Riverwatch

Chapter Thirty-five: Aftermath

"And I cannot say enough about the bravery and professionalism that these men exhibited in the face of danger. They were a testament to themselves, this town, and this country."

The news clip jumped from Sheriff’s Wilson’s eulogy to the long procession of fellow officers that had come to pledge their support to the families of Deputies Jones and Bannerman. The line of blue and tan uniforms stretched down the street, unquestionably the largest gathering of officers Harrington Falls had ever hosted. The 2 fallen brothers-in-arms were being recognized as heroes and the town wanted everyone to know they understood and appreciated the sacrifice that these men had made.

"As you know, these brave officers were slain on duty while trying to apprehend a murder suspect in Harrington Falls, a small town just north of Montepelier. Two days after their deaths, a confrontation occurred between the alleged killer and Sheriff Damon Wilson, who we just saw delivering the eulogy for these fine men. That confrontation ended in the death of the suspect and the accidental fire that razed the town’s oldest estate, Riverwatch, to the ground. Back to you, Steve."

Jake used the remote to turn off the television set. All the networks were carrying the funeral. The news channels had been covering the events that had occurred that night at Riverwatch. Knowing everything the reporters said about that night was false made it a lot less interesting, Jake realized. He shifted in his hospital bed, trying to find a comfortable position. He had been doing this repeatedly for the last three days, since being admitted. Having his leg in traction made getting comfortable difficult. He was fiddling with the straps around his leg when he saw a figure standing in the doorway.

"It’s too bad we just can’t tell them what really happened," Damon said, removing his Sheriff’s hat and entering the room. He closed the door, giving them some privacy.

"They’d never believe us anyway," Jake replied. "I suspect it was hard enough convincing you."

"How’s the leg?"

"Okay, I guess. They say I’ve got months of physical therapy before I can even think about walking, but they did say I’d walk again, so it can’t be all that bad."

Damon took a seat in one of the plastic chairs next to the bed. "What you did was crazy, you know."

Jake shrugged. "I felt responsible, in a way. It was a member of my crew that released that thing into the world. If I had the slightest bit of common sense I’d have sealed that damn tunnel up right after discovering it and would have saved everyone a lot of grief." He met Damon’s frank, appraising stare with one of his own. "What would you have done in my place?" he asked.

"Probably the same thing," Damon said with a grin. "I just wanted you to know the official opinion before I gave my personal one."

Jake inclined his head at the television. "Think they’ll buy it?"

Damon understood right away that Jake was referring to the press and, by extension, the public. "We’ve gone through the worst of the scrutiny. The ‘suspect’ I created is strong enough to hold up. We’ll see some problems when they don’t find any remains a few weeks from now when they sift through what’s left of Riverwatch, but I’ll figure something else out by then. We’ll get through it."

"Thanks for getting me out of there that night. I wouldn’t have made it without you," Jake told the Sheriff.

"The thanks really belong to your two friends. They were pretty convincing."

At that moment the door to Jake’s room opened and Katelynn came in. She kissed Jake on the forehead, said hello to Damon, and took a seat on the end of the bed.

"You’re not wearing your necklace any longer," Damon noted.

"Never will either." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wrapped package. "I’m not quit sure what to do with it, though. It seems wrong to just throw it away."

"I’ll take it," said Jake. "It’ll make a nice reminder of what we went through."

"What do you think it really is?" Damon asked, referring to the stone’s unique properties.

"I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about that for the last few days, ever since Katelynn told me what happened that night in the car. My best guess is that Sebastian Blake created it so that he could communicate with the Nightshade in a closer fashion."

"Speaking of the Blake’s, any word on Hudson?" Katelynn asked the Sheriff.

"Nothing," replied the Sheriff. "Officially, we are listing him as missing, but I think that creature got him at the same time it killed his butler. It seems unlikely that he escaped. We’re still looking though."

They talked for a bit, until it was time for Jake’s next dose of painkillers. Knowing they put him out like a light, Damon and Katelynn said their goodbyes when the nurse came, leaving Jake in her care.

He awoke later that afternoon. His room was empty, but a long white cardboard box rested atop the nightstand, wrapped with a blue ribbon. Reaching over, Jake picked it up and set it on the bed beside him. On the outside there was no card; no indication of who sent it or what it contained. Untying the ribbon, he opened the box.

Inside was a cane, carved from mahogany and with a silver handle in the shape of a wizard’s head. A note lay in the bottom of the box, tucked beneath the gift.

"Jake," it read. "Thought you might need this in the weeks ahead. Sorry I wasn’t there sooner." It was signed, Sam.

The note was short but explained a lot. Jake hadn’t seen Sam, except for one quick visit, the entire time he had been in the hospital. It was obvious from the note that Sam was feeling guilty about not accompanying him back to Riverwatch.

While Jake hated the thought that he was going to need a cane, he knew that he would have to get used to the idea if he intended to walk anytime soon. "Thanks, Sam." He said aloud to the empty room, wishing his friend were there.

Downstream from Riverwatch in a small canyon formed by the twists and turns of the river as it flowed down the mountain, something crawled from the depths of the river. It dragged itself into the darkness of the dense undergrowth and slowly began to heal.