Byron Starr - Doppelgänger

Seeing James drive up, Bill changed his course and walked over to his pickup. Meeting James as he stepped out of his truck, Bill said. “We’re headin’ out to Bob Ellis' to check on Larry and his dogs if you want to come along.”

“Sure,” James replied with a shrug.

As he climbed in the backseat of the patrol car, he realized this was his third such ride. The thought of the circumstances surrounding his previous rides in the backseat of a patrol car made him uncomfortable and he considered asking Sam to switch seats. His manners got the better of him, however; and he didn’t utter a single complaint. Luckily, the trip out to the Ellis' place was a short one.

The State supplied Larry with portable pens for his dogs, but it was still up to the host department — in this case the Newton County Sheriff’s Department — to find a place to set up Larry’s makeshift kennel and a nearby place for him to stay. Bob Ellis and his new bride, Jewel, had just built a house about two miles north of the small community of Liberty, some seven miles north of Newton. It was built on thirty acres of land, which was mostly wooded but included a small pasture on which Bob had three horses. Bob had drawn the detail of quartering Larry and providing a place for his dogs. Bob and Jewel could definitely relate to James’ sleeping problems. Larry’s hounds might have been the best sniffers in the country, but they weren’t exactly the best neighbors one could ask for. For one thing, they were quite prone to suddenly start baying in the middle of the night. This had been an almost constant problem when Larry first arrived, but he swore his babies were only excited about being in a new place. Last night the dogs only woke up once, but it was enough to ruin yet another night’s sleep for the Ellises.

When Bill, Sam, and James arrived at Bob’s, they could hear the dogs baying from behind the house before they even stepped out of the patrol car.

Bill rang the doorbell and got no answer, so they went around back. Larry had the dogs out of their pens and was working them in the back yard. It actually looked more like he was playing with them. Larry would put the dogs back in their pen, take a small beanbag-like sack and hide it among the numerous obstacles placed throughout the yard, and then walk over to the pen and let one of the dogs out. The bloodhound would come out of the pen running with its nose to the ground. A tarp had been thrown over one side of the kennel, preventing the dogs from watching Larry hide the beanbag, but Larry’s babies had no difficulty finding the bag with their sniffers. In fact, it took more time for Larry to hide the bag than it did for the dog to find it. Once the hound found the bag, Larry would make it sit, then give the dog a treat from a small pouch he wore on his belt, ruffle the dog’s ears, and return it to the pen with the others. He would then repeat the process with one of the other dogs until every dog had its turn, then Larry would start over.

Larry glanced up and noticed his three new observers, but he didn’t acknowledge their presence. He just kept right on working the dogs.

Bob was out patrolling, but Jewel Ellis stood in the house’s little gazebo, watching Larry and his dogs. She had her long brown hair pulled back in a braid. She had no makeup on and her face looked almost as worn and weary as James’ had this morning. Jewel Hart Ellis was a native of Newton County. Her family had lived around Burkeville, a small community a little further north, for generations. Jewel was one of the sweetest people you could have the pleasure to meet. Despite the fact she hadn’t slept well since the dogs arrived, and it had been the sheriff’s decision to quarter the dogs in her backyard and their strange master in their spare bedroom, she still managed a smile when Bill walked up to her.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Ellis,” Bill said, taking his hat from his head. Bill’s normal greeting toward a young lady would include the comment, you look lovely today, but in light of how rough Jewel looked, Bill skipped the phrase, thinking it would sound a bit sarcastic.

“Afternoon, Sheriff Oates,” Jewel said sweetly.

“Mrs. Ellis, have you met Deputy Taylor?” Bill introduced James to Jewel

James smiled and shook her hand and she commented. “James Taylor, right? You work at Baldwin’s Garage don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And I believe you’ve met Captain Jones,” Bill said.

“Captain Jones,” Jewel said, and extended her hand. Sam, who had also taken his hat off, revealing his hairless head, took her hand and gently shook it. “Can I get y’all anything?” Jewel asked. “A glass of tea, maybe?”

Bill, Sam, and James all declined the offer. They all stood and watched Larry and his dogs for some time before Bill once again spoke up. “Mrs. Ellis, I sure do appreciate you letting us keep the dogs out here. I hope it hasn’t been too much of a burden on you.”

“Not at all,” Jewel lied, “Just glad we could help out.”

They continued to watch Larry and his dogs for the better part of an hour. Larry never took a break or came over to speak, and Bill and Sam didn’t want to interrupt. Finally Bill turned to Jewel and said, “Well, Mrs. Ellis, I think we’ll be heading back to town. If you need anything, you just call up to the office and let me know.”

“Thank you, Sheriff Oates.”

That night the beast was on the move. It ambled through the pine forest like it owned the place, occasionally crossing streams and roads and coming into clearings.

It came up to a paved road and watched from the woods as a car came by. Then the beast withdrew into the woods and began moving again, now parallel with the road. Every now and then it would come to a house and have to take time to skirt its way around the yard. Once it even had to detach its vision into a dog so it could pass by undetected.

It continued on through the woods for miles before it came to a dirt road, where it stopped and looked around. It walked along this dirt road until it came out at the paved road again. Then the beast took a look around as if it was looking for something. It then turned back around and entered the woods. It began moving along parallel to the dirt road, much the same as it had been doing earlier with the paved road.

As it moved along, hounds began to bay in the distance.

It had moved too close.

The beast detached its senses, passing through the woods before coming into a clearing. A house was situated in the clearing, near the dirt road. The beast’s senses then continued toward the back of the house, where it found a small, temporary pen holding seven bloodhounds. The senses then entered each of the hounds.

The hounds didn’t stop baying instantly, so the beast had to bide its time. It simply sat on its haunches, patiently listening. Fifteen minutes passed before the hounds quite suddenly stopped their baying. The beast then waited for a while longer before proceeding.

It moved stealthily through the woods toward the house. Remaining near the edge of the tree line, the beast moved along until it was as close to the dog pen as it could get and still be in the concealment of the trees.

It then stood on all fours and walked toward the pen. Once the beast came near the pen the dogs started up again.

“Hush, now! Hush, damn it!” the beast said in Larry’s voice.

The baying quieted somewhat and the beast hurried to the gate to the small pen. As it opened the gate, they started baying again. It would have to work fast before they woke someone.

It seemed he had just come from outside when the dogs started up again. Larry had worked the dogs harder than usual today, hoping he could wear them down to the point that they would sleep tonight and give his hosts a break. It seemed like it hadn’t worked; the dogs sounded more active than ever. He was about to get up when the barking changed. Larry knew his dogs better than most people know their own wives. He recognized their current excited baying as the happy barking they generally reserved for when he fed them. This was strange. Perhaps some well-meaning stranger was unloading his scraps in their pen, but that wasn’t right either. The dogs never got that excited unless he was with them.