“Punctures? From what?” Caeco asked.
“She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask,” the cop said.
Both Mack and Jetta had spread farther out despite the chief’s warning. “Deer, squirrel, and turkeys. A whole bunch of turkeys,” Jetta said.
“We have quite a few deer on the Cape, and a large flock of wild turkeys. Only bow hunting is allowed, and we get very few hunters. And there aren’t many predators, just foxes, fishers, owls, hawks, a few eagles, and the coyotes,” the chief said.
“And a bobcat,” one of the patrol officers said.
“I can’t see deer, but turkeys?” Mack said to his friend and sister.
“Could drive the coyotes off a kill though,” Caeco said. “Plus the occasional squirrel or chipmunk.”
“What about rabbits?” Jetta asked.
“We don’t have many here. Cottontails are endangered in Maine,” another officer said. “Why?”
“Yeah, what are you three going on about?” the chief asked.
“You have what might be a young or small werewolf roaming around these woods. The boys were not fed on, correct?” Caeco asked.
“According to the coroner, no,” Chief Kent said. “But people were on the scene fast. The surviving boy found a middle-aged couple in the parking area and they were first on the scene, mere minutes after the attack. No time to feed.”
“A werewolf that wanted to eat those boys would have just picked one of them up and ran off with the body,” Jetta said.
“What are you really trying to say? You all keep hinting but you’re not saying it,” Kent said.
“We think there’s a werewolf and there’s a killer, but we are not at all certain that they are the same,” Caeco said. “We’ll know more after we talk to all the witnesses, including the two adults that were first on the scene.”
“That’s crazy!” the detective, Treviano, said. “Chief, this is nuts!”
“He’s got a point,” Kent said. “No human is strong enough to tear apart a boy’s face with one blow.”
“Not with their bare hand, but with a weapon, it would be easy to generate enough force,” Mack said. “Omega, how much force is generated by a baseball bat?”
“Generally, six thousand to eight thousand pounds of force for a professional baseball athlete,” was the answer from the detective’s vest-mounted radio.
“Rig some kind of claw weapon and it’d look a lot like those photos,” Mack said.
“Correct, Mack. Enhanced review of one of the coroner’s photographs indicates evidence of what might be metallic particulate matter. In addition, the lacerations indicate a very sharp edge. Werewolf claws tend to tear more than slash.”
“We’re good here, Chief. Let’s head back,” Caeco said.
The police chief looked at his people, particularly his detective, who was scratching his head. “All right let’s head back. Terry, take point. Kit, you got the six o’clock.”
Less than ten minutes later, they were back at the church parking lot, where a police SUV stood guard. The two officers inside got out and approached the team as the officers cleared their weapons.
“Whatcha packing in that, Benelli?” Mack asked one of the guys in SWAT gear who’d escorted them.
“Hornady Full Moon slugs,” the guy said.
“Excellent. Twelve gauge is always a good choice,” Mack said before turning to a cop with a short AR-15. “It takes a whole bunch of five-point-five-six rounds to stop a were.”
“Which is why we have select-fire weapons,” the cop said.
“Outstanding,” Mack said with a smile before following his sister and Caeco to their own vehicle.
“We’ll review the file and information, then get an early start in the morning,” Caeco told the chief over her shoulder before climbing into the driver’s seat.
“I think they have their doubts about us,” Jetta said as they pulled away.
“Oh, that detective is giving his boss an earful right now,” Caeco said. “Let’s get to the hotel, eat something, and get to work.”
Early the next morning, Chief Kent dialed the cell number of the ultra-young FBI agent to see when she would be showing up.
“Good morning, Chief.”
“Where are you? When can I expect you?”
“We’re on the Land Trust trail that goes to Great Pond. We’re on our way out now. Be there in about fifteen minutes.”
Twelve minutes later, he got a buzz from Larry that he was letting the three investigators into the station. Thirty seconds later, they were in his office.
“You have a ton of places for a werewolf to hide around here,” Mack said. “I feel better after seeing all these woods.”
“I’m so glad our nature trails were able to soothe you,” Kent said.
“Easy, Chief,” Caeco said. “We spent all night worried about a hungry werewolf who can’t find enough to eat. The green space in this town and the amount of food available means she probably won’t be killing anyone soon.”
“We read all your police blotters for the last six months and found a significant uptick in missing pets, reports of coyotes bothering livestock on the farms around here, and several complaints about big dogs chasing deer,” Jetta said with a smile.
“If there is a werewolf, wouldn’t he or she just turn back into a human and eat regular food?” the chief asked.
“It’s not uncommon for a werewolf going through their first Change to get kind of stuck. It usually takes an Alpha to help them change back, especially if the wolf gets scared,” Mack said.
“We interviewed the missing girl’s parents about an hour ago,” Caeco said. “She got bit in Iceland. They thought it was a stray dog. But Iceland has a pretty good-sized pack of werewolves and it’s very possible a young one nipped her.”
“You already interviewed Vilhelm? And you scouted the Great Pond?” Kent asked. “What time did you start?”
“Four a.m.,” Caeco said. “Wolves are crepuscular. Dawn is a great time to catch them out.”
“So you think Kristin Vilhelmsdottir was bit by a werewolf in Iceland, Changed during the full moon last month, and hasn’t been able to change back?”
“That’s our working theory. And someone else killed those boys,” Jetta said.
Chief Kent looked at them for a moment. “I spoke to
