Legend Hunter

by Jennifer Mckenzie

  Lena nodded. “According to Gavin, Beth told him she was going to kill herself.” She sighed. “It killed the investigation.”

  “What else did he say?” Ben asked her.

  His sister waved her fork at him. “We have a date for next Saturday.”

  Ben rolled his eyes and Kiera. “Is he going to fax the information?”

  Lena nodded. “I asked Sam to send a copy of the file to the Sheriff’s office here.”

  “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you,” Kiera told her.

  Lena’s smile was warm and friendly. “I told you. It’s a gift. Besides, you’re practically family.”

  Family. Ben’s family. She was part of Ben’s family now. She sighed, happy and contented for the first time in years.

  After breakfast, Kiera called Jeremy’s cell phone. “You’ve got a fax coming in.”

  “I got it already.” Jeremy sounded rushed, distracted.

  Kiera asked, “What’s new?”

  In the background, she heard frantic voices and phones ringing. “Shirley McBride has reported Gavin missing. She’s gone completely off the deep end.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She came to Laughtery’s with a shotgun and went crazy,” he told her. “After I got home last night, I had to go back out and help contain her. I had to lock her up.”

  “And Gavin?”

  “He’s nowhere to be found.” He sighed. “And Amanda won’t go back to the clinic.”

  “Is she at your house?”

  “No. I made her come with me.” His exasperated tone almost made Kiera snicker. “Someone out there has slipped a cog, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  “She went willingly, of course.” Kiera was poking a wounded Grizzly bear and she knew it.

  “No, she did not,” he exploded. “She’s been on my case all day. Plus, she’s a reporter so she’s been quizzing the other deputies. I’m going to strangle her.”

  Kiera bit her lip. He might think about it, but she was pretty sure Jeremy wasn’t going to strangle her. He might spank her, though.

  “I’m sure you’re amused,” Jeremy snapped.

  “Now, Jeremy—“

  “Don’t you ‘now Jeremy’ me. You women are all crazy, you know that?”

  “Back to business, Sheriff.” She muffled a giggle.

  “What do you want?” He grumbled.

  “What about the results for Bobby? Is there anything there?”

  “Nothing. The footprints we found there were like the ones John McBride made when he dragged you up Little Trinity. The general consensus is that John killed Bobby.”

  “But you don’t think so.”

  “No, I don’t. For one thing, John was scrawny and short. To hang the body up in that tree, someone needed a pulley or a lot of help. Even with a rope anchored over the trunk of the tree, John wouldn’t have been able to haul Bobby’s body up like that and secure it.”

  “Do you think whoever murdered Bobby killed Beth and John?”

  “I don’t know. Stay out of this, Kiera. I shouldn’t have told you anything. Let me handle it from here.” Jeremy’s tone was the one he used when he dealt with wayward criminals.

  “I can’t, Jeremy. You know that.”

  He sighed. “I know it. I take it Ben is going to poke around, too?”

  “That’s the plan,” she said cheerfully.

  Jeremy said a long string of curse words. “See if you can find Gavin. I’ve got men on it, but we’re stretched pretty thin. We also had to break up a drunken riot that Shirley started with talk that Bigfoot killed her husband.”

  “I don’t know where to start looking.” Kiera bit her thumbnail. With Gavin missing and the population all up in arms against a mythical monster, things might get complicated.

  A murmur in the background distracted Jeremy for a moment. “Amanda says check with the guys at Laugherty’s. They might know.”

  More noise over the phone almost drowned out Jeremy’s next words. “I have to go. We’ve got a lot of people upset here.” And he was gone.

  Kiera passed onto Ben what the Sheriff had said. “Why don’t we go to Laugherty’s and have dinner tonight? Maybe things will calm down by then.”

  Ben frowned. “With everything that’s happened, I don’t know that it will ever calm down.”

  “We’ve got company.” Reb stood by the window and nodded her head to the road outside. Two T.V. vans barreled up the gravel driveway and several people with cameras clambered out of them.

  “What the hell is going on?” Kiera asked.

  “You’re Doc McConnel’s daughter. They’re bound to come and ask you questions with a sensational murder and a missing person,” Ben pointed out.

  She sighed. “I guess it would be a bad idea to shoot a warning shot?”

  He smirked. “I think so.” His forehead wrinkled in thought. “I have an idea. Let’s see if we can’t shake things up a little bit.”

  “I’m going to get dressed first.”

  “Good idea.” He grinned at her. “We’re going to give our killer something to worry about.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Lena frowned.

  “I do, too.” Ben gazed out the window at the news vans.

  *

  It was a plan that could backfire. Ben knew his relationship with Kiera was on the line. Part of him knew Gavin thought he’d gotten away with murder. The only way to get Gavin to come out of hiding was if Ben debunked the Bigfoot myth. The McConnel photograph had been gone over with every manner of equipment. Proof of its authenticity and its perfidy had been bandied back and forth for years. None of the scientists or experts involved had the one thing that would prove it all; the original negative or the picture used to fake it.

  One of Beth Lauder’s photographs had been used by Doc McConnel to fake the Bigfoot picture. That would be definitive proof, along with Beth’s letters, that Kiera’s father had created the controversy. Though he knew Kiera hated the lie her father perpetuated all his life, he was well aware she’d protected him since she’d been a child. Would she be willing to accept the consequences of Ben Harmon calling Bigfoot a fake?

  And what about the Stone graves? Their plan of investigating that area together would have to be shelved maybe forever. How else was he going to get Gavin to come out of hiding?

  Gavin wanted a legitimized Bigfoot. Land was the biggest commodity in Humboldt County, and Gavin owned a lot of it. With his political connections and the Bigfoot hoopla, he would have been certain to make a lot of money. By saying Bigfoot was a fake, Ben would set Gavin’s plan back quite a bit.

  They had no proof that Gavin killed anyone. The evidence of Bobby’s death only pointed to John McBride. Beth’s murder was shrouded in years of confusion. John’s death seemed to point to Bigfoot. But those letters indicated Gavin McBride. They were the only evidence that indicated Gavin and written by a man who perpetuated an elaborate hoax.

  Ben had to become Gavin’s target. It was dangerous. And it would require careful handling. If only he could be sure that Kiera would understand the necessity.

  They were running out of time.

  Kiera came out of the bedroom in black jeans and a pretty, flowing shirt. She’d put make up on and she smiled at him. His whole world narrowed to only her. He crossed the room and kissed her.

  After a moment of quiet between them, he took the risk. “Kiera, I need Beth’s letters. And the original picture.”

  She blinked, her green eyes swirling with hurt. “You’re going to debunk my father’s legacy.”

  He dove in. “Yes.” He tightened his hold on her. “I don’t want to. I’d rather leave his place in history intact, but Gavin will get away with murder if I do.”

  Her head bumped his chin as she nodded. “I knew that.”

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered.

  “Don’t be. I kept his secret for a long time. Once you tell everyone Bigfoot is a fake, Gavin will go berserk.”

  �
��That’s the idea.”

  She leaned back. “You’re going to set yourself up as a target.”

  By this time, Lena and Reb, who had been in the kitchen bickering, entered the room. “What was that?” Lena demanded to know.

  Kiera’s eyes narrowed on his face. “He’s going to put himself in the line of fire.”

  “I have to,” Ben argued. “I have to be the one to say Bigfoot is a fake.”

  “I know that. I just think I should also step up and say it.”

  “No! There’s no reason for both of us to be at risk. It’s my responsibility.”

  “It’s my father’s photograph.” She tried to back away from him, but he held her tighter.

  “It’s my idea.”

  “You can’t do it.” Her gaze pierced his.

  A knock on the door interrupted them. “We’re out of time. You guys stay here. I’ll deal with the media.” He opened the door and took a deep breath. Two reporters stuck a microphone in his face. One of them was from a television station in the Bay Area. The story was out.

  “Mr. Harmon, is it true that Bigfoot is killing people in this community?” The tall, dark man with the perfectly coiffed hair demanded.

  “Mr. Harmon, are you going to confirm that Bigfoot exists?” A heavily made up Jane Pauley wannabe asked.

  He held up a hand. “I’ll answer one question at a time.” This wasn’t going to be easy. He had snagged the last letter written by Beth Lauder and opened it as he answered the first questions. “No, I don’t believe it’s true that Bigfoot is killing anyone. And no, I’m here to state the evidence I’ve looked at shows Bigfoot is an elaborate hoax.”

  That shut them up for a few seconds as they struggled to regroup. The woman recovered first. “Then can you tell us how John McBride was killed?”

  “That’s a job for the authorities. I can tell you that much of the evidence used to prove Bigfoot’s existence is a fraud. We did find and document tracks that we know were fabricated by John McBride. We do know John McBride kidnapped Kiera McConnel in an effort to keep the Bigfoot circus going.” He glanced up from the letters and smiled his most charming grin. “All of the activities you’ve heard about can be explained by human influence, not a paranormal element or evolutionary throwback.”

  Questions were shot at him in vast confusion. “But Robert Angelos was murdered and hung by a hook. And John McBride was killed as well. Who killed them?”

  “What about the vocalizations?”

  “Will you debunk the photograph?”

  He opened his mouth to answer a question when Kiera’s voice came from behind him. “The photograph is a fake.”

  A collective gasp rippled through the small crowd. “Experts have stated it isn’t,” one reporter chimed in.

  “The experts didn’t have this.” She held up negatives. “My father also has letters that prove he used this photo to create the famous picture. Gavin McBride discovered this and blackmailed my father.”

  More questions shot out. “So is Gavin McBride involved in the murders?”

  Kiera stared at them. “He knew about the picture. He kidnapped Amanda Amber.” The reporters wrote busily. “And he was John McBride’s older brother.”

  “Can you back that statement with evidence?” The woman reporter asked.

  “We have these letters and the negatives.” Before Ben could stop her, Kiera stepped in front of him in full view of the cameras. “Also, I’m a witness. I saw Gavin McBride kill his brother John.”

  “Do the authorities know this?” The male reporter stuck a microphone so close to Kiera he saw her eyes cross.

  “They do now.”

  Ben froze. Instead of being the target himself, now Kiera would be Gavin’s priority. Ben’s blood began to boil. She couldn’t have seen Gavin kill John. Yet, she stated it to five reporters, two of them with massive cameras behind them recording the whole thing. His hands flexed and clenched. He wanted to strangle her. Instead, he had to keep his cool, smile for the reporters and hide his churning emotions.

  A half an hour later, the last of the reporters left them and as the dust from the van began to dissipate, he gripped her arm and yanked her around to face him. “What the hell were you thinking? Gavin will come after you now. That was not the plan.”

  She glared at him. “That wasn’t your plan. My plan makes more sense. Whoever killed John knows we were there. If Gavin did it, he’ll come after me.”

  “Bullshit. The fact that you have the negatives and the letters are enough to make him come after you.” He wanted to shake her but he was afraid he’d do it so hard, her head would fall off. “He knows you, your family, your habits. You’ve lived here all your life. It would have been better if he had to come after me.”

  “I know him, too.” She struggled to get free of his bruising hands. “He’s going to play it cagey. You should trust me.”

  A copper taste filled his mouth. Fear. He was afraid. For the first time in his life, he was scared shitless. He’d faced ghosts, demons, odd occurrences of so many kinds and not been this afraid. He might lose her. She might die. The long stretch of loneliness would begin again.

  This time, he did shake her. “It’s not about trust, damn it. I love you. Don’t you know what that means?” He was shouting. He didn’t shout at people. He was losing his mind.

  “I don’t really.” Her green eyes were wide and vulnerable. “No one’s ever loved me before.”

  Like the wind in the trees, his anger rustled and blew away. “It means I’m terrified of losing you. It means I need you so much, I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He brushed her lips with his. “It means I’m going to throttle you when you put yourself at risk.”

  She grinned at him.

  Grinned.

  He growled at her.

  “Sounds good to me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with enthusiasm.

  “You’re crazy.” He muttered as he broke the kiss to touch his lips to the tip of her nose.

  “I’ve heard that before.” She threaded a hand through his hair. “You love me anyway.”

  “Yes, I do. Damn it.” He banded his arms around her.

  She laughed. “Don’t sound so happy about it.”

  “Something tells me this is only the beginning of the torture you’ll put me through.” He groaned when she bit his ear gently.

  “Oh, but you’ll enjoy it.” She whispered in his ear and Ben’s blood rushed from his head to his cock.

  “Knock it off. I can’t keep my hands off you as it is and my sisters are in there.”

  “I can wait. But not long.”

  He growled at her again and she ducked out of his arms and into the cabin. He closed his eyes and tried to cool off before he followed her inside.

  Chapter Twenty

  It was done. Kiera announced what they’d done to Ben’s sisters. Reb seemed to understand and put an arm around her. “I’m sorry you had to do that, Kiera. I mean, I know it must have been tough to reveal that about your father.”

  “I always wanted to,” she told them. “But there was Beth to consider and my mother so I kept quiet.” It was a relief. A weight lifted from her chest she hadn’t even known was there. The secret that tormented her for years was out. No more hiding. No more secrets. Everyone would know what happened.

  Ben’s arm was around her, too. “You were so strong. But now, we have work to do.” He glanced at his older sister. “Lena? Will you take Kiera to Sacramento? I have a house there,” he explained to Kiera. “I’m hardly ever there, so it’s clean.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kiera stared at him.

  “I’m talking about you going somewhere safe.”

  She stepped out of his comforting embrace. “I’m not going anywhere.” She put her hands on her hips. “Not until Gavin is put behind bars.”

  Ben’s blue eyes snapped. “He will try and kill you.”

  “I know that.”

  “Damn it, Kiera.” He raked a hand thro
ugh his hair.

  “You say that a lot.” She glanced at Lena and Reb. Both were staring at their brother.

  Lena shook her head. “I never thought it was possible.” Her dark eyebrows rose. “He’s madly in love with you.”

  Ben glared at his sister. “Where have you been? That’s old news.”

  “Yes, but—” Lena stopped and bit her lip.

  “What?” Kiera pressed.

  “I always wondered what it would take to get him to lose that Mr. Cool façade he always wears. Who knew it would be a woman and a shotgun.”

  “Shotguns turn me on,” he quipped.

  “Apparently.” His sister smirked.

  “Shut up,” he said, but his lips twitched and the words had no heat.

  “Reb and I are going home. Our work here is done. You try and keep my future sister-in-law from getting killed.” Lena strode toward the door and gripped her sister’s arm on the way out.

  “Wait a minute. I’m tired. We just got here.” Reb pouted.

  Lena stopped and faced her sister. “Are you some kind of pervert?”

  “What?”

  “I’m not sticking around to watch my brother screw his future bride.” Lena hooked her arm through Reb’s and dragged her out the door.

  “Ewwww, that’s gross,” was the last thing Kiera heard before the door shut.

  As they drove away, Kiera didn’t move. It didn’t matter that she was damaged to Ben or to his family. It didn’t matter to Ben that she was crazy.

  And it didn’t matter to her that he chased ghosts for a living.

  All that mattered was they were together.

  “Kiera.” His voice saying her name made her shiver.

  Her gaze met his and fire sprang between them. But suddenly, she felt shy. Unsure. It was all so new, these declarations of love and forever. She didn’t know what to do.

  She didn’t have to worry. He crossed the room and took possession of her lips. This was no gentle brush or tentative touch. He overwhelmed her. His hands cupped her face and she melted against him. Heat spread along her nerves and jumped all over her skin. She thought she’d caught on fire.

  Somehow, he’d backed her into the bedroom. Bemused, she came up for air to notice it. She didn’t even care how he did it, just as long as he got his clothes off and took care of business.