Hominid

by R. D. Brady

  “Good night,” he said.

  “Night.”

  Dev headed down the stairs and Tess turned to unlock the door.

  “Tess?”

  She turned as Dev walked back up the steps. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Tess felt like she was melting. Her heart raced, her arms wound their way around his waist, and she wanted the kiss to go on forever.

  Dev pulled back and leaned his forehead into hers. “I’ve wanted to do that for years.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad you finally did.”

  “Have dinner with me next weekend?”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed her again, this time briefly. “I have to go.” He gave her one last look and hurried down the steps.

  Tess watched him go, her heart hammering. As he pulled out of the drive, he blinked his lights at her. She waved and let herself in.

  Shelby tottered over to her. Tess slumped down to sit next to her on the floor. She traced her hand over her lips, feeling Dev’s lips there. Her stomach did backflips. Oh, boy.

  CHAPTER 15

  Tess spent the rest of the weekend getting herself set up for the week ahead. She and Abby spoke on the phone half a dozen times, ironing out the details of the contract. Tess let herself daydream about what equipment she would purchase if the grant went through. At the top of her wish list was an infrared monitor. She also made sure her files were up to date and prepared a preliminary report on her methods and findings thus far to forward to Hayes.

  And throughout it all, she tried to ignore any thoughts of Dev. But on Sunday she made the mistake of telling Sasha about their kiss—and Sasha immediately drove over with takeout in order to get the play by play.

  Now the two of them were curled up on Tess’s couch, with Shelby sleeping over by the fireplace.

  “It was good, wasn’t it?” Sasha asked. “Because that man looks like a good kisser. I mean, I can see him as one of those focused types who’s completely invested in the person he’s with.”

  Tess could feel the blush on her cheeks. “It was good.”

  Sasha looked at her expectantly. “And?”

  “And what? What do you want me to say?”

  “He put his hands where? You put your hands where?”

  “He put his hands on my face.”

  Sasha clutched a pillow to her chest. “I love when guys do that.” She sighed. “Where were your hands?”

  “Um, around his waist?”

  Sasha leaned back on the couch with a big grin on her face. “Aren’t you glad you took my advice?”

  Tess nodded. “Yes. You are officially the bestest friend ever.”

  “Yes, I am. And as a reward, I expect to be maid of honor and for my dress not to be hideous.”

  “Hey, we haven’t even gone on an official date. Maybe we can hold off on picking out the china pattern.”

  “Nope. I have a feeling about you two. And as you know, my feelings are never wrong.”

  Sasha’s feelings had been wrong a time or two, but Tess didn’t say anything.

  Shelby picked up her head and gave a wag. Tess looked toward the door. “That must be Abby. She’s bringing over the finalized contract.”

  “So it’s a go?”

  Tess nodded with smile. Abby had managed to make sure she had the rights to all her findings, although Hayes would be prominently mentioned. And he would be allowed to announce any major discoveries first. Abby had also managed to work in an escape clause if Tess needed one. Although Tess couldn’t imagine any reason why she’d want out of the grant. “Yep, it’s a go.”

  She opened the door as Abby got out of her car and waved. And Tess felt happier than she had in a long while. She had two incredible best friends, her research was funded for the next two years, and she was on the edge of romance. She grinned. I love my life.

  From the blog Bigfoot Among Us by Dr. Tess Brannick

  This week’s question comes from Joanne Butler in Northport, New York. Joanne asks:

  Is the Yeti the same as bigfoot?

  Most people would argue that they are the same. In fact, across the globe, bigfoot-like creatures enjoy a number of names. There is the menk in Russia, the yowie in Australia, the yeren in China, the almas in Mongolia, and the list goes on.

  However, there are some differences. For example, the almas is largely believed to be an early human ancestor, while the yeren is believed to be more similar to an ancient ape, such as Gigantopithecus.

  And anatomical differences have been observed. For instance, the footprints found in the Pacific Northwest of the United States indicate an animal with a very human-like foot, but the Yeti prints found in Nepal indicate a divergent big toe, giving those feet a more apelike appearance. This has led some to suggest that there is not one single bigfoot around the world, but many.

  CHAPTER 16

  Six Months Later

  Tess and Shelby jogged down the dirt road and around the bend. Up ahead, Tess’s cabin came into view. “There we go, girl.”

  Shelby wagged her tail and trotted ahead of Tess, heading for her water bowl on the porch. Every evening, Tess took Shelby for a long jog to make up for the fact that the dog had to be cooped up in the cabin all day. For the last few months, Dev had been accompanying them, but today he had taken on an extra shift, filling in for a sick deputy.

  Tess grew warm thinking about how close they’d gotten these last six months. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. And neither of them could understand why they had waited so long.

  Tess headed to the barn to double-check her supplies for the morning. She’d just pulled open the barn door when her cell phone rang.

  Tess glanced at the screen before answering with a smile. “Hey, Eric. How are you?”

  Eric Winfree was a park ranger with Rogue River National Forest. Rogue River Park was just over the border in Oregon, north of Tess’s cabin, and connected to Siskiyou National Park. Together the two parks covered over a million acres. And both parks had well-documented bigfoot sightings.

  Eric had also been a good friend of Tess’s father. For years after her father’s death, she’d had the hardest time not imagining the incident in the woods whenever she spoke with Eric. It was Eric who had helped get Pax and her back out into the woods after they had lost their dad. And now, the sound of his deep baritone voice only brought warm thoughts.

  “I’m good, sweetheart. How you doing?”

  “Pretty good. Just getting everything ready so I can get out early in the morning.”

  Eric knew the ins and outs of all Tess’s research, and he fully supported her. In fact, he kept a file in his office of all the reported sightings and forwarded them to her. And a few years back, he’d informed her that most state parks had one person in each department that unofficially did the same. The official company line might be that bigfoot didn’t exist, but unofficially, park rangers knew better than most what was out in their woods. Tess had contacts in more than a dozen other state parks as a result.

  “Find anything lately?” Eric asked.

  “Not this last week. But I’m going to pull the memory cards tomorrow. Maybe there’s something on them. How’s Jeanne?”

  “She’s great. Wants you to come visit soon.”

  “I know, I will.”

  “We understand you’re busy. Which, actually, is why I’m calling. We’ve had an incident.”

  Tess stopped what she was doing and took a seat on the ATV. “Where’d it happen?”

  “Up by Handerson’s Hill.”

  Tess was familiar with the area. “Any prints?”

  “Yup. And I already photographed them for you and cast them as well.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “And the couple who reported it, Bernie and Leanne Hudson, they’re still in town. They’re leaving tomorrow, but I told them about you, and the husband at least wanted to speak with you. I got them to agree to meet for breakfast. So if you hightail it, I can introduce you.”

  Tess�
�s mind was already racing, trying to rearrange her plans for the morning. “I’ll be there.”

  From the blog Bigfoot Among Us by Dr. Tess Brannick

  This week's question comes from Candace Wallace in Alberta, Canada:

  How can bigfoot be a Gigantopithecus?

  I thought they only lived in Asia.

  That is in fact the most common argument against bigfoot being Gigantopithecus—Gigantopithecus was believed to have lived only in Asia.

  Or at least, most scientists believe that. Some speculate that perhaps the great ape, like early humans, crossed to North America across the Bering land bridge. The land bridge between Asia and North America existed around one hundred and fifty thousand years ago—during the time of Gigantopithecus. When it existed, it would have been able to support a large primate. Fossil records indicated it contained a large coniferous forest and numerous deciduous broadleaf plants.

  The idea isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Fossils of other animals formerly believed to have lived only in Asia have been found in North America. Take for example the red panda. From 2002 through 2010, parts of two red panda skeletons were found in Tennessee’s Gray Fossil Site. Apart from one found in Washington, they were the only red panda fossils to be found in all of North America. The problem was, the red panda was not supposed to live in North America. It was believed to have been limited strictly to Asia.

  So how, then, did these bones end up in the US? Perhaps the red panda also crossed the bridge. But the very existence of the red panda bones in North America opens the door to the possibility that other animals also crossed the land bridge. And Gigantopithecus could have easily been one of them.

  CHAPTER 17

  Tess and Shelby pulled into the gravel parking lot of the diner just before six thirty the following morning. There were only a handful of cars there. Tess recognized Eric’s old Ford Escape. After letting Shelby out to do her business, she locked her back in the truck, the windows rolled down, and a bone on the back seat.

  Tess pushed through the diner door and immediately saw Eric. He stood up with a big grin. Standing at six feet tall with dark skin, a bald head, and the beginnings of a paunch, he was noticeable. Add in his personality—which seemed to bound out a few feet in front of him—and he was impossible to miss.

  Eric wrapped her in a hug. “You’re looking good, girl.”

  “You too,” she said into his shoulder.

  He pulled back, looking her over. “Seems to me that man of yours is treating you right.” He frowned. “He is, isn’t he? Because I’d be happy to have a little talk with him…”

  Tess laughed. “Yes. He’s great. And yes, he’s treating me right.”

  “Good. Now, when are you two coming over for dinner?”

  “I’ll see what we can arrange.”

  “I’m holding you to that. Now come on back. Bernie Hudson’s already here.”

  Tess followed Eric through the aluminum-topped tables. He stopped in front of a booth on the back wall. A mustached man in his early fifties, with dark brown hair beginning to gray, looked up at Tess with blue eyes rimmed in red, heavy bags underneath them. Bernie Hudson was a man sorely in need of a good night’s sleep.

  “Bernie, this here is Dr. Tess Brannick.”

  Bernie inclined his head. “Doc.”

  Tess slid into the booth. “Call me Tess.”

  “All right.” Bernie stared down at his mug.

  Tess could read the fear coming off him, and the embarrassment. Bernie was not a man used to being scared. Tess decided to ease into the conversation. “So, Bernie, what do you do for a living?”

  Bernie looked up. “I own a roofing company. But my wife and I are avid campers. We spend every spare moment in the woods.” He paused, his voice a little softer. “At least, we used to.”

  Tess waited, giving Bernie a chance to compose himself. “Bernie, has Eric told you what I research?”

  “He said you research bigfoot.”

  “Yes,” Tess said. “And I’m not the only one. It’s a serious discipline. Since 1912, there have been over three thousand bigfoot sightings in the US alone—and of course, that’s only the ones reported. A lot of the reports are never written down, or people don’t even think to report it.”

  “Maybe because they’re worried they’ll sound crazy,” Bernie said.

  From his tone, Tess knew that was Bernie’s worry as well. “Perhaps that is a concern. But bigfoot, or something similar to bigfoot, has been seen all over the globe. So whatever you and your wife saw and experienced, you weren’t the only ones. And you won’t be the last. But if you could take me through it, maybe we can help you understand a little better what happened.”

  Bernie continued to stare at his mug. Tess waited, knowing this wasn’t an easy story for him to tell.

  Finally Bernie looked up. “Like I said, my wife and I like to camp. Every year we get in the RV and take off for a month, hitting different campsites. Usually we’ll park the bus and then hike in somewhere and set up for a few days before moving on to the next place. We’ve been doing it for fifteen years, and we’ve never had a problem before.”

  Bernie’s hands began to shake. “They killed my dog.”

  Tess looked at Eric.

  Eric spoke quietly. “We found the remains of the dog up the trail from the Hudsons’ camp.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tess said. She chose her next words carefully. “Was it like other cases we’ve seen?”

  Eric nodded. “Yes.”

  Tess closed her eyes. Violence with bigfoot was really rare. They never went after humans. But for some reason they really did not like dogs.

  “Why don’t you start with when you first realized there was something out there?” Tess said quietly.

  Bernie took a breath. “We hiked for about three hours—me, my wife Leanne, and our two dogs, Daffy and Tweety.”

  Tess smiled at the names.

  Bernie noticed. “Don’t let the names fool you. They’re Shepherd mixes, over a hundred pounds easy, and tough.” He again looked down at his mug. “Anyways, we set up camp, and the first night was fine, nothing out of the ordinary. But the second night, the dogs started acting weird. They got real nervous, and Daffy started growling low in his throat. I pulled them into the tent with us and grabbed my shotgun. They wouldn’t settle down, though—kept growling for about two hours. Then we heard rocks hitting the campsite. A few hit the tent. And I could hear cracking—like wood being split apart.”

  “How long did that go on?” Tess asked.

  The tremble in Bernie’s hands increased. “Until right before dawn. And then it all seemed to quiet down. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

  He paused, his voice shaky. “After it quieted down, I decided to go out and see. Leanne told me not to go. She said we should just pack up and go. I wish I’d listened. I brought Daffy with me and a shotgun. Leanne had her rifle and Tweety. When I opened the tent I saw these rocks littering the campsite. Big rocks. I have no idea how someone could throw those. Some were easily forty pounds.”

  He took a trembling breath. “I didn’t have to walk long to see what had made the cracking sound. Tree limbs had been yanked off trees and thrown into the woods. And they were easily six or eight inches thick. No human can do that without some sort of tool. And that’s not what happened. Something ripped these things off.

  “I had just decided I’d seen enough, and then the hair on the back of Daffy’s neck stood straight up and she took off like a shot. I yelled for her to come back, but she didn’t. Next thing I heard was her yelp… and then silence. I yelled for her again, but she didn’t come back.”

  Tears crested in his eyes. He swiped them away. “Then I had this feeling like I was being watched. And then there was this sound—I don’t even know how to describe it, and I know what animals sound like. But this was nothing I had heard before. It was a growl, a whistle, and a yell all rolled into one. I couldn’t move. And I don’t mean I was scared stiff—although I’m not as
hamed to say I was terrified. I mean, I couldn’t move. I have never in my life experienced anything like that.”

  He took a shuddering breath. “And then, just like that, it was gone. The feeling was gone, and I knew whatever had been there had left. I went and looked for Daffy. I found her only another twenty or thirty yards up the trail. She’d… been ripped apart.” There was a hitch in his voice. “She didn’t deserve that.”

  Eric cleared his throat. “I went to the site. I saw where the Hudsons camped and where Daffy’s body was. I found two sets of footprints. One set was about ten inches long and about six inches wide. The other was seventeen inches long and about eight inches wide.”

  “Toes squared off? No arch? Even depth in the ground?” Tess asked.

  “Yup. About two to three inches deep. Got the casts in my car,” Eric said.

  Tess turned back to Bernie. “Either at night or when you were on the trail, did you smell anything?”

  He nodded. “Night before, there was this God-awful stink, like a mix of rotting meat, decay, and old diapers.”

  “What about on the trail?”

  His tone was defiant. “No. But something was there.”

  Tess met his gaze. “I believe you.”

  Some of the defensiveness slipped out of Bernie’s voice. “I don’t know if you can give me any answers, but I just want someone to know what happened. The cops looked at me like I was crazy.”

  Tess knew that was probably true. Law enforcement didn’t always take such reports seriously. And even if they did, what were they going to do? Put out an APB on bigfoot? The people who experienced a bigfoot encounter were often left feeling like they were on their own.