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Where We Left Off:
The detective agency had to do extensive research to conclude whether we discovered a Viking or a Greek piece of evidence.
Mistaken Identity:
This case file relies heavily on security footage. Fortunately, the creature appeared in broad daylight. Unfortunately, what we saw on the footage caused all of great concern.
Ollie, Gus, and I took our adventure and had returned home by 1:00 PM. All of us were ready to eat lunch. The critters enjoyed their daily buffet at the regular snack bars around the property. I was dehydrated and very much looking forward to sustenance. Gus finished eating before I had even taken a single bite of my zucchini sandwich. Ollie took his time. He still finished before me. I heard him in one of the litterboxes while I deciding what to watch on TV as my photos of the day downloaded.
Soon, Oliver silently entered my bedroom like a ninja. I don’t think he would ever break the rice paper despite his weight1. I never know he’s there until he yells or if Gus suddenly perks up to watch him. Most often, Gus jumps off the bed in order to harass his cousin.
Alerts started going off on all the devices. It wasn’t a weather warning (thankfully). It was one of the cameras outside sending us notifications that someone was present.
“It figures,” I huffed. “Creatures always come out as soon as we get inside and settled down.”
“I wonder what we’re missing,” Gus said.
Ollie sat up on his hind end and issued a command. “Open the surveillance! Let’s see who’s here!”
We were in shock. I looped the video several times. I pinched and zoomed the screen to get a better look.
“Let’s move to the computer. This little screen is making things too hard to see,” I said.
I ran the controls as Gus and Oliver perched on the furniture. Play, rewind, play, rewind.
“Interesting,” Oliver said, “the time stamp on this footage isn’t from just now. Look!” He lifted his chin to point to the screen. The footage was from hours earlier—around 05:00 AM. Magick can cause the electronics and WiFi to glitch. That had to be what happened.
“That’s obviously a devil-deer,” Gus said. “Male. I saw antlers.”
I quickly ran our video through our Magings Enhancement Software System2 (MESS) to confirm what Gus saw. The system scoured through records and found a match!
Creature of Interest
- Species: Jersey Devil-Deer hybrid
- Name/Alias/Street Name: Hanuel
- Residence: Columcille Megalith Park in Bangor, Pennsylvania
- Reproduction Status: fertile male (buck)
“Well, well, well.” Gus squinted his eyes as he took a step onto the arm of my chair. “You are a long way from home, Sir.”
I looked on the right side of the split screen. Even though the enormous velvety wings were only visible in MESS, there was something on that creature visible to my mere human naked eyes. I pointed to the screen and both boys leaned forward. “What the heck is that? You guys see it too, right?”
“Of course we do.” Oliver often spoke as if my inferior intellect was too bothersome for him. I knew he actually liked to have company, but he really wasn’t fond of human voices.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Gus and Oliver were acting like this wasn’t an unexpected discovery! I startled both of them when I blurted out, “HAS THAT BUCK BEEN STAKED LIKE A VAMPIRE?”
The cats jumped to the floor and both of them looked over their shoulders at me as they faced the exit.
“Criminy, woman. Was that necessary?” Gus said.
I raised my eyebrows and looked down my nose at them. “Clearly, it was. Neither of you were addressing it. That animal has been impaled by something. We’ve never found anything like it before. This is huge!”
We had some basic information on the creature known as Hanuel. With its wing power, the distance from Bangor, PA wouldn’t take as long as driving.
What Happened? Who Did This?
Not far away from the Winchester-Nabu estate, there’s a peculiar enterprise called VAMPA, the Vampire and Paranormal Museum3 in Pennsylvania. We’ve been meaning to visit, but life keeps getting in the way of our weekends.
Case Findings:
Our conclusion is that a well-meaning vampire hunter spotted Hanuel—the cryptid combination of the Jersey devil and white-tailed deer—and mistook him for a vampire (or other monster they felt deserved slaying). The devil-deer are more likely to avoid humans. They’ve evolved with powers to camouflage their wings. Oliver and Gus firmly believe that the attempted murder took place in Pennsylvania. The Jersey devil-deer survived and fled to western New Jersey to find a place to heal and hide before returning to its home. We have not had any sightings of Hanuel since June 4, 2025.Â
The assailant remains unknown.
Case Status: Open
Notes:
1. In case you’re unaware of the television series Kung Fu starring David Carradine as Caine, the scene I’m referencing is about being able to walk on rice paper without leaving a mark. It takes Caine a long time to master this.
2. Proprietary software application owned by the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency used in identification of cryptids, monsters, magings, fae folk, and anything else non-human except for aliens from other planets.
3. You can see a tour of the VAMPA Museum filmed by the channel, Halloween at the Manor, on YouTube.
For your reading pleasure, try Katherine M. Ramsland’s The Science of Vampires #affiliate (2002) – also available on Kobo.