Page 42 of Something Cryptid This Way Comes
My phone buzzes.
Agnes: Hello dear. The figure was behind the fence line near the woods. I’m heading to Lydia and Celia’s.
Bram: I’ll check that area now.
Agnes: Thank you dear. Talk soon.
I show Trevor the message. “I need to go there.”
He nods. “Let’s do it now.”
After saying goodnight to Ever and Dmitri, we cut down one of the paths.
The area backing up to the woods is dark. We walk for a few minutes, scanning the fence line.
“I wish I had my gear.” My phone has night vision mode, but it isn’t as good as my other equipment. Still, I turn it on.
He squeezes my hand. “We can come back with that stuff another night.”
At the tree line, branches wave like something is moving between them. I tighten my hold on his hand and pull him forward. Among the shadows, a darker, hairy figure slips between the trees.
“Fuck. There.” My boots pounding the grass, I run toward it. “Hey!”
I reach the fence, thrust my phone at Trevor, then start climbing. My gloves prevent the links from biting my fingers, but fear I’ll slip slices through me. Up to the top of the fence, I throw one leg over, then the other, and scramble down the opposite side, jumping the last two feet.
Crunching leaves drift from further away. I race afterthem, my shoes kicking up dirt and leaves and drowning out the sounds I need to follow.
Panting, I slow down, then stop. Crickets chirp. The wind blows. And the footsteps are gone.
I listen for a few minutes. Whoever was here is either as silent and still as a statue or too far away. Walking around the woods in the dark without the aid of my phone’s flashlight or night vision isn’t smart. Frustration burning through me, I turn back the way I came.
Concern creasing his features, Trevor waits on the other side of the fence. “Anything?”
“They’re gone.”
“What was it? I didn’t get to see your screen.”
I heft myself up the fence. “Someone in a hairy costume. Bears don’t run like that.”
He backs up when I climb over the top. “I think where you were running is part of Zeke Knight’s property. He owns a big spread over here.”
I drop to the ground. “He’s Agnes’s friend. I talked to him about Mabel. He leaves food out for her every night.”
“He’d probably let us investigate.”
“Yeah. I’ll text Agnes and tell her to let Zeke know that someone in a costume is trespassing on his property. And have her ask him if he’ll let us come back to check things out.” When Trevor hands over my phone, I fire off the text.
He slips his arm around my shoulders. “We’ll figure out what’s going on.”
“I hope so.” We’re close, but I need to be closer. I wrap my arm around his waist and feel better when he hugs me to his side and kisses me. “Let’s go home. We have an episode to watch.”
And a monster to find.
CHAPTER 13
TREVOR
Moody classical music drifts through the carriage house entryway, whisper soft like a ghost’s caress. The purple lighting and shadows shifting across the walls, and the raging storm outside further set the scene.
