Page 25 of Silent Bones

Noah stared.

“Okay, maybe not. But we’re on Spotify. YouTube. iTunes. I came up here on a tip. Four dead? One missing? A brutal attack.It’s all over the cryptid forums. A few photos were leaked. You can’t keep something like that quiet, not around here. That kind of news travels.”

Noah narrowed his eyes. “You’re saying the media already knows?”

“Not officially. But whispers? Oh yeah. Locals are talking. There’s posts, threads. Someone said they saw claw marks in the trees.”

“You read that online?”

Miles looked smug. “I read it... and I saw it.”

He gestured toward a canvas bag strapped over his shoulder. Noah reached for it, unzipping it roughly.

Inside, nestled in foam, was a small cast, plaster-white, rough-edged, and unmistakably shaped like an enormous footprint.

Noah held it up in the light of his flashlight. “You took a cast?”

Miles tried to look proud. “That’s part of real field work. You don’t get that from a studio mic.”

“You realize this is now evidence.”

Miles gaped. “You’re confiscating it?”

“You bet your bearded ass I am.”

“That’s—” He raised a finger. “You know what, fine. But you better label it properly. Left foot, partial arch, north-facing slope.”

Noah stared at him. “You catalog your trespasses?”

“I catalog everything. I’m very detail oriented.”

A moment passed, their breath loud in the quiet woods.

Noah finally asked, “How did you find this spot?”

Miles looked sheepish. “I tracked it. It doesn’t take much to piece together the location. I followed the chatter, news reports, then stopped by Ed’s place. We pinned it down to here.”

Noah blinked. “Hold on a second. Ed Baxter?”

Miles lit up. “Yeah. You know Ed? Great guy. We go way back. He’s been on the podcast multiple times. We are actually considering hosting at his home one of these days.”

“You’re telling me my neighbor is on a Sasquatch podcast?”

“He’s our recurring guest expert on Adirondack sightings. Real boots-on-the-ground kind of guy. He’s a rare breed.”

Noah exhaled slowly. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Not at all. Ed’s got some of the most convincing theories around. Plus, a great radio voice.”

“I thought he just shouted at raccoons.”

Miles grinned. “To the untrained ear, yes.”

Noah didn’t dignify that.

Instead, Noah stared out at the trees, at the spot where the bodies had once lain. “You’re telling me you think this... whatever did this... was a Sasquatch?”

“I’m not saying itwas, but I’m not saying itwasn’t. But it sure as hell wasn’t a bear. Or a cougar.”