Chapter42 Delilah Dies…Again

The ex-sheriff removes his hand from the deputy's shoulder and sits back down on the couch. The deputy puts on his sunglasses and starts to leave. "Roy; Lloyd and I aren't going to let this go. And, just for the record; I don't think Chelsea or Tommy will let it go either. And, from what I hear about Mary; she definitely won't." The ex-sheriff's sitting on the couch staring at the floor. "Who's Mary?" "Mary Howell; one of the last victims of the serial killings that you never mentioned of, Roy…the last little girl murdered by the killer. You were on the department then; don't you remember her?" The ex-sheriff slowly gets up from the couch and approaches the deputy. He's extremely pale. "Did you say, Mary…Howell?" "Yeah, Roy; she may be one of the spirits haunting that place." "That's impossible." "Well, I wasn't much of a believer in the supernatural myself until this all began; but, I'm becoming a firm believer in it." "Mikey, listen to me. That house probably is haunted; but, Mary Howell's spirit isn't there." "What do you mean, Roy; how do you know that?" The ex-sheriff's silent for a moment; then, he informs the deputy, "Because Mary Howell was never killed that night…she's still alive." When he arrives at the scene, Sheriff Faulkner and several other deputies are already present, along with the Beaver Ridge Volunteer Fire Department; who are in the process of extinguishing a car down in the embankment fully engulfed in flames. Sheriff Faulkner pulls the deputy off to the side, behind one of the emergency vehicles. "Mike, we're not sure yet; but, some of the guys think that that's Delilah's car down there." "Shit! You know what that means, Lloyd?" "Well, I reckon that means that if Delilah was killed before, we'll never be able to prove it now; will we?" "Right. Lloyd; this wasn't an accident." "I know. These yellow-bellied pole cats sure know how to cover up their tracks; I'll give them that." "Well, maybe not all of their tracks." The deputy grins. "Hmm. I take it you've been doing some tracking today, Deputy? By the look on your face, I do believe you may have found yourself a hot trail; am I right?" "Possibly. I paid Roy a visit today and found out a few things." "Okay; shoot." "For starters; those seventeen families that mysteriously disappeared… they were hired…my guess by the Steinman's…to move in…and then, vanish without a trace." "You're yanking this ol' boy's chain, right? Come on; are you serious?" "That's what Roy told me." "Well if that don't beat all!" The sheriff starts pacing back and forth with his hands on his hips. "Why in the tar nations…" "Simmer down there Tex'…at least until after you hear what I found out next. Trust me; that last tidbit I told you doesn't beat all. Wait until you hear this." "Shoot, Mike, there's more?" "Oh yeah. Mary Howell wasn't murdered that night, Lloyd; she's still alive. Last Roy heard, she got married and moved to New Hampshire back in the early eighties." "What the hell, Mike! What's going on here? If she wasn't killed that night; what happened? Why did the papers report she was murdered? And, if Mary Howell's still alive; then, who in the hell is that little girl claiming to be her?" "There's definitely some sort of cover up going on to try and protect the good Steinman name. What they're covering up, I haven't figured that out yet; but, I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that house…and, possibly those killings somehow. As for what happened that night, Lloyd; brace yourself for this one." The sheriff takes in a breath and exhales. "Go ahead." "Apparently, Mary Howell somehow managed to kill the killer that night out in the barn. That's why the killings stopped after that." "Holy armadillo shit! Again; if she's still alive, then who's our little friend, Mary, out at the Lazinski's?" "I don't know…but, if Cindy and Professor Rhyies are right about there being only one presence with multiple personalities; it's probably safe to say that Mary's only a persona." "Hey, Lloyd!" Lieutenant Hollingsworth calls for the sheriff. "Over here, Jerry! I'll be right there." The sheriff and deputy walk over to the top of the embankment. "We've got the fire out, Lloyd. We found a body in there, but, it's burned up pretty bad; so, you'll probably need an autopsy for a proper identification…but…" "But, what?" The sheriff asks. "By the looks of the car; and the tags…the guys are almost positive it's Delilah's car." The deputy retorts, "Of course it' her car."