The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles (17 page)

SHAW
noticed Mrs. Fisher in her car. He parked his car
outside his office. Mrs. Fisher had parked under the shade of a cherry tree. She
was now sitting sideways, the door open, and with her legs dangling from her
seat. Holding onto the doorframe, she struggled to climb out of her car without
making any progress. Lifting the door catch, Shaw elbowed open his door,
climbed out of his seat, and hurried over to her.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of a visit today?” Shaw
asked.

“Just being neighborly. Help me out will you, there’s a good
boy.”

Shaw took her hands and helped Mrs. Fisher out of her seat.

“Where’s Montague?”

“He’s in his basket on the back seat taking a nap. I’ll need
to leave the window open.”

Shaw glanced on the back seat. It wasn’t exactly a basket,
but a cat bed, fashioned out of pink fluffy material.

“Pass me the tin off of the passenger seat. I’ve brought you
some cake.”

Shaw wondered what favor she’d require in return.

“What’s the occasion?” Shaw opened the lid and sniffed the
cake. “Hmm smells good, thank you.” He didn’t have the heart to tell her it was
burnt around the edges.

“Well, you’ve been good to me over the years. I know I can
be trouble. Anyway, today’s my ninetieth birthday, so I baked a cake. Then I
realized it was more than I’d ever eat.”

Mrs. Fisher cackled as she hobbled to the entrance.

Shaw stepped ahead and opened the door. He knew he wasn’t a
touchy-feely person, and the urge to cuddle her surprised him. He turned to the
frail woman beside him, put his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.
By the look on her face, she appeared as surprised as he was.

“Happy birthday, Mrs. Fisher. Sorry I was off with you that
day at the vets. It’s stressful when you’re working a crime scene.”

“Thank you, but you can let go of me, or you’ll have people
talking.” She snickered as he let go of her. “As for the other day, forget it.
I understand. Incidentally, mentioning people talking, I’ve been doing some investigating
and I have some more gossip. Maybe it’ll be worth you pinning a deputy’s badge
on me.”

Shaw opened his office door and held out his arm to direct
her.

“Please, take a seat at the desk.”

Mrs. Fisher ambled over to the desk, grasped the chair arms,
and lowered herself onto the seat. Her nose twitched and she scrunched her
face.

“You really must open the windows, it smells of dog in here,”
she said.

“Sorry,” Shaw said, as he stepped over Gyp who was lying
curled up behind the desk. He opened a window. Shaw glanced at Gyp, who opened
an eye, huffed, and then closed it again.

“You know, in my younger days, I applied to Sheriff Haggerty
to be a deputy here after my husband died, but he said it was no job for a
woman. Still, in those days it was different.” She let out a regretful sigh.

“How long since was it your husband passed away?”

“During the Second World War. He was a sweet man. Married
him on the rebound. No sooner got the vows over with that they sent him to
England to join the invasion force. Next I heard was a telegram.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need. It’s such a long time ago now. Incidentally, I did
call here after I’d been to church yesterday, but you were out.”

Shaw took a seat at his desk, anxious for her to get to the
gossip.

“Yesterday, oh yeah, I would have been at the silver mine
around then.”

“You’re not scared of the monster of the mine then I take
it?” Mrs. Fisher cackled.

“Mine monster. That’s a joke, right.”

“I think that was Jedward’s, or the cult’s way of keeping
people away from the mine, especially children. You know how it is; start a
rumor and people will swear it exists.”

“Jedward?”

“How long have you lived here? Don’t tell me you don’t know
Jed was the mayor’s dad. Edward took over from him as mayor. Saved the town a
ton of money it did when his son took over. All they had to do was rub out the
‘J’ and change the ‘e’ to a capital letter on the door to the mayor’s office
and all the stationary. The silver mine’s been in their family ever since the
settler days. But the mine monster stories started later.”

.”Well someone else has it now.”

“Oh, yes, the cult. They’ve been there since the fifties,
only there are more of them now by all accounts. Jed leased the land to them
during all the fuss about nuclear bombs. Said they were an end-of-days’ cult
who wanted the land as a hideaway. I heard Jed didn’t want to renew the lease,
and there was a big argument going on with the cult. He was convinced they’d
started mining again and maybe they’d found a new silver vein. Thing is, when I
spoke to him about it, he said he wasn’t interested in opening the mine again.
Said all he wanted to do was to dynamite the old shaft and to close it for
good... Never did say why.”

“Well he obviously gave them a new lease.”

“No that was Ed who signed the new lease after Jed’s
accident. It was really tragic.”

“What happened?”

“He was driving into the quarry when the people were away to
have a look around at what they were doing. He didn’t get that far. Boulders at
the entrance gave way from the cliff and crushed his car with him inside.”

Shaw picked up his Biro and tapped on the desk. He noticed
her eyes moisten.

“Are you okay?”

“Sorry, Jed and me were close at one time. I suppose you
could say it’s like father like son when you consider what I heard yesterday.”

Shaw raised his eyebrows. She opened a purse, took out a
handkerchief and dabbed each eye. She seemed more concerned at Jed’s passing
than her husband dying in action.

“Carry on,” said Shaw. He rose from his chair and walked
over to his filing cabinet. Stooping, he opened the bottom drawer and thumbed
through Sheriff Haggerty’s old files “I’m listening.” He stopped thumbing when
he located Jedward Grimes’ file and removed it, closing the drawer with the toe
of his boot.

“Ah, yes, the gossip. Ron Bartlett says on a few occasions
when he’d been walking his dog, he’d seen Maria letting Ed in through the back
door at the vets, the few weeks before her death.”

Shaw dropped the file on his desk and sat. He picked up his
Biro and wrote Ron Bartlett’s name on his list of calls to make.

“You’ve done good, Mrs. Fletcher. That’s interesting.
Anyway, you’ve saved me a phone call you’re on my list.”

“List?”

“Yeah, I need a written statement for the times of the
visits you made to the vets the day she died. Remember?”

“Oh, that. Actually, I have something for you.” She opened
her purse and handed him a check for fifteen-hundred dollars, fastened with a
paper clip to the vet’s invoices. “I’ve not put a name on the check. I thought
the relatives may need it for the funeral.”

“Just put her mother’s name on the check, I’m sure she’ll
appreciate the money to help lay her to rest.”

Shaw opened his drawer, took out an envelope and wrote her mother’s
name and address on the envelope. He handed the envelope and check back to her.
“Now about that statement.”

Mrs. Fisher clutched her stomach. She tried to stand, but
faltered, unsteady on her feet.

“I’m really sorry. I don’t feel well.”

Shaw hurried from behind his desk and helped her to sit. The
color had drained from her face.

“Coffee?” Shaw asked.

“No, I only drink water.”

Shaw walked over to the water cooler, took a paper cup from
the dispenser, then half-filled it with water. He gave the cup to her. Her
hands trembled as she took a sip. Shaw heard a tap on his door. He turned as it
opened, and Esther, Frank’s old flame, walked into his office.

“Frank phoned me this morning. I’ve come to pay my fine, but
if you’re busy, I’ll call back,” Esther said.

“No, it’s okay. I need your help now you’re here.”

“What’s the problem?” Esther dropped an envelope on his
desk. “My check for the fine is in there.”

“It’s Mrs. Fisher, she’s having a bad turn.”

Shaw looked at Mrs. Fisher. She bent over holding her
stomach, and groaned. He knelt down and grasped the chair arms.

“Do you want me to get you to see the doctor at the medical
center?”

Gyp sneaked between them and rested his jaw on her knee.
Mrs. Fisher stroked Gyp’s head with one hand, while still holding her stomach
with the other.

“I’ll be fine, it’s passing,” she said. “I must have eaten
something that disagreed with me.”

“All the same, I don’t want you driving home,” said Shaw.

“I’ll take her. She lives in my street,” Esther said.

“What about Montague?” Mrs. Fisher said.

“Don’t worry none, I’ll put him in Esther’s car.” Shaw said.
“I’ll get Frank to take your car over to your house tonight, and I’ll look in
on you in the morning. If you take a turn for the worse, phone me and I’ll take
you to the medical center.”

“I’ll look in on her tonight,” said Esther.

“It is good of you, but honestly, the pain has passed.”

Shaw walked around his desk, opened his drawer and took
something out. He glanced out of the window at the sound of a vehicle parking
outside. He watched Frank climb out and put on his hat.

“Come on, Mrs. Fisher, I’ll help you to Esther’s car,” Shaw
said.

Shaw and Esther guided Mrs. Fisher outside. Shaw took her
keys from her purse, then transferred Montague. Shaw noticed Frank nod to
Esther and his cheeks flush. The passenger door was open on Esther’s car. He
leaned in, took hold of Mrs. Fisher’s hand and placed a present on her palm.
Mrs. Fisher looked down at the deputy badge he had given her, and curling her
fingers around the badge, she smiled at Shaw.

“Happy Birthday. I hope you get better soon,” he said, and
closed the door.

Esther’s car reversed and Shaw noticed Jeff Rigby, the local
taxidermist, sat on the back seat of Frank’s vehicle. Frank walked over to Shaw
and handed him a large buff envelope.

“What’s this?” Shaw asked.

“I thought it was time to man-up and to take this deputy job
seriously. I’ve been out and collected all the fines. You’ll also find a copy
of a parking ticket in there you’ll appreciate.”

“Who is it for?”

“Hogan. He’d left his burger van in a restricted area on the
main street.”

Shaw smirked at the irony.

“Great, but what’s Rigby doing in the back of your car?”

“Oh, him. I’ve arrested him. He’s the witness that I
mentioned.”

SHAW
opened Sheriff Haggerty’s file on Jedward Grimes’ death
as Frank entered the office with his prisoner. Intrigued, Shaw pushed back in
his chair.

“Stay there,” said Frank to Jeff Rigby, and walked over to
Shaw’s desk.

Rigby wasn’t going anywhere with his arms behind his back
and cuffed at the wrists. Frank slipped a hunting rifle strap from his shoulder
and placed the rifle on Shaw’s desk, together with an evidence bag.

“What’s all this?” Shaw asked.

“It’s Rigby’s rifle and some of his ammunition for
forensics. I’ll explain when I’ve booked him in and locked him in the cell.
Shaw shrugged his shoulders, wondering where all this was leading.

“Don’t forget his boot laces, and make sure he signs for his
personal belongings,” Shaw said

“Sheriff, he’s got it all wrong. I can explain,” said Rigby.

“Quiet, or I may just forget you’re in there once I lock you
in the cell,” said Frank, and ushered his prisoner through the door to the
holding area.

Shaw looked at the file on Jedward Grimes. All he found was
a photograph of Jed’s flattened car surrounded by boulders, and a single sheet
of paper with the words ‘Accident’ typed on the page, and below that, ‘File
removed to county’. He reached for his phone pad and flipped through to Sheriff
Haggerty’s home number. Shaw lifted the handset and tapped out the number.

“Haggerty,”

“Hi, Ben, it’s Brett calling from your old office.”

“Brett who?”

“Sorry, Sheriff Shaw.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember now. What d’ya want?”

“Listen, sorry for the trouble, but I’ve been looking
through the old files of yours and came across one for Jedward Grimes, but it’s
almost empty.”

“Yeah, the spooks took it, said it was for county, but it
never arrived.”

“Spooks?”

“Yeah, guys in suits. Secret Service I assumed. I checked
with county and they said to let them have the file. Why?”

“It’s just that I heard about Jed’s accident from one of the
locals. They were saying Jed had a problem with the leaseholders at the silver
mine. I wondered if you did any investigating.”

“Of course I did. What d’ya take me for. Their alibis
checked out. The head of government construction confirmed they were all
working on improvements to the NASA launch site at the time, over at the
Vandenberg Air Force Base
. It was
just before the final Atlas launch in 2003. All of them had top security
clearance. Like it says in the file, it was an accident. Weird sons of bitches
they were.”

“Yeah, I met some of them yesterday.”

“No, I mean really weird. I had a run in with them way back
in the day. Scared the crap out of some kids camping nearby, they did. They
dressed up with dog masks and chased the kids off. I guess they wanted to keep
the locals away. ‘No good stocking up on food and having all the locals overrun
us when they’ve run out of supplies’, one of them said. Pathetic. I can’t
believe they’re still waiting for a nuclear strike.”

Shaw laughed.

“So that’s where the rumors of the mine monster came from?”

“More than likely,” said Haggerty. “Now if that’s all, I
have some fishing to do.”

“Thanks. Sorry to have troubled you.”

Shaw ended the call. He turned his attention to Rigby’s
rifle and inspected the scope, an ATN Aries 410 Night Vision. Frank entered and
sat opposite.

“What’s Rigby been up to this time?” said Shaw.

“Same old story. I called to talk to him about missing his
fine payment schedule and he tried to run. He had to be hiding something.
Anyway, after I cuffed him, I found a dead mountain lion in his cold storage
with a bullet hole straight through its heart.”

“So he’s been hunting restricted animals again, despite the
judge banning him from hunting at all. That’s prison for sure this time. What’s
all this about him being a witness?”

“It’s best you hear it from him in his own words.”

Shaw pushed his chair back on the casters, stood, then
followed Frank through to the cells.

“Have you read him his rights?”

“Yeah, and I took pictures of the mountain lion on my cell.”

Shaw approached Rigby’s cell.

“What have you got to say for yourself before we ship you
off to county?”

“I wasn’t out hunting, honestly.”

“Go on, I’m listening.”

“Look, I was just out trekking in the mountains near
Breakers Lake, and camping overnight, that’s all.”

“Then why carry a hunting rifle with a night scope, and
what’s a dead mountain lion doing in your cold storage?”

“Hell, Sheriff, good thing I had the rifle, or my bones
would be rotting in the woods by now. The lion attacked me. Luckily, the sound
of the shot must have scared the others away.”

“What others, and what time was this?”

“It was still dark, just before daybreak.

Shaw recalled Amy’s mention of a gunshot sometime before the
preppers appeared.

“What’s this about the others?”

Rigby shook his head.

“It’s just like I told Frank. I was sleeping when a commotion
woke me. I could hear the sound of something running in the undergrowth. I
grabbed my rifle and trained it in the direction of the noise. Never seen
anything like it before.”

Rigby put his hands over his face and slowly wiped them down
to his chin.

“Seen what?” Shaw asked.

“Listen, I know this is going to be hard to believe, I keep
thinking it must have been a dream. But I know what I saw through the scope.
There was the shape of a dog running, chased by maybe five or six mountain
lions. Then two cats jumped out of the trees in front of the dog and they had
it surrounded. Damned dog was as big as any of the lions. Anyways, it kept
dancing and turning, and they kept circling around until one of the lions made
a lunge for the dog. Damn, if the dog didn’t rear up and swipe the cat and
launched it against a tree. I mean, the dog had transformed. It was stood on
two legs with a body of a man.”

He put his hand to his forehead and shook his head once
more.

“What happened then?”

“Well, it came out of nowhere, all I saw was this damned cat
leap at me and I pulled the trigger and then ran like hell.”

Shaw scoffed.

“And it scared you so much, you went back, collected the
mountain lion, then hauled it back to your shop. Who else was with you?” Shaw
turned to Frank. “How much does a mountain lion weigh?”

“I’d guess at one hundred and thirty pounds,” said Frank.

Rigby turned his back on them.

“Okay, I’ve heard enough. Save your story for county.”

Shaw ambled back to his desk and dropped his backside on his
chair.

“What d’ya think?” Frank said.

“What do you think? Don’t tell me you buy that cockamamie
story?”

“Well, I’m thinking about the tracks at the vets and the
ones at the Ravine.”

Shaw clasped the fingers of both hands behind his head,
leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

“Pour some coffee , my throats dry as hell, and Mrs. Fishers
brought some cake.”

He unclasped his hands, reached out, picked up the cake tin
and removed the lid.

“What was wrong with her?”

“She’d eaten something that didn’t take kindly to her
stomach.” He looked at the cake, burned around the edges. “On second thoughts,
it could have been the cake.” Shaw tipped it into the wastebasket. Gyp arrived
out of nowhere and buried his head in the basket.

“We’ll soon find out if it’s the cake,” Frank said, and
laughed as he placed the coffee mugs on the desk. “It could be a bug going
around. June had stomach ache this morning.”

“Well it wasn’t the stew, I feel fine,” said Shaw.

“Are you going to tell me what you think about his story and
the tracks?”

“Well first consider this. We have a witness to Ed paying
late night visits to Maria. So we can’t discount our theory that the barefoot
tracks outside her door are his. I want you to go over to Ron Bartlett’s home
and get a statement of the dates and times he’s seen Ed at Maria’s. I got the
information from a tip-off, so tread carefully. Then I can haul our Mr. Mayor
in for an interview. As for the tracks at the ravine, we don’t know they were
all made at the same time. The cat tracks could be the lion he shot. I may be a
city boy, but I know they’re creatures of habit. The multiple tracks could be
simply a route it took regularly in his territory. Then the barefoot track
could be Johno’s. He could have taken off his sneakers and then put them back
on again, then slipped over the edge. The other thing is; I know you’re the
expert, but mountain lions don’t hunt in packs. But to answer what I think of
Rigby’s story, Breakers Lake is near the silver mine, so I’ll say it in two
words, mine monster.”

Frank sat back in his chair, took of his hat and scratched
his head.

“Crap, the mine monster! I’d never thought of that. Not
heard mention of that since I was a child. It was the local version of the
bogeyman.”

“Rigby probably saw the mountain lion he killed chasing a
black bear. Night vision scopes can flare the images, and he’s just added that
there were more of them to embellish his story. Listen, here’s what I want you
to do before you go to interview Ron Bartlett. Phone the county sheriff’s office
and have them come and pick up your prisoner. Then contact Wildlife and
Fisheries. They’ll be the ones to help check out his story and do the
investigation. They’ll also need to collect the mountain lion before his son
moves the evidence. I reckon he’s the one who helped him move the lion.”

Frank picked up his coffee and walked over to his desk. The
office door opened and in walked Jim.

“Hi, what’s on the menu today?” Jim asked.

“Just do the usual rounds, but tomorrow I want you and Frank
to take turns in covering the highway from LA towards town with your speed
guns. I want you to look out for Ted Carter and bring him in for questioning.”

Frank spat out a mouthful of coffee, then turned to Shaw.

“What’s Ted done?”

“Let’s just say he may not be who we think he is. Don’t let
him make any excuses. Cuff him if you have to, and if I’m not here, lock him in
a cell. If you have to call me on the radio, give him the codename Rooster.

“What charge?” Jim asked.

“Just think of any motoring offense. We can hold him for
twenty-four hours.”

“But, Amy—”

Shaw interrupted Jim.

“I don’t want to talk about the subject. I’ll tell you why
after I’ve questioned him. I’m going out for some air.” He rose from his chair
and walked over to face Jim. “Better wait here. Frank needs to go out, and we’ll
need someone here for when county call for Frank’s prisoner. Frank will
explain.”

Shaw picked his hat off of the nightstand and walked out of
his office, then on past his car. The mere mention of Amy’s name had his mind
spinning. He realized that she could be home in time to witness her boyfriend
locked up in a cell. What then of their close father-daughter relationship?