Nobody Can Say It's You

3

Most of the people at the festival were wearing masks and costumes, but those who didn't wore shocked looks on their faces. It wasn't every day their boring little Main Street jumped with such activity. Now it looked like chaos had busted out of the chute.

That knife looked real. And so did the red stuff on the end of it.

Seconds later, the goblin, or whatever it was, let out another whoop. Sheriff Bill Whittaker and his two deputies, Wayman Hoke and Elwin Dollie, were hot on that thing's heels. It was obviously a flesh-and-blood being because the masked boogie man stumbled, bumping into Hadley, before falling to the ground with a thud.

The knife flew up and clattered onto the pavement. The scythe clanged. The two women heard a grunt as the strange black apparition that seemed to appear from nowhere twitched, and then lay perfectly still near their feet.

Maury jerked off the burglar's mask she was wearing to get a better look. Her eyes were wide, the whites showing like huge plates in their sockets. Her mouth was wide open, too. She was as pale as a ghost.

"Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Hadley asked.

"No, I'm fine. Is he dead?" Maury asked, obviously shaken.

"I don't know," said Hadley, "but I'm not gonna kick the tires to see. He might jump up off that street and attack me."

Bill and Elwin and Wayman cleared a space in the street around the prone figure. Their guns were drawn. They were taking no chances that this devilish ghoul in black would rise up and escape. The shocked crowd had backed away, quickly creating a void around the fallen figure

Hadley and Maury stepped back from the body, too.

"You two all right?" Bill asked.

"We're fine," said Maury. "Shaken like a martini, but otherwise okay."

Hadley was pulling at something on her arm.

"What are you doing?" Maury asked. "I thought you were okay."

"Nothing," said Hadley. "Something's stuck on my jacket."

"What is it?" Maury asked.

"A spice. A star anise," Hadley said. "I guess I got it when that thing bumped into me."

Bill and his deputies holstered their guns, and the tension began to fade. Hadley and Maury watched as Bill carefully eased up close enough to place his fingertips on the jugular vein of the person.

"Go get Finley," Bill said to Wayman, "right this minute."

Finely Eubanks was the coroner of Hope Rock County.

"Hadley," Maury said, "that means whoever is in that costume is dead."

"I know," said Hadley. "I wonder who really is under all those rags."

"We'll know soon enough," said Maury. "Gosh, this is the worst thing I think I've ever seen."

"It is scary," said Hadley.