LeBoone woke to Butch’s sloppy tongue lapping his face. Aside from smudges of blood on the dog’s fur and paws, he looked none the worse for wear.

Clasping his head, LeBoone winced. “You were supposed to have my back, Butch. What the hell went wrong?”

Clambering to his feet, he saw his gun lying on a table on the far side of the room. He glanced again at the bodies suspended overhead, then stumbled out the door. Hurrying to his truck, he tossed Butch inside, grabbed his shotgun, and returned to the cabin. Moving from room to room, he didn’t stop until confident the place was secure. Afterwards he retired to the porch to sit on the steps, call Dell, and wait for him to arrive.

Dell stepped out of the cabin. “That’s a God-awful mess in there, Sheriff.”

“You’re telling me.”

“How’s come you didn’t call me right away? Might’ve saved you from getting your head bashed in.”

“I don’t know, Dell. I guess when a man gets woke at two in the morning he’s not always thinking clearly.”

“The biggest thing that’s happened in Hamelin since I come to work for you, and I didn’t get the chance to demonstrate my skills.”

“Give it time.”

“Any idea who the caller was?”

“Best I could tell it was a child, like a little girl.”

“A little girl?”

LeBoone nodded.

“Well, at least she called your cellphone. That means we can track her. You want me to get on that right away, Sheriff?”

“As soon as we’re back at the office.”

“Looks to me like that knot on your head ain’t done swelling.”

“Thanks for your concern, Dell. Why don’t you take a look around here while I finish up inside.”

“If you think the sight of blood bothers me it don’t. Hell, I used to help butcher hogs all the time when I was little.”

“I appreciate that, Dell, but the truth is the two of us go in there again we’re liable to contaminate the scene more than we already have.”

Minutes later, as daylight began to filter through the windows, LeBoone heard a sharp crack behind the cabin. “Dell?” No answer. He ran across the room, flung the back door open just in time to see a skiff disappearing in the fog. He ran to the edge of the swamp as the mist roiled before him. Raising his gun, he fired two shots in the air, then noticed the bodies floating in the shallows yards away. Dell’s figure was sprawled atop a man and woman’s bloated forms, both nude, their heads all but blown away. He knelt over Dell, pulled the deputy’s collar open and searched for a pulse. God, what have I done? Somewhere in the swamp he could hear a child laughing.