Justin murmured his agreement, returning the kiss with sleepy passion. “Neither can I. Sounds like a good thing.”
They talked over a breakfast of toast and scrambled eggs in the hotel restaurant. Justin hated to go home without Scott but didn’t want to pressure him to move too quickly, although he would welcome having Scott stay with him.
Soon. Maybe soon,he told himself.
“You going to see the Fox Institute people today?” Justin asked as they savored a second cup of coffee.
“Yeah. I was glad someone could see me on short notice,” Scott replied.
“If you need an ice breaker, ask them about the times our VFD let them know we’d seen strange things out on a call a couple of nights ago,” Justin said, reminding Scott that he was one of the volunteer firefighters.
“Tell me.” Scott leaned his elbows on the table.
“I don’t know whether this qualifies as a ‘mine monster’ or not, but we got a call with the Volunteer Fire Department from a lady who said she had a monster in her backyard,” Justin continued.
“What happened?”
“We chased it, and it ran into an old railroad tunnel that wasn’t sealed up. That’s where we lost it, because we sure as hell weren’t chasing it in there,” Justin said.
“I don’t know if it originally came from the mine, but it was freaky as all hell, and it didn’t look like anything anyone had seen before. We monitored it for a while, and when nothing else showed, they went back and sealed the tunnel entrance. And one of my tour clients spotted something strange running along the road north of town. Didn’t look like anything either of us recognized.” Justin ended his story.
“Like the things people are saying they’ve seen recently?” Scott asked. “Lynn warned me not to go walking at night.”
“Might be. Then again, the forest is big enough to be a hiding place for anything that doesn’t want to be seen,” Justin replied. “And there are lots of caves and abandoned places besides the big mine.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Scott replied. “Maybe it’s a rare underground species. Whether they’re monsters or just unusual tends to be the stuff of academic arguments.”
Justin laughed. “Those poor, misunderstood creatures! I guess that makes sense. I’ve seen pictures of some of the really weird things that live at the bottom of the ocean. Still, I wonder if the miners ever ran into them in the deepest parts of the shaft.”
“It would be great if I could find an account like that,” Scott mused. “Maybe in a diary or a descendant remembering family stories. That seems like the kind of thing that would get passed along.”
“What happened after the creature ran back into the tunnel?” Scott asked. “Did the Institute investigate?”
“Whatever we saw, it didn’t show itself again,” Justin replied. “People have seen ghosts around the mines, too. Not inside the mine, but nearby. When the Fox folks sent mediums, they said the ghosts were from workers who were killed excavating the deep shafts, and from miners without sufficient safety precautions. That didn’t surprise me, given the industry and the time the mine was dug.”
“Have people tried to contact the spirits since then?”
“A few times,” Justin said. “They haven’t been friendly. The general opinion is that the ghosts want to be left in peace, and the site should be treated like a memorial.”
“I can see that,” Scott mused. “I’ll ask if they’ve heard more from other sources. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Sure.” Justin refilled his cup from the pitcher on the table and offered more to Scott, which he eagerly accepted. “The Fox folks are nice people. They remind me of a lot of the professors I knew in college, if they had been the sort to believe in ghosts, magic, and the paranormal.”
They finished breakfast and lingered over the last of the coffee. “I know you’ve got the hotel all week, but you’re welcome to stay over with me and leave your gear here whenever you want,” Justin offered, leaning in for a peck on the lips.
“That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.” Scott grinned and returned the kiss. “And it saves us from lugging my stuff around.”
“Then it’s a done deal. I’ve got several tours today, but I finish around five. Meet me at the dock, and we’ll drive back together. You have my number, so you can reach me if you need anything.” Justin tried not to show just how giddy Scott’s agreement made him.
3
SCOTT
The next morning,Scott debated what to wear for his appointment with Dr. Rich Jefferies at the Fox Hollow Institute. He decided on a nice camp shirt, good jeans, and no tie, hoping to fit in with the town’s relaxed vibe.
We found our mate. Why do we have to talk to someone else?Scott’s coyote sulked.
Because my articles pay for food and a nice place to live,Scott pointed out.
