Scents and Shadows (McNamara, #2)

PROLOGUE - MAUDE IS IN FOR A HARSH SURPRISE –––––––– THE LITTLE BEAGLE GROWLED and pulled on the leash. She made old Maude jump ahead and almost fall on her face. The harsh move came as a surprise to Maude. Going out with Missy meant she would just drone along, wrapped up in her own thoughts. The sedate stroll helped Maude order her ideas, make plans or think of something she’d read or seen on TV. Her old beagle had never reacted so unpredictably before or, at least, never during the last six years. She was never excited even when she was around playful or hostile dogs. Their strolls always followed the same pattern. In the morning, they would saunter leisurely along the shore and at night they would take the trail near the ravine close to their house. Missy would trot a little ahead, neither too fast nor too slow, and Maude would stroll along at a comfortable pace. Along those last years, Maude had gotten somewhat brittle and she didn’t have the strength to wrestle with a dog, even though her beagle was not a big hound. Maude had been pleased to see that her dog quieted down once she’d reached a certain age. She’d had her doubts in the beginning. She’d feared that she wouldn’t be able to control her once her age and arthritis had advanced. “Missy, calm down, girl,” Maude commanded with all the authority she could muster after her fright. For a moment there, she’d almost seen herself thrown to the ground and that scared her. She didn’t know if she’d have been able to stand up again. Those days, she couldn’t rely on her knees anymore. The woman tried to yank the leash so that Missy understood to go back to the peaceful pace they both enjoyed. It was just wishful thinking, though. Missy had sniffed a strong scent and her primal instincts overcame all her training. That instinct was pushing on the old dog now. It made her forget the aches and stiffness the unforgivable time had brought upon her. The scent trail was compelling. The hunting dog, which was lurking inside Missy, had woken up. The dog had already reached a special zone and a new spring appeared in her walk. Maude’s commands were falling on deaf ears. The beagle growled fiercely again. That sound was frightening. A shiver of fear crept down Maude’s back. The ferocious sound that came from her sweet well-behaved dog made her hair stand. Hairy spider legs dragged along her spine. Maude glanced around with apprehension. Her fingers shook on the leash when her eyes swept over the vast wooden area on her right. The midnight glow drowned the trees in an unreal light. Maude had been walking her dog in that wooden area for years and she knew it as well as the back of her hand. Yet, that night, it was as if she had just noticed its menacing midnight appearance for the first time. Missy suddenly broke into a run. That didn’t sit well with Maude at all. Her arthritis had restricted her movements for some time now, and there were days when she couldn’t do more than drag her feet. And that was one of those days. Maude cursed the beagle under her breath. The dog seemed very intent on getting to a specific destination. The old woman began shouting and demanded the dog to stop, but with no effect. Then, she became aware that Missy was hurrying toward her favourite hydrant and that confused her more. Missy had to know she would get to that hydrant sooner or later. It was one of the main attraction spots of their walks, after all. “Easy, girl, easy,” she tried to soothe the dog and make her walk slower but to no avail. Missy continued her forced race and, in the process, she dragged a cursing and aching Maude in tow. Maude had a great respect for exercising. Her doctor had advised her again and again that she needed to keep moving or her joints would grow more painful and stiff. She had heeded his advice. However, her exercising was limited to fairly-paced strolls, not sprints. She hadn’t been too fond of sprinting even in her youth and she’d never understood the logic of jogging with no destination in mind. Now, her knees were not accustomed to taking such a***e and began to protest loudly to the effort. Again, she cursed the little dog and what might have turned her obedient companion into a beast. The old woman had a hard time trying to keep up with the now running dog. She couldn’t ignore either the gruelling rhythm or her tortured knees and she wasn’t aware that tears were running down her face, let alone wipe them off. Yet, the thought of letting the leash go never crossed her mind. Maude felt a deep gratitude when Missy finally stopped in front of the blasted hydrant and she closed her eyes in relief. She breathed deeply for a minute or two and took her time to rest her mistreated knees, unaware of anything else. Now, the dog was howling and snarling. To be truthful, Maude had never heard anything like that from her dog before, and her heart pumped faster. Yet, the woman needed to catch her breath, so she still took her time. No other sound reached her ears, so she didn’t believe they were in any kind of danger and she didn’t even care about such a thing at that moment. There were other things that were taking precedent in her mind, like the stabbing pain in her joints and laboured breath. Only when the piercing pain in her knees subsided and became more bearable, Maude decided to see why her lovely pet had turned into a primal being. The howling was gone, but the dog’s snarl had turned deep and vicious now, and the old woman couldn’t ignore the real world anymore. When she finally opened her eyes, Maude froze. She couldn’t do anything, but stare. She was riveted in place and her fingers turned into stone on the leash. Maude opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Her screams remained trapped at the back of her throat even though she could still hear them reverberate inside her head. Her eyes had widened with shock and the skin on her face tightened over her bones, as the blood receded. The spiders that had been crawling on her back earlier multiplied, and their hairy legs left traces of fright in their wake. Her legs began to shake and she wondered for a split second if she would still be able to stand. Now, the moon had just come out of the clouds and she had a clear view upon the hydrant. There, a severed human head basked in the moonlight. Maude’s terrified eyes took in the rugged edges of the skin that once might have covered a quite graceful neck. Traces of blood smeared what was left of the once-long and supple neck. Blood was still dripping and Maude’s shocked eyes followed the downward direction of the blood drops with morbid fascination. They fell in the dark and almost coagulated pool which covered the now sticky grass at the foot of the hydrant. She gazed back at the head. Open and lifeless eyes were staring back at her and she noticed the unusual violet colour of the iris. The colour gradually faded right there in front of her eyes and yet, the fixed gaze mesmerized her. The old woman had to make a huge effort, but she was finally able to shift her eyes off those cold, hypnotic pupils. She shifted her sight above the head and only then, she saw the knot of hair fastened to the hydrant. A bubble of fog had enveloped her mind and Maude shook her head to clear it. She knew she had to do something or call someone because she couldn’t just leave it alone there. Her generation had been brought up with a sense of justice and responsibility and she couldn’t just avert her eyes and be on her merry way. Only then, she remembered the cell phone her niece had made her carry with her everywhere. With a shaking hand, she took it out of her pocket and started dialling 999. She had become aware that she was alone with her beagle near the ravine and the closest building was at quite a distance away, maybe even more than five hundred yards. If anything, she didn’t think Missy would be able to protect her. She had already used up all her energy with her run to catch the scent she was hunting and with her ferocious growling. Now, she was just panting and apparently, she had lost any kind of interest in the severed head, which did seem curious. Waiting for the call to go through, Maude’s eyes swept the surrounding area with dread. The shadows of the trees, which she had loved so much in the past, suddenly seemed to hide dangers she had never imagined before. The thought that someone was lurking and stalking her from afar crept in her mind and her lips quivered. The voice of the 999 operator startled her and she almost dropped the phone. She recovered fast, though, and with a hesitant voice, related what laid before her eyes. Fear that the operator wouldn’t believe her seized her throat. Maude couldn’t have condemned the operator. The scene did echo a horror film. She was thankful that Halloween wouldn’t be there for a few more weeks. Otherwise, the emergency operator would have advised her to have a nice cup of hot milk, go to bed, and stop looking at the neighbours’ decorations. Maude said a silent prayer. She knew when to express her gratitude.