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The journey down Interstate 95 through Washington, DC, southeast Virginia, and into North Carolina to the intersection with Interstate 85 was a lengthy travel, and there were several stops along the way due to the heaping cups of coffee that Crush and Pound had drank earlier that morning. Once they exited the Interstate onto Highway 220 in Greensboro, they made a quick break for pancakes at a greasy spoon in Randleman before taking the country roads to Franklinville. Crush found it easier to start an investigation on a full stomach, but the pancakes were lying heavy that evening.
“Pound, can you call ahead to the Town Hall? The notes that the Doc left us say that the office hours are until 6:00 p.m., and we’re cutting it close,” said Crush as he weaved around another ninety-degree curve. After going up and down yet another small hill in the road, Crush pulled over at an old abandoned factory and stumbled around the corner of the building to spew up his dinner. When Crush came back to the car, Pound could tell from the color of his skin that Crush was going to have a rough evening, so he offered to drive the last few miles.
“Trust me, dude. You look like you’re going to hack up another fur ball any time now,” Pound joked as they switched seats. Crush returned the pun with a grunt as he scratched his feline ears with the points of the claws that were embedded in his fingertips.
“Fur balls aren’t that greasy,” Crush replied as they started back down the road to Town Hall. “I think I might be coming down with something though,” he said as he leaned his head forward into his hands.
When they entered Franklinville a few minutes later, they drove over Deep River on a two-lane bridge and followed along the riverside to a caution light where they managed to parallel-park the hybrid. Pound pointed up at the sign on the tiny building that read, “Town Hall / Library / Diner.”
“You get the whole experience here in this one building,” Pound kidded as he got out of the car. “Just think. You could have had pancakes here instead.” Crush returned the remark with his best evil eye as they strolled up the sidewalk to the door labeled ‘Town Hall’. The two-story building appeared empty, and since it was after hours, the door was locked. If Pound had not called ahead, they were sure that they would have missed their chance of meeting with any town officials that day. As it was, the mayor had agreed to stay late to explain why he had requested the Department’s assistance. Crush knocked once on the solid paneled door, and they could hear the sounds of a pair of feet walking across a carpet to answer the door from inside.
“Who is it?” a man’s voice came from behind the door.
“It’s Agents Crush and Pound from the Department of Adventures and Mysteries. We’re here to meet with the mayor,” Crush answered. The door knob wiggled back and forth as the lock was turned. Then the door opened outward to reveal a darkened office with a single counter to the right, situated perpendicular to the entrance. In the far left corner of the room sat a large wooden desk with a single individual seated behind it. No words passed as the two agents entered the room, and for a moment, Crush began to feel uncomfortable at the silence.
“Hello,” Pound said as they walked back to the desk to greet the town official. “Do you always work in the dark?”
“No, not always,” came a voice from behind, and they spun around to find a small man wearing business casual clothes and holding out his hand in a greeting. “But she doesn’t mind,” he said as he shook their hands and pointed toward the person behind the desk. “She’s a mannequin. Don’t worry though; you’re not the first ones to be fooled by her. My name is Andrew Hunter, and I’m the mayor of this town,” he said as his face perked up with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, mayor,” said Pound. “We’re sorry that you had to stay late waiting on us, but we really wanted to meet with you first before going any further with the investigation.”
“From the files we were given, a group of Eagle Scouts are missing, and there are claims of vampires at fault,” explained Crush with one hand pressing on his forehead. Clearly, he was still not feeling well. “Can you fill in the gaps? And there are a lot of gaps.”
“Sure. The Scouts were practicing their orienteering across the river at Faith Rock,” the mayor explained. “I guess you’re familiar with Faith Rock and the tale of my namesake, Andrew Hunter,” he said as he looked back and forth at Crush and Pound. Neither of the agents had heard the story, and they shook their heads to indicate their reply. “No? Then you’re going to want to have a seat,” said the mayor as he dragged over two stools from the counter.
“Back in 1782, my ancestor, Andrew Hunter, was taken prisoner by a Tory named David Fanning. Fanning was intent on hanging Mr. Hunter, but Hunter was having no part of the punishment. He fearlessly stole Fanning’s horse and gear and rode off to freedom with bullets flying at him. In fact, it was recorded that Andrew Hunter was shot twice on his escape.”
“Sounds like a man after my own heart,” said Crush flatly. Pound agreed.
“Yes, sir. But that’s not the end of the tale. That rascal Fanning attacked Hunter’s home, wife, and unborn child in vengeance,” said the mayor with a scowl. “Fanning was the one that needed hanging, if you ask me.”
“Anyways, Hunter and his family survived and got on with life for a few months until Fanning struck again. This time, the Tories tried to surround Andrew Hunter as he sat on the stolen horse at the top of a rock formation across Deep River. With nowhere else to turn, Andrew Hunter chose to attempt another daring escape. This time, he rode Fanning’s horse off the top of the rock and charged headlong into the river, which was situated about fifty feet below. Nearly drowned, Hunter escaped with Fanning’s horse once again, mind you. Besides escaping, he showed the world that the Tory David Fanning was nothing more than an incompetent coward.” Satisfied with his story, Mayor Hunter clapped his hands together and waited for their reaction.
“That’s quite a tale,” replied Pound. “But how does it tie into the disappearance of the Scouts or the alleged vampires?”
“Hey, now that you mention it, it doesn’t tie into the disappearance. I just thought you might like to know about Faith Rock,” the mayor replied with a toothy grin.
“The vampires were sighted the next night,” said another voice from outside the door. All three men turned their heads to see a teenage boy and his dog waiting at the doorway.
“Geez, do all the people in this town sneak up like that?” asked Crush as the hair on the back of his neck stood up at first sight of the dog.
“I’m afraid so, gents,” the mayor replied. “Noel, what are you and Jess doing this evening?”
“Jess was due for her walk after dinner this evening, Mr. Hunter,” the young man said politely. “When I saw the door open, I thought I would come by and see if you were in.”
“That’s mighty thoughtful of you,” the mayor replied. “Let me introduce you to a couple of new friends of mine from out of town, Mr. Crush and Mr. Pound. They’ll be visiting here for a couple of days, and they’ll be seeing the local sites: Deep River, the walking bridge, and Faith Rock.”
“If you like camping, then you’ll love Faith Rock,” replied Noel. “I’ll take you over the bridge to the trail.” Crush and Pound were reluctant to allow someone else to be present while they were investigating, so they hesitated for a moment to let the mayor politely refuse the teenager’s request for them.
“Sure, that’s a great idea, Noel. You fellows run along now. I hope you get to the bottom of the missing Scouts,” said the mayor nonchalantly as he closed the door to the Town Hall and locked it for the evening. “My wife and dinner are waiting for me,” he continued as he trolled over to his vehicle to leave. Crush and Pound had assumed that the mayor would be more willing to help with the investigation himself, but they would have to manage without him.
As the mayor drove away, Crush, Pound, Noel, and Jess walked over a hill to the park that ran parallel with the river and follow
ed the path up to the walking bridge. The bridge was suspended fifteen feet above the river, and there was a set of concrete steps leading up onto the bridge on both sides of the river. Each member of the group climbed the steps onto the narrow walkway, and as they walked across the bridge in single file with Jess and Noel in the lead and followed up by Crush in the rear, Crush felt a chill wind run across the skin of his arms. Then the hair on the back of his neck stood upright with unease. Something inside Crush was telling him that there was indeed more to be discovered on the other side of the river. He looked ahead to Pound to see if he noticed anything, but Pound did not seem to have detected anything abnormal yet. When they reached the steps at the end of the walkway, Jess began to growl as she looked out into the shadowed forest ahead, and Noel stopped for an instant as if he had caught a slight hint of something askew. Pound turned his head back to face Crush, and the look in his eyes revealed that he had sensed the danger as well.
“Thanks, Noel. I believe we can take it from here,” said Pound as he stepped to the front of the line.
“No problem,” Noel replied. “If you turn right at the bottom of the stairs, the trail will lead you to Faith Rock. You can’t miss it,” he said as he pointed upstream. Noel and Jess then made their way past Crush and headed back across the bridge to the other side of the river. Crush watched as they descended the steps and made their way back to Town Hall. Noel gave a last wave as he topped the hill.
“Are you ready?” asked Pound as he considered the implications of going down the steps and entering into the forest.
“Yeah, of course,” said Crush coolly. “But in all our years working together, I’ve never seen you reluctant to go into a forest.” Crush waited for the quick retort of his surly partner, but Pound hesitated.
“This forest is different. It isn’t the trees, Crush. It’s what the trees are whispering,” said Pound as he turned his eyes back on the forest. Crush could tell that he was shaken.
“What are they saying?” asked Crush. Pound shook his head slowly.
“Nothing. Nothing,” he replied shaking his head and giving a faint smile. “Let’s get going before it gets dark,” he insisted and moved on ahead, down the steps, and onto the forested trail below. Crush followed in behind, and as they walked the narrow trail, they kept their eyes peeled on all sides as the looming danger lurked heavily in every direction. The trail angled up a slope and tapered to the width of a single footprint as it wound its way along between the crooked sourwood and knotty pine trees. A quarter of a mile upriver, the path opened up onto a gigantic bluestone rock formation. The solid rock structure descended into Deep River below and extended to the top of the hill above in a sharp angle. The black sourwood and pine forest surrounded the outer edges of the formation, and the trees stood as watchful sentinels, waiting for the return of someone more sinister.
“So this is where David Fanning and Andrew Hunter squared off,” remarked Crush as he rubbed his forehead. The headache that had erupted with the pancakes continued to throb behind his eye sockets, but he would continue pressing through the discomfort. He knelt down on one knee and felt the stone with his hands. “I’m getting a bad feeling out here, that we’re not alone. But with this headache, it’s hard for me to get a handle on just which direction we should be looking. I think I should rest for a few minutes before the sun goes down,” he commented as he walked across the stone surface to the far side of the arrangement where he sat, leaning against a tree. Pound, on the other hand, did not move from where he stood at the end of the trail, and he listened intently to the sounds of the forest.
“What did the Eagle Scouts see out here that we aren’t?” Pound asked himself, and after contemplating the possibilities, he realized that the search for answers may not be dependent upon how hard they looked. It just may depend on who was looking for them. He may just have to push his luck and find them first.
“Crush!” he called out across the way. “I’m going to check things out along the path again. I’ll be back shortly,” he explained as he waved to his partner. Crush lifted his head and acknowledged that he heard him by waving back. Then Crush laid his head down on his folded arms and fell asleep.