Legend Hunter

by Jennifer Mckenzie

  The last time she’d been here, she’d confronted her father and tried to get him to come home. How many times had her mother begged her to go and get him? How many times had he verbally abused her as she staggered under his weight to walk him to the car? She shook her head. Too many.

  To the left, the wide entrance to the bar showed several familiar faces turned her way. Most of them had known her father. Many of them blamed her for his drinking. She knew what they said when she wasn’t there. “It started when she quit going with him. I never saw him at the bar much before that.” That’s what they said. What they didn’t know was he drank every night at home. Until the discovery of that photograph and his desperate climb to fame. Until that one moment ended her fairy tale view of Doc McConnel.

  As she turned away from the bar entrance, she faced another hurdle. Between her and the restaurant stood Gavin McBride. Great. The man was a brick wall. A little over six feet, burly and considered handsome by most of the female population, Gavin rose in local politics at an amazing rate. At thirty-four, he was the youngest county supervisor and one of the most progressive. His family had lived in the Willow Creek area for centuries and traced their roots to the Yurok tribe.

  He and Kiera had never seen eye to eye on political issues. Gavin’s older brother, John, had even threatened her. The McBride family advocated growth and change in Willow Creek. John McBride went even further and encouraged rapid growth based on tourism. Add John’s wife Shirley who claimed to have seen Bigfoot, and it wasn’t a family Kiera wanted to run into.

  Kiera advocated less growth at a slower pace. Many accused her of supporting timber industries with her articles on keeping change slow and steady. But she just didn’t want urban sprawl to destroy the natural beauty of the place she called home.

  “Kiera.” Gavin’s deep voice grated over her nerves. “How is your mother?” He inquired. There was always the unspoken question. Why aren’t you with her? She’s dying. How could you be so heartless?

  She gritted her teeth and smiled. “She’s as well as can be expected, Gavin.” She waved towards Ben who had stepped up behind her. “Have you met Benjamin Harmon? He’s here to gather research for a book.”

  “On Bigfoot.” Gavin’s huge paw swallowed Ben’s, but the thinner man’s fingers gripped the massive hand in a firm handshake. Gavin’s blue eyes narrowed. “My sister-in-law, Shirley, told me. Welcome to Humboldt County.” Of course, thought Kiera. Shirley runs The Bigfoot Inn. The politician was assessing Ben from head to toe. “I am surprised you hired Kiera to guide you in. She’s not a professional.”

  Kiera sighed inwardly. The dislike emanating from Gavin was palpable and uncomfortable. She stepped around him and caught the eye of a dark haired waitress who waved her to a table. Without saying goodbye, Kiera side stepped Gavin and sat in the booth beside the waiting server. “You’d do much better with someone trained to guide in the area.” Gavin’s voice carried on behind her. Ben’s response was a murmur, and she couldn’t hear it and didn’t want to. It hadn’t been her idea to take this stupid jaunt. Let him defend himself.

  Ben glared at her when he finally folded his body into the booth across from her. “What the hell is that all about? You want to tell me why the McBrides don’t like you?” His eyebrows rose. “The story I got was you disagree with them politically but that man seemed to dislike you personally.”

  Kiera shrugged and kept her gaze on the menu. “Gavin and Jeremy faced off in an election. Though I wasn’t officially with Jeremy’s campaign, I did help with details.”

  “What kind of details?” Ben pressed.

  She shot a glance at him. “I discovered the McBride family owns much of the land they wanted to see developed. It seemed a conflict of interest to me and, apparently, also to the voters.” She studied the menu. “Gavin lost that election, and he blames me.”

  “But he’s a County Supervisor now. He must have won the last one.” Ben frowned, puzzled.

  “Yes, but only because Jeremy refused to run.” She turned her head and found Gavin stared at her from the door. “Jeremy doesn’t have that kind of ambition.” She said and met Ben’s gaze. “Now, he just works for the Sheriff’s department.”

  “What is Jeremy’s opinion on Bigfoot?”

  Something in the way Ben said Jeremy’s name got her attention. It had a definite bite to it. Confused, she stared at Ben and tried to read his face. “He’s half Hoopa Indian.,” she stated.

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Ben asked her. Definitely a bite to his tone. She wondered why.

  “The Indians have a healthy respect for the legend of Bigfoot. In a way, I think they all believe a little bit. Even when concrete evidence says otherwise.”

  A commotion at the door diverted Ben’s attention. “Your friend is creating a stir among the natives.” he murmured.

  “What do you mean?” She twisted her body to see Dodo blocked by two men. One of them was Gavin. The other, his brother John, stood at Gavin’s side with clenched fists. “Oh shit.” She slid out of the booth.

  “I don’t want you here.” John’s voice was high and squeaky.

  “It’s a public place, dude. Unless you own it, I don’t think you can do anything.” The scraggly man stood his ground and Gavin glared at him.

  “We don’t want your kind here.” His gaze traveled up and down Dodo’s disheveled clothes and rough stubble.

  “And what kind is that, Gavin?” Kiera approached the men.

  “He’s a bum. We remember him.” John’s voice spat the words.

  “He’s a business owner.” Kiera gripped Dodo’s arm and led him towards the booth. “And my friend.”

  “He’s a pot head.” Gavin glared at her.

  “Not any more.” She stated firmly. “It’s been at least fifteen years since he’s been here, Gavin. What do you know about him?”

  “I know what he did.” John pointed a boney finger at Dodo, who said nothing. “He—”

  Kiera cut him off. “You know that’s a lie, John McBride. I’m not going to let you say it out loud as I know you’ve said to others. I know it’s a lie and so do you.”

  For a moment, she didn’t think it would work, that John would try and throw them all out. The watchful eye of the bartender and other patrons seemed to stop him and he flung out the door.

  Gavin pointed an accusing finger at her. “You should consider relocating.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”

  The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Just a strong suggestion.” And he turned and strode out the door after his brother.

  *

  Ben observed the by-play with interest and frustration. He sighed and his lips tightened. It frustrated him to be left out of the loop. Every time he turned around he ran into someone Kiera McConnel had pissed off. History in this area wasn’t written in books but in the memories of those who lived here. The truth behind Dodo, Doc McConnel, and Bigfoot were locked in that pretty little head of Kiera McConnel’s and she was a closed book to him.

  Dodo joined them, and they ordered dinner. Kiera and Dodo carried on a bizarre conversation of complete gibberish to Ben since he was a stranger to the area. He gritted his teeth. Were they going to let him what the hell was going on?

  “Thanks Kiera. I always knew he’d be trouble.” Dodo’s hand trembled as he lifted a water glass to his lips.

  “He’s never gotten over it.” Kiera bit her lip.

  “She didn’t marry him, did she?” Dodo’s tone was dry.

  “No, but he’s never forgotten why.” Kiera patted Dodo’s arm.

  Ben lost his patience and broke in. “Someone want to fill me in on what the hell is going on?”

  Two startled faces turned toward him. They had clearly forgotten his presence. A unique and not entirely welcome feeling for Ben. Kiera cleared her throat. “John and Gavin don’t like Dodo much.”

  “That part I got, Kiera. Can you explain why?”

  She and Dodo exchanged a glance. “W
ell, Dodo and Gavin both fell for the same woman.” She prepared to leave it at that. Ben sighed and turned his attention to Dodo.

  “There seems to be more to it than that. Why don’t you tell me? Kiera doesn’t want to get too personal with me.”

  He almost grinned when a flush crept across Kiera’s features and her eyes flashed. “Now, wait a minute—”

  “Go ahead, Dodo. What happened?”

  “Beth was a visitor here a long time ago. Gavin fell for her pretty hard.” Dodo ran a hand across his stubble. “But Beth was looking for Bigfoot, not romance.”

  “And she fell in love with you?”

  Dodo’s face registered shock. “Oh, no! I was just a pot head.”

  “She fell in love with my father.” Kiera’s voice was strained.

  Ben stared at them. Dodo’s gaze focused on the table and Kiera found a spot over his shoulder fascinating. “I don’t understand.”

  “Beth Lauder fell in love with my father and rejected Gavin McBride in hopes he would leave my mother. When that didn’t happen, she told my mother they’d had an affair.” Kiera’s voice was dry, without emotion. Ben’s eyes narrowed on her face. The lack of feeling in her tone only highlighted her pain.

  “And had they?” He asked her. Was this the betrayal he sensed?

  Kiera shook her head. “No. Beth never got what she wanted from my father.” Her tone was bitter.

  “So, why do Gavin and John both hate Dodo?”

  “Because Beth faked Bigfoot tracks. Once the truth came out, Gavin couldn’t marry her.” Kiera shrugged. “Personally, I think if he loved her it wouldn’t have mattered, but Gavin is all about appearances.”

  “What happened to Beth?”

  Dodo spoke, his muddy brown eyes troubled. “I don’t know. Once the story broke and she was declared a fraud, she left town. We never saw her again. Gavin was never the same after that.”

  “He was young.” Kiera said with surprising compassion. “I mean, he was only seventeen. She was twenty-two and knew better. He was really too young for that lesson.”

  “I was so stoned half the time, I think Beth thought she could manipulate me into helping her. Instead, I told the Doc.” Dodo put in.

  “And my father was always seeking ways to discredit other Bigfoot hunters. Beth was a nobody. He didn’t have to do what he did.” Kiera said with a shake of her head.

  “What did he do?” Ben asked and Kiera shot a glance at Dodo. The older man nodded. Ben leaned forward. Kiera’s relationship with her father lay at the heart of the secrets he inferred from her. Somewhere, beneath all the resentment, there was an answer.

  “He splashed it all over the papers. Beth was young, just starting out in life. She had a degree in Geology. Once my father was finished with her, her career was over. No one would ever take her seriously again.” Kiera’s gaze found a spot on the table where her finger picked at a flaw on the surface. Ben heard the hurt in her voice. Beth had been more to Kiera than just another student in her father’s orbit. “It destroyed her. She was so young, so pretty. He only did it to increase his reputation.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why John and Gavin don’t like Dodo.”

  “Oh, that’s the best part.” Kiera’s laugh was high and short. “My Dad included Dodo in his little expose.”

  “Kiera—” Dodo started, concern lacing his tone.

  “I don’t understand.” Ben glanced from one to the other.

  “He destroyed Dodo right along with Beth. There can only be one legitimate Bigfoot expert. My father wanted to make sure he was it.” Bitterness lined her face. “He lied so often that I don’t even know what’s true or not. But I do know Dodo didn’t plan those fake Bigfoot tracks and Beth didn’t deserve to be crucified. Quite a legacy, don’t you think?”

  Kiera suddenly rose and walked stiff legged to the restrooms. Ben’s gaze followed her. Though she’d given him a window into the whole picture, he could tell there was more. He began to wonder if he’d ever unravel all the threads of her past.

  Dodo shook his head. “She feels responsible for the things her father did to other people.”

  “How did he get away with it?” Ben asked the man.

  Dodo laughed gently. “We loved him, man. Beth, me, Kiera, we all loved him. No matter what she says, Kiera still protects him. We all do.” It seemed crazy to Ben. After all the things McConnel pulled on his friends and family, they kept his secrets, whatever they were.

  Their food arrived, and Kiera was still in the bathroom. Here was his chance. Ben glanced sharply at Dodo. “Every time I meet someone, I stub my toe on someone who hates Kiera or her father. Tie up the loose ends for me.” He cut a piece of his steak and slid it into his mouth.

  Dodo nodded. “You’ve stumbled into a little drama here. Kiera is no shrinking violet. She ran away once, but when her mother’s health forced her to come back, she made the best of it.”

  “Catch me up.”

  “Most people around here believe Kiera’s father was a great man. She knows the real Doc McConnel.” Dodo frowned at his chicken strips and baked potato. “He drank. He lied. He used everyone and anyone to get what he wanted.”

  This fit with some of the things he’d heard already. “And what exactly did Doc McConnel want?”

  Dodo’s gaze was steady as it met Ben’s. “He wanted what you have. A legitimate reputation as a paranormal expert. I’m surprised Kiera even speaks to you. You’re exactly what her father strove to be.”

  Ben’s eyebrows rose and he twisted his head to stare down the hallway where Kiera had disappeared. “I didn’t step on anyone to get where I am.”

  “She won’t believe that.” Dodo snorted. “She doesn’t believe much of anything. When she was a kid, she was the most starry-eyed person I knew. Not any more.” He shook his head. “It’s criminal what that man did to her.”

  Starry-eyed? That seemed completely opposite of who she was now. He tried to imagine her as a carefree, gullible child and failed. “And what exactly did he do?” Ben stared at the older man.

  “I wish I knew, dude. Whatever it was, she was never the same kid again. I didn’t like my old man when I was a teenager, but she hated her father. I always figured she’d tell me, but she never has.”

  “I always figured the fame from the picture made her hate him.” Ben hinted.

  “It happened before that. I know.”

  “How?”

  “Because she found something. She told me, but not him.”

  “What did she find?” Ben held his breath. Did Dodo know what haunted Kiera?

  But Dodo shook his head. “I don’t know. About the time we were going to investigate it, Doc broke the story about the frauds. I couldn’t go with her.” He squirmed in his seat.

  Disappointment made his stomach churn. Kiera kept her own council and no one else was let in. Not even Dodo and the bond between them was strong. Ben pinned the man with his gaze. “She went alone?”

  Dodo nodded. “She was thirteen. She took one of her dad’s mules and headed out. But it all went wrong.”

  “What happened?” He knew he was getting to the heart of things.

  The man shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t know. I found her two days later unconscious and dehydrated. Doc blamed me. Everyone thinks I took a kid up in the Trinities and left her there.” He glanced at the entrance to the restrooms. “You can imagine the stories. I smoked pot, she was a cute kid, and I was in my twenties. It was really ugly, and I was finished. The frauds just made it permanent.” His gaze flicked over Ben’s face. Unbelievable. Ben couldn’t wrap his brain around what Dodo implied. Or that a man would go that far to gain notoriety. Dodo continued. “I got clean and sober and focused on running my store.” His shoulders lifted. “I’m pretty sure Kiera went back later, when she was older, but she never told me what she found.”

  Ben studied Dodo’s face. He knew Kiera better than anyone. Maybe his guesses would have insight. “Do you think she found Bigfoot?”
/>   The light was blocked as Kiera stood beside the table. “Talking about me?” Her face was composed and hard.

  Ben leaned back and inspected her. “Researching. Dodo is a great source of information.” In that one short conversation, Ben discovered quite a bit about the woman he’d sought to guide him. Her face didn’t reveal the guilt he was pretty sure rested beneath the surface. Guilt and resentment. How many people in her life had been destroyed by her father? Beth, Dodo, even Amanda and Jeremy hadn’t escaped the taint of the search for Bigfoot. No wonder Kiera wanted nothing to do with it. But Ben’s gut told him she’d have to face this or she’d never move on. One thing he knew. She was stuck in the past.

  Kiera glared at him but said nothing. As she sat down and lifted her fork to eat her food, he noted her hand trembled. Though her expression seemed closed off, there was a vulnerability about her that made his heart twist in his chest.

  He leaned forward and gripped her hand. She froze and stared at her plate. He murmured low. “Are you going to tell me what you found?”

  Minutes ticked by and she was still, unmoving. Finally, she spoke and her voice was strangled. “Nothing. I found nothing.”

  She yanked her hand out from under his and Ben nodded. He leaned back in the booth and studied her downcast face. There was more here than just a great book. He could feel it. The undercurrents here were dangerous and treacherous.

  He loved it.

  He kept his gaze on her bent head as she ate, and Dodo’s inane chatter only emphasized the tension between the other two at the table. Finally, she raised her eyes to meet his. In them, the fear, the loathing, everything swirled for a moment and then disappeared as if it had never been there. The dominating expression in her gaze was distrust.

  It was as if she spoke the words out loud. You’ll lie to me.

  “I’m not your father.” Ben spoke. Dodo stopped talking and shot a glance at Kiera.

  “Maybe not,” she said slowly.

  He heard her hesitation. “But?”

  “But I don’t trust you either.”

  He nodded. “I have to earn it then.” He reached for the check and stood. “It’s a good thing we’ll be out in the wilderness for a week together.” He grinned and took out his wallet. “It will give me plenty of time to gain your trust.”