Red Tide: The Flavel House Horror / Vampires of the Morgue (The Ian McDermott, Ph.D., Paranormal Investigator Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

cover was thick yet mostly light gray. There was very little wind, not much more than a breeze, but Ian noticed it was blowing from the south where there were some dark clouds beginning to form.
    Ian guessed the darkening sky to be maybe thirty to fifty miles or so south of his position, across the Columbia over in Oregon. He glanced once again at the sky first through his windshield, then leaned to look further south out the passenger side window. His head nearly touched Scout’s, who leaned towards Ian and lightly licked his right cheek.
    “Ah, thanks boy. I like … I love you too.” Ian glanced at his four-legged best friend and smiled. “Scout, this is what’s commonly referred to as the calm before the storm, and you can bank on that.” Ian nodded his head slightly up and down in agreement with himself. He meant what he said, both actually and metaphorically; he was familiar with coastal climate, having recently lived for a time in Winchester Bay on the Oregon coast. Ian was growing more nervous by the minute about what was coming next. His nervousness had little if anything to do with the weather.

CHAPTER 2
    Introduction
     
     
    As Ian and Scout drove through downtown Astoria, Ian decided that it would be best if he went to the Astoria Police Department. Maybe if I speak directly to someone about the recent string of apparent totally exsanguinated victims, victims of obvious foul play, and ease into their thoughts a connection to that guy, Salizzar, and his club for weirdos … If I can get any cooperation from the police at all, that would be a good place to start. Ian figured it would be best for him to find out quickly if the police were going to take kindly or otherwise to his nosing around about it.
    “Scout, I sure hope Charlie called ahead and spoke to the cops about me like he said he would.” Scout paid little attention to Ian’s last words. He was busy looking out the passenger-side window at all the strange curiosities that new sights and sounds offered.
    “Well, there it is, Scout. We’re here. The police station.” Ian took a deep gasp of air in a near-futile attempt to help alleviate some of his apprehension. Then he pulled his Jeep over to the curb and parked on the opposite side of the street from the police station.
    “You stay here and be a good boy. I shouldn’t be long. I figure I’ll find out soon enough if they’re gonna roll out the red carpet for us or, more likely, try to run us out of town on a rail. Ha.” Ian let out a half-laugh, a sudden outburst of nervous tension.
    Ian crossed in the middle of the street. Any remote possibility of getting ticketed for jay-walking right in front of the police department never crossed his mind.
    As he stood at the front double-glass door of the station, Ian took another deep breath, then exhaled slowly as he proceeded through the doors. Once inside, he noticed immediately that the place appeared much larger and busier on the inside than it did from the outside. Ian thought to himself, this community’s really not all that small. And look. Halloween decorations.
    Within moments of standing just inside the entranceway, Ian was greeted by a female officer-receptionist. He was instructed to remove his keys, wallet, and belt, and stow them in a tray the officer handed him. Ian was then told that he could leave his shoes on and that the x-ray archway that had to be passed through wasn’t set to be super-sensitive. Ian graciously complied, then, when instructed by the officer, stepped through the small x-ray arch. Once through, he was promptly handed back his personal belongings and quickly put them all back where they belonged.
    Ian then stepped up to the information desk to another officer “Hi … uh …”
    The female information officer cut him off. “Sir, please sign in here, then state your business.” The officer flashed Ian a slight smirk as she tapped on the desk right next to the clipboard that was holding a sign-in sheet.
    “Oh,