51: The Series

51: The Beginning Chapter 2 Part 2

Lindsay’s heart was racing. She had not realized how completely terrified she was. She was thinking about that last call and, at the same time, trying to push it out of her head so she could focus on this one. She still had times when things would flood back about that night and almost overwhelm her. It took weeks and even months before she could block out what she could remember of it. Now, here she was, right back to the same area where it happened before and the same call as before.

Truthfully, Lindsay was not only dreading this call but also the drive with Deputy Andy Baxter. It would take well over half an hour just to reach the area. That did not count the additional time to find the address of the call. It was going to feel like hours. That was not going to help with anything. She hoped and prayed that he would at least be able to answer her when she spoke to him.

“Andy, do we have any more information about the call?” she asked.

“No, ma’am, not yet,” he answered. “I keep trying to call, but there is no answer. Dispatch doesn’t have any additional info, either.”

“This is not the kind of call I like,” she said.

“Ma’am, you seem a little bothered by this call. Are you OK?” Andy asked.

“I’m fine, Andy. I just hate these calls. Going in with no information in a remote area makes them the most dangerous. Never let your guard down on these. Never! Very bad things can happen very quickly,” she said.

“Ma’am?”

“Yes, Andy.”

“Isn’t a call like this why you were fired? Weren’t you accused of falsifying your report?”

“Yes, and I can tell you I did not falsify my report. Everything I put in it was true. People just didn’t believe it,” she told him.

“Andy, please try to focus on this call right now. Pay attention to everything you see, smell, hear, feel, and taste. I mean it. This call may seem like nothing, but it isn’t,” Lindsay said, trying to make it clear how dangerous it could be.

Andy again checked the GPS and the written address he had been given.

“Ma’am, I think the address is right up here on the left,” Andy advised.

Lindsay turned off the patrol car’s light bar and sirens. She slowly pulled the car into the end of the driveway. As soon as the headlights hit the front of the house, they saw someone step onto the front porch.

It was an older woman with gray hair and thick glasses. She was walking to the edge of the porch and looking down both sides of her house as if she expected something to be there.

Lindsay looked at Andy and said, “Looks like we are at the right house. Let’s go see what is going on.” She radioed dispatch to let them know they were on scene and then got out of the car.

A strong smell hit them as soon as they were out of the car. Lindsay knew that smell, and it was not a good sign. It was hard to explain. It smelled musky, like an animal, but also like garbage and mold. Lindsay looked at Andy. He was looking at her wide-eyed. Andy was scared. He now understood what she had meant when she said to pay attention to everything.

“Ma’am, I’m Sheriff Gold,” she said as she neared the porch. “This is Deputy Baxter. We received a call about a disturbance at this address. Are you alright?”

The woman on the porch did not answer. She just kept looking off into the woods surrounding the house.

“Ma’am, are you all right?” Lindsay asked.

This time, the woman looked at them and replied, “I don’t know. It sounded like something was trying to get in, then there was a big noise, and then my phone went dead.”

“OK. Let’s go inside and make sure you are safe. Then Deputy Baxter and I will go back out to see what we can find.”

As they walked inside, Lindsay could tell that the odor was beginning to fade. She had smelled that before and had hoped she would never smell it again. Lindsay went in last, looking around the yard with her flashlight. She was relieved she did not see any reflection of eyes. Most likely, whatever had been there had already left.

As they stepped into the house, they were in the living room, and the woman immediately collapsed onto the couch and let out a deep breath.

“Ma’am, can you tell me your name?” Lindsay asked as she knelt next to the couch.

Lindsay was hoping this woman was not going to need an ambulance. She had been keeping a hand clutched over her heart and hoping it was not because she was having a heart attack.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. My name is Rita Johnson. I’m sorry I called you, but I didn’t know what else to do. I was in here reading before I went to bed, and I smelled something awful. I got up thinking it was some stray that I could chase off, but it wasn’t. It was big. I think it was a person, but it didn’t sound like a person. Oh, you must think I’m crazy. But whatever it was, it did something to my phone. I was giving the dispatcher my name and address, and then my phone went dead. I am sorry I scared everyone, but I have never seen anything like this,” she gushed so fast that Lindsay and Andy could barely understand her.

Lindsay smiled and said, “You don’t need to apologize. That is what we are here for. Deputy Baxter and I will look around to ensure that whatever was here is gone. I promise we will be right back.”

Lindsay stood up and motioned for Andy to follow her. As they stepped outside, they only smelled the night air. The strange smell was gone. They both pulled out their flashlights and began checking the area next to the house. They continued to inspect the woods, looking for the reflection of eyes. As they got to the back of the house, they saw leaves were pushed into piles, and bushes next to the house had been bent over and broken. It was apparent something had been there.

“Hey, Andy,” Lindsay said. “Take a look at this.”

He stepped closer and looked at where she was shining her flashlight. It was the phone box, and it was destroyed. It had been ripped apart as if it had been made of cardboard. There were no tool marks and no footprints anywhere nearby. There was no sign that anyone had been there except that the phone box was now in pieces.

“What did that, and why?” Andy asked with confusion in his voice.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think Ms. Johnson should stay out here overnight if she doesn’t have a phone. A person did not do this; whatever it was, it was massive and powerful. The only animal in this area that I can think of that could even do this would be a bear, but I have never seen one do anything like this before. Let’s go back in and talk to her so she knows what is going on.”

They finished walking around the house without seeing anything else out of the ordinary. When they returned inside, they saw Ms. Johnson sitting right where they had left her reading her book.

“Did you find anything?” Ms. Johnson asked.

“Yes, ma’am, we did. Something destroyed your phone box at the back of your house, so you won’t be able to call anyone until it gets fixed. Do you have a cell phone that gets a signal out here, or is there someone you could spend the night with? I don’t like the thought of you being out here by yourself with no phone if anything were to happen,” Lindsay explained.

“Please call me Rita. I have a cell phone that works, so I can call if I need help. Thank you both for your help. I’m so sorry I bothered you both this late at night,” Ms. Johnson said sweetly. She almost sounded as if she were embarrassed about calling them. “I should be fine as long as that, whatever it is, is gone. Even if it comes back, I have a couple of guns, and I used to be a c***k shot back in my day, believe it or not.”

“OK, if you are sure that you will be all right. Would you like us to check your doors and windows before we go just to make sure everything is safe for you?” Lindsay asked.

“No, that’s fine. I locked everything before this happened.”

“We do need to ask you just a couple of questions so we can make sure all of our paperwork gets done, and I would like your cell phone number so I can call and check on you in the morning just to see how the night goes.”

Rita was happy to give Lindsay all the information she needed. Before they left, Lindsay left her cell phone number with Rita and told her to call anytime she needed anything, even if it was not police-related. Andy just stood and watched everything that happened between Lindsay and Rita as if he was mentally taking notes, trying to remember every word and action.

As they stepped outside onto the porch, Lindsay looked up and saw that the rain had stopped, and the sky had cleared. There would still be fog, but that was normal. She stepped off the porch, followed closely by Andy. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys.

“Here you go,” she said, handing Andy the keys. “Your turn to drive; this time, it isn’t an emergency.”

He looked at her as he took the keys.

“Ma’am, are you sure?” he asked.

“Of course, I’m sure. I need to go back to the office anyway. I drove my personal car to the office and back home today. This will give me a chance to pick up my patrol car. You need to learn the roads in this part of the county. There is no better time to learn than now. Just don’t get us lost,” she said with a huge smile. “And quit calling me ma’am! Call me Sheriff or Lindsay, but stop calling me Ma’am. It makes me feel old.”

As soon as they got in the car, Andy started it, and Lindsay called the sheriff’s department to let them know they were leaving the area. She asked them to call the phone company for Rita and make sure they knew it was an emergency and to please repair her phone first thing in the morning. That was more than Lindsay needed to do, but she also felt it was the right thing to do. She also gave instructions that she was to be called if Rita called again.

The drive back was pleasant and peaceful. It turned out that Andy was a good driver, so she was not nervous riding with him. She had ridden with some who made her want to kiss the ground when the car stopped. Lindsay surprisingly found herself enjoying the ride and looking at the stars out the window. She could not remember the last time she had done either of those things. She was startled when Andy spoke.

“Sheriff, you know more about that call we were on than you are saying, don’t you?”

Lindsay took a deep breath and let it out. She was trying to think of what to say without sounding crazy.

“I have smelled that odor before, but I’m still not entirely sure what it is,” she said, waiting to see how Andy would react.

“That is why you were fired, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Part of it,” she answered. She was going to make him talk to her if he wanted answers.

“Will you tell me what really happened?” asked Andy.

“I will, but only if you tell me why you can’t talk to any women over the age of twelve. Would you like to have this conversation now or at another time?”

“I think maybe another time. Would you tell me tomorrow? I will tell you everything you want to know about my problem with women.”

Lindsay looked at him. He stared straight ahead and had the steering wheel in a death grip. It was hard for him to say even this much to her, and she could tell he was trying very hard.

Lindsay replied, “Tomorrow will be fine. Do you want to come in during the day shift or stop by my house after you come on duty? Wren will be at the house, so that might make it a little easier for you.”

Even though the car was dark, she could still see him blushing.

“Stopping by your house would be easier. I kind of get made fun of for it,” he said with shame in his voice.

“Don’t worry about what any of the other deputies say. You are still better at this than half of them. At least that’s how it looked to me today after I read through the personnel files and your reports,” she said, hoping it would make him feel better. It was all true. She just hoped he believed it.

Andy just smiled. The rest of the drive to the office was uneventful. Andy pulled up in front of the sheriff’s department, and they both got out and went in. Andy walked straight back to his desk without saying a word to the dispatcher. Lindsay looked at the dispatcher and realized it was Cat. Cat worked weekdays during the day. Why was she here at almost midnight?

“What are you doing here?” Lindsay asked with confusion.

“The evening dispatcher went home early because she was sick. I’m only here until the graveyard shift gets here, which should be any minute,” Cat answered with her trademark smile.

Lindsay replied, “That’s good. I was beginning to think you didn’t have a life, and you live here.”

“Oh no, not a chance of that. Anyway, I didn’t have a client tonight, so I was free. Tomorrow, I have a client, so if the dispatcher is sick, she will need to find someone to fill in, or she can work sick,” Cat said. “I saw your patrol car out front when I got here. Why didn’t you take it home?”

“I drove my personal car today and was going to pick it up tomorrow. However, Andy was at my house when he got a call, so I went with him, and I’m getting it now,” Lindsay answered.

“Then, here are your keys and have a safe trip home.”

“Thank you.” Lindsay took the keys from Cat and walked out of the office.

Lindsay was not going to ask any questions about the “client” she mentioned. She walked over to the car and unlocked the door. As soon as she got in, Lindsay realized two things: One, it needed to be cleaned badly, and two, someone much taller than she had been driving it. It took a couple of minutes to get things adjusted before she could pull out of the parking area and start home. Lindsay briefly considered calling home to let Wren know she was on her way, but it was now after midnight. The last thing she wanted to do was wake him. She knew that if he were still awake, he would have sent her a text message to check on her by now.

As Lindsay neared her house, she could see that a light was still on in the living room. She pulled into her driveway, shut off the car, got out, and locked it. She hesitated at the door. Lindsay hoped her dog, Crook, would not start barking and wake everyone up. She opened the front door, trying not to make a sound. As she stepped in and closed the door behind her, she saw that she did not need to worry about the dog. Wren was lying on the couch asleep with the television on the History Channel. Crook was lying on Wren’s chest. Wren was also sound asleep. Lindsay thought about just covering them both with a blanket and letting them sleep. She knew that if she did that, Wren would be sore in the morning, especially with the dog lying on him all night. She walked over and touched Wren on the shoulder. He instantly sat upright. When he did, Crook was rolled into a ball and was now lying on his back at the end of the couch, trying to understand what had happened.

“I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you,” Lindsay apologized.

Wren looked at her and said, “It’s fine. I’m sorry I did that.” He took her hand and held it. “How was the call? Everything OK?” He could tell something had unnerved her a little.

All she said was, “It was there again.”

Wren stood up.

“I’m OK, so don’t worry,” she added.

Wren just wrapped his arms around her and said,

“Let’s go to bed. We both need to try to get some sleep.”

Wren shut off the TV, and they walked to the bedroom. Crook was still on the couch. He had not moved from where he had landed. He had already gone back to sleep for the night, still lying on his back.