The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT

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The woman was worn out once more after telling her story. The sedative the doctor had administered to her was still potent and pushing her back toward sleep. And the fact that it was growing late. Late if you had risen in the early morning of the day before, or early if you'd just risen and saw that it was now 3 o'clock in the morning of December 11, 1973.

Everyone looked at each other as if they had just seen some fantasy come to life. Special Agent Mabry led the way out of the room when he saw that the woman was to exhausted to elaborate any more on what she had seen that night. They went down the hall to Chief Townsend's office and once there the chief insisted that Mabry take his seat at the desk and control, so to speak, of the improvised meeting.

Everybody else, including the reporter with Mabry's acquiescence, gathered around the desk taking one of the seats in the office or one that the chief managed to scrounge beyond the space of the room. They were quiet with anticipation of what the federal man was going to say. Mabry opened his briefcase and took from it all the paperwork he had referencing the case. He spread it out before him in some specific order, as when he had gathered said information. He then took a legal pad and pen and placed them in the center of all this within his reach.

He studied all of this accumulated data for awhile trying as he might to make some sense of it in context of what Shelby Jean Dawson had just told them. Momentarily he leaned back in the swivel chair to stretch his tired bones. He pushed out his arms reaching for the sky and his bones cracked with the motion. He yawned and the power of suggestion took over and to a man the people gathered before him yawned also.

Mabry smiled when he saw this and he then leaned forward in the chair and studied the papers once again. In a moment he looked up at the gathered group of men. "Well speak up gentlemen–what do you make of Miss Dawson's story?" he asked them. Sheriff Harper stood up and had a seat at the corner of the desk. Now he looked at the reporter with trepidation. He cleared his throat and looked once more to the federal agent.

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"He's got to keep his mouth shut for now." he said nodding toward Fipps the reporter. Mabry now looked at Fipps who was anxiously staring at the sheriff awaiting what he might further say concerning his presence. "You understand that don't you sir–if not I suggest you leave these premises right now. If you fail to cooperate I will personally risk my career to discredit you?" he warned the reporter. Fipps found the threats repugnant, but nodded that he would do, as the agent desired.

Seeing this Harper gave vent to his opinion on the tale the waitress had told them. "I don't mind telling you that I think it is the most far fetched story I've ever heard."  the big man said. "Far fetched maybe, but could it be true–I mean what reason would the woman have to lie?" Mabry asked playing the devil's advocate.

"None I'd say, but the idea that an animal would change into a man, a goddamn dog no less–well it's pure hogwash. That's just some Indian legend she's spouting. Maybe she was drinking or on drugs?" Harper suggested. "I didn't smell any alcohol on her and the doc didn't think she was on anything." Chief Townsend volunteered. "But it's just to ridiculous–a dog turning into a man, it's all a legend–some damn fool Indian legend." Harper went on. "Yes the legend of the shape shifter–it's a pretty powerful tale that many indigenous peoples subscribe to–or use to subscribe to." Mabry said. "But that doesn't make it so, and we won't know how those folks died until we hear something from the State Medical Examiner." Harper continued. He then turned to his deputy "Skeeter" Branch. "We did find something else out there though–Skeeter where is that Bible?" He asked.

Mabry looked curiously toward the deputy who seemed confused by his superior's question. And then he remembered the book he'd found just beyond the broken glass of the bus. None of the freshly fallen snow had clung to it because of the angle of its fall and due to the fact that the shield of the bus blocked the snow from covering it over.