Doppelganger Read online

  “Can you hook one of these things up?” Bill asked, as if he hadn’t heard a word Sam had said.

  “Yeah,” Sam said hesitantly; the question set him back a little. “Mind if I ask why?”

  “That,” Bill pointed at a little video camera sitting on the edge of Carl’s desk, “was found at the scene. If we’re lucky, our cameraman may have caught whatever killed them on tape.”

  The video camera didn’t solve the dead reporter problem, but it sure did make Sam’s gloomy day start to look a little better. Perhaps this was the big breakthrough they’d been waiting for.

  Sam picked up the VCR and took it over to the TV that was on the top of a filing cabinet across the room from Carl’s desk. While Sam untangled the wires to the VCR, Bill pressed the button on the intercom and told Debra to get in touch with James and Emilio and have them report to the sheriff’s office immediately.

  Once the VCR was set up, Sam used the remote to fast forward until they could see the front of Marvin’s old gas station on the screen.

  Sam pressed play.

  * * *

  James followed Emilio into the squad room.

  Emilio glanced up at the TV and commented, “Aw, man, I didn’t bring popcorn.”

  “Oh, good y’all are already here,” Bill said, “We just got started.”

  Sam pressed pause, stopping the scene at a dark view behind Marvin’s gas station. Jana was still in the shadows, only her dark silhouette was visible.

  “Have a seat,” Bill said. “This tape ought to be real interesting. It was found in a camera near the body of one of this morning’s victims.”

  Emilio took a seat, and James leaned up against the wall.

  Sam pressed play.

  Jana continued around the corner of the building. Once she was out of the shadows, she was clearly visible. She stopped and looked around. Then she turned back to Bob, apparently attempting to look sexy, said, “Bob, you got me all excited for nothing.”

  “Bob, you stud,” Emilio commented.

  Then Bob and Jana thought they heard something near the garbage cans, and they began slowly working their way in that direction. Bob stayed behind and to the right of Jana, enabling him to get a good shot of her as well as a good shot of the area they were approaching. As they drew near the garbage cans, Emilio leaned anxiously forward in his chair. And when the cat flew out of the garbage can, causing the lid to fly off with a bang, Emilio jumped like a kid watching a horror movie, giving Sam and Bill a good laugh. Jana and Bob then had a little discussion about how silly they thought they were acting, then started back toward the gas station.

  “What the hell is that?” Emilio asked in a shocked voice. No one answered. Everyone in the room was silent.

  The thing was at first hard to make out, but as it stepped into the light of the security lights behind the gas station they were treated to a much better view. It was walking upright like a human. It looked to be close to six feet tall, and very wide at the shoulders. Its body was built a lot like a human’s except its arms were slightly longer and its legs were slightly shorter. The creature was also covered with short, coarse hair that looked black in the poor lighting, but might have been a dark brown. It resembled a cross between a man and an ape, with one major difference: its head. From the neck up the creature was completely hairless. The skin looked black and leathery. Two small dog-like ears poked up on top of its head. The beast’s jaws were oversized for the rest of its body, and no lips covered the two rows of jagged, oversized black teeth, some of which looked to be almost an inch and a half long.

  “Oh, hell,” they heard Bob say, but he sounded awful calm to have something that looked like that walking toward him.

  “No, this is perfect. He doesn’t have his Ranger buddy with him to do his talking. Just keep that camera rolling,” Jana said

  “What the hell?” Emilio said, confused by Jana’s comment

  “She thinks it’s Bill,” James answered. He had seen this before, but from a different viewpoint.

  “Sheriff Oates, I have some questions I’d like to ask you about the unsolved killings that have been going on in your county.” Jana asked the approaching beast. A few seconds passed then she asked, “Do you think it is a person doing these killings, and if so do you have any suspects?”

  The beast was picking up speed toward her but still not hurrying.

  “That’s not very comforting, Sheriff Oates. Don’t you think that it’s your job t ...”

  “Dear God,” Emilio said when the beast brutally tore into Jana. Even though James had seen this happen through the beast’s eyes the night before, he grimaced and turned his eyes away from the screen. The brutality of Jana’s death apparently even got to Sam and Bill. Sam uttered, “Jesus,” at the same time Bill said, “Damn,” in a barely audible voice.

  When the beast pounced on Bob, the camera dropped to the ground. They were treated to a staticky upside-down shot of the back of the gas station accompanied by gross, wet sounds as the beast took savage bites out of its newest prey.

  When the scene was over, they rewound it to the picture of the beast when it first stepped out of the shadows. This was the best shot of the beast. Sam hit pause.

  At first no one spoke. They all sat in silence, staring at the horrible beast on the screen before them.

  James broke the silence. In a dream-like voice, he said, “It goes in their mind ... it goes in their mind and makes them see someone or something they’re comfortable with. Then it walks right up and kills them. But the changing is all done in its victim’s mind.”

  “In other words, it doesn’t change itself,” Sam helped out. “It changes how you perceive it.”

  “Yeah,” James said, still dreamily staring at the vile-looking creature on the TV screen.

  “Well, how’s this going to help us?” Emilio asked. “I mean, does it really matter how it disguises itself.”

  Sam now had his eyes closed and was rubbing his temples. “At least we now have concrete proof that something is out there that’s not exactly normal,” he said, “It’s up to you, Bill, but I say it’s time to let the boys know what they’re dealing with. I know it risks an information leak, but I think it’s a risk we’ve got to take.”

  “I agree,” Bill said. “But, I don’t think we should tell them about James' dreams just yet.”

  “Why not?” Sam asked.

  “Well, this tape is gonna be hard enough for them to believe. If we try to tell them that we’ve got ourselves some sorta psychic helpin’ us out, it may be too much for them to swallow. Besides, I don’t see where letting them know about James would help us any.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Sam said.

  “And I think James needs to start stayin’ up here with us. That way the next time he has one of his dreams there will be less of a delay before we can act on it.” Bill looked at James. “And, son, you may turn out to be too much of an asset not to have under protection.”

  James couldn’t help but wonder if he was under protection or under observation.

  * * *

  It was one o’clock in the afternoon before everyone from the various law enforcement branches operating in Newton County were assembled in the squad room of the Newton County Law Enforcement Center. Bill was the only law enforcement personnel not present. He was on patrol, so all of his deputies could be present. The squad room would have been small for a meeting with just the original deputies, police officers, and game wardens. But now that the current crisis had almost doubled the law enforcement personnel operating in the county, it was practically shoulder-to-shoulder. To make sure everyone could see the small TV screen, Sam resorted to a technique that would be quite familiar to elementary teachers who had shown films to crowded classes: Sam had the first few rows of officers sit on the floor, the intermediate rows sit in chairs, and the last few rows stand.

  Sam stood with one arm propped on top of the television, his big fingers slowly drumming on the top of the TV. He waited until everyone
was settled. When he finally spoke, there was a stern seriousness in his voice. It was the voice of a hardened United States Marine Corps officer. “Before we get started I want to get one thing absolutely clear: nothing that is seen or heard in this room today is to leave this room. No exceptions. You are not to talk to your wives about it, you are not to talk to your parents about it, you are not to talk to your children about it, and you certainly will not talk to the media about it.”

  Sam stopped to let what he had said sink in. Then he restarted in the same tone. “You’ve all been aware that something out of the ordinary has been going on in the area. All of you have - or should have - read the case reports, and most of you have been to one or more of the crime scenes. As you are aware, the strange tracks around the bodies and the half-eaten condition of the bodies has led us to believe that we were dealing with some sort of animal. However, this animal has all too often made its way into houses through locked doors. Stranger yet, many of these killings took place right in the front doorway, as if the animal had somehow convinced its victims to open the door and let it in.”

  Sam reached and pulled a small cup of water from behind the TV and took a drink. He then replaced the cup and continued. “As you already know, last night our killer struck again, killing a reporter and her cameraman. As it turns out, the cameraman was filming when the creature attacked.”

  Sam flicked the light-switch and pressed play on the VCR. “I think the video will speak for itself.”

  The gathered officers watched as Current Edition reporter, Jana Parish, slowly walked around the corner of the building. They then watched as Jana and Bob approached the garbage cans beside the storage building. When the black cat made its hasty exit from one of the garbage cans, about half of the officers jumped, causing a small round of laughter that quickly tapered off when Sam put a finger to his lips. They continued to watch as Jana and Bob walked back to the building.

  Then the beast stepped from around the corner. A startled murmur passed through the audience. When the beast stepped from the shadows, the murmur grew louder, almost drowning out Jana’s one-sided interview with the approaching beast. But when the beast made its gruesome assault on the reporter a hush fell on the room, one could’ve heard a pin drop. This silence continued on until Sam pressed stop, right after the beast attacked Bob.

  Sam started rewinding the tape.

  “Captain Jones, do you ... ” one of the highway patrol officers started, but was interrupted by Sam.

  “I’m not finished. I’ll answer questions when I’m through.”

  Sam rewound the tape to the clear picture of the beast when it stepped out from the shadows.

  “Notice that Mrs. Parish, as well as her cameraman, thought they were being approached by Sheriff Oates. Apparently, this beast makes people believe it’s something that it’s not. That way it can take its prey off guard. It also explains why so many of the victims seemed to have unlocked their doors to let this beast in. But that’s not the most disturbing thing about this video. Pay close attention is what Mrs. Parish says to say this creature. Watch and listen.”

  Sam pressed play and the audience sat in silent wonder as Jana calmly interviewed the approaching beast. Sam pressed pause just as the beast started its swing.

  Sam started up again in his lecture hall/marine officer combination voice. “The first thing she says to the creature she seems to think is Sheriff Oates sounds like a typical opening for a reporter, and the next thing she says also sounds like a canned question. But, the third question is different.”

  Sam then picked up a small spiral notepad and read off. “‘That’s not very comforting, Sheriff Oates. Don’t you think that it’s your job?’ Then she is cut off.” He put the notepad down and continued. “She seems to be reacting to something the creature said. Now, if you can imagine a creature that can somehow manipulate your eyesight, it’s fairly easy to imagine something that can manipulate your hearing. But that’s not the worst of it. We aren’t able to hear what he says, but the way she reacted leads me to believe that the creature answered her second question intelligently.”

  There was some murmuring at this statement, and even a snicker here and there, but Sam had expected this. After all, he was telling them something that went against just about everything they’d ever been taught, from grade school on up.

  “I know this must sound like a crock to most of you, so I’m going to take a break here to answer a few questions before I press on.” Sam pointed at the highway patrol officer who had started to ask a question earlier. “I believe you had a question.”

  “Yes, sir, I was thinking maybe the tape could have been altered by a computer or something.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Sam answered. “I’ve seen my share of doctored videotapes and if it is, I’ve certainly never seen one this good. Also, there wouldn’t have been enough time between when Mrs. Parish and Mr. McCoy were killed and the time the bodies were found to fix up the video after the killings, and the wounds correspond too well with what’s in the video for it to have been made beforehand.”

  Carl Price, who was sitting on the edge of his desk, spoke next. “No offense, sir, but I find it hard to believe this thing is going into people’s mind and doing their thinking for them.”

  There were numerous murmurs and nods of agreement at this.

  Carl continued, “Is it possible this thing somehow makes them hallucinate? Maybe it releases some sort of gas or something.”

  “Possible, but I don’t think so. If that were the case, then, how did it make Mrs. Parish and Mr. McCoy have the same hallucination? Remember, they both thought they saw Bill.”

  Then Sam received help from an unexpected quarter. Darren Woolford spoke up. With a slight tremor in his voice, Darren said, “It was dark, but I did get a glimpse of that thing in the Beck house.” Darren pointed at the TV. “That thing there was what I saw. It looked like that.”

  Max Davis spoke up from across the room, “Wait a minute. If that’s the case, why did Darren see that thing looking like that,” Max pointed at the TV, “instead of looking like Mary Poppins or Puff the Magic Dragon?”

  This caused a round of laughter, even Sam cracked a smile.

  “I think it’s because he caught it by surprise,” Sam answered. “But I’m not sure.”

  One of the new game wardens spoke up next. “Captain Jones, when you said that thing answered Mrs. Parish intelligently, were you meaning intelligent like a person?”

  Here was the question Sam had been waiting for. “Yes, that is exactly what I meant,” Sam replied, receiving the expected mumbles of disagreement. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but judging by some of the other things this creature has done it’s probably accurate. Remember last week when we tried to track it down with the dogs. Only two days later that creature traveled almost twenty miles from where it last struck and attacks the bloodhounds. I, myself, find it hard to believe a creature like that,” Sam pointed at the screen, “could have human intelligence, but in light of what all has happened, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’d be better off overestimating this thing than we would be underestimating it.”

  Sam paused, once again to allow the importance of what was said to sink, then he continued, “This brings me to our biggest problem. How do we stop this thing? So far as I can tell, there is no way to tell the difference between this creature and whatever disguise it takes on. For now, the best we can do is patrol the area heavily, especially inside and just outside the city limits. Also, from here on out, anyone patrolling at night will have a partner and will remain with their partner at all times. Furthermore, for the remainder of this crisis, or until further developments, all partners must be quartered together.”

  There were several groans at this, and one officer spoke up, “What about our families?”

  “For the most part, we have taken care of that with our new schedule.” Sam indicated a stack of photocopied papers resting beside the TV. “We’ve tried to schedule most of the
officers who have families locally and might have difficulty sparing a room for daytime duty, which won’t require a partner. Still, quite a few of you will have house guests for an undetermined amount of time.”

  Sam’s audience groaned once more.

  “I know this is something of an inconvenience, but it is necessary,” Sam replied. “When this is over, I’ll personally see that the State reimburses everyone involved for any extra expenses.”

  Sam then picked up the schedules he had indicated earlier and handed them to one of the game wardens sitting on the floor in front. “Take one and pass them around.”

  Sam waited until everyone had a schedule before continuing. “More than eighty percent of the patrols will be dusk-til-dawn shifts in northern Newton County, centering around the city of Newton.”

  Sam then went over the schedule from top to bottom, before dismissing the officers. He knew that many, if not most, of the officers at the meeting were unconvinced of what they were dealing with. All of their lives they had been conditioned against belief in such supernatural beasts, and one meeting was just not enough to change their mindset. However, even if their conscious mind refused to accept what they saw, the sight of the creature walking right up to Jana Parish and ripping her apart would stay embedded in their subconscious. They were now just a little better prepared for the beast lurking in the woods around Newton.

  Chapter 20

  Sweet Beulah Land

  The cells at the Newton County Jail were empty of their normal inmates. Ironically, their current occupants were law enforcers rather than lawbreakers. Two days ago Sam had arranged for all of the inmates to be transferred to Jasper, freeing the jailers for patrolling, except for Jack, who was convinced that he was still needed at the Sheriff’s Office. This had also enabled them to use the cells to house Bill, Sam, and now James.

  That night James bedded down in cell number nine, right across the row from cell number two, where he had spent four nights when he’d been under arrested for the murder of William Youngblood. This visit was much less formal. No fingerprints were made, no front and profile pictures were taken, and the door to his cell was kept unlocked. James’ suitcase sat in one corner of the cell, and his cell was now equipped with clean sheets and a feather pillow. It was still a jail cell though. The walls were that sickly shade of blue, and names and obscenities were still carved into the pictureless, windowless, walls.