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I refused to look at the time. I was going to keep going until I couldn't. Driscoll tapped my shoulder again. "I need a break," he said. We stepped to the side of the trail and sat on a downed log. Driscoll shrugged out of his pack and set it between his feet. "I brought fortification. I know you like tea, but I filled up with coffee at the clearing." He pulled out a thermos of coffee and filled the cup that was the lid. He handed it to me before taking a long drink from the thermos.
"Thanks. It helps," I said. "I want to keep going as long as we can. I have chocolate covered espresso beans when we run out of coffee."
After finishing my cup of coffee, we put our packs on and got back on the trail. I held out my arm to stop Driscoll. We were facing a small clearing, Yellow was lying just off the path. I pulled the gun from my coat pocket, "Be ready," I said. "This could be a trap."
Driscoll pulled his rifle around and targeted the body lying in the clearing. I kicked Yellow's feet and the body rolled onto its back. He had been mauled by some kind of animal. I was glad it was dark outside. I didn't need a closer look. I didn't feel bad that Yellow was dead. Maybe I should have, but I didn't. He'd held us captive and maybe played a role in what happened to Cassie's face. He made the choices that led to his death.
"I need to call this in," Driscoll said. He walked away from the body, talking into his radio. I walked around looking for any sign of Cassie. For some reason, I felt like she was OK. That's when the wood knocking started.
"What is that?" Driscoll asked.
"Bigfoot," I said.
"Seriously, what's making that noise?"
"I told you, it's bigfoot." The look on his face was probably the same one I had the first time Chance told me what the noise was. "I know it sounds crazy. You just have to accept it."
Driscoll and I scoured the clearing for any sign of Cassie. We found nothing. I pulled my pack back on.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"We still need to find Cassie."
"I need to wait here for the forensics team."
"I'll be fine," I said. "Catch up as soon as you can."
"That's not a good idea, Ms. Mason. You saw what happened to Yellow."
"I have to go." The path we'd been on continued on the opposite side of the clearing. I started down the path, but there were no tracks. I went back and got Driscoll to help me check the trail out of the clearing. We didn't go far, but he confirmed my findings. There were no tracks. We went back to the trail on the other side and followed the tracks into the clearing. The smaller set of prints which we thought were Cassie's moved to the edge of the clearing and into the woods. "It looks like she went this way," I said. About 20 yards into the trees, the prints stopped. There were no other prints in the area.
Fudge. I didn't know what to do. "I wish Chance was here," I said. "He'd know what the bigfoot are trying to tell us."
"Your boyfriend can interpret the bigfoot wood knocking sounds?"
"Yes. No. Well, not exactly. Fudge. I know it sounds crazy, but Chance seems tuned in to them somehow. I don't really understand it, but it's helped us before. It doesn't matter. He's not here. You go on back and wait for the others. I'm going to continue on this heading to see if I find anything else."
I stood beside the last print of what I thought was Cassie boot. I looked around. It was completely dark now, so there could be evidence I was missing if it fell outside the circle of light from my flashlight. I didn't see any blood or fabric that would help me. I faced in the direction the print was headed and pointed the light in front of me. I checked the compass I wear around my neck and headed off. It seemed to me that the wood knocking got louder and faster, but I had no idea what that might mean.
Something caught my eye. It was a coral color that looked out of place. When I got closer, I found a ball of coral yarn hooked on a tree branch. It was higher up than I would have expected, but it was there. The sweater I'd given Cassie to wear was coral. I was really glad I told her the story about using my sweater to leave a trail when I escaped my kidnappers. I pointed my flashlight down the trail trying to focus about the same height and there was another yarn ball. I took off down the trail following the bread crumbs, or in this case, yarn balls, Cassie left me.
I kept moving and watching for the signs. The sky was brightening when I realized I'd lost the trail. I backtracked to the last yarn ball and searched the surrounding area.
I started up the trail but didn't see any footprints. I stopped. What was I supposed to do now? If Cassie had gone up the trail, there should be prints. That's when I realized the wood knocking had stopped. "Fudge," I said. "Great. Something else I don't know the meaning of." Now that it was lighter, when I turned in a circle looking for some kind of guidance, I saw the stick structure in the middle of a clearing just off the trail.
I called out to Cassie as I'd been doing every few minutes. I thought I heard a groan from the direction of the structure. As I approached I could see that it was a little like the pine bough shelters I learned to build with Leif, but this one had only sticks. I could see a body curled up in side.