The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

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At almost the same time Daniel Lee Meeker was being transformed into a godless disciple of the villainous pale man the body of Deborah Schaefer was being discovered. It was discovered by Eddie Clawson, the bouncer of the club known as the "BUST STOP". George Groves had told him Debbi was going to her car for a few minutes. "No she had not said she was quitting!" he snapped when asked. But judging from his tone Eddie thought she might have quit. But if she had not quit as George so succinctly put it then she should have returned to the club by now.

After twenty minutes Eddie became very worried as did Kim, and when Eddie looked at George he also looked concerned and was constantly watching the clock as if noting the amount of time that she had been gone.

And so at last Eddie put on his coat and left for the parking lot. Outside he looked to the sky. He saw no moon or stars. He did see harsh looking clouds were gathering in the east and judging by the rapidly falling temperature it was a good bet that there was snow forming inside those clouds. He shoved his hands deeper into the warmth of the coat's pockets.

The parking lot was full, but Eddie did not think it would be too difficult to spot the car since she was usually parked in the same general vicinity each night. Cars were coming and going their exhaust heaving great puffs of smoke in the chill night air. At last he spied the old Dodge. He approached it with caution. Where was Debbi? He knew she wouldn't just leave with anyone unless perhaps her new boyfriend had come back to the club and saw her out here. But if the guy had just gotten discharged then he certainly had plans made that would not likely be interrupted even by a marvelous new romance. And so he concluded that this latter possibility was highly unlikely to have happened.

So where was he? If there was something wrong with her car she would have come inside and called a cab if it was her intent to leave. And if she had wanted someone to give her a ride home there would have been any number of volunteers willing to give her one. Something was amiss, he could feel it in his bones. The car was a frightful sight as it sat there in the cold parking lot as if a sore that enticed him to scratch it. But he knew that if he did he would discover something he prayed he would not have to gaze upon.

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Hesitantly he moved forward to the car. The lights of the lot fell on the car in such a way that it seemed as if it was the point of focus in some dreaded painting of unsolved mystery, or a pathetic harbinger of impending doom in a woodcut by Edvard Munch.

He could see splotches and lines of some dark substance on the windows of the vehicle. Closing on it he could see by the light that something was inside lying across the front seat. He thought that it might be a body, a human body. He could now see that the dark substance on the windows was deep red blood. He eased forward a few steps.

"Oh God!" He said to himself. It was Debbi. He felt inside his coat pocket and found his penlight. He clicked it on and bending slightly he pointed it inside the Dodge. Debbi lay with her head face down on the driver's seat her lush red hair seemed darker as it scattered from her head and slipped over the edge of the seat. Her right arm, stiff and lifeless, lie in the foot space twisted back and palm up. Her fingers gnawed out as if they were frozen in the middle of a scream. She lay on top of her left arm.

Two white police cars, their blue lights flashing, arrived within ten minutes of receiving the call from the nightclub. As they entered the parking lot two of the policemen left their squad cars in order to push back the gathering, gossiping, crowd, which stood by curiously watching what was unfolding. Soon however many of the people wanted to get into their own automobiles and leave the scene once they had learned what had happened. But the cops wouldn't allow this until everyone that was in the club had been questioned by the investigators that would shortly arrive. There was some vocal grumbling and grousing about the inconvenience, but otherwise everyone cooperated. Everyone that is but a certain, curious young man who had, upon learning what had happened to Deborah, immediately retrieved a camera from his car and set into taking photos of the crime scene and everything else he thought might be essential to a juicy crime story. Once he heard the wail of the police sirens he concealed his camera and stood by, intent on finding out anything from the cops that might make his story even more intriguing.