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this area.
Mark nodded. Unfortunately, yes. We all have to be extra vigilant. Leon, you ve
got to put the entire county on alert to be careful of any strangers or strange animals.
Anything. We& can t be sure what other forms the devil beast can assume.
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You re right. The sheriff lifted his hat again, raked his fingers through his hair.
Mark noted the lines of strain in the man s face. Okay, okay. I ll sit down with my staff
as soon as we re finished here and see what we can do. I think it s time for me to get the
county commission in on this, too.
I ve got to get back to my house and conference with my team, Mark told him. I
need them to recheck the autopsies that were done on the beast we killed. The first
report we had said there wasn t a hint of this scent, but I d like them to find out if
there s some combination of chemicals in the body that can cause this.
All right. Torres stuck out his hand. Thanks, Mark. I really appreciate this.
Especially after&
Mark held up his hand. Water under the bridge. You couldn t have done anything,
anyway.
I could have believed you.
You believe me now. That s what s important.
You ll call me?
As soon as I have something to tell you. But I m still planning to check out the
landscape tonight. Now more than ever.
Me, too. He looked up as a car with the sheriff s department logo on the side
pulled into the driveway. There s Brenda Escobedo now. If you ll excuse me, I d better
take care of her.
Chloe looked up at Mark, tears clouding her eyes. That poor man. My god, Mark.
What a horrible way to die. This just keeps getting worse and worse.
He pulled her into his arms, ignoring the glances from the deputies and the crime
scene unit.
You may be right. The more we get into this, the more bizarre it becomes. And the
more theories that explode. He kissed her forehead. But we ll never stop looking,
okay?
Thank you. Her voice was muffled against his chest. Thank you so much.
Let s go back to the house. I want to put in a call to the team. I think we ll need
more than the two of us here.
Chloe was disturbingly silent on the drive back home. Mark left her to her thoughts
until they were inside the house. Then he turned her to face him, his hands solidly on
her shoulders.
Chloe, this is killing you. I can t let you see any more of this.
She shook her head. I think I m past being horrified, Mark. That s not it. I just
know Melinda s dead, and I m beginning to think we ll never find her body.
We have a lot of places to look yet, sugar.
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No. We can keep looking, but it s been too long since she disappeared. I m
convinced she was taken someplace, and wherever that is, that s where she was killed.
There s a lot more to this Chupacabra thing than even you and I know. Than even
Night Seekers know, I think. But I promise you we won t stop until we get some
answers.
* * * * *
The devil beast had found its hideaway again, a place to conceal itself from
marauding animals and any humans that might pass in that direction. Its belly was full,
its thirst slaked. That should have been enough to sate it for a while. But the evil in
what passed for its brain was blossoming again. The earlier kill had completed the
unfinished cycle in this area. It could have probably should have left to look for a
fresh hunting ground. That s the way it was programmed.
But searching for the latest victim the devil beast had found so much prey just
begging for the attack it couldn t make itself move on. It knew the pain shooting
through its head was a direct reaction to the fact it hadn t left. It wasn t supposed to
think for itself, not in its evil form. It wasn t supposed to reject its programming, give in
to temptation.
But some of its genetic makeup still carried the rebellious gene, the innate hunger to
do its own thing and satisfy its own cravings. But enough of its brain worked to know it
had to wait. Not too long but just enough for the hunters to let down their guard.
Then it could strike again.
* * * * *
So that s the situation. Mark s image was up on the big screen.
The entire Night Seekers team was gathered in the command center again,
watching and listening to their team member who had anything but good news for
them.
That s two kills, close together, Sam pointed out. Completing a pattern and
starting a new one?
That s the way I see it, Mark agreed. But why did it hang around? Why not look
for a fresh hunting ground?
That s the big question, Ric answered. From all the past information we ve
gathered, three kills and it moves on.
So what happens next? Chelsea wanted to know. Just looking at the map of
Zapata County it s apparent there s a hell of a lot of territory to cover.
And not thickly populated, either, Dante said. His grin held little humor. Don t
people down there like each other enough to live together?
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Mark snorted. Not a lot. The town of Zapata s the biggest population center.
Falcon Lake s next but it s just a designated population area. Any place else is just a few
houses or farms and nothing else. I sent you the photos I shot this morning but you
won t find anything new. The scene looks like all the others. Same manner of kill. Same
absence of blood. Oh, and can you ask Craig to talk to his lab guys? Ask them if there s
any combination of chemicals in the bodies they autopsy that would create the
impression of the scent of turpentine?
Will do. It might help to know what causes it. Maybe help us track the beast. He
paused. And give us evidence that there are several of them. Which as you know is the
current working theory.
Good. That might help.
How are you and Chloe doing with the night runs? Ric asked. And how many
men does the sheriff have on this?
As many as he can and as much as we can do, Mark told him. And that still
leaves a lot of wide-open space. And last night, when we should have seen something,
all we saw was the usual wildlife and a stray dog.
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