by steve higgs
The window flew out, striking Big Ben and me as we were stood right in front of it. Bricks tumbled to the snow as the giant beast continued to smash its way out. The hole it had made wasn’t big enough for it to fit through. Not yet, but it was tearing at the bricks with its dinner-plate sized paws and would be free soon.
I backed away, herding Big Ben as I went. Hilary had already scrambled across the snow, Anthea with him as they hurried back to the Ski-Doos. Their efforts would be futile if the Yeti got out though. It would cross the snow far faster than a human and the Ski-Doos were two hundred yards away. Big Ben and I realised that at the same time and stopped our retreat. Better to face it together and hope we could evade it until Anthea and Hilary could grab the Ski-Doos and maybe rescue us.
‘I have to admit, I have never fought anything that big before,’ said Big Ben. ‘But, one swift kick in the nuts though ought to account for it just like anyone else.’
‘That’s assuming it has nuts.’
‘I tell you what,’ Big Ben said as the Yeti broke off another chunk of wall, ‘you hold it and I’ll hit it.’
I smiled despite the desperate situation. We were in trouble this time and I wasn’t sure we could both get out of it in one piece. Another piece of wall went, but this time when the creature roared, it also shook its head. It looked like it was confused about something.
The drugs were kicking in!
Big Ben nudged me. ‘Do we run?’
‘Yeah, I think maybe we do. It’s going to run out of steam soon, lets give it some distance to travel.’
Running in deep snow isn’t the easiest thing to do though. What we could achieve was a hurried shuffle. Hilary and Anthea were safe though. They were almost halfway back to the Ski-Doos, so if the Yeti didn’t pass out before it got to us, they could escape while it was chewing our faces off.
I didn’t look back when I heard more bricks falling onto the bricks already on the ground, but I did look back a few seconds later when I realised I couldn’t hear anything else.
The Yeti was down. It was laying on its front just beyond the fallen masonry and didn’t look like it was getting back up. It wasn’t unconscious yet; its eyes were open and it was moving its head about a bit. We had done it though, and the new hole in the side of the building had given me a great idea.
The Man That Caught a Yeti. Friday, December 2nd 1105hrs.
Now that the Yeti was incapacitated and we could get close enough to inspect it, I could see that it was a polar bear beneath the tusks and horns. The face had been altered to add brow ridges that changed the shape of the face and made it look more fearsome and the tusk and horns had been surgically added, grafted to its skull and jaw at some point. It made me angry that this creature had been subjected to such poor treatment so that people could make money.
Anthea and Hilary were continuing on to the Ski-Doos. Big Ben had shouted the message so they were going to get the machines and bring them to us. Now he and I were trying to work out which of us was brave enough to check the creature was unconscious and safe to touch. It was huge. So big in fact that I had to believe the one-thousand-pound estimate was on the low side. I had added in a fudge factor when I was calculating how much drug I would need to knock it out, but my math was shaky when it came to estimating how long it might be asleep.
We needed to move it, that much was certain and it had started to snow; thick, white flakes gently settling all around us like a promise.
‘Where are we going to take it?’ Big Ben asked.
‘To Harvarti.’
He eyed me quizzically. ‘You want to take the giant beast to the village?’
‘Yup.’ Then I explained my plan. Hilary and Anthea arrived riding a Ski-Doo each and I explained it again to them.
As usual, Anthea had some questions, but to be fair, my plan wasn’t without holes. ‘Will it be unconscious for that long?’
‘I really don’t know. If it wakes up, we can cut it loose though.’
Hilary said, ‘That sounds risky. If it gets loose, it could roam anywhere.’
I nodded. ‘The dose I gave it should be good for a couple of hours. Ben found some rope in the building so I say we get to it and get moving. Once people know what it is, they will be able to relax. The Yeti threat will be neutralised so they can reopen the mountain and we can find people to do something about this poor creature.’
Everyone nodded; however, it was with reluctance that we began to hogtie the polar bear. The climbers ropes Big Ben had found had to be part of a mountain rescue kit because they were brand new and there was plenty of them. Let me tell you though that lifting a polar bear’s leg to pass a rope beneath it is not an easy task. We used up fifteen minutes tying its legs and arms and muzzle but now, if it did wake up, I was fairly certain it would not be able to break free and bring havoc to the community. It felt cruel but it was still the most humane thing I could do.
With ropes from the bear tied to the back of the Ski-Doos, Anthea and I pulled away from the building towing the bear across the slope while Hilary was attached behind as an anchor in case the bear’s mass built up speed. Between us, we tentatively headed back to the resort.
It took a while to get there, but we were spotted before we reached the outskirts. Windows facing the mountain undoubtedly allowing anyone looking in our direction to see what we were towing. By the time we were halfway through the small resort, people were spilling from the buildings to see the spectacle and when the first person cheered, it started a ripple that spread through the crowd as it grew.
I turned in my seat to indicate to Hilary that we were stopping, then eased off the throttle to let the machine come to rest. The poor bear was still out cold, something I was thankful for, but I wanted a veterinarian to check it over as soon as one could get here.
I went to check the pulse in the bear’s neck, an act that drew a collective gasp from the crowd as they realised we hadn’t killed it. They still thought it was a Yeti and were keeping their distance. But despite the reluctance to get too close, the circle around us was closing as people at the back tried to get a look and forced the ones in front of them forward.
An insistent voice cut above the general din of noise as Francois the police chief forced his way through. ‘Move aside, I said. Make way.’
When he got to the leading edge of people and separated himself from them, I crossed the distance to him. ‘Francois, I need somewhere secure to put the bear and I need a veterinarian to look after him.’
‘Hold on, you said bear.’
‘Yes, it’s a long and complicated story and we need to get to the wake. Suffice to say that this is not a Yeti. It never was, but it is responsible for killing several people at the hands of its owner.’
‘Its owner?’
‘All in good time, Francois. Will you help me?’
‘Of course, I don’t know where we can put it though. It’s just so big.’
’Do you have a fenced area where we can keep people away from it? It will have to be transported down the mountain over land. It’s too unwieldy to get into the cable car and we are too high for a helicopter so we will have to get it far enough down for a heli-lift I guess.’
‘There’s a lock up for the Snow Cats at the back of the Imperial. We can take it there,’ he suggested.
‘Sooner rather than later I think, and you will need to put a guard on it. Is the cable car working yet?’ I looked across the side of the mountain where I could see the cable trailing away into the distance. It was too far away to see if it was moving but I thought it was.
‘They are still testing it but have reported no damage was found. It should be operational later today.’
Just then, Jagjit and Alice broke through the crowd. ‘Tempest,’ yelled Jagjit as he screeched to a halt. ‘We saw… oh, my God, is that the Yeti?’ he squealed as he noticed the enormous white lump behind me.
‘You were saying you saw something?’ I prompted.
‘Yeah, yeah. Oh, my God,’ he said a
s he lost his focus once again, ‘that is the scariest thing I have ever seen. Is it dead?’
‘No, the tranquiliser worked like a charm. I just don’t know how long it will be out for.’
Behind me, Francois was having to shout at several young men that had plucked up some courage and were trying to get selfies next to the Yeti’s head.
‘Mr Michaels,’ he called. ‘We need to move it to the compound. Right now.’
I looked around. He was right. I hadn’t thought this part of the plan through. Not at all. The Yeti was attracting way too much attention as tourists crept ever closer. Thankfully, the bear chose that moment to twitch. It didn’t even move much, but it was sufficient to scare those that were looking. Screams lit the air as the crowd tried to implode. Those nearest the beast were trying to run away, while those at the back were trying to push forward to find out what the excitement was all about.
‘Let’s move him, shall we?’ I said to Anthea and Hilary.
Francois forced a hole in the crowd as Anthea, Hilary and I mounted our Ski-Doos again. As we pulled away, Jagjit called out, ‘Hey, where’s Big Ben?’
The Funeral. Friday December 2nd 1300hrs
By my reckoning, we had arrived back in Harvarti right about when Hubert and his wife were skiing the slope by Marie’s favourite spot. The intended Yeti attack would never happen though and the bad guys, because I liked to think of them as bad guys, would now be all flustered trying to work out where the Yeti was. The snow would have done a good job of covering our tracks so they would have arrived at the building they had stashed it in to find a wall busted down and the beast gone.
They would learn that it had been captured the second they returned to the village, but they would remain calm and confident because they had gone way, way out of their way to cover their tracks, so to speak. They had sewn a trail of misdirection to ensure the blame for the deaths, all of them, would be left at someone else’s door. However, I was going to wreck their calm and spoil their day.
Even though it had only been three days, it felt like I had been in this snowy wonderland for weeks. The case had looked impossible two days ago when the man in a suit turned out to be nothing of the sort but once I found the first piece of the puzzle it was like picking at the edge of a piece of Sellotape: once I had prized the first edge up, it got easier and easier until I could grab hold with both hands and yank it free. I didn’t know everything yet, but with what Jagjit and Alice had seen while I was up the mountain, I believed I knew enough to close the case.
The wake was being held in the Constantine Hotel in a private function room closed off to guests. A private ceremony for friends and family had been conducted at 1300hrs at the bottom of the Augille du Rigardi. Hubert would ski the run with his wife and arrive at the service while other attendees were being driven there in Snow Cats. I imagined there would be one or two faces at the service that would be thoroughly shocked to see Hubert and his wife arrive unscathed.
Since I was confident the threat to my client had been nullified, I was waiting for the wake itself where I had a couple of special guests to present. With a small amount of time to kill, I had sent invitations to the special guests, with a mild threat enclosed should they choose to not attend. I had also enlisted Francois to escort them to the wake since they were not officially invited. He had been only too happy to help, his curiosity to hear what I had to say almost bubbling over into a demand because he was the police chief and had a right to know, dammit.
The dogs were pleased to see me when I got back to the room and were even more pleased to be allowed to run around outside. It was warm today, the sun trapped between the buildings of the resort reaching a comfortable sixty degrees. They scampered and played and chased each other since there were no birds to scare from their lawn or squirrels on the fence. I walked them around to the enclosure Francois had put the Yeti in, their little noses beginning to twitch long before they could see anything; they could smell something unfamiliar.
I wanted to make sure the bear was being left alone. I didn’t like that it was still tied up, but it wouldn’t break a sweat escaping the compound, so the bindings were necessary; it was just too dangerous. Thankfully, the poor bear was still unconscious when I got to it. Francois had deputised a couple of hotel staff, big men that looked capable to warding off potential idiots that might try to get close to it. There were people nearby, but all were keeping a respectful distance from the fence. Then I noticed that among the onlookers was Vermont. Stefan and Arthur were elsewhere, the tall American man without them for the first time that I had witnessed.
Bull barked at the sleeping bear. It was his warning bark, the one tinged with promised aggression should it not be heeded. He didn’t know that he was the size of a shoe and about as dangerous. Of course, his dopey brother joined in because they are a two-fer; one dog barks, the other will join in purely from a sense of brotherhood. It didn’t matter what was being barked at; the point was to bark.
I shushed them, but they had drawn Vermont’s attention and he was walking across to speak with me.
‘You are a surprisingly resourceful man, Mr Michaels.’ I inclined my head to acknowledge his compliment. He was staring wistfully through the fence at the bear. ‘I am not used to being wrong and somehow this is twice that I have misjudged the nature of the quarry when I have had dealings with you. I cannot decide if you are very lucky or if I am losing my touch.’ He smiled at himself. ‘A polar bear. I never would have guessed.’ Then he turned away, pausing for a second to make a parting comment over his shoulder, ‘Until next time, Tempest Michaels.’
I watched him go, glad that I had got to the creature first, though I had to wonder if Vermont would have got himself killed in his quest to take the bear’s head. It was unimportant now. I could see that the bear wasn’t being abused and for now, at least, there was nothing more I could do for it. As I started back toward the hotel, I called Big Ben.
‘Hey, bro,’ he answered.
‘Were you successful?’ I asked.
‘Damned skippy. I’m on my way back now.’
‘Top man. I’ll see you soon. You know where to find me.’
I disconnected and called Amanda, tapping my foot while I waited for her to answer, but it rang through to her voice mail. Disappointed, I slipped my phone back into a pocket. I would see her soon enough I hoped. They were doing their best to get the cable car working and had lots of reasons why they wanted it operational that far exceeded delivering Tempest’s girlfriend.
The dogs continued scampering back and forth searching for something to sniff that wasn’t snow. They didn’t find much but were enjoying the fresh air and freedom after a morning cooped up in my room. I walked them back to the hotel, got a nod from the lady on reception and a round of applause as people now inside the hotel recognised me from outside. I was the man that had caught the Yeti, even though it was no such thing.
I flipped a mental coin and went to the bar for a coffee. It was lunch time and my breakfast was a long way behind me now. Nervous energy was balling inside me and I probably needed a stiff drink rather than a shot of caffeine that would jack me up even more. When the barman appeared, I ordered the coffee anyway; I needed a clear head for what was to come so for the next thirty minutes, I ran through the facts in my head and ate a sandwich.
When I heard the funeral party returning, I sent a group message to Big Ben and Jagjit and Hilary. I had already asked too much of them in the last couple of days and would need to find a suitable way of rewarding them for their help. Were it not for them, had I come alone, I would most likely have been killed by the Yeti on the first morning.
I gathered my things and roused the dogs from their slumber beneath my table to lead them through to the private lounge set aside for the wake. A sign on the door advised all that a private function was taking place and that attendance was strictly by invitation. I ignored that, slipping inside and finding a large high-backed chair that I placed in the centre of a circle of
chairs I formed. It was time to play the part of the ring master.
‘What are you doing here, Mr Michaels?’ asked Mrs Caron as she came into the room on her husband’s arm. ‘This room is reserved for my daughter’s wake.’
‘Is everything alright?’ Hubert asked, possibly picking up on the nervous energy I felt.
Others filed into the room behind him, Francois in his uniform, the hotel manager Michel Masson, Priscille Peran being escorted by Gils Chevalier and half a dozen other guests that must be close to the family.
‘Please, come in. Take a seat. I’m afraid the time has come to explain what has been happening here.’
Hubert stared at me. ‘Mr Michaels, I don’t think this is the time. Please leave us to grieve now and I will see you in my office later today.’
‘I’m afraid not, Hubert. What I have to say cannot wait. Nor would you want it to.’ The stream of people entering the room had stopped and they were all milling around now confused by the unexpected turn of events. I indicated to the chairs. ‘Please, this will not take long.’
When no one moved, I added, ‘This is to do with what happened to Marie, Hubert. The deaths this week were not accidents, they were murders.’
On using the M word, several heads shot up. Mrs Caron’s hand flew to her face in shock. ‘What are you saying? Someone murdered my daughter.’
I didn’t answer the question but indicated to the chairs again. In stunned silence, Hubert led his wife into the circle and took a seat. She sat next to him as others too claimed chairs. Francois remained at the back of the room, looking immoveable, his handgun visible and exposed on his right hip. With forced calm, I scanned around the faces now looking intently at me then glanced to the back of the room where I could see Jagjit and Hilary lurking.