The Secrets of Bailey

Chapter 1

Dr. Jacob Taylor had arrived in the town of Bailey, Kentucky, just after sunrise. Jake had not wanted to go there or do any research for his friend, but after learning more about the area, he decided it wouldn’t be as bad as it could be. Jake had brought his gear with him for back-country hiking and camping. It was winter, and snow was in the forecast. It wasn’t his favorite condition, but he had the right gear. It would not be the first time he had camped in snow and freezing temperatures, and he was certain it would not be the last.

When Jake had entered the town of Bailey, he chuckled. It was so small there was only one main street where everything was located. He had passed the school, gas station, and several churches before he saw a café. He pulled into the parking lot just in time to see them flip the sign on the door from closed to open. He could go for one last hot meal before he headed out on his mission. He stuffed the maps and charts he would be using into his messenger bag before going inside for breakfast. Sitting down to breakfast would also give him one last chance to review everything and finalize his plans.

As soon as he pulled the door open, he was hit by the welcoming aroma of fresh coffee wafting out of the restaurant. The little jingle bell above the door had sounded when he opened it. A waitress with blonde hair, in jeans, a Christmas sweater, and a turquoise apron around her waist came out of the kitchen, grinning.

“Morning, Hun,” the waitress chirped. “My name’s Rhonda. You can have your pick of tables. However, that one over there,” she said, pointing to a table in the corner. “That one is where the sheriff usually sits, so I would recommend one other than that. Can I start you off by getting you a cup of coffee while you find your table?”

Jake smiled, “Thank you, Rhonda. That would be perfect.”

Jake chose a table in a corner so he would have more privacy. He had just pulled out his map when Rhonda brought him his cup of coffee and a menu. She set it on the table, careful not to disturb what he was doing.

“Don’t tell me you are one of those crazy monster hunters, 'cause, sweetheart, we don’t have none of those around here,” Rhonda told him.

“Oh, no,” Jake chuckled. “It’s nothing like that. I am on winter break from work and thought I would get in a little dispersed camping and hiking in while I could.”

“Dispersed camping?”

“Yes, that is another term for back-country camping outside the established campgrounds and areas.”

“Are you crazy?!” Rhonda blurted out. “You plan on going out there in the middle of winter with a storm system headed this way?”

“I might be crazy, and I do. I promise you this is not my first time doing this. I have maps, charts, GPS, two compasses, and even an emergency locator beacon that I will be wearing if things go horribly wrong. I like the cold and the snow. Hiking and camping in the winter are far more peaceful than in the summer. You rarely have to deal with ticks or mosquitoes. The bears are hibernating, and most people prefer the warm weather to be outdoors doing such things.”

“You are an odd one, Mr…” Rhonda trailed off as she fished for his name.

“Dr. Jacob Taylor, professor of anthropology at the University of Kentucky. If this trip goes well, I might come back quite often,” Jake grinned.

“Well, Dr. Jacob Taylor,” Rhonda smirked. “I will let you enjoy your coffee for a couple of minutes while you decide what you want for breakfast.”

“Thanks, Rhonda, and please, call me Jake,” Jake replied.

He took a sip of his black coffee and closed his eyes as he relished it. It was one of the best cups of coffee Jake had tasted in a long time. If the food matched the coffee, he might end up coming into town far more than he had planned, especially if the weather got bad. He scanned over the menu and decided to order something that would keep him full for a while, even with the hike to the area of the sighting.

“Have you decided yet, Professor Jake?” Rhonda drawled as she sidled up to his table and topped off his coffee cup.

“Yes, ma’am, I have,” Jake answered. “I would like the number five breakfast special.”

“Alright, the number five comes with chicken fried steak, hashbrowns, eggs, and a side of biscuits and gravy. How would you like those eggs?”

“Scrambled, please, and can I get extra gravy for my hashbrowns?”

“You got it. I’ll bring it out to you as soon as it’s done. That should be about fifteen minutes.”

“That’s perfect. That should give me enough time to make final plans for my little vacation.”

Rhonda tipped her head to the side and looked at his map on the table. “Tell you what, Hun. Let me give your order to Big Mike, and I will come back and tell you more about that area. I’m a local. Born and raised here, just like the rest of my family, and we go back generations. I know some of the best places to go around here.”

“That would be great!”

“Be right back,” Rhonda said as she spun on her heel and hurried to the kitchen.

Jake laughed to himself as he heard Rhonda and the cook yelling at each other. He could tell from the sound of it that it was normal for them as they teased each other. Rhonda was still fussing at Big Mike when she returned to his table and sat across from him.

“Alright, professor, show me where you plan on going,” Rhonda huffed as she smoothed her hair.

Jake pushed the map over to Rhonda and pointed to the area where he would be focusing. “I will be going here and staying in that general area the entire time I’m here. I have enough supplies and equipment to stay out a week easily, two if I ration my food a bit.”

“That’s all well and good, but you are aware of the snowstorm we are supposed to get in a couple of days, aren’t you?”

“I am. The cold and snow won’t bother me. All my gear is rated to temperatures well below freezing and the snow. It could handle a blizzard on Mt. Everest.”

Rhonda laughed, “That’s good because you might just need that.” She closely studied the map and where Jake had marked before she shook her head. “You might want to think about going someplace else. That is pretty country out there, but it’s not the friendliest.”

“Why do you say that?” Jake asked, genuinely curious as to why Rhonda would discourage him from being there.

“Well, first of all, there are all kinds of tall tales about monsters living out there. I ain’t never seen one, but I know plenty of people who say they have. Second, Miss Kaitie lives out there, and she is not fond of anyone being near her place. It doesn’t matter who you are. She won't want you out there,” Rhonda told him.

“Miss Kaitie? Is she the old spinster of the town?” Jake smirked.

Rhonda laughed, “Oh, no! Miss Kaitie was born and raised here, too, and she is far from an old spinster. Miss Kaitie went to school with my kids, so she is around thirty or so. She’s a pretty girl. Tall, with bright blue eyes, fiery red hair, and all the temper to go with it. She is the town's nurse practitioner. Doctors are as scarce as hens' teeth around here, so one doctor supervises several clinics for our smaller towns. That makes Miss Kaitie the closest thing we have to a doctor in this half of the county.”

“So I should make friends with her in case I fall and break my leg?”

“It wouldn’t hurt, but I doubt that will happen. Kaitie doesn’t take too kindly to strangers coming into town. Don’t get me wrong, you seem like a nice guy, and you seem to know what you are doing. The problem is, we get a lot of city folk out here who think they will get famous if they find a monster out in the forest. Most of them get lost or hurt, and we have to go rescue them. Miss Kaitie has to deal with almost every one of them. It gets exhausting after a while. Not one of them has even come back with a single picture of anything that is out of the ordinary.”

Jake said, “I promise you, Rhonda, I have no intention of needing to be rescued or hunting for monsters. While I have never been to Bailey, I have hiked and camped in much of the mountains around here, so I have experience. As for monsters, the strangest thing I have ever seen was a black bear that learned to walk on its hind legs due to an injured front paw. However, I can see where someone would misidentify that as a monster.”

A shout came from the kitchen, interrupting their conversation. Rhonda rolled her eyes and sighed as she stood.

Rhonda called over her shoulder as she went to the kitchen, “Let me get your breakfast for you, and then we can continue with our conversation.”

Jake shook his head as he went back to studying the map. If Miss Kaitie lived in the area where the attack was taking place, she might know more than what she was saying. He needed to learn more about her, but that would be very difficult if she were as opposed to outsiders as Rhonda said. When Rhonda reached his table, he slid the map to the side as she put his plate in front of him.

“Here you go, Hun. Big Mike outdid himself this morning,” Rhonda said as she dropped into the seat across from him again.

“This looks delicious. If it tastes as good as it looks, I might have to find a reason to come into town and have breakfast every morning,” Jake told her honestly. He took a bite of the steak smothered in country gravy and groaned. It was better than it looked. “That settles it. I need to come in for breakfast every morning.”

“Good! If the weather gets too bad out there for you, we have a little inn here in town. Well, it is more of a bed-and-breakfast type thing. They would be more than happy to put you up if you need it. They will find room for you even if it is full,” Rhonda told him.

“Thank you. I will keep that in mind,” Jake grinned.