Madison Johns - Agnes Barton 06 - Bigfoot in Tawas

by Madison Johns

  “It’s Bigfoot,” El whispered.

  I pried Eleanor’s fingers from my arm. “We don’t know that for sure, Eleanor. I couldn’t tell if that was a man wearing a coat, or something resembling Bigfoot.”

  “It was Bigfoot, all right,” Bernice said. “He’s been here before. I can almost smell all that cash.”

  “I’m sure you need more proof. Has Brent set up any game cameras out here?”

  “Sure he has, and they always end up getting damaged, like someone or something tore it down. That Bigfoot is way smarter than they give him credit for. I can’t wait until the show. When Brent finds the proof, he’ll—”

  “He’ll what? Share it with you?” El asked. “That’s a bunch of hogwash. If he finds Bigfoot, he’ll keep all the loot himself, is my thinking.”

  “Eleanor has a point. Have you signed anything that says you’ll get part of the money if he finds Bigfoot, or has he just led you to believe that?”

  “No, but I assume that he will.”

  “Assume, hell,” El spat. “You need something in writing.”

  The back door opened and a man with dark hair and a goatee approached us. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

  “Hey, Brent. My friends Agnes and Eleanor stopped by to visit.”

  “I told you to stay out of the backyard, remember?”

  That got my blood boiling. “Stay out of her own backyard?”

  “Yeah, and who made you the boss?” El asked. “Just because you’re shooting a reality show here doesn’t mean that you run her life.”

  “Perhaps you should just butt out,” Brent suggested. “You have no idea about the arrangement Bernice and I made.”

  “Oh, but we do,” I started. “It seems that you are searching for Bigfoot, but does Bernice get a cut of the money if you find proof that he actually exists?”

  “Of course not. I paid to renovate her place. I believe that is payment enough.”

  “Hogwash,” El said. “You Hollywood types are all the same.”

  “For one thing, I’m not from Hollywood. I’m from North Carolina, and I already have a signed agreement with Bernice. I suggest you leave so we can finish the preparations for the show.”

  That ruffled my feathers, but I decided to move Eleanor along before she put a serious hurting on this loudmouth. Bernice walked with us to our car. “Sorry, girls. He’s right. I already signed the agreement.”

  I squeezed her shoulder. “Well, the renovations sure spruced up the place, but where are all of your cats? I didn’t see any of them here.”

  “Brent suggested I get rid of them, so I took them over to Elsie Bradford’s place for safekeeping.”

  “Elsie took in your cats? I can’t believe it.”

  “She didn’t really want to, but she has all that property and told me she’d make sure they were fed until all of this was over.”

  I nodded as El and I climbed into the car. I then turned around and headed toward Elsie’s place. “All of those cats at Elsie’s place. This, I have to see,” I said.

  Chapter Eight

  Eleanor grumbled on the way to Elsie Bradford’s house. “I’m hungry.”

  “Okay, how about I roll into KFC?”

  “That sounds great to me, but that place sure hasn’t done a thing for my figure,” she chuckled. “Not that I worry about a thing like that my age. I’d rather go out with a chicken leg in my mouth than have a salad as my last meal.”

  “Since when do you talk all morbid? From the way you sound most of the time, you’re a spring chicken.”

  “That’s all an act and you know it. I know I’m old, all right. I just don’t like it when someone calls me that. I do know how to use it to my advantage if it will get me through a line quicker though. Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Not at all. I admit it bothers me that folks much younger than us are dropping like flies lately. We’ve gone to three funerals in the last six months.”

  “Don’t remind me, Aggie, but they were all heart related.”

  “Yes, but I still can’t believe that there are that many people out there with a disposition to heart disease.”

  “Another reason we should maybe start watching our food choices—tomorrow. Today I’m ready for a fried chicken meal.”

  I parked in the parking lot of the KFC, which was more packed than usual, even for lunchtime. El and I strode in and Ella was working the counter, sweat dripping down her dark face. We waited in line and when it was our turn I had to ask Ella, “Why are you so busy today? It can’t be from the book signing at Diversions Tea House, surely?”

  Ella eyed the manager who stood nearby and replied, “No, but can I get your order? I don’t have much time to talk today.”

  “We’ll each have a two piece meal with mashed potatoes.”

  “And a diet soda,” El added with a nod. “We’re trying to cut back.”

  “If that’s the case, you sure wouldn’t be eating here,” Ella said with a wink. After I paid and we had our meals, I said, “I’d sure love your take on why this place is so packed.”

  “It’s the Bigfoot thing. It hit the news today that they’re planning to film a reality show here, so plenty of gawkers have come to town in hopes of getting an audition.”

  “They’re doing auditions? I thought they just planned to find proof that Bigfoot really is roaming the woods.”

  “From the sound of it—”

  “A line is forming,” the manager bellowed with a reddened face.

  Ella’s neck snapped around and she glared at him. “I ain’t no slave, you know.” Gasps were heard all around. Since Ella was African American, it hit home like a sledgehammer. “I deserve a break.” With that she strutted away, joining us in the lobby. El and I carried our trays over to a table and sat down, huddling together as we spoke.

  “So, Ella. Why are they doing auditions?”

  “Well, what I heard was they want to form teams and will be looking for Bigfoot with a prize of ten million dollars.”

  “I’ve heard about the money. Perhaps that’s why Billy Matlin hired us.”

  “He hired you to do what?”

  “Find Bigfoot on his property.”

  “He’s using you to claim the prize money all for himself?”

  “I’m not sure, but I sure would like to find out.”

  “We should head out to his place after lunch,” El suggested.

  “We will—right after we question Elsie Bradford. Plus, I sure don’t want to miss all those cats clambering all over her property,” I said with a glint in my eye. “And maybe take a few pictures for a keepsake.”

  “Or possibly post on Facebook,” El suggested.

  “That won’t do. She might be on Facebook.”

  “She is,” Ella said. “There’re a bunch of us older ladies who meet in a private location to do just that. There are even a few kids who are helping us learn how to be computer literate.”

  Eleanor rubbed her hands together. “Oh, how fun. You mean like an after-hours bar?”

  “Sort of,” she smiled. “Of course, there’s always a designated driver since Elsie makes up a batch of her spiked lemonade.”

  “I’d love to go sometime,” Eleanor said.

  “Aww, I’m not supposed to tell anyone, and it’s a private group. Elsie is very particular about who is allowed in.”

  I cocked a brow. “Oh, really? We’ll keep your secret, won’t we, El?” I said as I nudged her in the ribs.

  “Yup, mum’s the word.”

  Instead of telling us what we wanted to know, Ella went back to work. We finished our food, and it wasn’t until we were back in the car and heading toward Elsie’s that El spit out, “Of all the nerve. I thought we were Elsie’s friends, too.”

  “We are, but you know how she can be. She’s the queen bee of the Tawas area social circles. We probably intimidate her since we’re investigators and all.”

  “If it weren’t for us, Elsie wouldn’t—”

  “Sto
p it right now, El. We can’t talk about the past now. We have a case to keep on track.”

  “Hunting Bigfoot? This is the lamest case ever, if you ask me.”

  “At least we haven’t found any corpses. Be happy with that.”

  “Not yet, anyway, but I don’t see how you can be so darn happy with this case when there is no such thing as Bigfoot.”

  “You sure were a believer when you thought you saw something in the woods behind Billy’s place that first day.”

  “Well,” Eleanor frowned in hesitation, “I’m a little worried about all this hoopla. What if someone thinks we’re nuts and locks us away?”

  “From the sounds of it, we’re not the only ones thinking Bigfoot might be real. Plus, it takes way more than that before they lock you up. I think they need a court hearing at the very least.”

  “I suppose. This is just not a case that I imagined we’d ever get involved in.”

  I would have reminded her about our other cases, but kept my lips zipped as Elsie’s house came into view. As I rolled up the drive, I saw that indeed Elsie had taken on the responsibility of taking care of the Cat Lady’s felines, like twenty of them from the looks of the yard. There were yellow cats sauntering across the lawn, black and white ones lounging on the porch, and white ones peeking out beneath the hedges.

  “They certainly look tamer than they did at Bernice’s house. I wonder what Elsie’s secret is?”

  I had no idea, but I certainly hoped that we could get to the door without being bombarded by the felines. I cut the engine and El and I crept outside, making way for the door. I swallowed hard when the cats eyed us up, but thus far they remained where they were. I really had to get Elsie’s secret.

  I knocked at the door and Elsie appeared in her usual powder blue ensemble. Her hair was bleached blonde, but her baby blues softened as she said, “Hello, girls. Come inside.”

  As we walked through the door, her latest dog, Zeus, a pit bull with gray striped fur, greeted us. I gulped, but Elsie assured us, “Don’t worry about him. He’s as gentle as a lamb, but he sure doesn’t like cats much. I suppose it was a mistake allowing the Cat Lady to convince me that I should keep her cats here for a while, but she promised me a share of the prize money when she finds Bigfoot.”

  I squared my shoulders. “So you actually believe in Bigfoot, then?”

  “I’ve sure seen something near here. I can’t say if it’s Bigfoot or not, but whatever it is, it’s big.”

  “So you’re saying you saw Bigfoot?”

  “No, I just said I saw something big, brown and hairy.”

  “What road?”

  “Well, not but half a mile from here. As you know, Cat Lady doesn’t live far from here, and neither does Billy Matlin, who started this whole thing. If only he hadn’t blabbed about what he’d seen. But I suppose it’s of no matter now that the cat is outta the bag, so to speak. All we can do now is figure out if what he saw is the same thing many of us have seen in the area.”

  “I see. Well, aren’t you concerned that someone might think you’re nuts? I imagine that’s what most folks in town think of Billy Matlin.”

  “Oh, is that what you think then? That Billy is nuts?”

  “I can’t say for certain. All I know is that there is something strange going on here. El and I just have to figure out what.”

  “What do you think, Eleanor? I can imagine you have your own opinions.”

  Eleanor sighed. “I think so much better when I’m not so parched. Do you have any of your specialty lemonade handy?”

  Elsie smiled and glided into the other room, returning with a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses. “As a rule, I never drink before six, but I’d hate for you girls to not have a glass of my lemonade. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you girls.” She poured the lemonade and continued, “I heard you took on Billy’s case. So you must realize that there is something worthwhile to investigate.”

  “We’re not sure just yet, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating.”

  “Oh, really? So they must think there is some merit to the case?”

  “Yes,” El said. “It seems Bigfoot might be responsible for killing bald eagles since the remains of one was found on Billy’s property.”

  “Like El said, the fish and game people take the killing of an endangered animal seriously, even though the bald eagle isn’t endangered anymore.”

  “It’s still protected, “El said. “Hopefully they can find evidence that will support the fact that Bigfoot is indeed in Tawas, but more importantly, Cat Lady needs to find solid evidence for the prize money. That’s the reason I took in her cats like I have.”

  I decided to keep to myself the fact that Bernice won’t be getting a share of the prize money even if Bigfoot was found. I wasn’t about to open that can of worms. “I figured as much, but I’m actually surprised you did that. I’ve never known you to take a liking to cats.”

  “Not at all. I’m even a little allergic, if you need to know.”

  “Elsie, I don’t see any oxygen tubing. Aren’t you still on oxygen?”

  “Not anymore. Doctor Thomas told me I’m doing fine without it with my recent test, but it’s sure a hassle when I have to feed the varmints outside. Lucky for me, they run off when Zeus goes outside.”

  “Is Cat Lady recouping your losses, or paying for the food at least?”

  “Not hardly, but she’ll make it good once she finds Bigfoot.”

  “What makes you think we won’t find Bigfoot first?” El asked.

  “That’s highly doubtful. Bernice has a whole film crew at her house. All you girls have is crazy Billy Matlin telling you stories.”

  “Why is Billy any more crazy than everyone else who claims to have seen Bigfoot?” I asked, aggravated.

  “No sense in getting in an uproar about this, Aggie. I just think those guys from the Animal Network know what they’re doing is all.”

  “Hogwash,” El spat. “I bet all they plan to do on that Hunting Bigfoot show is tromp around in the woods.”

  Elsie raised a brow as we downed our spiked lemonade. “Calm down, now. This isn’t a competition between us, but my money is on the Cat Lady.”

  “Bernice is fruitier than a peck of apples,” El said with a nod of her head. “And you know it, Elsie.”

  “We’ll see, but until then, no sense in ruffling your feathers over it. Of course, if you want to take part in the hunt, why not audition for the show? It might help you get some inside knowledge.”

  I shook my head. “You expect us to tromp out in the woods with the rest of the yokels?”

  “Why not? It’s not like you haven’t done that before.”

  I had to agree with that one, but I couldn’t imagine either El or I would stand a chance of getting selected for the reality series, but what the hay. I was game. We thanked Elsie and left. I wanted to head back to Billy’s and ask him a few more questions, like did he really hire us to find Bigfoot so that he could win the ten million dollar prize?

  When Eleanor yawned, I knew that we’d have to save the interrogating for another day. Elsie’s spiked lemonade had done its magic and I felt as bushed as Eleanor looked. I rolled into Eleanor’s driveway and followed her inside the house. While Eleanor retired to her bedroom for a nap, I conked out on the sofa, listening to the waves that lapped the shore of Lake Huron. It was so soothing. All I had at home was the sound of crickets chirping that nowhere near lulled me to sleep. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep with visions of Bigfoot in my dreams.

  Chapter Nine

  Waves pummeled the beach as they crashed to shore. Outside the sky was cloudy and overcast—a storm was undoubtedly brewing. Strange, since the last I had heard it wasn’t supposed to rain until tomorrow. I swung my legs off the edge of the sofa and stood, rubbing the soreness from my nagging hip. Is it possible that El and I had fallen asleep for the rest of the night, and that it was indeed morning?

  I knocked on El’s bedroom door and she calle
d out for me to come in. Eleanor was sitting on the bed, plucking her eyebrows in front of a 10x magnified mirror. “What time is it?” I asked.

  With tweezers poised to pluck another eyebrow hair, El said, “Eight in the morning. I guess I was so exhausted that I slept half the day away and all night. How long have you been awake, Aggie?”

  “Actually, I just woke up myself. I haven’t slept like that in some months. I guess I was exhausted, too.”

  “Probably for the best since we need to try out for that hunting Bigfoot show. Do you think we stand a chance at winning a spot?”

  “Not likely, but it’s worth a shot. I’d rather stop by Billy’s place beforehand, though. Just to find out if he’s using us to claim the prize money.”

  “Do you really think he’ll tell us the truth even if we do ask?”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” I said as I left the room, intent on brewing a pot of fresh coffee. Eleanor didn’t make it into the kitchen until I had poured a cup of the strong brew.

  Eleanor was dressed in denim pants with a white tee shirt. In her hand was a pair of pink crop pants with a matching pink button up shirt. “I meant to give this to you earlier, but now is the right time since I can’t allow you to be traipsing around town in the same clothing you wore yesterday. What would the locals say?”

  “I’m not sure they even knew what I wore yesterday, but I appreciate the fresh clothes.” I went in the bathroom and changed, splashing cool water on my face. When I walked into the kitchen again, El had a cup of coffee that smelled of French vanilla creamer, just the way I liked it.

  “We’d better get a move on and catch Billy before he has a chance to slip off somewhere. I wonder if he’s really competing with that Brent guy from the Animal Network,” El said.