I received the call early on the morning of August 17. They needed a new reporter on the Henry County story, and they wanted me. I'd be lying if I said I was flattered, or that I even wanted the job. I'd been following the story, but it was purely out of curiosity. Besides, I am not a journalist.... I am columnist and an author, and if one listens to the critics, I'm not very good at either. But then OnTarget said the words that sent me flying to the door before my editors could even hang up the phone. My best friend and protégé, Wade Covey, as missing

They... and I use that ambiguous term intentionally... said that he was mauled and eaten by some unknown creature that a sixty-seven year old man kept in his basement. They would have me, Covey's family, and all of his friends believe that an enraged, rabid bear approached his parked car, opened the door, and walked off with Wade without leaving a single conclusive clue. I should mention that Wade, like myself, always carries at least one gun at all times. And he's a much better shot. Any 'bear' approaching his car would certainly have received a few bullet-holes in the process, but there was no word about any ursine blood found at the scene.

Typical.

That is what 'they' say, and, since 'they' did such a superb job of confiscating the car and other remaining evidence associated with the Henry County Horror, I am in no position to disagree.

But I can ask questions.

Questions like: What happened to Joe Hambly, the lone drunk who, as far as we know, is the only person to ever get a good look at the supposed 'bear' and survive long enough to speak to the police. Why is he missing? Why is no one investigating his disappearance?

And what about Officer Earnest Clements, who was last seen by his fellow officers on the same night that Wade Covey was supposedly attacked? Is Clements the source of the phone calls that some reporters received concerning early federal involvement and a police cover-up? Phone company records of calls placed from Clement's house on the night he disappeared have been confiscated... why? And why was his disappearance kept from the press until days after authorities allowed Henry County residents back into their houses? Did his coworkers not notice he was missing until then?

And speaking of missing... what happened to Alexander Holt's body? It isn't in the morgue, and the police don't have it. Where is it? Perhaps there is no body. I wasn't the only reporter who saw the odd-looking civilian rubbing elbows with the military when they made camp outside Holt's abandoned house. They certainly seemed to want to get him inside... and out of site... in a hurry. I never saw that man's face, but at least one person did. One reporter... who has since gone on extended vacation out of the country... emailed me a description and a picture. The description was a perfect match for the picture... and the picture was of Alexander Holt. Bold-faced lie? Overactive imagination? Perhaps... but one must have imagination in abundance if one is to believe the 'official' story.... the story that says that a rabid bear chased hunters and police officers through the woods for almost two weeks before being taken out by a few grenades and the odd lightning-bolt or two. Overactive imagination indeed.

But back to the questions.

Just who the hell was Alexander Holt? According to the police, Holt claimed to be from New England. That's a big place, but we've had a long time to look. No one, not one investigative reporter or private detective can find a single reference to Holt in any documents other than those in Henry County. (I should also add that a good portion of THOSE documents are missing as well.) There was a David P. Holt in Boston who was a collector of rare books just like our suspected killer, but he died in 1877, leaving no children, wife, or siblings. Pardon the pun, but the search for Alexander Holt... serial kidnapper, rare book collector, and possible military advisor... has hit a dead end.

The biggest enigma is just who were the mysterious gun-toting men in camouflage that rolled in to save the day? Army? Marines? National Guard? Those are all good guesses... but they're all wrong. No military installation within three day's travel of Henry County has any record of troops being deployed. Not the Army. Not the Marines. Not the National Guard. I even called the FBI and the BATF for good measure. After they finished laughing, they were nice enough to tell me that there was no way any military or federal government organization would get involved in something as purely local as a runaway bear. I knew that already... but it was nice to hear it from someone besides that lunatic conspiracy theorist that looks back at me from the mirror. So who were they and where did they come from? Where did they get all of that equipment, and where did they take all of the evidence?

Where are the coroner's reports on Bonnie Hand and Leslie-Ann Jenkins? Remember Leslie-Ann? She was expected to pull through, and everyone was eagerly waiting to here what she had to say. At the very least, she'd be able to tell us exactly what had attacked her and her family in the wood that night. She died. From WHAT, exactly? Maybe the doctor who treated her knows... Oh, did I forget to mention? That doctor is missing, too.

And finally, exactly what WAS the creature that killed... maybe... eighteen people in Henry County? Leslie-Ann Jenkins knew... and maybe Joe Hambly knew as well. Too bad we can't ask either of them... or can we? Joe's picture... the one he drew for the police... is missing. But the funny thing about pictures is that they can be easily copied. I received a letter at the OnTarget office on the day we held services... sans body... for Wade Covey. It was mailed from Henry County. There was no letter, just a hastily-folded photocopy of a drawing with a note scrawled across the top. That drawing appears at the end of this article, but before you look at it, perhaps you should review the facts as presented by Wade and myself, and make up your own mind... not about what the picture means, but about just what the Henry County Horror was. Was it a rabid bear? Was it an unknown vision captured only in a drunk man's imagination? Or was it a government goon-squad that used real events to obscure their own doings... shoving their murderous deeds underneath the very rug they were presumably sent to clean.

Life teaches you that sometimes the cure is worse than the disease... and sometimes the hero and the monster are so much alike that you can't tell one from another. Look at the facts of the Henry County Horror. Can you tell?

This is Edward Found. Good night, and rest in peace, Wade.