The Pale Man Rises

CHAPTER EIGHTY ONE

573

They poured out of the Belfast Municipal Building immediately once Sheriff Harper was finished relaying his information to Special Agent Mabry. He told the agent they had some dead and a fire in progress, yet he hadn't said he or Skeeter Branch had suffered any wounds or not. And who was the child he had said Skeeter was headed to the local clinic with?

Mabry mounted the Huey with the two pilots and the duo of marksmen who had accompanied Colin Roberts down here. Special Agent Roberts and the two Sayerville detectives remained at the police station with Chief Townsend to monitor their movement over the station's radio.

Before Harper came on stating they had the suspect in custody Mabry had simply told them to await instructions once he and the four other men began their aerial search. Farr and Spellman were greatly disappointed with the present situation, but what could they do if Harper and Branch had captured the suspect. It was all just so anti-climatic that they felt near drained emotionally.

It had been their understanding that there was more than one suspect. They had not heard Harper say what became of the others, such as the Reese kid and the soldier Meeker, so they assumed that Harper meant suspects were in custody.

If not they supposed that they had been killed by the lawmen and certainly Harper would soon make that clear to them. So now the three men sat about the office or pacing about nervously listening to the noise, which came from the chief's radio unit. If Special Agent Roberts felt any regret or recrimination about not being on the scene with the senior FBI man his poker face did not reveal it to any degree.

"What'll we do, let Mabry know Harper is lying?" Fipps asked after they had heard the words over the portable radio. "Not just yet, let's just follow this van for a short while." Langley told him. "What–man he's lying and we know it–don't you think Mabry needs to be aware of that?" Fipps asked, but he still obeyed the detective's directive.

574

"I'll let him know soon enough–look Fipps if Harper has been compromised so easily and his deputy murdered then something is really wrong here! You talked to him, did he seem like the kind of man that could be scared off or even bought off?" Langley asked. "Shit no–he seemed like a hard ass no nonsense type of cop." Fipps said with subdued admiration for the man he was discussing.

"That's my point, for something like that to have happened it must be something very weird. Weird enough to make for a hell of a newspaper story wouldn't you say? And you've got a camera in here don't you?" Langley asked. "Sure!" Fipps answered. "Wouldn't you like to take a photo of these guys we saw in the van with the kid? If you got a photo...hell then you'd have proof, a bargaining chip for your story. 'course you couldn't let them know where the negative was." Langley went on. "Yeah they couldn't cover it up then!" Fipps said enthusiastically.

"They're headed for the lake I'll wager, he's headed for the lake." Langley conjectured. "Yeah he's in the van–that goddamn Mantaque is in the van and headed for the lake!" Fipps realized. "That's right and you know what that means don't you?" Langley asked in a very somber voice. "What?" Fipps asked knowing the answer full well. "We've got to stop him." Langley said with all seriousness. "Okay we follow them for awhile, but you can't wait to long before you let Mabry know something?" Fipps said anxiously now, not really sure they were making the proper decision. "Speed up a little now, but don't get to close." Langley directed him. "Got you." Fipps said and then he pushed down on the accelerator as he pulled the Jeep into its highest gear.

Once they had made it outside the rest home the pale man was obviously upset that the morning sun was now making a very grand debut having discovered a break in the once sweltering clouds. He called Harper to the side away from the others and spoke briefly with him. Once they were done with their short conversation the pale man ordered Jack Rankin and the child into the van. He stood close to the driver's door, which he held open just in case Jack tried to start the engine and leave. He saw that the child had gotten into the front seat. He didn't approve of this and thus ordered her to get in the next seat behind them.