Minnie Crockwell - Will Travel for Trouble 02 - Trouble at Sunny Lake (9 page)

“Thank you,” I said with heated cheeks. A date. In the last twenty-four hours, I’d gone from thinking of Josh as a trusted law enforcement officer to a handsome flirt to a dinner date to a possible murderer and back to a trusted law enforcement officer and then dinner date.
 

We rose, and he drove back to the RV park. As he pulled up to my space, he asked me to point out which cabin Scott was staying in. I pointed to the one on the hill behind my RV.

“Okay, go inside,” he said. “If something happens, I don’t want you out here getting hurt.”

I swallowed hard and thanked him for dinner.

“My pleasure,” he said. His eyes were focused on the hill above, but he turned to me. “I’ll call you soon. I know this first date didn’t go particularly well, but when this is all behind us, it will be better.”

I said nothing but wished him good night. I was only planning on staying for a week or two. Did it really make sense to date someone? Even someone as charming as Josh Wilson?

Ah! The handsome “and” charming Deputy Wilson!

I could always count on Ben to make me smile.
 

I stepped inside the RV.

Lock the door, Minerva. I do not want to imagine what this Scott Strait might do when he finds you revealed his whereabouts.

“Oh, no! You don’t think Josh will tell him, do you? I probably should have asked him to keep quiet about it.”

Were I in hiding, and only one person knew, I would assume it was that person who betrayed me.

“Not betrayed, Ben! Really? Betrayed? That seems extreme. It’s not like Scott and I are best friends.” I left the lights off and sat down on the couch to listen for sounds in the night. If there was shouting, gunshots, screaming or banging on my RV door, I wanted to know about it.
 

Perhaps betrayed is too strong a word. You are not beholden to Scott Strait. You have no reason to feel guilty.
 

“Well, I do.” I sighed. “Can you see what’s happening up there?”

Do you wish me to leave you and discover what I can?

“Well, no, I’d rather you didn’t leave. I take it there’s no way you can be in two places at once?”

No, dear. I cannot, not at that distance.

“So, you don’t float very fast, huh?” I laughed nervously.

I do not float, dearest. I told you that before. I simply am.

“I know, I know. I’m teasing. I’m just rambling. Anxiety, you know?”

Yes, I do know.
 

A sharp sound broke the stillness of the night. Dogs started barking. I jumped up and ran for the front door.

It is the sound of a gunshot, Minerva. Stay here! Keep the door locked!
Ben commanded.
 

I knew then that he was dashing off to find out what had happened.

I adored Ben, but there was no way I was hiding behind a locked door. I pushed open the RV door and peered out. Dogs continued to bark. I heard no voices though. I would have expected my fellow campers to tumble out of their RVs to find out what was happening, but apparently no one cared about the sound of a gunshot. They may very well have thought it was just a firecracker. After all, it was July. That or their TVs and air conditioners were too loud.

I stepped down from the RV, and tiptoed around the back. I wasn’t sure where the shot had come from, but I assumed it came from the cabins. I hadn’t noticed Josh wearing a gun at dinner, but maybe he kept one in his SUV. My heart pounded in my ears as I fervently hoped he hadn’t been injured…or worse.

The lights were on in Jason’s cabin, for once.

Minerva Crockwell! You are a willful, stubborn woman! I told you to stay inside the RV!

Ben was back. I dared not speak aloud but whispered.
 

“Hey! Don’t lecture me! You don’t get to tell me what to do, Peregrine Ebenezer Alford!”

I heard an exasperated sigh. I stared up at the hill but saw no movement other than lights through the windows. Had it really been a gunshot?

“So, what did you see?” My anger dissipated as fast as it had come. It always did.
 

Forgive me. You are right, of course. Your handsome and charming Deputy Wilson is at the cabin, pistol in hand. The office worker, Sean, brandishes a rifle at one seated, but uninjured Scott Strait. Sean’s grandmother, Mary, creeps silently away in the night in the direction of her own trailer. I cannot say what she was doing before my arrival. The older gentleman, Deputy Kline, also stands inside the cabin, and aims a pistol at Sean. I do not know who fired the single shot that I heard. There are acrimonious threats abounding, albeit through hissing and bared teeth. No one shouts, which is all the more concerning. The situation is deadly.

I leaned against the side of the RV. “Everyone is there? Everyone?”

With the exception of Mistress Mary, as I said.
As I understand some of the discussion, Sean discovered that Scott was in the cabin and made his way there with his weapon. His grandmother may have tried to prevent him. I believe she called for the police which brought Officer Kline onto the scene. And as you know, your Deputy Wilson arrived last.
 

“He’s not
my
Deputy Wilson. So, what are they doing now?”

I cannot say. I am not there but am here trying to keep you safe.

I rolled my eyes.
 

Well, go back up there and find out what’s going on.

Ben said nothing, and I knew he had gone. I couldn’t stand to lurk outside the RV and do nothing, and I thought I was likely to get shot if I made my way to the cabin, so I thought I might head to Mary’s camper to get the scoop.

I hurried past the office and ran up the hill behind it where the campground host was located. Lights shone through the curtained windows of Mary’s trailer. Campground hosts regularly stayed in the RV parks they managed, full time in the event of emergencies. It was acceptable to present to the host at any hour with concerns, and I took advantage of it.
 

I knocked. The door flew open immediately, and I jumped back. Mary, her eyes wild, looked down at me.

“Yes?”

“I hope I didn’t disturb you. I was just…” I paused. There was no point in coming up with some excuse for my visit by stating that my electricity was out or that my water wasn’t running. I came to the point.

“I think I heard a gunshot coming from the cabins behind my RV.”

“What?” I thought she was pretending to misunderstand.
 

“I said I think I heard a gunshot coming from the cabins behind my RV.”

She seemed to think for a minute and finally came to a decision.

“You probably did. There’s some stuff going on up there. Somebody was staying in one of the cabins and he shouldn’t have been. He wasn’t registered. I had to call the police.”

“And they shot him?” I knew they hadn’t, but I thought I’d throw that out there to see her reaction.

“No, of course not,” she shot back.

“Oh! You scared me for a minute!”
 

She looked frustrated with me like she would like to slam the door in my face.

“This has been a stressful few days here at Sunny Lake RV Park,” I offered. “First, the poor guy on the lake yesterday and now this guy.” Would she take the bait?

“It’s been stressful for everyone, not just you,” she said with narrowed eyes. Oh, where did my charming little old lady go? This was a tough, nasty gal.

“It’s not my intention to compare whose day was worse, Mary. I was just wondering if the two incidents were connected.” Of course, I knew they were, but would Mary give me any clues?

She let out a frustrated sigh.

“Yes, they are. The man staying in the cabin is the brother of the fellow who fell off the cliff.”

“Oh, did the police say he’d fallen? I wasn’t sure.”

“What makes you say that?” She gave me a sharp look.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I thought maybe someone mentioned he might have been pushed off.”

Mary charged down the stairs and planted herself in front of me. I jumped back. Was she going to smack me? She sure looked like she wanted to.

“Who said that? Not Sean!”

“No, I think it was the police. I can’t remember now. So much going on.”

“Are you telling me that the police think it was murder?”

“I don’t know, Mary. I really shouldn’t have said anything.” My palms were sweating. I thought it was time to extricate myself as gracefully as possible.

She took a deep breath and seemed to force her face into a smile. But it was too late. The sweet lady who had checked me in only yesterday morning was long gone.

“I’m sorry,” she said, although I didn’t think she was sincere. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’ve had a tough time, finding the body and all. Tell me what you heard.”

“Just that he might have been pushed off, that’s all.”

“Do they have a suspect?”

“I don’t know.” Frankly, I thought they could safely add Mary to the list of suspects. I had no idea pale blue eyes could glitter like that.

She crossed her arms and chewed on her lower lip, throwing a glance in the direction of the cabins. When it seemed as if she wouldn’t offer any information, I shuffled my feet and spoke.

“Well, I guess I’ll head back to my RV, though it seems pretty close to the activity on the hill.”

“You’ll be all right,”” she said. Now that you mention they think Jason was murdered though, I expect they might be questioning Scott about that.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you knew them.”

“Who?” she said, her eyes still on the cabins.

“Jason and Scott Strait.”

“Didn’t I say? No, I probably didn’t mention. Sure, I know them. They went to school with Sean.”

“The plot thickens,” I blurted.

She swung her head to me and narrowed her eyes.

“There’s no plot here! Sean had nothing to do with the murder. Don’t go spreading rumors.”

I took another step back.

“No, no, certainly not. What do I know? Well, I think I’ll get scootin’.”

“I’m sure they’ll clear out of there pretty soon,” Mary said. “Hopefully, they’ll take Scott with them, but if not, the cabin is paid up for the month. I can’t really toss him out of there even though Jason was the one who rented it.”

I nodded. “Good night,” I said.

“Night,” she said as she climbed back into her camper.
 

I hurried back to my RV, staying under the safety of the overhead lights of the parking lot. From that angle I could see Josh’s SUV and the sheriff’s truck parked up by the cabins.

Ben? Are you here?

Yes, I am here. I would have advised you to stay away from Mistress Mary as well, but having earlier overstepped my bounds, I dared not. How did you find her?

I paused outside the door of my RV and stared up at the cabins. The lights in Scott’s cabin remained on.
 

“A whole lot different than the woman I met yesterday morning. Defensive. Avoidant. Lying. Protective of her grandson. Protesting too much, methinks.”

Just so. In your absence, much has occurred in yonder cabin. Sean has been disarmed by Deputy Kline. Recriminations and accusations as to who pushed young Jason from the cliff continue to be bandied about, particularly between young Sean and Scott. As I am unable to read their minds, I cannot discern who committed the murder, or whether any of them had a hand in it. Like you, I wonder if more than one person was not involved. The animosity toward the deceased is great and evenly distributed amongst all the players.

“I just love the way you speak, Peregrine!” I said with a smile. “So, no one confessed? Did anyone get hauled off to jail? Or will they be?”

It seems unlikely at this time. Deputies Wilson and Kline were about to depart when I saw you return.

Just then, a figure appeared out of the darkness in front of me.
 

“Josh! You scared me!”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I saw you down here. What are you doing outside? I’m pretty sure I told you to go inside.”

I gritted my teeth. Men!

“I wanted to find out what was happening. I couldn’t just sit inside the RV without knowing. So, what happened?”

He shook his head.

“Well, by the time I got there, Jim Kline was already there. It seems Mary Sanders had called the police because Scott wasn’t supposed to be in the cabin. Anyway, Sean had showed up with a rifle, all heated up about I don’t really know what. The whole business about Scott staying in the cabin isn’t really a police matter because the cabin was paid for by his brother. But it’s getting convoluted with the murder. Scott doesn’t have an alibi, but then again Sean’s alibi is his grandmother, Mary, and she would lie to protect him.”

“Who fired the shot? Was anyone hurt?”

“Sean fired off a shot to get Scott to open the door. Jim Kline arrived just about then and said he thought Sean was going to shoot Scott right there on the spot.”