Chapter
- 1 -
Damn it, the same old shit every time someone calls.
What are you talking about sweetheart, who was on the phone, Betty asked?
It was Fred Thompson from Heidelberg, Ky., I said
What does he want?
Apparently they have a wild dog or maybe a pack that attacked a little girl last night and he wants me to come down and help with the hunt. They don’t want to trap it and check for rabies, which would be too logical for Fred; his solution to any animal concern is to kill it.
Don, is the little girl all right?
Fred said she would be fine in a few days just some minor bites on her arms, I said, as I paced back and forth in the living room.
What’s wrong, Betty asked?
It’s probably nothing but Fred said the animal was a wolf, can you believe they could be ignorant enough to believe that, a wolf in the mountains of Ky?
Maybe it is she said.
No babe it’s not. Wolves do not inhabit the mountains of Ky, although I seem to recall a listing for a Wolf sanctuary somewhere in eastern Ky. I’ll call the office and check on it tomorrow. Can you believe that Fred, always fast on the trigger and slow in the brain? If I weren’t so busy at the office, I’d take him up on his offer just to spoil his chance at a kill. I quickly cut my eyes in her direction to see if there was any response from Betty.
She ignored me for a few moments but then fighting back a slight smile as it betrayed the indifference on her face, she said, if you want to trap that animal before they kill it, you better pack and get out of here. Yea I know, you promised you wouldn’t trap anymore since your promotion but I won’t be able to stand you if you don’t go.
You are a wonderful wife Mrs. Montgomery, no matter what everybody else says, I laughed.
Get your butt out of here before I change my mind, she said, as she slapped me across the rear.
I packed my gear and called Fred back to inform him I was coming. I asked him to wait until I got there before he allowed any locals to form a hunting party. I assured him I would trap the animal responsible and save the little girl the agony of rabies testing if he would give me a few days. I told him I would arrive some time tomorrow and he could fill me in on the details when I arrived.
I grew up in Heidelberg and I still have many friends there, including Fred, but we grew apart in later years and lost contact. He became the town sheriff and I moved to Madison, Indiana where I worked for the US Forestry Service as a trapper. I worked for the Forestry service for twenty years, and I was the best trapper in the agency. I’ve trapped everything from wolf to raccoon and some consider me an expert but I don’t think that at all, I just don’t like to kill animals. After twenty years in the field, I received a promotion to regional manager in charge of the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky forest areas. I told Betty I would quit the trapping business and become a normal nine to five husband but I could never stop trapping, it’s in my blood.
I left Indiana early in the morning and my mind started to drift as I drove. It surprised me when Fred called because I can’t imagine him worrying about my opinions on anything, especially a hunt. I guess there was something in his voice that convinced me to go, call it fear or concern, all I know is Fred Thompson isn’t afraid of any animal and prides himself on his skill as a hunter. With his knowledge, I can’t imagine why he would call this animal a Wolf because he certainly would know better than most.
As I drove away the hours, the mountains of eastern Ky appeared on the horizon. Large, dark, and mystical they stretched from Maine to Georgia and dipped long enough to cut out a very special place called Heidelberg. This beautiful, natural valley was where I was born and every time I see the mountains, I get the same familiar feeling, “I’m home”.
I pulled into the police station at Heidelberg about 10a.m. and followed the loud shouting where true to form, I found Fred organizing a hunting party. The local men were screaming and raising their rifles in the air and I feared for the safety of anything or any person caught in their path. Fred glanced over and saw me standing there so he instructed the men to meet him at the station just before dark if they wanted to help kill this thing. They all shouted we’ll be here and they dispersed with most of the crowd entering the small tavern on the corner. This is great I thought, a bunch of drunks with rifles looking for an imaginary Wolf, and the town sheriff is the one responsible for inciting the crowd.
Fred, what the Hell are you doing, I asked? You know better than to organize a bunch of drunks and allow them to carry rifles besides I told you I would trap this thing if you just give me a little time.
Sorry Don, your time ran out last night, he said. Joe Brady went up the mountain looking for that thing last night and he hasn’t returned yet, so you can forget about trapping it or protecting it or whatever you planned to do because we’re going to find it and kill it tonight.
Come on Fred, I said, you know the danger your putting those men in, they aren’t hunters and they’ll probably all be packing a bottle of hooch and wind up shooting each other before their done. I drove six hours to do you a personal favor so at least take me up the mountain and let me look around before they get a chance to destroy any tracks.
All right Don, I guess I owe you one but I want you to understand one thing, I’m not looking to save that thing, all I want to do is kill it.
Thanks Fred, I said as we jumped in his squad car.
We drove out of town about ten miles until we found the turnoff to Brady’s place. Fred inched the car down the rough road that eventually cut through a small creek and the bottom of the car scraped with every bump.
You’re going to get this damn car stuck in the creek Fred, I said, and I don’t feel like walking a mile to the Brady’s.
I think the city has made you soft Don, he said, besides I’ve never been stuck in anything with this 440 magnum engine and behold the house is right in front of us.
I looked ahead and saw the weathered plank board shack of the Brady’s. The outdoor well and distant outhouse magnified the poverty of the region. The mountains towered over the tiny shack like it was yearning to reclaim the land taken from it and judging by the vine and blackberry growth by the house, it wouldn’t take much longer to accomplish its goal.
Fred knocked on the door and it took some time for a small opening to appear as Mrs. Brady peered out.
Mrs. Brady, it’s sheriff Thompson and I’d like to talk to you about your husband.
She invited us in and the furnishings were similar to every other home place in the area. The floor with aged and cracked linoleum graced the shack with hand made rugs in the worst areas. The plank walls covered with peeling newspaper evoked childhood memories of mixing floor and water to make the paste for this crude wallpaper. With all its bleak poverty, this tiny shack was a clean as a king’s palace.
We sat down and Mrs. Brady told us she begged her husband not to go but he was dead set on killing the thing that hurt the little girl. She told us where she thought her husband would enter the mountains so we said goodbye and drove to that general area. We found his truck parked along a back road so I got out, looked around for a few minutes and soon found a trail, hopefully the one he took last night. We climbed the steep grade for an hour through the briars and ivy before reaching the top of the mountain. I thought Fred would surely have a heart attack because he was gasping for every breath he took. I guess too many Sunday dinners had caught up with him over the years.
Fred are you all right, I asked? We can stop and rest for a while if you want to.
Don’t you worry about me city boy, he said, just keep on climbing.
We finally reached the top and after a quick search I found boot tracks as soon as we reached the clearing so we followed them into the forest. The sun was beating down on us and the heat was intense so Fred finally insisted that I take a short rest. We found a giant Oak tree and sat down in its shade. We traded idle conversation for a while and Fred excused himself to take a leak. He walked back a few yards into the forest and I leaned back against the tree, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the clean mountain air.
Jesus Christ, look at this Fred yelled, its old man Brady, or what’s left of him anyway.
I ran over and looked at the partially exposed body of Mr. Brady but the site of it nearly made me gag. Fred brushed away the leaves and twigs that covered the rest of his torso and I immediately noticed the marks on his neck. I knelt to examine the wounds on his neck and I couldn’t believe my eyes, the jugular was cut and a partial section of the abdomen had been eaten. This had all the signs of a classic wolf attack but it can’t be, Wolves do not inhabit the mountains of Ky.
I told you it was a damn Wolf, Fred yelled with the confidence of being right in his assumption.
We don’t know anything yet I said, so let me look around a minute before you tromp all over the area, I might find some tracks. I combed the area and found wolf tracks and boot prints but another set of tracks confused me, it was a human footprint, no shoes, just naked footprints. They were right beside the body and they formed a complete circle around it, but I knew this couldn’t be, what kind of man would leave a body up here without calling the authorities?
Hey Fred, who called in about Mr. Brady missing, I asked?
Mrs. Brady sent her son to tell us late last night he replied but what do you want to know that for?
Just curious I replied but come over here and look at this.
He walked hesitantly back to the kill sight and saw the naked footprints, is that a human footprint Don?
It sure is Fred but I can’t believe someone would go barefoot in this terrain. I think these tracks came together at the same time or close to it. Who do you think might have been up on this mountain last night?
I don’t know he said, but let’s get back to the station and I’ll call the coroner to get some men up here to get the body. He looked at me and pulled up his best authority face and said, I want to know one thing Don just to satisfy what I already know, did a Wolf do this?
With all the evidence staring me in the face I had to reply, yes.
We climbed down the mountain and the first stop was the Brady’s. Fred told Mrs. Brady the terrible news and she went to pieces so Fred called her son and we waited until he got there before we went back to town. Fred organized a group of volunteers to go to the mountain and get Joe’s body and the coroner accompanied them on the trip. When they pulled out of town, he started mumbling, took a high-powered rifle from the wall, and stormed out of his office.
I ran after him and yelled, Fred, what the hell are you doing?
Something I should’ve done two days ago, he said, I’m going out to Sadie Harpers and I’m going to kill those damn Wolves once and for all.
What wolves I asked?
He ignored me and started the police cruiser but I managed to jump in just as he squealed the tires and headed out of town.
Who in the world is Sadie Harper and what did you say about Wolves, I yelled?
He screamed back, she’s a crazy lady that came down her from New York about ten years ago and set up some kind of shelter for Wolves. She’s one of those aristocrats or whatever you want to call them and she has plenty of money and clout to keep her afloat. Her place has always been in compliance with the law so I left her alone despite the continued effort of city counsel to close her down but this time I’m going to shut it down.
Why didn’t you tell me about this I asked, it would have been nice to know there are wolves in this area before I went tramping all over the mountains?
I figured a professional like you would have checked this out before you came here, he said but anyway Sadie has fifteen or twenty wolves on that place of hers and my guess is one of them got out and attacked the girl and killed old man Brady. Well this time I’m going to kill those Wolves and she can’t do a thing about it.
I forgot to call the office and confirm any wolf sanctuaries in the area I thought to myself and with my ego hurt I said, you better think long and hard on this Fred because if you kill a pack of wolves in an enclosed area, the Forestry Service will get involved to the hilt. I’m a duly sworn officer of that agency so in other words, if you shoot even one of those Wolves; I’ll arrest you on the spot. I came down here as a personal favor to you but don’t think our friendship will smooth it over or I’ll let it slide, because I won’t.
Damn it Don; don’t get your panties in a wad. You saw what that thing did to old man Brady and are you going to be the one who tells his wife, sorry, we have to protect the wolf that ripped your husbands throat out?
No, what I’m saying is this, let’s visit the sanctuary and if any wolf is missing, I’ll track it down and kill it myself, but only after I investigate all the circumstances around the attack. I won’t kill a wolf that was defending her young or protecting itself, but if the Wolf killed Mr. Brady without cause, I’ll kill it without question.
His face red with anger, he finally said, all right, we’ll do it your way but you’re in for a surprise with Sadie Harper.
I started to ask what he meant by that but the radio startled us both and the dispatcher told Fred he needed to return to town immediately, Dr. Townsend needs you at the hospital right now. Looks like the visit to Sadie’s will have to wait he said, as he swung the car around, turned on the siren and headed back to town.
We pulled into the hospital parking lot and Dr Townsend, who looked extremely upset, met us.
Fred introduced us and asked, what’s wrong Doc?
Come upstairs with me to Paige Nichols room, I want you to hear her account of what happened the other night.
Who’s Paige Nichols, I asked?
She’s the little girl that was attacked the other night, the one I told you about on the phone, Fred replied.
We went into her room and I saw a beautiful little girl about six years old with brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was tiny for her age and the bandage on her arm seemed twice as big as it needed to be. We met her parents and the Doctor asked them if we could talk to Paige alone. They agreed and the Doctor asked Paige to tell us about the attack.
She spoke so soft I had to strain to hear but she said, I got mamas flashlight and went outside to look for my cat, Mandy. I heard something in the bushes by the house and I thought it was my cat so I went down to the bushes and called her name but she wouldn’t come out. I pushed the bushes apart to shine my light in and something big and scary jumped out of the bushes and bit my arm. I screamed and mama turned on the porch light and came running but it ran away.
She started crying as she recalled the event so we let her calm down a little and the nurse brought her a bowl of ice cream. When she finished I asked is she was ready to tell us some more and she slowly nodded her head yes.
Paige do you know what a wolf is, I asked?
She nodded her head yes.
Was it a wolf that you saw honey?
No, she replied, it looked like a wolf but it was big like my daddy.
What do you mean Paige, Fred asked? Was it a real big Wolf, is that what you mean when you said it was big like your daddy?
No, she cried, it looked like a Wolf but it walked like my daddy.
She was extremely upset so Doctor Townsend told the parents to come back in and comfort her as we walked out into the hall.
I thought you would want to hear her story Sheriff because when I first heard it, I thought maybe some drifter was stalking her or something.
Could she be making this up, I asked?
I don’t think so Don, the doctor replied, her father is the Baptist Preacher in town and Paige seems to be well-rounded and truthful about things. She even returned five pennies she took from the offering plate when she was four years old, so I don’t think she’s lying.
Little kids usually don’t lie about something as traumatic as this, Fred said, at least that’s been my experience with them.
Ah come on you guys, do you know what that little girl is implying, I asked?
What, Fred asked?
She’s saying a Werewolf attacked her!
Fred’s face turned bright red and he whispered, that’s enough of this nonsense and I don’t want any of this conversation repeated to anyone. I have enough problems without the town going crazy over the fairytale of a sick little girl. We have a big Wolf out there that escaped from Sadie’s compound and that’s what attacked Paige and Old man Brady. There’s no such thing as Werewolves except in the minds of simpleminded superstitious people.
The doctor and I swore we wouldn’t say anything about this to anyone else and Fred calmed down.
Come on Don, Fred said, let’s go to Sadie’s before it gets late. I have to get back in time to disband that group of hunters before they wind up causing more trouble than we already have.
- 1 -
Damn it, the same old shit every time someone calls.
What are you talking about sweetheart, who was on the phone, Betty asked?
It was Fred Thompson from Heidelberg, Ky., I said
What does he want?
Apparently they have a wild dog or maybe a pack that attacked a little girl last night and he wants me to come down and help with the hunt. They don’t want to trap it and check for rabies, which would be too logical for Fred; his solution to any animal concern is to kill it.
Don, is the little girl all right?
Fred said she would be fine in a few days just some minor bites on her arms, I said, as I paced back and forth in the living room.
What’s wrong, Betty asked?
It’s probably nothing but Fred said the animal was a wolf, can you believe they could be ignorant enough to believe that, a wolf in the mountains of Ky?
Maybe it is she said.
No babe it’s not. Wolves do not inhabit the mountains of Ky, although I seem to recall a listing for a Wolf sanctuary somewhere in eastern Ky. I’ll call the office and check on it tomorrow. Can you believe that Fred, always fast on the trigger and slow in the brain? If I weren’t so busy at the office, I’d take him up on his offer just to spoil his chance at a kill. I quickly cut my eyes in her direction to see if there was any response from Betty.
She ignored me for a few moments but then fighting back a slight smile as it betrayed the indifference on her face, she said, if you want to trap that animal before they kill it, you better pack and get out of here. Yea I know, you promised you wouldn’t trap anymore since your promotion but I won’t be able to stand you if you don’t go.
You are a wonderful wife Mrs. Montgomery, no matter what everybody else says, I laughed.
Get your butt out of here before I change my mind, she said, as she slapped me across the rear.
I packed my gear and called Fred back to inform him I was coming. I asked him to wait until I got there before he allowed any locals to form a hunting party. I assured him I would trap the animal responsible and save the little girl the agony of rabies testing if he would give me a few days. I told him I would arrive some time tomorrow and he could fill me in on the details when I arrived.
I grew up in Heidelberg and I still have many friends there, including Fred, but we grew apart in later years and lost contact. He became the town sheriff and I moved to Madison, Indiana where I worked for the US Forestry Service as a trapper. I worked for the Forestry service for twenty years, and I was the best trapper in the agency. I’ve trapped everything from wolf to raccoon and some consider me an expert but I don’t think that at all, I just don’t like to kill animals. After twenty years in the field, I received a promotion to regional manager in charge of the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky forest areas. I told Betty I would quit the trapping business and become a normal nine to five husband but I could never stop trapping, it’s in my blood.
I left Indiana early in the morning and my mind started to drift as I drove. It surprised me when Fred called because I can’t imagine him worrying about my opinions on anything, especially a hunt. I guess there was something in his voice that convinced me to go, call it fear or concern, all I know is Fred Thompson isn’t afraid of any animal and prides himself on his skill as a hunter. With his knowledge, I can’t imagine why he would call this animal a Wolf because he certainly would know better than most.
As I drove away the hours, the mountains of eastern Ky appeared on the horizon. Large, dark, and mystical they stretched from Maine to Georgia and dipped long enough to cut out a very special place called Heidelberg. This beautiful, natural valley was where I was born and every time I see the mountains, I get the same familiar feeling, “I’m home”.
I pulled into the police station at Heidelberg about 10a.m. and followed the loud shouting where true to form, I found Fred organizing a hunting party. The local men were screaming and raising their rifles in the air and I feared for the safety of anything or any person caught in their path. Fred glanced over and saw me standing there so he instructed the men to meet him at the station just before dark if they wanted to help kill this thing. They all shouted we’ll be here and they dispersed with most of the crowd entering the small tavern on the corner. This is great I thought, a bunch of drunks with rifles looking for an imaginary Wolf, and the town sheriff is the one responsible for inciting the crowd.
Fred, what the Hell are you doing, I asked? You know better than to organize a bunch of drunks and allow them to carry rifles besides I told you I would trap this thing if you just give me a little time.
Sorry Don, your time ran out last night, he said. Joe Brady went up the mountain looking for that thing last night and he hasn’t returned yet, so you can forget about trapping it or protecting it or whatever you planned to do because we’re going to find it and kill it tonight.
Come on Fred, I said, you know the danger your putting those men in, they aren’t hunters and they’ll probably all be packing a bottle of hooch and wind up shooting each other before their done. I drove six hours to do you a personal favor so at least take me up the mountain and let me look around before they get a chance to destroy any tracks.
All right Don, I guess I owe you one but I want you to understand one thing, I’m not looking to save that thing, all I want to do is kill it.
Thanks Fred, I said as we jumped in his squad car.
We drove out of town about ten miles until we found the turnoff to Brady’s place. Fred inched the car down the rough road that eventually cut through a small creek and the bottom of the car scraped with every bump.
You’re going to get this damn car stuck in the creek Fred, I said, and I don’t feel like walking a mile to the Brady’s.
I think the city has made you soft Don, he said, besides I’ve never been stuck in anything with this 440 magnum engine and behold the house is right in front of us.
I looked ahead and saw the weathered plank board shack of the Brady’s. The outdoor well and distant outhouse magnified the poverty of the region. The mountains towered over the tiny shack like it was yearning to reclaim the land taken from it and judging by the vine and blackberry growth by the house, it wouldn’t take much longer to accomplish its goal.
Fred knocked on the door and it took some time for a small opening to appear as Mrs. Brady peered out.
Mrs. Brady, it’s sheriff Thompson and I’d like to talk to you about your husband.
She invited us in and the furnishings were similar to every other home place in the area. The floor with aged and cracked linoleum graced the shack with hand made rugs in the worst areas. The plank walls covered with peeling newspaper evoked childhood memories of mixing floor and water to make the paste for this crude wallpaper. With all its bleak poverty, this tiny shack was a clean as a king’s palace.
We sat down and Mrs. Brady told us she begged her husband not to go but he was dead set on killing the thing that hurt the little girl. She told us where she thought her husband would enter the mountains so we said goodbye and drove to that general area. We found his truck parked along a back road so I got out, looked around for a few minutes and soon found a trail, hopefully the one he took last night. We climbed the steep grade for an hour through the briars and ivy before reaching the top of the mountain. I thought Fred would surely have a heart attack because he was gasping for every breath he took. I guess too many Sunday dinners had caught up with him over the years.
Fred are you all right, I asked? We can stop and rest for a while if you want to.
Don’t you worry about me city boy, he said, just keep on climbing.
We finally reached the top and after a quick search I found boot tracks as soon as we reached the clearing so we followed them into the forest. The sun was beating down on us and the heat was intense so Fred finally insisted that I take a short rest. We found a giant Oak tree and sat down in its shade. We traded idle conversation for a while and Fred excused himself to take a leak. He walked back a few yards into the forest and I leaned back against the tree, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the clean mountain air.
Jesus Christ, look at this Fred yelled, its old man Brady, or what’s left of him anyway.
I ran over and looked at the partially exposed body of Mr. Brady but the site of it nearly made me gag. Fred brushed away the leaves and twigs that covered the rest of his torso and I immediately noticed the marks on his neck. I knelt to examine the wounds on his neck and I couldn’t believe my eyes, the jugular was cut and a partial section of the abdomen had been eaten. This had all the signs of a classic wolf attack but it can’t be, Wolves do not inhabit the mountains of Ky.
I told you it was a damn Wolf, Fred yelled with the confidence of being right in his assumption.
We don’t know anything yet I said, so let me look around a minute before you tromp all over the area, I might find some tracks. I combed the area and found wolf tracks and boot prints but another set of tracks confused me, it was a human footprint, no shoes, just naked footprints. They were right beside the body and they formed a complete circle around it, but I knew this couldn’t be, what kind of man would leave a body up here without calling the authorities?
Hey Fred, who called in about Mr. Brady missing, I asked?
Mrs. Brady sent her son to tell us late last night he replied but what do you want to know that for?
Just curious I replied but come over here and look at this.
He walked hesitantly back to the kill sight and saw the naked footprints, is that a human footprint Don?
It sure is Fred but I can’t believe someone would go barefoot in this terrain. I think these tracks came together at the same time or close to it. Who do you think might have been up on this mountain last night?
I don’t know he said, but let’s get back to the station and I’ll call the coroner to get some men up here to get the body. He looked at me and pulled up his best authority face and said, I want to know one thing Don just to satisfy what I already know, did a Wolf do this?
With all the evidence staring me in the face I had to reply, yes.
We climbed down the mountain and the first stop was the Brady’s. Fred told Mrs. Brady the terrible news and she went to pieces so Fred called her son and we waited until he got there before we went back to town. Fred organized a group of volunteers to go to the mountain and get Joe’s body and the coroner accompanied them on the trip. When they pulled out of town, he started mumbling, took a high-powered rifle from the wall, and stormed out of his office.
I ran after him and yelled, Fred, what the hell are you doing?
Something I should’ve done two days ago, he said, I’m going out to Sadie Harpers and I’m going to kill those damn Wolves once and for all.
What wolves I asked?
He ignored me and started the police cruiser but I managed to jump in just as he squealed the tires and headed out of town.
Who in the world is Sadie Harper and what did you say about Wolves, I yelled?
He screamed back, she’s a crazy lady that came down her from New York about ten years ago and set up some kind of shelter for Wolves. She’s one of those aristocrats or whatever you want to call them and she has plenty of money and clout to keep her afloat. Her place has always been in compliance with the law so I left her alone despite the continued effort of city counsel to close her down but this time I’m going to shut it down.
Why didn’t you tell me about this I asked, it would have been nice to know there are wolves in this area before I went tramping all over the mountains?
I figured a professional like you would have checked this out before you came here, he said but anyway Sadie has fifteen or twenty wolves on that place of hers and my guess is one of them got out and attacked the girl and killed old man Brady. Well this time I’m going to kill those Wolves and she can’t do a thing about it.
I forgot to call the office and confirm any wolf sanctuaries in the area I thought to myself and with my ego hurt I said, you better think long and hard on this Fred because if you kill a pack of wolves in an enclosed area, the Forestry Service will get involved to the hilt. I’m a duly sworn officer of that agency so in other words, if you shoot even one of those Wolves; I’ll arrest you on the spot. I came down here as a personal favor to you but don’t think our friendship will smooth it over or I’ll let it slide, because I won’t.
Damn it Don; don’t get your panties in a wad. You saw what that thing did to old man Brady and are you going to be the one who tells his wife, sorry, we have to protect the wolf that ripped your husbands throat out?
No, what I’m saying is this, let’s visit the sanctuary and if any wolf is missing, I’ll track it down and kill it myself, but only after I investigate all the circumstances around the attack. I won’t kill a wolf that was defending her young or protecting itself, but if the Wolf killed Mr. Brady without cause, I’ll kill it without question.
His face red with anger, he finally said, all right, we’ll do it your way but you’re in for a surprise with Sadie Harper.
I started to ask what he meant by that but the radio startled us both and the dispatcher told Fred he needed to return to town immediately, Dr. Townsend needs you at the hospital right now. Looks like the visit to Sadie’s will have to wait he said, as he swung the car around, turned on the siren and headed back to town.
We pulled into the hospital parking lot and Dr Townsend, who looked extremely upset, met us.
Fred introduced us and asked, what’s wrong Doc?
Come upstairs with me to Paige Nichols room, I want you to hear her account of what happened the other night.
Who’s Paige Nichols, I asked?
She’s the little girl that was attacked the other night, the one I told you about on the phone, Fred replied.
We went into her room and I saw a beautiful little girl about six years old with brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was tiny for her age and the bandage on her arm seemed twice as big as it needed to be. We met her parents and the Doctor asked them if we could talk to Paige alone. They agreed and the Doctor asked Paige to tell us about the attack.
She spoke so soft I had to strain to hear but she said, I got mamas flashlight and went outside to look for my cat, Mandy. I heard something in the bushes by the house and I thought it was my cat so I went down to the bushes and called her name but she wouldn’t come out. I pushed the bushes apart to shine my light in and something big and scary jumped out of the bushes and bit my arm. I screamed and mama turned on the porch light and came running but it ran away.
She started crying as she recalled the event so we let her calm down a little and the nurse brought her a bowl of ice cream. When she finished I asked is she was ready to tell us some more and she slowly nodded her head yes.
Paige do you know what a wolf is, I asked?
She nodded her head yes.
Was it a wolf that you saw honey?
No, she replied, it looked like a wolf but it was big like my daddy.
What do you mean Paige, Fred asked? Was it a real big Wolf, is that what you mean when you said it was big like your daddy?
No, she cried, it looked like a Wolf but it walked like my daddy.
She was extremely upset so Doctor Townsend told the parents to come back in and comfort her as we walked out into the hall.
I thought you would want to hear her story Sheriff because when I first heard it, I thought maybe some drifter was stalking her or something.
Could she be making this up, I asked?
I don’t think so Don, the doctor replied, her father is the Baptist Preacher in town and Paige seems to be well-rounded and truthful about things. She even returned five pennies she took from the offering plate when she was four years old, so I don’t think she’s lying.
Little kids usually don’t lie about something as traumatic as this, Fred said, at least that’s been my experience with them.
Ah come on you guys, do you know what that little girl is implying, I asked?
What, Fred asked?
She’s saying a Werewolf attacked her!
Fred’s face turned bright red and he whispered, that’s enough of this nonsense and I don’t want any of this conversation repeated to anyone. I have enough problems without the town going crazy over the fairytale of a sick little girl. We have a big Wolf out there that escaped from Sadie’s compound and that’s what attacked Paige and Old man Brady. There’s no such thing as Werewolves except in the minds of simpleminded superstitious people.
The doctor and I swore we wouldn’t say anything about this to anyone else and Fred calmed down.
Come on Don, Fred said, let’s go to Sadie’s before it gets late. I have to get back in time to disband that group of hunters before they wind up causing more trouble than we already have.