The Case Runs Cold...

Author: Ava Montgomery

Date: 06-11-04 13:26

Five years had passed since the first police officer had disappeared. The first officer, Trooper Theresa Burgin, was a veteran of 12 years. She had been working late the night of her disappearance and her last known call had been to a suspicious vehicle on the side of the highway. The last that was heard from the Trooper that she was out for the night and thinking of heading back to the office, she was never heard from again. Officers that responded to her last know location didn't turn up anything. The squad car had disappeared, the suspicious vehicle was gone and there just tracks that led to no where around the area. Trooper Burgin had disappeared without a trace.

A few weeks after Officer Wilkerson, the second officer to disappear, a camper in the woods turned in a Trooper's badge to local authorities. It was Trooper Burgin's badge, but it didn't provide anything that we didn't already know, although a huge search still took place in the area of woods where Burgin's badge had been found. Out of the whole fiasco of a search the only items found were a few torn pieces of clothing that couldn't be determined if they belonged to the officer or not. The department had been a little luckier with Officer Wilkerson. Wilkerson's body had been found, well pieces of it. The body was situated farther out in the woods from the beach house where his squad had been found.

The Wilkerson Case had made public news and that is why my unit had been called in. I remember it like it was yesterday. The position was not one that kept officers in it for awhile. I had 20 predecessors to my position and not one of them lasted longer than 3 months and I was beginning to realize why at the point of Wilkerson's murder. It was a stressful position with very few rewards and countless risks. For some reason I felt right at home. When I transferred my trusted partner and friend Joe Cather came with me. He and his wife Julie had decided the move would be good for both of them and especially for Joe. I moved up to Lieutenant and he moved up to Sergeant. If I would have known what I know now I would never have asked Joe to come with me.

A small vibration spread across my hip and I reached for the cell phone. I looked at the blue glowing screen and threw the phone onto the passenger's seat. The phone stopped vibrating across the leather seat and than almost immediately started up again. Knowing who was calling I looked away from the phone and kept driving. Sooner or later I knew I would have to answer the call, but right now just didn't seem to be a good time…but would it ever be a good time?

"Hey Chief, how's it going?"

"How do you think its going Montgomery? Do you have any concept of what NO means?"

"I don't think they taught us that in recruit school."

"Don't be a smart ass. If you don't turn that car around I will have your badge."

"And you will have a lawsuit. You know I could win. I did put in for vacation and you know I have been saving it up."

"Ava, listen to me, you can't keep doing this. Joe's death was not your fault. You have to let him go…"

"I can't David. I have to do this. I have to find who killed Joe and the only way I know how to do that is to search any hit that comes up matching Joe's death and there are three of them out here."

"The case isn't open any more Ava. It was ruled accidental. He just got to close to those wolves."

"I don't believe it David and I don't think you should. I made a promise to Julie and I intend to keep it."

"I know I am not going to change your mind, but I am not happy about this. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I didn't pay all that money for training to not be able to handle myself. Thanks David."

I let my cell phone drop out of my hands and back over onto the passenger seat. It had been three years ago since I lost Joe, my partner, my friend. He was found among the debris of what looked to be a house. A DNR Ranger found him when he was investigating an odd movement of wolves around what looked to be a smoldering forest fire. As the Ranger approached the wolves, they scattered, not fighting over their prey. The Ranger was reported to almost have had a heart attack to what he saw next. Joe's body was found strewn across the forest floor; it was amazing they could even piece him back together.

My devastation was amplified to realize that the Medical Examiner had nothing for me to go on. We now had three dead cops and several missing girls, campers, and other various from the surrounding village. Joe's case was closed as an accidental and from his funeral on I worked hard to find more answers.

Among the debris there were a few things found, mostly bits and pieces of furniture or kitchen pots and pans, but a most peculiar item was found. It was part of a chronicle, a Vampire Chronicle. All I could think about was my father and how he had died in those same woods, about the same as every other officer. These books gave me an answer as to why they were disappearing, but no one would believe they were real.

Shortly after I had started investigating into the books origins they were taken away and shipped off to Washington for investigation. Just a few weeks later the report came back that the whole scene had been staged and Officer Cather got in the way of the wolves. I didn't believe that, I knew there was more to this and I was going to find out.

The sun started to go down as I came upon my destination. My car rumbled as it worked its way up a mountain into a wooded area. The pines extended up towards the sultry sky. My answers were being born upon the stars and I wanted to know if the Vampires were real and getting ready to feast upon their next prey. Tonight I wanted to find out the truth and I was going to.

The story of my father...

Author: Ava Montgomery

Date: 06-23-04 10:54

Before I knew it the sun had gone down and I parked my car at a scenic stop parkway, almost half way up the mountain. There was a town not to far away so I figured that if my intutions were correct, these would be equisite hunting grounds for a vampire. That is if they truly were real.

For me, I knew they would explain so many things and give me hope that my father was actually alive and not dead. The majority of my life was spent with my aunt and uncle. Since I was eight they took care of me, before that my father had provided for me. He was a young dad. At the age of 19, he and his bride married and as he turned 20, I was born. He wanted to provide for his family for whom he cared so much for. He might have been young, but he had such an old soul as some might say.

My aunt used to tell me stories about her brother. Her favorite and mine was how he decided to become a cop. It was right before he got married, he went out drinking with some friends. The friends got into a nice new corvette. My father knew he probably shouldn't have gotten in, but he did anyways. He was already halfway through police training so when they got pulled over he paniced. Everyone bolted from the car except for him. He cooly lifted his hands in the air and got out of the vehicle. The officer immediately recognized him and my father told him what had happened. He was cut loose and never written up. It was than my father started to take his choosen profession seriously.

The story I never liked was the one about my birth. I made it through, but my mother had not. Dad had had a rough time getting through it. For months after my birth and my mother's death he worked nearly every night, sometimes never coming home. My aunt and uncle thought he would kill himself from exhaustion, but than as if nothing ever happened he returned to normal, taking time off to do whatever he could with me. He and I grew close in the years to come and at the age of 5 I started riding along with him on some nights.

On the night of his disappearence I was eight. It was my birthday and for a treat the chief allowed my dad to take me out on a night run, I had always done days before. When we received a call to the woods my father looked over at me with a look of worry. We had explored the woods during the day, but never at night. A local woman had called in saying she heard weird noises coming from the woods behind her home. When we arrived my father talked to the woman and than returned to the car.

"Alright pumpkin, I'm going to go check this out, and than I will be right back, ok?"

"Dad I wanna come with you."

"Sorry Dumpling, not this time. You need to stay in the car. Please promise me you will stay in the car with the doors locked until I get back...Promise me."

"But daddy..."

"Avie, promise me."

"I promise."

"I love you Ava. Give Daddie a kiss."

He bent over the center console and gave me a kiss. I just sighed and looked forward out towards the woods. As he neared the edge of them something hit me and I got out of the car and ran towards him.

"Daddy!!!!! I love you."

"Ava, what did I tell you."

"I know and I am sorry. I just had to tell you Iove you."

We hugged and he led me back to the car. After an hour, the lady who had called brought out a blanket and some cookies. I started to worry, but maybe he was having a hard time getting back. After another hour passed I freaked and quickly called into dispatch trying to use the car radio. It was the only thing I could do.

There was a massive search, but nothing was ever found. The river, the woods, everywhere was searched and nothing. he just disappeared without a trace. That was exactly 20 years ago and now I was 28 and searching the woods for answers just as my father had. For 20 years all I wanted was answeres and now the books I held in my arms gave me some hope. They gave me the hope that my father was alive among the undead.

One step closer...

Author: Ava Montgomery

Date: 07-18-04 23:56

After wandering around the woods for what seemed liked hours, I started to move my way back towards my car. David had been right, this was stupid. Both Joe and my father were dead and there was nothing I could do to bring either of them back. My eyes moved around the woods looking for something, anything to keep me out in the woods a little longer, but nothing caught my eye. The trees swayed along the path of a small Eastern wind and the forest animals scattered with each step I took closer to my car. Something urged me to stop and rest on a rock even though I didn't need to, not really.

I know I stopped to think about everything that was filling my mind, but I just couldn't help but do so. At the time Joe dies I was determined to solve the case. As time progressed I became more and more hell bent on retribution for his death rather than finding his killer. Julie had made me promise her that I would find his killer, and I did, only to find out that Julie had been having and affair with of the EMTs. I was happy that Joe never had to learn of it before his death, but I could never be sure if he knew or didn't.

My father's death hadn't hit nearly as much as Joe's had, but than again I was only 8 when he disappeared. I knew that when I was younger I told myself he just went on a trip and forgot to tell me, forgetting all about that night in the woods. It wasn't as if I didn't cry for my father's death, but I had support to get past it. When Joe died, I didn't have anyone. My Aunt and Uncle had long passed away, my dad was dead, the chief thought I was crazy, and all the other guys on the force didn't know what to say. Joe was the first death the force had ever had.

Sitting on the rock I came to a realization that I was over Joe's death, but not over my father's. Just because I didn't cry for my father like I did Joe wasn't the reason, it was the fact that something kept bringing him back to me. Kept bringing me back to the pain I had already once endured. I couldn't help, but blame all this pain on the childhood fantasy I still held on to of werewolves and vampires.

The only thing that seemed to same me from the pits of despair tonight was a small vibration on my hip. I grabbed my cell phone out and felt like throwing it against a nearby tree. It was my Chief, David Santos. Santos was a good chief and a good friend, but he always seemed to interrupt things lately.

"Hi Chief"

"Where the hell are you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I called the police department to see if you had checked into those cases you faxed me about?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't…"

"I received a fax from someone than about two missing hikers. I remembered you earlier telling me of there possible connection to Joe and those other officers death. Look into it."

"I am on vacation."

"Well when you are done hiking or do whatever the hell you are doing, get to that PD."

"Sure thing, chief."

I had gotten back up and started walking to my car as soon as I started talking to Santos. It was a good thing I had because I knew that even though Santos had interrupted my cry fest, I would have cried anyways. The gas peddle seem to purr along with the car as I stepped on it and pulled out of the side turnout I had been at. There was a scenic pass way I wanted to check out and maybe just take a nap in my car at.

As I approached the scenic pass way I noticed a car with its headlights on. Normally this wouldn't be alarming, but my cop instincts took over. Turning the corner before the pass way I saw what, to me, looked like someone carrying something into the woods, but I tried to pay no mind. Told myself that my mind was playing tricks, however my mind wasn't playing tricks for what I saw next was unexplainable. Out cold, in front of the car, was a man stark naked.

I grabbed my med kit from the trunk and rushed over to the man. My cell phone no longer had service so I couldn't call an ambulance, I would have to hope we wasn't to seriously injured. The man had, what looked liked, a mixture of dry blood, sand, and leaves scattered about his face. Taking an antiseptic wipe I cleared all that away. Slowly the man began to come to, I sighed with relief. I looked back into the woods. Something was in there and I had to find out, but I could leave the guy alone. He had a lot of explaining to do. He had a bunch of woman's clothing in his car, but no woman. That led me to assume a lot.

"Hey, are you alright? What happened?"

The man grunted and I sighed. Men always thought women was dramatic, but certainly some men just took the cake and this guy seemed to be one of them. He was rather a pretty boy maybe that was his problem. One way or another I hoped he answered.