Hidden Truths

by David Horne

  "Um, yeah, what did you have in mind?," Branch sputtered.

  Geoff shook his head, trying not to laugh too hard and then ran a hand through Branch's straight, dark hair. Their height difference was somewhat awkward, but he managed to lean in enough to give him a quick kiss.

  With a blush, he admitted, "I don't really have much time for this kind of thing."

  Branch frowned. "Do they give you a hard time for being gay in the FBI?"

  Geoff thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "It never really comes up. I mean, it's not like I'm in the closet. My team knows. They don't care. I guess no one else does either."

  Branch smiled and moved a little closer. It didn't really help any as he only hit the man about mid-chest. "I don't think we're going to win any dance contests," he quipped.

  The two of them laughed, still feeling a bit nervous, but as Geoff ran his hands through Branch's hair again and felt the man's hands slip down his back and under the waistline of his pants, his self-consciousness melted away. He reached down and tugged at Branch's shirt, pushing it up his arms. The shorter man stepped back and let him finish taking it off, revealing his stocky, fit frame, but something else as well. A long scar was slashed all the way across his chest, from his left shoulder to the right side of his waist.

  Geoff gingerly placed the tip of his finger at the top of the scar and then searched his lover's face to see if he was all right. When he saw no sign of discomfort, he went ahead and traced the scar with his finger.

  "Where did this come from?" he whispered.

  "It was an accident," Branch answered, simply.

  "With what?"

  "A knife."

  Geoff snorted. "What did you do, run into it?"

  "Actually, yeah. I was breaking up a fight and spun around and..."

  "Oh my God, seriously?"

  Branch gave him a sideways grin and nodded. "It was touch and go for a few days."

  "I can imagine." After a moment, Geoff smiled too. "I like it." For some reason, the grittiness of it all turned him on and he pulled Branch to him again, kissing him deeply until he thought they both might collapse. Then he pulled him to what he assumed was the bedroom. As he opened the door, he let out a whistle. "I guess we won't get lost looking for the bed," he quipped at seeing that the bed was pretty much the only thing in the room.

  Branch laughed and shoved him forward. "Do you want me to..." he said and gestured toward the bed.

  "Actually, I'm usually on the bottom," Geoff admitted.

  It was Branch's turn to whistle. "Well, this should be interesting."

  "We'll work it out," Geoff purred.

  The rest of their clothes quickly hit the floor and then Branch hunted up an old bottle of lube and some condoms. By the time he'd managed that, Geoff was practically asleep on the bed. The Sheriff watched for a moment, the man's face hidden by a beard and pillow. His back rose slowly with his breathing, his rounded shoulder framed by Branch's pillow.

  Branch felt the blood rush to cock at the sight. Geoff was beautiful in a rustic, natural way and he smiled at the way the FBI agent was both big and manly, yet soft and vulnerable at the same time. He also felt a twinge of regret that they'd had to meet under these circumstances. He let the thought drift away and crawled onto the bed.

  He leaned over and whispered into Geoff's ear. "Are you awake?"

  Geoff smiled into the pillow and lifted his head. "I'd thought you'd forgotten about me."

  "How could I do that?" he asked, glancing down Geoff's long, husky frame. He kissed the back of Geoff's neck before slathering up a finger and slipping it between the man's cheeks. He smiled as his lover hummed in appreciation, but didn't move. He continued to plant kisses as his finger massaged and finally slipped inside. By the time he'd slipped in two more and was aching to get on with it, Geoff had still barely moved, and he wondered if the man wasn't asleep after all.

  "Don't trouble yourself," he teased. "Just let me do all the work."

  Geoff laughed and leaned over to look at his lover. "You're doing so well, though."

  "Uh-huh, we'll see about that." With that Branch pushed him back over and hiked a leg up. Then he lay down beside him and maneuvered himself into what he hoped was a half way decent position.

  "I could just get on my stomach if you like," Geoff offered.

  "No, this is good," Branch replied and leaned over him, slipping his own leg underneath. Then he glanced down at the man's ready and waiting ass and felt his cock throb even more. "Oh God," he groaned and pushed himself up further. Then he reached down, found Geoff's opening and slipped himself inside. He gasped and heard a hiss from his lover. Though he'd opened his lover up, it was still tight, so he took things slowly.

  "Are you all right?" he asked before pushing in further. When Geoff nodded into the pillow, he gently began to move, ever so slightly at first. He pulled back and thrust in a little further. Each movement was agony, but before long, Geoff relaxed and he found himself slipping in all the way. His lover was deep and tight, and he threw back his head with a shout.

  Underneath him, his lover finally began to move. He hiked his leg up even further so he could give Branch even more access and so he could use his knees to thrust back. It had been a long time since he'd had a lover and Branch was the perfect fit inside him. He was thick, and the feeling made his eyes roll back. He grunted and pushed back hard, driving the man's cock even deeper. As their rhythm picked up, his breath became short and ragged. He called out, "Oh God Branch," over and over, though he couldn't manage any more than a choked whisper.

  Before long, Branch was doing the same, though his voice had become more of a high-pitched whine. He wrapped his arms around Geoff's chest and held on for dear life, using the added leverage to thrust fast and hard. His hips rocked against his lover's, their bodies moving together in time. The bed frame began to squeak as they thrust up, over and over and the only sounds that were louder were those of Branch's cries and the sound of their skin slapping together. Finally, Branch felt a coiling sensation in his stomach and with one deep, hard thrust, he spilled out into the condom. He continued to thrust hard though, until he felt his lover shudder beneath him and the two of them collapsed onto the bed.

  Later in the evening, Gina called in from the Sheriff's department to let Branch know that the teams were coming down from the mountain and that the only thing they'd found was Gary's pack about a half a mile from where he'd been searching.

  "Did you cordon off the area?" Branch asked.

  "Yes, sir, and Dale and I collected evidence, looked for footprints and the like. It's getting too dark now, but I thought we might go back up and give it a more thorough looking over tomorrow." The statement sounded more like a question and she waited with baited breath for Branch's answer.

  "Great work, Gina. We'll hike back up in the morning. Go ahead and take a look at Gary's pack. I'll probably be in in a bit to see for myself."

  “Oh, and boss, Dale’s still up there, rounding up the stragglers.”

  “Okay.” He hung up the phone on his deputy and turned back to Geoff who was pulling on his clothes. "Looks like they found something at least. A pack, just like with your missing campers."

  "Why would he take his pack off?" Geoff wondered. "I can see with James and Melissa. They'd been out hiking, got to a place where they were going to make camp, so they took their packs off to do so. But why would Gary take his off in the middle of a search?"

  Branch shook his head. "I have no idea. Maybe it was simply getting too heavy for him. He is a bit of a scrawny kid."

  "But to just walk away from it..."

  "Well, that has been the question, hasn't it?" Branch said, rubbing his brow. "We probably should go ahead and go into the station and take a look at the pack. Hopefully Gina will have pictures of the scene too."

  Geoff nodded, but before he could say anything, Branch's police radio began to crackle. At first, the Sheriff didn't think much of it, figuring it was just another strange
echo like he heard now and then, but then the voice became clearer.

  "Sheriff?" the quiet, broken voice said. Though the transmission was fuzzy, the two men could make out that the voice was panicked.

  Branch picked up his radio and said, "This is Sheriff Fouche."

  "Sher...Dale," they heard from the other radio.

  "Dale?" Branch glanced out the window to see the sun about to set. "Are you still on the mountain?" For a moment, there was only static. "Dale?"

  "We went looking...we can't...you have to see this," Dale said, his voice a mixture of awe and fear.

  "Where are you, Dale?" Branch said, squeezing his eyes shut and holding the radio close to his ear to try and hear his deputy. By then, Geoff had leaned in too and the two of them tried to make out what the young man was saying.

  "...other side of...lake. I don't know if..." There was another long pause and then they heard a noise like a screech. It was so loud that Branch dropped the radio in surprise. They knew there was no way that sound could have come from Dale. After that, there was nothing but silence.

  "We've gotta get up there," Branch said and quickly finished getting dressed. When Geoff gave him a silent nod, he added, "I'd better get some extra ammunition."

  In just a few minutes, the two men were headed out the door, flashlights on their belts and a bag full of survival gear in case they ended up in the woods overnight. Along with his department issued weapon, Branch also had his shotgun in his hand. He set it on the gun rack in his truck, waited a second for Geoff to get settled, and then took off toward the mountain switchbacks. The sun began to set as they started up the passes. Though Branch felt a sense of urgency and knew the roads well, he still tried to keep his speed under control. It was doubtful they'd meet anyone, so he took the middle of the road, staying away from the ditches on one side and the deadly drop off on the other. Now and then he checked the radio, but never got an answer from Dale.

  "Have you ever been in the woods at night?" he asked Geoff when they pulled into the lake parking lot.

  "Not really," the FBI agent admitted. "I assume it's dark and there are more predators about."

  Branch snorted and then shrugged. "Not necessarily, but it's a lot harder to see them. And it's very easy to get lost."

  Geoff nodded and got out of the passenger side. He shone his light into the SUV as Branch got his shotgun and then turned the light into the Sheriff's face. He could see that the man looked concerned and wondered what he was thinking.

  "It'll be disorienting. It's a kind of darkness you can't know in the city. It has its own...well, you'll see what I mean. Just stay close, all right?"

  Geoff wasn't sure if the man was purposely trying to scare him or just being dramatic, but he nodded and followed him into the tree line. At first, he was so concentrated on getting to the lake and finding out what was going on that he didn't notice the change of atmosphere. After a few minutes, though, it became clear what Branch had been talking about. He couldn't see anything beyond his flashlight beam. It was as if the air was thicker, almost choking, and the world beyond them had ceased to exist. An overwhelming sense of claustrophobia came over him and he had to take a moment to stop and breathe.

  Branch turned and shined his flashlight in Geoff's direction. "Are you all right?"

  The big man waved it away, straightened up and adjusted his beanie before walking on, leaving Branch to stand there, smiling knowingly.

  The path to the lake was well worn and easy to follow compared to the rest of the forest. The two of them moved as quickly as they could in the dark and were on the shore of the lake in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, just as it had been before, there was nothing to see.

  "Dale said he was on the other side," Branch commented. Then he waved for his companion to follow him and started making his way around the small, round lake. The other side had a narrower strip of shoreline and much thicker trees behind it. For that reason, it wasn't used for recreation as much and it was rare to find anyone there. Branch wondered what had led Dale to search it. An eerie feeling came over him as the sound of crunching beneath their feet and the waves lazily lapping at the shore filled his ears.

  "Is it always this quiet?" Geoff whispered. He'd felt it too.

  Branch simply shook his head, and then realizing that Geoff probably didn't see it, started to answer. Before he could though, his radio began to crackle.

  "Is that him?" Geoff asked.

  Branch listened, but if it was Dale, he never said anything. Instead, all they heard was what sounded like a whisper or maybe a crying from far away.

  "What the hell is that?" the FBI agent hissed.

  "I don't know, but I've heard it before," Branch answered. Then he picked up the radio and called out, "Dale? Is that you?" He knew it wasn't, but he was hoping his deputy would pick up anyway. Instead of Dale, though, the two of them heard a high-pitched screech and then something rustling in the woods. "Don't run," Branch said quietly and put his arm out to Geoff.

  As the two of them slowly backed away, something large flew out of a treetop and swooped down toward them. The two men hit the ground as a rush of air went over their heads and then whatever it was flew off into the night sky.

  They both lay there for a moment and then Geoff got to his feet. His knees were shaking and he took a ragged breath. "What the hell was that?"

  Branch followed suit and dusted on his pants. "I'm not sure. A condor probably." When Geoff turned into his flashlight beam and gave him an incredulous look, Branch shrugged and added, "They have a nine-foot wingspan, you know."

  Geoff turned back toward the forest on the other side of the lake, waiting to see if whatever it was would come back. When the night grew quiet though, he and Branch continued to skirt around the lake. They'd covered most of the far side, but had found no sign of Dale.

  "Are you sure we understood what he was trying to tell us?" he asked a few minutes later.

  "It seemed pretty clear. When I asked where he was, he came back with 'far side of lake'," Branch replied. He was beginning to wonder himself. "If we start with the premise that he was here when he radioed then we can search any likely path he might have taken."

  "In the dark?"

  As the two of them pressed on, no longer looking for Dale, but trying to figure out where he went instead, Geoff glanced back at the lake. Once again, it seemed almost pristine and still and he wondered, vaguely, if the wind ever blew up on this mountain. He found that Branch had moved on without him and he jogged to catch back up. He glanced back at the lake one more time and frowned.

  "What really happened up here in the summer of nineteen ninety-five?" he blurted out.

  Branch stopped, but didn't turn to look at him. After a brief moment, he walked on, going back to looking for footsteps or any other clues as to what his deputy had gotten himself into. He was quiet, but deep in thought.

  "There isn't much to tell," he finally said. "Strangers came to Grand Arbré and they died here."

  Chapter Seven

  Geoff shook his head and huffed. "Then maybe you can explain to me why this woman looks like she could be Melissa's twin?" he said and pulled a clipping from the old newspaper they'd found out of his pocket. He'd made a copy of the follow up story in the motel lobby before sending it off to his forensic team in Sacramento. He held the clipping out to Branch, who turned and took it from him.

  Branch looked down at the photograph of the young woman, her matted hair hanging in strands around her face. Then he turned his flashlight beam away and closed his eyes. The more he tried not to think about it, the more the memories came flooding back.

  "I don't know," he admitted quietly, "but trust me, I've thought about it."

  "Why didn't you say anything?"

  "I was hoping it was just a coincidence!" Branch hissed back at him. "Besides, this is Grand Arbré, we don't share our business with just anyone."

  "I'm not just anyone, Branch, I'm an FBI Special Agent. The one in charge of the case, remember?" W
hen the Sheriff sighed and nodded, Geoff repeated, "So what happened?"

  "There were two hikers up here, two college kids on summer holidays. Their names were Valerie Morgan and Christine Malone. They were best friends, did everything together. There were rumors of them being more than friends, but no one really cares about that kind of thing around here."

  "No?" Geoff butted in.

  "I've taken flack for liking guys now and then, but no more than anyone else, I imagine, and it didn't stop me from becoming Sheriff, did it?" He paused to look something over on the ground and then straightened back up and took a breath. "Anyway, the two women stayed for a couple of weeks. They seemed to like it here and it was looking like they were going to stay the whole summer. I said hello once or twice, but that was as much as I knew them. I was a young deputy, focused on the job and impressing my superiors. I knew I was seen as a bit of a...slacker in town, and I wanted to change that opinion."

  "So, what? They just disappeared one day?" Geoff prompted.

  "Basically. They came up here one day, didn't really tell anyone their plans, and never came back into town. We figure they came up for a swim and...something happened. We found their bodies a couple of days later. I was there when they pulled them out of the lake. It was horrible." Branch gulped, swallowing down the memory and the feelings that came with it. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked at it and then let his gaze slide to Geoff's face. He gave the man a weak smile and then continued on.

  "So, that's the whole story?" he finally asked.

  Branch snorted, realizing that his new lover was starting to get to know Grand Arbré pretty well. "OK, maybe it wasn't quite that simple. There'd been...other things happening that summer. The friends had said something about weird noises in the woods, like maybe someone was camping up there."

  "Something else no one does around here, I take it?"

  "We do, but not generally near the lake. We stick closer to town. Not that bears and wolves don't come into town now and then, but help is a lot closer and easier to get to. Anyway, they mentioned being followed, but sort of in a joking way so we didn't think much about it. Maybe we should have." He looked away and shook his head.