Legend Hunter

by Jennifer Mckenzie

  The rain had slowed to a drizzle but it soaked through Ben’s clothes and chilled his skin as he poured some hot water into the blue speckled coffee pot. He made Kiera some hot chocolate and started some dinner as well. When he took her the pot and the hot chocolate, she touched his cheek with a gentle stroke.

  “Thank you, Ben.”

  He tried not to lean into her hand. “How is she?”

  “Not good. She passed out a few minutes after we got her into the tent and started to shiver. I’ve got her in my sleeping bag, but she’s feverish. It isn’t her ankle. It’s her leg. I need to set it right away.” Kiera bit her lip. “I can’t tell if she’s got a back injury or not. She complained about it when I helped her in here and then she collapsed.”

  “She’ll be fine, Kiera.” He tried to reassure her, but one glance at Amanda’s flushed face sent a cold finger up his spine. “I’ll help you set her leg.”

  Kiera’s color dropped away from her face. “I need a branch and some muscle to hold her down.”

  Ben dipped into the tent and they knelt by Amanda. The bottom half of her right leg was bent at a grotesque angle, and Kiera held her down as Ben splinted it with a straight branch. Sweat gathered on his forehead when Amanda screamed as Kiera gripped her shoulders and pressed her into the tent floor. He twisted the woman’s leg into the right position and tied the branch to the back of her calf.

  Amanda’s screams subsided into whimpers, and she clutched at Kiera’s arms. Kiera held her and whispered encouragement. “It will be okay, Amanda. Help is coming.” But when Kiera’s gaze met Ben’s, he saw doubt there.

  Ben took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve got dinner on. Why don’t you let me take over when it’s finished so you can have a break?”

  She shook her head. “No, I—“

  “Kiera.” He frowned. “Remember our deal.”

  He was shocked to see tears in her eyes. Her voice trembled. “I don’t know what to do.”

  It was the first crack he’d seen in her. She had always been confident, independent, bitter at times, but moving forward. This was not a side of her he was familiar with. “Yes, you do. It’s my job to be on your side, remember? Even when you’re not.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was so small, and she smiled very faintly.

  “I’ll get dinner finished and then I want you to relax a little,” he said firmly.

  Kiera nodded and Ben ducked out of the tent.

  As he whipped up one of the freeze dried meals, he glanced at the tent flaps. Amanda was in a bad way. Ben hoped Dodo and Bobby got to civilization quickly.

  And Kiera was in a bad way, too. The guilt and worry was written all over her face. Fatigue stiffened his muscles and the drizzling rain kept his body cold. He brought the food to Kiera. “It’s my turn. Go get some air. Be quick so you don’t get soaked.”

  She nodded and they switched places. Amanda’s blonde hair was plastered to her face, and her cheeks were blotchy and red. She shivered and trembled, but her eyes stayed closed. Ben stripped off his wet clothes and got on some dry ones. Nothing like a dry pair of briefs to give a man a new perspective.

  Kiera returned after a bit and they huddled in their sleeping bags as Amanda slept. Night rolled in and the rain stopped. It wasn’t too cold, thank goodness, so they were able to get Amanda comfortable. In the middle of the night, the reporter seemed to relax and drift into a healthy sleep rather than a fevered one.

  Relief flooded Ben. Not only because Amanda would recover soon but Kiera wouldn’t be burdened with another pile of guilt. He tried to convince her the storm wasn’t her fault, the trail collapsing wasn’t her fault, none of it was her fault. Though she nodded, he could tell she didn’t buy it. Kiera McConnel was an expert at guilt. Ben just wanted to break through it so she could move on.

  When it was clear Amanda would get better, Kiera finally relaxed. He waited until her breathing was even and he knew she was out before he settled in. Exhausted, Ben collapsed and found oblivion in sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  The rain started again late the next morning. The patter of it against the tent walls woke Kiera up after a night of deep sleep. Amanda rested comfortably, her face had normal color and she wasn’t tossing and turning anymore.

  Ben was still asleep, and Kiera dragged her butt out of her sleeping bag and yanked on her boots. Coffee. She needed coffee.

  She managed to get the backpacking stove to fire up and water to boil. Coffee followed soon after and when she took her first sip, the heavens sang. Or they seemed to. The hood of her jacket dripped from the rain and mud was caked on her boots, but she had coffee and the world seemed right again.

  How long would it take Bobby and Dodo to get help? She calculated that it would take them at least a day to reach their vehicles and that’s if they’d slogged through the night and didn’t have any hold ups. Then, another hour to a cell phone signal. Once someone was notified, there had to be a team sent up and that would take time too. They were looking at two, maybe three days until help arrived.

  It was too early in the morning to be thinking about that stuff. She pushed the thoughts away, but the one that replaced it wasn’t pleasant either. Ben. That kiss had been explosive, dangerous. In the midst of crisis, she set aside thoughts about the way she’d practically attacked the man. Now, with the dismal rain dripping down her neck and the quiet wilderness all around her, she had no choice. Wasn’t it crazy to be attracted to a man in the same business as her father? After what she’d seen her father do to gain notoriety and fame, why would she want someone like him?

  But Ben wasn’t like her father. The expedition was in shambles and no evidence would be gathered from this trip. Yet, Ben hadn’t said anything. Her father would have been foaming at the mouth by this time.

  An unwanted memory drifted through her mind. Once, when she’d been about ten, she’d tripped and fallen while they were hiking near the base of The Little Trinity Mountain. Her ankle had been purple and swollen. The pain had been excruciating but her father told her to push through it and keep going.

  Very little of that trip made an impression on Kiera except for the pain. She’d limped up The Little Trinity and soaked her ankle at night. Her father kept going and gathered his precious bits and pieces of a puzzle he never solved.

  As an adult, Kiera was appalled that her father would drag a limping ten year old through the Trinity Mountains just for evidence of a mythical creature. But at ten, her father was her whole world, and she did whatever she had to do to please him.

  When they returned home, her ankle was so bad she had to wear a cast for six weeks. The only thought she remembered was being angry she couldn’t go into the hills with her father.

  Funny how memories were repressed.

  Ben didn’t seem to care that the expedition was disrupted. His only concern seemed to be for Amanda, and his goal was to get her back to civilization. There wasn’t even any impatience in his manner or his tone as he dealt with all of it.

  All her life she’d had to watch her father. To please Doc McConnel took intense observation. How much had he had to drink? Did he find any tracks or other evidence this trip? Kiera always tailored her behavior to fit his. If he was frustrated, Kiera worked harder to find answers. If he was drinking, she soothed him and brought him whatever he needed. Her mother protected him from reality, and Kiera cosigned his fantasies.

  Talk about dysfunctional.

  With an impatient sigh, Kiera poured more coffee for herself and a cup for Ben. All those memories served no purpose. They had three days to wait for help. The fact they were waiting in a location that brought back bad memories was beside the point.

  Ben was awake and stretching when Kiera brought him a cup of coffee. He wrapped his hands around the cup and sipped the steaming coffee. “Oh, you’re an angel. Thanks.”

  “No problem.” She sat down cross-legged on her sleeping bag. “I figure we have three days to wait. Why don’t you see if you can find anything sinc
e you’re here?”

  His sleepy brown eyes blinked. “Find anything?”

  “Bigfoot. Remember?” She smirked. It was kind of sweet the way his hair flopped over his forehead when he just woke up and how he sighed happily at the first sip of his coffee.

  He shook his head. “It’s too early in the morning for Bigfoot.”

  “That’s what you’re here for,” Kiera pointed out. Now that she’d made the effort, she wasn’t going to let him out of it.

  Ben frowned. “Let’s wait and see how Amanda is in a few hours. If she’s out of the woods, I’ll go out and take a look around.”

  All she could do was stare at him over the rim of her cup. How completely unlike her father he was. He was such a mystery to her. Cerebral, even a little geeky, but charming and gorgeous, he wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met. Most of the people she knew who hunted Bigfoot and paranormal activity were complete wackos. Ben wasn’t like that at all. His books were thoughtful and scientific, but readable.

  “How did you get started in paranormal research?” The words tumbled out before she could stop them.

  His eyebrows shot up. “You didn’t read my bio?” One hand clutched his chest. “Oh, the heartbreak.”

  She laughed. “Oh, just shut up and answer the question.”

  “I encountered a ghost.” He grinned at her. “No one believed me so I set out to prove it.”

  “And did you?”

  “I proved that something existed unseen. But I didn’t have much equipment at eleven years old.” He shook his head with a mock-serious expression on his face.

  “So, how did you prove something existed?” She leaned forward.

  One side of his mouth lifted. “I asked the ghost to move something and he did. Simple.”

  She stared at him. Simple? No it wasn’t. “Okay. Give me the whole story.”

  He sighed. “My grandfather started haunting me when I was ten years old. At first, my parents thought I just wanted attention.” He met her gaze. “You remember. The middle child thing. Then, they were concerned I was nuts. So, I went to therapy for a few years. Then, my grandfather suggested he prove he existed.” Ben took a sip of coffee. “He moved a large picture off the wall in front of my father.”

  “And that worked?”

  “No.” Ben laughed. “My parents are the most ardent skeptics. But it began my search for those doors, those myths that keep us tethered to each other.”

  “Does he still haunt you?”

  “No. He moved on when I turned fourteen and discovered girls. I know he’ll be waiting for me though. It’s a comforting thought.”

  She shook her head. “It’s crazy. You talk about your grandfather’s ghost and the hereafter like it’s fact, and I’m listening to it like it’s true.”

  He smiled. “I believe what I believe. I know there’s something out here. I also know there are people who play very human games. Fraud is pretty common in this business.”

  Kiera squirmed. She kept so much from him. “But you think there’s a Bigfoot.”

  “Let’s say I’m willing to entertain the possibility.”

  “How do you maintain your belief when you’ve seen so much fraud?” She traced a design with her finger on the tent floor. It always came back to this topic. No matter what she did or what she said, it came back to that damn photograph. It haunted her as surely as Ben’s Grandfather haunted him.

  “Because of what I’ve seen that isn’t.” He leaned towards her and touched her hand. “You can’t lie to me, you know.”

  She froze.

  He continued. “You’ve seen something. You don’t want to believe anymore, but you saw something once. I can feel it.”

  Her heart pounded. She wanted to deny it. She wanted to get out of there. The air was thick and heavy.

  He leaned back and asked her, “So, how did Jeremy become Mr. Law and Order?”

  She sighed with relief. He was changing the subject; she could breathe again. She grinned. “That’s a very long story.”

  “Well, I think we have some time.” He lounged back, his long legs stretched in front of him.

  “He grew up on the Hoopa Reservation.” Kiera smiled at the memories. “We were wild kids. Spent a lot of time outdoors. Jeremy was more of a rebel than I was. Both his parents drank and the cops were out there a lot.” She tilted her head. “He hated cops when he was young. Then, somebody knifed his brother.” She stared at her coffee swirling around in her cup. “Tim lived, but Jeremy wanted revenge. The knife had punctured a lung, and Tim was damaged for life. Jeremy went on the rampage.” Her grip tightened. “He found the guy who knifed Timmy, but the Sheriff stopped Jeremy from killing him. That Sheriff saved his life. Jeremy would have gone to jail for murder.” She took a sip from her cup. “It changed him.” She remembered it so vividly. The careless, carefree Jeremy had disappeared and a more thoughtful, serious boy took his place. It had been Jeremy who helped his brother recover and his mother to go to rehab.

  “How old was he?”

  “Fourteen.”

  Ben stared at her in shock. “Fourteen? You’re kidding.”

  She shook her head. “No. Jeremy was big for his age, even then. He was kicking that guy’s ass when the Sheriff stopped him. The guy had stabbed him in the arm, too, but Jeremy still kicked his ass.” She shrugged. “That guy deserved it. He wasn’t from around here, and he tried to kill Tim. But the Sheriff was right. Jeremy already had a record. If he’d killed that guy, he’d have gone to prison.”

  “So, Jeremy became a cop?”

  She nodded. “He wanted to be a Deputy Sheriff. And he is.”

  “Why didn’t you guys get together?”

  Her head snapped up in surprise. “Me and Jeremy?” She snorted. “No way. That would be like dating Dodo.” She shuddered.

  Ben jerked his head toward Amanda. “She thinks you’d go for him.”

  “She’s in love with him.” Kiera glanced at Amanda’s sleeping face. “And I think he’s still in love with her.”

  “How do you know?” Ben asked her.

  She frowned. How could she explain it? “It’s the way he avoids her name, and the expression on his face when someone talks about her. I can’t describe it. It’s as if there’s something boiling underneath the surface. Do you know what I mean?”

  He stared at her with the oddest expression on his face. “I think I do.”

  “I think he still loves her and whatever broke them up was pretty serious.”

  “You know what it is.” Ben’s gaze pinned her.

  “It’s not my place to say anything.”

  “Fair enough,” Ben conceded.

  “I’d like to hear it.” A muffled voice sounded from Amanda’s sleeping bag. Her blue eyes were bleary, but open and she held Kiera’s surprised gaze with a steady one of her own. “Why did we break up?”

  Kiera shot a glance at Ben and back to Amanda. “Jeremy didn’t tell me much.”

  “What did he tell you?” She winced as she struggled to sit up.

  Her mouth was dry and she licked her lips. “That you stole police files and used his password to access them. That’s all he said. He didn’t tell me what the files were or anything.”

  Amanda’s eyes closed. “Well, that’s pretty much what happened.”

  Kiera stared at her and waited for more. But Amanda plopped back on the jacket wadded up beneath her head and gazed at the top of the tent. No anger, no defense, nothing. It was odd. She showed the same tight-lipped reticence Jeremy did when Amanda’s name came up. Kiera sighed. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Jeremy, but I do know one thing. He wouldn’t give someone who acts like you do the time of day.” Kiera’s jaw ached from clenching it. The woman had created havoc in her county with her Bigfoot chasing, messed with Kiera’s closest friend, and invaded her expedition. Yet, Kiera couldn’t shake the feeling Amanda was something other than she pretended to be. “So, which is the real Amanda? The woman who runs around printing some of the most q
uestionable stuff I’ve ever read. Or the woman who Jeremy Covey loved and, I think, still does?”

  Amanda rubbed her perfectly manicured hand across her forehead. Her voice trembled. “Jeremy never loved me.”

  “Why? Because he wouldn’t look the other way when you stole files? What files did you take anyway?” Kiera pressed and ignored Ben’s restraining hand. “What was so important that you risked Jeremy’s career and your relationship with him?”

  Fire flashed from Amanda’s glare. “The reports on Beth Lauder’s fraud.” Her lips clamped shut.

  Kiera frowned. “But, why? That was over and done with years ago. Why didn’t you just ask Jeremy if you could see them?”

  Amanda sat straight up with tears in her eyes. “Because she was my sister. Because your father hounded her until she hung herself in my parent’s garage. Because I wanted to prove she hadn’t faked anything.” Covering her face, she burst into tears.

  Stunned, Kiera sat and stared at the woman. Ben scooted over and sat beside Amanda and patted her back. With a restless hand, Kiera ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t understand. Beth is dead?”

  The hate Kiera saw in Amanda’s eyes made her shudder. Her tone matched it. “Yes. Dead. Murdered by your father. The great Doc McConnel.”

  “But you keep publishing stuff that keeps him great.” Kiera was bewildered. “If you think he caused Beth to commit suicide, why the hell would you keep printing that shit?”

  The woman glared at her, tears stained her cheeks. “Because he’s a fraud, just like all the rest. I print anything. You understand? Anything. All of it can be debunked, included your father’s photograph.”

  Kiera nodded slowly. “So you continue to print everything, knowing that most of it is crap. It tarnishes the whole search for Bigfoot.”

  “Yes.” Amanda hissed the word out.

  “I wish I’d thought of it.” Kiera unbent her body and unzipped the tent door.

  Amanda’s confusion was evident. “What?”

  “I said I wish I’d thought of it.” She glanced back over her shoulder. A lump the size of Texas lodged in her throat. She had to get out of there. “I liked Beth. She was a lot of fun. And my father destroyed her for no other reason than he could.” She ducked out of the tent.