Murder in the Forest: Chapter 17
They decided to take one of the shorter Bureau vehicles, a Ford Explorer, as black as a demented Unsub's heart. Their second vehicle was the white Toyota Four-Runner assigned to Blacklaws. The Explorer held radios and a 12-gauge Remington shotgun with a synthetic stock and extended magazine. Reid checked to be sure that it also had a Heckler and Koch 10 mm carbine, just a larger semi-auto version of their basic MP-5 submachine gun. There was one of those, too, in the usual 9mm caliber, and several boxes of ammunition for each.
Quickly checking the Ford, they discovered some military Meals, Ready to Eat (MRE's) and bottled water. Three USAF survival knives with pockets for hones on the leather sheaths, a pair of USMC Ka-Bar combat-utility knives and a couple of all-metal US-marked pocketknives having the same sort of blades as a typical Boy Scout knife, canteens, a tent, blankets, and a few other items. Military style lensatic compasses...that sort of thing.
Bill Waters went to the Bureau car in which he'd ridden to Elk Pass and got his personal rifle, a Winchester bolt-action .30/06, a Buck brand Model 119 hunting knife, and some other personal items, including an excellent 8.5X44 Swift roof prism binocular, their Custom Audubon model. He also had suitable hunting clothes and boots. He had come prepared, knowing that he might get a chance to go after a real Bigfoot or maybe a bear.
Blacklaws called his biologist friend Christaan van Reenan to be sure that the sheriff had requested his help and they compared notes on where to meet.
At Peter's home, Ashley acted as hostess, making a pot of tea. At his request, she used loose tea from a can, Taylor's of Harrogate's English Breakfast blend. It was popular with everyone and Peter opened a box of Kellogg's raspberry fruit bars.
The others waited until Peter had changed into comfortable hunting clothes, which he decided to wear instead of his uniform, and donned Danner hunting boots. He took spare boots and other clothes and replaced the holster on his belt with a black police style gun belt that had, besides a holster, pouches for handcuffs, a Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn lock blade folding knife, and speedloaders for his stainless steel Smith & Wesson .357 revolver. He had decided to take it instead of his Beretta. He also took a dark green zipper pouch with a Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolver, with six-inch barrel, Model 629-3, and suitable leather gear and ammunition.
"If we really get into an affair with a Bigfoot or a big bear, I'll swap out the Model 66 for the big .44, "he explained. "Otherwise, it's a bit heavy to wear continuously, although that weight helps with the considerable recoil. Still, it's very accurate and you'd be surprised how far out I can hit a human size target with it. I've killed deer with it, and think its 240 grain bullets will probably penetrate the vital zones on a Bigfoot if one attacks. I know that .44 Magnums have killed bears, even a few big Kodiak browns and some polar bear. One polar bear that got cropped by a man with an S&W .44 Magnum was shot by a Norwegian scientist as it stalked him. It was shoot or die, but letters to a popular travel and science magazine were largely from softheaded animal huggers who were dismayed that he shot the bruin! Have Disney and other animal crap programming appealing to people who think that all animals are sweet and here to entertain tourists penetrated so many peoples' brains and turned them to mush? Sorry to rant a bit, but some of this TV programming gives an unrealistic view of Nature. It causes some ninnies to get out of their cars in national parks and approach bears, moose, bison, elk. and other potentially very dangerous animals. Granted, they're acclimated to people in the parks and act unlike their normal behavior. Still, it takes an idiot to do something like that. I say, Ashley, have we got any tea left? Packing for the wilderness is thirsty work."
She laughed and brought a refill for his cup. He looked into her eyes and smiled and Seaver blushed. He was growing on her, she realized, and decided to try to get him alone and talk more once they reached the crime scene. She realized with a shock that she was wondering how good a kisser he might be.
"You taking a rifle?" asked Bill Waters.
Blacklaws nodded and opened a gun safe that held a number of rifles. He took out a Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight .270 identical to Waters' rifle, except for the slightly lighter caliber and being factory equipped on special order with iron sights as well as wearing a Leupold 2.5-8X telescopic sight. He hefted it briefly, and then said that although it'd probably suffice to kill either Bigfoot or bear with its 150 grain Nosler Partition controlled expansion bullets, it wouldn't hurt to have a little added insurance in the form of a heavier rifle.
This turned out to be another Model 70, with fancy wood from the company's Custom Shop, in the Safari Grade, in .375 H&H Magnum caliber. "I've got a grandfather's .416 Rigby in there, too," he explained, "but I'll be amazed if a .375 won't drop anything in North America. It's really overkill for most game, although a sound choice for moose, elk, or big bear. I've never shot an American bison, although some hunts for them are available on private lands, with herds carefully maintained there. Anyway, I've got a 2.0-X-6X 'scope on this that'll let me shoot at anywhere from a few yards range to at least 300 yards. And if the scope fogs or otherwise malfunctions, the iron sights will certainly suffice at the ranges a Bigfoot is likely to be a menace. I do hope that one won't throw rocks or branches from a distance. But if it looks like we're at risk from that sort of behavior, either Bill or I should be able to end those shenanigans in short order."
Reid said that he was more concerned about a Bigfoot picking him up and pulling off his head or breaking his back. "I'm keeping that H-K 10mm close to me on this trip," he vowed. "Ashley, you can carry the shotgun."
Seaver rolled her eyes. "I think you're trying to scare me, Spencer. I've been in the FBI long enough to know that a lot of male agents like to razz us girls. Some are just mean chauvinists who don't really like the idea of female agents. Others are just wise guys who tell me that I look pretty when I'm frightened. But I and other female agents have learned to dread those slug-loaded 12 gauges. They kick like a ghetto father who's been made to pay his child support! I have to qualify with one when required, but I'm not going to voluntarily fire one if I don't have to. Can I kill one of those monsters with my pistol? And where do you aim to kill something that big?"
"What do you carry, a Glock 9mm or .40 caliber?" This from Waters, who knew the authorized FBI guns. He detested the issue Glocks, and any private purchases these days had to conform to the issued models. Agents had once had a much wider choice, if willing to buy their own sidearms.
"Yeah," replied Seaver. "A Glock 19 on my belt and the small G-26 as a spare. I need to swing by the motel and get that and some more suitable clothes before we go to view this crime scene. And I'd better charge my cell phone. I have the charger there, too."
"Well, if I had to kill a beast that size with a handgun, I'd try a high center mass shot or two, like I would on a person. If that didn't work, I'd shoot for the eyes or the nose, hoping to brain the beggar. Depending on how thick and tough the facial bones are, that nose shot into the brain should work. But, look, Ashley, let me lend you something more potent than a handgun. Bear or Bigfoot, you can use a rifle more effectively. I've got a Ruger .308 M-77 with full length International stock. Makes it look like the old Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine at a glance. Mine has a low power 'scope and the factory iron sights. It may or may not be sighted just right for your eyes and we haven't time to go to a shooting range and see. But if one of those animals is really after you, the range will be so close that ultra precise sighting won't be a factor. Try the rifle and see if the stock fits. Or, now that I think of it, my late wife's rifle is in this safe. It's a Howa 7mm-08 and the black synthetic stock is sized for a woman or teen. Let's try that first."
The Howa rifle fit Seaver well, and they set out some ammunition, a Silva Type 426 compass and a Zeiss 8X20B monocular for her to borrow.
"Knife," said Blacklaws. "You don't want to wander around out there without one." He opened a cedar chest that held his hunting and pocket knives and let her look at the selection. Peter hefted his Fallkniven NL-2, a virtual Bowie style, but decided that it's eight-inch blade and weight weren't needed for this trip. He chose an A-1 model from the same Swedish firm, with the Kydex sheath since replaced in production by a Zytel one and offered Seaver either a Buck Model 105 Pathfinder or a couple of Puma brand German options, She was enchanted by the lovely grain of the genuine stag antler handle on a Hunter's Pal model, with a four-inch blade.
"Very well," said her host. "I think enough of you to loan that knife, but it's an older one that's a little better made than current models and I hand dyed and polished that sheath. Try not to scratch it and if you have to use a knife on a Bigfoot, try to stick it in the inner leg, going for the femoral artery. Or stick the top of the shoulder, going for the subclavian artery or the throat. It may be too fast and have too deep a chest for a heart stab, although I know of one chap who killed an African lion with a six-inch blade. "(This is true: Harry Wolhuter, in Kruger National Park, in 1903. Search for info on him and that incident.)
He distributed Swiss Army knives to both Reid and Seaver, for pocket utility knife needs. Waters showed his: already carrying one, always did.
Blacklaws got his Leica 8X32BA binocular and a larger Zeiss 10X56B/GA glass for long range and night use. He added a few more items, including King Oscar brand Norwegian brisling sardines that had Seaver grimacing in disgust, sardines not being a favorite food of many women. He laughed, added some wheat and peanut butter crackers, tuna, and some other food items, and they carefully loaded his vehicle, locked up the home, and were off to her motel.
Seaver soon packed all that she might need and recovered her phone from the charger, where it had been topped up. She wondered when she'd again see this room and be able to recharge that I-Phone. Reid also got personal items from his room.
They got into the vehicles, Seaver riding with Blacklaws. She looked at the Howa 7mm rifle in its hard case in the back seat floorboard and wondered whether she'd have occasion to fire it at a Bigfoot, a kidnapper, a murderer, or a bear. She laughed as she fastened her seatbelt.
At Blacklaws's inquiring expression, she said," I was just thinking. If I do have to shoot a real bear, I am so going to tease JJ about it. I can't wait to see her face if we do have to kill one."
He smiled back. "If we must, we will. But that probably won't be an issue. It's rare, but happens. By the way, look out for rattlesnakes up there. We have Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes here, and they're dangerous. Watch where you walk and don't put your hands into any brush or under rock overhangs without looking first. If it gets dark, remember I gave you a good flashlight. Don't go galloping round at dusk or dawn without seeing what's in your path. That sort of thing aside, enjoy nature. It's quite beautiful in those woods. And if we're still up there tonight, we'll find a clear place and do some amateur astronomy. That's one of my hobbies."
"You make this seem almost like a vacation," observed Reid, in the back seat. "What about our real purpose in going out there? Someone got killed! Maybe by a bear or by a supposedly mythical monster! And you want to talk about looking at stars!?"
"Oh, I'm taking all of this seriously, old boy," conceded the tall deputy. "But I look for joy where I find it, even on the job. Besides, looking at stars can be romantic. But it's Ashley whose help I want with that that, not yours. You can sit in camp with Bill Waters and maybe a few others and fret about the killer or killers. That's a lovely thing to contemplate just before bedtime, eh?"
"The Moon may be full, "Seaver speculated. She had decided to join Peter in teasing the usually rather strait-laced Dr. Reid. "I love a full moon. That really is romantic."
Reid rolled his eyes. "You two are just too funny," he said. "Can we at least stop for hamburgers on the way out of town? I guess we don't have time to go eat at a real restaurant?"
"No worries, chum, "acknowledged Blacklaws. "I'm headed for a burger place right now. It's really quite good. I especially like their chili cheeseburgers. Unlike many chain burger joints, this one gives you enough beef that you can see it without using a magnifying glass. And their fries are actually edible."
"Can I get a grilled chicken sandwich, instead?" asked Seaver.
"Indeed you can. They do quite well with that."
"Well, that's something, I guess," said Reid. "There's a lot to be said for a good grilled chicken sandwich, even when you're off to look at a mangled body."
"Thanks, Spencer," muttered Seaver. "That's a really appetizing thought."
Reid smirked. "I try to assist the investigation however I can."
Blacklaws laughed. "I see that our good doctor has a sense of humor, after all."
And he radioed the other vehicle to turn into the hamburger restaurant in the next block.