The Bigfoot Blunder (A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Amanda M. Lee

“Age is a state of mind, and that woman’s state of the mind is all over the place. She still fights. Heck, I think she fights daily.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter.” I’m obstinate when I want to be. “I don’t have a crush on Landon. I’m merely interested in the Winchesters. They’re clearly hiding something.”

  “I agree,” Millie said, causing my heart to hop. “I just don’t think they’re hiding what you think they’re hiding.”

  “Oh, whatever!” I turned back to the worn trail that cut through the woods. “Where are we going?”

  “To the eighteenth green,” Millie replied. “They’re having a party tonight. Those boys I met earlier invited me.”

  “They invited you to a party?” I couldn’t hide my surprise. “That’s … impressive.”

  “I have a way with men. Why do you think I still work for the foundation despite divorcing Myron decades ago?”

  That was a pretty good question. “Are you uncomfortable working for him?”

  Millie shook her head. “He was always funny to mess with.” She fell into step with me, picking a slower pace to navigate the dark slope. “What about Jack? How do you feel about him?”

  “Oh, good grief!” I felt as if I were in high school all over again. “He seems nice enough, but he has even bigger problems with sticks than I do.”

  Millie snorted, amused. “You’ve got that right, honey. That’s kind of why I think you might make a good match.”

  “I’m not here to find a match,” I argued. “I’m here to find … something else.”

  “Bigfoot?”

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?” I challenged.

  “I’m here because I’m genuinely fond of Chris, I like to travel and I have nothing better to do with my time,” Millie corrected. “As for finding Bigfoot? Meh. I don’t get nearly as excited as the rest of you do when we find a weird footprint in the dirt. That doesn’t mean I don’t want Chris to eventually find what he wants.”

  “I’m sorry. I just … you’re kind of a busybody.”

  Millie chuckled loudly. “That’s rich coming from you, who spent the entire day trying to find information on the Winchesters instead of working the case you’re being paid to pursue. Since when do the Winchesters have anything to do with this case?”

  “I … um … you don’t know that they don’t have anything to do with this investigation.” As far as justifications go, it was lame. It was all I could come up with.

  Millie made a tsking sound and shook her head. “You need to learn to be a better liar. Now, come on. The party is this way. I can smell beer from here. Sure, it’s probably cheap beer, but in an hour I won’t care in the slightest.”

  MILLIE WAS right. An hour later she was drunk enough to hand me the keys to Chris’ rental so she wouldn’t lose them and euphoric enough to dance with several of the younger resort workers as they performed an ornate line dance I didn’t recognize.

  Despite myself – and the chill in the air – I found the scene entertaining.

  “Do you want a drink?”

  I vaguely recognized the guy who moved up to my right side – although I wasn’t sure from where – and shook my head when I saw the proffered plastic red cup. “I think one of us needs to stay sober for the drive back.”

  The guy laughed, the expression lighting up his handsome face. “Yeah. Millie’s a trip. She asked if she could touch my muscles earlier. I have no idea why, but I let her.”

  Recognition dawned as I gave the man another look. “Oh, you were one of the guys unloading the truck. I didn’t recognize you with your shirt on.”

  “Trevor Harris.” He extended his hand and I gladly shook it. “You’re Charlie, right?”

  I nodded. “I see Millie has been talking about me.”

  “Yes, she said you had a problem with a broken stick and she wanted me to fix it,” Trevor said. “I figured she was talking about something dirty, so I pretended I didn’t understand what she was saying. Is she your grandmother?”

  I smiled at the question. “She’s my co-worker. Actually, I just met her a few days ago. I’m new on the job.”

  “And what do you do for a living?”

  I couldn’t decide if Trevor was honestly interested or merely passing time. There had to be at least fifty people partying on the eighteenth green, but he paid all of them zero attention and focused on me.

  “I work for the Legacy Foundation.”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “We investigate unknown phenomenon.”

  “Like UFOs?” Trevor leaned forward, intrigued. “Are you here looking for aliens?”

  “We’re here because Penny Schilling died in the woods and she may or may not have been attacked by an animal of unknown origin.”

  It took Trevor a moment to grasp what I was saying. “Oh, like the Dog Man?”

  I nodded. “That was the rumor, although given Penny’s extracurricular activities that’s looking less and less likely.”

  “Yeah, she was a busy little bee.” Trevor sipped the beer, grimacing. I was fairly certain that whatever was in the keg couldn’t be considered quality brew, which made me doubly glad I was the designated driver for the evening. “She had quite the reputation around the resort.”

  I cast him a sidelong look, curious. “Did you ever … ?”

  “Me? No. I didn’t make enough money to turn her head.”

  “I heard that didn’t matter sometimes,” I supplied. “There’s a rumor that she wanted a relationship with the high earners but wasn’t opposed to spending time with just about anyone if she had an opening in her schedule.”

  “I think that’s definitely true,” Trevor confirmed. “I tried to keep my distance from her because I heard a lot of things – including that she had a disease.”

  I stilled. “What kind of disease?”

  “You know; the kind people claim they get from a toilet seat but you really know they got because they’ll bone anything that moves.”

  That was a lovely way to put it. “I heard one of the guys was married,” I said. “Did she know that?”

  “Bob Grimes.” Trevor screwed his face into an unfortunate grimace as he shook his head. “Bob doesn’t have a very good reputation himself. His wife works in the hospitality department. She works behind the front desk and helps guests at the concierge desk most days.”

  “Did they meet at the resort?”

  Trevor shrugged. “I know they’ve been married a long time and that Bob likes to spend more time with his boat and hunting buddies than his wife. She pretends there’s nothing wrong with their relationship while he nails anything that moves and drinks more than he should.”

  For a young guy, Trevor had a way with words. Of course, if I had to guess, he was probably my age. I considered myself good with words, too. “So Bob and his wife are married, but it’s all for show, and he got involved with Penny.”

  “He probably didn’t get involved with Penny,” Trevor clarified. “It’s more like he got drunk and fell on Penny a few times and she told him they were going to get involved. Bob is a nice guy who never thinks before he acts. Penny was a manipulative woman who knew exactly how to get what she wanted.”

  “Which was?”

  Trevor shrugged. “If I knew the answer to that I would’ve told Penny a long time ago. She seemed to be searching for something. She never found it. Now I guess she never will.”

  “No, you’re probably right.” I turned my attention back to a drunk Millie. “Did you really invite her to this party?”

  Trevor brightened. “Are you kidding? Look at her. She’s hilarious.”

  “She’s definitely the life of the party.”

  “That’s exactly how I want to be when I’m that age,” Trevor said. “I want to know who I am and not care what anyone else thinks.”

  Oddly enough, I felt the same way. I wasn’t quite there yet. “How long do you think I should give her before I force her back to the inn?”

  “Oh, she’s p
robably got twenty minutes before she starts puking.”

  “What?” My smile slipped. “Do you really think she’ll puke?”

  “She’s well on her way. In fact … yup. There she goes. She didn’t last nearly as long as I thought she word. Darn. I thought she would be good for another dance or two. There goes the night’s entertainment.”

  12

  Twelve

  I wanted to get Millie back to the rental vehicle on my own – mostly because I wasn’t keen on letting a guy I hardly knew walk through the woods with me when I was distracted and vulnerable – but ultimately I didn’t have a choice. Millie looked small and light in stature, but she was far too heavy for me to navigate on my own.

  Trevor seemed amused when he slung one of Millie’s arms over his neck, taking the bulk of her dead weight on his broad shoulders. He kept up a light conversation – nothing serious or worrisome – as we headed toward the spot where we had parked.

  I’d pretty much managed to lull myself into a feeling of relaxation and security even though I had no idea how I was going to get Millie back inside the inn without anyone noticing. My brain was already skipping forward to various scenarios when a pair of hands shot out of the trees to my right and grabbed my shoulders.

  I lashed out without thinking, slapping as hard as I could and making contact with skin. I heard a grunt as I lifted my knee, instinctively going after the one place I knew would equalize the strength factor when fighting against a guy. Jack quickly shifted his hips, keeping me from hitting my target, and shoving me back, a wild look in his eyes.

  “Are you trying to kill me?”

  I stilled, surprised. He was the last person I expected to find hiding in the woods. “Are you trying to kill me?” I fired back, my temper flaring. “You don’t grab someone while they’re hiking to their car in the middle of the night! It’s not gentlemanly.”

  “Is something wrong?” Trevor asked, grappling with Millie’s weight as another figure moved out of the trees and closed on him. I recognized Bernard right away.

  “Don’t even think about touching him,” I warned. “He’s helping, not hurting.”

  “What happened to her?” Bernard asked, giving Millie a long look. “She isn’t dead, is she?”

  I snorted, amused. “She’s dead drunk. She drank a little too much, and I couldn’t carry her back on my own.”

  “Par for the course.” Bernard mustered a smile as he helped Trevor with his burden. “Here. We’ll put her in this vehicle.”

  Trevor shot me a look, as if to ask if I was okay with the shift in riding arrangements. All I could do was nod and offer a wan smile before locking gazes with Jack. He looked furious.

  “Don’t you even think about yelling at me,” I warned, surprising myself with the tone of my voice. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “No, I’m head of security,” Jack gritted out. “That means I’m in charge of your safety. I can’t be in charge of your safety if you’re crawling around the woods in the middle of the night.”

  Something occurred to me. “How did you even know we were gone?”

  Jack balked, taken aback by the question. “It’s my job to know.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “Help me get Millie in the truck,” Bernard ordered Trevor. “Stay away from that argument, son. It’s never wise to get between two bulls when they’re about to knock horns.”

  Trevor didn’t look convinced. “I … he won’t hurt her, will he?”

  “He won’t hurt her physically,” Bernard confirmed. “I have a feeling both of them will have bruised egos before this is done.”

  “Just take Millie back to The Overlook,” Jack barked, retrieving a set of keys from his pocket and tossing them in Bernard’s direction. “I’ll drive the other vehicle back.”

  Bernard had no problem picking the keys out of the air even as he supported Millie’s weight with his other arm. “No problem. Don’t call her any names you can’t take back. I’ve noticed you’re not good with the apologies. Women like a man who can apologize.”

  “Thanks for the tip,” Jack said dryly, shaking his head before flicking his eyes to me. “What were you thinking sneaking out of the inn in the middle of the night?”

  “It wasn’t even ten o’clock,” I argued, my temper returning with a vengeance. “That’s hardly the middle of the night. The local news doesn’t start until eleven, for crying out loud.”

  I could practically hear Jack’s temper sizzling as he glared at me. “Do you think you’re funny?”

  “Funnier than you. That’s not really saying much, though, is it?”

  Jack scowled. “You could’ve gotten yourself into a ton of trouble. You realize that, right?”

  “How? Do you really think I was in danger of something terrible happening while with a bunch of kids drinking on a golf course? I wasn’t even drinking. Someone had to be the designated driver. I watched Millie drink and I asked a few questions.”

  “So … um … I should probably be going.” Trevor hovered a few feet away, gripping his hands together as he cast a longing look in the direction of the golf course. I could hear his friends whooping it up. “It was nice meeting you, Charlie. I enjoyed talking to you and everything.” He flashed a warm smile and held my gaze for a bit longer than necessary. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

  Trevor’s good manners did nothing to improve Jack’s mood. “Thanks so much for your help,” he muttered, scorching Trevor with a dark look. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.” Jack strode toward me with purpose, grabbing my shoulder and directing me toward the vehicle Millie and I brought to the party. “Get in. We’ll finish this discussion on the way back to the inn.”

  That didn’t sound like any fun at all. “I have the keys. I’m driving.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “I haven’t been drinking,” I argued.

  “I don’t care.” Jack slipped his hand in my pocket, causing me to squirm as my stomach warmed. I instinctively jerked away, glaring.

  “Don’t get fresh.”

  “When I get fresh, you’ll know it.” Jack jerked open the passenger-side door. “Get in.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” I was tired and ready for bed, but obeying Jack wasn’t on my to-do list, so I made a big show of searching the ground next to the vehicle instead of getting inside.

  “What are you doing?” Jack gritted out, his patience clearly fraying.

  “I’m looking for a stick.”

  “Why?”

  “Millie said I have issues with sticks and I think she might be right,” I answered primly. “I need a stick so I have something to hit you with during the drive.”

  Jack was quiet. Finally I had no choice but to look in his direction. I was almost convinced he’d left, abandoning me to find my own way back to The Overlook. Instead he leaned against the front of the vehicle, arms crossed across his chest, staring at me.

  “What?”

  “Get in, Charlie,” Jack ordered, keeping his voice low and even. I was almost positive the corners of his mouth twitched, but his expression turned serious too quickly for me to be absolutely sure. “I think we need to have a long discussion about the chain of command.”

  I huffed out a frustrated sigh, abandoned my stick search and headed for the open door. “I think we do, too, because you’re not the boss of me.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “We definitely will.”

  I KEPT MY lower lip jutted out, my arms crossed over my chest and my eyes focused on the windshield as Jack drove toward Hemlock Cove. I could almost feel the anger seeping from him, but I chose not to comment on it. I was determined to make him come to me, which, given his hostility, only made things worse.

  “Why did you sneak out of the inn in the middle of the night?” Jack finally broke the silence with a near growl.

  “It wasn’t the middle of the night.”
r />   “You know what I mean.”

  “No, Jack, I’m not sure what you mean.” I kept my voice light because I knew it would irritate him. “I’m a lowly female who needs protection. You might need to use shorter words to explain things to me.”

  “That’s not what I said,” Jack barked, rolling his eyes as he dragged a hand through his hair. “You’re purposely trying to drive me crazy. You think I don’t know what you’re doing, but I do.”

  “I’m not trying to do anything to you,” I countered. “We went to the resort because Millie found out that the younger workers were having a party. We thought they might have some information for us.”

  “So this was Millie’s idea?”

  “I … no.” I had no intention of putting this on Millie. I agreed to go with her, after all. It wasn’t her fault, and I wasn’t big on blaming others for my actions. “It was my idea.”

  “Really?” Jack arched a challenging eyebrow. “It was your idea to go to a party you didn’t know existed?”

  “How do you know that I wasn’t the one invited to the party?” Now I was challenging him simply because I could. His short fuse proved that I could manipulate his attention in certain directions if the situation warranted.

  “Because you were with me all afternoon while we were at the resort, and Millie was the one who took off on her own,” Jack replied matter of factly. “I also happen to know that you were exhausted and ready to go to bed when you left the library earlier tonight. I saw you. You couldn’t stop yawning.”

  “Watch me a lot, do you?” It was meant to be a derisive comment, but Jack nodded, catching me off guard.

  “I have been watching you because it’s your first investigation, and it’s my job to keep you safe,” Jack offered. “You had a long day. I was sure you were going upstairs and retiring right away. I knew Millie was going to cause trouble, but I thought she would be hanging around with Tillie. I had no idea she planned to steal one of the rental vehicles – vehicles she has no business driving, mind you – until I saw her lift Chris’ keys before announcing she was going to bed.”