Murder in the Forest, Chapter 23
As the group in the sheriff's office awaited the return of Rossi and Jareau and the phone company records pertaining to who all Bamka had called, the expedition sent to investigate the death in the woods was arriving at their destination.
Blacklaws pulled over as he saw sheriff's cars and a US Fish and Wildlife SUV parked by a gray rental Ford near a trail that led into the woods. Waters, following Blacklaws in his FBI vehicle, stopped behind the tall deputy and they got out and met Chris van Reenan and the German couple who had discovered the body, Hans and Ilse von Rauenthal. He was a neurosurgeon and she was a child psychologist, from Munich.
After introductions, van Reenan said, "We've been up the trail and seen the corpse. Peter, you'll need to see it and the CSI people should arrive any minute. But I can tell you with virtual certainty that we're looking at a bear kill. But the plot thickens: I can also tell you in all candor that some of the footprints left there are absolutely not those of the bear, which I think is a big black weighing maybe 375-400 pounds. Those other tracks are, so help me, those of an unknown primate at least twice or more the weight of a large human."
Seaver was aghast. Was this a prank? "Dr. van Reenan…do you mean to say that you saw a Bigfoot?"
"Well, no, I haven't yet seen one, just the fresh tracks. But, yes, I'd stake my scientific credentials on this being a real Bigfoot that left those tracks, and not a hoax. If I wasn't expecting a real bear and a real Bigfoot to be here, I wouldn't have bothered to get this out of my car." And the biologist gestured to the powerful rifle slung over one shoulder.
Blacklaws and Waters looked at one another and excused themselves to get their rifles.
The Germans asked to come with the others to view the body, pointing out that they were very worried about being unarmed, apart from their knives and hiking staffs. Blacklaws consented to this, and thanked them for staying there until officers had arrived.
They left two deputies with the cars, but von Rauenthal pointed out that he was, after all, a physician, and might be able to answer medical questions about the death. This made sense, although an official decision would have to come from the county medical examiner. But von Rauenthal was there and the ME wasn't, yet. And the German was also a licensed hunter in his nation, which meant that he knew a good deal about animals, including tracks, that being required for a licensed hunter in that land.
"Remember that the bear and/or the Bigfoot may still be nearby," cautioned Chris van Reenan. "Bears often lay up near their kills, and this one may be in bad temper if he sees us. Talk softly, and walk that way. Peter, will you join me at the head of our little column? And Agent Waters and Deputy Franklin can bring up the rear. We all have rifles. If everyone else fills in at the middle, we'll have protection where we most need it, at the front and rear of the group. Ready? Let's trek, eh?"
And the group moved off down the trail, wondering what might be watching from the shadows of the forest as they hiked the mile to the death scene.
This was a short scene, but I'll be back soon, and the pace will increase.