Misery County

Chapter 3 - Part 2

"So where are we going?" Eric asked.

"The morgue, of course," replied Jerry.

"The morgue is in the sheriff's department building?"

"You got it."

"How come?"

"You're from out-of-state and you haven't been to these parts, so I guess you don't know this, but the state here likes keeping county coroners and county sheriffs nice and close."

"I'm not going to argue with that. Certainly makes my job easier. Speaking of jobs, since you've passed me off as a consultant, I don't suppose you can get your department to pay me for this."

Jerry let out a single "ha" before turning his head to look at Eric. "Be glad that I'm even able to get you to waltz through this building without more intrusive checks. It took a lot of gumption and raw charisma."

"If there are two things you have in great supply, they're gumption and raw charisma, oh great one."

"Stop it, Eric. You know I'd do more for you if I could. You know what the times are like. Budgets are spread thin, and any more indents in them will attract a lot of scrutiny - scrutiny that you, I'm sure, don't want."

"Well, you're not wrong there," Eric conceded.

"Say, how are you getting by? Financially, I mean."

"Not as nobly as I did in the past."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't want to know, my friend. Let's just say I play the hands I'm dealt, and I play them to the best of my abilities."

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just tacitly admit to a litany of crimes and forget I ever asked. Ah, here we are," Jerry said as he came up to a door.

The two men went inside the small county morgue.

"No one on duty right now," Jerry said, "so we won't have to think of any excuses to get rid of them so that we can speak candidly."

"Hooray for small miracles, I guess."

"This is the body over here," Jerry said, pulling a stretcher out of the refrigerated cabinet.

Eric went up next to it and had a good look. "Werewolf."

"What, just like that?"

"Those are obviously bite marks over there, but look at the size of them. Even a black bear doesn't have jaws that big, and as far as I know, that's the biggest wild animal you have 'round these parts."

"Aren't there other... things that take big bites like that?"

"Quite possibly, but I'm leaning toward werewolf on this. I didn't have the chance to tell you this, but I made a little pit stop on the way here. A motel in the next county over. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say it caught my attention, and I figured that, since I'll be driving past, I could make myself useful."

"Let me guess - werewolves?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner," Eric said, miming the ringing of a bell.

"How many?"

"Just one, but man oh man, was he prolific. He spread his victims over a long period of time, you see, so it didn't catch the attention of your colleagues across the border."

"It caught yours."

"Well, not to brag, but I know what I'm looking for and I know how to find it."

"Right, so you think it's the same type of thing going on here?"

"Sort off. The werewolf at the motel told me that -"

"You actually had a conversation with it?" Jerry interrupted.

"Uh, yeah. I needed information," Eric replied, not at all fussed by the bemused expression on Jerry's face. "Anyway, he said someone on the way to Missouri County tried to recruit him."

"Recruit him? For what?"

"I hit the same brick wall. He didn't know. Well, he said he didn't know. But between that information and the state of your body here - and I mean the corpse, not the abysmal condition of your fat gut - I'd say a large pack of werewolves has moved in."

"I'll ignore your comment on my stunning physique and instead tell you that you've missed the big picture."

"Oh my, these killings must have made quite the impression on you if you're claiming expertise over me now, or are you only doing so to strike back at my observation of your figure?"

"Don't flatter yourself, old buddy. I've got thicker skin than that."

"Your skin's not the only thing that's gotten thick, if you catch my drift."

"You just keep 'em coming, Eric. Like water off a duck's back."

The men both shared a laugh - a moment of levity in an otherwise morbid setting.

"So what do you reckon I've missed?" Eric asked.

"Well, I can't blame you for it, I suppose. You haven't had the chance to see the other bodies, and unless your earlier comment about digging up graves wasn't a joke, I don't reckon you will."

"What are you talking about? What about the other bodies?"

"I'm obviously speaking as a layman here, but the other bodies showed a diverse range of markings and wounds."

"They weren't all mauled and bitten?"

"A few of the others were, but not all - not even the majority."

"I see," Eric said, trying to think of the consequences of such a revelation.

"The coroner's reports are quite descriptive," Jerry continued. "I mean, you know, better than nothing right? Let's face it, even if you do dig the other bodies up, between the work done on them at the funeral homes and the general effects of sitting in a grave for a couple of weeks, I don't think you'll get any better info than from the reports."

"There's that. There's also the unfortunate but inevitable possibility of fresh bodies turning up."

"Jesus, that's a bit dark, isn't it, Eric?"

"Maybe so, but when it does happen - and it will happen - you need to make sure that you guys hold on to the bodies until I can have a look."

"All received, mon capitaine."

"I'll assume you didn't just tell me to suck a dick in French."

"As if you were waiting for permission."