Hominid

by R. D. Brady

  Generally, Dev wasn’t responsible for searching for every idiot that got lost in the park, but missing celebrity idiots were apparently a special case. Fortunately, he had a good idea where to start looking. He’d gotten into Haven’s RV and seen the storyboard—he knew they intended to go to the spot where Tess and Missy had first been found.

  He curled his fists remembering the rest of the storyboard, including the notes about getting shots of Missy and Tess.

  A shadow passed overhead, and Dev looked up to see a large black bird with fingerlike tips on its wing—a turkey vulture. It joined another three turkey vultures flying in wobbly circles farther ahead.

  Dev’s stomach dropped. Oh, shit. Turkey vultures were carrion birds—they fed on fresh carcasses. He picked up his pace.

  He heard the snarl before he reached the spot. When he arrived, four coyotes were already feasting on what was left of the bodies. Dev aimed his shotgun in the air and pulled the trigger twice. The coyotes backed away, but didn’t run. He hoped he didn’t have to kill them. One made a move for the bodies again.

  Damn it. Dev aimed and pulled the trigger. The buckshot caught the animal in the rib cage. It let out a yelp and fell to the ground, its back legs running but not going anywhere.

  The other coyotes scattered. Dev approached the wounded coyote. It would not survive. “I’m sorry,” he said. He put the poor beast out of its misery.

  Then he turned from that carnage to the human carnage. He blanched at the condition of the bodies. Chunks of skin and muscle were gone. One person’s arm had been tugged off and dragged several feet away. The other body was missing a hand and leg. And the faces… It was hard to tell what they were, never mind who they were.

  No, proper IDs would require much more than a visual. All he could tell was that one guy was white and the other was most likely Latino—or really tan. But he knew all he needed to know from the television camera that lay not far from one of the bodies. The words Bigfoot Must Die were stamped on its side.

  Dev pulled out his radio, hoping he could get a signal from here. He knew he should feel some sympathy, but the image of Missy’s terrified face wouldn’t let him. Dead out-of-towners. This is going to be a nightmare.

  CHAPTER 102

  Dev paused outside Tess’s cabin door. He really didn’t want to bring her this news. But she needed to know.

  Taking a breath, he opened the door and stepped inside.

  When Tess caught sight of him, her whole face lit up. Dev would never tire of seeing that expression on her face, and he really hoped she never tired of providing it. She got up and hugged him. “Hey. I tried you earlier but couldn’t reach you.”

  “Yeah. It’s been a little crazy.”

  “Everything all right?”

  “We need to talk. Something’s happened.” He looked around. “Where is everybody?”

  She led him over to the couch. “Pax and Shawn went for a walk with Shelby and Missy. What’s going on?”

  Dev sat down next to her. “Tyler Haven and one of his crew were killed two nights ago.”

  Tess’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, that’s awful! What happened?”

  Dev recounted coming across the bodies in the woods. Tess paled, and Dev knew she was recalling her father’s death.

  Her voice was a little shaky when she spoke. “You know I didn’t like the guy, but no one should go out like that.”

  Dev pulled the pictures out of his pocket and handed them to her. “These were found near the bodies.”

  Tess’s eyes grew wide. “Bigfoot prints? That’s not possible.”

  “Tess, these prints, found right near two dead bodies… It’s getting people pretty worked up.”

  “But bigfoot aren’t violent.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.” There was no doubt in her voice.

  “Then how did these prints come to be there?”

  Tess took the photos to the kitchen island and turned the lights on above it. She pulled her magnifying glass from the utensil drawer. “Did you cast these?”

  Dev came over and stood beside her. “Yeah, but I had to leave the casts back at the station.”

  She squinted at the pictures and frowned.

  “What is it?” Dev asked.

  “How far apart are these?” Tess pointed to two footprints in one photo.

  “About three, maybe four feet.”

  “That’s too small a stride.” She flipped through the other photos, and her frown increased. “And look at this.”

  Dev leaned forward. It was a close-up of one the footprints. “What about it?”

  “The toes—they’re wrong. They’re not long enough. The foot’s too narrow as well. And look.” She placed three photos down, right next to each other.

  “What? They all look the same to me.”

  “They do, and that’s the problem. There should be a little difference between them. All feet bend, dip, and shift a little. These don’t.” She glanced up at him. “How damp was the ground?”

  “Not too bad, but we got that rain the night before these guys disappeared.”

  “How deep were the imprints?”

  “Maybe a half inch?”

  Tess shook her head. “They’re forgeries.”

  “What?”

  “These prints are, what—sixteen inches long? And the ground was damp? A bigfoot should have sunk into the ground at least two or three inches. That’s one of the ways to spot hoaxers—they can’t get the prints deep enough. Humans can’t simulate the weight distribution.”

  Dev grabbed the photos and flipped through them.

  “Hold on.” Tess ran into her office and returned a few seconds later carrying her own photos and a cast. “Compare them to these.”

  Dev noticed right away that the cast Tess held was thicker than the one he’d made earlier. The foot was much wider, and she was right—the toes were longer too. “I don’t know that this will make much of a difference. You say they’re not bigfoot prints, but you can’t explain why you’re sure of that.”

  “There are other experts. You could call them in—”

  “I don’t think we have time for that. The mayor is in a frenzy. These deaths, following the return of Missy… Beauford just became bigfoot central.”

  Tess closed her eyes. “Oh, no.”

  “The mayor scheduled a press conference for tomorrow morning. I think you should be there.”

  “What do you think she’s going to say?”

  “I don’t know, but I know it’s not going to be good.”

  CHAPTER 103

  Carter sat at his lunch table, a white linen napkin draped across his legs, a twenty-four-hour business channel playing in the background. He glanced up from the financial report he was reading to glare at the TV screen. It had been two days. Two damn days, and nothing.

  Everything was set up, at least everything that could be set up without raising suspicions. They just needed to get the word.

  Thaddeus walked in from the front office and picked up the remote. “I think you’ll want to see this.” He switched to a news channel.

  An African-American anchor faced the camera, her perfectly made-up face serious. “A grisly discovery in Northern California has rocked the reality TV world. TV personality Tyler Haven was found dead in Klamath National Forest along with his cameraman, Oscar Frankel. A cause of death has not been released, although one source at the medical examiner’s office stated that the bodies had to be identified through dental records.

  “Haven was the host of the popular reality show Bigfoot Must Die, which chronicled humans’ experiences with bigfoot in the wild. Fans of the show have bombarded the show’s website and the governor of California’s office with demands that the truth of the attacks be released. Many are stating their belief that a bigfoot, a legendary half-man/half-ape creature, is responsible for the killings. Governor Edwards’s office has not released a statement yet but is expected to later this afternoon. We now go live to the town
of Beauford, California, where—”

  Carter hit the mute button on the console on his desk. On screen, a reporter interviewed a man who held two fishing poles over his rather large shoulder. Carter barely registered the image, though; his mind was churning. Finally he turned to Thaddeus. “Make the call.”

  Thaddeus picked up the phone on Carter’s desk and dialed a number from memory. “Carter Hayes for Governor Edwards.”

  Only a few seconds later, Thaddeus spoke again. “Good morning, Governor. Please hold for Mr. Hayes.” He handed the phone over to Carter.

  Carter took it, forcing a jovial tone to his voice. “Harrison, it’s been too long.”

  CHAPTER 104

  Tess and Pax entered the town hall meeting room just before ten a.m. and took positions along the back wall. Tess had worried that people might pay them too much attention, but as she looked at the chaos in front of her, she realized that was not going to be an issue. Everyone was too busy yelling and talking to their neighbors to notice Pax and Tess.

  There were a lot of faces here that Tess didn’t recognize. Missy’s father’s story had drawn a lot of attention, and bigfoot enthusiasts had been descending on Beauford ever since, traipsing through the woods and hoping for a sighting.

  And then there was all the media that had descended on the town. There were so many TV vans parked along the road from Tess’s house, hoping to get a glimpse of Missy or even of Tess, that Sasha had had to sneak Tess and Pax underneath a blanket in her back seat. Tess couldn’t believe this was all happening. It was surreal.

  Pax reached over and took Tess’s hand. She squeezed it, glad he was with her.

  The door off to the side of the podium at the front of the room opened. Dev walked out, followed by Hank and a fifty-five-year-old heavyset blond woman—Mayor Catherine Sonner.

  Catherine had been the mayor for the last seven years, and everyone agreed she’d done a good job. Although everyone also agreed there wasn’t much to do besides make sure the winter and summer festivals ran smoothly.

  Catherine stepped up to the podium, and Hank stood to the right and slightly behind her. Dev stood on her other side. His jaw was taut, his body tense. He was not happy. Tess’s anxiety rose.

  The mayor waved for quiet, but a few people still murmured in the audience. She frowned and placed two fingers in her mouth. With the aid of the microphone in front of her, she let out an eardrum-shattering whistle. Silence reigned, with more than a few people placing their hands over their ears and wincing.

  Catherine gave them a grim smile. In addition to being mayor, she ran the biggest lumberyard in the county. She was used to dealing with tough men. If half the stories Tess had heard about her were right, a group of cranky townsfolk and excited out-of-towners was nothing to this woman.

  “Thank you,” Catherine said, the evidence of a two pack a day habit clear in her throaty voice. “By now, you have all heard about the deaths of Tyler Haven and Oscar Frankel out in the state park.”

  A murmur passed through the audience; Catherine glared, and it silenced. “The medical examiner has concluded the autopsies, but the bodies were in such bad shape due to the coyotes that he can’t conclusively say what killed them. Although he did say the likelihood of them both dropping dead of natural causes at the same time was unlikely.”

  Some people tittered at Catherine’s attempt at a joke.

  “As a result, we have had to use other means to ascertain what happened,” Catherine said.

  Tess’s gaze flew to Dev. He curled his fist and stared straight ahead. Whatever Catherine had determined, Dev did not agree with it. Hank, however, seemed to have no such reservations. A smile ghosted across his face before he covered it with a small cough.

  The mayor continued. “The crew was filming a scene for Bigfoot Must Die, a reality show based on the search for bigfoot. Well, I think it’s safe to say, they found him.”

  Tess’s jaw dropped. What the hell?

  “On the taped segment, the crew heard a bigfoot in the area. They were preparing to leave due to fears for their safety. And that’s when the tape ended. In addition, we found some extremely large footprints in the area. I think it is safe to assume that the two unfortunate members of this show did indeed find the object of their search, and that they paid the ultimate price for it.”

  Tess couldn’t even think beyond the stupidity of that statement.

  The mayor paused and eyed the room before continuing. “The town of Beauford has issued a twenty-thousand-dollar reward for the person who can find and kill the monster responsible for this attack.”

  The crowd began to murmur excitedly. Catherine didn’t seem to mind this time.

  “What about hunting permits?” someone yelled.

  “For the immediate future, hunting permits will not be required. This reward is open to anyone—be they a resident of Beauford or not. That is all. No questions.”

  Tess could not believe what she had just heard. The mayor had just put a death warrant out on the bigfoot.

  She turned to Pax, whose eyes were huge. “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  Tess shook her head, feeling numb. “I have no idea.”

  CHAPTER 105

  Dev was furious as he followed the mayor and sheriff out of the meeting room and back to the mayor’s office. As soon as the door closed he turned to the mayor. “What the hell was that?”

  Catherine narrowed her eyes. “Watch your tone, Deputy.”

  “With all due respect, there is nothing in the ME’s report or on the tape that proves a bigfoot killed those two men.”

  Catherine took a seat behind her desk. “You’re missing the big picture, son.”

  Dev imagined vaulting over the desk and strangling her. “And what might that be?”

  She smiled. “Tourist dollars. Bigfoot is a huge money-maker. People are fascinated by him. And if we have proof of a bigfoot in the area, it will bring tons of people to our little town.”

  “Do you have any idea how reckless you’re being?” Dev said.

  Catherine frowned. “I don’t see that at all.”

  Dev gripped his hands behind his back to keep them from reaching for her neck. “Every year when hunting season starts, we have a massive increase in gunshot wounds. Why? Because people get drunk and then fire at their friends, thinking they’re a deer. Now you’re going to have every yahoo within driving distance, and probably beyond, heading here with a gun and a case of beer.” Dev was yelling by the end of his rant, and had to rein in his anger.

  “Now son, I think you’re exaggerating,” Hank said. “Most hunters are decent, responsible individuals.”

  “Yeah, and the key word there is ‘most.’ Because the few that aren’t will be out there too. Not to mention people who’ve never hunted before. And then there’s the bigfoot investigators. They’ll show up here, banging trees, making calls, and someone will take a shot at them thinking they’re the real deal.”

  “Well, it’s your job to keep the peace then,” Catherine said.

  “My jurisdiction does not extend into the woods. We can’t patrol the woods. You do get that, right?” Dev said.

  Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “I warned you once about your tone, Deputy. If I have to do it again, there will be repercussions.”

  Dev curled his fists, his anger only growing hotter. These two were going to get a whole lot of people hurt, if not killed. He turned to Hank. “I have some vacation time coming. I’d like to take it beginning now.”

  Hank looked between Dev and Catherine. And Dev knew what he was thinking. He was lucky to have Dev, and bigger enforcement agencies would be happy to get him. If he didn’t keep Dev happy, he was likely to lose him. What’s more, he knew that everything had Dev said was true. And Hank was going to need a good deputy when everything went to hell.

  Hank stared at a spot on his tie. “Well, maybe just a few days. But then I’ll need you back on duty.”

  “Fine.” Dev turned on his heel and headed for the doo
r. He yanked it open, and it took a herculean effort to not slam it behind him. He stormed down the hallway past small groups of people talking excitedly. Others were quickly heading for the doors.

  Dev stepped out into the fresh air. An angry car horn drew his attention to the right. An old F-150 slammed to a stop as a black Tahoe cut it off. Both drivers launched themselves from their cars, screaming at each other over their hoods. And both were out-of-towners.

  Dev shook his head. He knew this was only the beginning. It was going to get worse from here.

  CHAPTER 106

  Tess and Pax rushed back to Tess’s cabin after the meeting. When Tess opened the door, Shawn and Missy looked up from the puzzle they were doing on the coffee table. Missy ran over and hugged Tess.

  Tess ran her hand over Missy’s hair. “There’s my favorite girl. You and Shawn have made a huge dent in that puzzle.”

  Missy grinned and retook her seat.

  Shawn smiled. “She’s good at these. I thought I’d have to help her, but she’s helping me.”

  Pax moved over and sat next to Missy. “Can I help?”

  “Sure.” Missy pushed some of the puzzle pieces toward her.

  “Uh, Shawn, could I talk to you for a minute?” Tess asked.

  Shawn frowned before a quick glance at Missy had him covering it and getting to his feet. “Sure.”

  They stepped out onto the porch, and Shawn closed the door behind them. Shawn crossed his arms over his chest. “What happened?”

  Tess quickly filled him in on the meeting. Shawn’s face grew grimmer and grimmer as she spoke.

  Tess looked out into the trees. “I know they’ll probably be safe. But I feel like we need to warn them.”

  Shawn nodded. “I agree. But do you know where they are?”

  “I’m guessing at the valley. And if they’re not, well, that would be great, because that would mean they’ve moved on.”

  “I’ll go with you.”