Chapter 385
"The person the creature wanted Officer Hobbes to guess," Frank said thoughtfully, "was probably someone very similar to him. That's why it said Hobbes reminded it of someone."
"And if that's true," Frank continued, "then that person was most likely also a police officer."
"If the riddle is referring to a sequence of names, then 'Lyons' and 'Spakowsky' are probably cops as well."
"There's nobody in the department with those names," Hobbes immediately replied.
He had been a police officer for years and knew everyone in the precinct. If those names belonged to someone in the department, he would have recognized them instantly.
"Maybe they aren't from your department," Sam said, following Frank's line of reasoning. "Or maybe they're people connected to law enforcement—detectives, investigators, something like that."
But no matter how much they discussed it, the information they had was still painfully insufficient.
From the notes and materials Eddie had left behind in the room, it was obvious that his investigation had only reached one conclusion so far:
The creature possessed the ability to inhabit other people.
According to Eddie's notes, his first assumption after taking the case had been the same as Dean's initial theory—that the executed serial killer had become a vengeful ghost after death.
That was why Eddie had burned the killer's corpse.
But after the body was destroyed, the murders not only continued—they escalated.
The bizarre pattern emerged in which each murderer became the next victim.
Using evidence gathered from the crime scenes, Eddie eventually concluded that the creature could possess people.
After reaching that point, he began investigating what kind of monster it actually was.
The walls of the motel room were covered in monster sketches, occult references, and handwritten notes—all related to creatures capable of possession.
But just as Eddie reached that stage of the investigation, he suddenly disappeared.
That was what had pushed Officer Hobbes to seek help.
Now Frank and the others had two objectives:
Find the missing Eddie.
And stop whatever this creature was.
After discussing the case deep into the night, the group finally decided to rest and continue investigating the next day.
They planned to personally visit each crime scene, because some things simply couldn't be understood from case files alone.
"Well, I should head home," Officer Hobbes said as he stood.
"Wait," Dean stopped him. "You'd better stay with us."
"Hm?" Hobbes looked confused.
"You're this creature's target," Dean explained seriously. "You're not safe right now. That thing could come after you at any moment."
"If you stay with us, we can protect you."
Hobbes hesitated.
"Do you have family at home?" Frank asked.
"My younger brother and my nephew are staying with me," Hobbes replied.
His brother had gone through a divorce and was raising a child alone. Since he had nowhere else to go, the two of them were temporarily living at Hobbes' house.
"You should get them out of the city," Frank warned. "At least until this thing is dealt with."
"If the creature has targeted you, your family could be in danger too."
Hobbes' expression immediately darkened as the seriousness of the situation finally sank in.
"I understand," he nodded heavily. "I'll arrange for them to leave tomorrow."
After Hobbes returned home, the others talked a little longer before finally turning in for the night.
Frank had spent the entire day on airplanes.
Dean and Sam had been driving nonstop for hours as well.
All of them were utterly exhausted.
Early the next morning, Officer Hobbes arranged for his family to leave the city and stay somewhere safe.
Meanwhile, Frank accompanied Dean and Sam to one of the crime scenes to continue the investigation.
Under normal circumstances, a murder scene—especially an active homicide scene—was strictly off-limits to civilians. It wasn't some tourist attraction people could casually wander into.
But Dean and Sam had their own methods.
The brothers possessed an assortment of fake identities and forged credentials, including FBI badges that allowed them to pose as federal agents.
And the trick worked almost every time.
Most police officers wouldn't question FBI agents too closely, especially if they claimed to be investigating a case and there was no money or political interest involved.
As long as you dressed professionally, wore a decent suit, didn't act nervous or suspicious, and carried yourself with confidence—maybe even a little arrogance—flashing an FBI badge was usually enough to get people to back off.
Even if someone had doubts, a local cop generally wouldn't press the issue. The FBI had a reputation people didn't want to mess with, and most officers preferred avoiding unnecessary trouble.
This time, they also had Officer Hobbes backing them up, making things even smoother.
The group entered the crime scene without any problems.
Since the creature killed using poison, all of the victims had been found naked in bathtubs. As a result, the murder scenes weren't especially bloody or gruesome.
After getting rid of the other officers, Dean pulled a small device from his coat pocket.
It was roughly palm-sized and looked crudely assembled, like a homemade detector.
"What's that?" Frank asked curiously.
"Hm? Oh, this?" Dean grinned faintly. "An EMF meter. It measures electromagnetic fluctuations. Handmade."
Through years of experience—and a fair amount of experimentation—hunters had discovered that incorporeal creatures often caused disturbances in electromagnetic fields whenever they appeared.
An EMF meter could detect the lingering traces such entities left behind.
Dean slowly swept the device around the room.
Immediately, all the indicator lights lit up, and the machine emitted a sharp, high-pitched whine.
That confirmed it.
The creature involved in these murders was definitely non-corporeal.
While Frank and the others searched the crime scene for clues, Officer Hobbes returned to the station after settling his family somewhere safe.
"Do any of you know a cop named 'Lyons' or 'Spakowsky'?" Hobbes asked his coworkers one by one. "Maybe a detective or investigator?"
To his surprise, someone actually answered.
"I knew a guy named Spakowsky," an older officer said. "Yeah, he was a cop."
"Really?" Hobbes' eyes widened with excitement.
"That guy was a complete bastard," the old officer snorted, "but he was also a genius. His name used to be engraved on the wall."
"Engraved on the wall?" Hobbes looked puzzled. "Why don't I know anything about that?"
"You're too young," the veteran officer replied. "This was a long time ago."
"Back in the thirties, the department started a program to boost morale. Outstanding officers—especially talented detectives—would have their names carved into a commemorative wall as a form of recognition."
"But the whole thing eventually turned into a joke."
"A lot of those so-called exemplary officers later ended up in prison themselves."
"So the wall became an embarrassment for the department, and the program was quietly scrapped."
The old cop clearly knew plenty of things Hobbes had never even heard about.
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