CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Aileen sat at the front desk in the sheriff’s office taking calls and making sure that an officer could assist any of the citizens as fast as possible. Brett and Amelia arrived together stepping inside of the office and greeting Aileen with a smile. Brett looked around for his mom then asked, “ Hey Ms. Aileen is our mom here?” he said in a very polite voice.

  “ Not yet, but I am expecting her any minute. Is there anything I can do for you?’ she asked smiling at both of Shurley’s children whom she liked very much.

  Amelia spoke up quickly, “ Can you tell us is there any way to find out about someone’s past history, say like where they’re from and if they have a business or maybe any details about them personally?” she asked leaning on the counter top grinning.

  Aileen stopped typing for a minute looking at both of the twins with a curious expression, “ Who would it be that you are trying to find something out about? Anyone I know?” she questioned Amelia.

  Turning her head to look at her brother as he nodded in agreement with her idea she turned to Aileen to explain, “ Well, you may not really know him, but you know of him. Our town visitor Leland is why I am asking. Has it occurred to you or anyone else that since Leland has come to town in less than two weeks strange things starting happening. Each event that has occurred did so after he had contact with those people or at least one of those persons. Aileen, where did he come from and exactly why is here?”

  Aileen sat in silence for several moments contemplating what Amelia had just said. Her puzzle look said everything and she turned to Brett saying, “ I never thought about that but you’re right. How long has he been in town so far and doing what?” she paused staring at the computer screen then continued, “What is he doing here? Between you and me I’m not supposed to use my search engine unless we are tracking a criminal. You know, can’t use resources unless it’s for the job.” She explained.

  “ Do you have to tell anyone? I mean we have a real good reason for asking Ms. Aileen. Something isn’t right with everything that has happened you know that. When has Hershel ever had this many citizens die at one time for gun shots. I mean look what has happened to our town and some of the residents, homes. Storms from nowhere, lighting strikes setting fire to so many homes, barns and business. Is this real or is there something dark going on?” Amelia asked.

  Aileen sat still thinking about what Amelia had just said knowing that if she rolled back time in her mind to the very day Leland appeared in Hershel, she knew that a dark cloud came with him. She had felt it the first time she laid eyes on him. Like a dark, evil beast sizing up its prey and already figuring out just how to overpower it.

  Swallowing hard Aileen cleared her throat before speaking, “ I’ve never spoke about my thoughts about our guest, but he oozes evil to me. I felt the darkness all around the first time I ever saw him. Look I maybe not be able to use sheriff’s computer or search engine while at work, however I do have a very expanded program on my personal computer at home.” She said feeling relieved that she was not the only one who wasn’t happy about Leland’s presence in town.

  Brett and Amelia turned to look at each other smiling at the fact that perhaps they had founded an ally. Brett responding with a gleeful expression, “ Could we ask a favor of you then?”

  “ I already know what you’re going to ask. How about we meet at my house around eight o’clock if your mom doesn’t mind. I have a few questions of my own as well. I’d like to know more about the guy who just showed up and somehow brought misery with him. Everyone has a past so what do you both say, should we find out just who Leland really is?” Aileen asked feeling more confident than she had felt in years.

  Both Brett and Amelia agreed and neither of them could wait for their mom to arrive at the office. Who or what ever Leland was hopefully there would be some answers. Where they would go would only depend on what they could discover. If there was still any good left in the universe, they crossed their fingers and prayed a little silent prayer that what they thought they knew about all of this destruction would have some bright light shined upon it.

  One thing Brett and Amelia agree on one hundred percent was somehow unknown to everyone Leland had a plan and whatever would come next would not be good for the rest of their town of Hershel. If there was any hope of salvaging what was left of what they knew then the secret of what and who Leland was had to be exposed.

  “ The demon will work against all who try to prevent his will. The darkness can overcome light even with all the faith in goodness.” ow about we meet at my house say around eight o’clock if it’s alright with your mom. We can certainly do some reseaching from there and besides now that you’ve mention Leland and the town’s demise

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  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Shurley was deep in thought as she headed back to the office. Brett and Amelia would be waiting hoping that nothing new came up before heading home. The nights of having dinner were few and far in between because of all of the catastrophe that had flung itself against Hershel and its residents. She worried so much more than she ever had about the safety of not only the people of her community but her two children. Never in her entire life had she seen so much destruction to this county or the town at one time.

  IT was as though the whole of Hell had opened up pouring out every evil aspect of the universe on the town Shurley was no longer what to think, which direction to head in or how to best secure the safety of the town and the citizens. She had never been so frizzled as she is right this minute. Somehow, she had to come up with a plan to get some help and get it in a quick hurry.

  Seeing Brett and Amelia her heart was a little lighter allowing her to know that for the moment they were safe. She smiled at both of them hugging Brett then Amelia as she spoke, “ Boy, I’m so glad to see you two and those big smiles. Everything all right?” Exactly what this worn-out mom needed still hoping everything was good.

  Brett looked to Amelia with a quick glance answering his mom,” Yeah, we’re good mom. Don’t worry so much about us. We know how to take care of ourselves. Um, we do need to talk to you about something important though. Got time for us?” he tried to reassure her as much as he could before breaking their idea about the real reason behind all of this disaster.

  “ Okay. Get me while there are no calls coming in. Let’s go to my office. So, what’s up?” Shurley knew her twins very well. Both Brett and Amelia were very leveled headed and she knew that they had been investigating how and why all of this awfulness had come about. They wanted to help out in any way that she could and investigating was a natural part of their DNA.

  Brett stood behind the desk as Amelia took the one chair for visitors setting their minds to lay out their information. All they could do was to share their thoughts, explain their suspicions and maybe Shurley would agree for them to continue to collect information about Leland. It would be Brett who open up the conversation, “ Okay, so Amelia and I have been doing some investigating which can’t be a big surprise. Our first question was how in the world did our town become the center attention for all of this destruction? We back track to a week or so before all the murders occurred and looked for a common thread.” He said pausing to take a dep breathe before continuing.

  “ We wondered what was the one thing that was different not similar, something that had a common thread before everything began to happen. Mom, we think we have a clue. Maybe a small one and we know it sounds impossible, but we truly need you to hear us out.” Brett finished hoping that his mom realized that he and Amelia had put their thinking caps on and used their brains for this conclusion.

  Shurley looked at both of her children reading the seriousness on their faces. Neither Brett nor Amelia were the type of children to just jump to any type of conclusion without reason and some evidence in their hands. If anything, she honestly trusted their instincts as they were pretty good at reading people. It was as if they had this special talent for investigating. Of course, it came naturally kind of like her ability to read people as well.

  “ Okay, I’m listening. What you got?” Shurley asked curious to hear from her children’s point of view.

  Brett began explaining that if you go back before Leland’s arrival the town was functioning as normal. Everyone was going about their daily lives in a normal way. Nothing was out of Wack and no one was at odds with anyone else. He further explained that when he and amelia began looking for the difference in the town’s makeup the only thing that stood out was Leland’s arrival. Within less than a week Leland had made his rounds all around the town, to every business, meeting as many of the residents of Hershel as he could. From there Leland began to mingle more and more with the people of the town especially when it came to certain business and owners.

  Amelia injected explaining to her mom just how much information Leland was gathering just by asking the right person questions disguised as innocent conversation. Leland acted as though his interest in the town, the history and the people was because he was a historian gathering information for a book of some sort.

  The problem with Leland’s explanation was that he never took notes, recorded any conversation about the history of Hershel and left certain citizens out of the information query that would have been more important to the story of Hershel. Amelia and Brett were asking why? Why not talk to key persons about the true history of Hershel?

  Both Brett and Ameli began connecting the dot between who Leland had actually spoken to and what that meant to that person that had died in the first move of what both of the children called “ The Gun Deaths”. There was obviously a dark cloud or even worse, an evil curse that Leland had brought with him.

  In the end of relaying all that they knew at this point everything dark, negative and deadly had a direct link to Leland in some way. Both Brett, Amelia and even Ms. Aileen knew with a doubt that Leland was no normal business man of Historian. He was a mask of evil, driven by a force that no human could actually contain, at least not yet.

  Shurley sat behind her desk looking at her two children whom she loved and respected dearly. Neither one of them would come to her with kind of story if they were not absolutely sure that they had evidence or at a link to what they shared. She had raised her son and daughter to look beyond the borders of this life and seek answers that no one else would dare to link.

  In a small office at the sheriff’s office a sheriff, her two children and the desk deputy meet sharing their feels, ideas and information about the stranger Leland. Somewhere either within the boundaries of their county or town answers could be found. One way or the other the facts regardless of their appearance would be brought to light. How all of this would be wrapped up and put to rest was still unknown, but four people who all had a lifetime investment in Hershel would now be on the hunt for the truth. All they could hope for was that somewhere in the universe and heavens good would bring the light to protect the truth as it truly is.

  “Evil will always prevail as long as good stays quiet.”