“I know, I know. Rules say it’s once a week and all. But we won’t tell The Fox. 80/20 split.”
Kyle kicked a pebble on the ground, then nodded. “I hope to hell that I’m the 80 in that split.”
“You are, man. Just taking a little cut to hold me over. Like a finder’s fee. Plus, just think of it like you’re buying my kids extra food at Carowinds.”
Kyle laughed. “Yeah, that’s exactly how I’ll picture it then.” He reached for the door. “Send me whatever I need to know. Are you usually running the same route or what?”
“Reedy Creek side. Pick up location varies, but I almost always drop by the bridge next to the lake. There’s a box underneath the bridge you can access from the far side of the trail. Just duck under and toss it in the box. I’ll text you the code and all that.”
“Code?”
“Yeah, mine has a code that changes each time. Yours doesn’t?” Andy whispered.
“Nah, man. It’s just a log in the woods.” Kyle whispered. “When I first started, I would run right past it because it blends in so well. Kind of genius if you ask me.”
“I have nothing but reverence for The Fox.” Andy mimicked a bow.
“Reverence? Who left a dictionary in the history teacher’s lounge?”
Andy let out a guttural laugh and playfully shoved Kyle. “I owe you one, dude.”
He let himself out of the room, and Kyle prepared for the day.
Once third period rolled around, Kyle found his mood had dramatically improved. As class shuffled in, he wrote the lesson topic on the board for the day and waited for somebody to raise their hand. Without fail, round-faced Harrison’s hand sprung up from his side.
“Yes, Harrison?”
“Uh, Mr. P, you want to talk about monsters?”
“Yes. Would you like to start us off?”
“I know, like, the Pixar movie,” Harrison said.
“That’s Monsters, Inc., Dumbass!” A voice barked from the back row. Tommy Bruno’s voice was unmistakable, but Kyle opted to skip the finger-pointing.
“Now, now. Let’s settle down.” Kyle paused and let the class simmer. “Why do I want to talk about monsters today?”
“Because of Frankenstein. He’s, like, a monster,” Kelsey added from the side of the class.
“Excellent. Now, can anybody describe the monster for me?” Kyle reached for a whiteboard marker. “I’ll write adjectives you shout out up here on the board.”
The voices came like a chorus. Within a minute, Kyle had written, “Angry” “Evil” “Huge” “Scary” and “Gross”. He turned back to the class. “Alright, I need a volunteer.”
Crickets.
“Let me rephrase. I need a volunteer to create a sentence about the monster using two of these adjectives or I’ll fire at random.”
Kelsey and the whole back row looked out the window. Kyle opted to turn back to the front row, where Megan Zahor eagerly waved her hand. He reluctantly pointed in her direction.
“Frankenstein is evil because he is huge and angry,” Megan said and then flashed a smile.
“You did indeed fit two adjectives in that sentence.” Kyle nodded at her and held up three fingers. “Three, actually. Excellent work on that part. But can somebody tell me what was incorrect about Megan’s sentence?”
Megan deflated like a balloon under the word incorrect. Nobody raised their hand to dispute her. Megan looked like somebody just elected her Class President. Kyle turned to the side of the class. “Kelsey, what can you tell me about that sentence?”
“Uh, it was fine. Short but, like, not bad.”
“And did you see anything incorrect about what Megan said? It’s not her fault. This is a common mistake about the novel.”
“I think she mixed up Frankenstein and the monster.”
“Say more, Kelsey.”
“Well, like Frankenstein is the scientist.” Kelsey sat up straighter in her seat. “The monster is the monster. He name is not Frankenstein. So, if she said that the monster was evil and scary, that would be correct.”
“Another excellent point.” Kyle smiled. “I appreciate your input, Kelsey. Does everybody understand the excellent point that Kelsey has made?”
Murmurs of hums and head nods followed. A hand shot up in the front row. Harrison again. Kyle considered letting the boy off the hook in fear that he’d embarrass himself further, but wanted to honor his passion. “Harrison? What’s up?”
“Well, I agree that the monster’s name is not Frankenstein in the book.” Harrison turned slightly red. “So, Kelsey is right about that. But I thought about it last night, and I think there may be two monsters in the book.”
“Say more, Harrison,” Kyle said with a grin. Usually, the honors classes failed to make such a clever distinction.
“Frankenstein is the monster too. He’s the monster who made the monster. He’s just as responsible for any destruction and death as the monster is. Maybe more responsible.”
“Another excellent point. This has been a spirited discussion so far! It seems like you all are digging this story. Let’s dive into Chapter Ten together. Okay?”
Kyle turned to open his pocket-sized copy of the book, and somebody whispered in the back of the class. “The only monster here is that zit on your nose, Harrison.”
Kyle shot up from his chair and towered over Tommy Bruno’s seat. “Mr. Bruno, do you have something to say to the entire class?”
Tommy suppressed a smile and shook his head with his best Eddie Haskell impression. “No, sir.”
“Well, I think it’s only fair that you let the Vice Principal know that you have some additional thoughts on the matter. Why don’t you go check in with him and then come see me after class?”
“But—” Tommy fumbled for words.
“The only butts here is yours getting out of that chair and marching down to the office.”
The entire class watched as Tommy Bruno stormed out in a fury and shouted a curse word in the hallway. “Anybody else with any thoughts?” Kyle asked to the class of mimes. The crickets were back.
“Great, Megan, lead us off with the first five paragraphs of Chapter Ten.”
As Megan stuttered her way through the opening lines of the chapter, Kyle’s mind was adrift. Floating in the ocean. Yet, somehow, even in a far off tropical land, Kyle heard Harrison’s observation bouncing around his brain. Through all of the work, all of the jobs from The Fox, the lines had become blurred. It was hard to tell who the monster was these days.
Chapter Eleven
Zoe kept one eye on the clock while she worked. The second hand moved about as fast as one of Ernest’s stories. She pulled her phone out of the drawer; a trick she used to keep herself from constantly checking for updates. Nothing. The clatter of the Visitor’s Center door woke Zoe from her daze, and she looked up to see a bobbing wave of strawberry-red hair float her way.
She extended her arms for a hug. “Joanne! You’re back!”
Joanne Mitchell grinned from ear to ear. “Did y’all miss me? I bet y’all missed me like squirrel missing a nut. Do I look tan?”
Zoe surveyed Joanne’s tiny frame. “A bit, yeah! Where were you?”
“Just taking in the last of the sun down in Myrtle Beach.”
“Did you have any company? Mr. Mysterious join you?”
Joanne blushed. “He came by for a weekend, but that’s all you’ll get out of me. I like to keep things quiet. I’m not one for all the attention that comes with that whole kiss and tell attitude.” She looked into the back and then whispered, “Did they stick you at the desk the entire time?”
Zoe grinned. “Not the whole time, but most of it, as you predicted before you left.”
“I’m sorry, dear. I assumed they’d stop this boy’s club nonsense at some point.”
“Well, maybe they will when you join the ranks. How’s your application process going this time?”
Joanne’s smile evaporated. “Rejected again. I know I’m not of a cookie-cutter background they lik
e to hire around here, but I thought a few years on the job at this desk would take me further than it has.” She let out a deep sigh.
“Come on now, you’ve got to keep at it. I’ll continue to put in a good word when I can. That is when I’m not cursing your name for being the reason I’m shackled to a desk,” Zoe said.
Joanne laughed and tossed her bag onto the desk. “Shackled? They can’t cage a bird like you.”
Zoe rolled her eyes and watched Joanne sort through her bag. The backpack was old and worn. A Jansport that likely had been her school bag decades ago. Patches clung to threads that attached them to the bag. One had her initials, JRM. Another had a small dog, fox, and a coyote. The biggest one was a patch of trees that resembled the forests within Umstead.
Joanne looked up. “Before I let you free, catch me up on the gossip?”
Zoe beamed. “With pleasure.” She swapped spots with Joanne and let her take the chair. “Ernest still hasn’t decided if this year will be his last, so Mathias was in a foul mood most of the week. I’m talking about an unkempt mustache Mathias. The real deal. Grumbling about the budget or something.”
“I’m willing to bet that if Mathias took one of those fancy DNA tests, it’d tell him he was a direct descendent of Oscar the Grouch.”
Zoe cracked up. “How long have you been saving that one?”
Joanne beamed. “Thought of it on the beach and wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget. What about our resident southerner?”
“Clem said he caught the biggest bass he’s ever seen down at Crabtree Lake. He’s got a photo of the catch set as his phone background, so if you so much as breathe near him, he’ll show you the evidence.”
“Nice to know some things never change. Seems like another boring old week in Umstead,” Joanne said with a grin.
Zoe walked towards the bullpen. “Oh! And we had two more sightings.”
Joanne rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Saved the juicy bit for last, eh? What’s going on?”
“Two more pins on the map. One by a pair of teenage boys, just south of the overpass on Big Lake. Another by a man fishing over on the other side of the park by Five-Turn Hill.”
“Anybody have anything new to report or just the same old big scary ape in the woods bit?”
“Same as always. They either saw it from a distance or it ran from them. Usually, pre-dawn or nighttime if it’s somebody in the campground.”
“I swear, either we need to get some new eye doctors in Raleigh or there’s something supernatural going on around here. Gee whiz.”
“I’ve kept my doubts. It seems like some manufactured mayhem to me.”
“And what do you believe is the root cause of this mayhem, Ranger Watts?” Joanne pretended to hold a pen up like a microphone for Zoe.
“Me?” Zoe shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Gil on the other hand…”
“I’d imagine he’s leading the charge into the wilderness to hunt for the hide of this thing.”
“Don’t get me started.” Zoe laughed.
“Who would have guessed that the Bigfoot expert would be convinced that Bigfoot was visiting urban North Carolina?”
Zoe lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s been patient about it so far, but I think he crossed a line last night.”
Joanne propped her head on her hands and her elbows on the table like a teen at a slumber party. “Go on.”
“Somebody tipped off the authorities that there have been unusual sightings inside the park. Things that could be dangerous to the public.”
“Could’ve been one of those kids, no?”
“Could be, but I doubt it,” Zoe said. “The way Mathias talked about it, it sure sounded like somebody put together a compelling argument to make us take action.”
Joanne grinned. “And what action did our fearless leader choose?”
“Informational posters and game cameras in areas of frequent sightings.”
“So, the usual spots? Off Big Lake’s social trail and where Sycamore crosses the bike and bridle trail?”
Zoe smiled. “And somebody said you weren’t ready to be a park ranger? Please.”
“Need to get you on the hiring committee.” Joanne blushed. “Well, go off. Make yourself scarce. Don’t stick around the indoors on my account. Go be the wild woman that you are.”
“I’ll be off the next few days, by the way,” Zoe added from the hallway.
“Pre-wedding honeymoon for you and Gil? I can give you the name of the place where I was in Myrtle.”
“I wish, but this is just as good. My cousin Delaney is coming to town. Best person in the world. Like a sister to me. She lives up north in Massachusetts, so I don’t see her as much as I’d like. Nowadays just holidays and reunions.”
Joanne stacked some papers on her desk. “Well, if anybody deserves a break, it’s you. Drink an extra marg for me, dear,” she said with a grin.
Zoe nodded and gathered her things from her desk in the back. She caught the clock as it struck four and sprinted out the door. She sped towards home and made the twelve-mile drive in under ten minutes. When she pulled up, Gil was sitting on the front porch.
“Have you heard from Delaney?” he asked as he approached Zoe’s truck.
“They said sometime around four was their ETA. Should be any minute.”
“That is a sixty-watt smile you have brought home with you today. Did somebody get off desk duty or is this just pure unbridled cousin-infused excitement?”
“Both, actually. But despite my sunny disposition, I need to talk with you.”
“The words that every man dreads. Go on.”
The sound of an approaching vehicle distracted them both. A car slowed to a crawl down the access road. Hikers and cyclists whirred past in a blur. Zoe waved her entire body like an inflatable outside of a used car lot. As the car neared, she could see Delaney inside, fumbling with her seat belt.
She turned to Gil and put a hand on his shoulder. “Saved by the bell, Gilbert.”
Gil faked wiping sweat from his brow and started towards the driveway. Zoe followed and whispered in the split-second before the car doors opened. “I know you tipped them off,” she said. Gil turned white as a ghost.
Chapter Twelve
The road narrowed as they turned off the highway and approached a maroon gate between two brick columns and a sign that said ‘William B. Umstead State Park’. Shadows from the loblolly pines above danced on the concrete near the entrance. Hoagie sniffed at the air wafting in through the open window.
“Here we are!” Delaney said, not even attempting to hide her glee.
“That wasn’t so bad. You sick of me yet?” Casper asked.
“You’ve passed the test for the first twelve hours. Prepare for your next challenge. Cousin Zoe awaits,” Delaney said.
“I hope this is more Super Mario than Mortal Kombat,” Casper said as he looked out at the surrounding forest. “This park is so lush. The pine trees are fragrant. Smells like a candle that my mom would have lit around Christmas time.”
He lowered his window and took in the fresh as daisies evening air. October in Massachusetts was more winter than fall, but North Carolina clung to every bit of summer, somehow two seasons behind the northern states.
“I love it here. I’ve only been here once when Zoe first moved in a few years back. Since then, she’s come up to see me or met our families in Jersey.”
“Another pine forest to explore, Hoagie.”
“Let’s try to stay out of trouble this time, boys,” Delaney said.
Delaney slowed the car to a crawl and turned right past an Authorized Personnel Only sign. “For the time being, we’re authorized personnel. Just don’t tell Zoe’s boss.”
They passed a crosswalk where a narrow trail traversed the pavement and carried on to their right into a thicket of rhododendrons and laurels. The path looked narrow, a single-track that was blanketed with pine needles. The terrain reminded Casper of Cape Cod and The Punkhorns. The roa
d ended and a small house sat to their left next to two old shabby sheds labeled Maintenance that dotted the dead end.
The house had brown siding that was weathered and worn. A small covered garden bed sat raised above the grass to the right of the copper-colored shed that butted up against the forest on the back of the property. A gravel driveway held three vehicles, one of which was a dented and rusty-patched truck that said RANGER on the side. The overgrown lawn was more crabgrass than grass. Small puddles of water sat stagnant on the far side of the lot.
Before Casper could say a word, Zoe rushed out the door and sprinted towards Delaney with her arms spread wide. They both squealed, and the sound pierced Casper’s eardrums.
At first glance, Zoe looked nothing like Delaney. Her short-cropped blonde hair stood in stark contrast to Delaney’s black-coffee, shoulder-length cut. There didn’t appear to be a single freckle on Zoe’s face, but instead, she carried an even tan from all of her work in the sunshine. She had the same build as Delaney, fit and strong with an appearance that all but assured that she could kick any man’s ass. Meeting his stare, Zoe broke the embrace and jogged around the front hood of the car toward Casper.
“And you must be the infamous Casper Kelly,” she said with an extended hand.
Casper smiled. “And you must be the legendary Zoe Watts. What a pleasure!”
He brushed aside the extended hand and embraced Zoe with a hug. As he looked over her shoulder, Delaney gave him a wink.
“You’ve passed your first test, Casper Kelly. But I fear that you had some serious tutoring in the car from Laney about my disdain for handshakes amongst family.”
“I plead the fifth,” Casper said.
A man with copper-brown wavy hair and wire-frame glasses stood on the front steps and watched the embrace. He had big wide eyes like a barn owl that made his tiny mouth look even smaller than it truly was. His mop of hair fell in stray strands across his forehead and over his ears. He grinned at the visitors and sauntered over without a word. Delaney gave him a big hug and then turned to introduce Casper.
“Casper, this is Gil. Gil, Casper.”
Trouble Afoot (Shepard & Kelly Mysteries Book 2) Page 6