Chapter 5: The Matriarch
a/n: As always, a big thank you to my beta chiroho.
Chapter 5: The Matriarch
Take a walk to the edge of town
Where the viaduct looms,
Like a bird of doom
As it shifts and cracks.
Where secrets lie in the border fires,
In the humming wires.
-Nick Cave the Bad Seeds, "Red Right Hand
"Yeah, I seen ol' Skunky. Smelly ass sumbitch - pardon the language, ma'am."
Prentiss' smile was more like a grimace. "I've heard it all before."
It was bright and early the next morning (Prentiss had admitted, grudgingly, that the sun looked kind of pretty coming up over the mountains), and the detectives were interviewing residents about some of the legends Hotchner had mentioned the evening before. Their current subject, Homer - like the poet, not the Simpson - Miller, was regaling them with tales of the local wild man of the woods, the skunk ape.
"I think he was more scared of us, though," he continued. "We was up in a high hide, but I swear on my grave he knew we was there. Looked straight at us, then turned tail and skeedaddled."
"What were you hunting?" Morgan asked. "Deer?"
"Naw. Skunky ain't usually around durin' deer season; he got more sense than that. We was out after some cougars been hasslin' folk."
"So you're saying this, um, Skunky, as you call him-"
"Well it ain't like he never stopped to introduce hisself. We just call him that made-up like."
"Right. But you're saying this creature is intelligent?"
Homer shrugged. "Seems to be. I ain't never had no chat with him, but he sure does know how to keep hisself scarce."
"You said you talked to Dr. Rossi before he took his team into the woods," Morgan said.
"Yep, sure did. That man had city writ all over him. Kinda like y'all, pardon me sayin'."
"I take it as a compliment," Prentiss said.
"Did he ask you about the skunk ape? Is that what he was looking for out there?" Morgan said, ignoring her.
"Naw, least I don't think so. We talked about ol' Skunky, but he asked about a bunch other stuff, too. He knew all about the ghosts down in the Gap."
"The Gap? You mean, uh, Walter's Gap?" Prentiss said.
"I mean Cumberland Gap, 'bout five miles south a-here. You got everythin' down there: ghosts, aliens, skunk ape, Melungeons."
"Me-what-ons?"
"Melungeons. They live up in the hills, real secret like. No one knows where they came from. Some people say they's part Cherokee, or maybe part Turk. Some people say they's Spanish, or even African." His weathered face split in a grin. "My momma was part Melungeon, so they're my people, too."
Prentiss got him to spell the word, and she wrote it down in her notebook, promising herself she'd Google it later.
"Did Dr. Rossi mention anything specific he and his team were studying?"
His eyes squinted as he thought it over. "Welp, I can't say as he told me much anything. You should go talk to Troy Meechum, him as owns the hardware store." He jerked his thumb toward the other end of Main Street. "They woulda stopped in there before a-headin' out."
"We'll do that. Thanks for your time, Mr. Miller." Morgan offered his hand, and the old man shook it.
"You kids better be careful in them woods. They ain't safe for city folk. There's worse things than Skunky out there."
"We'll keep that in mind, sir," Morgan assured him.
He gave them another long, squint-eyed look before jerking his head in a quick nod and continuing on his way.
Prentiss let out a low whistle. "We hit the jackpot this time, Morgan. Is crazy in the water around here?"
He shot her an irritated glance. "I wouldn't be so quick to judge, Prentiss. These guys are seasoned hunters. He's been exploring these woods his entire life, and he knows the wildlife; if there's something that didn't fit, he would recognize it."
She held up her hands in surrender. "Ok, I get it. He's a mountain man, and mountain men know their mountains." She glanced restlessly up and down the street. It was still early, and most of the shops were closed. The town was peaceful and quiet; it made her twitchy. "Have you heard of this Cumberland Gap place?"
"Yeah, a little. When I Googled Rossi, there was a lot of stuff about Cumberland Gap. It's pretty much the hotbed for local folklore. It's not a town, like Walter's Gap - it's a, ya know, geographical feature. I don't know if Walter has his own Gap, or if he just shares one."
Her mouth twisted in a brief smile. "Too bad we can't ask Walter."
"Damn shame. I guess we'll just have to settle for Troy Meechum, hardware entrepreneur."
"Lead on, partner mine."
"I'm here to see Chief Hotchner."
The morning desk sergeant swallowed nervously and nodded in a swift, whip-like motion. "Yes'm, Miz Walters. I'll just call him up-"
"No, no, I'll go back. I know the way."
"Well, actually, that ain't-"
"Thank you, Sergeant Todd. Tell your dear mother I said hello. Good day." With that, the little old lady was blazing a path across the station to Hotchner's office. Todd didn't even have time to call ahead and warn his boss before she knocked on his door.
Hotch glanced up at the knock and called for the visitor to enter. A moment later he was blinking in surprise at the sight of Rosalie Walters, the town's matriarch, filling his doorway with her bird-like frame. She was tiny, not even five feet, but what she lacked in size she made up for in gravitas. Even Hotch got the sweats around her. He rose to his feet and hurried around the desk to offer his greetings. "Mrs. Walters, what a surprise. If you'd told me you were stopping by-"
"Nonsense, young man, I haven't time to phone ahead all over town. Sit down, sit down, I hate it when people fuss. I'm old, not feeble."
"Of course not, ma'am. Please, have a seat. What can I do for you today?"
She settled herself in one of Hotch's chairs, and he returned to his spot behind the desk. Her eyes captured him in a long, penetrating stare, and he fought the urge to squirm. She always made him feel like a misbehaving schoolboy; he couldn't really fathom how she managed it. "Chief Hotchner, something rather bothersome has come to my attention."
He searched his mental database, but he couldn't place anything that might be disturbing her. Her grandson had been behaving of late; her son had moved from the Gap nearly a year ago. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Perhaps I can help."
Her smile was thin. "Perhaps you can. It is why I hired you, after all."
Dark brows drew together, and olive eyes narrowed a fraction. "Excuse me, Mrs. Walters, but I believe the town council hired me."
She waved a dismissive hand. "I am the town council, young man. If I hadn't wanted you for our Chief of Police, you would still be in Boston right now."
He digested this in silence, and she watched him like a miniature hawk as he did so. This time her smile was more predatory. "I see we understand one another," she said. "I brought you here to enforce order. I like Walter's Gap the way it is, and it's your job to maintain the status quo. Now, tell me about these detectives from Chicago."
As much as this tiny woman intimidated him, Hotch refused to be bullied. He'd never been one to jump through bureaucratic hoops, and he wasn't about to start now - no matter if the bureaucracy took the form of a little old lady in a giant hat. "Mrs. Walters, the detectives are nothing for you to worry about. They're in town to investigate last year's disappearance of David Rossi and his team of filmmakers."
"Yes, that's what concerns me. Nasty business, that. We don't need it stirred up again."
He folded his hands on the desk and offered her with a bland stare. "Wouldn't it be better to know what happened?"
"Why? It's over and done. It's been a year; surely we should move on. I'd like you to send the detectives back to Chicago. Walter's Gap is a nice town with a good reputation; we don't need people whispering about disappearances in our woods."
"I don't have any control over what they do. I've given them what little information I have, and if they want to stay in town to investigate further, that's their business. They aren't disturbing anyone."
"They're disturbing me!" she said, her composure cracking for the first time. She blinked several times before smoothing a hand over her wool skirt and letting out a small sigh. "Chief Hotchner, I know you like your life here. Your darling son is doing well, and you're both recovering after all that nasty business in Boston. I would hate for you to have to start over somewhere else just as little Jack is getting comfortable."
Hotch's brow furrowed further. "Are you threatening my job?"
She raised her hands in an elegant shrug. "I would never do something so low as threaten, young man. I'm merely illuminating the possibilities."
He smoothed his features; fixed an accommodating look onto his face. "I understand, Mrs. Walters. I'm sure I can point the detectives in the right direction."
Her smile was brilliant. "Of course you can, Chief Hotchner. Your discretion and dedication are two of the reasons I hired you." She rose. "I'll just see myself out. Thank you for your time."
"Of course, Mrs. Walters. My door's always open."
She smiled again before closing the door behind her.
Expensive perfume lingered in the wake of her departure. Hotch sat at his desk for a good fifteen minutes mulling the brief meeting over in his mind. Finally he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card; dialed the cell number written there and listened to the ringing.
"Morgan."
"Mr. Morgan, this is Chief Hotchner. I was wondering if you and your partner could spare some time for me today. I have some video footage you might be interested in."
"Rossi's footage?"
"Exactly. Shall we say eleven o'clock?" It was nine now, Hotch noted with a glance at his watch.
Hotch heard a short, muffled conversation before Morgan returned to the phone. "We'll be there."
"Thank you. Oh, and Morgan? Please don't tell anyone in town about the video."
"Any particular reason why not?"
He hesitated; a million and five reasons popped into his mind, and he discarded them all. "Small towns have ears," he finally decided. "I'd rather keep the footage between the three of us."
Hotch could sense his hesitation, but at last the other man relented. "No problem. We'll see you in two hours."
Stay tuned for chapter 6, and finally see what the much-discussed footage actually shows!
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