When Nature Calls

by Harper Crowley

  “Everything?” I ask, the word loaded with meaning.

  Jess glances from me to Russ, her eyes wide. “Everything. It’s not uploaded yet, but it’s there.”

  My mind whirls with her admission. With that footage, we could be famous, like she’d said. We could really make it. But... I don’t know if I can do that. It feels wrong, like we’re betraying the creature that saved our lives. Bigfoot hunters would flood the area, and that could get the beast killed. What a wonderful way to say thank you. I take a deep breath.

  “Delete it,” I say. “Don’t put it on the website. Don’t upload it to the forums, just get rid of it.”

  “Why?” Jess frowns, staring at the camera in her hand. “I thought you’d be excited. We should post this all over the place. It’s our ticket to being famous.”

  I waver at her words. Russ wobbles to his feet, and both of them watch me with such hope, such longing, that I almost say to go for it, but I can’t. Whatever this creature was, it saved our lives, and I can’t repay it by proving its existence and inviting all sorts of scientists and amateur Bigfoot hunters to try to capture or kill it.

  “No. We can’t post it. It’s not right.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nod. ‘Yeah, I’m sure. Delete it.”

  Chapter 27

  “I can’t believe the bait-and-tackle shop was all a front.” Ceri stares morosely into the cup of coffee cradled in her hands. “For making meth, for God’s sake. That kind of thing doesn’t happen around here.” She ignores the camera recording us on a small tabletop tripod.

  Nothing bad happens in a lot of places until it does, but I don’t say that to her. There’s a lot I don’t say. A lot that isn’t included in the manila envelope in the bag next to me, full of papers and pictures and transcripts and notes I’d printed at the local library. I wish I could tell her everything that happened out there in the woods, but there’s no way she’d believe me even if I tried.

  “I’m just... I guess I’m glad in a way that I know Jason didn’t leave me, you know? I always knew in my heart that something happened to him, but I didn’t have any proof.”

  “And now that Buck’s cooperating, you might get that.”

  She sniffs. “I guess. Did you know Jason’s parents moved out of Atopka right after he disappeared? Like a month later. It was awful. And now, I think I might be the only one who remembers him here. The only one who knows who he was. God, that sounds awful, doesn’t it? I mean, I know his parents must care, wherever they are, but they left without answers, without the truth. And I was the only one still looking for him.” Her hands tighten on her mug until her knuckles turn white. “I can’t believe I dated that bastard, and he knew all along what happened to Jason. He knew, and he didn’t tell me. If he was here, I’d kill him myself, I swear.”

  She wouldn’t be the only one. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t think Buck knew when he was dating you. I think it was later, much later, when his dad brought him into the fold.” My mind reflects on Buck’s rambling as the sheriff and his men led him and his brother out of the forest. “He said it was his dad’s fault.”

  “What do you think?” Ceri’s eyes meet mine.

  I have to think for a minute before I respond. “It’s tough. I mean, Buck’s no innocent, and neither are his brothers, but his dad was the ringleader.” My phone buzzes. Jess.

  Are you done yet? Your stupid dog has peed on the same bush four times. He’s embarrassing me.

  I type back: Almost. Give me just a couple more minutes.

  Hurry.

  “I’m sorry we had to block you from the website.”

  She waves my apology away. “Don’t worry about it. You were right. Dad had my username and password. He would have snooped around until he figured out what you were doing, and then tried to stop you. You did the right thing.”

  “Well, it’s fixed now, so you should be able to hop on and view everything we posted, as well as give your take on what happened.”

  Her eyes light up. “I can do that?”

  I nod. “Most people don’t, but you’re welcome to. A lot of our clients get overwhelmed after an investigation ends, or embarrassed if we caught them faking it and don’t want to post. Some would rather just put it all behind them and move on, and that’s fine, too. You can do whatever feels right for you.”

  “I think I will,” she says. “And not just for me, but for Jason, too. He deserves to be remembered by as many people as possible, and maybe this can help with that. Maybe I’ll even start an online memorial for him.”

  I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. “I think that’s a great idea. And if you ever want to, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of support for making a physical one, too.”

  Her eyes drift away, uncertain. “Yeah, I guess I never thought about that. I wonder what his parents would think, or if they would even care.”

  I’m sure they would, but I don’t say anything. This isn’t my moment, and it isn’t my grief. “Whenever you’re ready, let us know. We would love to help with anything you need.”

  “Thanks,” she says. “I’m so glad you came out here.” Her lips twitch in a smile. “Even if my dad isn’t.”

  A quick laugh bursts from my lips. “Yeah, it’s probably a good thing we’re leaving.” My phone vibrates again, but I ignore it. Jess can wait a couple more minutes. Besides, it gives her and Russ a little more time to finalize where we’re going next. I don’t really care as long as they have indoor plumbing and good, strong Wi-Fi. A girl has to have some standards.

  I pull the manila envelope out of my bag and set it on the table. “Every time we conclude an investigation, we hand over copies of all of the evidence we gathered, the recordings we did, and the printed posts we made during that time. It’s kind of like a journal of the events. I’m going to warn you, there’s a lot there, and it’s not edited”—well, most of it isn’t edited—“so you’ll have to slog through a lot to get to the meat of it, but it’s there. The edited versions are online. A lot of our clients prefer the raw footage, so that’s what we go with for our exit interviews.”

  Ceri picks up the envelope reverently, as if it’s some sacred, holy object, and presses it to her chest, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I don’t know what to say, except thank you.”

  I give her a warm smile. “You’re welcome. I know this has been hard for you, but I hope it’s been worth it.”

  “It has,” she says, her voice stronger. “It definitely has.”

  After I leave Ceri, I meet Jess and Russ outside in the parking lot. Before she gets into the van, Jess shoves Bear’s leash at me. “How come I always get stuck on dog duty?”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Because Russ is better at computers than you are.”

  “Whatever.” She huffs and slides into the back seat, her phone replacing the leash in her hand. In the passenger seat, Russ types on the laptop wedged between his knees and the dashboard. All of the van’s windows are open to catch a breeze and maybe air out the place before we take off.

  “Any luck?” I ask, leaning on the open window. I know he’s always working on something, but he usually doesn’t tell me unless it’s a go.

  “Yeah, I think I got a good one.” He gives me a crooked smile. “You’re going to love this.”

  “What is it? I’m going to warn you, I’m definitely not up for another Bigfoot case, at least for a while.”

  He chuckles. “Nope, this is better. Way better. Aliens outside of Tombstone, Arizona. Isn’t that awesome?”

  I slide into the driver’s-side seat and plop Bear into the back, mulling over Russ’s words. Aliens outside of Tombstone. That’s definitely different than chasing Bigfoot around Oklahoma, and I’ve always wanted to go to Tombstone. Maybe we can do a ghost story and the alien case at the same time.

  Jess hops in the back seat. “What do you think? Are you in?”

  I buckle my seatbelt. “Oh yeah, I’m in. No enormous hairy monsters, no creepy gothic ghosts, jus
t your run-of-the-mill, old-fashioned aliens. Piece of cake.” At Jess’s peal of laughter, I hope I don’t have to eat those words. It wouldn’t be the first time, though, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

  Want to read more? Follow Meredith and the gang on their next exciting adventure by clicking HERE.

  Acknowledgments

  Like all books, this one was a mammoth endeavor that took blood, sweat, and tears to create. First to acknowledge is my husband, who puts up with my odd hours, strange questions, and fervent obsession with fonts. I’d also like to thank my wonderful friends and family members who valiantly volunteered to be my guinea pigs and help me by reading, rereading, and endlessly discussing this book. I’d also like to give a shout-out to all my awesome beta readers, especially Annie, Athena, Laura, and Maria. You were all oh-so-important at getting this book (and the others in the series) hammered into shape. My editor, Kate, also deserves my undying gratitude. She’s amazing and awesome and this book wouldn’t be what it is without her. Thank you all so much!

  About the Author

  Harper Crowley loves reading and writing. Big surprise, eh? She lives in Michigan, where it’s too cold for nine months of the year and loves traveling to exotic locales. When she’s not writing about kooky characters in crazy situations, she’s teaching middle and high school students and dreaming up her next adventure. You can find her on Facebook at /harpercrowleyauthor and her website www.harpercrowley.com.