Ravenous by Ray Garton Read Free Book Online Page B

cruisers were parked in the Emergency Room parking lot, and four deputies were spread out, looking for the naked man. Sharp flashlight beams cut through the rainy night in the strip of woods on the slope that ran down to Finch Road—the road that led up to the hospital—as well as across the road in another patch of woods. So far, no sign of the man had been found—except for Deputy Garrett’s eviscerated corpse.
    Hurley sat at the desk outside the morgue, listening to his deputies communicate on his portable radio, waiting for word that the man had been found, and waiting for George Purdy to finish the autopsy on Garrett. George had invited Hurley to observe the autopsy, but he wasn’t up to it—finding Garrett as he had was enough for one night.
    He heard the door push open and turned to see George come out of the morgue in a long white smock stained with blood. He wiped his hands on a strip of paper towel as he smiled down at Hurley.
    â€œWell, that’s done,” George said.
    Hurley stood. “So, what’s the story?”
    â€œIt’s a strange story, Sheriff,” George said. “Very strange.”
    â€œWell, let’s hear it.”
    â€œFrom what I found, Sheriff, you shouldn’t be looking for a man. You should be looking for an animal.”
    â€œAn animal ?”
    George took in a deep breath as he nodded. With the wadded paper towel in his right hand, he put his fists on his hips, elbows out at his sides. “Your deputy was partially eaten , Sheriff. His insides and his throat were torn by fangs, and his intestines and other organs were partially eaten. By something.”
    Hurley frowned as he looked at the deputy coroner, tilted his head to one side. Before he could speak, George continued:
    â€œThere’s no way my John Doe could have done what was done to your deputy, Sheriff. It was an animal, most likely a large animal.”
    â€œLike what? A ... a bear, maybe?”
    â€œPossibly. A bear, a mountain lion, something big and strong, with claws and fangs.”
    â€œWe don’t have bears around here.”
    George shrugged. “You’ve got something  out there, Sheriff—something big and hungry, now with a taste for people. You hear stories all the time these days about wild animals showing up in all kinds of places. Civilization spreads and drives animals out of their natural homes and into towns and cities. Surely there are bears up in these mountains, right? It wouldn’t be impossible for one to make its way down here.”
    Hurley remembered the howling he’d heard earlier that night. He was just as certain there were no wolves around Big Rock as he was that there were no bears, so he decided not to mention it. It probably was, after all, a dog. But he filed it away in the back of his mind.
    â€œYou’re sure it couldn’t have been done by your John Doe?” Hurley asked.
    â€œMy John Doe was unarmed—he was naked, remember—and he didn’t have fangs. It took fangs to tear your deputy open like that, Sheriff, fangs made the bites on that body. It wasn’t done with a knife, or any other weapon. There are bite marks around the edges of the openings in both the throat and the abdomen and on the arms, bite marks made by large jaws—marks no human could make.”
    Hurley nodded as he slowly stood. “So I’m looking for an animal.”
    â€œThat’s right. You might want to tell your deputies who are out there searching tonight. They could be in danger.”
    â€œThank you, George. I appreciate it.”
    â€œNo problem, Sheriff.”
    â€œI’ll see you later.”
    â€œNot too soon, I hope. It’s never anything good that brings us together.”
    They shook hands and George went back through the swinging double doors.
    As Hurley started down the corridor, he took the microphone clipped to his shoulder. Its curly black cord was attached to the radio on