Dinosaur Lake Read Online Free PDF Page B

or scurried in its woods or swam in its lakes.
    “George, you know, you need to get out more. Find a new woman. Not mooch so many suppers at my house,” Henry stated flatly.
    “Boss, I’m not fooling around.”
    Wiping sticky crumbs from his fingers on a napkin, Henry gave in. “Show the tracks to me.”
    “I wish I could, Henry, but the most recent carcass and tracks I found, late yesterday, were in snow and mud, and it rained hard last night. I looked, but the tracks are gone now.”
    “Well, describe them a little more to me anyway.”
    “They were gigantic and they were deep, the toes spread wide apart. Looked as if the feet could have been webbed or even clawed.”
    Henry actually chuckled, but George was serious, so he stopped.
    “The animals’ remains were left partially in the water and were gnawed over later by some other animals, coyotes or fish or something. So the other larger teeth marks were hard to make out, unless you knew what you were looking for.”
    “That’s a shame,” Henry said. “I would have liked to get a look at them and the tracks.” He gave his friend a long, hard look. “Listen, George, tell you what, next time you find those teeth marks on a dead animal or see those tracks, come and get me. No matter what time it is, okay? I’ll come. I want to see these monster footprints of yours.”
    George cracked a smile. “Deal.” He stood up straighter, tucking in his shirt, anxious to look as neat and professional in his uniform as possible. “I guess I’d better start my rounds. I’ve been here three cups of coffee longer than you. You’ll fire me if I don’t get out there and make the park safe for the visitors.”
    “Heaven forbid we should endanger the visitors,” Henry tossed back. It was a private joke between the two of them. George still thought of Henry as one of those visitors.
    “See ya later, then. I have a tour group waiting for me,” George finished, slapping him on the back, and strolling out the door into the chilly morning.
    ***
    Water monster sightings and monster tracks. What’s next? UFOs? Henry threw an impatient look at his cluttered desk. There were reports to finish, people to call and meetings to arrange; but suddenly the walls were closing in on him. He had to get outside under the beautiful summer sky, breathe in the fresh air and walk among the trees.
    And he wanted to get a good look at that fossil bed in the daylight, that’s what he wanted.
    Getting an insulated go-cup from the office, Henry poured a final cup of coffee. Before leaving, he checked the morning dispatches from the local and park authorities (nothing urgent there), and after answering some procedure questions from a couple of the loitering rangers, he walked out the door and climbed into his jeep. He’d drive as far up the rim as possible and hoof it the rest of the way.
    Ah, it was great to be boss. Well, sometimes.
    Parking the jeep at the bottom of the trail, Henry hiked up. When he reached the bones, someone was already kneeling before the crumbling lava rock.
    Henry walked up and the man turned and flashed a wide, friendly grin, then swiveled around on the balls of his feet and stood up with graceful movements not unlike a panther. The man was young, no more than mid-twenties or so, and was the thinnest person Henry had ever seen for his height. The man was almost as tall as he was.
    “Howdy, ranger.” Perceptive brown eyes peered at Henry through golden wire-rimmed glasses and took in his uniform. “Sorry…Chief Ranger,” he amended. The man’s long hair framed a thin, pensive face. As chilly as it was, he wore only a flimsy blue-jean jacket over a sweater, and worn blue jeans. His tennis shoes were dirty from traipsing through the mud.
    Henry was usually a good judge of character. It was something he’d perfected as a police officer. He could look at someone, observe their expressions and how well they maintained eye contact, and would know basically what kind of