Welcome to the Punkhorns (Shepard & Kelly Book 1)

by Benjamin Bradley

  Something reflected their light from the clearing ahead. With both of their lights together on the same spot, Jared saw that it was a shovel.

  “What the…” Jared said.

  Hector was silent. His eyes were fixed on the clearing ahead. Jared reached out to stop him, but he was too far away. Jared followed, feeling the sudden weight of responsibility for suggesting this plan and an immense fear of why a shovel sat in the middle of a thick, haunted forest. Hector went into the clearing first, and Jared could see him a little clearer thanks to the moonlight. A swift movement to their left drew their attention. Jared’s heart raced.

  Jared turned back to the right just in time to catch the movement again. It was quick and agile. It was moving all around them. Jared caught a flash of something glimmering in the light above. It crashed down with a thunderous noise, and Jared saw as Hector collapse. Jared’s skin grew cold as he realized what he had just seen. A terrified wail tore from his throat. He went to his injured friend but saw the flash of movement again. His gut said to get help and come back later for Hector, but he still inched towards his friend’s lifeless body.

  Jared saw a figure step out of the shadows and tried to hold his flashlight up, but his view was entirely blocked by the creature sprinting towards him. He dropped his phone and ran. He dashed through the woods, dodging trees and low-hanging branches. The figure’s pace picked up. Jared pushed his legs harder, lifting his knees high. His lungs burned and his legs begged him to stop. He sprinted on.

  The figure was closing in, so Jared made a sharp right. The figure seemed to have trouble following. He felt space between them. His calves and hamstrings screamed in agony, but he ignored them. This was survival. This was the chase. He’d seen it happen in nearly every movie he loved. He had to make it to a trail, and then he’d be able to wind his way through the forest and call for help.

  Jared could feel the figure closing in on him again. He begged his body to move faster, to find a way to push through. It kicked into a third gear. A last-ditch effort to give him the space he needed. Jared looked around, trying and locate the figure, but it was too dark. As he turned his head, Jared felt a crash of pain and his face hit the rotten dirt surface of the forest floor. He lay face down in the soil, and could hear the figure panting above him. In that moment, maybe his last, Jared knew that this was something with a pulse. Something with two legs and a beating heart. Something human.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Friday, August 10th

  Delaney loathed the idea of showing up to a crime scene in her running clothes, but she was already on her way to the Punkhorn trails when she got the call. Officer Ruiz and Chief Slimmer stood close together, both with hands on their hips, staring into the thick, wild forest that had taken two more of their own. Both of the men shot her a look when she stepped out of her car, but neither had made a comment. She wondered if Ruiz would strain his neck from trying not to look at her legs in running tights.

  “Jesus, more victims? What is going on here?” Delaney broke the tension and surveyed the men for any sign of positivity or hope. They both paused and eyed one another.

  “Shit, wish I knew, Detective,” Ruiz led off.

  The chief let out a heavy breath, and Delaney saw that the insomniac’s eyes were redder than his usual morning shade. “We have to treat this case like the others. Same deal. Shep, take the lead on the investigation. I’ll handle the families. Ruiz, make sure the crime scene team does a thorough search. No stone unturned. You know the drill.”

  Ruiz nodded. “We’ll have them check the car just to be extra cautious. Maybe we’ll find a clue. The friends that reported them missing didn’t know which trail they were likely on.”

  Delaney let out a groan that drew a look from both men. “Sorry, I just don’t see the point in the crime scene team picking over this area without knowing where they were. They could have been miles into the forest for all we know. Can we get any men from the Staties? Infrared?”

  Chief Slimmer lowered his voice so only Delaney and Ruiz could hear. “I’m working on it. We’re not the only town with needs in this state, so I can’t make any assurances. However, we still have to do everything by the book. Check every box. It’s the least we can do.” He then looked only at Delaney. “Get on board or take time off, Shep.”

  Delaney nodded. It was far from the first time she’d been told to follow the hierarchy and to do as she was told. There was an inherent difficulty for her in swallowing her pride and pretending that the proposed way was the only option. Regardless, standing in running clothes that clung to her body was not a time to argue with her superior officer. Instead, she changed the subject.

  “And a search crew? How many volunteers do we have?” Delaney asked.

  Ruiz gazed at the ground and kicked at a pebble that stood out in the sand lot. “Well, that’s a bit of an issue.” He glanced over to the chief.

  Delaney knew that look. “We have none? No volunteers?”

  “People are spooked, Shep. Can’t say I blame ‘em,” the chief said. “Let’s not abandon hope just yet though.”

  “Jesus,” Delaney sighed. “I’ll run here. I don’t know these trails as well as my usual route, but I can find my way out. Somebody has to search these acres for these men.”

  Ruiz stared at her, dumbfounded. “You run in here? Still?”

  Delaney beamed. “Every day.”

  Ruiz showed her photos of the two missing men and she had him to send them to her phone. Even without signal inside the woods, she figured it might help to have them on hand. Delaney laced up her shoes and bolted out onto the trail. The path was straight for the first few hundred yards, but then traced up the outline of an old knob that had worn and broken down with age. Eventually, the trail came to an intersection and Delaney saw a small cairn off to the left side. She stopped to examine the small wobbly tower of rocks, considering if it was worth having them fingerprinted to see if either Jared Sorrentino or Hector Ramos had put the last pebble on the top of the stack. Since she knew it was dark when they entered, she guessed they wouldn’t see or stop at the leaning tower of rocks that lined the trail’s edge.

  She opted to go left onto the most established path of the three options. The towering trees above formed a green tunnel which helped shade her route and protect her from the rising sun above. The ground pitched upward quickly, and she felt her calves burn as they worked to power her up the small mountain. She could feel the lactic acid creeping in and slowing her already. She’d never thought of thirty-three as old before, but her legs suddenly felt like they belonged to a senior citizen. As the ache settled in, Delaney knew that this was a fool’s errand.

  Delaney backtracked, passed the cairn at the intersection, and cruised back to her car with plenty of gas left in her tank. She felt better once she knew where she was, but wondered if it was the eerie Punkhorns that were draining her energy with every step. Back in the parking lot, she waved to Ruiz and shook her head to let him know she didn’t see anything on her route.

  Her car’s fake leather seats sizzled like the fajitas that waiters carried through crowded restaurants. She grabbed a towel from the trunk and laid it on the seat so she could sit. Sweat dripped from her brow and onto her phone as she checked for messages. She had texted Casper on the way over to let him know about Jared and Hector. Although she was still pissed about him dismissing her instincts in front of the chief, Delaney knew that Casper was a good counterweight for her. They were a good team; despite being such an odd pair. Plus, she was always quick to forgive. She saw the red notification telling her she had three unread texts.

  The first of the three was from her bank, telling her that her paycheck had cleared. Delaney was ashamed at how many times she’d excitedly reach for her phone when she heard the familiar ping of a text alert only to find that it was an automated service of some kind. The other two were from Casper.

  C: Two more?? Okay, what’s our plan of attack?

  C: Call me when you’re set. I ha
ve an idea.

  Delaney drove to the mayor’s house instead of calling Casper back. She knew he’d be waiting in the basement for the next move and figured she could cut some time out and see him now. She also wondered how he would react to her sweaty attire. Delaney had felt a strange pull towards Casper since he’d arrived in town. Profession aside, he was one of the most gentle and respectful men she’d ever worked with. She hadn’t yet decided if it was anything romantic or their newfound partnership in working the case. The uncertainty was okay for now.

  She knocked on the glass sliding door that led to the mayor’s basement, hoping that she’d guessed right and wouldn’t wake up Ann and Peter Peck. She saw him stand from the couch and greet her with a smile. He tried to pull open the door, but it was locked. His cheeks turned red as he fumbled with the lock and welcomed Delaney in.

  “I thought you’d call. Is everything okay?” he asked. She saw his eyes slowly take in her body but quickly shoot up to meet her eyes. His entire face turned red like a ripened strawberry.

  “Yeah, nothing new. No sign of either man in the Punkhorns. Crime scene techs are at the parking lot now. I ran through the trails a bit but didn’t have any luck. Where’s Hoagie?”” Delaney added.

  “Upstairs with Ann. He’s spoiled rotten by his new babysitter. Coffee?” Casper held up a small French press. “Ann Peck leaves this at the top of the stairs for me each morning with a warm croissant. Best bed-and-breakfast I’ve ever stayed in,” he joked.

  Delanie nodded and watched as he filled a small white porcelain mug and handed it to her.

  “You said in your text that you have an idea?”

  Casper sat on the couch with one cushion between them. “I do, but first I want to apologize. I may have been too harsh with you in the station yesterday. I was just pissed you didn’t have my back, but I can see how that you were standing your ground and following your gut. I can respect that.

  “I meant no disrespect. Honestly, I think you’re one hell of a detective and I was wrong to push so hard for my own way. With two more people down, I find it hard to believe any of us have a clue what is going on.”

  “Thanks, Casper. So, tell me about your idea.”

  “It’s nothing groundbreaking. But I have two ideas, technically. First, we should go collect alibis for Rachel Spokes and BJ Baxter. Together. We can ask about each of the disappearances, just to be safe. If somebody’s alibi is ironclad, we can drop them out and focus our efforts a bit.”

  Delaney sipped the coffee to cover the smile that blossomed when she’d heard him say ‘together.’ She looked up and nodded for him to continue. She had no intention of making this easy on him.

  “Second, I want to re-canvas the neighborhood that borders the Punkhorns. I feel like we must have missed something the first time when we were only asking about the first three. Just Melanie, Grace, and Aaron. Now, there’s three more missing people,” Casper added.

  “I like the way you think, Casper Kelly,” Delaney smiled, just a little at first, but the more she looked at him, the more it grew and pressed her rosy cheeks up. She gulped down the rest of her coffee and placed the mug on the small side table next to the couch. “Let’s do Baxter and Rachel first. The motel where Rachel Spokes is staying is only a few miles down the road. How about I grab a shower and circle back to pick you up in thirty?”

  Casper smiled, and it struck Delaney like lightning in an open field. “Let’s do it,” he said. Delaney slid the glass door open and waved as she turned to head up the hill. Every ounce of her body told her to glance back to see if he was watching her go, but she fought it. As she turned left toward the driveway, she saw out of the corner of her eye he was still standing there. She only hoped he couldn’t tell how much she was blushing from a distance.

  THIRTY

  Friday, August 10th

  The drab interior of the Elijah Cobb Inn’s office was nearly as barren as the parking lot. Casper had expected every room to be full of vacationing families, but if the rooms were anything like the office, the vacancies made sense. Delaney had rung the service bell twice before they heard a strained voice from the back shout to them, “In a minute.”

  The figure that stumbled out of the back door that read EMPLOYEES ONLY, was shaped like a bowling ball. She had a teal green shirt on, and stained khakis. A small name tag hung above her left breast that said Karen.

  Delaney beamed her stunning smile at the hotel attendant. “Hello, Karen. I’m Detective Delaney Shepard.”

  “I’m Ruth, Karen is out today,” the figure barked back in a frog-like voice. Delaney pointed to the name tag and spoke but dropped the line of questioning.

  “We’re looking for a woman who was supposed to be staying in Room 8? Rachel Spokes?” Delaney pushed on.

  Ruth grunted and pulled a massive, weathered binder from under the desk. Disorderly papers branched out from each opening, but Ruth swung it open and ran her finger down the page. “Oh yeah. Pretty-bitty girl. Left in a hurry.”

  “When did she leave?” Casper asked.

  “Last night,” Ruth said.

  “Were you working last night?” Casper pushed.

  Ruth’s gapped-tooth smile was full of yellowed teeth. Casper had never seen a pirate in real life, but guessed that Ruth would fit in well with the swashbuckling type.

  “As a matter of fact, I was. Pretty-bitty left in a rush. Had her bags all packed and thrown in her little Jeep. Said she was leaving town and quitting her job. Something about a fresh start, but I was only half-listening. One of my soaps was on in the background, so I barely gave her a look after she signed the paperwork.”

  “Can we take a look at her room?” Delaney asked, desperate for a clue.

  “Sure can, but we cleaned it yesterday morning. Nothing exciting in there except a few takeout bags in the trash. She must’ve been a regular at Kate’s while she was here,” Ruth said in her sandpaper voice.

  Casper watched the optimism leave Delaney as Ruth dashed her hopes. They thanked the grouchy woman and went back to the car. Delaney stood with the driver’s side door open and Casper did the same with his side. “She your type?” Delaney asked with a goofy smile.

  “She’s every man’s type. We exchanged numbers while you weren’t looking,” Casper said.

  “Damn, can’t wait to hear how that date goes,” Delaney laughed. “On to BJ Baxter? Our last great hope.”

  “That’s a sentence no woman has ever uttered,” Casper grinned back. “On to BJ Baxter!”

  The chief had passed along contact information for the irksome BJ Baxter, but despite numerous attempts, Delaney could not get the man to answer his phone. They did, however, know that he was staying in a suite at Ocean’s Edge Resort, so they sped in that direction.

  “Anything positive from the families? I keep thinking of how hard this must be on all of them,” Casper prompted.

  “Nada. He said they’re all patiently waiting and offering to help in any way. I think the hard part is that there just isn’t any good way for them to help. Besides maybe prayer,” Delaney said.

  Casper tried to imagine how his family would react to hearing news that he was missing. They already weren’t close, but tragedy could bring love to the surface. Delaney interrupted before he could get too far down that rabbit hole.

  “Do you believe in all that?”

  “All what?”

  “Prayer. God and so forth,” Delaney said.

  Casper shook his head. “Not really. But I get it. I understand the appeal of having something to worship. Something so absolute. It’s a convenient scapegoat when things go wrong, and an unseen ally when things are on the up and up. I just never found the will to believe,” he added.

  “Is this when you bring up Pascal’s wager again?” Delaney chided him.

  “It was on the tip of my tongue, Del,” he clucked. “What about you? Do you believe?”

  Delaney shook her head. Her hair fell just off her shoulders and curled up slightly at its end. “Nope. We
never went to church or anything growing up. Faith was not part of my parent’s lives and they never discussed it. Hasn’t been a hindrance to me yet.”

  Casper had a slew of questions for Delaney about her childhood. He wanted to know everything. Her hometown’s high school mascot. Her first pet. Her least favorite neighbor. Her first job. But as he looked up to ask, he saw that they had arrived at the wrought-iron gates that marked the entrance to the Ocean’s Edge Resort.

  It wasn’t lost on Casper that Baxter spent his entire time in Brewster staying in the very place against which he was aiming to compete. It was difficult to picture the lush green lawns and overdone landscaping in the space where the Punkhorns now sat. It was a traumatic image. It all just felt out of place.

  As they parked and entered the resort lobby, they saw BJ Baxter sitting at the hotel bar chatting up a blonde woman in a pink tube top. He glanced over at Delaney and Casper, but shifted his attention back to his seatmate. Delaney waved and then waltzed over toward the bar. Baxter slumped in his seat as Delaney interrupted their conversation.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to steal Mr. Baxter here for a few minutes,” Delaney said.

  Baxter rolled his eyes, but the woman was unfazed. “You’re going to have to try a little harder than that, we’ve got a bottle of champagne coming our way.”

  Delaney shot Casper a glance and then looked back at Baxter. “Okay, well, I’m just here to let you know that the doctors got back to me with the results, and you’re definitely the one that gave me chlamydia. I just assumed you wanted some privacy to discuss that, BJ.”

  The woman shrieked, raising hands in horror. “Okay, ew. He’s all yours.” She snatched her drink from the bar and stumbled out towards the pool.

  Baxter stared daggers at the ice cubes in his empty drink. “What do you want? Do you have a warrant?”

  “Well, we just want to ask you some questions. No warrant needed for that. You’re not required by law to answer, though. Not at this point, anyway,” Delaney said.