Darkness in Appalachia

“What the fuck?” David jerked in pain. All morning he had been having strange pains in his legs and feet and now they had moved to his stomach. He didn’t know what was causing them and was starting to get concerned. He also had the sensation of being drained which made little sense to him. He had watched traffic on the way to school for about and hour and was now patrolling. He hadn’t even left his vehicle so there was no way he should be feeling tired or hurting.

′Unless this a some kind of reaction to the magic used to heal me the other day.′ He thought with a grimace as another sharp pain hit his stomach. ′At this rate, I will have to go home for the day or, more likely, go back to Robyn’s to see if she can tell me what’s happening.′

He had his hand one hand on top of the steering wheel and the other was clutching his stomach as he tried to avoid doubling over in pain. Something caught his eye and he lowered his eyes from the road ahead to see his wrist glowing. Shocked, he stared at it for a full ten seconds before remembering that he was driving and looking up just in time to avoid running straight into a ditch. Luckily, no other vehicles were on this road at the time so he wasn’t in danger of hitting anyone or being reported for driving erratically.

The glow had faded by the time he found somewhere to pull over but he studied his wrist closely anyways. This obviously had something to do with Robyn’s but he couldn’t remember right away what it could be. As another sharp pain stabbed through him, he saw his wrist light up again and noticed the pattern that was formed. A series of interlocking triangles made a bracelet around his wrist. That’s when he remembered the binding spell that Robyn had placed on him yesterday morning. Apparently she had forgotten to take it off and was now performing a lot of magic.

He remembered that Puk had told him that Robyn didn’t use magic much so he wondered what could be happening to make her use it all morning long. And, judging by the pain he was feeling, it was magic that she was unaccustomed to. His stomach twisted, not in pain this time but in anxiety.

′What if something has happened to Robyn out there at her place? She could be in trouble.′

His gut was telling him that she was OK for right now but he still had to fight the urge to drive straight out to her property. Odds were that she wouldn’t be at home and there was no telling where she might be. Puk would probably be at the house and have a general idea as to where she was but it would still take a long time to find her and make sure that she was alright. He felt that it would be best to be ready to head out there but to trust that Robyn either already knew or would find out that they were still linked if she got into trouble. She could send him a message via their link and he could head straight there. Otherwise, he would just be wasting his time and risking his job.

Not entirely satisfied with his decision, he didn’t see that he had another choice for now. But he was definitely heading out there tonight and getting an explanation. And now, he would welcome the pain because it meant that she was still alive and able to use magic.

“Officer Michel, come in.” His radio squawked at him, releasing him from his thoughts.

He grabbed for the mike, “This is Officer Michel.” He still had trouble remembering that they tended to be very informal over the radio around here. In this previous job, the dispatcher hadn’t known exactly which officers were on duty and in which car. They could look it up but that would take time that should be used for other things.

“We need ya to come on back to the station. ASAP.”

“On my way. Shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. What’s going on?” He pulled out of where he had been parked and began heading back towards town.

Her voice lowered so that she was almost whispering. “The feds just got here. They want to speak to you about your report on that girl that was found in the woods.”

He regretted asking. He had tried to tell her that some things shouldn’t be discussed over the radio since anyone could be listening in but she had never listened. Now, everyone would know that they feds had made it to town and that they had spoken to him specifically.

“10-4. Be right there.”

He headed that direction but stopped by a store on the way. Running inside, he looked for a band or something that he could put around his wrist. There was no way that he wanted to explain to anyone why it would start glowing at random intervals. It was going to be hard enough trying to keep anyone from knowing about the pains he kept feeling. Finding a wrist brace, he bought it a put it on. If anyone asked, he could say that he had sprained it doing exercises or something.

At the station, he sat in the car for a minute to prepare for dealing with the feds. He had dealt with them before at his previous job but it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. He knew that the best thing he could do was keep his mouth shut except to answer any questions as succinctly as possible. Groaning as another pain shot through his stomach, he got out of his vehicle and headed inside.

The feds were easily recognizable even if he hadn’t known every officer in the station. Only someone not from around here would wear suits and dress shoes on a daily basis. They were seated at his desk looking through the hard copy of his report. He walked over to them and stood on the far side of his desk until they looked up.

“I’m Officer Michel. They said that you wanted to speak with me.”

Both agents stood, holding out their hands.

“I’m Agent McCormick and this is Agent Howell. Thanks for your help, Officer Michel.” The agent that spoke was the older of the two, his lined face and tired brown eyes speaking to years of experience. His handshake was firm, dry, and over with quickly. The younger agent had sharper black eyes that seemed to be almost angry and he held David’s hand longer than necessary, squeezing just a bit. He gave off a feeling of intensity and seemed to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice. After shaking hands, he placed his hand in close proximity to the gun that he carried, as if he would grab it with a moment’s notice and shoot anything in sight just to make a point.

David felt that it was better to deal with Agent McCormick as much as he could. “Nice to meet you, agents. What can I help you with today?”

They all sat down, David pulling a chair over from another desk when he saw McCormick take the one behind the desk. “Well, we know that you were one of the first officers on the scene and we read your report. We just have some questions that you might be able to answer. Just some things that you might have noticed that didn’t necessarily make it into the report. And, since you’re here, we were hoping that you could show us the location that they body was found.”

David leaned back and pretended to consider the implied question. In reality, he was just trying to weather another stomach pain. “I’m pretty sure that I put everything pertinent into my report.”

Howell spoke up and his tone was just as aggressive and condescending as David had expected. “There’s not much in the report. It states that nothing was found on our near the body. No fingerprints, footprints, or trace of any kind that didn’t lead back to the victim.”

David nodded. “That’s right. We didn’t find anything like that. Just the girl and what she had on her.”

Howell leaned forwards. “There had to have been something else. You don’t do something like that to a body and not leave something behind. The victim would have struggled, getting skin or hair under her fingernails or grabbing a piece of fabric. The perpetrator would have had to leave some kind of impression leaving and entering the area. Where did he step? There should have been knee marks from him kneeling over the body. Where are they?”

“They weren’t there.” David leaned forward. “I don’t know how much experience you have with crime scenes in the woods but a lot of times you won’t find the kind of impressions that you are referring too. Especially if it’s been longer than a couple of days. Animals will come and go from the area messing up footprints, rain will remove blood spatter and trails, and the woods themselves will recover, growing around and over trace that might have been visible right after the incident. Add that to the fact that we don’t even know if she was killed there. She could have just been dumped there afterwards. Officers in this area know what to look for. We have to go out sometimes to find missing hikers and campers and we know how to read trails that have been left behind but we found nothing there.”

Howell seemed to want to argue but McCormick stepped in. “I can understand that. I’ve dealt with a couple of scenes in the woods and they can sometimes be difficult if time has passed.” He gave his partner a hard look before turning back to David. “You mentioned in your report that a woman showed up at the scene.” He looked down and read. “Robyn Elmore. She owns the property, right?”

David nodded. “Yes, she said that she had been walking in the woods with her dogs when they became agitated. She followed them thinking that it was a trespasser to find us.”

His tone was sympathetic. “That must have been a shock for her. It states that she was carrying a gun and that she had several large dogs with her.” Another nod. “I see in the report that you followed up with her back at her house and that she gave you pictures of previous trespassers and video surveillance of her driveway and the area in front of her house.” He nodded again, this time slowly, feeling a little nervous. “What I don’t see is if you interviewed her in relation to the body. It looks like you just took her home and got the evidence that she wanted to give you.”

David saw where this was going and cursed silently. “That’s not really what happened. She had a valid reason to be at the scene since it was her property. She had a valid reason to be carrying a gun that she backed up with pictures of trespassers and information from her lawyer. Many people around here own multiple dogs so that wasn’t strange to begin with. We spoke with some of the people that are shown in her pictures and they also backed up what she stated and I personally checked the gun to make sure that I was loaded with rock salt as she stated. She cooperated fully with everything that was asked and was the one that volunteered the pictures and video.”

Howell sneered. “She’s also a major landowner in the area and donates large sums of money to this police department. Isn’t is possible that you just didn’t want to piss off a major benefactor so you let her slide on things that you would investigate hard if it was someone else?”

David looked at him. “I’m not from this area so I have no reason to protect her. Also, at the time that I spoke with her, we were still under the impression that it could have been an animal attack.”

“Did you go speak to her again when you found out that it wasn’t?”

David was stuck trying to find a way to answer that. He couldn’t tell them the truth and it was obvious from the reports that no official follow up had been made. “Generally speaking, this department isn’t equipped to handle a case like this. That’s why we contacted state. The body still hasn’t been autopsied and, until we heard back from state this morning, we didn’t know that there had been other related cases and that you guys had been called in. There was no need for a followup until today and we knew that whoever they sent out would want to be present for any followup that we did.”

McCormick slapped his hands on his knees before standing. “Well, you are right about that. I believe that there is a need to speak with Ms. Elmore again. You can take us out to her place when we go out to the site, can’t you?”

David stood as well. “I can. Just let me call her and let her know that we are coming.”

McCormick looked at him. “Why would you do that? We find that it’s often better to just show up when we want to speak with people. Catches them off guard and makes it harder to come up with a story.”

“That may be true but it’s the only way to make sure that she will be home.”

McCormick picked up the file again, flipping through to one of the back pages. “It says in this report that Ms. Elmore’s only employment is managing various properties which she does from her home and that she tends to be reclusive, rarely leaving her property to even come into town.”

David wondered who had put that in the report because he knew that he hadn’t. “That is true but that doesn’t mean she will be at her home. She told me that she rarely stays in the house and prefers to wander her property. There’s twenty acres up there and she could be anywhere on that twenty acres.”

“Or, she could not be there at all. Maybe, she doesn’t come to town often because she’s not there at all. Someone with as much money as she has could do a lot of traveling.” Howell’s tone was sarcastic.

David looked at him, reminding himself that he needed to avoid appearing protective. If they thought that he knew Robyn personally, they might decide to have someone else take them around. “You’re right. I didn’t get that feeling from her but it is possible. I still don’t see that she has the strength to do what was done to those other victims, though. You haven’t seen her but she’s kinda tiny and weren’t two of the victims grown men.”

“Who says that she’s working alone? All we know is that she has the means and opportunity, she was found at one of the scenes, and no one can verify her location at the time any of these murders occur. At the moment, she is the only person we can say is even loosely attached to this case that doesn’t have an alibi.” McCormick’s tone was calm and soothing, in complete contrast with the hard look that had come into his eyes.

Howell stood and looked at the watch on his wrist. “How long will it take to get up there to the site?”

“It’s about a thirty minute drive and a two mile hike to the site.” He glanced down at Howell’s feet. “I hope you brought another pair of shoes with you. It’s quite a walk and the terrain is kinda difficult.”

“I’ll manage. It doesn’t look that far on a map. It’s just about fifteen miles from this location.” He was looking at the map of the area that was included in the file.

David shrugged. “Distance wise, it’s not far but the roads are harder to navigate than you’d expect. They change to gravel a couple of miles out and have steep drop offs and sharp curves. If you go too fast, you’ll end up coming down the mountain lot faster than you intended to. Not to mention that they are one lane so you have to be careful that there aren’t other vehicles coming the opposite way. Sometimes, one of you will have to back up until you find a spot in the road wide enough for one of you to pass the other. It makes for a very slow trip.”

McCormick smiled. “Fair enough. Maybe we should grab something to eat before we head out. I would really hate to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere and miss lunch.”

Howell sneered again, David was starting to think that it was just his normal expression. “You are always worried about missing lunch or dinner. It won’t hurt you to miss one meal so that we can get out there sooner.”

“We’re not in any hurry. And you don’t know how hard it can be hiking through the woods on an empty stomach. No, I believe it would be best to grab something now. Besides, we skipped breakfast because you were in such a hurry this morning.”

“I gave you a protein bar. And I have more out in the car.”

David watched the exchange in amusement. The back and forth between the two suggested that they had worked together quite a bit and liked each other. Their styles were very different and that probably made them a very effective team.

“There’s a diner down the road that serves some pretty good food and it’s quick. They also offer a law enforcement discount.”

McCormick smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “That sounds perfect. I love eating at the little greasy spoons that we find in these small towns. Some of the best food I’ve ever had I got from them. Why don’t we all three head there and you can tell me what you recommend that’s good.”

David forced himself to smile back, finding that this man made him very uncomfortable but not knowing why. “I need to check in with the chief and let him know what I’m doing. I will head there after I take care of that.”

McCormick pulled him along. “Don’t worry about that. He already told us that you were ours for the day and that you would do whatever we needed.”

Howell followed a couple of steps behind and David had the strange suspicion that he was being kept under watch. It seemed like they didn’t trust him for some reason.

He continued smiling. “Well, alright then. I was about ready to get something to eat anyways and this is one of my favorite places.” The stomach pains had grown weaker but he still wasn’t sure that he would be able to eat. Even so, he needed to put on a good show until he figured out why they seemed to be so suspicious of him. That, and try to find someway to get away from them long enough to call Robyn.

He walked out, joking with McCormick and trying to ignore Howell’s eyes boring into his back. The trip to the diner passed uneventfully. David surprised himself by having a large appetite once the food was actually put in front of him. It brought back some of the energy that he had felt draining out of him. Howell ordered a salad after turning his nose up and the menu and seemed unhappy with the one he got but McCormick ate with gusto, finishing off two orders of biscuits and gravy and several cups of coffee.

Outside, they decided that Howell would right with him and McCormick would follow David up in their own vehicle. Neither of them wanted to ride in the back and deal with being locked in and he didn’t want to try and give directions from the passenger seat or the back. He settled into the car, taking his ticket book and clipboard and setting them up on the dash so Howell would have a clean seat to sit in.

Howell didn’t speak on the drive up and seemed to be absorbed in the landscape. David made sure to drive slowly so that McCormick could keep up but Howell still grabbed the dashboard several times as if afraid that they were going to slide off the edge. It made David want to goose it a little just to make him more uncomfortable.

He pulled into a turn around that was as close to the site as they could get and walked around to the trunk of the car to get a pair of hiking boots. He changed shoes and watched as McCormick did the same. Howell stood watching them impatiently, eager to get to where they needed to be. In the woods, David set a punishing pace, feeling a perverse pleasure at the sounds of cursing and stumbling behind him. He had to stop several times to wait for Howell who had fallen behind as his feet slipped over the leaves and brush. McCormick kept up easily and maintained a steady flow of conversation about the area and local wildlife. He didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned about his partner and made no move to help him or include him in the conversation.

At the scene, he pointed out where the body was found and stood just inside the clearing while they moved around. McCormick seemed to have some idea of what he was looking for, checking the ground and foliage for flattened areas and broken stems. Howell just seemed lost. He checked the area where the body was found and then looked around aimlessly, wandering here and there and checking the ground every so often. There really wasn’t anything to see so they finished quickly and joined him back at the edge of the clearing.

“Where did Ms. Elmore come in from?”

He pointed it out to McCormick and watched him head over and check the ground and surrounding areas. Howell stayed with him to ask more questions.

“Who noticed Ms. Elmore first and how far into the clearing did she get?”

David kept his eyes on McCormick. “I saw her first and drew my gun, telling her to drop hers. She had just stepped out of the trees over there where your partner is. We checked her for any other weapons and then brought her over here, away from her dogs after cuffing her.”

“Where did she come from? Is her house in that direction?”

David sighed and turned his attention to Howell. “There’s game trails all over this mountain. She had ridden a 4x4 down one of the trails about five minutes from here and walked the rest of the way.”

“So she came right to this clearing.” David frowned at what Howell was implying but didn’t get a chance to respond. “How did she act when she got here? Did she notice the body?”

“She seemed shocked to find us here and horrified at the body. She could barely bring herself to look at it and only looked directly when I insisted to see if she could identify it.”

Howell spoke under his breath. “Or maybe, she just didn’t want you to see her excitement.” David gritted his teeth to prevent himself from responding as he continued. “How did she respond to being cuffed and questioned?”

McCormick had joined them by this time and was listening for his answer. “She was annoyed but understanding. She didn’t fight when they cuffed her and even told her dogs to stand down when they growled as the officers approached. She willingly gave up her gun, followed the officers, and answered my questions.”

McCormick spoke up. “So she cooperated fully while you were here. And you said that she volunteered to give you her records?”

“That’s right. She mentioned that she kept records of people she had found trespassing and said that she would be willing to give me copies when I mentioned that it might help.”

McCormick assumed an exaggerated curious expression. “Did you think that it was odd that she would be so worried about trespassers and that she would be out here taking care of it herself? We did a background check on her and it suggests that she has plenty of money to hire someone to do that for her.”

David shrugged. “At first, yeah. But she explained that there is a history of people becoming lost or injured in this terrain during her parent time and she wanted to avoid that as much as possible. Also, I saw firsthand the way the locals treat her as an item of curiosity. Everything that she does is just gossip fodder and she tries to avoid that as much as she can. And she seems to be a pretty independent person so hiring other people to do things that she is capable of probably never crossed her mind.”

“Independent how?”

“She doesn’t have any workers at her home or anywhere on her property. All the upkeep and anything that needs done is done by her.” He saw the looks on their faces and hurried to explain. “The locals will tell you that she was sent to boarding school at a pretty young age and that she wasn’t raised in this area. She never had maids or workers to do things for her and just never got used to it.”

The two looked at each other and seemed to come to a silent understanding. David could only guess at what they were thinking and figured that it probably wouldn’t be good for Robyn. It didn’t look good that no one could verify her location at any time and that she had turned up at one of the crime scenes. Even her cooperation could be looked at suspiciously if you choose to see it that way.

McCormick turned back to David and smiled. “Well, I think that we are done here. Why don’t we head back to the cars and head out to Ms. Elmore’s house? I really want to see her and see what impression I get from her.”

His smile and the tone of his voice suggested that he had already formed his impression of Robyn and just wanted to see her to confirm it. David was beginning to believe that McCormick was the one he should be more worried about. Howell was openly aggressive but seemed to be willing to follow McCormick’s instincts in this case. McCormick came off as more friendly but something was hidden in his eyes that was almost reptilian.

David began leading them back towards the cars, wondering what to do to turn their suspicions away from Robyn. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and spared a quick glance. One of Robyn’s dogs was shadowing them just out of sight. That meant that Walker would probably know pretty quickly that they had been on the property and would make sure that Robyn knew as well. He just wished that he could find some way to let them know that she was being viewed as a suspect so that she wouldn’t be blindsided when they showed up. He would just have to show up with the agents in tow and hope that Robyn had a plan for dealing with this.