7975 words (31 minute read)

Friday Afternoon

Jeffrey and Morgan finally stopped to rest from their fruitless search. The sun was shinning down from directly overhead. Morgan collapsed underneath the nearest tree with a loud exhale.

“You have any water?” he asked. Jeffrey removed his canteen and tossed it over to Morgan.

“I don’t think we’re gonna find anything, Jeffrey.” Morgan said, being his pessimistic self. “Don’t say that.” Jeffrey wanted to believe the boy was OK.

“But, it’s true. The kid’s been missing since last night, and we’ve searched the park, Ava’s been all over the campsites, and your father – he’s been everywhere else. The kid’s gone.” Jeffrey reached over, snatched his water back and walked off. “Where you going?” Morgan got up and followed Jeffrey, who refused to answer. The boys made their way to the tip of Cape’s Side Bay. They looked down at the swamp unable to remember it ever being a bay that would buzz with activity.

“I can’t believe people used to fish here.” Morgan sniffed as he scanned the bog. Jeffrey looked around the bay and up at the cave high above, lost in thought. Before he could speak, Morgan cut him off.

“No, no. HELL NO, Jeffrey. We are not going in that cave!”

Getting in the cave would be a long shot without proper rock climbing equipment, but what if they could get close? Jeffrey knew Patty Liman well and he knew that regardless of what she might say in public, Patty still believed there to be a bear in Cape’s Side Bay. She also believed the alleged bear lived in that hilltop cave. Which made no logical sense because how would a bear get in and out of a cave so high up on the side of a mountain? Unless of course the bear had claws… an eerie feeling struck Jeffrey, he ran towards the cave side of the bay.

“Jeffrey, wait up!” Morgan stumbled after Jeffrey weaving amongst the stones along the trail. He kept his eyes on Jeffery who was already several yards away, preventing from seeing the vine hanging low in his path. It quickly wrapped itself around his foot, practically yanking him off his feet. His knees skid against the dirt and rocks as he jarringly met the ground. He rolled over and grabbed his bloody left kneecap.

Jeffrey could hear him squealing in pain behind him, he ran back for him. “Lemme see.” Jeffrey observed the knee. It was just an abrasion from scrapping the rough surface. His knee bright red from a thin layer of blood but it was nothing serious.

“You OK?”

Morgan was in a lot of pain, but to be fair he was never much of an outdoorsman. He loved nature and animals sure. The thought of being a park ranger intrigued him but after one week into the job the fantasy was extinguished. This also dawned on Morgan that Jeffrey only wanted him to have this job because he was in love with his sister. It didn’t bother Morgan: who was he to get in the way of true love. These are the inner workings of the sixteen-year-old brain.

Jeffrey helped Morgan to his feet, wrapping his arm over his neck. “Don’t put too much pressure on your left leg, got it?” Morgan nodded. They walked back the way they came. Jeffrey looked directly above him, the sun slightly shifted over. He realized it was way past lunch and they hadn’t eaten since early morning.

“You want a piece of my granola bar?” Jeffrey asked his injured counterpart. Morgan nodded. Jeffrey settled Morgan down on a tree stump and went through his pack. He found two granola bars at the very bottom.

“My mum always makes me bring these, just in case. Brought two granola bars with me all summer, this is the first time I’ve eaten one.”

He handed one to Morgan who immediately tore into it, chewing as though he had never tasted food before.

“Water?” Jeffrey asked but Morgan only shook his head. As Morgan continued to gorge himself, Jeffrey sat and looked around at his surroundings. He took living in Hillsbury, and working in the park for granted. He never truly realized the beauty of his surroundings before.

“I know you like Claudia.”

Morgan said pulling Jeffrey out of his moment.

“What?” Jeffrey said weakly, trying to recover from the shock of being found out.

“My sister, I know you like her.” Morgan repeated.

Jeffrey said nothing as his mind raced

“And I just want you to know, I’m OK with it.” Morgan smiled “I’ll even put in a good word for you if you’d like!”

Jeffrey chuckled in an attempt to seem unfazed, “It’s alright, I’m sure she’d rather be with guys her own age.”

Morgan finished his granola bar and placed the empty wrapper into his pocket “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She usually gets annoyed when my friends come over, but not you.”

Jeffrey couldn’t help but grin. He got back up to his feet “C’mon, let’s get back to headquarters. Get some real food in us.” He moved to help Morgan to his feet, but was stopped rather uncharacteristically by Morgan.

“I’m good.” Morgan took a step, with a limp and gave Jeffrey a “thumbs up.”

“Crap.” Morgan started “Forgot the canteen.”

“I’ll get it.” Jeffrey quickly jogged back to the stump and picked up the water bottle. Upon picking the bottle up he noticed red streaked along the stump.

“Jesus, Morgan, how much did you bleed?”

Morgan looked at Jeffrey with a quizzical look.

“I’m not, it’s mostly all dried.” Jeffrey took a step back. Behind the long he could see a trail of blood.

“What is it?” Morgan called from the trail.

“Nothing.” He lied. “Let’s get back to headquarters. I’ll tell you when we get there.” He rushed back to Morgan.

“No,” Morgan said as Jeffrey caught up to him “I don’t want you babying me. What is it?”

Jeffrey took a breath, collected his thoughts. “A bloody trail. Dry blood running from the tree stump, looks like it leading towards the bay."

“Where Mrs. Liman figures there’s a bear?” Morgan asked. Jeffrey nodded. “Well, let’s go check it out. We should check it out.” Morgan shocked Jeffrey. “You’re injured”

“If that boy is out there like you believe, shouldn’t we at least attempt to look for him? A few scratches on my leg shouldn’t stop us from that. Right?”

He’s right, thought Jeffrey. “Yeah.” Jeffrey agreed. The two junior rangers turned and walked towards the direction of the cave. Jeffrey couldn’t bring himself to tell Morgan that one smear on a rock looked remarkably like that of a small hand print.

Henry Carter sat at his desk flipping through old missing persons cases. Crime was not unheard of in Hillsbury but it certainly was no hot bed for illicit activities. The thrill of getting away with a crime in these parts would be enticing to the most criminally insane minds, but those opportunities rarely presented themselves. Summer saw Hillsbury population booming with summer tourists but they rarely had anything of real value on them. The women leave their real jewellery at home and the men pay with credit cards or traveler’s cheques. Very few bring cash higher than twenty dollar bills. When word got out about the missing Liman boy (and it would), the town would have a panic on its hands. The Mayor would not be happy with a crisis so close to the Labour Day festivities. Henry rubbed his forehead in frustration as he pondered what to do next when Ava burst into his office. Henry had never seen Ava so distressed and he instantly stood up as she rushed toward him. “I think I know what happened to Joel.” She gasped as he gripped his desk.

As Ava and Henry approached the garbage by the south bathrooms they stopped. Ava looked down, a fearful expression graced her brow.

“This is where I first saw-” Ava couldn’t finish her sentence so she showed Henry the picture she took of the footprint in the dirt.

“This was here?” Henry questioned.

Ava nodded “Not just here, all the way into the woods. Stopping, just randomly. I followed the path, hiding the tracks to not start a panic.”

“Good call. Where’d the tracks lead?”

“About five hundred yards into the woods, but-” She stopped herself again. Henry leaned in closer “There’s something else you’ve got to see.” She reached into her pocket and handed Henry a zip-lock bag. “I found this, right around where the prints ended. Couple squirrels were playing with it and…”

Henry flipped the zip-lock bag over and examined it.

A human ear.

“My god.” barely escaped his lips before Ava broke down into tears. “Hey, hey, we don’t know whose this is.”

Ava couldn’t shake the chill from her spine. “It doesn’t matter whose, it was still someone’s.”

“Could have just been an accident, hunting or something.” Henry couldn’t even believe his own lie. He rubbed his hand through his hair

“Alright, OK” he tried to settle himself down “You stay here with the campers, make sure they’re safe. I’m gonna get a hold of forensics.” Ava nodded “And Ava, get a hold of my son. Make sure you guys never leave each other’s sites. Got me?” Ava nodded in complete understanding. Henry ran off. Ava stood by the trashcan, her face covered in tears. Unbeknownst to her or Henry, Bruce Archer had been using the restroom, and finished just as the conversation wrapped up.

Henry hung up the phone in disgust. He had been speaking with forensics and was informed it would take as long as two business days to get the results back. He decided to call Sheriff Walden and see if he could fast track the situation. His call went directly to voice mail. Here he was on the busiest weekend of the year, with a missing boy, a piece of shirt, and an ear that was too small to be from an adult. He sat back in his chair as his mind began to spin. He had been on the go all morning and barely had a chance to breath. In his tenure as park ranger, he had dealt with people constantly getting lost in the woods, several young swimmers drowning annually, and perhaps a handful of deaths caused by untrained rock climbers. And the unexplained disappearance of his sister. Today had already outdone all of those things combined and he barely had a handle on what was happening. What will happen next, he thought.

The answer came quickly: His personal phone rang.

“Hello?” He answered with in an uneasy tone as he placed the phone to his ear. “Henry? How is everything?” It was Rachel. Obviously the amber alert hadn’t reached everyone yet.

“Uh, you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?” She curiously asked. “It’s been rough, today. Things have been.” He was tripping over his words, trying to determine the best way to explain the events to his wife. Rachel replied before he could continue, “Well you can tell me in a couple minutes. I’m bringing Sarah down to the park. I brought you and Jeff some lunch.”

Henry was horrified at the thought. “Rachel, I don’t -”

“Don’t be ridiculous, we’re already pulling up. Love you.” She hung up the phone. Henry dropped his phone down onto his desk and rushed to the entrance. Through the glass window of the ranger headquarters he could see Rachel and Sarah walking towards the main entrance. In a moment, he was through the station doors and standing in front of the mini van.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Rachel wasn’t sure what was going on, but let Sarah out of her seat.

“What are you talking about?” She asked. Henry did not know how to proceed in telling his wife everything. As he gathered his thoughts he watched as the Mayor pulled in. “Gimme a second, don’t let Sarah leave alone!” He said firmly as he went to meet the mayor.

Mayor Tremblay exited his car and removed his hat as Henry approached him.

“Mayor Tremblay, I -.” Henry began.

The Mayor looked into his eyes and growled between his teeth “we need to talk.” Henry turned to Rachel to tell her to take Sarah home, but before he could the Mayor put his arm on his shoulder.

“They’re perfectly fine” the Mayor assured Henry. Henry was rightly confused.

Mayor Tremblay shut the door in a huff behind him as Henry stood up straight with his arms crossed.

“I’m hearing rumblings you want to shut the park down?” The Mayor asked. Henry nodded. He had been considering it after all of the discoveries made. Plus an empty park would be easier for a search party to come in and locate Joel. The Mayor shook his head and straightened a framed picture of Henry and his family on the wall.

“That won’t be necessary” he started.

Henry quickly chimed in “Mr. Mayor, with all due respect we have a missing kid out there. On top of that, we’ve discovered - things.”

The Mayor nodded “I know, I’m aware of the ‘claw’ and the ear.”

“So you understand my concern?” Henry questioned.

Tremblay walked around the office, looking over Henry’s diplomas and awards. After a moment he responded.

“I do.”

Henry waited for the “but” .

The Mayor turned to him “But…”

There it was

“…There is no need for concern.”

Henry could not believe his ears

“Tremblay!”

“No, Henry, you listen to me. You will not be shutting Hillsbury Park down on the eve of the biggest weekend of the season. Your campgrounds are book solid and by tomorrow afternoon your park will be at capacity. Vendors are on their way, Ferris wheels, whack-a-mole, it’s all happening, Henry.”

Henry calmed himself and shook his head.

“We have a bear problem.” Tremblay calmly explained.

“I’m sorry, but did you say ‘bear problem’?”

The Mayor nodded his head

“Exactly. I’ve spoken with several authorities on the matter and they’ve all assured me this is simply a bear problem. It’s bizarre, for sure, but it is what it is. I’m sure that Patty Liman will be happy to hear that.”

“There’s no bear in Hillsbury Park.”

“You’re wrong, Henry, there is. As I said, several experts have assured me this is nothing more than a bear. One bear.” The Mayor was dead serious on this, forcing this truth onto Henry. Henry shook his head. “Now you’re going to go outside, and let your wife and daughter run around the park and play and have fun. You’re going to show a good example to the rest of our guests. Understand?”

Henry was in shock. He was not sure what was out there, but he was confident it wasn’t a bear.

“I think we’re over under-estimating something here…” Henry was trying to control his emotions.

“We’re not. Henry, you let the police do their job and conduct the search on the missing boy. All of who by the way agree about the bear. Including your friend Trundle.”

Henry looked at the Mayor in disbelief as he continued “…and you do your job, and keep the people in the park safe.”

Tremblay reached his hand out for a shake.

“Agreed?” Henry wasn’t sure he agreed, but what choice did he have in the matter? The Mayor had made his decision for him and he either cooperated or lost his job. Tremblay was right, however, it was the job of law enforcement to search for Joel, he could only do his part and keep the park as safe as possible.

Henry reluctantly shook the Mayors hand. He felt the grip begin to tighten, and was slowly pulled closer to the Mayor.

“And just so you’re aware; I’ll be putting a bounty on the bear later this afternoon.” Henry’s eyes widened “Expect some of the loons from Hasaga over the next day or so, and be sure to keep your guests in line.”

Tremblay let the grip go and quickly exited the office, leaving Henry to the silence of his office.

***

Fifty miles East of Hillsbury, and two thousand and thirty miles above sea level in the middle of Mount Foggerty, a popular ski village in the winter, lays the town of Hasaga. Known for Hunting, Hasaga held a population of thirteen hundred. A trailer park, fitting seventy-five trailers and several tents, was a popular spot for hunting families to spend their nights, and the non-hunters to spend their days. In the middle of the park was a lawn bowling green, which come Labour day was the home of the annual Hasaga Trailer Park Lawn Bowling championship and cookout. The trailer park community all would get together and enjoy a potluck and barbecue. The meat would be from a local animal, hunted that summer and judged on by a group of three judges. During the barbecuing, the willing would participate in a ten hour-long lawn bowling tournament. I couldn’t in good faith tell you it was a high quality affair, as most of the participants only played lawn bowling on this date every year, and most had a little more beer or other forms of alcohol that would most certainly disrupt the skills necessary for lawn bowling, but I digress. It, after all, was fun. Like it’s neighbouring town Hillsbury, Hasaga was a tight knit community, most definitely a different class of community, but a tight knit, priorities straight group of individuals all looking for a good time.

Several hours before the break of dawn on the Friday a group of hunters set out for the day. They packed their trucks and jeeps with rifles, bows, arrows, netting, whatever they felt they’d need that day. This was typically the day you’d set of to find your prized kill, the one to be used for the grand barbecue.

Tyson Marchman had just turned fourteen and his mother had finally allowed him to go out on a hunt with his father. He had dreamed of this day his entire life. Victor Marchman, his father, had won the barbecue contest the past three summers and he was ecstatic to be invited. Nothing would be better than standing next to his father as he won the contest for the fourth time. Victor told his son often his two keys to becoming a successful hunter: understanding and respect.

Respect not only for the sport but also for the animal. He would never hunt for game. He had no desire to line his house with bear rugs, or antlers on the walls. What he hunted he hunted for food. He hunted and sold the meat to a local butcher in his town. Last year’s winning entry was a goat he hunted with a bow and arrow. Hunting this way, though more difficult, created a more tender piece of meat. The sound of a bullet firing out of a gun creates a sense of fear in the animal, causing it to tense up. A bow and arrow however is silent and just as deadly.

There was something about the feeling of the arrow shooting from fingertips that created a sense of power in Victor. It wasn’t a higher power feeling. It was more of a realization. A realization that on this planet we are one and meant to live as one. Death is a part of life. You cannot have one without the other and in Victor’s eyes the death of any species is meant to help the life of another. The death of an animal to be fed upon by another is the highest level of respect one could be given.

Victor had taught Tyson how to fire an arrow though Tyson didn’t think himself very good at it. As they drove to the site, butterflies filled his stomach and a feeling of nausea overcame him. He almost wanted to ask his father to pull over and let him out to be sick but he wouldn’t dare show weakness in front of Victor.

They pulled in to the hunting grounds and exited the car. Victor carried the gear to where he and his son would set up a hunting blind.

“Want me to carry anything?” Victor politely asked.

No response from his father. They quietly set up the blind and waited.

Victor scanned the woods through his binoculars but there was no sign of any deer. He tapped his son on the shoulder

“OK. Let’s try moving to another spot. Remember what I said? Stay slow. Got it?” Tyson nodded as the two exited the blind and made their way further through the forest.

A strange feeling ran through Victor. This area was typically over populated with deer, especially at this hour in the morning. They stopped by a stand of trees and Victor surveyed the area. Tyson looked around confused.

“Where are they all?”

“I don’t know!” Victor he hissed at his son. The sun was beginning to rise. The window for hunting their prey was closing. Victor had wondered if the other hunter’s were having the same luck this morning. A day earlier he must have seen at least seven deer, shooting down two. Today was the competition day, the deer you caught today, was the deer you’d be judged on. He wondered if they would make an exception? Of course they wouldn’t, not if he was the only one without an animal.

As the sun rose, Victor stood to his feet and accepted defeat.

“C’mon.” he said to his son.

“Where we going?”

“Home.”

Victor was clearly disappointed in the day. Tyson, after one outing, had still never hunted.

“Ah, man. Can’t we go for a hike or something at least?”

Feeling bad for his son, and himself, he nodded and the two hiked around the forest for a couple hours. The whole time, Victor noticed the lack of wildlife. Hardly any birds were heard. No squirrels or chipmunks running around. After the hike, Victor treated Tyson to lunch at a local tavern. Tyson ordered a bison burger and fries, and Victor ate anything that wasn’t deer. The father and son sat and ate, and enjoyed each other’s company. Victor looked into his growing sons eyes and remembered the day he was born.

“You’re growing up so fast," he said.

“Ah, Dad, don’t get all gooey on me.” Tyson laughed.

Victor gently tossed a fry at Tyson. “How’s the burger? Good?”

Tyson nodded. Victor looked down at his watch.

“What time is it?” Tyson asked.

“It’s late. Your Mother’s gonna be pissed.” Victor smiled. It was coming up on two in the afternoon, which was much later in the day than it would have been had they caught a deer. Victor and Tyson finished their lunch, paid the bill, and made their way back to the trailer park.

As they drove into the park, they passed a man smoking outside his jeep. Tyson recognized the Hillsbury Park sticker on the jeep immediately.

“What’s the Hillsbury ranger doing here?” he asked his father. As Victor parked the car and thought of approaching the park ranger, he noticed Dean Scranton carrying a deer over his shoulders followed by a big group of people.

“Well I’ll be damned!” Victor slammed the door shut and stomped over to Dean,“What the hell is that?”

Dean turned to Victor and dropped the deer on the ground. “A deer. My spoils of victory. Why?”

“My boy and I were out there all morning, we didn’t see nothin!’” Victor was near shouting.

“I know, Dean here’s the only one to kill anything today.” The voice was coming from Dean’s half brother Flynn.

“What spot?” Victor asked Dean.

“Same as yesterday.” He answered with a straight face “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have judges to visit.” Dean picked the deer back up over his shoulders and carried it off in victory.

Victor stormed back to his truck where Tyson was waiting for him.

“C’mon” He said to his son as they walked towards their trailer. Henry followed close behind. Victor stopped as he remembered the Hillsbury park ranger. He looked his way and walked over

“Can I help you? You look far from home.

“I hear you’re a hunter?” Henry said.

“I am yeah, most here are.”

“I also hear you’re the best.”

Victor pointed over to Dean “Not today, I’m not.”

“You and I both know that deer wasn’t caught today.”

Victor gave Henry a second look.

“Tyson, go to the trailer. I’ll be there in a minute.” Tyson did as he was told and Victor stepped a foot closer to Henry.

“You’ve got my attention, Mr. Ranger, sir.”

“I’ve come from Hillsbury-” Victor cut him off, “I know where you’re from.”

Henry flicked his cigarette.

“My Mayor’s about to put a bounty on an animal. A bear.”

Victor narrowed his eyes. “There aren’t any bears in Hillsbury.”

Henry nodded, “I know, and you know. My Mayor and the police force on the other hand… Look, this bounty is happening, I’m a couple hours away from who knows how many hunters hitting my park. All with firearms.”

He took a breath and Victor noticed the sound of slight desperation in his voice, “I need to speak with you in confidence.”

Victor nodded his head “Sure.”

Henry continued, “Right now, a boy has gone missing and a body part has been found. I have no clue if one belongs to the other but this is my situation. I don’t think we’re dealing with a bear. I think we’re dealing with someone who wants us to think it was a bear.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to call the Mayor, tell him you’ll take care of the bear personally. Tell him who you are, all of your credentials, so he knows and trusts you’re doing this in good faith. Then I want you to hunt down and find the son of a bitch who’s terrorizing my park.”

Victor did not know what to make of this proposition though he understood why the ranger would come see him. A public bounty on an animal would draw out everybody, not just hunters. It would cause more problems than solve. Victor nodded

“Get me the Mayor’s number.”

***

Ava sat at Henry desk. When she became a park ranger this sort of day was not something she had in mind. She figured there would be days when people would get injured, maybe killed, but never something like this. A part of her did enjoy it, the thrill of a mystery. Though the image of an ear being chewed by a squirrel was not one she would quickly shake. Patty Liman had just left the office, by way of Sherriff Walden only a half hour earlier.

Bentley Trundle had stayed behind to begin coordinating a proper search of the park and surrounding woods. Ava looked up from her work to when he walked into the office, knocking before he entered.

“Oh.” He said, surprised to see Ava behind the desk. “Henry in?”

Ava shook her head.

“Any idea when he’ll be back?” Bentley continued.

“He went to Hasaga. Not sure for what, wouldn’t say.”

“I think I know.” Bentley lowered his head, ashamed of what he was about to say. “The Mayor’s about to issue a bounty for the bear.”

“Bear? What bear?” Ava asked.

“The one in the park. The one that killed Joel.” Ava couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Bentley shook his head. “Afraid not.”

“How could you? Are you insane?” Ava rose from her chair.

“Look, it’s not as if I had much of a choice. Tremblay’s crazy. He hired these guys to say it was a bear, they showed me proof and evidence that it was a bear. What was I to do, Ava? What? Lose my job? Then what help would I be?”

“Well what help are you now?”

She walked Bentley out, he stopped and held Ava by the arms, “I will get to the bottom of this, Ava.”

“Get out, you’ve done enough.” She pushed Bentley away. He took a few steps towards the door before stopping.

“Ava.” He was calm as ever in his delivery.

“What?” she was furious.

He marched over to her and embraced her with a kiss. It was a passionate kiss, one he had been waiting to give her for a long time now. She shoved him off of her,

“What in the hell are you doing? What about Elise?”

Bentley couldn’t resist, there was something about Ava something he was madly attracted to. “Ava, I can’t control myself around you.”

“Then maybe don’t be around me then? Goodbye, Bent.” Ava walked him out of the headquarters and closed the door.

Bentley exited the ranger headquarters and marched straight towards his car. Jeffrey and Morgan were sitting on a curb outside. Jeffrey stood and walked towards Bentley.

“Mr. Trundle? Officer? Sir?”

Bentley was not in any mood to speak with anyone, he turned and gave Jeffrey a vicious stare.

“Sorry, Morgan and I have been – We’ve been looking for Patty Liman’s boy. I haven’t been able to get hold of my dad.”

“What is it? Spit it out for Christ sake.” Bentley was clearly upset and just wanted to leave the park.

“There’s something you should see.” Jeffrey looked at Morgan who stood up off of the curb.

Bentley sighed “OK.”

The boys took Bentley through the woods.

“At any point are either of you going to tell me where we’re headed?”

Bentley asked, still upset and frustrated from his encounter with Ava. He couldn’t understand where she was coming from. As far as he was aware there were no men in her life, she was a career-oriented woman not looking for love. At least that’s what she told him, unless she was lying. Thing’s were fine at home for Bentley, he had no reason to cheat on Elise again, save for the fact that he was completely obsessed with Ava. When not around her he could move on with his life as though she didn’t exist, but seeing her again this morning only refueled the fire burning within him. He wasn’t so much in love with Ava as he was obsessed and lusting for her. He felt like a recovering addict that was about to relapse.

“Cape’s Side Bay.” Jeffrey said, derailing Bentley’s train of thought.

He stopped walking and looked at the boys.

“Cape’s Side Bay?” He asked.

Jeffrey nodded.

“There’s nothing at Cape’s Side, but swamp.”

“And blood.” Morgan spoke up. “There’s blood. We found a trail of dried blood, it lead to the bay.”

“And you followed the trail all the way to the bay?” Bentley rubbed his forehead.

“Almost, not quite.” Jeffrey said, “But it’s not hard to miss. You can see the trail and follow it. The only place it could go to is the Bay.” Bentley could hear the trembling in Jeffrey’s voice. He soon realized that they boys were not joking and they had seen something. Bentley nodded his head and they continued walking. As they got closer to the Bay the trail of dried blood appeared on the ground below. Bentley squatted down and stared at the blood.

“It’s old, about a day.”

“Think it might be Joel’s?” Morgan asked.

Bentley stood back up, “I’m not sure.”

They continued walking. They walked until the trail ended and they stood facing Cape’s Side Bay. They looked around at the wilderness; the rocky cliff, the cave high above, the swamp below, and a bloody hand print two feet above the water on the rocks.

“That what you wanted me to see?” Both boys nodded.

Bentley took a deep breath, he removed his walkie-talkie from his belt and held it to his mouth.

“This is Deputy Sheriff Trundle, I’m gonna need divers, and I’m gonna need them at Cape’s Side Bay. That’s Cape’s Side Bay.” He looked around at the murky swamp water, “And they’re gonna need lights.”

He looked down at the boys and for the first time since enjoying his morning cup of coffee many hours ago Bentley Trundle smiled. “Why don’t you head on back to headquarters? You did well, thank you.”

Jeffrey let out a smile of his own, proud of the work he had done. In fact it was the first time all summer he felt useful. Morgan slapped him on the shoulder and raced back to headquarters. Bentley looked around at the bay.

“What in the hell is going on here?” he wondered.

***

Victor followed Henry down the dirt road, Highway 21, heading towards Hillsbury. Victor was uncomfortable with this entire situation. He knew where both the Mayor and Henry were coming from, and he worried many innocent people would get hurt, or worse! Weapons are not to be taken lightly, especially not near campgrounds in Hillsbury Park, populated by mostly families with small children. He also was not entirely comfortable searching for a killer. He was no cop or detective, just a hick from the country who enjoyed hunting and the odd game of Yahtzee. Oh, how did Victor love Yahtzee. At first glance none would suspect him of having a guilty pleasure such as that, but those who knew him best knew to always arrive at his house with a game of Yahtzee on hand and it would be a good night. At least in his eyes! But, he had Tyson, and could only imagine what Patty Liman must be going through. Tyson meant the world to Victor, and he would do anything for him.

Henry looked through his rear view mirror to make sure Victor was still behind him, but what he saw caught him off guard. Behind Victor were trucks, at least a dozen, carnival fair. Tremblay said it was happening, and he was not lying. The plan must have been to set up on this night, and be ready first thing Saturday morning. Sunday, of course (the busiest day of the year) the fair would have already established itself with the visitors and been a huge success. Henry could only shake his head at what he was seeing.

Victor on the other hand had no idea what was going on and so he pulled over to the side of the road. Henry drove an additional fifty feet before realizing Victor had stopped. He pulled over and walked towards Victor.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked.

“What’s all this?” Victor watched as the dozen trucks drove passed them. “Hillsbury Labour Day carnival and fair or some bullshit, I dunno, the Mayor’s gone off his rocker.”

“You got a missing boy and a bear and your Mayor’s first reaction is to have a carnival?”

“Well, in fairness it was planned before all that happened.” Henry decided to change his angle on the conversation and reassure Victor, “They’ll be at an entirely different area of the park. It’ll be fine, safe. I promise.”

Victor looked on as the last of the trucks passed them, he thought for a moment and nodded “All right, but if I get the feeling something ain’t right, I’m done. Pulling the plug. Get me?”

Henry got him all right. The two returned to their vehicles and headed on their way to Hillsbury. As Henry drove a call came in through his Bluetooth.

“Yeah?”

It was Bentley on the other end. “Henry, it’s Trundle.”

Henry raised the volume to hear him better, “I’m just on my way back from Hasaga.”

“I know I spoke with Ava. But, look, Henry, two things. One: I was just with your boy and the other kid they lead me towards something. When you get back I’m gonna need you to meet me at Cape’s Side Bay. When you get back I’m gonna need you to meet me there. I’ve got divers coming.”

“Divers? For what?” Henry was surprised.

“I’ll clue you in when you get here. The other thing is I spoke with the parents of the boys, the ones that were out with that Liman kid last night. All kids are accounted for. According to the parents two of the boys slept at the others house and the third kid, he’s been in his room all day playing video games.”

There was silence on the phone; Henry thought for a moment, “So what’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking either Patty’s lying, or the boys snuck out. Most likely snuck out. That doesn’t change the fact they’re all accounted for.”

“Have you spoken with any of the kids yet?”

“Not yet, was waiting for you. But when you weren’t here and I ran into Jeffrey who led me to the bay… Something’s up, Henry. Get here soon.”

Bentley hung up the phone. Henry thought for a moment, he looked back to make sure Victor was still following him. He placed his foot on the gas pedal and went well above the speed limit.

Bentley stood at the edge of the Bay. His foot on a rock, his toes hovering over the swamp water beneath. A handprint covered with blood, a claw, an ear, and a piece of clothing. Things were beginning to unravel in Hillsbury and Bentley was not enjoying it. The handprint looked to belong to a child, but Bentley was not much an expert on handprints or things just as that. He made some calls and the forensics department was on their way.

The divers were getting the last pieces of their equipment on as Bentley walked over to Richard the head diver and patted him on the back.

“Good luck in there.”

The diver gave Bentley a thumbs up and jumped into the swampy water of Cape’s Side Bay. Bentley looked out at the swamp that was once a gorgeous Bay. The thought of this area being packed with people was almost unrealistic to him. He knew an older gentleman who passed away just over a year prior, who would tell him stories of the bay. Nothing positive. All of which were horror stories. Bentley assumed them to be urban myths, but looking out on the swamp on this day, under these conditions the stories of the old man consumed his thoughts.

What aura surrounded Cape’s Side Bay was mimicked in appearance. When the aura was good and fresh, it was a bubbling place, full of fish and wild life. Nature flourished during these times. When the aura turned, so would the vegetation. There have been undocumented occurrences of this over the past seventy-nine years. The problem being, that they have been undocumented. All hearsay. Locals always tell tales of the drought in Cape’s Side Bay, but there are never any records to acknowledge these fables as fact. And now with the passing of this old man, whose name had escaped Bentley, there were no more remaining citizens with this knowledge, if it was even knowledge? For all he knew these people were all being fed the same fairy tale as children, stories to deter the kids from wandering into the waters of Cape’s Side Bay.

The diver rose up from the water and removed the oxygen from his mouth. Bentley walked two steps over and waved to him. The diver paid no attention to Bentley.

“Marcus, bring a lantern!”

A second diver grabbed a flashlight, jumped into the water, and swam towards the diver. Both bodies vanished in the dark waters below. Bentley rushed over to the two divers who remained on shore.

“What’d he see?” One of the divers simply shrugged, how could he know he wasn’t down there?

“Buddy, we just do what we’re told.”

Out of town jackass! Bentley thought. Must have been a slow day for divers as he was amazed at the quickness in which they arrived. He assumed he had the amber alert to thank for that. Missing children reports are extremely serious and tended to much quicker than other reports, as they should be. The head diver rose from the water once again, this time swimming to the edge of the bay. Bentley helped him out of the water. The diver looked up at Bentley

“We’re gonna need more time down there. But, it’s interesting.”

“Interesting? How?”

The diver walked over to his truck and pulled the CB out.

“Hi, we’re gonna need a tow - Big enough for a pick up - Thank you.”

“A tow for what?” Bentley asked in confusion.

“A tow for the pick up truck you got down there.”

Ava poured herself a cup of coffee. She was never much of a coffee drinker, having always been turned off by the idea of caffeine and the effects it can have on your body. Becoming a park ranger however turned her into a sort of coffee connoisseur, you could say. Today she poured a cup of coffee under the impression that it would be a long day. There was no way she would end her day without finding Joel Liman! As she poured a pack of sugar into her coffee and gently stirred it in she could hear the front door open.

She turned to see a woman in her late thirties standing, tears pouring down her cheeks. Ava dropped her coffee mug, spilling the hot coffee all over the floor, and rushed to the woman. The woman dropped to her knees.

“What is it? Ava asked.

“My son.” The woman cried out, “my son!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

She helped the woman to her feet and sat her in a chair. The woman wiped the tears away from her eyes as Ava poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. Ava sat on a chair across from her.

“What’s wrong with your son?”

The woman opened her mouth but was unable to speak. Something horrible had happened. Ava thought for a moment.

“Would you mind telling me your name?”

“Vera, Vera Curtis.” She said and sipped her water.

Ava pulled a pen and notebook out and began to write.

“My boy was home last night, he stayed home and played video games. We just got him this new game he wanted…”

Vera broke down into tears. Ava consoled her, placing her hand on Vera’s knee.

“It’s alright, it’s OK.” Ava assured her, “Where’s your son now?”

The woman turned her head and looked out the window at her old beat up station wagon.

“In my car. The trunk of my car.”

The words the trunk of my car circled Ava’s brain like a bad dream. She got up from her seat and ran out of the headquarters. She pulled on the trunk of the station wagon, but to no avail, it was locked. She turned to Vera who was slowly making her way outside.

“Give me your keys!” Ava screamed firmly to the devastated mother. Vera went through her purse and fumbled about with a few objects before finally finding her keys and handing them over to Ava. She quickly unlocked the truck and frantically opened the door.

When Ava looked in and saw the boy her eyes filled with tears. Shock, pain, and agony filled Ava’s mind, body, and soul. In the trunk of the car laid David Curtis, asleep, still breathing. He was in the fetal position, his arms tucked between his legs.


His eyes sown shut.


Both eyes were swollen, and bruised. There was a marking on his left cheek, looked like a stab wound from a knife. Ava grabbed the side of the station wagon for support as a wave of nausea hit her. She promptly emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

Henry and Victor soon pulled up to the headquarters. From where they parked they could only see Vera, and her station wagon. Victor walked over to Henry.

“Who’s that?”

Henry shook his head, “Vera Curtis.”

They both walked towards the station wagon.

“Vera?” Henry asked, Vera looked over at him. “Is everything alright?”

Vera didn’t move. Henry could now hear Ava crying.

“Ava?”

He noticed her lying on the ground and ran over to her, “What’s wrong?”

“The boy, the boy.” She cried out.

“What boy?” Henry asked as he held Ava in her arms.

“This boy.” Victor said, staring directly into the trunk at David.

Henry stood up and looked in the vehicle.

“My god.” Henry said as he covered his mouth.

“That’s an interesting bear you’ve got around here.” Victor said as he looked around at the surrounding park.


Next Chapter: Friday Evening