by R. D. Brady
Tess focused on her mug, thinking how easy that distance would be for a bigfoot to cover, even with a little girl perched on their shoulder. “Are you sure it’s her?”
Dev nodded. “Trust me, that little girl’s face haunted my dreams and the dreams of a lot of other people for a long time. We searched for weeks, but we never saw any signs of her. She was just gone.”
Shawn frowned. “How does a little girl end up in the woods alone? Where were her parents?”
“Her mom died of an overdose almost four years ago. Her dad moved them to a place on the edge of the national park. And he was a piece of work.”
Tess pictured the old scars on Missy’s body. “Was there a record of abuse?”
“Not when she disappeared—just a lot of suspicion,” Dev said. “She’d just started kindergarten. The law had to get involved just to get her to school. Her father got warnings half a dozen times about attendance. And some of the teachers were concerned about the girl’s mental state.”
“Her mental state?” Tess asked.
“She was withdrawn, didn’t interact with other kids. As one put it, she was scared.”
Tess’s heart broke as she thought about Missy’s tortured childhood. And then she’d somehow found peace with a new family, only to have that pulled away from her as well.
But another thought pulled Tess up short. “She won’t have to go back to him, will she?”
“I don’t know. It’s a little complicated,” Dev said.
“But he’s in prison for her murder, right?” Shawn asked.
“No. Without a body, they couldn’t make that stick. But he was found guilty of a slew of child abuse charges. They had pictures of old scars, so they were able to make a case.”
“That poor kid,” Shawn mumbled.
“Before her disappearance, Missy had been meeting with the school psychologist. She drew some pictures that raised a lot of red flags. In fact, they were about to bring a case of child abuse against her father when Missy went missing. It was widely believed he killed her and then hid the body—hence the murder charge.”
Tess gasped. “That’s horrible.”
“What will happen now?” Shawn asked.
“I don’t know. But I’m going to have to notify people that she’s back.” Dev looked at Tess. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” Tess said.
“So, now it’s your turn to talk. How did you come across her?” Dev asked.
Tess looked away. “It was two days ago. I heard a noise I didn’t recognize. When I investigated, I found Missy. Her foot had gotten stuck under a rock. She cried out.”
“Did you see anyone else around her? Did she say anything?” Dev asked.
Tess shook her head. “No. It was just the two of us. It took two days to hike back out because I needed to slow down for her. And then you guys found us.”
Shawn caught her gaze and then looked away. He gave an abrupt nod. “Good thing you found her.”
“Yeah,” Tess said.
Dev watched her before standing. “Well, I’m going to go call in and let them know she’s been found. Do you want me to call Dr. Avery and see if she can come out and look her over?”
Tess shook her head. “No, not until tomorrow. Let’s let her adjust a little bit first.”
Dev turned to Shawn. “You staying here tonight?”
“Yeah. Pax and I will,” Shawn said.
“Okay, good. I’ll head back then. I think there’s going to be a lot to do.” He turned to Tess. “Walk me out?”
Tess nodded, and together they stepped out onto the porch. Tess closed the door behind them.
Dev pulled her into his arms. “I am so glad you’re back. I can stay tonight, if you want.”
She shook her head. “I’d like you to, but I need to focus on Missy. Make sure she’s okay.”
“I figured that. But I’ll be back after I touch base with Sheriff Cowley.”
“Okay.” Tess hesitated. “How much of big deal to you think this is going to be?”
“It’s going to be a circus,” Dev said.
Tess closed her eyes, knowing he was probably right. “Look, I don’t want her exposed to that. She’s been out there a long time. Too many people will overwhelm her.”
“I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, but she’s going to have to talk to some people.”
Tess let out a breath. “I know, I know.”
Dev kissed her on the lips. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
Tess let herself enjoy his warmth. She had missed him. Being in his arms reminded her just how important he’d become in her life.
Dev pulled back and looked down at her. “You know, I went by your camp when you went missing. I followed your trail. And I noticed there was another trail going in the same direction as yours.”
Tess’s heart pounded and her mind raced.
Dev continued. “You know, when Missy went missing, her father swore up and down that he didn’t do anything to her. He said bigfoot took her.”
Oh, no.
Dev took Tess’s face in his hands. “You don’t have to lie to me. And you don’t have to tell me today. I know you’re exhausted. But I hope you know you can trust me.”
Tess felt like crying. “I know. It’s never been about trust.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “Good. Now get some sleep. We’ll talk later.”
She watched him walk away, wishing she could tell him to stay. But she needed to talk to Missy. She needed to get their stories straight before the circus began.
CHAPTER 69
Tess watched as Dev’s Jeep disappeared. He knew she wasn’t telling the truth. And she hated herself for keeping secrets from him. She was going to come clean, she really was—she just needed a plan first.
She leaned against one of the porch railings. But why hadn’t she just come out and told him everything already? Why hadn’t she told all of them? She’d known about the bigfoot for weeks. And now with Missy…
She sighed. What was the right thing to do here? She knew she’d need to tell people what had happened, but she had to be very careful who knew, or the tribe would be in danger.
She felt so tired. Maybe after she slept a little she’d be better able to face the decisions ahead of her. Right now, she just wasn’t capable of any rational decision-making.
She let herself back into the cabin. When she closed the door, Missy’s eyes popped open. Tess hurried over to her. “Hey. It’s okay. It’s just me.” She sat next to Missy on the couch, and the girl climbed into her lap. Tess rubbed her back. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Shawn sat on the other end of the couch.
“Do you remember Shawn?” Tess asked the girl.
“He carried me,” Missy said.
“That’s right, I did,” Shawn said gently. “Are you hungry?”
Missy nodded, her eyes big.
“How about I go make you something?”
“That would be great,” Tess said.
Shawn smiled. “Be right back.” He headed to the kitchen.
Tess watched him for a moment before she turned her attention back to Missy. “Missy?”
Missy looked up at her.
Tess kept her voice as gentle as possible. “Tomorrow, some people are going to ask you questions about where you’ve been.”
Missy ducked her head into Tess’s chest.
“I know. I’ll see if I can get them to limit how many people speak with you, but you will have to speak with some of them.” Tess paused, trying to figure out what she needed to say. The only way to protect the bigfoot was to not mention them at all. But how did she tell Missy that without putting too much pressure on her?
“For now, can you just say that you were by yourself in the woods? That you weren’t with anyone? I don’t think people will understand about your family. And we need to keep them safe.”
Missy’s bottom lip trembled.
Shoot. Tess hugged her. “It’ll be okay. We just won’t tell a
nyone about them, and that way they’ll be safe, okay?”
Missy’s shoulders shook. “I kept getting hurt. I couldn’t keep up with them. So they gave me away.” Tears trailed down the girl’s cheeks.
“No, no. It’s not like that.” Tess turned Missy so she was looking right in her eyes. “They did this to protect you. They know the forest isn’t a place where you can survive without help. And they risked everything to protect you. They found me. They risked being discovered so that they could get you somewhere you could be safe.”
“But they don’t want me.”
“Oh, honey, they do. Charlie…” Tess stumbled over the word, a stab of grief robbing her voice for a moment. “He made sure I would be able to take care of you. And Mary, she made sure as well. Even Kong was making sure I would be able to take care of you. They love you. They did this because they love you.”
Tess hugged her tightly. “I saw how difficult it was for them to let you go. They wanted you more than anything. But they put your safety above their own. They love you.”
“Are you sure?” Missy asked, her voice both hopeful and scared.
“There is nothing in this world I am more sure of. They love you with all their hearts. And when you love someone, you put what they need ahead of what you want. They could have kept you, but they knew that one day you could get really hurt and they wouldn’t be able to save you. And they couldn’t take that chance. They care too much about you.”
Missy sniffed. “I miss them.”
Tess put her chin on the top of Tess’s head. “I know, honey. I do too.”
“Will I ever see them again?”
“I hope so, sweetheart. I really hope so.”
CHAPTER 70
A few hours later, Tess eased herself away from the bed, where she had settled Missy. It was just past seven. They had slept away the afternoon. Missy was sound asleep with her arm wrapped around Shelby. Shelby lifted her head as Tess rose, but Tess held up her hand. “Stay,” she said softly.
Before falling asleep, Missy had cried her little heart out for her family. And Tess had cried right along with her at all the cruelties this one little girl had already faced. And she was terrified of what the future might hold for her.
Tess left the door slightly ajar, so she could hear if Missy woke. Although she hoped the girl would sleep right through until morning.
“She asleep?” Shawn asked from his spot on the couch.
Tess sank down onto the other end of the couch, curling her legs under her. “Yeah.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
“A little.” She spied Pax in her office, on the phone. “Who’s he speaking with?”
“Work. He’s arranging to take a little more time off.”
Guilt ate at Tess. “I’m sorry for—”
Shawn cut her off. “Don’t you say you’re sorry. Because what you are is important to us, and we’re here for you.”
Tess leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you two. And you’ve helped Missy feel safe. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
The front door opened, and Dev stepped in. Tess started to get up, but he waved her back down.
He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek before taking a seat across from her. “I spoke with Crowley. He’s not happy about it, but he agreed to hold off speaking with Missy until tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Tess said.
“And I have some more good news—I looked into Missy’s custody situation, and her father’s parental rights were revoked when she went missing. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t get custody now. So he won’t be standing in your way if you want to file for custody.” Dev paused. “You… do want to file for custody, right?”
Tess wasn’t sure about much right now, but she knew keeping Missy with her was part of the plan. “Yes. I need to know she’s taken care of, safe.”
“She’s been through a lot, hasn’t she?” Shawn asked.
Tess nodded, feeling her weariness pull at her.
“Tess?” Dev asked.
“Hmm?”
“We’ll help you however we can, but we need to be prepared. Is there any chance someone took her and that they’ll come after her?”
Tess shook her head. “No. No one will be coming for her.”
“But she wasn’t alone out there, was she?” Shawn asked quietly.
Tess debated what to say. She knew she needed to keep the tribe’s secret, but she also knew she was probably going to need some help in order to do that.
She looked at Dev. She knew he would believe her. And he would protect Missy just as strongly as she would.
Her gaze shifted to Shawn. Her brother had chosen well: Shawn was reliable, confident, and just basically a good man. But he was also pragmatic. He respected what she did, but he had healthy doubts about what was out there, if anything. Like a lot of people, he accepted that footprints could be found, but he never really believed in a full-fledged bigfoot.
Well. He was just going to have to get past that.
Pax got off the phone and joined them. He plopped down on the one remaining chair. “Okay, Tess. I’ve arranged for anyone that needs to speak with you to go through either me or Abby first. And Abby is looking into the legal status of fostering Missy.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”
“And you’ll never have to,” Pax replied.
Tess met Dev’s gaze. He sat watching her, waiting for her to decide whether or not to explain what was going on. She let out a breath. “There’s something I need to tell you guys.”
CHAPTER 71
Tess recounted her whole experience with the bigfoot, beginning with finding Charlie’s tracks and finishing with Kong disappearing into the woods when he realized Shawn was near. When she was done, Dev, Pax, and Shawn just were staring at her, their eyes wide.
Dev spoke first. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this? I mean, back when you first met one of them.”
Tess shrugged. “I don’t know. It just… It almost felt like I was going to jinx everything if I told anyone what happened.”
“What do you want us to do?” Shawn asked.
“Help me keep them safe. They’re not animals. They’re—people. And if anyone finds out about them, they will hunt them down. You know that.”
“Maybe not,” Pax said. “Not all people are—”
Tess shook her head. “No. You don’t understand. In academic circles, the common belief is that no one will believe in bigfoot until someone provides a dead bigfoot—one that can be dissected on a lab table. Someone will track them down, kill them, and then reap the rewards of that discovery.”
She pictured all the shows she’d seen, hunters giddy at the prospect of taking down a beast like bigfoot.
“You’re sure they’re not violent?” Shawn asked.
Tess pictured the juveniles playing in the valley, Mary and her family mourning Charlie’s death, and the incredible gentleness they had shown to Missy. “No,” she said softly, “they’re not violent. In all the bigfoot encounters on record, no one’s ever been killed. The worst that’s happened is that a human has hurt themselves running away.”
“And if they’re as big as you say they are, they’d certainly be able to catch anyone they wanted, and hurt anyone they intended to. So clearly they don’t intend to,” Pax said.
He was on her side, just like always. “I think we make them nervous,” she said. “They know what we’re capable of. They go out of their way to stay away from us. I’ve heard people say that we need to find them so we can protect them. But they seem to be doing a fine job of that on their own.”
“There was really one with you right before I found you?” Shawn asked.
Tess smiled at the incredulous look on Shawn’s face. “I call him Kong. He’s about ten feet tall and close to a thousand pounds. He carried Missy and only handed her to me when he realized you were nearby.”
Shawn s
hook his head. “It seems impossible.”
“I know. But they took care of Missy all this time. And…” She paused. “And I think the reason they came to me in the first place was so that I would bring Missy back. They realized she wouldn’t survive with them.”
Pax sat back. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. They loved her. And it killed them to let her go. But they did it so she would be safe. And now I need to make sure she is safe—and that they are as well.”
Pax gave a laugh that held no mirth. “Well, at least you haven’t set yourself up for too difficult a task. But what are you going to do about Hayes?”
Tess started. She had completely forgotten about her grant responsibilities. She shook her head. “Before I went to their valley, I had decided to break the contract. I’ll pay back all the money I’ve received. I can’t let them get any evidence that bigfoot exist.”
“Do you have the money to do that?” Dev asked.
“I haven’t actually spent all that much. I should be able to cover it with the money from Mom’s estate.”
“You haven’t mentioned anything in your updates to him?” Shawn asked.
Tess shook her head. “No, nothing. I had some hair samples that I was planning on sending out to them, but I held off. Now I’m glad I did.”
Pax frowned. “A hair sample? Like the one you sent me?”
“Yeah. Did you run it, by the way?” Tess asked.
Pax nodded. “I thought I was going to surprise you with the results, but now they seem a little anticlimactic.”
“What did they say?” Dev asked.
“The DNA in the hair sample wasn’t a match for either human or ape DNA. But it did match a hominid.”
“Homo denisova,” Tess said.
Pax leaned back with a sigh. “See? Anticlimactic.”
“So they’re not apes?” Shawn asked.
Tess thought about Kong. “No. Although I think there are actually two groups of hominids. One of them might actually be Gigantopithecus, or at least a close cousin. But no, they’re not apes.”
