Welcome to FROST HARROW, my new modern (1990s) gothic horror series! If you’d like to support this and my other work, go to www.CushingHorrors.com and become my patron! You may also enjoy the Scribe Award-Winning MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE – In print, for kindle, and for all e-book formats. And check out my retro-horror-comedy classic CANOE COPS VS. THE MUMMY as well as my other books. Now… On with the show!
THIRTY-NINE – THE OFFICIAL VERSION
Richard Ali Christopher sat at his desk in the Frosthaven police station and filled out the accident report. It didn’t make much sense to him, but then he’d grown accustomed to that when dealing with the Frosts.
As near as he could piece together, the rain and darkness and the lightning had combined to cause some kind of freak accident involving his “friend” Grant and the two women.
Apparently, Ivy had wandered out of Cassie’s house, delirious with fever. Cassie had gone after her friend without bothering to put any clothes on, other than a raincoat. Somewhere in her delirium, Ivy lost her nightgown. She was wearing Grant’s shirt by the time the cop arrived on the scene. Grant was bare chested.
How Grant’s car ended up on the wrong end of a snapped telephone pole, Rick wasn’t quite sure. The amazing thing was, Grant hadn’t even been scratched in the wreck.
Rick rubbed the bruise on his chin. Too bad.
As near as the cop could figure, Grant must have found the two girls wandering in the storm. Sometime right around then, lightning struck a nearby telephone pole—at least that was what the electric company told him.
Maybe the shock caused Grant to go off the road, or maybe he’d just had one too many beers.
Rick decided that he’d leave the beer out of the report. Nor did he mention how the Winslow heir had clouted him on the jaw and hidden his keys. If Grant hadn’t called the police station on his cell phone and insisted on being patched through to his “buddy,” officer Christopher might still have been looking for the damn things.
Being the first on the scene of the accident because of that same call didn’t win Grant many brownie points with Rick. After all, it wasn’t like the policeman could get a good collar by taking his friend in. About all he got was enough of a jump on the local media to keep the mess under control.
Fortunately, neither woman had been badly hurt in the accident—though the young Miss Frost had reinjured her broken arm.
Rick felt sure the additional hospital costs wouldn’t be too much of a burden on her family.
Serves her right, thought Rick. She’s lucky she didn’t get killed—or worse—wandering out there naked in the rain.
He shook his head and said aloud to no one in particular, “All those Frosts are crazy.”
He looked at the accident report in his hands. The chief would never buy it.
“Damn,” he said. “They’re making me crazy, too.”
He tossed the report into the waste basket and decided to start again.
After I finish this, he thought, maybe I can get some sleep.
THE END
NEXT: AUTHOR’S NOTES…
Read my FREE Frost Harrow Halloween stories:
“The Weeping Ghost” (2012), “A Trace of Violet” (2013), “Lunchroom Zombies” (2014), “Omens & Visitations” (2015), “Fata Morgana” (2016), “At the Appointed Hour” (2017), and “Devil’s Lake” (2018).
SPECIAL THANKS
To My Credit Creature & Beyond Patrons!
These people have gone above and beyond in their longstanding support of my Patreon (www.PaySteve.com) and the Frost Harrow project.
Thanks so much!
Adam Thornton
David Lars Chamberlain
Gerald Troy Guinn
Heath Farnden
John Appel
Laura Murin
Patrick Clark
Paul Curtis
Steve Rouse
Tim Cahoon
