked at one another.
“You look old,” David said with a grin.
“And you’re an ass,” Anish returned. Anna thought that although they were joking, there was actually truth to what they had said.
“Enough small talk,” David declared. “What can you tell us about the weapon?” he asked as he pointed to the bag. Anna looked at Anish, hoping to finally have a little clarity.
“It is difficult to say,” Anish said simply.
“Difficult to say?” David repeated. “Does that mean you have no idea, or that it isn’t as simple as something being made out of an animal?”
Anish chuckled. “It simply means it is difficult to say. I do not speak in riddles like the White man,” he joked. His laugh bellowed through the station. Even Damien and Sam looked at him.
Anna noticed how Anish’s sound and presence filled the room. It was both soothing and a little disconcerting. She was glad he was on their side, and even felt a little safer with him around.
“What additional information do you need?” David asked.
“I would like to see the body,” he said in a monotone voice. They both looked at Anna.
“I think that can be arranged,” she said. “Why don’t we go now. We can take my car.”
“Excellent,” Anish said. He shook the bag in front of him and a look of gravity appeared on his brow. “It is most important that we do not waste time.”
“What do you mean, Professor?” Anna asked, then corrected herself when he frowned. “I’m sorry. What do you mean, Anish?”
“Although I am not quite certain as to the origin of this weapon, I know it is a tooth. I also know that we are dealing with something beyond what Crimson Falls has seen in quite some time.”
“That’s what I thought,” David said, looking at Anna.
Anna said nothing. She nodded and grabbed her keys from her desk. As they walked toward the doors, she stopped by the break room and gave her children orders.
“I need to do a few things,” she said. “Stay here, do your homework, and don’t give Janet a hard time. You can watch television in my office.”
“Mom, please don’t leave,” Tommy begged.
“I promise that your mother is in good hands,” Anish said as he stood beside Anna.
“Dude, you’re huge!” Trevor cried, astonished.
“Trevor!” Anna corrected, but Anish waved off her concern with a hand and a laugh.
“Indeed, Trevor. Therefore you have nothing to worry about. We will be just fine.”
Somehow he managed to make her children feel better. Anna was both impressed and a little irritated. If only she could wield that kind of power over her children.
“I’ll be right back,” she promised.
Anna, David, and Anish walked without talking.
Once in the cruiser, Anish was the first to break the silence.
“There is something on your mind, Anna. What is it you need to ask?” Anish asked without looking at her.
“It’s not so much a question, I suppose,” she began. “It’s more of a statement.”
“Then state it,” Anish said calmly.
“Something you said earlier is bothering me.”
“And what is that?” Anish asked innocently. He kept his gaze straight ahead through the windshield.
“You said that we’re dealing with something we haven’t dealt with in a long time,” Anna said. She looked in the rearview mirror at David, who shrugged.
“I did indeed,” Anish agreed.
“So you meant to say something?” she repeated.
“As opposed to what, Anna?” Anish asked.
“Well, as opposed to someone.”
“Yes, that is true.”
“So you don’t think a person did this? You think it was an animal?”
“I didn’t say that, Anna,” Anish said. She was becoming a bit frustrated with his cryptic responses.
“So if it’s not a person, and it’s not an animal, then what could it be?” David asked when it became apparent that Anna wasn’t going to ask the question.
“What it could be is something other than a human. Other than an animal,” Anish said without emotion or inflection in his voice.
“I’m lost,” Anna confessed with a hint of impatience. “There isn’t anything else there could be.” She almost confused herself with her statement.
“There are many things outside of humans and animals, my friends,” Anish said softly. “The animal kingdom does not exist by itself in nature.”
“No, there are plants, too,” Anna said, catching herself off guard with her attitude.
“I apologize, Anna,” Anish said as he finally looked at her. “I do not mean to frustrate you with my responses. I simply do not have an answer that will satisfy you.”
“Why not?” she said, a bit dumbfounded.
“Because the kingdom from which I derive my answers lies outside your zone of comfort and base of knowledge.”
“And what kingdom would that be?” Anna asked. She looked in the rearview mirror again at David. “Any idea what he’s talking about?”
