Chapter Ten

The trek down the eastern slope of the Little Trinity was steep, but they made it down with minimal slipping and sliding. Ben noticed Amanda was silent. She said nothing for the first two miles they hiked down, even when Ben almost lost his footing and her stretcher got jostled.

He glanced at her face. She was pale and withdrawn. Nothing like the woman who had begun the journey days ago. They stopped after two miles for a rest and Ben placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you in pain?”

An expression of dark agony crossed Amanda’s features, but was wiped away immediately. The pain wasn’t from her leg, that was for sure. Her voice revealed nothing, however. “No. I’m fine.” Yeah, right.

Ben glanced up and found Jeremy’s hostile gaze on him. He turned abruptly and picked up the stretcher. Ben frowned. Why didn’t the man say something to Amanda? Ben wasn’t stupid. He knew the Deputy Sheriff was anxious, worried for Amanda. But he wouldn’t talk to her and let her know he was worried.

He shook his head and picked up the stretcher. Kiera’s happy tones reached his ears and warmed him. She was thrilled to be out of those hills and away from Bobby’s dead body. He couldn’t blame her there.

What happened when they reached the bottom of the mountain? Would she walk away from him?

That was a crappy possibility and his stomached tightened. No way. She wasn’t going to walk away. He wouldn’t let her.

“What’s wrong?” Amanda’s voice broke into his dark thoughts.

“Nothing.” He bit out the word.

“Bull.” She spoke low. “You growled.”

“I did?” He was surprised, and her amused expression made him grind his teeth.

“You did. Thinking about Kiera?” she said innocently with a bright smile.

“Don’t start.” He glared at her. “Or I’ll start in with some observations of my own.” He raised his glance to Jeremy and back to her with a significant pause.

Her gaze dropped. “Okay. You win.”

He sighed. “I just want a shower.”

“Me, too.”

“We’re almost there.” Jeremy broke in.

Amanda didn’t respond and Ben wondered at the both of them. Idiots. But then, he wasn’t much better.

They reached the base of the mountain as late afternoon heated the air around them. Jeremy’s SUV was parked right at the trail’s edge and he set Amanda down and opened the back. He produced a first aide kit and began to go to work on Amanda’s leg. Funny how gently his fingers moved over her injury compared to the tension in the rest of him. As angry as Jeremy might be, he treated Amanda like he might break her.

He removed the ace bandage and splint Ben and Kiera had fashioned and pressed hesitant fingers into her swollen skin. Even Ben was shocked to see how purple and swollen her calf was. Jeremy glared at Amanda, their first eye contact since the Deputy Sheriff showed up on the trail.

“How did this happen? Dodo told me you fell.”

Amanda glared at the Sheriff. “I did. The trail above me collapsed on top of me.”

Jeremy whirled around and snapped at Kiera. “What were you thinking? You led this group on that trail when a storm that big was on its way?”

Kiera’s eyebrows rose. “First of all, Amanda wasn’t supposed to go on this little trip. Second of all, that storm was supposed to hit the shore eighty miles north.”

“You know those storms shift.” Jeremy glared at Kiera.

And Kiera glared right back. “Back off, Jeremy. You and I once did that hike in the snow so I don’t want to hear it. She broke her leg. That could have happened to anyone.”

“But it didn’t happen to anyone,” he shouted at her.

Everyone stared at Jeremy in shock. Poor guy. His secret was out. The Sheriff couldn’t pretend professional outrage at the accident. The deputy struggled to regain his composure and took a deep breath, then bent his head to the task of wrapping Amanda’s foot. Kiera’s gaze met Ben’s. She looked like she might burst out laughing. He resisted the urge to grin back. It wouldn’t help Jeremy’s mood if they poked fun at him. Amanda’s reaction was interesting. She stared at Jeremy’s dark hair as if she wasn’t sure who he was.

The silence was charged. Jeremy hadn’t stormed up that mountain to rescue his closest friend, Kiera McConnel. He did it for Amanda. And now, everyone knew it.

“Get in.” Jeremy’s tone was gruff, and he still didn’t look at Amanda’s face. She shook her head sharply with an expression of bewilderment. She limped to the back of the SUV with Jeremy’s arm around her waist.

She gripped his hand and flung it away. “I can do it myself.” Her bitter tone grated on Ben’s nerves. He couldn’t imagine what it did to Jeremy’s.

Kiera exchanged a glance with Ben and strode over to Amanda. She practically shoved the Sheriff out of the way and gave Amanda a hand into the back. “Where’s your jacket?” Kiera asked her. She ignored Jeremy’s clenched jaw and tight fists. “There.” She placed the jacket behind Amanda’s head.

They loaded up their packs and climbed into the truck. Kiera sat behind Jeremy and tapped him on the shoulder. “You’d better drop Amanda and me at the clinic.” She glanced at Ben. “Can you pick me up after you get your truck?”

He nodded and jerked his head at Jeremy in a silent message. The Sheriff’s knuckles were white, and he was really pissed off. Kiera just rolled her eyes. “Jeremy, can you give Ben a ride? I know you’ve got to get back up there.”

“Why does he?” Amanda asked from the back.

“Because there’s a dead body up there. And he’s going to have to find out who killed him.”

*

Ben got stuck with the grumpy sheriff. At least Dodo was still with them as a buffer. Not to mention someone to talk to since Jeremy said nothing, no small talk, not a word. Amanda and Kiera got out at the clinic, but Dodo stayed with the Sheriff and Ben as they headed back up to the trailhead. Dodo filled Ben in on what happened after he left them two days before.

“I figured it would take me two days tops to get out up that trail but I wasn’t sure how Bobby would hold up.” Dodo’s brow wrinkled. “When he got so far ahead of me, I thought we were home free. We passed the washed out part of the trail and made it to the top where we camped that first night and took a rest. Bobby was fine. A little winded, but fine.” He ran a hand through his stringy hair. “Then, we started on the downhill end. It was dark and he got ahead of me. When I reached the trailhead, he was nowhere to be found.” The man shook his head. “I didn’t hear anything. Not a thing. I don’t know what happened to him or how he ended up being hung on a meat hook eight miles back.”

Ben’s head hurt. How could Bobby disappear on that trail? And how the hell did he end up back down in the valley? “Did you look for him?”

“I didn’t want to take the time.” Dodo sighed. “I didn’t know how badly Amanda was injured, and I wanted to get someone in there to help. I let Jeremy know Bobby was missing.” He sounded frazzled.

“The rescue team was also sent to find Bobby. Once they reach Fanning Creek, they’ll start a search for Bobby. That’s their orders.” Jeremy finally spoke, his face unreadable.

“They’ll find the body then.” Ben leaned back in his seat.

“And secure the area. How in the hell did you get Kiera to go back up there?” Jeremy’s piercing gaze caught Ben’s in the rear view mirror.

He considered telling the officer but then wondered if Kiera would really want him to know. Dodo also gazed at him with raised eyebrows. He shook his head. “You’ll have to ask Kiera. It’s not my place to say.”

“The last time I saw her this rattled was when—” Jeremy stopped and glanced at Dodo.

“Don’t worry. He knows.” Dodo’s tone was amused.

“She never said what happened up there,” Jeremy said. “She had the same expression on her face when we came around the corner of that trail that she did when I asked her about the night she spent alone up there ten years ago.” He pinned Ben with another hard look. “What happened?”

Ben frowned. “I’m not sure. There’s a part of that trail that felt…wrong.” He didn’t know how else to describe it. The cold grip of unease still lingered. He just couldn’t put his finger on what bothered him.

Jeremy immediately nodded. “I know that section. It’s just beyond where I met you guys. The local Indians call the peak ‘Mountain Of The Dead.’ The Hoopa say it’s taboo.”

Ben leaned forward. Maybe the Sheriff had some answers. “What’s the legend behind it?”

The Sheriff squirmed in the driver’s seat and didn’t answer right away. For a legend, a story, it seemed to make Jeremy uncomfortable. Then, he said, “The Hoopa tribe believes a monster lives near the Trinities. The story is that the Little Trinity is haunted by the souls of the Oh-mah, the Hoopa name for Bigfoot.”

The man’s tone said “skeptic” but his body language didn’t. It was tough to tell whether the Sheriff dismissed the idea or hid a deeper superstitious belief. “You don’t believe it?”

“I spent a lot of my life out there in those woods and never saw a thing,” Jeremy said firmly.

“How many bears have you seen?” Dodo asked him. Ben sat back to watch the show. He’d heard the arguments before. Now, he’d get to see them played out with two locals.

“Maybe three. Why?” Jeremy shot an amused glance at the older man.

“Because the last study of bears in Trinity County was in the thousands. Yet, you’ve seen three your whole life.” Dodo pointed out. “Isn’t it possible for a species numbered in the hundreds, that doesn’t want to be found, to escape your notice?”

“Possibly,” Jeremy answered. “But there’d be a carcass, a dead body, something.”

“Not if the species was intelligent and buried its dead.”

“I’ve heard all the arguments, Dodo. I’m not convinced some intelligent species is out there howling and leaving massive footprints but no bodies.” Jeremy shook his head. “I was raised on stories of the Oh-mah. It’s just an Indian legend.” But Ben heard the doubt in Jeremy’s denial.

“But it had to come from somewhere.” Ben put in.

Again, Jeremy shook his head. “No. It could have been the Hoopa name for another Indian tribe they didn’t know.”

“That could be except the Hoopa traded with all the tribes. The Yurok, the Karok, the Wiyot, the Mattole, even the Klamath tribes all traded with the Hoopa. What tribe would they name ‘Oh-mah,’ or ‘Boss of the Woods’?”

The Sheriff was silent for a moment and then said, “You’ve done your homework.”

“It’s my job. I take it people report sightings to you as a Deputy Sheriff.”

He nodded slowly. “I’ve taken a few reports over the years.”

“And lately?” Ben pressed.

“There have been more of them.” Jeremy’s lips tightened. “I think someone is trying to start another circus around here.”

“That’s what Kiera thinks.” Ben frowned in thought. “You think someone is perpetuating a hoax? Why now?”

“Business has been slow. The economy is sluggish. Tourism is the first place hit when people have less money.” Jeremy pointed out. “It could make someone desperate.”

“Like the McBride family?” Ben speculated.

Jeremy’s gaze jerked to his in the rearview mirror again. “I couldn’t say.” But Ben got the impression he’d been right.

They arrived at the trailhead and Jeremy fiddled with his CB radio. He fiddled with the channel. “Hopefully, they’ve set up the radio,” he muttered.

A loud crackle startled them all but Jeremy found the channel he wanted. “This is Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Covey. Come in.”

Some interference and then a faint voice. “This is Ranger Lester Tanner. Hey Sheriff.”

“Hey, Les. I found the injured hiker. She’s at the clinic. Over.”

“Acknowledged. We’ve got a situation here. A dead body.” The radio sputtered and echoed with the words.

“I’ve got a helicopter coming your way. Did you collect evidence?”

“Yes, sir. We took pictures and collected hair samples. Can you give me an estimated time of arrival for the helicopter?”

“It will be there in about two hours, Les.”

“Acknowledged. You don’t sound surprised by what we found.” The Ranger’s voice broke up a little.

“I’m not.” Jeremy’s tone was grim. “The hikers that stayed behind with the injured woman found the body. They took the Dead Line Trail out.”

“Good thing you came in that way,” Lester said. “There’s still no sign of Robert Angelos.”

“The body you found is Robert Angelos.” Jeremy told him. “When you’ve got the body secure on the helicopter, you and your men can come home.”

“Acknowledged. Over and out.”

Jeremy put the radio receiver back on the hook and stared at Ben. “I don’t want you to leave the area.”

Ben’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t leave town? That sounds like I’m under suspicion.”

“You’re a witness.” He turned back to his clipboard. “Where will you be staying?”

“I don’t know yet,” Ben answered. “Probably The Bigfoot Hotel.”

“Right. And you, Dodo?”

The older man sighed. “Same as always, Jeremy. You’ve got my number.”

The Sheriff nodded. “You guys are probably bushed. I’ll follow you back to town. I need to check on Amanda.”

The other two men piled out of the Sheriff’s SUV and climbed into Ben’s truck. Dodo relaxed against the seat. “You’ll have to drop me off at Kiera’s cabin. That’s where my car is.”

“We have to pick her up anyway.” He was exhausted and Dodo was already dozing. Something told Ben that things were only going to get tougher from here.

The Sheriff lurked behind him as he struggled to stay alert. His muscles were sore. His feet throbbed. He just wanted to sleep for a week.

As he pulled into the clinic parking lot, he jabbed Dodo in the arm to wake him up. They stumbled out of the truck and to the entrance.

At the nurse’s station, the expression on the woman’s face as he approached revealed how ragged and dirty he must look. He leaned on the counter in front of the window. “Amanda Amber?”

“Are you family?”

Dodo answered. “Yes,” he lied.

The woman buzzed the door open and Ben and Dodo strode through the entrance. Ben peered around the corners until he heard Amanda and Kiera’s voices.

“I am not going to discuss this,” Amanda argued.

“Well, I’m his best friend. I think you need to tell him the truth.” Kiera’s tone held no sympathy.

When Dodo and Ben crashed the girl party, both women glared at each other. Without another word, Ben gripped Kiera’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“Take your hands off me,” she snapped at him. The dark circles under her eyes weren’t just dirt and she had scrapes and bruises all over her body from their harrowing trek. She needed to sleep. She was a bit grumpy. One look at her face and he knew better than to mention it.

He tried a soothing tone. “No. You need rest. Amanda needs to stay here.” He glanced at the other woman. “Just to warn you. The Sheriff was right behind us. I think you’d better decide what you’re going to tell him.”

She opened her mouth and shut it with a snap. Kiera sighed with frustration. “Let me go, Ben.” She tried to pull away. So much for reasonable. He tightened his hold.

“Come on. Out the door.” He dragged her by the arm through the hallway.

She tried twice more to jerk her arm away and he just strengthened his grip. He leaned down and whispered, “Keep it up and we’ll both end up explaining more than we want to. Personally, all I want is to sleep.”

Kiera glanced at him. “You look awful.”

“Thanks, honey. So do you.” He rushed her out the door with Dodo behind them and ignored her hot glare. As they climbed into Ben’s truck, the Sheriff headed for the clinic entrance. He studied the man’s back. That was a very pissed off officer of the law. Amanda wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of this one. “Trust me. You didn’t want to stick around for that confrontation. If you’re as tired as I am, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“Fine. Take me home.” She leaned back, her short blonde hair askew, streaks of dirt on her arms and face, and lines of fatigue on her face. His heart clenched and he resisted the urge to wipe the dirt away from her cheeks.

Somehow, Ben managed to drive them to her cabin and they tumbled out of the truck. Without another word, all three of them staggered to the door. Kiera opened the lock and stepped over the threshold. He heard her sigh with relief. “We made it.”

Ben turned to get back in his truck. “Where are you going?” Her voice followed him.

He stared at her. “To my hotel.”

“You have a room there?”

“No.”

“Then stay here.” She waved in the direction of one of the rooms. “I have extra beds.”

“Are you sure?” He walked slowly back to the cabin.

She smiled and, even as tired as he was, it slammed him right between the eyes. “I’m sure. Come on in Legend Hunter. You’ve earned a rest.”

He didn’t know why, but when he crossed the threshold, he felt like he had come home.