Spooky Ohio by S. E. Schlosser

Author:S. E. Schlosser
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Globe Pequot
Published: 2020-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

15

The Contract

DEFIANCE

Jean-Claude Dubois did not like Sherman, the fussy little businessman who sat across the table from him at the best eating establishment in this backwater town. The owners had gussied up their table, but fancy packaging could not disguise overdone meat and overcooked vegetables and a rather peculiar-tasting sauce.

Jean-Claude listened with distaste to the overstuffed little man who obviously thought the world of himself and not much of anyone else. He had not intended to accept a contract during his visit to the United States. The purpose of this trip was to acquaint the family with his new role, for his father was retiring and Jean-Claude would take his place as head of a far-flung and internationally important family.

There were only a dozen family members living in this part of Ohio. It was a small branch of the family and they had long ago married away from the Dubois name. But Jean-Claude would visit every branch of the family during this obligatory tour. After all, it wasn’t the name that mattered, it was the heritage. All of the cousins living in Defiance were loups-garous—werewolves—and that made them part of Jean-Claude’s clan. Come Christmastime, he was their new head and he inherited their problems. And those problems were sore indeed.

His cousin Charles, a prosperous farmer who grew a heavy beard to disguise the lupine nature of his face, had asked Jean-Claude for a favor the previous night. It seemed this fussy Sherman man had somehow figured out that Charles and his relations were werewolves. Sherman had not done anything with this information so far, but it made the family uneasy that a prominent citizen of dubious intention knew their secret. Furthermore, the man had done some research and had learned that one of the family businesses was assassination, which was why they were here this evening.

Until his father’s decision to retire, Jean-Claude had traveled extensively in his role as the family’s chief assassin. Such was his skill and so unusual his gifts that the general population had never discovered this side of the suave Canadian. After all, most people did not believe in werewolves, and the authorities could never get a legal conviction in a case involving assassination by werewolf. It was the perfect setup.

Jean-Claude listened with the patience of one whose lifespan rivaled infinity as the man continued his roundabout story. Sherman was so stuck on himself that he believed he had the divine right to have whatever he wished. Which—when you cut to the chase—was his brother’s half of the family fortune. This fortune currently lay in the hands of his brother’s daughter, the last living relative in her branch of the family. This last fact caught Jean-Claude’s attention. How many family members had this fussy man killed in his quest for money and power? He would have to ask Charles.

Sherman was still droning on when the dinner plates were cleared, so Jean-Claude distastefully ate the watery pudding that was served to him. At last, the fussy little

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