The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

477

Within a half-hour their lights fell on the sight of Sheriff Harper's Wagoner, which sat in the road awaiting them. Mabry had grown concerned with their delay and so had convinced the Sheriff to stay there for a brief while to see if they would eventually catch up with them. "This has got to be them." said a frustrated Harper when he saw the cast of the lights in his side mirror. "No doubt." Mabry agreed. "Tell me, do we have much further to go?" he then asked. "No not much further." Harper said in reply. "Of course in this mess a mile takes a long time." the Sheriff added. "Yes that's for sure–this has got to be a record setter for these parts." Mabry suggested as he looked at the massive scale of the snow through his window. "It must be at least two feet deep out there." He speculated.

"I've never seen it this bad in all my years." Harper told him. "Hey that's not them–that's the other Jeep." Langley said as he saw the approach of the other vehicle from the rear window of the Wagoner. "Damn!" Mabry cursed aloud preparing to leave the confines of the larger Jeep. "It's that goddamn reporter–ask him about your boys when he gets here?" Harper advised the federal agent as he opened the door and stepped out into the snow. "I intend to." Mabry said as he made his exit.

"That's Mabry." Spellman said from the seat next to Fipps. Fipps slowed as his lights fell over the oncoming FBI agent. Mabry trudged forward through the cold and snow to the driver's door of the following vehicle. When Fipps lowered the window he saw that Spellman and Farr were in there with him as well as a large dog.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked in on them. "We had an accident–those chains weren't much good in this mess. The sedan is back there in the ditch." Farr explained from the rear next to the dog. After a brief pause Farr now asked. "Tell me Mr. Mabry do you remember seeing a barn back there a ways?" he asked. "Yes I believe so." Mabry answered. "Well after the accident we went over there and we found two more bodies inside it." Spellman said. "Sure did." Farr agreed.

478

Mabry now turned his attention to the reporter who had managed to keep his mouth shut thus far. "Listen mister you can't use any of this yet." he cautioned him. Fipps nodded that he understood. Spellman then realized that Mabry indeed knew this man was a news reporter. Mabry then drew his attention back to the two detectives. "Some of the same, our perps?" he asked. "I'm sure of it, same kind of wounds, but we did find something new." Farr answered.

Mabry brightened. "Great–well then you guys just continue to follow us, the Sheriff assures me we don't have much further to go." he told them. "Good 'cos I'm sick of this cold, I've got to huddle up to some warmth." Spellman said relieved by the information. "Then no more accidents." Mabry cautioned them and then he rushed off back to Harper's Wagoner. And so the two vehicles continued on toward the town of Belfast.Soon they passed through the small Ogden community where Shelby Jean Dawson lived just short of the town. 

 They were on 18 and it would soon enough lead them right into the town of Belfast. As it did it turned into a wider boulevard that had a number of residences that lined it. They were immaculate homes with well-manicured shrubs and trees in their yards. They were now laden with snow, the uniformity of their cut causing the appearance of the white fall to look as if it was placed there with some intention instead of the result of severe weather. Some of these growths were also decorated with multi-colored lights to herald the coming Christmas holiday. The storm had evidently not dampened the holiday spirit or interfered with the town's power supply.

They continued on down this street until it intersected with another street, which went to their left. The boulevard itself continued on and would eventually stretch beyond the eastern limits of the town heading inevitably to the coast. They made the left onto what the close by sign indicated was Main Street. To their right they could see a long matchbox like building on the eastern side of the street. A large sign decorated with a cartoon pig in an apron indicated that this was the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store. And just like the Crawford Town Café its parking lot was obscured by the tremendous snowfall.