GRYDER'S COVE TALES: HOWLERS

the killing resumes...

By 9:32 a.m. Gail and Olivia were back at the sheriff's office in Derby Cross, waiting on Sheriff Whaley to finish his phone conversation with Eugene over at the morgue.

"I'm gonna take Ms. Stevens and Ms.Scott over to th....no, you can't come too, Eugene, just wait for my call t' come n' pick up the bodies after we're done. No, Eu...you ain't gonna...damn it, boy, will ya listen? Just sit tight 'til I call, or I'll bring y' in for obstruction, and piss on what yer mama thinks about it, alright? Thank you!"

He dropped the phone down onto the hook with frustration, rubbing the balding spot on the back of his head.

"That kid is on my last nerve, Judy.I swear to Christ, if he wasn't my sister's kid, I wear him out! Why the hell does Bill keep him on over there?"

Officer Judy popped her head up from the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet she had been rifling through and smiled at the sheriff, shrugging her little round shoulders then going back to flipping through files.

"Lotta help you are," said Sheriff Whaley, stifling a laugh. After dealing with Eugene Travers, he needed a little giggle at the least.

"Well, ladies, let's load up and uh...head out. Gotta get this wrapped up before Eugene wets himself.If ya ask me, he takes entirely too much pleasure in his work. Him havin' a schoolboy crush on you two," He gestured to Gail and Olivia in turn with his hat as he picked it up off the counter,"don't help things today at all. Now then, shall we?"

The two women glanced at each other,both with a slightly amused, slightly baffled expression, then nodded to the sheriff and headed for the door.

"Looks like you've got yourself a boyfriend," Olivia whispered derisively, pointing at Gail with twirling finger. Gail twirled a finger back at Olivia; the middle one, to be exact.

Now the trio found themselves on another road winding endlessly uphill into the trees, changing from pavement to gravel to dirt as they left civilization farther behind.This time they seemed to be traveling a more longitudinal path than the trip to Gryder's Cove, as if going around the massive ridge instead of straight up. Olivia spent most of the trip gazing at the overcast sky, staying inside her head and riding quietly. Gail tried her best to distract herself from her nightmare and the plans she had been making since that night by asking the sheriff about anything and everything she could about the area: farms, landmarks, the local families, whatever she could squeeze out of him.

"Y'know, Barnett James is more of an authority on the hist'ry 'round here. Maybe y' oughtta go see him again," said Sheriff Whaley, trying to sound helpful and hopefully change the subject of 'how long people around here had known about the Gryder family and why nobody ever tried to do anything about them.' So far, she had learned that Barnett knew so much about the supernatural goings-on and Elsie Gryder because nobody else dared delve too deeply into the subjects, and that was about it for that. She decided that perhaps it was a better idea to discuss the site at which they would arrive in only a few minutes.

"Well, from what my deputies tell me, it looks a lot like the same thing happened to these folks that happened to them kids up in Gryder's Cove. Two old couples this time,though. Pro'lly lookin' for some free campin' is all. See, for the longest time, outsiders been comin' up here for that very reason.Bikers, RV types, teenagers, all kinds o' folks over the years.Problem with that is that all this land here is owned by some family or another, and none of 'em take to strangers trashin' their property. Damn bikers are the worst ones."

"Bikers like my dad, you mean?"Gail asked, raising an eyebrow and looking Sheriff Whaley right in the eye.

"No, no, now don't take offense,ma'am. I'm sure yer daddy's an alright guy 'n all. I mean like the ones they call '1%ers' or whatever. Patched-in, bona fide outlaw types. Throwin' beer cans, condoms, cigarette packs ever'where, fu...umm, havin' relations right out in the open. Barnett's older brother Mason caught a bunch of 'em all bowed up 'n goin' at it in his hayloft back in the summer of '78. Come to think of it, he caught 'em doin' that in '79....then '82.....anyway, point is, folks up here don't want their land messed with, and this is the kinda thing that happens when somebody goes assin' around up here in these hills."