The Beast of 1977 (Book 1)

Chapter 19

"What time is it?" Linus moaned while driving all too slowly down the desolate highway on a day that was nearing noontime.

Fitzpatrick looked out at the passing farmland scenery and asked, "Does it really matter?"

Linus must have sighed at least three to four times since leaving the house. The man's entire body felt as if it were carrying a load of bricks tied to his heels. No matter what, he just couldn't get the fog out of his brain.

"It's hard to believe that this thing hiked almost three miles away just to eat more people."

Stirring awake from his dull stupor, Linus glanced over and grunted, "Huh?"

"I said, I can't believe the thing hiked three miles just to eat more people." Fitzpatrick replied a bit louder.

"Yeah," Linus sighed again."

"You gotta be kidding me." Alan griped.

"Whaddya mean?"

"What's with all the damn sighing? You sound like my wife whenever she wants sex from me?"

Linus shrugged and said, "We just wrapped up a five and a half month kidnapping investigation, and you're asking what's with all the sighing?"

"For Christ's sake," Alan grumbled, "it's not the first kidnapping we've ever covered."

Linus didn't bother to look over at his partner, instead, he gazed upwards into the grey, brooding sky. "What would make a person do all of that, Al?"

"Do what?"

"Kidnap, rape and kill. He even raped the guys, for God's sake." Linus shook his head in shame. "I'm sitting here trying to figure out what sort of twisted event in this man's life could have brought him to such a point."

"Who knows?" Alan groaned. "He obviously had some kind of sick fetish that needed to be fulfilled. You mentioned it yourself back at the TV station."

"And the smell," Linus lamented. "How can any normal human being tolerate having all those dead bodies in that house and not become sick themselves?"

"After a while, even the most perverted person becomes accustomed to his or hers perversion. The man was obviously tormented."

Bruin only scanned the grazing land that passed by at 33 mph.

"I wonder if Gloria saw—

"That's enough!" A frustrated Fitzpatrick hollered.

A momentary quiet took place inside the car before Linus again sighed and said, "I suppose you're gonna tell me that I'm feeling sorry for myself, right?"

"No, it's not that." Fitzpatrick huffed. "You're shitting bricks because after all these months someone or something else got that fucker before you could. We all wanted to plug a bullet in the guy, but we missed out."

Linus rolled his eyes in the other direction, hoping that he could possibly ignore his partner's rant, but it seemed that the more he tried to focus on other matters, Gloria's pale, terrified image would cross his path in stunning full color.

"Whaddya think?" Fitzpatrick looked over.

"Think about what?"

"About what Brice said about the fur. Do you believe that there could be a pack of

say?" Linus gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I can't see wolves tearing through a wall like a wrecking

"The zoo," Fitzpatrick chuckled. "If I ever see the thing that could eat the way that fucker did last night,

the dead bodies first before he

"A wolf," Fitzpatrick sniggered. "I swear that Brice gets

asking, "You don't think too much

"An Ivy league, smarty pants, know-it-all

"Are you trying to say that we're old

it like my wife; I turn twenty-four with every passing

at the remark while glancing down at the speedometer to notice for the very first

taking our

"Is that all

"No, I also hope I get home in time this

Linus wanted to burst out laughing, but he restrained himself as a semi-truck roared past them

was thinking about calling

took a few moments before Fitzpatrick said anything. "It's a

"Yeah...it is." Linus bitterly sulked with a far off expression hanging on his face. "I hate to say this, but I think you have a better chance of

"I can handle O'Dea, in

took place inside the cruiser. For a few moments Linus actually believed that

"Did you catch the body on that

"Which one," Linus glanced strangely over

"The black lady," Fitzpatrick

"Oh yeah, she was

"I can see you with

Linus grinned...and

and reporters all milling about the yard of a red and white brick house. Without uttering a single word, they climbed out of the vehicle and dragged themselves towards another squad car just a few feet away where a bald, middle-aged black officer was standing with a C.B. radio in

into the holster inside the car. "Long time no see." He shook both Linus

"How are you, Phelps?" Fitzpatrick

six dead bodies. A mother, father and their four daughters. The mother was found in the living room. Her entire skull was cracked wide open. The father was found in the basement

"It even got

four, seven and ten," Phelps chocked.

"Who found them?" Linus asked while zipping up

She and the mother have coffee every morning. Can you imagine finding this, of all

over to a distant pine bush and watched as the loudly weeping grandmother was consoled by a number of female

can hardly take two steps without...it's like something from out

just to see what we're dealing with."

heard

we found what was left of him."

whatever found him made its way here." Phelps rubbed his face in weariness. "It broke in through a basement

Linus stepped forward, placed his right hand on Phelps' shoulder and

losing your own son. This is all his mother needs right now. Does anyone know what did all of this? A bear or

through with his last victim, something came up from out of his basement and tore him limb from limb, literally. He left his recorder on the entire time. We can't seem to make heads or tails of just what exactly it

it's a bear." Fitzpatrick added.

"Come inside and take a look at this." Phelps said as he stepped away from his cruiser and led Bruin

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