Track of the Beast: A Brock Stone Adventure

The sounds were spreading out now until they had flanked him. Stone realized he was being herded deeper into the slot canyon, away from the Moss family cabin.

Here the dense canopy cast the forest in shadows. Dark shapes appeared in the dim light, coming closer until he could see the beasts clearly. They were huge, seven to nine feet tall with broad shoulders, barrel chests, and thick, overlong arms and legs. Their fur was glossy and ranged from auburn to almost black. Their faces were simian; intelligence brimmed in eyes that were eerily human.

The Bigfoot troop continued to close in, clacking their rocks and sticks, slapping trees, and emitting throaty grunts and growls.

Cold sweat ran down the back of Stone’s neck. He took a step back and drew his Webley. He didn’t wish to harm these fantastic creatures, but he would defend his own life with deadly force if necessary.

Soft footsteps shuffled nearby. He spun about, searching for the source of the sound. He spotted it immediately.

A gorgeous woman stood in front of him. Her fair skin was bruised and scraped. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a bun. Wonder shone in her big brown eyes.

“Stone? What are you doing here?

23-Trinity’s Story

A smile spread across his face. “Trinity! Thank heaven you’re alive.” For a moment, he forgot all about the Bigfoot. When he looked back, he realized they had all gone silent at Trinity’s appearance.

“You don’t need that,” she said, indicating the Webley with a nod of her head. “They simply want you to move along. This is their part of the canyon. Follow me.”

She led him through the narrow crevasse and emerged onto a ledge overlooking another box canyon. This one was deeper than the smaller one from which he had just come. A river wended its way through the forest below.

Stone had no interest in admiring the view. He wrapped his arms around Trinity’s waist and pulled her close, trying to convince himself she was real. Trinity draped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest.

“I am very happy to see you,” she murmured. “But I did not need you to rescue me.”

He lowered his head to kiss her and paused, crinkled his nose.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, but you usually smell… pleasant.”

“I’ve been down in this canyon for days. Of course I’m going to smell… earthy.”

“If that’s what you want to call it.” He leaned down and kissed her gently.

Trinity let out a soft whimper and for a split second, she seemed to melt. Suddenly she stiffened and pushed him away.

“What are you doing here? How did you even know where to look for me?” She gave him a playful punch in the chest.

“Your friend Constance came to me for help after she didn’t hear from you for a week.”

“Constance? I don’t have a friend by that name.” Trinity pursed her lips and fixed him with a suspicious stare. “Who is this person, exactly?”

“About your age. Blonde, fair skin, a bit on the prim and proper side.”

“You mean Connie.” Trinity closed her eyes and let out a low groan. “She’s not my friend.”

“She knows quite a lot about you,” Stone said, wondering if he had been duped.

“She’s a librarian. I sort of collected her when I started investigating John Kane. She’s nice enough, but she’s a strange one.”

“How so?”

“If she isn’t popping by unannounced, she’s ‘accidentally’ bumping into me at various places around the city. I’ve tried to gently create some distance between us but she’s persistent. She’s quite bright and is good company, but I think she’s lonely and unskilled at making friends.”

“Spending too much time with your nose in a book will do that to you. Look at Alex.” Stone cocked his head. “Speaking of, he and Constance appear to have taken a shine to one another. Perhaps he can occupy some of her free time.” He paused. Trinity’s face had twisted into a puzzled frown. “What’s the matter?”

“I never told Connie where I was going. Only that I would be gone for a few weeks at the very least.”

“She knew you had visited the offices of the Seattle Spokesman,” Stone said. “Do you think she could be a plant from Kane’s organization?”

Trinity appeared troubled. “I suppose it’s possible, but my instincts say no. Probably she sweet-talked the information out of my editor. I had to give him enough details to get approval for the trip.”

“You gave her a note to give to me,” Stone reminded her. “Unfortunately, she had a mishap and ruined it. I could only make out a few words.”

“Note?” Trinity frowned. “I didn’t write any note.”

Stone froze. He was seeing things in a different light. If the note was forged, then maybe Constance’s odd decision to travel by canoe was part of the ruse.

“We’ll get to the bottom of things when we find her. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He put his arm around her but she pulled away.

“We can’t go now.”

“The Bigfoot,” he said. “I’m afraid I riled them up by coming too close to their den.”

“That is not the reason. It’s my investigation. Stone, you will not believe what I have found in Ape Canyon!”