Chapter 7: Tricks, Treats, and Old Ghosts (Part 1)
Aubrey's Diner
Henbane River
October 31, 2018
The night following the night of that very ill-omened and surprising CIA briefing was Halloween Night. As expected, the children of Hope County trick-or-treated with their friends and parents, and considering that a lot of the houses in the county were in rural locations, even the most rural of dirt roads were occupied by kids in costumes being ushered by their attentive parents. In Fall's End, the very popular annual All Hallows' Eve parade was in full swing.
Sheriff Harrison, Sergeant Asher, and the deputies of the Hope County Sheriff's Department, meanwhile, decided to meet for dinner at Aubrey's Diner before the start of the Halloween evening shift. This very pleasant greasy spoon in Hope County's Henbane River region had recently re-opened after being forcibly closed for some time while the Project Eden's Gate cult had the county under its thumb. It was owned and managed by Aubrey Dodd, the mother of Hope County Deputy Kevin Dodd.
Things were a bit different for the lawmen and lawwomen of Hope County on this Halloween Night. While Deputies Joey Hudson, Staci Pratt, Michael Whitehorse, and Kevin Dodd were present with the sheriff and sergeant for this pre-shift dinner, Deputies Adam Xander and Dakota Michaels were not. As the two were also trained firefighters and paramedics in addition to being law enforcement officers, they had both decided to volunteer as needed with Hope County's all-volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service. As such, they had both signed up to ride together in one of the ambulances and respond to emergency calls in the Holland Valley region for the evening.
The six who were present sat together in a spacious circular booth eating burgers, hot dogs, and the like. Harrison had just finished explaining to the others what had happened during the CIA briefing the previous evening.
"So, you're telling us that the Peggies are still out there?" Staci Pratt asked Sheriff Harrison, "Earl Whitehorse, the Feds, and the National Guard took down a crap-ton of them after the Martial Law order was carried out while you were in Japan."
Sheriff Harrison apprehensively nodded. "I know, Pratt", he replied, "but apparently the Seeds had followers outside the country. Those bombings overseas tell us that."
"So, what do we do to avoid a repeat of all the shit we went through before?" Pratt asked.
"The best thing any of us can do", Harrison said, "If any of us see any of the cult's vehicles in the area, we call it in to Dispatch and approach with caution. And by that, I mean, extreme caution. Be ready for anything, guys. Most of us sitting here in this booth have seen firsthand what those apocalyptic whackos are capable of."
"That's all well and good, Troy", Abigail Asher cut in, "but what do we do about the 'Baby Augustine' thing? It's very possible that whoever's still out there kissing the Seeds' asses could come looking for that little girl."
Harrison took a sip of his cola through a straw, taking a minute to think. "The kid would be around seven now", he said, "As you may remember, Abby, she was put up for adoption and was adopted by a family outside Illinois a few weeks later. That's all the social worker could tell me back then. Let's handle Patrol tonight, business as usual, okay? First thing tomorrow, we'll call CPD and see if there was any follow-up with the investigation after I left Chicago."
Everyone in the booth seemed to agree with that idea. "So, what's the patrol rotation tonight, Sheriff?" Michael Whitehorse asked.
"Well Mike", Harrison began, "Knowing that we'd be two men short tonight with Adam and Dakota volunteering with EMS, I asked the Montana Department of Corrections to send two pairs of their officers to watch over the jail for both shifts, so that's covered. Mike and Kevin, you guys have your old patrol route in Holland Valley tonight. Hudson and Pratt, you're paired back up. I'm going to need you guys to watch over things at the parade in Fall's End."
Joey Hudson and Staci Pratt got up from the booth and high-fived each other before heading out the door. "I take it that leaves you and I to work the Henbane River beat tonight, Sheriff?" Asher asked.
Harrison gave his friend a charismatic smile. "See?" he said, "That's why you and I have stayed such good friends for twenty years, Abby. You can pretty much read my damn mind by now, girl."
Asher chuckled. "If I'm driving", she said, "I'm bringing my Miranda Lambert CD with me in the cruiser."
Harrison gave her a fake and overdramatic sigh in response, rolling his eyes. "Fine", he said, "but the next time we pair up, I'm driving and we're bumping Run the Jewels on the stereo."
"Said the only sheriff in history who's a true hip-hop fan", Asher replied with a smirk.
Harrison and Asher were just getting up from the booth when they were surprised to see a brown-haired young girl of around seven, dressed in a generically cute pink princess costume, come up to their booth.
"Well hello there, Your Highness", Asher said, "You look very pretty tonight, cutie."
The little girl gave a delightful smile to the sergeant. Kevin Dodd then got up from his seat and went over to the little girl, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Sheriff, Sarge", he said, "I'd like you to meet my little sister, Amelia." He motioned to Harrison and Asher. "Amelia, honey", he continued, "This is Sheriff Harrison and Sergeant Asher."
"Hi", Amelia said with a sweetly innocent tone.
Asher knelt down and shook the little girl's hand like a lady. "It's nice to meet you, Amelia", she said, "you can call me 'Abby' if you want, okay?"
Amelia giggled. "Okay Abby", she said before handing a slip of paper to her brother. "Mommy wanted me to bring you guys this", she said to Kevin.
Dodd unfolded the slip and chuckled. "It's our check", he said, smiling. "I've got it. See you guys later, okay?"
Harrison nodded to Dodd and Whitehorse. "Thanks Kevin", he said, "Be safe and we'll check in with you guys on the radio later."
As if by the power of suggestion, Harrison's radio crackled to life.
"Hope County Alpha-One and Hope County Four-Two-Six", the voice of nightshift dispatcher Evan Adams was heard through the radio, "Please respond."
Sheriff Harrison keyed his portable radio mic as he and Asher headed out the door and got into their patrol vehicle. "Hope County Alpha-One to Dispatch", he said into the radio, "I copy you, Evan."
"Ten-four Sheriff", Evan responded, "Please respond to the abandoned Tanami Residence on that island just off Drubman Marina. Adelaide Drubman just called in saying she rented out one of her motorboats to three teens, one white male, two white females. She says she saw them head that way and thinks they're possibly trying to trespass onto the island, over."
"Copy that, Evan", Harrison said, "The Sergeant and I are responding Code Two from Aubrey's Diner, over."
Drubman Marina
Henbane River
Asher and Harrison rolled up to Drubman Marina to find Adelaide Drubman waiting for them. As Hope County's resident real estate agent extraordinaire, marina owner, accomplished helicopter pilot, and unapologetic firearm enthusiast, Adelaide was a real jack-of-all-trades. She was another one of the many Hope County locals who aided Sheriff Harrison in fighting the cult. She stood with her imposingly tall stature and overly tanned skin, dressed in a pink and white polka-dotted tube top with a purplish-colored kerchief tied around her head, well-worn blue jeans, and cowboy boots.
"Hey there, Sheriff!" Adelaide greeted with a smile as Harrison and Asher emerged from their patrol car.
"Evening, Adelaide", Harrison replied, "Sorry about the circumstances, but it's still good to see you, honey. Have you met Sergeant Abby Asher?" he motioned to the sergeant.
Adelaide extended a hand to Asher. "I don't think we've formally met, no", she said, "It's a pleasure, Sarge."
Asher chuckled and reciprocated the gesture with a firm handshake. "The pleasure is all mine, Adelaide. So, our dispatcher tells us you think some kids might be trespassing?"
Adelaide motioned to her dock. "It looks that way", she began to explain, "You see, I rented a dinghy to these three kids, they looked to be about fifteen years old or so. One of the boys paid for the rental and gas with a Mastercard. I watched them take off in the direction of that private island where the old Tanami place is." She pointed in the direction of the island.
"And if memory serves", Harrison said, "That place has been abandoned for years ever since Mister Tanami passed away, is that right?"
Adelaide nodded. "Yep", she said, "Bob Tanami didn't have any next of kin to speak of, so to the best of my knowledge, no one ever bought it after he died. The place just sits there all decrepit and abandoned on that island out there."
"I see", Asher said, "How long ago did you see these kids take off?"
Adelaide glanced at her watch. "Almost fifteen minutes ago", she said.
Harrison spied an unused dinghy sitting beside one of the boat launches. "I have an idea", he said as he turned back to Adelaide and produced his wallet from his pocket. "How much is it to rent one of those dinghies for…let's say an hour?"
Adelaide smiled as she sensed his intentions. "That one there has a full tank", she said, "So no need to chip in for fuel. In that case, you'd owe me about forty bucks."
Harrison nodded and presented Adelaide with two twenty-dollar bills before turning to Asher. "Abby", he said, "do me a favor and get that Mastercard receipt from Adelaide's office, then grab the shotgun and bullhorn from the back of our car, please. I'm going to get the dinghy ready."
Asher shot him a puzzled look. "Are you sure we should be getting all tactical on a bunch of teenage kids who're probably just smoking weed and getting their freak on?" she asked.
Harrison grinned. "Who said anything about being tactical?" he replied, "I just want to teach these kids a lesson and scare the shit out of them. It is Halloween, after all, right?"
The ride to so-called "Tanami Island" from the direction of the Drubman Marina boat launch took about seven minutes in the motorized dinghy. Harrison piloted the boat while Asher held the shotgun up with one hand, and a bullhorn sat beside her just beneath the bench seat shared by her and Harrison. As they neared the shore of the derelict island, Harrison made sure to slow down in order to reduce the sound of the motor. He and Asher noted the presence of another dinghy docked on the shore that looked almost identical to the one they used. They docked their dinghy next to the other one and Asher promptly but stealthily hopped out of the boat, still holding the shotgun, and grabbed the bullhorn.
"That boat rental was charged to a Mastercard in the name of Ryan McCoy", Asher whispered to Harrison as she handed him the bullhorn, "Wait…McCoy…why does that name sound so familiar?"
Harrison sighed with realization. "That must be Mayor McCoy's kid", he replied with a whisper, "I hope he's not one of those entitled 'do-you-know-who-I-am' shitheads."
Asher scoffed quietly. "Yeah", she whispered, "that's all we need, right?"
The two of them crept quietly up the bank of the shore and snuck around to the left side of the island. Looking across, they noticed the abandoned and condemned wooden A-frame house, the former residence of the late Bob Tanami, and saw three darkened silhouettes on the opposite shore adjacent to the house. Each taking turns looking at them through Harrison's binoculars, Harrison and Asher determined they were undressing.
Harrison gave his Sergeant a knowing look and subsequent sly grin, and Asher gave an equally cunning grin and nodded in response. Harrison pressed down on the trigger button of the bullhorn and Asher rose to a tactical upright standing stance, pointing the shotgun outward.
"This is the Hope County Sheriff's Department!" Harrison shouted in a commanding tone, his voice even more amplified by the bullhorn, "You are trespassing on private property! Stand up and keep your hands in plain view!" The Sheriff rose to a stand as well, still holding the bullhorn in one hand.
The three startled kids immediately grabbed for whatever clothing they had just barely tossed aside. The young boy, clothed only in orange swim trunks, complied with the Sheriff's command, keeping his hands in the air. "Sheriff Harrison, right?" he asked.
Harrison lowered the bullhorn and stepped closer to the young man while Asher moved around him to secure his two barely-clad female companions. "You obviously know my name", he said, "Why don't you tell me yours, pal, and if you have any ID with you, I'd like to see it."
"I'm Ryan McCoy", the boy said as he produced his wallet from the pocket of his swim trunks and tossed it at Harrison's feet, "My father is Steven McCoy, the new Hope County Mayor."
Harrison nodded as he examined Ryan's Montana driver's license and boating license. "So we figured, Mister McCoy", he replied, "But I'm going to keep it very real with you tonight, okay? Whatever strings or connections your father has aren't going to absolve you or these ladies of the fact that you guys are trespassing on private property."
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't expect them to, sir", Ryan said, "But would you guys please just give us a ticket? I can't imagine we'd be spending a night in Hope County Jail just for going to some crappy old island for a night just to hang out on Halloween."
Harrison scoffed, annoyed by the boy's arrogance that he had chosen to mask with tentative respect. "We'll see, okay?" he said, "I'm going to get on the radio and run your ID and boating license. If any warrants pop up in your name, the jig is up and there'll be nothing we can do but run you guys in. Understand?"
Ryan nodded and Harrison walked off to a corner to contact Dispatch.
Asher, meanwhile, was busy interviewing the two girls Ryan had brought with them. She started with a very tanned athletic-looking blonde.
"What's your name, honey?" Asher asked.
"Jessica Laurel", the girl replied while pulling her t-shirt back over her head, "I'm a student at Hope County Unified School in Holland Valley. I'm sixteen."
Asher noted Jessica's information in her memo book. "Okay Jessica", she said, "I'm Sergeant Asher. I'm sorry for the circumstances, but it's nice to meet you all the same."
Jessica nodded. "You too", she said meekly.
Just then, Harrison walked over and stood beside Asher, whispering in her ear. "The boy's clear Sarge", he said, "No wants, no warrants."
Asher nodded before turning to the other young lady. "What's your name, sweetie?" she asked.
At first, the second young lady just stared at Asher with a coldly blank look on her face. "I'm sorry", she finally said in a hoarse tenor, "It's too late."
A perplexed Asher didn't know how to respond at first. "Too late for what?" she asked. The young lady continued to stare at her blankly before repeating "It's too late."
Harrison then became frustrated and stepped closer to the girl, giving her a very stern look. "The Sergeant asked you a question, young lady", he said in an equally strict tone and nearly raising his voice, "Too late for what?!"
Just then, both Harrison and Asher noticed a very distinctive tattoo just barely evident above the girl's bathing suit bottoms. It was the symbol of the Project Eden's Gate cult.
It suddenly felt as if Harrison and Asher could do nothing but look at each other, stunned and confused.
Redd's Farm Supply
Holland Valley
While Sheriff Harrison and Sergeant Asher were busy dealing with the very unexpected eeriness on Tanami Island, Deputies Kevin Dodd and Michael Whitehorse were in their cruiser patrolling the Holland Valley region on the opposite end of Hope County. They were just about to pass by Redd's Farm Supply, a large warehouse supply store accommodating the local farmers and gardeners, when they happened to notice a very unique looking white pickup truck stopped right near the store's driveway.
"That looks like one of the trucks that the sheriff warned us about earlier", Whitehorse said while behind the wheel. He slowed the vehicle to a smooth stop and put it in park.
Dodd nodded in agreement. "I'll run it", he said before making a mental note of the truck's license plate number. He grabbed his portable radio off his uniform lapel and keyed the mic. "Hope County Seven-One-Seven to Dispatch", he said, "Please respond."
Almost immediately, dispatcher Evan Adams was heard over the radio. "Hope County Dispatch here", he replied, "We copy you, Seven-One-Seven, over."
Dodd keyed his mic again. "Hey Evan", he said, "We're holding down a possibly suspicious vehicle outside Redd's Farm Supply in Holland Valley. Can you please run a Montana plate number four-one-three-Alpha-Frank-Kilo, over?"
"Ten-four, Seven-One-Seven", Evan replied through the radio, "Stand by."
While they waited for Evan to run the plate through the necessary databases, Michael Whitehorse noticed the driver of the truck start to fidget.
"Something doesn't feel right, Kev", Whitehorse said, "It looks like this dude's got something to hide."
Evan Adams soon came back over the radio. "Dispatch to Hope County Seven-One-Seven", he said, "Please respond."
Dodd keyed his radio mic. "Hope County Seven-One-Seven", he said, "I copy. Go ahead."
"Seven-One-Seven", Evan replied, "Be advised. The plate number in question matches a vehicle mentioned in an FBI alert relating to the Eden's Gate case. Approach with caution, over."
Dodd and Whitehorse quickly exchanged looks before Dodd responded. "Copy that Dispatch", he said into the radio, "Notify the sheriff and the Highway Patrol. We're going to need some backup out here."
No sooner did the deputies exit their vehicle did they see the driver's side door of the pickup abruptly swing open.
"Sheriff's Office!", Dodd shouted, "Close your d…"
But Deputy Kevin Dodd wasn't able to finish his sentence. In an instant, he and Whitehorse were met with rapid gunfire from an assault rifle. The two deputies scrambled for cover behind the open doors of their cruiser. Glass rained down on the two of them as both their windows shattered upon impact with rifle fire.
Dodd peeked underneath the car and noticed his partner's feet were visible on the other side. "MIKE?!" He shouted over to him, "ARE YOU OKAY?!"
Just then, he saw Whitehorse's feet suddenly land upward with a thud, having obviously hit the ground.
"MIKE!" He again hollered.
[A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUN! And the screen cuts to black! TO BE CONTINUED! How's that for a cliffhanger?]
