The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 28~29

Twenty- octonaryThe SheriffTo Burton, it sounded like t present(predicate) could be thirty or forty people wailing in the sabotage, let alone whatever was making the roaring noise. It mutilateice not be as easy to get rid of witnesses as hed thought. If e rattling(prenominal) the people hed passed on the road earlier were in the countermine, the swat snipers were expiration to have their work cut stunned for them. One thing was for sure, he couldnt let Crowe and this muliebrity, whoever she was, leave the spreading alive.His cell phone rang and he pushed the answer thatton. What? He set his gun cumulation and c overed his ear to shut out the noise from the cave.Nailsworth here, the Spider give tongue to. Theyre on the bureau. Give it forty minutes. And in that locations no other entrance to that cave.Burton was not happy, having to lie in this crevice for another forty minutes, but at one time the SWAT team arrived, it would be over. Nailsworth, shot in the dark here, but have you ever heard of or soone calling themselves Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Wasteland?The Outland, the Spider corrected. Warrior Babe of the Outland. Of course, single the finest series of nuked-out future movies ever made. Kendras a huge star. Was a huge star. mollie Michon was the actresss name. Why?Never mind. One of the suspects returns shes a comedian.If you want some of the cassettes, I tail let you have some copies for twenty bucks apiece. Ive got almost the whole collection.Nailsworth, youre a pathetic piece of shit. Burton disconnected. The wailing was still flood tide from the cave and the woman was clamoring something he couldnt make out.MollyTheos sneakers were still showing, sticking out betwixt Steves teeth. Molly grabbed her broadsword, ran up the sea Beasts foreleg, and leapt onto his broad neck. She brought the broadsword d ca office hard between his eyes and the impact made her hands go numb. Spit him out Spit him outSteve tossed his foreman, tryin g to throw her discharge, but she gripped him with her thighs and hacked away at his head. Chunks of his scales flew off and the blade sparked. Spit him out Spit him out Molly screamed, punctu-ating the panicked chant with blows from the sword. Shed seen this before. She knew that if she heard a c rankch, Theo was finished.The Sea Beast opened his jaws to deliver the translateover de grace and Molly could hear a gurgling scream come from Theo. She leapt to her feet on Steves forehead, gravel the tip of the broadsword in the corner of his eye, and prepared to leap on the hilt to thrust it into his eye socket. Spit him out NowSteve went cross-eyed trying to see his attacker, then made a grunting noise and hacked the constable out on the cave floor. He whipped his head and Molly went fly ing, hitting her back hard on the cave wall ten feet away and sliding mound.The pilgrims wails false to sobs as Steve slunk to the back of the cave.Theo, mired in a puddle of blood, bat guano, a nd tophus spit, pushed himself up on his hands and knees and sapidityed to Molly. You okay? he gasped.She nodded. I think so. You?Theo nodded and looked down to make sure his legs were still there. Yeah. He crawled over to her and sat back against the cave wall beside her, still heaving to get his breath back. exquisite friends you have. Whyd he stop?I think his feelings are hurt.Sorry.Hell get over it. Hes a big boy.Despite himself, Theo started laughing, and before long he and Molly were leaning against each other, giggling uncontrollably.Steve, huh? Theo said.He looks like a Steve, dont you think? Molly said.Theo wiped the firedrake spit from his mouth and leaned over to kiss her. She caught his chin in her hand and pushed him away. Bad idea. other roar rose from the back of the cave, this one less angry and more sad than the last.I guess so, Theo said.What in the hell is going on in there, Crowe? Burton called from outside. You dont have a lot of judgment of conviction to dick close to here. Theres a SWAT team on the way. What do you want?I dont even distinguish what the hell youre lecture about, Theo shouted.What do you want to walk away from this? Leave the state. Forget everything. How much? Give me a figure.Theo looked at Molly as if she might have the answer. She said, I thought we made our demands pretty clear.Hes not going to let me go, Molly. And now hes not going to let you go either. If theres a SWAT team on the way, were in big anesthetise.I command to go talk to Steve. Molly stood and walked between the sobbing pilgrims to the back of the cave. Theo watched her fade into the dark where the Sea Beast was pulsing with dim spots of green and blue. Theo rubbed his eyes to try to clear his vision. strong, Crowe? Whatll it be?Make me an offer, Theo said, trying to figure out some kindhearted of insurance. Something that would keep him alive more than two seconds after he stepped out of the cave.Ill give you a hundred thousand. Its a fair offer, Crowe. You cant prove anything anyway, not if Leander is dead. income tax return the money and walk away.Im dead, Theo said to himself. The size of the bluff offer itself betrayed Burtons seriousness. There was no way he was letting Theo get away alive. Well talk it over Theo shouted. His head was throbbing from the pistol whipping hed taken and the vision in his left eye was blurry. His cell phone chirped from within the pile of pilgrims clothing and he scrambled through the clothes and pill bottles to find it. His vision went black with the move-ment and he had to steady himself until it cleared. He found the phone nestled in a pair of panty hose and hit the answer button.SteveHe knew an enemy when he saw one. He could sense waves of aggression and fear coming from them, and he had felt those things coming from his warmblood lovemakingr. He could feel the fear even now as she approached him through the feeder people. Why, if she was going to find another mate, did she go to the trouble of unwrapping the feeder people for him?He didnt mind being hit with the sharp thing, that felt good, he thought she wanted to mate again, but when she put it in his eye, he knew she would have carry offed him. He felt it. She had off her loyalties to another. He considered biting off her head to show her how badly he felt.He tucked his head under his foreleg as she approached. She rubbed his gill tree and he sent a bolt of s railcarlet over his back to tell her to stop.Im sorry, Steve. I dont have many friends. I couldnt let you eat Theo.He could sense benevolence in her tone, but he didnt trust her now. Maybe he would hardly bite off an arm as a test. His back pulsed magenta and blue.You have to go, Steve. Theres a SWAT team coming. You can get past that guy outside without a problem. In fact, you can eat that guy outside if you want. In fact, Id really appreciate it if youd eat that guy outside.She stepped back from him. Steve, you have to get out of here or the yre going to kill you.He pulsed a dull olive drab to her and tucked his head farther under his foreleg. She wanted him to go away, he could feel it. And he wanted to go away, but he didnt want her to want him to go away. He knew she could never be what he wanted, and he tacit never now, but he didnt want the warmblood to have her either. Colors ran like sorrow over his scales.Im not rejecting you, Molly said. Im trying to save your life.She pushed through the pilgrims, who were all on their knees sobbing, and one woman, a thirtyish redhead with gravity-defying fake breasts, grabbed her arm. I can sacrifice, the woman said. I can.Molly pulled her arm away from the woman. Fuck off, lady, Molly said, Martyrdoms easy, it comes with the plumbing.TheoIt was scarcely when he answered the cell phone that Theo realized one of Burtons blows had caught him on the ear. Ouch Goddamn it. Ouch Theo limped around in a circle, despite the fact that his limbs werent injured at all.Theo? Gabe said, h is vocalize tinny in the receiver.Yeah, its me. Theo changed the phone to his other ear, but still held it a few inches away, now that it had bitten him once.Where are you? Who answered your phone?That was Molly Michon. Were in that cave up on the ranch where the mushroom farm used to be. Burton has us pinned in here and hes called in a SWAT team.Have you seen it?Yeah, Ive seen it, Gabe. I think you were remunerate about the brain chemistry thing. Theres a bunch of people here all tranced out, saying they were called to give sacrifice. They all have prescriptions written by Val.Wow, Gabe said. Wow. Whats it look like?Its large, Gabe.Could you be more specific?Look, Gabe, we need some help. Burton is going to kill us. I need witnesses up here so he cant subscribe that we fired on his men. Call the TV station and the paper. Get a news helicopter up here.Theo felt Molly grab his shoulder. He turned to see her shaking her head. Just a second, Gabe. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand.No reporters, Theo.Why not?Because if they find out about Steve, theyll put him in a cage or kill him. No reporters. No cameras. She gripped his shoulder until it hurt and tears welled up in her eyes. Please.Theo nodded. Gabe, he said into the phone, Forget the reporters. No news people. No cameras. You guys come, though. I need witnesses here that dont work for Burton.You said there were a bunch of people there?Theyre all out of it, I dont think theyre worth a damn. Besides, theyre naked.There was a pause. Gabe said, Why are they naked?Theo looked to Molly, Why are they naked?To deter them from coming into the cave.To deter them from coming into the cave, Theo said into the phone.Well, that didnt work very well, did it? Gabe said. Why didnt she scare them off with the savage?Thats what Ive been telling you, Gabe. Theyre here to be with the creature.Fascinating. And Molly has control over him?Theo looked at the dragon spit running down his jeans. Not exactly. Gabe, please, bri ng Val and get your ass up here. You can claim to be here for scientific reasons or something. Val can say shes a trained surety ne-gotiator. These people are her patients that should help her credibility. Bring as many people as you can.Molly grabbed Theos arm again and shook her head. Just the people who already know.Theo cursed under his breath. Scratch that, Gabe. Just you and Val. Dont tell anyone else.Mavis and Howard and Catfish know already.Just them. Please, Gabe, borrow Maviss car and get up here.Theo, this isnt going to help you much. We might keep you from getting killed, but Burton is still going to arrest you guys. You know it. And once he gets you in his jail, well, you know.One thing at a time.Theo, weve got to preserve that creature. This is the greatestGabe, Theo interrupted. Im trying to preserve my ass. Get going, please.Youve got to get that creature out of there, Theo. They might not burgeon forth you if there are witnesses, but they wont let the creature go. He wont move. Hes in the back of the cave, sulking.Sulking?I dont know, Gabe. Just come, okay. Theo disconnected and sat down. To Molly he said, Gabes skilful. We may just be delaying the inevitable by bringing in witnesses. Maybe we should rush Burton before SWAT gets here.Molly picked up the AK-47 from the floor, released the clip and tilted it so Theo could see it was empty. Bad idea.The Head of the SlugHostage negotiator? Val Riordan said. I did my residency in eating disorders. The closest Ive ever come to a hostage negotiation is talking a sugar-jagged actress out of purging fourteen quarts of Ben & Jerrys Monkey Chunks after she lost her part on Baywatch.That counts, said Gabe. Hed related everything that Theo had told him and was ready to run to the rescue, but Val was reluctant.I believe the flavor is Chunky Monkey, H.P. said.Whatever, said Val. I dont see why Theo needs us if hes got a whole cave spacious of my patients.Gabe was trying to be patient, but he could feel a clock ticking in the back of his brain, each tick taking away his incident to save his friend and lay eyes on a living specimen from the Cretaceous period. I told you, Theo says theyre out of it.Perfectly logical, said H.P.How so? asked Val, on the face of it irritated at the stuffy restaurateurs tone.The tradition of making sacrifice is as old as man. It may be more than just a tradition. The Babylonians sacrificed to the ophidian, Tiamet, the Aztecs and Mayans sacrificed to serpent gods. Perhaps this creature was the serpent to which they sacrificed.Thats ridiculous, Val said. This thing eats people.H.P. chuckled, People have been loving vengeful gods for thousands of years. Whos to say it isnt the vengeance that inspires that love? Perhaps, as Dr. Fenton has pointed out, there is some symbiotic relationship between the hunting habits of this creature and the brain chemistry of its prey. Perhaps it inspires love as well as sexual stimulation. That feeling neednt be reciprocal, you know. He could be as oblivious to his worshippers as any other god. He takes the sacrifices as his due, with no responsibility on his part.Thats a steamin bag of shack snot if I ever heard it, Catfish spouted. I been near this thing and it aint never done nothin but scare the daylights out of me.Is that right, Mr. Fish? H.P. said. Isnt it accepted that your fear of this creature has inspired a lifelong career in music? Perhaps you owe thanks to this beast. I owe yall a come up to the booby hatch, thass what I owe.Enough Gabe shouted. Im going. You can come or you can stay, but Im going to help Theo and see if I can keep that creature alive. Mavis, can I borrow your car?Mavis threw her keys on the bar. Wish I was going with you, kid.May I join you? H.P. asked.Gabe nodded and looked at Val. They are your patients.She press her back against the bar. This is all going to blow up, and when it all comes out, Im going to go to jail. I should help with that?Yes, said Gabe. Why?Becau se its the right thing to do, and because its important to me and you love me. Val stared at him, then dragged her purse off the bar. Ill go, but you will all be getting hate mail from me when Im in jail. Mavis looked at Catfish. Well?Yall go on. I got the Blues on me. They started out the door. Dont you worry, honey, Mavis called after them. Youre not going to jail. Mavis will see to it.Twenty-nineGabeUp until the time that Steve had come to town, the most fearsome prehistoric beast on the Central Coast was Mavis Sands 1956 Cadillac convertible. It was lemon-pie yellow with a great chrome grill that seemed to slurp at the road as it passed and gold-plated curb feelers that vibrated in the wind like spring-loaded whiskers. The daytime regulars called it the banana tree and in a fit of ambition had once even fashioned a giant blue Chiquita emblem, which they stuck on the trunk lid while Mavis was working. Well, Mavis said, more than somewhat surprised by their efforts, it aint the fi rst banana Ive rode, but it takes the size record by at least a foot.Even in his youth, Gabe had never driven anything like the banana before. It steered like a barge and it rocked and lurched over dips and potholes like a foundering scow. Gabe had activated the electric top when theyd first climbed in and hadnt figured out how to put it back up.Gabe spotted Vals Mercedes parked on the side of a hill off the main ranch road. There were six other vehicles parked undermentioned to it, all four-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles two Blazers and two larger Suburbans. A group of men in black jumpsuits were standing by the vehicles, the tallest watching them through binoculars and talking on a radio or cell phone.Maybe we should have taken a more inconspicuous vehicle, Gabe said.Why didnt we take your car, Howard? Val asked. She was slouched in the passenger seat.Howard sat in the back, as stiff as a mannequin, squinting as if this was his first exposure ever to sunlight. I own a Jaguar . Superior coach works, none like them in the world outside of Bentley and Rolls. Walnut burl on all the interior surfaces.Doesnt run, huh?Sorry, said Howard.Gabe stop the Banana at the cattle gate. What should I do? Theyre watching us.Go on up there, Val said. Thats why were here. She had gotten brave all of a sudden.Gabe wasnt quite so self-assured. Someone tell me again why the sheriff wont just shoot us along with Theo and Molly?Val was getting into the spirit of the thing, realizing that this might be the tho way to atone for what shed done to her patients. Im a psychiatrist, Gabe, and you have a Ph.D. The police dont shoot people like us.Youre kidding, right?Howard said, Does one require an advanced degree to be immune to gunfire, or does a life of scholarship count as well?Go, Gabe, Val said. Well be fine.Gabe looked over at her and she smiled at him. He smiled back, sort of, and pulled the Banana into the pasture toward five heavily armed men who did not look happy to see t hem.TheoTheo had searched the rest of the cave, using the disposable lighter hed forgotten to forswear with the rest of his pot habit. The cathedral chamber was closed, except for the entrance where Burton waited. Theo gave the Sea Beast a wide clearance on his way back to Molly, who stood just inside the cave mouth.Burton shouted from outside, Crowe, weve got your friends locked up This is your last chance to make a deal Ill give you five minutes, then were using gasTheo turned to Molly in a panic. Weve got to get these people out of here, Molly. As soon as the first gas grenade comes in, its all over.Dont we need hostages?For what? Hes not going to negotiate. The only thing he wants is me and probably you dead.Why dont you call someone and tell them what you know? Then Burton wont have a reason to kill us. on the whole I know is what Ive seen. With Leander dead, theres no one to connect him to the labs. Ive already told Val and Gabe. Now hes got them. I was an idiot to bring th em into this.Sorry, Molly said.Wait. Theo flipped open his phone and dialed. The phone rang eight times and Theo was glancing at the battery gauge, which showed only a quarter-charge, when a man answered.Nailsworth, the Spider said, leaving the caller to guess that they had contacted the Sheriffs Departments information officer.Nailsworth, its Theo Crowe. I need your help.Having a bad day, Theo?What a prick, Theo thought. Listen, Im trappedI know where you are, Theo. Remember, I know ev erything. Actually, Im glad you called. I had something I wanted to ask you about.Theo fought the urge to scream at the megalomaniacal geek. Please, Nailsworth, I dont know how long this battery is going to hold out. I need you to do me a favor.Me first.Go, Theo barked.Well, when Burton called me, he mentioned that your accomplice said she was Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland. So I started looking around. Turns out there was a Molly Michon admitted to county psychiatric a few times. She left a Pin e Cove address. I wondered ifIts her, Theo said.Wow, youre kidding No wayShes right here. Theo looked at Molly and shrugged. Look, you warned me not to go on the ranch. You know about Burtons crank network.I might, Nailsworth said.Dont be coy. You know everything. but what I need to know is do you have access to information that could be used as evidence money transfers, checks, offshore accounts, phone records, and much(prenominal) stuff you could give to the state attorney?Why, Theo, youre starting to sound like a cop.Can you get it?Theo, Theo, Theo, dont be silly. Not only can I get it, but Ive had it. Ive been compiling a file for years.Can you get it to the attorney generals office right now?Whats in it for me?Nailsworth, hes going to kill us.Kendra is right there with you, huh? I cant believe it.Theo shuddered, halfway between panic and anger. He held the phone out to Molly. Say something Kendra-like.Molly cleared her throat and said, Die, you scum-sucking mutant pig. The only thing of mine youll feel is cold steelOh my God Its her the Spider said.Yeah, it is, Theo said. Now will you help?I want a copy of the Norse Battle Babes. Can I get one?Theo covered the receiver and looked at Molly. Norwegian Battle Babes?Molly smiled. Kendra VI Battle Babes in the furious Oil Arena. The Norwegian version is the only version that has full nudity in all the arena scenes. Its very rare.Theos mouth had dropped open. His survival had come down to this? So do you have a copy?Sure.You got it, Theo said into the phone. Ill bring Kendra naked and in person to your office if you get moving now.I dont think so, said Molly.Ill send the file to Sacramento, the Spider said, but that wont do you any good. Even if you tell Burton about it, hes got you in a perfect situation to kill you anyway. You need media.Media? Helicopters? Were too far north to get anyone here in time, Theo said.No Molly shouted.Ill call them, the Spider said. Hold them off for twenty minutes, by chan ce twenty-five.We dont have anything but naked people and a jealous sea monster to hold them off with.Is that more of your drug nomenclature? the Spider asked.Its what it is. If they use gas, we wont have twenty minutes.They wont.How doTwenty-five minutes. And Battle Babes better be in the original box. The Spider hung up. Theo clicked his phone closed.I said no helicopters, Theo, Molly said. Even if we get out, you know theyll hurt Steve. You need to call him and tell him no helicopters.Theo felt he was close to losing it. He clenched his fists and tried very hard not to scream in her face. His voice went to a whisper. Molly, even with a warrant out for Burton, he will kill us. If you want your dragon to live, then youve got to get him out of here before they get here.He wont leave. He wont listen to me. Look at him. He doesnt care about anything anymore.Sheridan serjeant Rich Sheridan was six-three, two-thirty, with dark hair, a mustache, and a long, hooked nose that had been brok en several times. Like the other men on the hill, he was wearing dead body armor and a radio headset, as well as a weapons belt. He was the only one not holding his M-16. Instead he was talking on a cell phone. He had been a cop for ten years and working for Burton on the side for eight. If this had been an official activation of Special Weapons and simulated military operation he would have been second in command, but as the real commander wasnt in Burtons pocket, Sheridan was in charge.He let the binoculars dangle around his neck and waited while his men got firing angles on all of the yellow Cadillacs passengers before he approached. Sheriff Burton was screaming at him on the cell phone.Im pinned down up here, Sheridan. Handle this and get your ass up here. NowYes, sir. What do you want me to do with them?Find out who they are, then cuff them and leave them there. And hurry.Sheridan hung up. Get out of the car. Keep your hands where I can see them.The two men and a woman did as they were told and submitted to pat-downs from Sheridans men. When they were handcuffed, Sheridan spun the younger man around.Who are you?Gabe Fenton. Im a biologist. Gabe smiled weakly. Nice headsets. You guys could all be standing by to take my subscription order for Corrup-tion Weekly.Sheridan didnt react. What are you doing here?Endangered species protection. Theres a very rare creature in that cave up there.Val winced. Were you supposed to tell him that? she whispered.How did you know to come here? Sheridan asked.This is the habitat of the California red-legged frog, very endangered. I saw your SWAT vehicle go by and the driver had that I want to kill some rare frogs look in his eye. Gabe looked at one of the other SWAT guys, a stocky Hispanic man who was glaring at him over the sights of his M-16. See, theres that look right there.We didnt bring the SWAT vehicle, Sheridan said flatly.Actually, Val jumped in, Im a clinical psychologist. I have experience in hostage negotiation. I heard the SWAT team being dispatched on my scanner at home, and since youre so far north, I thought you might need some help. Dr. Fenton agreed to ride along with me.We werent dispatched over the radio, Sheridan said, dismissing Val as if she were an insect. He looked at Howard. And you?Howard Phillips. Im merely here to observe a hid eous ancient creature that has arisen from the darkest Stygian depths to wreak havoc on civilization and feast on human flesh. Howard smiled (the smile of an undertaker at the news of a big bus crash, but a smile nonetheless).Sheridan stared blankly at H.P., saying nothing.Hes the caterer, Gabe said quickly. We brought him along to get your order. Ill bet none of you guys remembered to pack a lunch, did you?Who did you tell you were coming here?Gabe looked at Val and Howard for some clue as to the right answer. No one, he said.Sheridan nodded. We are going to put you in the back of that truck over there for your own safety, he said. Then to the othe rs he said, Lock them in the K-9 unit. Weve got to go.