Hominid (14 page)

CHAPTER 39

T
oday had been amazing. Tess had named Charlie’s guests Mary and Sugar—she didn’t like thinking of them in the clinical terms of “the female” or “the juvenile.” She was blown away watching their interactions. Both adults had been affectionate, playful, but also disciplined with Sugar. Tess had written pages of notes, and could have written more, but her hand had started to cramp pretty badly.

Now she sat curled up on the couch with Dev next to her. She smiled as she leaned her head against Dev’s shoulder.
This is pretty good, too.
And she was getting used to it. She would go out in the field all day, write up her notes, and then have dinner with Dev. Sometimes he’d already be here when she arrived, whipping something up in the kitchen. Which was wonderful, because between the two of them, he was definitely the better cook.

Shelby yipped in her sleep over by the wood stove.

“So where are you tonight?” Dev whispered in her ear.

“Actually, I’m right here.”

He bent down to kiss her. Tess sighed, enjoying the moment. When they broke apart, she leaned into him. But soon her thoughts did turn back to her visitors at the camp.

“Now you’re a thousand miles away,” Dev said.

“Sorry. Just a little lost in thought.”

“Did you find something?”

Tess hesitated. She wanted to tell him everything—all about Charlie, Sugar, and Mary—but something held her back.

Part of the problem was that she didn’t want to be disbelieved. And the truth was, it
was
a fantastic story. But she knew Dev would believe her, and not just because of their relationship. Dev was part Hoopa and part Klamath. Both tribes had a long history with bigfoot.

No, if Tess was being honest, her real reason for keeping her discovery to herself was a selfish one. Right now, the bigfoot were all hers, and she liked it that way.

“Tess?”

She looked up. In his hazel eyes she saw trust, support, and love. He was a blessing. “I found some hair a few days ago,” she said.

Dev’s eyebrows rose and a grin spread across his face. “Really? That’s great. What did the tests say?”

“I, um… haven’t gotten it tested yet.”

“Why not?”

Tess shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I guess I’m worried about what the results will say.”

He took her hand. “If they come back as some other animal, it’s no big deal. You just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“And if it comes back as an unknown animal?”

“Do you think it will?”

Here was another opportunity to tell him everything—and yet she hedged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t had a chance to really inspect it.”

He paused. “What’s going on, Tess?”

“I don’t know. I guess… I’m worried about what happens if the results come back the way I think they will.”

Dev frowned. “I’m still not seeing the problem.”

She blew out a breath. “The thing is—what happens
after
I get the results? If it gets out that I’ve found proof of bigfoot, the woods will be crawling with people trying to track them down.”

Dev pulled her into his arms with a chuckle. “I think you’re getting a little bit ahead of yourself. And no says you have to publicize the results right away. You can announce your findings whenever you’re ready.”

Tess sighed. She knew he was right, but she also felt guilty about even thinking about testing the hair. “What do you think about all this?” she asked.

Tess watched Dev carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. Native Americans in the Northwest had a long tradition of regarding bigfoot with respect, almost as a family member or teacher. But they also regarded bigfoot as a flesh-and-blood being—unlike other Native American groups farther east, who viewed bigfoot as a mystical or spiritual being. And Tess knew Dev was a product of his heritage—in particular, he had a great respect for the natural world and for the beliefs of his people.

“I support you,” Dev said. “I know why you’re doing this. And if you prove bigfoot exists, then I’ll be one of the ones fighting to make sure they’re protected and left alone. The fact is, if bigfoot is still out there, I’d rather
you
find him than someone else.”

He pulled back and looked into her face. “This is really bothering you, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Once Hayes gets word of this, it will be completely out of my control.”

“Why don’t you send it to Pax? Maybe he could run it on the sly, and then you can decide what to do.”

“Yeah, I’m leaning in that direction.”

He kissed her on the forehead. “Well, whatever you decide, it will be the right decision.”

Tess watched him go. She pictured Charlie, Mary, and Sugar. Something had changed ever since she’d watched the three of them interact.

And now she wasn't sure what the right decision was anymore.

CHAPTER 40

A
few hours later, Dev quietly closed the front door of Tess’s cabin behind him. He had an early shift and he had to stop by his own place to get a clean uniform.

As he headed to his truck, the doubts he’d had for the last few weeks crept in. Tess was keeping something from him; he could sense it. She closed up whenever he asked about her research, or she deflected his question like she had tonight. And whatever her secret was, it was putting up a wall between them.

He didn’t like it. But he also didn’t know how to get her to trust him. And if he was being honest, he was a little hurt by it. He had thought they were past this kind of stuff.

He pulled out of the drive and headed down the road, but his thoughts stayed with Tess. He’d been in love with her since they were kids. His mom had realized it almost as soon as he had, and had told him to just wait—it would happen. And now it had.

As far as Tess was concerned, he knew two things for sure:

One, he was going to spend his life with her.

And two, whatever she was keeping from him, it was important.

CHAPTER 41

T
he next day, Tess sat in her office, waiting for Pax to return her call. Rain was pouring from the heavens. When the precipitation had begun at five this morning, she’d hoped it was a passing shower. But the weather forecast indicated it was only going to get worse. She had really wanted to get out to the camp. Instead, she was inside, catching up on paperwork.

Which was probably for the best. She’d barely slept, thinking about Charlie and his two guests.

As she listened to the rain drum on the metal roof, she wondered what Charlie did in the rain. Did he have a shelter? Did he need one? The idea of Charlie all hunched up somewhere, soaked, tugged at her.

Before she could question that emotion, Pax’s return call came through on Skype. His smiling face appeared on her screen. “Hey, sis.”

Tess laughed. “Back away from the camera, you nut.”

Pax laughed and took a seat at his desk.

“Is this a good time?”’ Tess asked.

“Yup. Everyone’s at lunch. Did you get the gift I sent you?”

Tess reached over and picked up the ten-inch plush bigfoot with a giant “Adopt me!” message on the front. “I got him. Thanks. He’s a little small.”

“Well, a life-size would be, what? Six feet minimum? Think of him as a pocket bigfoot.”

Tess chuckled, wondering what Charlie’s reaction to the little bigfoot would be. “It’s just what I’ve always wanted.”

This morning, thanks to the rain, she’d finally had uninterrupted time to dedicate to the hair sample. She had collected four strands in total: two gray, and two a dark brown. Each was between four and five inches long—and luckily the bulb was still attached at the end.

Under magnification, she had made two distinct observations. First, that the ends of the hairs were rounded, meaning they had never been cut. And second, that the hairs were clearly neither human nor gorilla.

There were some similarities between these hairs and human hair—for instance, the scale pattern was similar, and like human hairs, these did not have a continuous medullary core. But these hairs also varied in color and thickness along their shaft, which human hair did not. Tess had searched both her texts and the internet and could come to only one conclusion: no known animal had hairs like these.

The next step was a DNA test, which is why she’d been waiting anxiously for Pax’s call.

“So, exactly how rusty are your lab skills?” she asked.

“Rusty? Moi? You insult me.”

“Seriously.”

Pax paused. “I drop into the lab every now and then to keep my skills on point. Why?”

Now it was Tess’s turn to pause. “I was hoping you could run a sample for me.”

A grin spread across Pax’s face. “That’s great! You found something.” He frowned. “But why are you asking me? Hayes must have dozens of labs you could use.”

“He does, but I want to run it myself first, on the down low. Do you think
you
could run it and put the results under John Doe?”

Pax narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on, Tess?”

She sighed.
Why is everyone asking me that lately?
“I just want to be prepared, depending on how this comes back. And with Hayes, it’s all under his control. He could announce before I even saw the results.”

“I get it. You want me to don my superspy outfit and run the analysis under the cloak of darkness.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Tess rolled her eyes. “I am
so
not going to address the fact that apparently you
have
a superspy outfit. And yes, with or without the outfit, if you could run the sample, I’d be thrilled. And I can pay for it.”

“It might take me a while. I’ll have to go in when the lab’s empty.”

“That’s fine,” Tess said quickly. “No rush.”

“Okay, I’ll get it done.”

“You don’t know how much better that makes me feel.”

Pax frowned, inspecting her through the screen. “Shouldn’t you be more excited about this? And what’s with the ‘no rush’?”

Tess knew he was right. She
should
be more excited—and more impatient to get the results. Months ago, she would have been. But something had changed. Now she wasn’t just think about finding answers. She was worried about what would happen
after
she found answers. And she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.

From the blog
Bigfoot Among Us
by Dr. Tess Brannick

This week’s question comes from Hilda Maldonado in Houston, Texas.

I’ve read a lot about the giant footprints left behind by bigfoot, and I’ve read about the hair and seen some of the photo evidence. But is there any other evidence?

Actually, one of the best pieces of evidence comes from Skookum Meadows, Oregon. (The word “skookum” is a Native American name for bigfoot. Dozens of locations in the Northwest have names that include the word “skookum.”)

In 2000, a team of researchers from the Bigfoot Research Organization found a large imprint near a fruit trap they had left out. But it was not a footprint. It revealed an animal’s buttocks, thigh, arm, and even hair. From the positioning, it appeared that the animal had lain on its side next to the mud to reach for the fruit trap. Analysis of the cast, which required over two hundred pounds of plaster, indicated that the animal was seven and a half feet tall and covered in hair.

Not only that, but bigfoot prints were found nearby, along with some hair samples—which matched no known animal.

CHAPTER 42

T
he ground was uneven, and Tess had to focus in order to not lose her footing as she chased Sugar through the trees. It had been three weeks since Charlie had introduced her to Sugar and Mary, and since then, Sugar and Mary had shown up with Charlie at least a dozen times.

Mary never stayed as long as Sugar did, but there was something very calming about her presence. Sugar, however, was anything but calm. She was full of energy. She was the most friendly of the bigfoot and the most willing to interact—even more than Charlie himself. Much like human juveniles, Sugar didn’t seem as concerned as her elders were about the possible dangers of her actions.

Each time she visited, Sugar grew bolder. She’d already investigated Tess’s lean-to and her packs. Tess had taken more than a few walks with her. And of course, there was the required Twinkie at every visit. Tess worried a little about getting Sugar hooked on the stuff, but the little bigfoot seemed so happy when she got to eat them.

Now Sugar and Tess were playing their own version of hide-and-seek. Sugar always hid, and Tess always sought—and Tess rarely found her without a little help from Sugar.

But Tess had learned a lot. Sugar would sometimes emit an odor in one spot and then skip off to hide somewhere else. She could move just as soundlessly through the forest as Charlie, and she was incredibly strong. Tess might see her on the ground, then turn away and look back only to find Sugar swinging down at her from a tree limb. Sugar could also go completely still, and in an instant, she would blend into the shadows and trees. Even while looking for her, Tess would often pass right by.

As a scientist, Tess was cataloguing these physical behaviors, of course; but she was also enjoying herself. Sugar just wanted to have fun. She was a sweet child.

The thought brought Tess up short.
Child
. When had she stopped thinking of them as animals? But the truth was, she had. It was like she was finding a new tribe of humans—incredibly large, powerful, and hairy humans, but humans nonetheless.

Over the last few weeks, she’d debated how best to classify them. They had similarities to gorillas, especially in their foot shape and their torsos. But they also had distinctly human characteristics as well. What she really needed was information on that DNA sample. She’d have to call Pax again and see if he’d had any luck yet. He’d reported having trouble finding a time when the lab was empty.

She also knew Hayes was growing impatient with her, and she owed him an explanation. Yet she continued to refrain from telling him about either the hair sample or her interactions with the bigfoot.

For no particular reason, Tess felt her spirits lift; and a moment later, she felt someone watching her. This was another ability she had noticed with the bigfoot: they were like the opposite of an empath—they
projected
their feelings. And the happiness Tess was feeling right now was Sugar’s.

Tess grinned and then turned quickly, pointing up at the tree behind her. “Got you!”

Sugar swung down from the tree, but she misjudged the distance, and as she landed, she bumped Tess on the shoulder—hard. Tess was knocked to the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

Sugar immediately began to pace, her nervous chatter filling the air. And then Tess felt a second presence. When she looked up, she was unsurprised to see Charlie striding through the trees. He might be okay with Tess spending time with Sugar, but never without supervision.

Charlie let out a bark, and Sugar cowered.

Tess’s shoulder ached, but she wasn’t seriously injured. “No, no,” she said. “It was an accident. It’s okay.” She pushed herself to her feet and stood in front of the younger bigfoot, swallowing down her fear. “She didn’t mean it. It was an accident.”

Charlie stared down at her, and Tess could swear she saw a smile cross his face before he disappeared back into the trees.

Sugar put her hand gently on Tess’s unharmed shoulder. Tess reached behind her and placed her hand on top of it. And with that move, she knew that all hope of scientific objectivity was lost.

And she was completely okay with that.