by Raven Snow
***
Ben wasn’t thrilled about the campers combing through the woods as one large group. He tried his best to convince them to split off into smaller sets of three or four. “Do you see how this map is laid out in grids? Ideally, I want all of these searched. We’re low in the way of volunteers, so if you could cover more ground that would be helpful.”
Crystal refused. “We’re of more use to you together,” she explained, sounding awfully sure of herself as she did so. “If he’s out there, this is your best chance to find him. Trust me.”
Ben didn’t push the matter, though Rowen could see in the tense set of his jaw that he wanted to. He was right not to argue. Sometimes it was just a waste of energy. You had to know when and how to pick your battles.
Veronica knew that to be true. She stuck to the rear of the group and Rowen chose to walk alongside her. Together they dragged their feet. Rowen had no desire to listen to Crystal ramble on. Veronica seemed to have the same idea. Rowen just had to be careful not to let the group out of her sight. She didn’t want to be lost again.
“You don’t believe in any of this stuff, do you?” Rowen finally asked, speaking up and getting Veronica’s attention.
“Hmm?” Veronica looked up from her clipboard. Rowen wasn’t even sure she was using her clipboard for anything. Maybe she used it to give the illusion of being busy sometimes. Regardless, she had been distracted, and it took her brain a moment to catch up with what Rowen had just asked. “Oh… No. That’s not… It really doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s not part of my job.”
“It’s fine if you don’t believe any of it. It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone,” Rowen assured her. “And I’m not offended. I get it. Crystal Spruce is kind of a hard pill to swallow, isn’t she?”
Veronica looked back at her clipboard, sparing only a glance in Rowen’s direction. “Like I said, my opinion doesn’t really matter.”
“Oh, lighten up.” Rowen elbowed Veronica lightly, a move that made her drop her clipboard and nearly trip over her own feet. “Sorry,” Rowen said quickly, ducking down to grab the clipboard and hand it back to its owner. “Didn’t mean to, ah—Anyway, yeah. Just… lighten up. I can tell you’re having a rough time. Crystal is stressed, and she’s taking it out on you. All I’m trying to get at is that I’m here if you want to talk about it. Heck, if I was you I’d want to vent.”
“I don’t need to vent.” Veronica snatched her clipboard back and picked up her pace.
It was time to bring out the big guns. “I know you and Phoenix were involved.”
Veronica stopped walking. “What?” She looked back to Rowen, her eyes wide.
“Come on.” Rowen nudged Veronica forward. “Keep walking. Don’t wanna fall too far behind. We might get lost, and trust me. You don’t want that. I know from experience that you don’t want that.”
“I-I wasn’t… We weren’t—”
“It’s fine. Seriously.” Rowen did her best to calm Veronica down. She had gotten her attention, but she hadn’t meant to give the poor girl a panic attack. “I haven’t said anything to anyone.” That was a lie and one she immediately regretted telling at that. It could come back around to bite her. Plus, she didn’t like lying as a general rule. It felt weird to backpedal then and there, though. She could only hope that rumors didn’t get back to Veronica from Tasha or Erin. “I don’t blame you. He was cute and he seemed nice enough. I mean, I didn’t know him that well, but I can see what you saw in him.”
“I didn’t…” Veronica trailed off. She didn’t make it halfway through the lie before backing down. “It wasn’t anything serious.”
“So it was just a fling? I can respect that.”
“It wasn’t a fling!” Veronica’s eyes went wide again when she realized she had raised her voice. She quickly lowered it. “It wasn’t a fling,” she said again, like Rowen hadn’t heard her the first time. “It was just… a causal relationship. We’ve worked together before. He’s a nice guy. His work ethic sucks, and he’s a terrible employee, but… he means well.” She was speaking of him in the present tense. It was difficult to listen to. Obviously, there were still some feelings there. “It would never turn into anything serious. We’re two very different people. His goals in life aren’t anything like mine. If he even has goals.” She rolled her eyes at that last part, like it was a particularly large area of annoyance for her. “Like I said, no work ethic. Take the stunt he’s pulling now, for instance. I bet he heard the police were looking for him and now he’s skipped town. He’ll be too nervous to show his face. At least until he runs out of money. Then he’ll show up and his parents will bail him out of trouble. That’s how it goes. That’s how it always goes.”
It wasn’t going to go like that this time. Rowen opened her mouth to say as much but shut it after a moment. What good would come out of convincing Veronica of Phoenix’s death now? If anything, it would only alienate her. “Did he know anyone in town? Anyone he might stay with?”
“You don’t think I would have told the cops if I knew of anyone like that?” Veronica shook her head. “No, as far as I know, he didn’t know anyone outside the camp. He didn’t even come to scout the location. This is the first time he’s ever been in Lainswich. I figure they’ve checked all the local hotels and motels.”
“There’s only one local hotel so, yeah, I’m sure they have.”
“Right, well. If he’s not there, he’s camped out somewhere. I figure we would have found him if he was anywhere near the camp. I’m betting he hiked all the way down to the base of the mountain to set up camp or he’s skipped town already. That makes the most sense if you ask—Ah!”
Rowen didn’t reach out in time to save Veronica from tripping. There was a sharp incline, made sharper by an uprooted tree. Veronica landed on her hands and knees. “Are you all right?” Rowen reached down, offering a hand.
Veronica took Rowen’s hand but made no move to actually stand. She looked around. Pale and a little queasy, she seemed disoriented.
“Hey? Are you okay?” Rowen asked again. This time, Veronica’s grip tightened on Rowen’s hand. She pulled herself up.
“Come on,” blurted Veronica. “Let’s catch up with the group.”
Rowen wasn’t sure what had made Veronica pick up the pace. Was she embarrassed? Maybe, but that probably wasn’t why she was hurrying ahead to avoid Rowen.
Chapter Ten
Another day passed without Phoenix being found. No great shock there. Ben was disheartened and Rowen felt unusually guilty about that. She and her cousins had told him they found a body. He had believed them immediately. Not that he had any reason not to. It was the truth. That didn’t make things any easier. It wasn’t his fault that his resources were being stretched thin. She didn’t doubt that he was being given a hard time. A missing person wasn’t worth the sole focus of the police chief, not from the perspective of someone who didn’t have full faith in the Greensmiths’ story.
Back at camp, they had a new employee waiting. He was sitting in front of Crystal’s huge tent, a blue duffel bag placed in front of him. He was an older gentleman, probably Crystal’s age without the work done. His hair was salt and pepper and pulled into a ponytail. He wore faded jeans and an olive army jacket. It might have been a fashion statement, but Rowen wouldn’t have been surprised to hear he served. He was broad-shouldered and capable-looking. He grinned wide when he saw Crystal coming.
“Crys!” he said, standing and extended his arms for a hug. “You look amazing! It’s been too long!”
Crystal smiled and hurried over to him. She took his hands instead of going in for the hug. “You’re right; you’re right. We can’t let such a long time go by without catching up. You look great yourself!” She gave his hands a squeeze and took a step back as if to get a better look at him. “Have you lost weight?”
“Just got through with a cross country hike,” he said with a sheepish smile and a shrug. “You’re guaranteed to get a little leaner on one of those.”
“Oh, I’ve been dying to go on one. I had a friend who hiked through the Ozarks and she came back with just the prettiest pictures.”
“You’ll have to join me sometime. We always talked about it but never got around to it.”
“Maybe, maybe,” Crystal said in a way that sounded like she was politely declining his offer without outright saying no. “I’m so glad you could take the time to come out here and give me a hand.”
“Don’t think anything of it.”
Crystal stepped to one side, turning back to face Veronica and Rowen. “Ladies, this is Wynter. Wynter, this is Veronica, my right hand lady. And that’s Rowen. She started as a camper. She and her sisters were kind enough to step up and help out when things got crazy.”
“Cousins,” Rowen corrected quietly. “Peony and Willow are my cousins.”
“Lovely to meet you both.” Wynter didn’t go in for a hug with Rowen thankfully. He shook hands with Veronica and Rowen in turn. “I hope I can take some of the workload off of the both of you.”
Wynter. Rowen could only assume that this was the same guy Ben had found during his research, the guy who had landed Phoenix his job. How many guys named Wynter could there be in the world? “Were you and Phoenix close?” asked Rowen, tying to disguise her interest as small talk.
Wynter hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. The smile left his face as he collected his expression into something all-together more somber. “I’m not sure you would call us close. He was a friend of a friend. We both frequented the same gardening co-op in San Diego. He seemed like a good kid. When I found out he was looking for work, I steered him in Crystal’s direction. That was… when was that, Babe?”
The corner of Crystal’s mouth twitched. Rowen thought she was about to reprimand Wynter. She smiled and answered his question instead. “That was two years ago when I was touring with that Renaissance Festival, remember?”
“That’s right.” Wynter nodded like it was all coming back to him. “Any news, by the way? I haven’t heard anything since Crys here asked me to come down.”
Rowen shook her head. “No, they haven’t found… They haven’t found him yet.” Rowen had to stop herself before she could say, ‘the body.’
“God, well, I hope he turns up.” Wynter turned to Crystal and smiled. “I’m sure he will. Wasn’t it during that tour with the Renaissance festival that he up and went missing on you?”
“That’s right.” Crystal tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. “We made a stop in Florida, and he took off to go with some girls to the coast. He met them at the festival if I remember right.”
“That sounds right. Maybe it’s something like that. Try not to stress out about it, huh?” Wynter gave Crystal’s shoulder a squeeze before leaning down to grab his duffel bag. “I’m going to unpack my stuff in the tent if that’s all right.”
“That’s fine. You can take the cot in the corner. Veronica, why don’t you give him the tour?”
Veronica raised an eyebrow but did as she was told. They both disappeared into the tent, leaving Rowen alone with Crystal. She watched as the woman’s shoulders slumped. She took a deep and cleansing breath. It was like Rowen was seeing under the woman’s mask. For all the smiling and reassuring Crystal had been doing, she was looking pretty ragged. Her skin was dull, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Rowen wondered how much sleep she was getting.
Crystal noticed Rowen looking at her. She put the mask back on and smiled. “He’s a good worker. He really is.” She hesitated before adding, “He’s my ex-husband.”
“Really?” Rowen hadn’t expected that. “I didn’t know you were married.”
“Marriage wasn’t really for me,” she chuckled. “I’m not sure it was for either of us, to be honest. I’m sorry if things were a little awkward just now. It’s… Well, you’re married. You’re a pretty girl, so I assume you’ve had exes. I’m sure you can imagine what it’s like. We’re still on good terms, but… It can be weird.”
“I see that.’
“He’s remarried now. His wife is a lovely woman.” Crystal said that like it made things less awkward. It didn’t really. “Hey!” Crystal switched gears so suddenly the change in tone made Rowen jump. “I hear you’re a very experienced witch. Is that right?”
“Ah… I’ve been taught magic for as long as I can remember. My grandmother and aunts raised me, so it’s something I’ve always been around.” Rowen felt like Crystal should know that about her by now. She shouldn’t have to ask.
“Right, right. That’s what I thought.” Crystal nodded distractedly. “Do you have any experience with meditation?”
“Sure.”
“Do you think you could lead tonight’s meditation? I would, but… I just need a little time to myself to recharge, you know?”
“Yeah, sure.” Rowen didn’t see a problem with helping out. Heck, anything that got her closer to Crystal was probably a good thing. Maybe she could catch her tonight, try and convince her to let Ben divide people into teams.
“I appreciate it.’ Crystal gave Rowen’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. It reminded her of her aunts, making her find Crystal oddly endearing for once rather than just… annoying. “I really owe you and your sisters—Sorry, cousins. I really owe all three of you for this. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that. I always remember my debts. You’ve got a lot of good energy coming your way, missy.”
Rowen would have rather had a paycheck coming her way, but she didn’t say that. It felt like they were having a moment. She didn’t want to ruin that.
***
After dinner, Rowen was beginning to regret telling Crystal she would lead evening meditation. She wasn’t a teacher, never had been. Briefly, she entertained the notion of asking Lydia if she wanted to lead things. Goodness knew Lydia had never been averse to being the center of attention. She decided against it, though. Lydia hadn’t asked to work for Crystal. It wasn’t right to drag her into it.
“So, how’s everyone feeling tonight?” Rowen asked as she stood in front of the campers. They were gathered on the hill where they slept. Rowen was the only one standing, and all eyes were on her. In response to her question, there were some indecipherable murmurs.
“Where’s Crystal?” Paris asked, her voice loud and clear.
“She’s dealing with something else right now.” Rowen didn’t want to go into specifics. She wasn’t sure how they would feel if they knew Crystal was just resting. “She asked me if I would lead tonight’s meditation and I agreed.”
Paris crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re leading meditation?” She repeated it as a question. She didn’t wait for an answer to the obvious before proceeding. “All of us here paid to be taught by Crystal Spruce, didn’t we?” She looked around at everyone else as if waiting for them to back her up. “And isn’t it important now more than ever that we hone our skills? A man is missing, after all. We need to be doing all we can to help find him.”
Some of the housewives began to mumble assenting opinions before Lydia interrupted them all. “You should be thankful you have Rowen teaching you then. I taught her myself. She’s an expert.”
Paris didn’t look convinced. “You’ll have to excuse me for wondering if you’re not a little biased, being her aunt and all.”
“If you taught her all you know, why don’t you lead meditation?” asked one of the housewives.
“Will all of you shush?” Tasha raised her voice high above everyone else’s. If nothing else, it served to shock people into silence for a few seconds.
“Rowen has her own areas of expertise,” said Erin, filling the silence. “I’m sure there’s a lot she can teach us that no one else can.”
“Really?” asked Gossamer, perking up. “Like what?”
“Like meditation—which is what we’re here to do.” Rowen didn’t want to get into “specialties.” She didn’t want to explain to everyone assembled how good she was with death. That might set more than a few people on edge.
As a general rule, Rowen had noticed that most people weren’t very comfortable with the subject. Better to just teach them how to meditate and leave it at that. “So, if everyone will find a comfortable position—”
“We all know how to meditate,” said Paris, speaking for everyone regardless of whether or not they wanted her to. “If you have something different you can teach us then by all means…”
Rowen wasn’t sure whether or not Paris was trying to give her a hard time. Regardless, she was succeeding in it. “Look, I was asked to lead you all in meditation, and that’s what I plan to do.” Something occurred to Rowen then. A sudden and soft voice in the back of her mind had an idea. Maybe she could teach them something else. “Though… I guess I could.” She chewed at some loose skin on her bottom lip and threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Veronica wasn’t there watching over things. The only other camp employees present were Willow and Peony. They certainly weren’t going to run and tell anyone if she went off the lesson plan. “I do have a certain talent for…” Rowen struggled for a better way to say, ‘communicating with the dead.’ “I’m… I’m good at communicating with… people’s… residual energy?”
There was silence in the crowd. Paris cocked her head to the side, an over-plucked yet dubious eyebrow raised. Gossamer raised her hand.
“Yes, Gossamer? You, ah… You don’t have to raise your hand.”
“Like reading auras?”
“Not really like… Sure, actually. Kind of like that.” Why not? Auras sounded better than whatever nonsense it was she had just said. “I’m good at reading people’s auras… when they’re not around… physically.”
Gary nodded knowingly, like he knew exactly what she was talking about. No one else even pretended to understand. Even Lydia and Nadine were exchanging puzzled looks. “What does that mean, exactly?” asked Paris.
“Oh!” exclaimed Gossamer, getting everyone’s attention before Rowen could get a better handle on her own half-truth. “You can use that to find Phoenix!”
