“I wasn’t doing anything,” Laura protested, her eyes flashing.
“Yes, you were,” Millie shot back, shaking her head. “You always do something. Every single time we have a job you pick a person to flirt with. You don’t care if that person is interested or not. You focus on them until we leave town, as if it’s a game.”
“I do not!” Laura’s temper flared. “Stop saying things like that. You’ll give these people the wrong idea.”
“We’ve met people like Laura before,” Thistle said. “We recognized her for what she is the second we met her. There’s no need to get worked up about it. We’ve dealt with worse.”
“Hey! I am sitting right here.” Laura’s temper was something to behold. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Winchesters purposely egged her on to see if she would crack. The supposition appeared ridiculous on the surface, but it seemed to fit the facts. They were conducting a social experiment, and they were having a good time doing it.
“Eat your dinner and be quiet,” Chris ordered, his voice low and firm. “Speaking of work, I was wondering if someone would take a shift out at the scene with the equipment tonight. Laura and I spent the entire day going through footage – found a few interesting tidbits I’d like to clean up and examine more closely on the laptop – but I’ve decided that I want someone out there at all times so we can have eyes on the areas not covered by cameras. The hominid might recognize a camera and avoid it, after all.”
The news was met with a chorus of groans.
“I know everyone hates camping,” Chris continued. “I happen to love it, but I’m the oddity. After what we found today, though, I don’t see how we can let this opportunity slip through our fingers.”
“What did you find today?” Tillie asked, leaning forward. “Was it the Loch Ness Monster after all?”
“The Loch Ness Monster can’t get to the Hemlock Cove woods,” Thistle argued. “How would it manage to get here without being seen? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’re on my list,” Tillie warned, extending a finger. “It makes perfect sense, by the way, if you believe in an underground water system that runs two hundred feet below the surface. That’s how creatures like the Loch Ness Monster survive over the eons.”
Thistle didn’t look convinced. “Why has no one ever seen this water system?”
“Because it’s magically hidden.”
“By whom?”
“Elves, you idiot!” Tillie barked.
“Okay, that will be enough of that,” Landon ordered, topping off his wine glass. “I’m a little confused about why anyone has to be at the scene. Why can’t you just leave the cameras running and check them in the morning?”
“Because the cameras are pointed at one particular area,” Chris explained. “The odds of a hominid-like creature passing over that exact area are slim, and if it recognizes the cameras it’ll take great pains to avoid the camera. Hominids are notorious for disliking cameras.”
“Is he saying Bigfoot is gay?” Tillie whispered, leaning closer to Bay for clarification.
Bay shook her head. “He’s only referring to an ape-like creature.”
“Like Landon when there’s no bacon?”
Bay tried to hide her smirk … and failed. “Kind of.” She patted Landon’s knee under the table. “You already made the gay Bigfoot joke before, though. I remember it. You need to stop recycling material.”
Tillie scowled. “Whatever.”
Bay ignored her and focused on Chris. “So you want to put people out there camping all night so they can operate camera equipment in the hopes of seeing Bigfoot?”
Chris nodded, the question apparently perfectly reasonable in his mind. “I was thinking Millie and Bernard could take the first shift.”
Millie groaned, annoyed. “Oh, geez.”
Jack’s words from earlier in the day flooded over me and I immediately started shaking my head. “I’ll do it. I was caught up with other stuff this afternoon when I should’ve been helping you.”
“Yes, well, you don’t know that much about the equipment yet,” Chris hedged.
“I can learn on the job.” I was determined to make up for the mistakes I’d already made. “I want to do it. And you don’t have to send anyone else with me. They deserve some sleep. I can handle this on my own.”
“That sounds good to me,” Laura said. “Can someone pass the rolls?”
“Well, it doesn’t sound good to me,” Jack argued. “You can’t go out there alone.”
“I agree,” Chris said. “She’ll need someone to go with her. Millie?”
“Ugh.” Millie made a face and let loose with a series of unintelligible grunts instead of offering up an answer.
Jack interjected himself before she had a chance to clear things up. “I’ll go with her,” he said. “I know how to use the equipment.”
“Are you sure?” Chris was visibly surprised. “You usually don’t volunteer for this sort of assignment.”
“I’m security. I want to make sure our new member is safe.” Jack shot me a tight smile and I was sure I would hear an earful about volunteering as soon as we were alone. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ll bet it’s an eventful evening.”
I was starting to worry about that myself.
Eighteen
“I can’t believe we’re staying in tents.”
I was almost giddy when Jack finished erecting the two small tents, my gaze bouncing between them. I tried to help him when it came time to erect the temporary nylon shelters, but he said I was more of a hindrance – which was mildly hurtful, but I was too excited to care.
“Yes, it’s the highlight of my evening,” Jack said, tossing a sleeping bag in my direction and shaking his head. “I see you got the campfire burning. Looks a little lopsided, but … good job.”
I was fairly certain that was the closest thing to a compliment I would get out of him, so I let it slide. “I know how to make a campfire. I was a counselor at summer camp as a teenager.”
“Really?” Jack cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t see you at a summer camp.”
“Well, I probably wouldn’t go back after what happened, but I had a good time up until the end.”
“What happened?” Jack asked, tossing his sleeping bag in the tent closest to him without bothering to look inside. Both the tents and sleeping bags were new – Chris purchased them one town over this afternoon – so Jack didn’t appear to be worried about bugs being inside. That was at the top of my list of things to worry about. I’m not big on bugs.
“It was a cold night. My friends started disappearing one by one until I was the only one left.” I adopted an eerie voice as I flicked my new flashlight on under my chin. “I followed a trail of blood from the kitchen and found a body. It seems there was a legend around those parts. A killer thought drowned in the lake as a child kept coming back.”
Jack heaved a sigh as he settled on the ground next to the fire. “That’s the plotline of Friday the 13th.”
“Seen that one, have you?”
“Anyone who likes horror movies has seen it,” Jack replied, his tone weary.
“Do you like horror movies?” I left my sleeping bag behind to put away later and sat on the ground next to him. I positioned myself so I was close, but not so close I might inadvertently touch him. We were alone in the woods, and I didn’t want to give him any ideas, after all. Now that Bay had mentioned she thought we might make a good match I was suddenly uncomfortable around Jack. I couldn’t explain the shift in my attitude.
“I like some horror movies,” Jack replied. “I like older stuff, like The Shining, Halloween and The Exorcist.”
“I like those too.”
“I also like eighties slasher films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. I’m not a big fan of the newer stuff.”
“That’s because they’re not scary,” I offered. “Remakes are stupid, too.”
“Remakes are definitely stupid,” Jack agreed, shifting his feet c
loser to the fire. “Can I ask you something?”
“Are you suddenly turning into the question man or something?” I teased, amused.
Jack’s lips quirked, but he shook his head. “Did you sign up for this job because you felt guilty about what I said to you earlier?”
“I … no.” That wasn’t even remotely true. I felt completely guilty about what he’d told me earlier. “I do want to pull my own weight,” I said. “How bad can it be? We’re camping, for crying out loud. That can’t be considered work.”
“You’ve never been camping before, have you?”
I shook my head. “My parents were city people. They preferred subways and taxis. I like to think I was born for the country, though. I know that sounds weird, but … there it is.”
“You just said your parents were city people,” Jack pointed out. “How could you be born for the country if you come from city folk?”
I shrugged, unsure about how to answer. “I was adopted, so … .”
“Oh.” Jack lowered his voice, understanding washing over his features. “How old were you when you were adopted?”
“Four.”
“Do you know … why?” Jack seemed curious, yet uncomfortable. I didn’t blame him. It’s not easy to know how far to push someone when it comes to talking about personal issues, especially when you barely know that person.
“Do I know why my birth parents suddenly abandoned me when I was four? I have no idea.” I tried to adopt a breezy tone, but was pretty sure I failed miserably.
“They abandoned you?” Jack tilted his head to the side. “How do you know they abandoned you?”
“I don’t remember anything before that age,” I admitted, rubbing my cheek. The fire made a convenient focal point, so I kept my eyes there. It was easier than meeting Jack’s gaze and letting him see into my soul. “I was discovered in the parking lot of a fire department in Minnesota. There was no note … or other clothes … nothing other than a stuffed dog.”
I heard Jack swallow, but refused to look at him. “That had to be rough. Do you think you blocked out your memories from before then?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve been through the police reports filed at the time. I had a bruise on my arm, but it wasn’t bad. The cops said it didn’t look as if I’d been abused. I was given a thorough examination and … um … there was no sexual abuse or anything.”
“That’s a relief.” Jack shifted, and I couldn’t tell if it was because he was uncomfortable due to the ground or the story. “Didn’t the cops ask you to describe your parents? I mean, I know it’s been a long time and you can’t be expected to remember something like that now, but back then it would’ve been fresh in your mind.”
“They said I didn’t know anything except my name: Charlotte.”
“Charlotte Rhodes?”
I shook my head. “Just Charlotte. I have no idea what my last name was. Not even the hint of a memory.”
Jack took me by surprise when he rested his hand on top of mine. It wasn’t a romantic gesture or a flirtation. It was merely meant as a form of solace. “What happened to you then?”
“I was put in the system for a bit,” I replied, reciting the story from a clinical place instead of emotional. I didn’t know how else to deal with it. “It seemed like forever, but I think I was honestly lucky. I bonded with the first foster family I had – Kate and Caleb Rhodes – and they adopted me a year later.”
“So a happy ending.” Jack looked almost relieved that I didn’t have a horrible tale to tack on the end. “Do you ever wonder about your birth parents?”
Did I ever wonder about my birth parents? I got psychic flashes when I touched people and objects, and occasionally moved things with my mind. “All of the time,” I answered honestly. “My adoptive parents were wonderful people, and I loved them a great deal. They were both blond and fair – unlike me. I often wonder if I look like my birth mother or father, perhaps a mix of the two. I doubt I’ll ever know.”
“Your adoptive parents were good people?” Jack cast me a sidelong look. “When did you lose them?”
“I was eighteen. They were in a car accident on the way to my high school graduation.”
“Oh, man.” Jack heaved out a shaky breath. “That couldn’t have been easy on you.”
“Is death ever easy on anyone?”
“I guess not. Still … how did you deal with it?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. I wasn’t sure I’d ever really dealt with it. I still suffered from fugue dreams in which I was sure they remained alive, even talking to me at times, and when I woke I expected to find myself in my old bed. I was convinced that if I walked downstairs I’d find them in the kitchen, laughing and chatting as usual. That, of course, never happened.
“Do you ever feel split between two worlds, Jack?” I asked, changing the subject.
“All of the time.” Jack offered an odd smile. “My father died when I was thirteen. He was a career Marine. I wanted to make him proud so I joined the Marines right out of high school. It took me a long time to realize that I was living that life for him, not me.”
“So you finished your tour and joined the Legacy Foundation?” I pressed. “Is this where you want to be?”
“I have no idea,” Jack answered. “Right now I want to make a good living and think about what I want. I’m twenty-seven years old. I spent seven years in the Corps and I’ve been hopping between jobs ever since. I think the need to feel as if you … belong … somewhere … is a natural one.”
“So you don’t know where you belong either,” I mused, rubbing the palms of my hands over my knees. “Do you think you’ll ever figure it out?”
“I don’t know, Charlie.” Jack kept his voice even as he joined me in staring at the fire. “I think that everyone finds answers on their own terms. I’m still looking for mine. You’re still looking for yours. I think people like Chris and Laura are still looking for theirs.
“On the flip side, I think people like Bernard, Millie and Hannah have it all figured out,” he continued. “There are people like Tillie Winchester, who know everything and still want to question everyone. There are people like Landon, who seeks answers but is willing to refrain from asking questions he knows might upset him. It would be a pretty boring world if everyone was alike, wouldn’t it?”
“Now that was kind of profound,” I teased, poking his side to alleviate the tension. “You’re right about Landon, though. I see it in his eyes. He has a lot of questions, but he’s wise enough to know that sometimes he doesn’t want the answers. I’m not that wise. I want all of the answers – even if they’ll make me unhappy when I finally get them.”
Jack rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip as he considered the statement. “I worry that your quest for answers will get you in trouble. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”
“You’re not the only one,” I said, patting his knee as I leaned forward. “I worry about that too. But I can’t change who I am. I decided a long time ago that I wasn’t going to try. I’m going to turn in. Wake me if Bigfoot comes around to eat us.”
Jack snorted as he watched me grab my sleeping bag and head for my tent. “I might let him take you to the woods and do terrible things to you if you’re not careful.”
I stilled near the tent opening. “Did you know there’s an entire section of erotica dedicated to things like that? It’s called monster porn.”
Jack’s eyes lit up, the firelight flickering in the dark depths and making them appear almost black. “I did not know that. May I ask how you know that?”
“I happen to be a fountain of useless information,” I replied. “Goodnight, Jack. Wake me if you need me.”
“We’ll be fine,” Jack called back. “I’ll put out the fire and turn in myself in a bit. I want to relax and enjoy the night.”
“Don’t let Bigfoot get you.”
“Don’t let bad memories get you, Charlie.”
I THOUGHT I would be too emotionally keyed up to sleep, but I sli
pped under the moment I climbed inside the sleeping bag. My dreams were a tangled web of the past and present, my adoptive parents asking about my day as I walked into my old house and Jack sitting on the couch drinking soda and smiling as I tried to answer them to the best of my ability.
It wasn’t a nightmare – not by a long shot. I had nightmares quite often and I know the difference. Still, I tore myself from the dream and bolted to a sitting position, my heart pounding as I tried to get my bearings.
It was dark, unnaturally so. The fire outside the tent was long since burned out and the only light came from the bright moon overhead. I’d left the small window flap down so I could see the stars, and when I shifted now I caught the hint of movement on the other side of the tent.
My breath caught in my throat as I tried to control my breathing, focusing on the movement. It was hard to make out, but whatever walked behind my tent was tall – at least six feet, probably more – and boasted broad shoulders. I couldn’t make out any other features, human or otherwise, and my terror was so overwhelming that I didn’t know what else to do.
“Jack.” I barely managed to croak out his name. I couldn’t help but hope the shadow belonged to him, that he was relieving himself in the woods and my fear was overwrought and ridiculous. I would yell at him for purposely scaring me during breakfast tomorrow morning. But the figure didn’t move like Jack. I was certain of that. Something else was in the campsite. Suddenly I wanted Jack for a different reason. His tent was only a few feet away, but I couldn’t make my voice work to call him.
The dark figure walking close to the trees continued to poke its head here and there as it searched for something only it could see. Occasionally I heard a snuffling – as if someone or something was sniffing the area for food or a mate – and my heart hammered as I attempted to remain calm.
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