“Come along, Eleanor. We better hurry if we hope to catch them before they leave town.”
Once we were outside, Eleanor asked, “How does Sheriff Peterson know we planted that roadkill?”
“Shhh,” I said as we passed a few deputies on the way to the car.
We tore out of the parking lot and I parallel parked on Newman Street shortly after, this time without running over the curb. When we walked across the street I saw the DNR officers, Derek and Patrick, seated on the patio that faced Newman.
We waltzed inside and sashayed past the bar full of happy twenty-something’s, making our way onto the patio. Neither of the men glanced up as they were completely engrossed in their nacho supremes they were devouring.
“Ahem,” I said to get their attention.
Patrick glanced up first, swiping at his mouth with the back of his arm. “I was wondering when you two planned to hunt us down.”
Derek raised his glass filled with beer with plenty of head foamed to the top, which slipped out over the rim as he guzzled it. He set it down and informed us, “We don’t have anything to share just yet.”
“No? So you and Duane from the U.S. Fish and Game Service aren’t finished arguing about the DNA evidence yet?” When Derek didn’t answer, I had to ask, “So what gives, really?”
“Don’t you dare, Patrick!” Derek reminded him.
“Don’t he dare what?”
“Oh, it’s just that Duane is dating Derek’s ex-wife, Marion, and this whole deal hasn’t gone according to plan. Duane is refusing to allow the test to happen until his boss comes back from the Midwest.”
Derek slammed his fist on the table. “He’s tying it up on purpose. Our boss was adamant about having the tests run by today, but that never happened.”
“Well, who has custody of the evidence?”
“The fish and game people, like always. I’m so sick of getting trumped by them. It’s bad enough that I lost my wife to one of them idiots.”
“Now that’s not totally true, Derek. Duane never started dating your ex until last week,” he consoled his co-worker. “I’m sure this will be cleared up soon.”
“Still, it’s easy for you to say. When I went to pick up my son yesterday, that damn fool was playing ball with my kid.”
“Well, maybe you oughta spend more time with your boy and less time saucing it up.”
“It’s so easy for someone to say that when they’ve never had a relationship with a woman their whole darn life, let alone know what it feels like to be ousted out of their own son’s life by some infiltrator.”
Patrick hung his head for a moment and when he raised it again, he shot back with, “You’ve had too much to drink already. You’re a mean drunk, Derek.” Patrick smiled at us. “I’ve dated plenty of women. I guess I just never met the right one.”
“You could stand to lose a few pounds, Patrick. You look like the Pillsbury dough boy.”
“See? What did I tell you ladies? He’s in a real mean mood tonight.”
“I don’t care to hear all of your personal business. We need a resolution to this case, which includes testing that evidence. Now Billy Matlin is missing. What if there was something in those samples that might just solve this mystery once and for all. And all of your bickering prevented Billy from being found?”
Derek rubbed his nose. “That’s a good point. I’ll use that tomorrow when we meet up with Duane to discuss the matter.”
“Where is that gonna happen?”
“We can’t tell you that. This is a private matter. Plus, you two fancy yourself investigators, which means we don’t have anything more to say to you,” Patrick said.
“Okay, but that is only one matter you should be trying to clear up. What about all the game hunters who have piled into East Tawas recently? Are you at least working with the fish and game people on that?”
“Yes, we’re not idiots, you know. I can tolerate Duane to a point.”
“Well, then, tolerate him enough to get that evidence tested, and soon.”
“What are you doing about the game hunters?” Eleanor asked. “Yesterday they were carrying their firearms in plain sight.”
“Sheriff Peterson and his deputies handed out citations to the offenders, and I believe that matter was taken care of.”
“How are you planning to prevent them from going out into the woods and start blasting something?”
“We have more officers headed here tomorrow. We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. We’ve been handing out fliers and a news story will be featured on the nightly news tonight.”
“So where do you think Duane might be tonight? Perhaps if we speak to him, it might help out.”
“Good luck with that one, but knock yourself out,” Derek said as he guzzled more beer.”
“I think you’ve had enough to drink, Derek. How about we run you home so you can sleep it off?”
“I’m doing just fine. I don’t need no old bag telling me what to do.”
Eleanor whipped the chair from underneath Derek’s narrow behind and he fell to the floor with a very loud thump. “Dang it all. What did you do that for?”
“Divine intervention. Now come along and we’ll take you home. No woman is worth drinking yourself half to death over,” Eleanor said.
Derek was helped to his feet and he threw money down to pay his bill. We helped him back to our car. He stumbled all the way, muttering about how he wasn’t too drunk to drive.
I opened the back door of the car, and he swung himself in like he was climbing into the Batmobile, thumping his head on the door. “Oww!” he cried.
Patrick climbed in the other side and said, “Thanks for the ride. Neither of us can afford a night in jail for drinking and driving.” He proceeded to rattle off the address where they were staying, but it was no more than a hop and a skip from Newman Street as it was at the Tawas Bay Beach Resort which was ideally located right on the bay and in the same location that was where the tent campground had been quite some years back.
We dropped them at the door and they informed us they would be meeting Duane tomorrow morning at the sheriff’s department. As they stumbled inside, I whirled away.
“I sure wish we could find Duane so we could straighten this matter up tonight.”
“I know you do, Agnes, but it is best to wait until tomorrow. It would have worked better if both parties were together. Now you’re gonna have to ask the same questions all over again.”
I drove to Eleanor’s house and noticed a beat up blue Impala in the driveway, minus the occupants. “Who’s here, Eleanor?”
“Oh, it’s probably Mr. Wilson and Millicent, his granddaughter. You might as well come in and say hello before you head out.”
I nodded as I got out of the car, following Eleanor inside. “How did they get inside? Does Mr. Wilson have a key to your place?”
“No, but he sure has the key to my heart. You should know by now I always leave my doors unlocked.”
“Oh? I could have sworn I locked them before we left.”
Mr. Wilson pushed his roller walker toward Eleanor and gave her a peck on her cheek. “Hello, my sweet Eleanor. How I’ve missed you. I hope that friend of yours isn’t getting you into too much trouble.”
“Nope, we’re both minding our manners these days, with the exception of Eleanor pulling out a chair from under a man at Barnacle Bill’s.”
“Sounds just like my Eleanor.”
“I heard you two are looking for Bigfoot. How’s that going?” Millicent asked as she popped the top of a soda.
I eyed Millicent’s slight frame that was concealed beneath a sundress two sizes too big for her. “Just fine, but we haven’t found Bigfoot yet. We’re hoping that reality show, Hunting Bigfoot, will be able to shoot soon. Eleanor and I sure could use a break.”
“Aren’t you two afraid to meet up with a real Bigfoot out in the woods?”
“Yes and no, but honestly we haven’t run into anything even close to a Bigfoot yet. So di
sappointing, really.”
“Do you believe there is actually one roaming the woods of Tawas?”
“We’ve found some compelling evidence, but nothing conclusive just yet.”
“I see. I’m sure you’ll figure out something eventually. You always do.”
“We always do,” Eleanor clarified.
I took in a distinct aroma of fish and had to ask, “Is that tuna casserole I smell?”
“Sure is,” Millicent said with a roll of her eyes. “You know how my grandpa is.”
All too well, I thought. I wasn’t so sure I could handle another portion of Mr. Wilson’s famous tuna casserole. Not that it was bad. It was quite tasty until you had eaten it a few hundred times.
“It sure smells yummy, but I should head on home. My cat, Duchess, sure has a fit when I’m gone all day.” This is not at all a lie.
I headed out the door and Eleanor told me she’d be ready by eight, hopefully plenty early enough to catch the wildlife guys at the sheriff’s department in the morning.
On the way home, I kept my eyes peeled for anything strange enough to look like a Bigfoot crossing the road, but like always, I saw nothing. When I pulled in my driveway, Andrew’s car was still parked here, but my lights were all on, so I assumed he must be inside. Sure enough, once I unlocked and opened the door, Andrew was waiting for me with a meowing Duchess in his arms. Once the door slammed shut, Duchess leapt from Andrew’s arms and ran toward me. I leaned down and gave her a good petting.
“So Brent brought you back here?”
“Yes. I should have left with you. There wasn’t much else I could do. The Animal Channel and the Animal Network have agreed to meet at the sheriff’s department tomorrow morning to try to reach an agreement.”
“Wow, the sheriff’s department is going to be a hopping place tomorrow morning.”
Andrew’s brow furrowed. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“It’s just that the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan to meet there also.”
“They still haven’t analyzed the evidence they found out at the Matlin place?”
“Nope. It doesn’t help matters that Duane from the wildlife service is dating the DNR guy’s ex-wife.”
“Still. They really need to get their act together. I’m glad I’ll be there tomorrow. I wouldn’t mind putting on some pressure.”
“Oh? Like that’s all it takes? It seems to be an internal conflict in their individual organizations.”
“I have a good feeling that this will all be worked out tomorrow. We all need to move forward.” He rubbed his neck. “Have you decided when you’d like to get married yet?”
Oh, my. Andrew had proposed to me some time back as did Mr. Wilson to Eleanor, but ever since then the subject hadn’t been broached. Did I have nerve enough to go through with this? I fidgeted with my engagement ring. “I guess I’ve been too busy to think about setting a date.”
“If you’re not sure, then—”
“Why are you putting this on me? You no sooner proposed than you went back to Detroit for some legal case that you won’t tell me anything about.”
“As I recall, you and Eleanor left town for some investigating before I left for Detroit, and I’m not hiding anything. The legal things I do these days aren’t important in the least. Unless you find wills and trusts interesting, but I do have a number of friends downstate that I socialize with.”
“Where do you see yourself in five years? In Detroit or here with me?”
“Why do I have to choose? I don’t see anything wrong with the way things are. We’re both quite independent and are very involved in what we’re doing.”
“What about companionship?”
“We have plenty of that,” he winked.
“Yes, when you’re here we do, which hasn’t been all that often of late.”
Andrew reached to hug me, but I pushed him away. “Now is not the time. I’m too nerved up about what’s going to happen tomorrow to think straight.”
“Is that why we’re fighting then?”
“I guess we haven’t resolved our issues with each other. I love you, Andrew. I just can’t think about marriage until we’re on the same page.”
“Which we won’t ever be if we don’t talk about it.”
“I promise when this case is over—”
“When this case is over? It won’t ever be the right time because just as soon as one case is solved, another pops up, demanding your attention. It’s no wonder I go to Detroit so often.” Andrew turned on his heels and went out the door, and with a scattering of stones he was gone.
Duchess looked up at me with knowing eyes. “I know, girl. I wonder if Andrew and I will ever see eye to eye about my investigating.”
I batted at my eyes that began to burn a bit and I retrieved my eye drops, carefully adding a drop to each eye. At least now when my eyes teared up I could blame it on the drops and not how I felt at the moment.
When I finally was snuggled into bed, I couldn’t help but wonder if Andrew and I would ever really walk down the aisle and get married. Perhaps I shouldn’t have told him that I’d marry him in the first place.
I was on the verge of sleep when I heard a scratching noise at my window. I got up and hastily tied the rope of my robe around my waist, moving into the living room. Had I just imagined what I had heard? After standing in the nearly dark hallway that was lit only by a nightlight, I heard something scratching again, but this time on the front door.
I snuck up and moved my curtains aside slightly to see if there was something indeed out there. The motion detectors lights were on and I caught sight of something or someone dashing across my lawn, too fast to make out what it might be.
I stumbled over Duchess in search of my phone, and with shaking hands, dialed 911. I rattled off my address in a hurry, barely able to stop the pounding of my heart. “Calm down and tell me what you saw,” the operator insisted. “I’m not sure, but I think Bigfoot is trying to get in my house.”
“Bigfoot?” the operator laughed. “Is this a crank call?”
“Absolutely not! Are you gonna send the police out here or not?”
“Fine, I’ll have them send out a squad car. Stay inside until they get there.”
I hung up and dialed Andrew’s number, blubbering to him about how I needed him. It must have been the sound of my voice because he didn’t ask me any more questions. Just as Andrew hung up, bubble lights from two squad cars appeared as they entered my driveway.
I waited until I heard the rap at my door, and I opened it to Sheriff Peterson and Trooper Sales. I then told them what I had heard and that I thought Bigfoot was trying to get inside my house.
Sales raised a brow slightly as he jotted down what I had said. Lights again came in my drive. This time it was Andrew and I ran out to greet him. I threw myself into his arms and recounted to him what I had just told Sheriff Peterson and Trooper Sales.
When I pulled away, Andrew looked quite concerned as he guided me back inside and we sat down in the living room.
“Scratching at your windows and then your door?” Sales asked. “Did you look out the window?”
“Yes, and the security lights were on. I swear I saw something tall run across my lawn.”
“How do you know it wasn’t just a man who got lost and just happened to cross your property? There are plenty of strangers that have come to town.”
“I know that! I tell you whatever it was, was hunched over slightly and quite tall.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a bear?” Peterson asked.
“No, it wasn’t a bear. I’ve had a black bear in my yard before and they don’t move like that or walk around on two legs!”
Andrew rubbed my back. “Calm down, Aggie. It’s going to be all right.”
“Whatever it was scratched at my door and window.” I got up and went to the door, opening it and fingered the grooves. “Look, there are scratches on my door.”
Sales
and Peterson examined the scratches. “Are you sure they weren’t here before, Agnes?” Peterson asked.
“I’m positive. I’m old, not completely out of my mind, you know.”
“No need to get upset, Agnes. I’m just trying to get a handle on what happened out here.”
“Bigfoot tried to get into my house is what happened.”
“If Bigfoot had wanted to get into your house, he would have,” Sales said. “If it was really Bigfoot, I mean.”
Sheriff Peterson gave Sales a narrow-eyed look. “Please tell me you don’t believe that Bigfoot is roaming around in the woods.”
“Of course not, unless that evidence found out at the Matlin place disputes your theory, Peterson.”
My hands went to my hips. “What theory is that?”
Peterson sighed. “I’m not sure what really happened out there, but I can assure you that it wasn’t related to Bigfoot.”
“And you’re basing that on what, common sense?”
“Exactly.”
“You must have some theory about how the patio door was smashed in from the outside at the Matlin place, too.”
“Billy might have staged it. Probably why we found his blood outside.”
“Okay, then where is he now?”
“Dang it, Agnes. I don’t know, but it just makes more sense.”
“You’re the sheriff though, and solving crimes is based on facts, not guesses—not even good ones.”
“I came here to check out your property. I’ll take my spotlight out there and have a look around.” Sales followed the sheriff, and twenty minutes later they came back and announced that they’d be leaving.
I wandered back to my bedroom while Andrew locked up. Once he joined me, he said, “Promise me that we’ll work on our differences. I love you and this relationship is important to me. We don’t have to get married, but my proposal stands. Set a date if and only when you’re ready. Agreed?”
“Agreed. Come to bed, Andrew.”
Chapter Nineteen
At exactly eight o’clock in the morning, Andrew, Eleanor, and I were waiting in a conference room at the sheriff’s department. Nancy, the clerk, came in and informed us that both the guys from both the Animal Channel and Animal Network would meet us at a conference room at the Days Inn.
Madison Johns - Agnes Barton 06 - Bigfoot in Tawas Page 15