Mercy

The smell of freshly baked biscuits was a welcome sign as the three weary men walked into the kitchen and took a seat at a table in the back of the room. Mrs. Jackson was already up preparing breakfast. As soon as she saw the tired look on Cooper's face, she grabbed three cups and filled them with hot coffee.

  "You men look as if you spent the whole night outside in the rain," said Mrs. Jackson.

  "Almost," replied Cooper. He took a sip of coffee and felt it warm his exhausted body.

  A side door swung open and Maurice walked in. He took one look at the men sitting at the table, turned around, and walked out. A minute later, Roy Stone joined them.

  "Captain Cooper, if you thought something was amiss, you should have woken me up last night," said Stone.

  "Sir, I didn't know anything was wrong until I was long gone from the house," replied Cooper.

  "Was there another intruder on the plantation grounds?"

  "Yes. Someone was poking his nose around the stables and the workers' quarters."

  "Sir, we done saw it last night," said Thomas.

  "Saw what?' asked Stone.

  "The Rougarou. I done saw it as did the captain and Sergeant Hawkins. Its tracks were in the mud."

  Stone shook his head. "Utter nonsense."

  Cooper raised a hand. "Sir, I share your sentiments, but we all saw something out there I cannot properly explain. Before coming in to warm up, we went back to the orchard where we saw whatever it was last night and followed its tracks until they disappeared in the woods at the far end of the cotton fields."

  "What do you mean they disappeared?"

  "Unfortunately, the rain had washed them away. I'm sure Sergeant Hawkins could have tracked them if it hadn't rained so much."

  Thomas said, "Sir, Cyrus and I were talking after dinner last night and we both feel it might be useful if we were to go and bring Madame Toussaint here from the King Plantation. If anyone can make sense of what is going on around here, it will be her. She might be able to tell us how we can deal with this devil."

  "Who is Madame Toussaint?" asked Hawkins.

  "She's an old woman who was old when I was a child," explained Stone. "We all knew about her. She's a Haitian priestess."

  "Pardon, sir?"

  "She claims to be able to read signs and tell the future from them. It's nothing more than a foolish superstition."

  Cooper sat up in his chair. "Sir, will she be able to tell us more about this swamp devil?"

  "Captain Cooper, please don't tell me you want to go along with this folly?" said Stone.

  "I've already stated I'm a skeptic, but I'd like to hear more about this legend so I can gain insight into the mind of the person or persons committing these crimes."

  "Captain, you done saw it," said Thomas. "It were no man standing out there in the orchard."

  Cooper knew better than to dismiss Thomas' fears as nonsense. If he truly believed them, there would be no changing his mind. He smiled at the old farm hand and said, "Thomas, until we have a body in front of us to examine, we have to go with the most logical conclusion and that would be we are dealing with a man."

  Stone let out a deep sigh. "I can have Horace ride out to the King Plantation after breakfast and see if Madame Toussaint will come back with them to talk with you."

  "Thanks. I really do believe talking to her will help us in the long run."

  "After you get some food into you, you three should put your heads down for a few hours. If she agrees to our request, Madame Toussaint won't be here until almost suppertime."

  "Sounds good," said Cooper as he reached over to grab a biscuit fresh from the oven.

  It was well past seven in the evening before Madame Toussaint arrived at the plantation. She was helped down from the carriage and escorted to the parlor by Maurice. When she entered the room, Cooper saw she stood no taller than five feet and was wearing a black dress with a shirt that buttoned up at the neck. She had a small silver rose pinned to her shirt. Her skin looked as old as worn leather. Blind in both eyes, she walked with the assistance of a slender, ornate ivory cane.

  Cooper stood as did all the men in the room.

  "Please be seated, gentlemen," said Toussaint. Her Haitian accent came on strong. "I may not be able to see you, but my hearing is still good."

  "Thank you for coming, Madame Toussaint," said Stone.

  "Ah, mon cher. It is good to hear your kind voice once more. How long has it been since we last met, Roy Stone? Thirty-five years, if memory serves me."

  Stone nodded. "Yes, ma'am, it's been about that long."

  Toussaint sat down at the table. "I'm sorry I kept you all waiting, but there was a funeral at the plantation and I couldn't leave until the child was in the ground."

  Stone took his seat. "How did the child die?"

  "She caught a fever. There was nothing the doctor or I could do for the poor child. I just wanted to be there to help her soul reach the otherworld. Roy, I can hear the fear in your voice, even if you won't admit it."

  Stone cleared his throat. "Ma'am, with me in the room are Captain Cooper and Sergeant Hawkins from the Union Army. There are also a couple of my most trusted men here as well.

  Toussaint smiled. "Thomas and Mister Eyre, I was told it was you who asked for me to come here."

  Cooper was stunned. There was no way she could have known who else was present in the parlor.

  "Yes, ma'am, it surely was us," said Thomas.

  The old woman turned her head in Cooper's direction. "Well, Captain, what do you want to know?"

  "I'm not from these parts so I'm not familiar with the legend of the Rougarou," said Cooper. "Last night, Sergeant Hawkins, Thomas, and I saw something moving around outside that I cannot rationally explain. What can you tell me about this legendary beast?"

  Madame Toussaint took a sip of water. She looked across the table at Cooper through her milky white unseeing eyes. A hushed silence fell on the room. "Captain, the thing that haunts the land is an old evil. One that has existed since time began. It is not from these parts. No, it comes from across the water, from the Old World. The French settlers brought it with them without knowing and now the creature lives out there in the woods."

  "What is this thing?"

  "It is a creature with the body of a man and the head of a wolf or a bear."

  "That would explain the tracks we done found," said Thomas.

  Toussaint continued. "It will only come out at night to hunt. By day, it reverts back to its original form and will look to you like an ordinary man or woman."

  "Ma'am, did you say it could be a woman?" asked Hawkins.

  "Yes. It has even been known to hide as a child. It could be anyone amongst you and you would never know until it decided to strike."

  "Most of the attacks seem to have come during periods of overcast skies," said Cooper. "Is this something we should be aware of?"

  Toussaint pursed her lips for a moment. "According to the legend, the beast will roam free when the moon is full. This one may be different and can change at will."

  "Lord, protect us," said Thomas.

  "Ma'am, do you know how to kill this animal?" asked Cooper.

  "There is only one way, Captain," replied Toussaint. "You must cut off its head. Nothing else will do."

  Cooper had heard enough. He stood and said, "Thank you for your time, ma'am. It has been most enlightening."

  "You don't believe the legend do you, Captain?"

  "Ma'am, until I see a body, I have to believe we are facing a man, not a monster."

  Toussaint shook her head. Her voice turned cold. "I'm sorry, Captain, but you are wrong. You are dealing with a monster, one that won't stop until it and all its disciples are dead."

  "Dear God, there's more of them?" blurted out Cyrus.

  Toussaint raised a hand. "Gentlemen, I'm old and very tired. Would someone be so kind as to show me my room for the night?"

  Stone stood. "Most certainly, ma'am. One of our maids, June, will look after you while you are here."
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  Everyone stood while June helped Toussaint to her feet and led her to the servants' quarters at the back of the mansion.

  Cooper spoke first. "Well, that was interesting to say the least."

  "How so?' asked Stone.

  "Madame Toussaint may believe we are up against some kind of supernatural beast, but I don't. Think about it for a moment. Whatever or whoever it is only comes around when it is likely to rain. Now, why would it do that?"

  "To better mask its tracks," said Hawkins.

  "Precisely. That shows intelligence, not the actions of some mindless animal. At the Wright farm, I demonstrated that Mister Wright could have been dragged off into the night by a man hiding in the woods using a lasso."

  Stone looked down at his pocket watch. "Captain, it's already getting late. You're not planning on heading back to town tonight, are you?"

  "No, sir. If it's not too much of an inconvenience, I'd prefer if Sergeant Hawkins and I spent the night here. We can walk the grounds to make sure nothing happens during the night."

  "I can join them," said Cyrus.

  "Misery loves company," said Cooper. "We can all take turns getting cold and miserable. Sergeant Hawkins will work out a sentry roster for anyone who wants to volunteer. In the morning, the sergeant and I will head into town and see what, if anything, Sheriff Owens has learned in our absence."

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