The Chupacabra Catastrophe Read online

  “We have a case,” Chris announced, brushing back his hair as he regarded us. “We need to pack up.”

  “Where are we going?” Millie asked, casting a suspicious look in Jack’s direction. “I knew you knew something, by the way.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jack adopted an air of innocence. “I’m simply sitting here minding my own business.”

  “We’re going to Texas,” Chris replied, ignoring the exchange. “There are multiple Chupacabra sightings. We’re finally going to be able to see it.”

  The Chupacabra? Huh, that was exciting. “Do you think it’s real?”

  Chris’ smile was benevolent. “I always think our cases are real, Charlie.”

  He meant it, and that was one of the reasons I like him. “So let’s mount up.” I hopped to my feet. “The Chupacabra isn’t going to wait forever.”

  “Oh, geez.” Jack rubbed his forehead. “We have two of them now.”

  Millie snickered. “I think it’s cute.”

  “I think it means I need to pack some aspirin.” Jack rolled to his feet and avoided my steady gaze. “I can be ready in twenty minutes. Make the call to the airport. Let’s go find the Chupacabra, shall we?”

  That was the best idea I’d heard all day.

  2

  Two

  The foundation has its own jet, so we could talk about the case on the ride down. It was a cozy atmosphere, comfortable, and Chris was so excited his enthusiasm was somewhat catchy.

  Not everyone was susceptible, though.

  “What do we know?” Jack asked from the seat next to me.

  “We know that we have a body – although I don’t have the specifics on that yet – and numerous people have seen a dog-like animal that has spines along its back,” Chris replied. “I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the Chupacabra to me.”

  Jack kept his world-famous patience in place as he flashed a tightlipped smile. “I guess I’m not familiar with the Chupacabra, so I have trouble coming to the same conclusion.”

  “I can take that.” Hannah Silver, her flaxen hair so light it almost looked gray, dug in the bag at her feet and came out with a notebook. “The Chupacabra is also known as the goat sucker.”

  “The goat sucker?” Millie made a face. “I guess it’s good Myron isn’t going with us. He’d either end up dead or orgasming.”

  Chris shot his aunt a quelling look. While he was genuinely fond of her, he was also beholden to his uncle. That often put him in a tough spot when Millie got going – and she was almost always going on one topic or another. Myron happened to be one of her favorite topics.

  “The Chupacabra legend is relatively new when you compare it to other creatures of its ilk,” Hannah continued, apparently oblivious to the snark flying around her. “The first reported attack was in 1995. It happened in Puerto Rico, when eight sheep were found dead with puncture wounds in their chests.”

  “And what’s to say a human didn’t do that?” Jack challenged. “While I’m not big on killing animals for no reason, I think that male teenagers have been responsible for similar attacks throughout the years purely out of boredom.”

  “I guess that’s a possibility, but a local saw the creature a few months after the first attack,” Hannah replied. She was the no-nonsense sort, dedicated to the job and the science associated with it. She wasn’t as enthusiastic as Chris, who couldn’t hide his emotions, but it was clear she was keen to find tangible proof. “Her account was largely discredited because the creature she described was identical to one in the movie Species, and she admitted to having seen the film recently.”

  “Great,” Jack intoned, leaning back in his chair. “We’re chasing a movie monster. This should be fun.”

  I flicked his ear, frustration getting the better of me. “I’m trying to listen.”

  Jack stared long and hard before shrugging. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt movie critique time.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Go on, Hannah. Some of us aren’t rude jerks who want to act superior.”

  Jack pressed the tip of his tongue to the back of his teeth as he narrowed his eyes. Wisely for him – I was in that bad of a mood – he kept his acerbic thoughts to himself.

  “Go on, Hannah,” Chris prodded. “We’re listening.” He wasn’t one to admonish his crew, but I could tell that Jack’s dismissive words ate at him. Perhaps Jack could tell, too, because he turned his attention to staring at his fingernails rather than interrupting.

  “Most of the stories have been discounted, but that hasn’t stopped the sightings,” Hannah supplied. “In 2010, for example, a University of Michigan biologist concluded that all Chupacabra attacks in the United States were actually the result of coyotes with mange.”

  “That sounds lovely,” said Laura Chapman, an auburn-haired siren who thought a little too much of herself for a woman who got the job because her father was an accountant with the company. She made a face. “Can humans catch mange? I would really rather not catch mange.”

  “It probably wouldn’t go well with the syphilis you’re already carrying,” I muttered under my breath. Thankfully I said it low enough that only Jack could hear, and when I darted a look in his direction I found his lips curving. “What?”

  Jack shook his head and turned back to the group. “If all the Chupacabra sightings have been discredited, why do we think we’re dealing with the real thing here? It sounds to me like we’re dealing with a mass hoax, kind of like the Fiji mermaid.”

  “Just because we haven’t caught an actual Chupacabra doesn’t mean they don’t exist,” Chris argued. “We haven’t caught a sasquatch either, but we know they exist.”

  Jack looked as if he was going to argue the point, but thought better of it. “Right. What else do we know about the Chupacabra, other than that it has spines growing from its back and it likes to attack goats, I mean?”

  “The most important thing to remember is that the Chupacabra is more leathery looking than fur-covered,” Chris offered. “They stand about three to four feet high and have a pronounced spinal ridge and eye sockets. They also have fangs and claws. The injuries they leave behind are most often in a downward facing triangle. That’s how we know we’re dealing with a Chupacabra.”

  “That’s how we know, huh?” Jack inhaled heavily, his chest heaving. I didn’t know him well, but I’d come to recognize the reaction as a calming mechanism. He had a short fuse and was a nonbeliever. I still hadn’t figured out why he was part of the group if he didn’t believe in the supernatural.

  As for me, I wasn’t sure I believed in the Chupacabra. It sounded a bit fantastical. Because I experienced psychic flashes when I touched someone or when I was lost in a dream, and could move things with my mind, I tended to err on the side of the supernatural. Oh, did I not mention that? I’m exactly the type of person – or thing, depending how you define it – the Legacy Foundation seeks. I’ve opted to keep that to myself for obvious reasons.

  “Since the first event in Puerto Rico, which was more than twenty years ago now, Chupacabras have been sighted in almost every state, even as far north as Maine,” Hannah said. “The sightings are much more prevalent in warmer areas, though, which is where we’re going.”

  “That brings me to my next question,” Jack said, shifting on his seat. “Where are we going?”

  “Texas,” Laura answered, smirking. “I believe we’ve already gone over this.”

  Laura is one of those women who think every man in the world is after her. Her assumption included Chris and Jack, although they largely ignored her for very different reasons. I was fairly certain Chris didn’t ignore her out of malice. He was simply so caught up in what he did that he couldn’t be bothered to drag his attention away from the task – or Hannah. He was clearly besotted with Hannah, although he didn’t admit it to anyone, including her.

  Jack’s disdain for Laura was something else entirely, and I was still trying to figure it out. Part of me wondered if they’d be
en involved – had a fling or perhaps a short romance – because his dislike was overt. Given the way Millie teased him about being a monk, though, I had my doubts. Jack seemed far too pragmatic and stubborn to get involved in a relationship with a co-worker. In fact, weeks earlier we accidentally ended up snuggled together in a tent while looking for Bigfoot, and he was horrified to the point that he threatened to turn himself in for inadvertent sexual harassment. We moved past it, but only after I told him he was being a ninny. Since then we’d been treading lightly around one another. I wasn’t sure why he reacted the way he did.

  “We’re going to a place called Hooper’s Mill,” Chris supplied. “It’s in the middle of nowhere.”

  The way he said it caused me to snap my head in his direction. “We’re going to be out in the middle of nowhere hunting for the Chupacabra? That doesn’t sound safe.”

  “Don’t worry,” Laura sneered, looking to Jack. “I’m sure your knight in shining armor will be around to protect you.”

  What was that supposed to mean?

  “I need to hear more about the setup,” Jack prodded, ignoring Laura’s dig. Whatever his feelings toward the woman – and they weren’t pleasant – he was good at getting under her skin. All he had to do was ignore her. Sooner or later she melted down in fantastic fashion because she didn’t believe anyone was capable of ignoring her over the long haul.

  “Hooper’s Mill is a former turn-of-the-century silver rush town,” Chris explained, oblivious to the potential discord flying around the jet cabin. He wasn’t always good with human emotions, so he often missed what was right in front of him. “It’s one of those places that sprung up out of nowhere and died just as quickly.”

  “By ‘turn of the century’ you mean 1900, not 2000, right?” I asked.

  Instead of shooting me a “you’re an idiot” look, Chris chuckled. “Yes. I mean 1900, not 2000.”

  “Ugh. You guys make me feel old,” Millie lamented. “I need a drink.”

  “Here.” Bernard Hill, our version of Mr. Fix-It, handed Millie a bottle of water and grinned. He was three years older than her, but flirted nonstop. Sometimes I wondered if they had a little something going on the side when they thought no one was looking. I hadn’t asked – yet. I figured it was only a matter of time before my mouth ran away from me, though. It always happened eventually.

  “Hooper’s Mill had one boom, and then it busted quickly,” Chris explained. “It’s a very small location, kind of like those haunted old west towns you see on television and movies. It’s only ten buildings, and it’s been abandoned for the better part of a century.”

  “And we’re staying there?” I was excited. “Does that mean we’re picking up supplies and camping in a ghost town?”

  “Oh, geez.” Jack rubbed his forehead. “We’d better not be staying in an abandoned mining town.”

  “We’re not,” Chris said, causing me to deflate a bit. “The town doesn’t have running water and it’s only thirty minutes from the border. It’s not safe or convenient to stay there. We’ll be lodging in a small town about twenty minutes away. The amenities there aren’t great – I believe they have only one hotel and one restaurant – but at least we’ll have running water and beds.”

  “That’s a relief. But just one restaurant, eh,” Laura asked. “I guess that means no mall?”

  “Definitely no mall,” Chris confirmed. “We’ll meet a local outdoor enthusiast by the name of Zach Corrigan at the hotel this afternoon. Once we land, we’ll pick up our rentals at the airport and head straight to the hotel. After that, we’ll make some decisions.”

  “And you don’t know anything about the body that was found?” Jack probed. “Don’t you think we should have more information before heading out to a purportedly haunted town?”

  “I didn’t say the town was haunted,” Chris clarified. “I said that it reminded me of haunted ghost towns in movies. I’ve seen a few photos from the real estate ads.”

  “Real estate ads?” I perked up. “Is the town for sale?”

  “Yes.” Chris bobbed his head. “The deceased’s name was Dominic Sully, and per the message that just came through from the main office he was considering buying the property to turn it into an amusement park of sorts.”

  “Amusement park?” Jack cocked an eyebrow. “What kind of amusement park can you make in the middle of nowhere?”

  “There’s a lot of nostalgia associated with certain times in history,” Chris explained. “Apparently Sully was thinking of turning it into a western theme park, a place where people would get dressed up in costumes and find themselves part of a story.

  “There would be fake gunslingers, horses and updated hotels so people could stay right in town,” he continued. “I don’t know that he filed any plans with the state, which I believe would be necessary given the historic nature of the town, but that’s what he told the real estate developer. Uncle Myron emailed me the update a few minutes ago.”

  “And he died?” I asked. “How?”

  “That’s a good question,” Jack said. “How did a real estate developer die in the middle of nowhere? I think it’s far more likely that the town’s proximity to the border played into this rather than the Chupacabra.”

  “Except that people in the small town where we’re staying have seen the Chupacabra multiple times over the past few months,” Chris said. “Some livestock has been taken out, the particular wound pattern we’re looking for left behind. And now we have a body with the same wound pattern.”

  “Which could be intentional.” Jack didn’t back down, despite Chris’ insistence. “Maybe someone wanted to use the legend of the Chupacabra to cover up for a murder.”

  “That’s one of the reasons they called for us,” Chris confirmed. “Listen, Jack, I know you’re prone to steering our investigations away from the supernatural because that’s how you’re wired – and I’m generally glad for that because you’re good at your job and a voice of reason – but we can’t know anything until we land and look over the area.”

  “Chris is right,” Millie said, catching Jack’s gaze and giving him a dark look. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet, so there’s no reason to argue either side of this. Once we know more, then we can start arguing.”

  Jack opened his mouth as if he was going to push the argument further, and then snapped it shut. He held his hands palms up and shrugged. “Okay. You have a point. I just don’t want anyone assuming that we’re going to land in the middle of a ghost town and stare down a Chupacabra.”

  “I don’t think anyone believes that,” Hannah said. “We can’t know more until we get the lay of the land and look around. With that in mind, even though I would love to see Hooper’s Mill right away, I think it’s probably best if I go to the medical examiner’s office and take a look at the body.”

  “Do you think they’ll let you see it?” Laura asked. “Texas doesn’t strike me as the sort of state that will simply allow you to wander in and invite yourself to an autopsy.”

  “No,” Hannah agreed. “But I have a few contacts with the state licensing board. I’m hopeful I can call in a few favors. Even if they won’t allow me to participate in the autopsy, they might let me observe. That could put us ahead on this one.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Chris said. “As for the rest of us, we’ll head straight to the hotel and drop off our things. Then we’ll meet this Zach Corrigan, get a feel for him, and decide if we want to head out to Hooper’s Mill this afternoon or wait until tomorrow.”

  “Why would we want to wait until tomorrow?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to go out there right away?”

  “I’m with you. I want to see everything as soon as possible.” Chris flashed a warm smile. We didn’t spend much time together, but he’d been open and amiable since I arrived. I had a feeling he simply liked having another enthusiastic sort in the group. With Jack constantly naysaying, Laura doing whatever it is she does and Millie shifting with the wind, Chris didn’t
always have many group members taking his side.

  “I still want to talk to an expert,” he continued. “My guess is he’ll say that we don’t want to get caught in Hooper’s Mill after dark.”

  “Isn’t that when the Chupacabra is most likely to come out to play?”

  “Yes, but there are no streetlights in that town,” Chris reminded me. “There are no building lights. It will be completely dark except for the moon and our flashlights. We need time to go over the buildings to make sure there aren’t any hidden dangers. We need daylight for that.”

  “Believe it or not,” Jack added. “Safety is our top priority.”

  I shot him an annoyed look. “I get it. I was just asking.”

  “For now, we’re going to meet up with Zach Corrigan and get some information.” Chris was firm. “We’ll decide what comes next after that. Either way, we’ll see Hooper’s Mill within the next twenty-four hours. You can look forward to that, Charlie.”

  I was definitely looking forward to that. We might finally be able to see the absurd and strange up close and personal. That was the reason I joined the group.

  3

  Three

  Zach Corrigan wasn’t what I expected. He was young – under thirty – with windswept brown hair that was finger combed away from his face, chiseled cheekbones and blue eyes that seemed to stare right through to my soul. He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist and a set of powerful arms that were on display thanks to his tight T-shirt.

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Zach greeted Chris first, the two men exchanging an enthusiastic handshake.