CHAPTER SIX
“Cerberus. The three headed hell hound that guarded the gates of Hades,” frowned Gator. They all looked at him, eyebrows raised. “What? I know things.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t study mythology,” said Blake.
“I’ve actually been reading a lot about it,” said Zane. “Cerberus, the legendary hound of Hades, is the monstrous, multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Greek Underworld.
“His primary duty was to prevent the dead from escaping and to keep the living from entering without divine permission. He was born to the fearsome monsters Typhon and Echidna, making him sibling to other famous beasts like the Hydra and the Chimera.”
“I’m impressed, Zane. Go on,” nodded Ham.
“While he’s usually depicted as a three-headed dog, some ancient texts describe him as having up to fifty or even one-hundred heads. He also possessed a serpent for a tail, a mane of live, writhing snakes, and razor-sharp fangs.
“Cerberus is best known for being successfully bypassed by a select few legendary heroes and mortals.
The hero Heracles was tasked by King Eurystheus to bring Cerberus up from the Underworld as his final, most difficult labor.
He successfully wrestled the beast into submission and brought him to the land of the living before returning him to Hades.
“The musician Orpheus traveled to the Underworld to rescue his wife, Eurydice. He bypassed Cerberus entirely by playing such beautiful and sorrowful music that the beast fell asleep. Both figures managed to pass Cerberus by feeding him honey-cakes laced with sedatives.”
“Wasn’t there a love story surrounding Hades?” asked Blake innocently.
“Uh, um, well, yes,” said Zane clearing his throat. “Hades abducted Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, also his niece. It’s still up for debate whether or not they fell in love but he did let her leave to see her family and she returned, on her own. They later married.”
“Sounds like love to me,” smirked Gator.
“Maybe,” blushed Zane. “But what does the name mean. Is it a ship? Is it a business name? What is it?”
“We’ll look into that. Is there anything else you overheard or saw that could tell us anything at all?” asked Cowboy.
“Not that I can think of right now. I came to look at my delivery route as freedom. They knew exactly how long it should take me to get to the delivery point and how long to unload.”
“What do you mean?” asked Ham.
“Well, to unload dog food only took me sixty-seconds. For bags of feed for cattle or horses was much longer depending on the size of the place.”
“Why would someone have delivery of a bag of dog food?” frowned Zane.
“They didn’t offer in-store buying any longer. I mean, if you walked in and wanted to buy something, they would sell it to you but delivery was included in the price.”
“So, they didn’t want anyone coming to the store,” frowned Gator. “Why? What was in that store, or what could be in that store that they didn’t want others to see?”
“I wish I could answer that for you. When I woke up I was forced to make breakfast, clear the table, do the dishes and when I was done the truck was loaded. I was given a list of delivery stops and an expected return time.”
“The other morning was early,” said Zane. “Had you had deliveries before then?”
“No. That was unusual. They woke me early and said it had to be delivered by seven. I was to deliver it then come back and get the other deliveries.”
“Someone was there that morning,” said Ham. “We need to figure out this Cerberus who the hell, or what they hell they are. Tomorrow we’ll head to the coroner’s office and see if we can find some ID on those three.”
Blake yawned, pushing the plate of food away from her.
“Sorry, I’m exhausted but that was delicious. I think I have an appointment in the morning with a Dr. Shep?” Gator nodded at her.
“He specializes in trauma and therapy,” he said softly.
“I figured it would be coming,” she said standing. The others all stood with her. “Thank you for everything. Again. I don’t know what I would have done.”
“I’ll walk you to your cottage,” said Zane. She smiled, nodding at the others as she started to walk away. Ham placed a hand on Zane’s shoulder.
“Go easy, son. She needs you and if I’m not mistaken, you need her.”