Trouble Afoot (Shepard & Kelly Mysteries Book 2)

by Benjamin Bradley

  “Pleasure. Welcome to Umstead.” Gil’s smile was warm, but his eyes looked like those of a man who had just escaped a turbulent plane ride. “May I help with your bags?”

  “Gladly. But first let me release the beast. I hope you guys like dogs because Hoagie will demand your full attention,” Casper said as he gripped the door handle.

  He pulled and Hoagie shot out like a cannonball. He darted around from person to person, rolling onto his back and waiting for a belly rub. Zoe smiled widely, leaned down, and scratched, wide-eyed. “Oh, Hoagie. You’re too cute.”

  After a raucous dinner of homemade shrimp tacos and two rounds of lime margaritas, the foursome sprawled across the living room. Hoagie curled up next to Zoe, who scratched at his chin. Without a second of silence, Zoe asked Casper to recount the harrowing tale of the case that had brought Delaney into his life. He did his best to make it sound compelling. She hung on every word. After the ending, she kept shaking her head and saying “wow” to herself over and over.

  Zoe stepped into the kitchen to help Gil put another round of margaritas in the blender and Casper turned to Delaney. “You were right.”

  “I know. But about what?”

  “Zoe is a firecracker,” Casper whispered.

  “She’s a hoot. I’m glad y’all are getting along.”

  “Did you just say y’all?”

  Delaney shushed him with a kiss.

  Casper tried to shift attention away from his casework and onto the true mystery in the room: Gil. He sat cross-legged on the recliner chair staring intently at whoever was speaking.

  “So, Gil. We listened to a bit of your podcast on the way down. Great stuff. Gripping.”

  Gil’s eyes lit up. “Ah, so you were the one!” Gil laughed. “Thank you for that review. At which episode did you stop?”

  “How many was it, Delaney? I think we were around the time you explained the history of sightings on the east coast.”

  “That is towards the end! Color me impressed. Even my mother could not suffer through that much of it.”

  “So much research!” Delaney said with an eye towards Zoe.

  “Ah, on the shoulders of giants. There is great research out there. However, I was able to tap into some of my own for the east coast analysis. There is actually a town close to here that believes they are the home of the one and only Bigfoot.”

  “And is that true?” Delaney asked.

  “I’d say it is likely to be a hoax. Or a flawed belief at the core,” Gil said. “However, they have built an industry on it, much like the Pacific Northwest. I am not here to disrupt the local economy. On your return voyage, you will drive past it. Littleton, North Carolina. Sixty-three miles north. Next to the Virginia border. They have a Cryptozoology museum that is scientifically questionable but a quite humorous trip!”

  “Crypto-what?” Delaney said.

  “Cryptozoology. It’s the study of animals whose existence is unsubstantiated to date,” Casper added.

  Gil pointed towards Casper. “I now understand cousin Delaney’s admiration for you, Casper Kelly! I must ask, I read up on your career. Have you run into anything similar on any of your cases?”

  Casper laughed. “Not yet. My cases often center around something deemed unexplainable. Something that makes little sense to the naked eye or feels like it’s supernatural.”

  “Elaborate,” Gil said with wide eyes.

  “Sometimes. It’s a whole mix of things, but without fail, there is always an explanation. People hire me when they need answers to questions nagging at them or causing danger to fall upon an area. But often, there’s a human element behind it all.”

  Zoe craned her neck and looked into the driveway. “Funny, I didn’t see the Mystery Machine when you pulled up.”

  Gil pressed on anyway. “Well, time for the million-dollar question Casper. Do you believe in Bigfoot?”

  Zoe rolled her eyes and sipped her drink. Casper chuckled and looked to Delaney for help, but she averted her eyes. He was on his own. “I’m inclined to believe something until proven otherwise. But I look forward to reading your book to help firm up my stance.”

  Delaney gave him a subtle nod, as if to tell him he handled that well. Gil cracked a smile and then darted out of the room. Zoe shook her head. Hoagie let out a yelp of displeasure at being woken from his dream by all the hubbub.

  “Where’s he going?” Delaney asked.

  “I never know what he’s up to, Laney. Most times, that’s for the best.”

  “Laney. Now that’s something I’d like to talk about. What other embarrassing details can you share with me about our lovely Laney here?” Casper asked.

  Gil shuffled back into the room with a large corkboard that had a map on it. Pins dotted the trails that spidered through the map. Casper watched Gil set it up on the coffee table and hold it up for all to see. “Maybe this will help firm up your stance in the meantime,” Gil said with a grin.

  Zoe slumped in her chair and put her head in her hands. “Jesus, no, Gil. They just got here.”

  He continued as if he didn’t hear her. “In the last six months, there have been twelve Bigfoot sightings here inside Umstead State Park!”

  Gil let the words hang around in the air for a full minute. He led Casper and Delaney through the recent rash of sightings while Zoe watched her ice cubes melt.

  Delaney broke out into a fit of laughter. Casper looked around in confusion. He turned to Zoe. “Is this… real?”

  She shrugged. “Yes, and no. We’ve had reports of weird stuff. Not everybody has used the term Bigfoot but we’re seeing things that—What was that you said earlier, Casper? Things that seem unexplainable.”

  “Could it be a bear or—” Delaney asked.

  Zoe scoffed. “It could literally be anything. I’d like to look into it, but just to prove this idiot here wrong. He thinks it’s Bigfoot. Most folks think it’s probably just kids pulling a prank.”

  “But Bigfoot… in North Carolina?” Casper said.

  Gil smiled. “There are local urban legends in communities across the country and around the world. I’m sure you’ve heard the word Yeti or Sasquatch thrown around, yes?”

  Casper nodded. “But that’s not a Bigfoot?”

  Gil grinned. “Until somebody catches one, we won’t know for certain, but there’s a variety of large creatures roaming around different parts of the United States.”

  “Like what? I’d like to know what to keep an eye out for while we hike tomorrow,” Delaney said.

  “In Florida, there are stories of a Skunk Ape. Similar to Bigfoot, it’s a big primate that people see occasionally. In Arkansas, they tell stories about the Ozark Howler. In Puerto Rico, they all fear the Chupacabra. New Orleans has the Rougarou.”

  “The what?”

  “Basically, a large werewolf.”

  Zoe groaned, which made Delaney cackle.

  “Okay, but is there proof of any of this?” Casper asked.

  Gil tapped on the map. “What is that adage? Seeing is believing or believing is seeing? Most experts would argue that we see what we believe in and dismiss the rest.”

  “But imagine you had to sell it to a skeptic like me…”

  “Are you religious, Casper?” Gil steepled his hands. “I do not mean to intrude, but I hope you will indulge me.”

  Casper shook his head. “I tend to agree with Pascal’s Wager. I’d rather live my life as if there is a God and find out there isn’t than…”

  “So, why is your belief template so different for cryptids? Would it not be simpler or more prudent to live as if they are real and find out they are not?”

  Zoe let out a groan and put her head in her hands.

  “Because these… things you named are absurd and unproven,” Delaney said.

  “If somebody believes in God, they see signs all around them to confirm that belief. If they do not believe, they interpret signs around them as further proof that God does not exist. I do not mean to lump God and Bigfoot into
the same sentence, but I hope you follow.”

  “So, like, confirmation bias?”

  Gil nodded. “If you are a Bigfoot believer, you look at the evidence, sightings, reports, and footprints as confirmation. If you are an unbeliever, you see it as madness and dismiss it outright.”

  “I follow,” Casper said. He flopped backward onto the couch. “Gil, if your book is half as compelling as your argument here, it’ll be a best seller.”

  “That would require a completed manuscript, which feels about evasive as Bigfoot at the moment.” Gil smiled.

  Delany eyed the room and then let out a chuckle. “Some vacation, huh?”

  Zoe jumped to her feet. “Ding ding ding. Did you hear that bell, Gil? That’s the alert when you’ve hit your Bigfoot limit for the evening. We have guests. Let’s catch up and get drunk. Is that too much to ask?” she said.

  Delaney raised her glass, and the others followed. “To family!”

  Casper put his glass in the air and smiled. “To catching Bigfoot!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “This is 713, we’ve got a code red down by Reedy Creek Lake. Uh, 10-33. 10-33.” The radio static woke Zoe from a fitful sleep. Gil let out a groan but turned over to his side and put his pillow over his ear to muffle the sound from the speaker. It blared again. Clem’s voice. “This is 713, we’ve got a code red down by Reedy Creek Lake. 10-33.”

  Zoe shot out of bed, sprinted to her closet, and threw on half of her uniform. Her house was the closest to the location Clem had shouted through the radio. This was her chance.

  One Mississippi. They drilled the code system into Zoe’s brain from her first day on the job. Certain codes echoed through the radios daily. A 10-7 meant somebody was offline for lunch.

  Five Mississippi. 10-53 meant an illegally parked car in the lot. 10-45 was roadkill. Plenty more mundane number combinations that solicited little more than a yawn from park staff. But 10-33? 10-33 meant drop everything and get there now. Somebody was in danger.

  Nine Mississippi. Without tying her boots, Zoe sprinted toward the maintenance shed that sat two hundred yards away. Her hands shook so badly that she could barely locate the key to the shed on the overcrowded ring that typically hung from her belt and accumulated dust. She pulled off the lock and threw it to the side.

  Twelve Mississippi. A tug on the garage door cord lifted it open. Within seconds, Zoe had kicked the ATV into gear and sped out of the lot and down the hill towards Clem’s location.

  Fifteen Mississippi. Loblolly pines stood like a shocked audience as she tore down the path. She tried to think of a reason that Clem would need help at such a peculiar hour. Plus, Clem was off today. That didn’t add up.

  Twenty Mississippi. Either way, there was no reasonable excuse why Clem would be on this side of the park at this ungodly hour and in need of emergency assistance.

  Twenty-five Mississippi. The radio crackled, and she tucked her head into her shoulder to listen. Clem had called for EMTs. This was serious. From the initial information Zoe had, she assumed Clem was not the one injured. A rough-and-tumble man like Clem Jenkins would be hard-pressed to call in such a panic if he’d just rolled his ankle or taken a fall. No, somebody else was hurt. Seriously hurt.

  Thirty Mississippi… As she crested the hill, she could see Clem down on the ground, kneeling next to the body. He stood and waved her over. She threw the vehicle into park and hopped off, sprinting towards Clem and the body next to him.

  “Is he breathing?”

  “Barely,” Clem whispered.

  “Pulse?”

  “I checked when I first arrived. It was low, but it was present.” Zoe knelt and placed two fingers on his neck. A faint pulse throbbed beneath her fingertips.

  She dove into her bag and tossed the first aid kid out in front of her. She looked over the body. The man was middle-aged. Fit. Scratches and blood covered his shirt. His eyes were open, watching her as she looked him over.

  “We’re going to get you some help, okay? I just need to find the source of all this blood.”

  The man gave a slight nod and slumped his head back onto the trail. Zoe turned to Clem. “Can you get gauze and bandages out of that bag? Antiseptic too.”

  Clem did as instructed and handed Zoe each item. Zoe paused for a second and then tore the open man’s shirt. Her stomach lurched. Remnants of margaritas and shrimp came firing into her esophagus. She gulped it down. “This looks like-” She shook her head and squinted at the wounds. “Hell, I don’t know.”

  “Same.” Clem tugged at his shirt. “What do we do? You’re born for this shit.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, don’t bullshit me. What’s the procedure?” Clem stared into the injured man’s wounds. “Is… is that fur?”

  Zoe met his eyes and tried to ignore the question. “Not relevant. Once we stop the bleeding, we need to get him off the trail and somewhere that the ambulance can pick him up. I have the flat board on the back of the ATV. We can attach him and transport him out. Where will the EMTs go?”

  “Up by the entrance gate, off Harrison. They’ve got a code for the gate in situations like this, but I doubt they know it. They may cut the lock but it depends on the crew.”

  Zoe nodded and did her best to treat the deepest wounds. She looked the man in the eyes and spoke softly to him. “We’re going to get you to the hospital, okay?”

  His eyes blinked but he didn’t say anything. Zoe knew the telltale signs of shock from training. “Remember to breathe. This may hurt as we lift you, okay?”

  After a second, she turned to Clem. “Alright, help me get him onto the flat board safely and then I’ll head up to meet the ambulance.” Zoe removed the yellow stretcher-board from the back of the ATV and laid it next to the man’s body. “Remember how this works?”

  Clem nodded, and they shifted the man carefully onto the stretcher, carried it over to the ATV, and hooked it onto the back portion. Tight. No wiggle room.

  Zoe hopped onto the vehicle and turned the ignition. The engine roared again. Clem stared at his bloody hands and looked up at her.

  “What should I do?” he asked.

  Zoe thought he looked scared. As white as a ghost. “You wait here. Check the perimeter for anything suspicious.”

  “But what if it-”

  “Clem, we have a man clinging to life back here.” She handed him her pistol. “Stand guard. If you see something coming at you, shoot it.”

  Clem nodded. “Zoe?”

  Zoe strapped her helmet tight and shot him a look.

  Clem’s voice was low, barely audible. “I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. You know, about the…”

  Zoe nodded and kicked the ATV into a higher gear. She sped up and out of the valley and back toward the parking lot. Halfway back, she saw Mathias’ truck approach, but she pressed the gas toward the floor and sped towards the gate. You’re not dying on my watch, bud. Mathias veered onto the shoulder of the road and whipped his truck around. His headlights lit the path in front of Zoe better than the shoddy bulbs of the ATV that shook from her speed. The glow of red siren lights in the distance told her to turn left at the intersection. Like Clem had guessed, the EMTs were stuck at the gate without their access code.

  The EMTs swarmed the ATV like bees toward a flower, and she stepped out of the way. A young wide-eyed man stood with a pair of bolt cutters at his side, jaw dropped the bloody mess Zoe had hauled up from the trail.

  Zoe gave them space. They were the experts here. She was just a cog in the well-oiled machine of emergency response. Mathias walked over toward her and nodded his head.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I’m glad it was you on top of this. You handled this well. It’s no longer a secret that you’re overqualified for your job here.”

  “Just doing my part, sir,” Zoe responded. Her eyes remained locked on the man’s body as they raised him into the back of the ambulance and sped off. A flood of police cars approached and crowded the area around the gate.
<
br />   “Mind if I steal your wheels?” Mathias asked. “I’d like to go check on Clem.”

  Zoe nodded and handed him the keys. The newly arrived police approached as Ernest pulled up and parked behind them. Mathias sped off and Zoe braced herself for a sea of questions about the most hectic five minutes of her life. One of the EMTs stayed behind. They spoke with a tall woman who appeared to be in charge. She moved with authority. Tall and upright, like a rooster strutting. She had long black hair and tan skin. A smile never left her face as she stepped towards Zoe.

  “Ranger Watts?” She extended a hand as she spoke. “I’m Detective Chandler Russo. I hear you were first on the scene?” Russo spoke with the faint hint of a New Jersey accent.

  Zoe shook her hand and nodded. “Second. I answered the call from my colleague, Clem Jenkins. He may have the answers you’re looking for, Detective.”

  Russo shook her head. “No need for formalities. We’re colleagues here. Both women of the law. You can just call me Chandler.”

  Zoe nodded. “Did the EMTs have any updates for you? First impressions?”

  Russo shook her head again. “Nothing concrete, but there is reason for optimism. Still, it may be a long road ahead.” She pulled out a notepad and clicked a pen. “Can you recount what you saw?”

  “What I saw?”

  “Essentially, I need to decide if this was an assault or a freak accident.”

  “I’m no expert, but—”

  “Gut instincts. It’s like when you see an asshole walk into a bar. You know what you’re looking at before he opens his mouth. What is your body telling you?”

  “Nothing I saw made me think this was an accident,” Zoe said.

  “Well then, we’re on the same page already. Will you look at that? While we’re at it, mind walking me through the rest of it? Your approach and anything else you think would be helpful?”

  Zoe recounted the call and the subsequent moments down by the lake with Clem. The detective nodded along, clearly well-versed in the art of active listening with her mhm’s and okay’s. Zoe left out the part about the fur in the wounds and the recent peculiar activities within the park boundaries.