Chupacabra are speculative. Some believe they are aliens stranded on Earth from some earlier visit. Others think they are the result of a NASA alien/animal experiment gone awry. Still another theory is that they are transdimensional spirits or dark angels that manifest into physical form while in our dimension, children of Lucifer—"
Mac held up his hand to stop her. "Save me the lecture and get to the point."
She huffed out a breath. "Okay. Based on what I read, I believe my father and that other man—Burton?—were killed by the chupacabra they were studying. And I think the chupacabra was that thing in the cage—the gargoyle."
"So you're saying that I was attacked and almost killed by a statue?"
"No, no. It's only a statue during the day, while the sun is up. It comes to life when darkness falls, which, if you recall, is when we went inside the cage."
Mac stared at her. "I'm willing to believe that whatever attacked me is the same animal that killed your father and Burton—and probably those other men as well."
Lanie shook her head. "The chupacabra didn't kill those men," she said quietly. "Remember the handprint we saw?"
"So what, exactly, are you saying?"
"I think that when the chupacabra killed my father and Burton, it somehow turned them into vampires and
they
killed those men."
Mac stared at her. "Are you hearing yourself?"
She shook her head in resignation. "I know it doesn't sound sane, but I think there's a connection."
"Look, all of this is speculation. I want to see what's on the tape."
He started for the door, but stopped when she didn't follow.
"That creature also attacked you," she pointed out softly.
He smiled, touched that she cared. "And as you can see, I'm fine."
"That's what worries me."
He rolled his eyes and headed for the door.
"Mac," she called after him, "the bodies of my father and Burton are missing."
He stopped. "Missing? How?"
"They're gone. According to Lieutenant Davis, they're nowhere on the premises."
She looked at him expectantly and he snorted. "Honey, all that proves is that son of a bitch Burton has gotten away with murder, faked his own death, and disappeared—all so he won't have to face a prison term. Now, I'm going to watch this tape, and I think you should stay here. I suspect it'll get pretty gruesome."
He left the room and headed for the front of the building, finding that not even his bad leg bothered him as much as usual. A few seconds later he heard Lanie's footsteps as she rushed to catch up to him, but neither spoke as they continued through the hallways and made their way through the double doors to the front desk.
Mac was glad to see that the bodies had been removed and the area cleaned. Dirk stood with Sanchez and two others behind a man seated in a chair at the security desk. All attention was focused on the monitor before them. At the sound of their approach, Dirk looked back. Then his eyes fell on Lanie.
"Ms. Weber, I don't—"
Mac held up his hand to stop Dirk midsentence. "I already told her not to come. Let her stay."
Dirk studied his face and then Lanie's, perhaps wondering how hard Mac had tried to convince her. Then he nodded. "Suit yourself."
Mac put a hand at the small of Lanie's back to guide her to the front of the group. Awareness prickled through him at the contact, but he tried to ignore it. His focus needed to be on the monitor.
Standing behind Lanie, looking over her shoulder, he saw that the screen was split into quarters, with a different part of the building appearing in each of the four sections.
The picture was a blur with figures flickering in and out of view as it fast-forwarded through the days.
Periodically, the man operating the controls would slow the recording enough that Mac could see the date and time stamp in the lower right-hand corner. When it read 11:56 in the evening on the day before yesterday, the recording was allowed to proceed.
"Okay," the tech at the desk announced. "This is it."
Thankfully, there
Mac held up his hand to stop her. "Save me the lecture and get to the point."
She huffed out a breath. "Okay. Based on what I read, I believe my father and that other man—Burton?—were killed by the chupacabra they were studying. And I think the chupacabra was that thing in the cage—the gargoyle."
"So you're saying that I was attacked and almost killed by a statue?"
"No, no. It's only a statue during the day, while the sun is up. It comes to life when darkness falls, which, if you recall, is when we went inside the cage."
Mac stared at her. "I'm willing to believe that whatever attacked me is the same animal that killed your father and Burton—and probably those other men as well."
Lanie shook her head. "The chupacabra didn't kill those men," she said quietly. "Remember the handprint we saw?"
"So what, exactly, are you saying?"
"I think that when the chupacabra killed my father and Burton, it somehow turned them into vampires and
they
killed those men."
Mac stared at her. "Are you hearing yourself?"
She shook her head in resignation. "I know it doesn't sound sane, but I think there's a connection."
"Look, all of this is speculation. I want to see what's on the tape."
He started for the door, but stopped when she didn't follow.
"That creature also attacked you," she pointed out softly.
He smiled, touched that she cared. "And as you can see, I'm fine."
"That's what worries me."
He rolled his eyes and headed for the door.
"Mac," she called after him, "the bodies of my father and Burton are missing."
He stopped. "Missing? How?"
"They're gone. According to Lieutenant Davis, they're nowhere on the premises."
She looked at him expectantly and he snorted. "Honey, all that proves is that son of a bitch Burton has gotten away with murder, faked his own death, and disappeared—all so he won't have to face a prison term. Now, I'm going to watch this tape, and I think you should stay here. I suspect it'll get pretty gruesome."
He left the room and headed for the front of the building, finding that not even his bad leg bothered him as much as usual. A few seconds later he heard Lanie's footsteps as she rushed to catch up to him, but neither spoke as they continued through the hallways and made their way through the double doors to the front desk.
Mac was glad to see that the bodies had been removed and the area cleaned. Dirk stood with Sanchez and two others behind a man seated in a chair at the security desk. All attention was focused on the monitor before them. At the sound of their approach, Dirk looked back. Then his eyes fell on Lanie.
"Ms. Weber, I don't—"
Mac held up his hand to stop Dirk midsentence. "I already told her not to come. Let her stay."
Dirk studied his face and then Lanie's, perhaps wondering how hard Mac had tried to convince her. Then he nodded. "Suit yourself."
Mac put a hand at the small of Lanie's back to guide her to the front of the group. Awareness prickled through him at the contact, but he tried to ignore it. His focus needed to be on the monitor.
Standing behind Lanie, looking over her shoulder, he saw that the screen was split into quarters, with a different part of the building appearing in each of the four sections.
The picture was a blur with figures flickering in and out of view as it fast-forwarded through the days.
Periodically, the man operating the controls would slow the recording enough that Mac could see the date and time stamp in the lower right-hand corner. When it read 11:56 in the evening on the day before yesterday, the recording was allowed to proceed.
"Okay," the tech at the desk announced. "This is it."
Thankfully, there
Similar Books
