Hidden Truths

by David Horne

  "What the hell just happened?" Agent Harrelson hissed.

  Geoff shook his head, but didn't answer. "I think we should head back to the Sheriff's office," he admitted. When the other two nodded, he led the way, but after a couple of steps, they heard something else. Geoff turned and spotted what looked like the tail of a little girl's dress disappear into the woods. "Hey!" he shouted and ran after her. He ran as fast as he could, but every time he seemed to get ahead, all he saw was the dress disappearing again. He never did seem to get any closer to her. Eventually, out of breath and realizing he'd gone deep into the woods, he stopped. He listened for footsteps or a voice, but never heard or saw anything else.

  John and Harrelson had run after him but lost him for a while. When they picked up his trail again, it led into a part of the woods they hadn't searched. The trees thickened up and the terrain began to get hilly. They finally found him, standing in what looked like a green, moss covered bog. He was ankle deep in sludge, looking around like he'd lost something.

  Agent Harrelson reluctantly slouched over to him and bent over, trying to catch her own breath. "What was that?" she demanded.

  "I was trying to catch the little girl," Geoff replied, his voice distant and distracted.

  "Who?" Harrelson asked in annoyance.

  This brought Geoff out of his reverie and he turned to look at her. "You're telling me you didn't see anyone?"

  "No, there's no one out here but us."

  "But...that's not possible," he insisted. "I saw her. John, what about you?"

  "Sorry, boss," his agent said, shaking his head. "I just saw you, running through the woods like a wild man."

  Geoff glanced around again, like he might spot the little girl and prove them wrong. There was no one else there, though. He didn't say anything else, simply nodded and turned back the way they'd come. It took quite a while to find their way back to town, and by then they were exhausted and starving. Geoff insisted on going to the Sheriff's department first, though.

  When the door opened, and the three FBI agents stumbled in, Branch and his deputies looked up from their late lunches of Reuben sandwiches and stared in shock.

  "What happened to you three?" Branch asked. "You get lost in the woods?"

  Gina let out a little snort, but the agents ignored her. Geoff flashed an unamused smile and said, "Something like that. We came to see if anyone had found anything today. Considering the lounging atmosphere, we've stumbled into, I'm going to assume not."

  Branch narrowed his eyes and set his sandwich back down on its wrapper. Then he brushed his hands together and stood up. He walked over to Geoff, hands on his hips. "No, Agent Holden, no one's found any trace of your campers. We've come back down because there's nowhere left to search on this part of the mountain and we're going to have to rethink things. Plus, my people were famished. You three look like you could use something yourselves. Perhaps you'd like a sandwich?" he added and gestured toward the table.

  "We're fine," Geoff assured him, though Agent Harrelson was practically salivating. "If we've searched everywhere else, what about the lake? Is it possible they went for a swim and something happened?"

  Branch gave him a mirthless smile and shook his head. "No one goes swimming in that lake."

  "It's the—" Gina started to say.

  "Yes, I know, it's the lake. But these two weren't from around here. Maybe they didn't know about your rules or superstitions or..." He waved his arm around the room and added, "Whatever the hell is going on around here."

  Branch thought for a moment, rubbing his stubbly chin. "It is possible," he admitted.

  "Yes," Geoff agreed. "I'm calling headquarters and getting them to send some divers up here to take a look at the lake."

  As Geoff turned to go, Branch said, "I wouldn't recommend it."

  "Why not?" the Special Agent asked, a mixture of annoyance and genuine curiosity.

  "Like I said, no one swims in that lake."

  Chapter Five

  The next afternoon the FBI divers arrived in Grand Arbré and Branch led the entire team back up to the lake. Geoff and his team had never really had the chance to look it over and, as the divers put on their suits and equipment, he walked around the shore to see for himself. Branch went with him, quietly studying the Special Agent as Geoff studied the scene.

  When they reached the log, Geoff stopped and knelt down. "This is where the packs were found?"

  "Yep. And that's all we've ever found," Branch replied. He glanced back at his deputies and the divers readying oxygen tanks. "There's not much current in this lake. Your divers might as well start over here," he sighed, knowing he wasn't going to change the man's mind about searching the water.

  Geoff stood up and motioned for everyone to join them. He could sense Branch's hesitation like a palpable feeling in the air. "We'll try to get out of your hair as soon as we can, Sheriff."

  Branch snorted. "That's not my worry, Agent Holden. And you can call me Branch. We’re not big on formalities around here. There are reasons no one swims in this lake," he added as the divers and his deputies made their way over. He looked away from Geoff's curious and slightly distressed face. Then he took his deputies aside while Agent Holden gave his divers directions.

  The whole group watched as the two divers waddled into the water and swam off in separate directions.

  "Stay here," Geoff muttered to Harrelson and John. "I'm going to look at more of the shoreline." He waited for the two of them to nod and then walked over to Branch and his deputies who were having a hushed conversation of their own. "Walk with me, Sher…Branch," he interrupted. "I know the shore's been searched, but I'd like to take a look myself."

  Branch cocked a surprised eyebrow and then gave the man a slight nod. He gave his people the same instructions and then took up a place beside Geoff. The two of them walked in silence for a while, Branch glancing up now and then, trying to figure out what the FBI agent was thinking. It was distracting though. A breeze had come up, causing Geoff's dark, slightly wavy hair to stir. It began to take on a wild, tangled look and he finally pushed it back with his hand, breaking Branch's reverie.

  "You know there's nothing out here, right?" Branch asked.

  "People don't just disappear," Geoff answered.

  Branch looked down at his feet and nodded. "I've heard that before," he mumbled to himself. "Still, we've searched this whole area."

  "It's possible you missed something."

  Branch gave him a sarcastic, lopsided grin. "Yeah, it's possible." Then he glanced back at the lake, wondering what the divers had found so far.

  The water of Grand Arbré Lake was dark and murky, both from the trees filtering out much of the light and from the lack of current. The water was mostly shallow though, allowing the divers to search more quickly and effectively. Still, the lack of visibility slowed their progress. The bottom was covered in vegetation, giving them a lot to search through. What surprised them though was that there seemed to be very few fish or other aquatic creatures. Now and then one or two would swim by, but no large schools. Both of them chalked it up to overfishing though.

  The two of them had split up to cover more area, one taking the east side of the lake, one of them taking the west. There'd been little to see on the west side of the lake so far, but as the diver made his way down a rock formation, he noticed a spot that seemed to be getting more light. Thinking it strange for the light to be getting brighter as he went deeper, he followed the light to find out what it was. As he got closer, the light seemed to move. He caught a glimpse of something that appeared to be alive and glowing a faint blueish green, but then it disappeared, and he found himself in darkness. He knew better than to try and move. It would only disorient him. Instead, he turned on an additional light on his gear and waited until he could make out where he was before swimming back toward the surface.

  Over on the east side of the lake, the diver hadn't found anything either, at least not in the way of human bodies. So far, he'd found a licen
se plate, a couple of chairs, and an entire truck. He had no idea what went on at this lake, and he was pretty sure he didn't want to. He swam up to the truck, just to make sure their missing persons weren't inside, but the truck looked like it had been there for decades. Then he glanced at his oxygen tank and saw that it was getting low. The rest of the search would have to wait until he could get a fresh one. As he turned to swim back to shore, though, something caught his leg and held him back. He tried to turn and look, but the water was too murky to see anything, so he tried kicking his foot instead. He couldn't break free though. He tried not to panic, knowing that it was the quickest way to get himself killed. Instead, he tried to maneuver around to his leg and get whatever it was off of him.

  He figured it was a tree branch or some other plant, but as he turned, he gasped at the sight of teeth around his ankle. All thoughts of not panicking went out the window as he kicked hard with both legs. He felt his foot connect with something and suddenly he was free. He could see dark blood filling the water as he swam as hard as he could to shore.

  The other diver had already made it back and was busy switching out his oxygen tank when the diver from the east side popped up above the water and started screaming.

  "What the hell?" Geoff growled.

  "Help!" the diver screamed again, thrashing and trying to swim to shore.

  Geoff ushered the other diver back into the water as everyone else ran to the edge of the lake. They watched eagerly as the two divers struggled back to shore and onto the sand. Geoff knelt down at the sputtering man, whose leg was starting to bleed onto the sand.

  "Grab the medical kit!" he yelled at Agent Harrelson, who was closest to it and then put pressure on the diver's wounds while his agent ran for the kit they'd brought for just such a possibility. "What happened?" Geoff demanded of the diver.

  The man shook his head in shock and pain. When his boss wouldn't let up, he finally sputtered out, "Teeth. There's something down there!"

  When Harrelson got back with the kit, Geoff took a pair of scissors from it and cut the leg of the diver's wet suit. He looked over the seeping wounds, which looked like good size punctures, all in a row. His agents gasped and they glanced at one another. Then Geoff turned and looked up at Branch.

  "What the hell is going on around here?" he breathed.

  They managed to slow the diver's bleeding and get him back down the mountain to the local clinic. He was still sputtering about what he'd seen, but the blood loss and exhaustion calmed him somewhat. The entire group waited in the clinic until they knew the man would be all right and then they quickly dispersed without having discussed what happened.

  Though it was still afternoon, Branch decided it would be best for him and his deputies to take the rest of the day off. It was a small town, so they were always on call if anything else should happen. He went home to check on Buddy and get them both a bite to eat before heading out to The Pale Horse. The place was a little quieter that evening, people staying home because they were tired from all the searching or rattled by all that had been going on. It was just as well to Branch. He wasn't much of a people person to start with and dealing with the disappearances had him weary.

  To his surprise though, he'd just barely sat down at the bar, when Agent Holden walked in. He eyeballed him covertly. The man looked as weary as he felt, his hair disheveled, and his beard getting a little out of hand.

  "You could use a trim, Agent Holden," Branch called out across the room. He wasn't sure why he did it. He wasn't even drunk yet and he hadn't been in the mood for company, but something about the man's appearance said he needed a shoulder to lean on.

  Geoff looked to see where the voice had come from and spotted the Sheriff at the bar, looking slightly smug. He snorted and hung his head before giving in and walking over. "Sheriff."

  "Agent."

  The two of them smirked and then Geoff sat down next to Branch and looked him over as if seeing him for the first time. He looked different out of uniform; though, instead of a small town Sheriff, he seemed to resemble a small town lumberjack. Geoff chuckled at the thought.

  "Something funny, Agent Holden?"

  Geoff shook his head and gestured at the bartender. "Geoff.” When Branch frowned in confusion, he said, “If you want me to call you Branch, then you might as well call me Geoff.” He took a breath and looked around. “I think I'm just a bit overwhelmed by this case. How do you handle everything that goes on around here?"

  Branch shrugged. "I was born here. You learn to respect the forest."

  It was a simple and somewhat unsatisfactory answer for Geoff, but he didn't push it. Instead, he took a swig of his beer and glanced in the mirror at the back of the bar. He hadn't realized how wild his appearance had become. Normally, he'd be more professional. He never would have gone out looking like a wild man, but tonight he was too tired to care. He had other questions, but he wasn't sure he wanted to ask them at the moment. He'd had all he could handle.

  "You know, I've seen a lot of things in my time," he found himself saying anyway.

  "But you've never seen anyone as handsome as me?" Branch said, and then blushed and looked away. The two of them were quiet for a moment and then he said, "I think we're going to have to call off the search...around here anyway."

  Geoff turned and peered at him. "They could still be at the bottom of that lake, you know."

  Branch nodded. "It's possible. It's possible they ended up like your diver almost did, but I also doubt we're ever going to find them down there."

  Geoff knew he was right. With no clues beyond the two hiking packs, there was little they could do. "I don't suppose they could have hopped onto a hovering helicopter," he quipped.

  "Nah. Too many trees in the area for a helicopter to get that close," Branch replied. "My bet's on an alien spacecraft." He laughed and took another swig of his beer.

  Geoff did the same and then said, "You jest, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of anything around here."

  The two of them finally locked eyes and both chuckled. Then Branch called for another round of beers. Before long, they were thinking up ever more elaborate theories, though blatantly refusing to talk about themselves.

  "Come on," Geoff finally poked. "I know you haven't spent your whole life cooped up in Grand Arbré. You must have traveled or gone to college somewhere else."

  "Why?"

  "I don't know. You seem more...worldly," Geoff said with a grand sweep of his arm.

  First Branch snorted, then he started to giggle into his bottle. "Maybe this is just a worldly place," he finally teased when he could stop laughing.

  "Uh-huh. Well, I came to California to see the beaches. Unfortunately, the Bureau placed me in Sacramento." When Branch laughed again, Geoff frowned and asked, "Why Grand Arbré? I mean, why all the French?"

  Branch held up a finger. "Ah, that is an interesting story. You see, my ancestor was one of the founders of this town."

  "And you honored him by changing your name?"

  "Just the pronunciation." He waited for Geoff's chuckles to stop and then continued. "They were French fur trappers from the Mississippi river who...well, got a bit turned around. When they realized there was fur to be had out here, they stayed."

  "So, your town was founded by a group of people who got lost?"

  "Yep," Branch answered and held up his bottle in salute.

  "And you do realize that all it means is 'big tree'?"

  "Yep," Branch affirmed again. "Sounds better in French, though, doesn't it?"

  The two of them laughed heartily and, before long, Branch was ordering yet more beers. He noticed right away that Geoff held up his hand, refusing the next round. The man had only had a beer and a half and Branch thought it curious.

  "Not much of a drinker?" he asked.

  "No. Thank you though."

  "No problem," Branch answered and leaned over to grab the already opened bottle. "I'll just have them both," he added merrily.

  The two of them tal
ked a while longer, laughing and getting to know each other better, before it became apparent that Branch was in no fit state to take himself home. Geoff had walked from the motel anyway, so he took Branch's keys and shoved him out to the SUV. He followed his companion's rather vague directions, and eventually, they ended up at the small cabin in the woods. Geoff got out of the truck and looked the property over.

  "This explains why you're dressed like a lumberjack," he mumbled.

  "What?"

  Geoff shook his head. "Not very roomy, is it?"

  Branch frowned, not sure if it was an insult or simply an observation. "It's all I need. It's not like I don't have electricity and running water." Then he fumbled with his keys a bit and opened the door. As per usual, Buddy came bounding out, howling and whining. He bent down to pet the beagle, teasing him with that voice that all dogs love. Then he glanced over and noticed that Geoff had backed away a few steps.

  Branch got back to his feet. "Are you all right?" he asked, glancing between the agent and his dog.

  "I'm...kind of iffy about dogs," Geoff answered, trying not to blush and trying not to take his eyes off of Buddy.

  "You never had any pets as a child, did you?"

  Geoff frowned. "What's that have to do with anything?"

  "Well, my theory is...a lot." He picked up Buddy and took a step forward. "Look at him," he said in that same teasing voice he used with the dog. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. He's so cute, yes he is."

  Geoff rolled his eyes and looked the excited and curious dog over. He hesitantly lifted his hand, feeling nervous as the dog watched his every movement. Then he barely touched the top of Buddy's head and gave him a quick scratch.

  "See, there you go. Now he'll love you forever," Branch teased and put the dog down. The two of them stood there for a moment, watching the dog run back into the house and then Branch nodded toward the door. "I guess we'd better call it a night." He smiled a bit sadly when Geoff nodded and then he turned to go into the house. As he did so, he slipped and ended up on his butt on the ground.