Criminal Case: Pacific Bay

Chapter 27: Into the Woods-Part 2

While Marie and Frank were reviewing what they know so far from Paula Mahler's murder, Logan's Pass tourism director, Ruthie Samson, came into the station office and to,d the two officers that there's been a sighting of the Night Walker. Marie was surprised to hear the news, but Frank let out a groan and he said, "I have no idea what a Night Walker is, but considering the name, why would it be up during the day?"

Marie looked at Frank and thought, that's right. Frank wasn't around Amy and I when we heard about it. Ruthie went on to tell Frank, "For years, people in the woods have seen strange shadows in the trees and heard footsteps walking behind them. But when they look, there's no one there. There are even stories of people having gone missing and WORSE!"

Frank rolled his eyes and said, "It sounds like a story parents make up to keep their kids out of the woods at night. Are you insinuating this monster might have something to do with Paula's murder? And what's more, did someone actually see this so-called Night Walker just now?!"

Ruthie nodded her head and said with a feared look, "Near the Stone Circle in the woods, some tourists said a ragged man jumped out at them and chased them away!"

Marie and Frank both agreed and Marie said, "Well, if someone is attacking people, we should check it out. And besides, the victim did wander all over the woods."

Frank thought that that sounded like a good idea and agreed they should track down the wild man and search the around the Stone Circle for clues about Paula Mahler's murder. When they got to the Stone Circle, Frank doubted that they will run into the Night Walker, but Marie managed to find new clues that could help them in the case. The first one was a broken gadget with Paula's name sewn on the lanyard. The second was a map with a threat written on it and it said, 'Paula, stay out or evil will come to you!'

Marie and Frank thought that whoever wrote it didn't like their victim. Frank asked Marie if she can retrieve fingerprints off of it and Marie rolled her eyes and said, "I know what I must do. Thank you Captain Obvious!"

Just then, a man with twigs and leaves in his beard jumped out from behind one of the stones and roared at them. Marie screamed and jumped into Frank's arms. Frank exclaimed, "Holy crap it's Bigfoot!"

The man the said to Frank annoyingly, "There's no such thing as Bigfoot! You fritzafrickinfrakkin idiot!"

"Well you certainly gave me a heart attack you old coot!" Marie exclaimed.

Frank exclaimed back, "And what did you just call me you old fart?!"

The old man then said, "And do you two mind not being intimate in front of others!"

Marie and Frank looked at each other and then realized the situation they were in and the two officers blushed. Frank put Marie down and Marie asked the man his name and he told her his name was Allen Muir. Marie told Allen to pull up a rock and sit tight till she's ready to question him. Before Marie and Frank could talk to Allen Muir, Marie got to work looking at the clues she found. The first clue she looked at was the broken gadget and once it was put together, she saw that the gadget was actually a compass.

When Frank saw it was a compass, he asked curiously, "Did you manage to find any new information about Paula from it darlin'?"

Marie noticed there was something on the compass and she told Frank she'll be able to find more info as soon as she collects a sample. Before she could do that, Marie looked at the map and brushed her powder over it until she got some fingerprints from it. When she got them, Marie was ready to analyze the fingerprints and compare them with others in the database. Marie decided to collect her sample from the compass before she looked at the database and after she got one, which was some strange black chunks and Frank was curious as to what they are, she sent the sample to Yann to be analyzed.