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We sat across from each other at the breakfast table in front of French doors that led to the back patio. "We can approach this however you like," Cassie said, "but I know you wanted to talk about Dr. Bellamy. Do you want to start there?"
"Do you mind if I record this?"
"Whatever works for you is fine."
"I'll probably still make notes, but the recording is good if I need to go back and check my facts later." Chance and I had picked up a small recorder at the office supply store in Dallas.
"I wanted to do a story on Dr. Bellamy because, as I'm sure you know, there are so few women involved in cryptid hunting."
"Although Dr. Bellamy and I both worked for BITES, we didn't really know each other well. Are you familiar with BITES?"
"Only what's on the website which is pretty vague."
"They want it that way so we don't become the laughing stocks of the anti-government types out there, but our organization really is just what our names says—the Biological Investigation and Threat Eradication Service. We investigate credible sightings of cryptids and try to capture specimens that are sent to our lab for study. We're a very small department within DHS. I don't know the exact number, but I think we probably have less than two hundred employees. BITES has three arms—the research section which catalogs and tracks all cryptid sighting reports in the United States and conducts initial interviews with those filing the reports, the field agents—that’s the section Jared and I work for, and the lab where any captured or killed cryptids are sent for study. Dr. Bellamy was the director of the BITES Lab until a year or so ago."
"Did you ever meet her?"
"A time or two at BITES meetings. Our work intersected, but most of our interactions were via phone or email. She seemed competent, and she was well-respected. Did you know her personally?"
"We met recently. My uncle was a cryptid hunter up north. I've been learning more about cryptid hunting since he passed away a few months ago. I guess it started as a way to understand him. I regret not spending more time with him when he was alive. I met Dr. Bellamy at a bigfoot conference. She and my uncle were friends, and she was nice enough to share stories about him with me. She mentioned her work at BITES but didn't really go into detail. She and I kept in touch via email. She was generous with her cryptid knowledge. She was always happy to answer my questions. When I heard she'd died in an auto accident, I thought it would be nice to do an article about her work as a female in a very male-dominated field."
"That's so nice. I'm glad you got to know her. I'm sorry I didn't know her well. You should probably talk to our director, Mr. Meecham. I believe he worked with her for several years. He was her direct boss. I'm sure he'd be happy to talk with you."
"That would be great. As someone who just recently started researching cryptids, I couldn't believe it when Mr. Dickenson brought up your name when I called him about Dr. Bellamy. You're legendary in the cryptid world."
"I don't know about that. Like you, until I saw the Thunderbirds I never gave cryptids a thought. Once you've seen one, it's kind of hard not to want to know more. Do you hunt?"
"I'm learning."
"Have you seen a cryptid yet?"
"I think I saw bigfoot."
"What do you mean, you think?"
"I saw a big hairy creature that everyone with me said was bigfoot. I still find it hard to accept. Did you know Dr. Kepler’s cryptid story?"
"No. I can tell you that most everyone who works for BITES has had a cryptid encounter that stuck with them. Do you know where her interest in cryptids came from?"
I relayed her story about playing with bigfoot children when she was a child. Cassie seemed to accept it at face value.
"You don't seem surprised."
"As I said, everyone I've met who works for BITES has a cryptid story. Some are more willing to share than others. Mine was published in a book so there's really not much point in me trying to keep it quiet."
"Does Jared have a cryptid story?"
"He does, but that's his to share."
I asked her to tell me how she got involved with BITES. She talked for nearly an hour.
Cassie stood and stretched. "I guess I got carried away."
"It's a great story."
"Would you like to stay for lunch? Nothing fancy. Just sandwiches."
"Sounds great."
Over lunch Cassie talked about recruiting more females for BITES. She told me about a recruiting camp they ran at the ranch that brought two more female field agents into the organization. "Sorry," Cassie said. "I'm probably telling you a lot more than you want to know. Jared might have warned you that getting more women involved in cryptid hunting has become my mission."
I laughed. "He might have given me a warning."
"I don't know how your wilderness and hunting skills are coming along, but if you're interested just let me know."
I took a few minutes to look back over my notes to see if there was anything I wanted to clarify. This was my chance to see how much she knew about the lab.
"You mentioned the lab, but we never talked muck about it. Do you know where it's located?"
Now it was Cassie's turned to laugh. "Every time we have a successful hunt and are waiting for them to pick up the animals, we talk about learning more about the lab. I don't really know what they do with the animals."
"Do you know where the lab is located?"
"I have no idea. I realize that sounds strange, but my team is really focused on the hunt. Mr. Meecham will be able to tell..."
My phone beeped. Chance made me agree to leave it on and check any messages that came through with a 911 code, just in case. "Fudge," I said. "I'm sorry. I need to call my mom. She just sent a 911 message. I can't imagine what that's about."