Chapter 9: Jake, the Hunter

Paisley tapped her fingers against the sterling wheel impatiently. She didn’t like this at all. Jake had dragged her around tiny Lumlow and the surrounding area for the last two-and-a-half hours. Who knows what he wants to buy? The pale blonde didn’t care. If it helped send Jean-Paul Flamand packing, then great. However, this latest stop had pushed Paisley to the brink.

Her once-spotless luxury sedan now sat in the middle of nowhere, outside a ramshackle cabin. And calling it a cabin came from Jake’s generosity, as it looked like a shack to Paisley. A relic of a bygone era, its wooden façade might have once been charming, but peeling paint and an air of neglect now marred the deteriorating building. The once-red paint had faded into an ugly mix of burnt orange and brown.

The sagging porch's wooden planks struggled to stay together, having been warped by time and relentless humidity. Overgrown ivy clung to its supports until it met a never-ending patch of grass that surrounded the cabin's side. Similarly to calling the shack a cabin, the grass might be more weeds than anything.

Nearly thirty minutes outside of Lumlow, it had taken a lot of twists and turns on a long, dirt road to reach the cabin. Paisley wanted to turn around twice, but Jake insisted it was out here, nestled among the woods and marshland. Of course, the cabin turned out to be situated right next to the murky blend of brownish-green water. The wet, makeshift road had already splattered the sedan’s hood with specks of mud.

Paisley had left the engine idling to provide cool air from the oppressive heat and humidity outside. She’d also turned up the radio when Jake asked if she wanted to come inside with him. What the hell is taking so long? It’s been twenty minutes, the pale blonde complained, glancing at the digital clock on the console yet again.

Suddenly, her blue eyes darted towards the rearview mirror. She’d caught a glimpse of movement that caused her heart to skip a beat. Whipping her head around, Paisley searched the area behind and beside her vehicle. Unable to see anything, the blonde turned down the radio, adjusted the rearview mirror, and slunk down in her seat.

Already unsettled about being out in the boonies, Paisley grew increasingly creeped out by her situation. Her eyes developed a constant rhythm of flickering between the rearview and the side mirrors. She even grabbed her phone before growling in frustration at the lack of a signal.

After a tense five minutes, Paisley risked lowering her window slightly to listen for Jake. Instead of hearing his voice, the sound of rustling leaves, distant bird calls, and the creaking of a loose wooden plank filled the air. Peering her head around, Paisley scanned her surroundings once again while listening through the window’s opening. Only when a dragonfly buzzed near the cracked glass did the teen raise the window.

Finally, having had enough of waiting, the ice queen turned off the car and stepped out into the oppressive heat. At once, her face scrunched up in frustration as her sandals sank into the damp, soft earth. Slamming the door shut, Paisley braced herself on the sedan as she walked toward the teetering porch. A curse followed as she remembered to hit the key fob’s button to lock the car.

Taking several long strides to the edge of the uneven porch, Paisley stopped to reconsider her idea. With the door partially open, she attempted to peer inside by leaning her head to the side. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see or hear anything. An annoyed headshake followed, as well as another check at the surroundings behind her. Off in the direction of the marsh, a frog croaked as if laughing at her.

Taking a deep breath, Paisley steeled herself for whatever awaited her inside. With a sudden burst of determination rather than courage, the pale blonde strode forward, scanning the porch’s planks as if they might give way beneath her. They held despite heavy creaking.

The door scraped against a warped frame as it swung open wider at her push. Flickering candlelight dancing on dusty floorboards met her first. Then, with a final shove, a chaotic jungle of plants and shelves came into view.

The cabin's interior was a botanical labyrinth, with shelves upon shelves of glass jars filled with an array of plants and concoctions. Candlelight mixed with electric bulbs cast a kaleidoscope of colors onto the walls and ceiling. Some of the jars held leaves that shimmered with a metallic sheen, while others contained murky liquids with unidentifiable objects floating within. The air was thick with a range of smells, each hitting Paisley differently after several steps. A sharp tang of unpleasant acidity followed the sweetness of blooming flowers. Even worse, the teenager’s hand flew to her mouth as she gagged at a nauseous stench of decay, which sent her faster into the room.

"You're sure you don't have mistletoe? Not even some that are dying. I just need it for tonight until I can find more," Jake told a frustrated, dark-skinned woman.

“Boy, I told you no a thousand times already,” the woman replied, her voice thick with a Southern accent.

"Sorry, sorry, Mama Yawa. I didn't mean any offense," Jake said hurriedly while raising his hands. "I just hoped to find more than this. Are you sure you don't have any weapons? Knives, daggers, swords, those things? What about traps?"

Paisley's face scrunched up in disgust at the small jar of purplish-brown gunk he held up.

"That be all I have. But be very careful. Dangerous, most dangerous. Do not ingest," Mama Yaya warned

“I’m not eating it. He or she will.”

“No, no, no! That be poisonous. Do not give to people!” the strange woman scolded, wagging her finger until she spotted Paisley. “Yes? Who be you?”

“Paisley’s with me. I’m staying at her family’s place,” Jake explained nonchalantly.

“Are you done yet?” the annoyed girl inquired.

Mama Yawa studied the ethereal blonde for a moment. She seemed to hesitate as if mulling over a detail. Then, she repeated the girl’s name in a long drawl. “Paisley. Who you kin?”

"My family? I am an Ellison," Paisley proclaimed while glancing at the weird items all around her. A sudden realization made her skin crawl.

The surname gave Mama Yawa a start.

“Wait, what? You’re Yvonne’s niece?” After seeing the nod, the woman tried to snatch the jar back from Jake. “Nope, that’s no longer for sale.”

“What? Come on!” Jake exclaimed, managing to hold onto the jar.

“Listen, kid, that shit is way too dangerous to mess around with. You can poison yourself or someone else if you’re careless. I can’t do that to Yvonne. She’s a good person,” Mama Yawa explained, dropping any hint of a Southern twang. Paisley also noticed how her English suddenly sounded proper and perfect.

“I’m not leaving without it!” Jake declared, tossing several bills onto the counter. “I’ll pay double. See?”

“Fine,” Mama Yawa said, giving in after spotting the amount he threw down. “Just be extra careful. Wash your hands thoroughly if you get it on you.”

“No problem!” Jake responded cheerfully as he started to leave.

“Don’t forget!” the woman called after him. “Girl, tell your aunt that Birdie said hi! And watch out for that charlatan lurking!”

"Whoa! She talks to birds, too?" Jake said after Mama Yawa's words finally sank in as he stepped off the porch.

“I think that is her name.”

“But her name is…Ah, I get it,” Jake said before mumbling something about doo business.

Unlocking her sedan, Paisley waited to ask her question until both doors were shut and the ignition turned on.

“Did you just say voodoo? Oh. My. Gawd! You took me to a voodoo witch’s cabin in the middle of the woods?!”

“What? No! Mama Yawa is into hoodoo,” Jake replied, wondering why her expression became more horrified. “There’s a big difference between hoodoo and voodoo.”

Gripping the steering wheel, Paisley issued a silent scream before turning toward Jake. “What precisely have you been buying and why?”

"Well, you're probably going to find this a bit far-fetched, but trust me. It's real," Jake began.

---

“Did they all leave?” Phineas asked, walking onto the front porch.

“Yes. Aunt Vonnie and Marie are going to show them the way to the nearest hospital,” Leighton relayed, watching the dust from the driveway settle down.

“All the way to Darlingport?”

"No, there's a tiny rural hospital. Well, it's more like a clinic that's about thirty-five minutes northeast of here. Hopefully, they won't need to transfer her further," Leighton explained before dropping down to sit on the steps. "That was so scary. I still feel like my hands are shaking."

“Let me ask you something,” Phinn said after sitting down next to her and leaning in close. “Did anyone disappear for several minutes when the ambulance arrived?”

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“Think,” Phinn pressed.

“No, I don’t know. Everyone was in and out. It was pretty hectic,” Leighton admitted.

Glancing over his shoulder at the front door and windows, Phinn nudged the redhead to follow him over toward the fountain in the center of the driveway.

“I wanted to take advantage of that commotion. So I snuck upstairs to unlock the spiritual room’s doors for later tonight. While I was up there, I slipped inside Catherine’s room as I heard movement. However, somebody tried to get inside her room,” Phinn recounted.

“What?” Leighton responded, looking startled before calming down. “Wait, Marie let AD inside to grab a few items for Hazel to take with her for Cat.”

“I know. I waited until they were finished before going upstairs. I know Marie locked the door as I picked it for an extra escape route. Somebody else tried to get inside after I finished my other business. I ducked inside the closet, but they never entered.”

“Maybe they forgot to grab something and went back,” Leighton suggested.

“No, this just happened. Marie, Yvonne, Hazel, and Benji were driving away when I started down the stairs. It also couldn’t have been Adora trying to be helpful. I heard her down by the pool cleaning up before I slipped into Cat’s room,” Phinn explained.

“That leaves JP, Selene, Karter, Portia, and Troy,” Leighton listed.

“All plausible suspects based on their recent behavior,” Phinn stated, causing her to flinch. “Trust me. All of them are possible.”

“But why try to get inside Cat’s room?”

“Maybe the question we should be asking is how those peanuts got into her carrot cake,” Phinn suggested ominously.

Before Leighton could follow up, they heard the sound of a car driving down the driveway. It was Paisley’s, and it was coming in fast. She moved at such a high rate of speed that it took a sudden slam on the brakes to prevent the car from crashing into another parked vehicle near the garage.

Barely after the car stopped, the pale blonde had already hopped out. Phinn and Leighton shared a knowing look as she marched toward the house.

“Uh-oh.”

“It looks like she found out about the werewolf theory,” Phinn whispered. Then, raising his voice, he tried to stop the incoming ice queen. “Hold on. Something happened–”

“No!”

“Hey, can I take the car back–”

“No!” Paisley yelled, not even bothering to turn around at Jake’s question.

“Wait!” Leighton said, attempting to block her cousin. However, Paisley stepped around her. “You just missed the ambulance racing away.”

That piece of information did cause Paisley to stop. It also led Leighton to motion Phinn away. He did so by heading toward Paisley’s muddy sedan, which Jake had walked around to find the trunk release on the driver’s side.

“How did it go?” Phinn asked, biting his lip so as not to grin at the expected answer.

“Pretty good!” Jake responded cheerfully, surprising his partner. “Check out what I bought.”

Opening the rear door, Jake pulled out the first of several bags.

"I got the walkie-talkies. They aren't the greatest, but they should work for this case. I also grabbed extra batteries for your flashlight, and this," Jake announced, pulling the bag off a large lantern-style flashlight with a handle. "I bought two."

“What is that?” Phinn asked, spotting what looked like rubbery plants.

“Mistletoe. Well, they’re the fake kind. It’s damn hard to find any real ones around this town, I tell ya,” Jake explained. “But, I think we can hang these around to trick the werewolf.”

“Did you buy us snacks?” Phinn inquired, thinking Jake’s trip might not have been a complete waste.

“The chocolate? No, those are for the werewolf. Some tales claim they are poisonous to them. I thought we could offer them to the guests here to make sure the beast isn’t one of them.”

Phinn sighed as he realized Jake's werewolf phase might take longer to subside than he'd hoped. However, he became more alarmed as his partner opened the trunk and pulled out a red plastic can.

“What the hell is that?” Phinn questioned, knowing full well its identity.

“I wanted to fill this thing up with gas, but Paisley sped right past the station on the way back,” Jake explained. “She got in a huff after we left Mama Yawa’s.”

“You left where?” Phinn queried, dropping his planned question and point about not using gasoline to light the whole forest on fire.

"Oh! I found this local hoodoo woman who sells some great stuff!" Jake revealed, pulling out a jar filled with purplish-brown gunk.

“What is that?” Phinn asked.

“It’s not exactly wolfsbane, but it’s like a mixture of it.”

“Wolfsbane is poisonous.

“I know!” Jake exclaimed, sounding proud of himself.

“No, I mean it’s poisonous to everyone. You shouldn’t have that,” Phinn stated. He suddenly had a vision of another ambulance racing to the house.

“I didn’t find any weapons. So I’m thinking we could maybe rub this stuff on some items I saw in the barn. Oh, I also had an idea that I need to check in with Leighton about. The ice queen froze up when I asked in the car,” Jake recounted. “Anything happen while I was gone?”

A quick rundown followed from Phinn about Catherine's allergic reaction. Jake's cheerfulness about his shopping vanished in the face of sufficient alarm at the older woman's near-****. Yet, his mood brightened slightly when he heard that Yvonne and Marie had gone along to show the others the way to the local hospital.

“Oh, that’s perfect timing. Leighton, yo, Leighton! I have something that I need you–”

“No!” Paisley yelled.

“I’m asking Leighton,” Jake shot back, showing rare annoyance for once.

“What do you need?” the redhead asked.

“Since your family is wealthy, do you have any silverware? I mean, sterling silver, not fake silver,” Jake clarified. “I’d like to–”

“Yeah, I know why you want them,” Leighton responded, her gaze flickering from Phinn to Paisley. “Alright, it’s in the dining room.”

“Leigh!” her cousin screeched.

“After what happened with Catherine, I’m not in the mood to argue.”

Leighton led them into the house, through the library, and into the dining room. Along one side of the long room, she pointed to a cabinet. Despite Phinn’s assurance that he could pick the lock in seconds, the redhead went off to grab the key.

“Great!” Jake exclaimed after Leighton returned to unlock the large doors.

“Don’t give me that look,” the redhead told her cousin.

Phinn threw up his hands when the ice queen glared at him. He wasn’t part of this sideshow. Yet, he spoke up when he saw his best friend gripping a knife.

“Jake, that’s a butter knife.”

"Uh, I know that," Jake replied, quickly placing the blunt knife back in the tray. An additional search brought up a question. "Don't you have any steak knives?"

“I don’t think so. Not made with silver,” Leighton replied, shrugging.

“Besides, you know sterling silver is not a hundred percent silver. It’s in the lower ninety percentiles,” Phinn pointed out.

“It’ll probably work. We just need something sharper,” Jake said, picking up a teapot to look inside.

“You could always boil holy water for tea,” Phinn cracked before realizing his mistake when Jake’s head perked up. “Forget I said that. It wouldn’t work. Not even the slimmest chance.”

Despite his backtracking, Paisley still growled at the sarcastic sleuth.

“I guess this is the best we have to work with,” Jake announced.

“A fork?” Leighton questioned, watching as the stocky detective gripped the fork like a weapon.

“No, you’re not taking our family’s fork. That’s an expensive set,” Paisley stated.

“It’s only for a few days. I’ll put them back. I swear,” Jake promised, taking two forks for himself before handing one over to his partner.

"It will be okay, Pais. We'll put them back, and nobody will ever know," Leighton reassured her cousin, who let out a loud sigh before marching upstairs to her bedroom.

Placating Jake, Phinn slipped the fork into his pocket before gesturing for them to go outside through the side door. He wanted to explain tonight’s search-and-stakeout plan.

---

“This is Third. I’m in position. Copy,” Jake said into the walkie-talkie from inside Catherine’s empty bedroom. “Are you receiving this, First? Copy.”

“Okay, you can drop the copy part,” Phinn replied. “I’m almost around the stables. I should be in the rear of the barn in a minute. Any issues over there?”

“Nothing that I can tell. If anybody searched Cat’s room, they didn’t leave a trace. I just hope those locks you picked weren’t relocked.”

They’d chosen to use the hospitalized actress’s bedroom in the northeast corner of the second floor. Catherine’s door was directly across from the current spiritual room and one door down from Flamand’s office. The shared hallway is why they chose Cat’s room over Leighton’s in the northwest corner.

“That was merely a test to see how security-obsessed Flamand is. You know how to pick one if you need to,” Phinn reminded. “Alright. I’m in a spot where I can watch the pool.”

“I know, but you’re way better at it,” Jake admitted.

That was a concern. Phinn’s original plan had been for him to search Flamand’s rooms with Jake staked outside by the barn. However, the superstitious sleuth’s excitement over the stakeout caused Phinn to reconsider. After hearing about the fourth thing Jake planned to do to prepare for a run-in with the werewolf, he ordered a switch of roles. That led to the nuisance of Jake attempting to ply his new items on his best friend for protection.

Getting comfortable in his waiting spot, the brainy detective noted how little man-made light shone on the property. There were two in the front of the house: one on the porch and the other by the garage. But in the back, the only lights currently on were by the stables. Phinn wondered if the rest had been turned off, as he knew there was a light fixture above the barn door. Not to mention several in the rear of the house.

For whatever reason, the lack of light, combined with the moonlit shadows, created a creepy vibe for the city native. It’s probably a good thing we switched roles. Jake would be freaking out here, imagining all types of creatures lurking in the woods. Huh? Hopefully, there aren’t any coyotes nearby, Phinn thought after hearing a howl far away in the night air.

Nearly twenty minutes passed until Phinn perked up in his hiding spot. Leaning his head forward, he strained to hear better.

There it was again.

Leaning against the barn, Phinn searched for a hole to place his ear next to.

“Jake, did Flamand leave his room?”

“I haven’t heard anything.”

“Somebody just entered the barn and climbed the stairs to the loft.” Phinn paused as he heard a muted pair of slams. “And they opened the window.”

“Maybe it’s a person he meets out there,” Jake suggested. “Or it’s the werewolf!”

“Forget your werewolf. The person may be waiting for Flamand. Listen for if he leaves. If he follows his pattern, it should be soon.”

“I’ll slip outside onto the balcony. I can see through the glass hallway door if he leaves,” Jake said. “Don’t worry, I won’t get caught.”

“Careful with calling in from out there. Sound travels farther in the open,” Phinn reminded.

“Roger.”

A solid ten minutes passed until Phinn’s earpiece crackled again with incoming sound.

“JPF just left his room.”

“Okay. That eliminates him as the person already inside the barn.”

“Hang on,” Jake said. Another minute passed until he returned. “Either Karter wasn’t in his room and returned, or somebody else entered.”

“Huh?” Phinn responded, mulling over the development. Karter Terstad’s bedroom lay directly next door to Catherine’s, with Adora and Troy on the other side of his room. That all three were currently home did complicate their plan. “Hold your position.”

Silence reigned until the slight squeak of a screen door caught Phinn’s attention. Picking up his mini-binoculars, he saw Jean-Paul Flamand come outside in the moonlight. The teenager watched as the spiritualist stepped onto the patio, looked up at the moon, and stretched.

“For real? Ugh!” Phinn groaned before hitting the Send button on his walkie-talkie. “JPF is outside by the pool, and he’s already nude.”

"Seriously? Shit. That means he likely walked through the house naked,' Jake responded. "Um, I think either Karter is watching porn, or somebody is with…Okay, somebody is inside with him. His bed just started hitting the wall."

“Who knows? Maybe he really gets into his jerking,” Phinn joked.

“Eww!”

“Remember, Flamand appears to swim for a minimum of thirty minutes. Once he’s in the pool, that’s your sign. Also, don’t forget the wildcard.”

“Roger.”

“Okay, go! JPF just dove into the pool,” Phinn alerted.

From his vantage spot, the brainy detective watched as his crouching partner appeared momentarily as he dashed out of Catherine’s room and down toward the center of the balcony. Jake stopped outside the former governess’s room to check if the door remained unlocked. This would be the first of several tests. The largest would be Selene’s whereabouts and relationship with Jean-Paul. If she were more than an assistant, could she be sleeping in Flamand’s bed? That’s why Jake needed to sneak inside as quietly as possible to check before conducting any search.

Phineas nodded as Jake swiftly disappeared through the unlocked door. The moment of truth should follow soon. Flamand was more likely to check the connecting door and relock it than he was with the balcony door. If he did, then Jake would need to use his rusty skills to get inside.

“I’m in. Nobody else is here,” Jake called in.

“Understood. Good luck.”

Over ten minutes passed until a new development sprang up: a second person had entered the barn. Surprised, Phinn listened until he confirmed the sound of the creaking stairs. He pondered the new situation for almost three minutes while listening intently. Finally, he made the call on a risky decision.

“Jake, another person entered the barn. Flamand should be in the pool for another fifteen minutes. I’m going to check inside the barn,” Phinn called in.

“A second person? Alright. I shouldn’t be too much longer. I’ll check on him in ten minutes.”

Acknowledging him, Phinn retraced his route around the stables until he reached the front of the barn. The route took longer, but he couldn't risk someone seeing him on the quicker way. When he reached the main doors to the barn, Phinn slowly and carefully pulled the door open enough for him to slip through.

Waiting until his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Phinn scanned the ground floor. Nothing seemed out of place. Making his way over toward the stairs, the teen mulled over which way to go up. The stairs definitely squeaked, but the old, rusty ladder didn’t look sturdy.

Choosing the stairs, Phinn tried to brace his arms on the railing and the wall while keeping his weight off the center of the stairs. Methodically, he crept his way slowly up. A few soft squeaks sounded, but they didn’t seem too bad. Still, the scrawny teen paused to make sure no one heard him.

Eventually, Phinn climbed to the top. Yet the slow process took about ten minutes. Now, he needed to worry about Flamand heading this way soon.

Whoa! Phinn exclaimed in his head after he peered into the room. The moonlight shone down on a naked pair on the bed, and they were pretty busy. The sexually charged scene caused Phinn to stop and stare.

“Phinn, I found something!” Jake called over the radio. Not waiting for a reply, he continued. “It’s one of these eppie things or whatever they’re called. Plus, the bag it was in reeks of peanuts. It might be peanut butter.”

Not hearing a response, Jake called his partner again. Waiting again, he double-checked his walkie-talkie. Knowing he should leave the evidence where he found it, Jake snapped off several pictures with his flash on. It was a risk he felt necessary to take.

Shit! Maybe he can’t talk. Did JPF leave for the barn already? With that issue in mind, Jake left the former nursery, recalling Phinn's early warning about voices on the balcony. So he tried calling his partner again from inside the room.

“Shit,” Jake hissed, walking over toward the screen door.

Suddenly, the door from the hallway slammed open.

“You! Where is she?”

Jake froze as Troy stormed into the room. Immediately, the furious boyfriend whipped open the door to the room that Jake had just left. Flicking on the light, Troy scanned the room before turning around to face the teen again.

“Where is she? Outside? Were you taking her picture? Tell me!” Troy demanded, his eyes filled with a crazed look.

Before Jake could respond, the insanely jealous boyfriend barrelled into the room and straight at him. The experienced football player braced for impact as Troy slammed into him, sending them both through the screen door with a loud clang.

They didn’t stop there as Troy's legs kept on churning as Jake struggled to fight him off. However, the unexpectedness of the moment had thrown the strong teen off-balance. Troy’s adrenaline-fueled rage seemed to give him super-strength, which lasted long enough until he and Jake went over the side of the balcony.

---

For additional chapters and content beyond what's posted so far, check out my Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/GrayGremlin