by R. D. Brady
Quietly, so as not to wake the girl, Tess knelt at her side and placed her hand on her forehead. She was cool to the touch. Tess slumped next to the bed in relief. Thank God.
Feeling eyes on her, Tess caught Mary’s sleepy gaze and smiled. Mary placed her hand on the girl’s back and closed her eyes again. Sugar scampered out of the cave. Frank and Charlie were gone too.
Tess brushed the girl’s hair from her face and tried to figure out what to do. Who was this girl? And how on earth did she end up here? People had spent their whole lives looking for bigfoot, and here this tiny little girl not only had found them, she lived with them.
Had they found her somewhere? Did she wander off from a campsite? Tess thought back to the Native American tales of bigfoot kidnapping children. Had this girl been kidnapped? Was there any way she could have chosen to live with them? Even if she had, she was only a child. Legally, she couldn’t decide where she lived.
Tess stared at the girl and Mary’s arm protectively covering her. However the girl had arrived here, Tess would not be getting those answers right now. And the best thing she could do for the girl was to let her sleep. So as quietly as she could, Tess made her way to the opening of the cave. She picked up her pack and secured it on her shoulders. She paused at the entrance, not sure how the bigfoot would react to seeing her outside without an escort.
Well, here goes nothing. Tess stepped out.
She was prepared to dart right back inside if her appearance caused any upset, but to her surprise, no one seemed to object. And they definitely noticed her. Just about everyone nearby stopped and stared. Keeping her movements unhurried, Tess walked a little to the side of the cave and took a seat with a large boulder against her back.
She just looked around, not moving, until eventually the bigfoot turned away, unconcerned. Tess let out the breath she had been holding.
She would have sat there longer, just watching. It was amazing. But there was something she had to do before she could enjoy the view.
She rose quietly and walked around the boulder, out of view. After yesterday’s response to her lighter, she didn’t want to risk startling anyone. She pulled her sat phone from her pack. She wasn’t sure how long she was going to be out here, and she needed to leave a message before everyone freaked.
The battery light was blinking. With everything going on lately, she’d forgotten to charge it. She glanced up at the valley walls and wondered if the call could even get through. She’d have to hope for the best.
She debated for a minute who to call before deciding on Pax. He would be the one most worried if he didn’t speak with her. She quickly dialed his number. Pax answered on the second ring.
“Tess?”
“Hey, Pax.”
“Tess, thank God.”
“I just wanted to let you know I’d be away for a few days. But don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Static answered her.
Tess frowned and raised her voice. “Pax? I said I’ll be away a few days, but I’m okay.”
More static sounded. And then the phone died.
Tess stared at it. Damn. Well, Pax had heard her voice—she hoped. He knew she wasn’t in danger. It would have to do.
Tess put the phone back in her pack, walked around the boulder, and took a seat closer to the cave entrance. With her back against the valley wall, she watched with amazement the scene in front of her.
She had noticed the family groups yesterday, but now she had a chance to really study them. She saw juveniles playing together, but there were always a few adults nearby, and the few times the juveniles got out of hand, they were quickly reprimanded by the adults. Tess even caught sight of a few babies, some of them possible newborns. Plus she saw at least two bigfoot that were obviously pregnant.
This must be a breeding ground. The bigfoot probably gather here to help protect and provide for the children. And when they’re old enough, they probably even bring them here to find a mate. Some researchers had hypothesized the possibility that bigfoot had family units, but most discounted it. They said bigfoot was a loner. While it was true that bigfoot shied away from humans, apparently they enjoyed being in each other’s company.
Over at the lake, Tess spotted a few bigfoot swimming—and they were incredible swimmers. That was perhaps what surprised her the most. Gorillas hated the water and stayed away from it. They didn’t even drink much water, preferring to get their water from plants. But the bigfoot dove and swam liked they’d been born for it. Tess pictured Charlie’s webbed fingers. Maybe they were.
She tore her gaze from the swimmers as some juveniles raced by playing some sort of tag. Tess couldn’t take it all in. It was incredible.
And it made sense. In all the sightings of bigfoot, very few ever reported seeing a juvenile. But the juveniles had to be somewhere. So maybe they did separate during the years, then came back together solely for breeding purposes. Or maybe they stayed together year round and only the older ones were allowed to go off alone—probably to forage for food.
And Charlie’s existence here also suggested they did not write off older members of their groups. Everyone had a purpose. Everyone had a part to play.
Tess watched everything unfolding in front of her with new eyes. This was a cohesive group—a tribe. If not for their size and all that hair, they could be any group of humans.
She caught sight of Kong standing across the valley with a group of like-sized individuals. Well, almost human.
Kong and his companions held themselves apart from the rest of the bigfoot. Almost like a guard—a general and his lieutenants. Like Kong, the others of his group were more muscular and taller. The more Tess compared them to the smaller bigfoot, the more convinced she became that they were two different species. As she watched Kong, Tess couldn’t help but wonder about his divergent big toe and think about all the subtle differences in the reports of bigfoot around the world.
At the same time, her mind whirled at what she was looking at and what it all meant. She had not discovered a single unknown group—she’d discovered two. Two that intermingled, two that lived together and in all likelihood bred together. Amazing.
Sugar disappeared into the cave and reappeared soon after. Tess felt the worry coming from her, so she rose and made her way back into the cave.
The little girl was moaning softly in her sleep. Tess mixed some more ibuprofen with water and brought it over to the girl. Mary pulled the girl into her lap and held her while Tess held the cup to the girl’s lips.
“That’s a good girl,” Tess said as the girl began to take small sips. Slowly, the girl downed it all. Then Mary leaned back against the wall, the girl snuggled in her lap. Tess watched the two of them, etching the memory into her mind. It was the picture of maternal love.
Tess turned to return the cup to her bag and nearly bumped into Charlie and Frank. Frank’s eyes latched on to the girl and then Mary, who was cooing softly to the girl. Frank didn’t even glance at Tess as he went to join his mate. Mary handed the girl over to him, and with a gentleness belied by his size, Frank held the girl snugly in his arms.
Charlie grunted at Tess before turning and walking out of the cave. Tess paused and then followed him, sensing that was perhaps what he wanted. Sure enough, he was waiting for her outside, and as soon as she stepped out, he started to walk across the valley. Tess struggled to keep up, and Charlie slowed.
They passed an apple tree, and Charlie reached up and snagged a couple. Tess grinned. Apparently he hadn’t really needed her apple supply after all.
Tess realized they were heading for the entrance. Her heart plummeted. She wasn’t ready to go home yet. But Charlie turned before reaching the tunnel, leading Tess to a path that cut up along the side of the wall of rock. It ended at a wide ledge overlooking the valley. Charlie sat down.
Tess could see everything from here. She looked at Charlie and realized no one would be able to see him up here. He blended in too well with the surrounding rocks. She sat down next to him. H
e handed her an apple. Tess realized they had reached a pivotal point in their relationship. Charlie was now feeding her.
Tess took a bite as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. Neither of them spoke, which for Charlie wasn’t unusual. But for the first time, Tess didn’t feel the need to either.
She just smiled and enjoyed the sunset.
CHAPTER 51
The paperwork on Pax’s desk had shrunk significantly in the last two hours, and he thought he’d done a pretty good job of burying himself in it and pretending he wasn’t completely terrified that something had happened to Tess.
He picked up the printout showing the results of her sample. He’d left her a message as soon as he’d gotten it, and she still hadn’t called him back. At first he’d told himself she was just in the field; then he’d called her late last night and he’d told himself she had decided to stay overnight. But in his heart, he knew something was wrong. Shawn had tried to reassure him, but Pax had seen the worry behind Shawn’s words. He was just as concerned.
For now, Pax was letting himself be convinced that Tess’s sat phone was out of range—even though they’d bought it precisely because it wasn’t supposed to be able to go out of range.
His phone rang and he glanced down. Finally.
“Hey, Pax,” Tess said.
“Tess. Thank God.”
Static answered him.
Pax frowned. “Tess? Tess? Are you there?”
More static, plus small bits of words. “—out—day—but—”
Then the phone went dead. Pax stared at it. He quickly dialed her back, but the call went straight to voicemail.
With trembling hands he dialed Dev. “Pick up. Please pick up.”
“Hello?”
Pax’s words rushed out. “Dev, have you spoken with Tess?”
“Uh, no, not since yesterday. Why? What’s wrong?”
“I just got a call from her, but it was all static. I haven’t heard from her since yesterday. Something’s wrong.”
“Pax, calm down, you don’t know—”
“Dev, please, just go by her cabin and make sure everything’s all right, okay?”
There was a pause. “I’ll head there right now.”
Pax grasped the phone. “Good, great, thanks.” He disconnected the call and immediately called Shawn. It went to voicemail. Why is no one picking up their phones? He left a message explaining what was going on. Then he paced his office waiting for Dev to call back, praying he was overreacting.
CHAPTER 52
Dev had just pulled into his parking spot at the police station when Pax called. He had been expecting Tess to call. He had the early shift, which is why he hadn’t stayed at Tess’s last night. He’d tried to call her last night but she hadn’t answered. Now Pax couldn’t reach her either.
He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Tess’s, telling himself everything was fine. But he still pressed down on the accelerator a little heavier than usual. Twenty minutes later, he pulled up at her front porch. Even from the car, he could hear Shelby’s howl.
Fear prickled his skin as he sprinted up the porch stairs and opened the door. Shelby barreled out of the door and down the stairs, relieving herself as soon as she stepped off the last step.
Dev’s fear grew. He stepped into the cabin. “Tess?”
No answer. He made a quick search of the cabin, but Tess wasn’t there. Her answering machine light blinked at him. He hit play and heard Pax’s message, as well as one from Sasha. Both were from yesterday. His pulse picked up. She hadn’t checked her machine last night. And she always checked her machine.
He didn’t want to worry Pax, but right now he was starting to worry. He called Tess’s cell and her sat phone—no answer. He called Sasha, Abby, Madge, and Eric. None of them had heard from her, and all Dev had accomplished was worrying them as well. He assured each of them he’d call as soon as he found her.
He stood in her living room, looking around, trying to come up with any other possibility. Then he pulled out his phone, telling himself that he would be reasonable and calm with Pax. But he couldn’t help but notice the shake in his hand as he dialed.
CHAPTER 53
Pax looked again at the results on Tess’s sample. They were not what he’d been expecting. But he had the sneaking suspicion Tess wouldn’t be nearly as surprised. Her behavior around this whole thing was weird—not rushing to get the results, keeping the information from Hayes. What’s going on with you, Tess?
He placed the results back in the manila folder and slumped into his chair. He turned so he faced the giant wall clock behind him. It would take Dev at least twenty minutes to get to Tess’s cabin from his place. Time seemed to crawl by. By the time twenty minutes had passed, he could barely keep himself in his chair.
“Hey.”
Pax whirled around. Shawn stood in the doorway, holding a bag of takeout and two coffees.
Pax was so happy to see him he wanted to cry. Shawn placed the bag and drinks on the desk. Pax got up and hugged him. “I left my phone in the car when I picked up the coffee,” Shawn said. “I only got your message just now. I was already on the way over.”
Pax stepped back. “How’d you manage that? Don’t you have grunts to beat into submission?”
Shawn smiled, and Pax’s heart gave a little leap, like it always did. “I just told them to keep running until I get back.”
Pax nodded and then his head jerked up. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Sort of. But I did send them on a ten-mile run. I thought you might want a little company. I guess you haven’t heard from Dev yet?”
“No, I thought—” Pax’s phone rang, and he pounced on it. “Dev?”
Dev’s voice was even, measured. “Now, Pax, I need you to stay calm.”
Pax slumped into his seat on shaky legs as he put the call on speaker. Shawn came and stood behind him, his hand on his shoulder. “What happened?” Shawn asked.
“Tess isn’t here. It doesn’t look like she’s been here since yesterday. Shelby obviously hadn’t been out in a while.”
“Shelby’s there?” Pax felt lightheaded. He knew that whenever Tess was planning on staying out, she dropped Shelby at Madge’s. There was no way she’d leave Shelby alone overnight.
“I’m going to head out for her camp and see what’s going on,” Dev said. “And I’ll put out a BOLO on her and make sure the rangers are aware. But she’s probably at her camp, maybe twisted an ankle or something.”
Pax stood up, plans running through his head. “I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”
“We’ll be there,” Shawn said.
Pax nodded. “We’ll be there.”
“We don’t know yet—”
Pax cut him off. “We’ll be there in the morning. Best-case scenario, I’ll make her pay our airfare for worrying me to death. Worst-case scenario…” Pax choked, his hand flying to his mouth.
Shawn reached over and took the phone out of his hand. “Thanks, Dev. We’ll see you in the morning.” He disconnected the call.
Pax slumped back in his seat, listening to Shawn arrange flights for the two of them. But all he could picture was Tess. She’d never leave Shelby unattended.
A few minutes later, Shawn knelt down in front of him. “We’ll find her, okay?”
Pax nodded, but it wasn’t because he agreed. It was because he really, really hoped Shawn was right.
CHAPTER 54
Dev filled up Shelby’s food and water bowls, then locked her back inside Tess’s cabin. He made his way quickly to Tess’s barn and gassed up her other ATV. He turned the key and said a little prayer of thanks when it flared to life.
He followed the path Tess normally took, noting that it was relatively dry. Its elevation had caused most of the water to run off. He saw tracks from the other ATV, but he suspected they were at least a day old.
Forty minutes later, he spied Tess’s ATV parked at the end of the trail, and his stomach dropped. He quickly pulled up next
to it. Not allowing any of his fears to overcome him, he took off at a fast clip for her camp. Another thirty-five minutes and he was there. He stepped into the silent camp. Nothing. He checked the lean-to. Nothing. Her bear-resistant cooler was empty except for two boxes of Twinkies.
There was no sign that Tess had been here, at least not today.
Dev studied the ground around the camp. He wasn’t an expert tracker, but he could hold his own, and he caught sight of Tess’s footprints heading north. He followed them, trying to calm his now-racing heart.
Ten minutes later he came to an abrupt halt. He stared at the print on the ground in front of him, his heart all but stopping. The print was easily sixteen inches long and eight inches wide.
Oh God, Tess, what have you gotten yourself into?
CHAPTER 55
Tess spent the next morning watching over the little girl. Finally, around noon, the girl opened her eyes.
Tess looked down at her and spoke quietly. “Hi.”
The girl reared back, but Charlie was there, making soothing noises. The girl clutched his hand.
Tess kept her voice gentle. “My name’s Tess. Your friends brought me here to help you. You were hurt.”
The girl shook her head.
“You weren’t hurt?” Tess asked.
“Not friends,” she said, her words halting, like she hadn’t spoken in a while. She licked her lips. “Family.”
Surprise filtered through Tess. For some reason, she had assumed the girl couldn’t speak. But seeing as she spoke perfect English, it was clear that she hadn’t been out here her whole life. So when did she get here? And how?
As Tess looked at the pale little girl, she knew now wasn’t the time to have that discussion. “I can tell they care about you very much,” Tess said.
The girl closed her eyes again, her hand still clasped in Charlie’s. Charlie looked down at her. The affection in his gaze was undeniable. After a while, the girl’s breathing turned even. She’d fallen back to sleep.
