Page 44 of Long Pig
Butch went into town for a few supplies, and heard the buzz about the bones found on Willow’s property. They had discovered Christopher Lanston. Butch should have dug him up and relocated him to the burial ground he’d established when it became evident he needed someplace to hide the bodies, and where he could visit when he was lonely.
He’d forgotten about Chris, and now his bones were in law enforcement hands. If he killed the deputy, the girl might be available. He’d gone all these years without interference, and now one of his secrets had come to light.
The disposal of bodies had been something else he learned through trial and error. Even after stripping the meat, there was too much carcass left. His father had a service that picked up the remains, but that wasn’t possible for Butch. He’d buried his early kills on BLM land, or so he thought. Chris’s bones were on Willow’s land. Heavy rain must have softened the hard ground to the point the bones shifted down the gulch.
His process for carrying the remains was solid. He dismembered, wrapped them in plastic, then froze the bones until he was ready to move them. He could easily carry them in his backpack this way.
He did not keep trophies. He wasn’t a serial killer; he was a connoisseur of fine cuisine. The world was becoming a dangerous place, and his meticulous records would someday save lives. Butch never consumed the brains or any part of the central nervous system. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, better known as Mad Cow Disease, was discovered in his formative years. His father paid close attention, and when he was gone, Butch continued to monitor the scientific data. The disease could show itself up to fifty years after consuming infected meat.
Then there was the Kuru epidemic that killed people in Papua New Guinea in the mid-twentieth century. Kuru meant "to tremble" or "to shiver," and like Spongiform Encephalopathy, it was fatal. Kuru was caused by prions, which are misfolded proteins that cause a progressive, fatal brain disease, and replicated Mad Cow Disease.
The Fore people of Papua New Guinea were cannibals, which Butch found fascinating. They practiced endocannibalism or funerary cannibalism by consuming the entire body of their dead family members. It was a mistake that cost lives.
The Fore people were among Butch’s favorite to study. He’d been disappointed to discover that many cases of cannibalism throughout the world were lies. If you convinced people that a group ate human meat, the area was far easier to colonize. The tactic worked, so why change it.
Cannibalism was as old as time. Butch took on the role as savior for a select group of people who would see what he did as their salvation. The people who lived on the ranch might think like him if it came to life and death. For now, he was his own test subject. His findings would eventually be hailed as visionary.
He woke from a dream one night with an image of Willow. That’s when his thoughts shifted. He wasn’t sure whyshe attracted his attention, or why he didn’t want to kill her. The deputy, yes, but something about Willow pulled at him.
He decided to wait and watch.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Watching Eyes and Covered Tracks
Willow
Bad dreams haunted Willow’s nights. Some were worse than others and crossed into nightmare territory.
“Anything you want to talk about?” Dale asked.
Even after a cup of coffee, she couldn’t shake last night’s dream. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Yes.” The tiredness was also causing melancholy, and she needed to talk about it even though she didn’t want to.
“I’ve been having more than the usual amount of nightmares.” She didn’t say anything more.
“Since the episode in the barn?”
She chuckled slightly. “You say episode, I say complete freakout, but yes, since then. The dreams don’t make sense. It’s boots walking across the tiled corridors of the prison. I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart is racing, and I can’t get back to sleep.”
Dale didn’t say anything and seemed to be waiting for her to continue.
“I know you’re not a therapist, but you’re all I have.” Her expression held desperation, and she decided to get everything out in the open. “I also feel like someone is watching me.”
Dale sat up straighter. “When did this start?”
“A couple of months ago. It’s not all the time.”
“Do you watch for shoe prints when you hike?”
“Yes. I’ve done that since Lance Hogg. When it happens, Max looks that way,” she pointed behind them. “He doesn’t seem too concerned, but something definitely catches his attention.”
Dale studied the area she’d pointed to. “The road up there has places where someone could watch and go unobserved.”
“Thanks,” she gave a sardonic smile. “I feel better.”
“I want us both to feel better. Let’s go take a look.”
Her smile turned genuine. “I should have mentioned it before.” She gave a long sigh. Why hadn’t she hiked to the ridge and checked out the road? “I’m ready whenever you are.”