The Canavar

Chapter 8: Mason

Chapter 8: Mason

"Slow down, knucklehead," Alex said from the back seat of Mason's car. "There's a pig pulling out."

"Yeah, I see 'em. Corby, our local chief of swine." Mason had already spotted the police car and had slowed below the speed limit. He wasn't yet totally wasted, but he had already downed enough bottles to know he didn't want to get pulled over.

The cop car headed back toward Hell's Center though. And Mason slowed and turned down the gravel road the cop car had just exited. He figured Corbin wasn't likely to be back for a while, having just left the island. As Mason drove down toward the long narrow land bridge that connected the island to rest of Iowa, a pick-up truck appeared on the other end. Mason pulled his car over onto the shoulder and put it in park. There wasn't room for two vehicles to cross the land strip at the same time, so he waited. His girlfriend, Mia, passed a joint over to him, and he took a deep drag on it.

He lowered the joint down to his knees as the truck passed, and he waved at the other driver with his free hand while wearing a stupid grin on his face. After the truck passed, he exhaled the smoke burning in his lungs and passed the joint to Alex. Putting the car back in gear, he sped across the narrow land bridge.

"Let's keep it on the road," Mia said. "I don't want to have to swim in that dirty water."

Mason didn't like being told what to do, so he took it as a challenge. He nudged the steering wheel a little until the right-side tires rode on the very edge of the path. Any farther, and the wheels would slip off the edge.

"Cut that baloney out," Mia shouted. "Get back on the freakin' road, Mason."

"Knock it off, man," Sophie shouted from behind Mia. Sophie was Alex's girl.

Mason wasn't that wasted though. He steered back to the middle of the road as he laughed at the unease of the young ladies.

"You're such a jerk sometimes," Sophie said. Sophie didn't know it yet, but she would later come to think that it would have been better if Mason had been a bit more wasted and had landed them in the swamp.

Mason drove through the wooded area and past the first picnic table. A truck was parked there, and he didn't want some old fisherman bothering them. The north end seemed to be a better bet. There was a beach up there. As he approached the old ruins though, he spotted all the yellow tape surrounding the site.

"What the frack ..." he muttered. He pulled his old Impala over and turned off the ignition.

"Think this a good idea, bro?" Alex asked.

"Relax, man," Mason replied. "Corby just left. He won't be back for a while. What do you suppose this is all about?" He waved a hand at the tape.

"Don't know," Alex said. "And don't freakin' care."

Mason reached back into a pocket for a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and lit it as he stared at the ruins. He always enjoyed a good smoke after toking on a joint. He stared ahead as he tossed the empty butane lighter out the open window.

"Let's get outta here," Mia begged.

Mason ignored her. "What do you suppose that freakin' cop's trying to hide with this tape?"

"Hide?" Sophie laughed. "He probably found a dead body in there."

"I don't think so." Mason took a drag on his cigarette and blew the blue smoke in Sophie's direction. "You'd think he wouldn't have taped it up unless it was like somebody was murdered. But if that had happened, there would be all kinds of fuzz down here. Nah, I think he's trying to hide something." He popped open his door and hopped out.