No Rest for the Wicked

Chapter Eleven

"Sorry to bother you, miss. Is Jack Jones home?" A gruff voice asked, though his tone was fairly polite.

Cassidy didn't look behind her as she called to Jack. "Hey dad, someone's here to-"

She turned around to face him, realizing he was standing in the hallway behind her. "Oh hey, the sheriff is here to see you."

Cassidy stepped out of the doorway, revealing Sheriff Barns standing on his doorstep.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight of the older man. What if that figure he'd seen outside his window wasn't a part of his imagination? What if it was...

"Sorry to bother you at such a late hour," Barns' graying mustache twitched slightly as he spoke, adjusting his hat. "Can I come in? I'm freezing my ass off out here."

Barns stiffened, giving Cassidy an apologetic smile. "Uh, I mean it's really cold."

Cassidy giggled in response, moving out of the way and allowing Barns entry into Jack's home without his permission.

Jack felt himself begin to sweat at the sight of the officer. A potential murder was in his home... and standing only a few feet away from his daughter.

"Cassidy... I can take it from here. You should get ready for bed, you have school in the morning." Jack said quietly.

Cassidy smiled at the two men, then trotted up the stairs to get to her bedroom. Jack turned to face Barns, his eyes not daring to leave his presence.

"Is that your kid?" Barns asked, watching his daughter go up the stairs.

Jack instinctively stepped in front of Barns' line of vision to shield the girl. "Yes, she's my daughter."

"I didn't know you were a father." Barns responded, shutting the front door behind him.

"You never asked." Jack was trying to keep himself under control, but the stress was really getting to him.

"Well where's the misses?" Barns asked, glancing around in search of a woman.

"Long story." Jack said quickly. He didn't want Barns knowing anything about his personal life, especially not now.

Barns seemed to have gotten the message. "Anyways, I was worried there for a sec. I thought something had happened to you."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? Why didn't you just call me?"

"Well that's just it, I did call you but you weren't answering the phone." Barns explained.

Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "I haven't been receiving any calls." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipping the screen up to check for any missed messages.

The screen refused to light up, his eyes met with nothing but blackness as he mashed the buttons on the small device to try and get it to work. Then it dawned on him; he'd forgotten to charge it.

"Ah, that explains it. The thing was dead," Barns spoke for him. "Well hook it up to a charger and let's head to my cruiser."

Jack didn't trust this man enough to be alone in a car with him. "Why? Have you looked at the time, it's nearly midnight!"

Barns sighed softly, shaking his head. "We got another body."

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The body was still smoking when Jack arrived in the cruiser with Barns.

An unrecognizable mound of charred flesh lay sprawled out across the top of the ashy bush, the body unmoving and still. Upon closer inspection, Jack learned that she wasn't just on top of the bush; she had been impaled by it. Thick branches protruded from her torso and upper body, one large stick sticking out of her neck as it stuck out of her jugular. The scene combined with the smell of burnt flesh made Jack nauseous, struggling to even get out of the vehicle.