by Raven Snow
“If everyone is ready, I’ll be leading the way to the scene,” said Ben. His eyes lingered on Lula as he spoke. He probably hadn’t planned on having her there. It wasn’t like she had been involved in the case.
No one objected, so Ben led the way. He used a map and made his way through the woods efficiently. It wasn’t too long before they came upon a perimeter marked out by yellow tape. Policemen and several people with gloves and little clear evidence baggies were milling around, looking under rocks and taking swabs off roots. Ben cleared his throat to get their attention. Gradually, everyone stopped and turned his way.
“Take five, guys,” said Ben, motioning for everyone to give them some space. They cleared out without complaint. There were a couple of coolers waiting on the other side of the police tape. Everyone seemed only too happy to sit down with a bottle of water and a sandwich. Ben turned back to the camp employees. “This is, of course, where you found the body. I wanted you all to get a look at the crime scene in the daylight. Does it look familiar to anyone?”
Veronica put her hands over her mouth as she looked around, eyes wide and tearful. Crystal was much more calm and collected. She scanned their surroundings before pointing to a fallen tree. “That’s where we found him,” she said.
Ben nodded. “That’s right.”
Rowen hesitated, not sure of herself at first. The longer she looked though, the more certain she became. “We’ve been here before.”
Ben perked up upon hearing that. “Have you?”
Rowen nodded. “When we were searching the woods during the daytime. We came through here.” Rowen remembered. “You tripped right over there. Don’t you remember?” She pointed to the exposed tree roots.
Veronica never confirmed nor denied that she had been there. Instead of saying anything at all, she turned and rushed from the scene. She ducked under the police tape and tore off into the trees.
“I’ll be back,” Ben said in a rush as he hurried after her.
Lula watched her go. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know,” said Crystal. “She’s usually very level headed. I suppose you can never really predict how someone will respond to something like this. I mean, she’s only human.” Crystal turned to Rowen next. “What did you mean when you said she tripped here?”
“What I said. She tripped.” Rowen pointed. “It happened right there… meaning she couldn’t have been far from the body at all. Neither of us were. That’s crazy to think about.”
“Hmm. It is odd that something like that would shake her so badly.”
“Well, she and Phoenix were close. Like you said, she’s only human. I’d be pretty shaken up too.”
Crystal’s eyes narrowed as she continued looking at Rowen. “What do you mean by that?”
“By what?”
“You said they were close. I’ve known them both for years now, and I wouldn’t call them close. What did you mean by that?”
Rowen shouldn’t have said anything. She blamed sleep deprivation for her big mouth. She tried to backpedal. “Sorry, I just assumed. If you say they weren’t close, maybe you’re right. Heck, you know them better than me.”
“No.” Crystal shook her head. “You know something you’re not telling me. What is it?”
“Were they romantically involved?” asked Lula, eyes lighting up with the pleasure of someone who had just discovered a bit of juicy drama. “They were, weren’t they? Oh my. How tragic.” The way she said that made it sound like she was commenting more on a tragedy in a melodramatic movie rather than something that had happened in real life.
“That’s not—” Crystal began. She looked back to Rowen, and anything she had been about to say promptly died on her lips. “But—” she began instead. “No… You’re kidding.” Suddenly it was Crystal’s turn to storm off. She hurried away in the opposite direction Veronica had gone. She didn’t manage to duck under the police tape completely, instead dislodging one end from a nearby tree. The loose end fluttered to the ground as she stormed deeper into the forest.
“Crys!” Wynter was the only one to pursue Crystal. He rushed after her. Rowen made no move to stop him. She was too preoccupied trying to figure out what all of it meant.
Chapter Thirteen
“Crystal Spruce was sleeping with Phoenix too,” said Eric. That was his theory and he was sticking to it. He hadn’t budged an inch.
Rowen was sitting on the sofa beside her husband. The day had passed with a lot happening but little excitement. Truth be told, she was exhausted and ready to go to bed, even though it was only six in the evening. “I don’t know,” Rowen said for the umpteenth time that day. “She just seems… too old for him.”
Eric raised his shoulders in a shrug. “So? Why are you so sure that was something that mattered to him? She’s a capable lady who’s probably very… worldly. Maybe he liked a woman with experience.”
“You sound like you might like a woman with experience. You have a crush on Crystal Spruce you want to tell me about?”
Eric rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying, it’s not unbelievable just because of their difference in age. Besides, from what I’ve heard, Phoenix wasn’t the best employee. He let people down a lot. He was incredibly unreliable. Why would Crystal keep him around if she wasn’t getting something out of the deal?”
The more Eric talked about it, the more sense the whole thing made. Maybe Rowen needed to just accept his theory as fact and see where that led her. Or maybe she was thinking about the whole thing too hard entirely. Maybe she just needed to let the police handle things… Like she had ever done that in the past.
“Do you think your aunts are still fans?” asked Eric, an unkind smirk on his face.
Rowen gave her husband’s arm gentle punch. “This whole past week was supposed to be about me being a good and thoughtful niece, making sure they had a good time.” That had certainly gone out the window. “But, no. I think they fell out of love with Crystal Spruce when she was reluctant to report us missing to the local authorities.”
“Yeah, I’m not a big fan either after that.”
Rowen shrugged. “It’s in the past.” She leaned into Eric’s side and let him put an arm around her. On the coffee table her phone chimed. Rowen groaned but reached for it anyway. It was Rose. Rowen hadn’t heard from her for several hours, not since she’d received an update on the interviews she had sent her way. It had been easy to convince Paris and some of her posse to do an interview.
Rowen opened her text messages. ‘Are you watching the news?’ She gave another groan. It was easy to guess what that meant. “Channel 2 is covering the murder.” Rowen grabbed the remote from Eric.
“Hey, I was watching that.”
“A documentary about elephant migration? Yeah right. You’ve been talking to me the whole time.” Rowen pressed two on the number pad. “I’ll change it back in a minute.”
Eric sighed. He didn’t want to hear her complain about what the news had to show. Rowen knew that was the real reason why he didn’t want her to change the channel. He was right to worry. Rowen was annoyed the second she saw who was seated with Julia Martinez.
“Is that Lula?” Rowen squinted at the woman in the black pantsuit. Her gray hair was down and styled into ringlets. Had she gone out and gotten herself a makeover just for the occasion? “What the heck is she doing there? She wasn’t even here while everything was going down.”
“You know how people can be,” Eric said, slouching down in the sofa cushions. “She probably just wants to be a part of the drama now that she’s here.”
“And how long have you known Crystal Spruce?” asked Julia Martinez, sitting with perfect posture in the armchair she used for fancy, two-person interviews.
“Oh, my whole life,” said Lula. “Well, it feels like it at my age anyway.” She chuckled. “In truth I guess I’ve known her since… since our twenties, I think. I was the maid of honor at her wedding. We met through Wynter—That was the man she married. Not that it lasted
long, but we’re all still close. We’re all very close.”
“I see,” said Julia, nodding. She clearly hadn’t been prepared for such an involved answer. Rowen knew her well enough to be able to read the annoyance on her face. She had probably prepped Lula, probably instructed her to keep her answers short and to the point. “Wynter. He was working at the camp as well, right?”
“Right. He and Crystal are divorced, but they’re still on good terms. I think that’s nice. I wish I was half as civil with all my exes.” She gave a loud and inappropriate laugh.
Julia smiled, but it was strained. “And when did Phoenix come into the picture?”
“Oh, only a few years ago. He met Crystal through Wynter as well.” Lula shook her head sadly, the smile finally falling from her face. It was impossible to tell if she truly felt bad or if she was putting on the show of grief she knew was expected of her. “That poor kid. I wish I’d been able to work with him more. This would have been our third event together, but I passed on working it initially. It takes so long to get out here. You don’t have an airport, so I had to get a rental car and… It was a whole mess. I got down as quick as I could when I found out Crystal needed me though, of course.”
“Well, it sounds like—”
Rowen turned the volume down. She kept turning it down until the television was inaudible. There was a little voice in her head trying to tell her something. She was trying to pay attention to it.
“What’s up?” asked Eric, raising an eyebrow at his wife.
Rowen held up a finger. “Shh,” she hissed. “Give me just a second.”
“Uh oh.”
“I think… I think I might know what happened.” Rowen sat very still as she ran through the facts in her head again. “Yeah,” she confirmed for herself. “Yeah… I think I know what happened.”
“Seriously?”
“No, I thought announcing that randomly would be a fun joke.” She hopped up from the sofa. “Get your shoes on. I need to call Ben.”
“Maybe it’d be a good idea to put some clothes on too,” Eric suggested as he rose from the sofa. “Pajamas probably aren’t the best clothes to crack a case in.”
***
Ben agreed to meet Rowen at the Lainswich hotel. As it was Lainswich’s only hotel, it was a given that that was where everyone involved in the case was staying. What a good time to be a hotel employee.
Rowen stood outside on the sidewalk once they arrived. She rocked back and forth on her heels, impatient. Her hands were shoved in the pockets of her plaid skirt. She wished she had worn her jeans instead. They had been in the dirty laundry, so she had decided against it. She regretted it. Something about wearing a skirt to accuse people of murder made her feel exposed.
“Do you want me to go check on things?” asked Eric, leaning against the brick wall next to her. Ben was already inside. Rowen wasn’t allowed inside the hotel. She had made a scene in there more than once. It had all been for a good cause, solving murders and stopping ghosts intent on murder. The owners didn’t care. They didn’t want Rowen inside ever again, so waiting out on the sidewalk it was.
“It’s okay.” Rowen said, glancing back at the building with a sigh. “I’m sure he’s going as fast as he can.”
True to Rowen’s assumptions. Ben exited the building less than a minute later. Unfortunately, he had more than just the camp employees with him. It looked to Rowen like every single camp goer was there. Paris was with the other housewives. Gossamer was there with Gary, the former wearing one of the latter’s over-sized t-shirts. Even Erin and Tasha were there. They both looked curious as to what was going on.
“I don’t need all of you out here,” said Ben.
Paris scoffed, her hands on her hips. “I believe it’s our right to want answers.”
“Sure,” said Ben. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to get them right this second.” He ignored the offended tirade that followed and went to stand close to Rowen. He lowered his voice so that he wouldn’t be overheard. “Lula and Wynter aren’t here.”
“Does anyone know where they are?” Rowen asked, her voice low as well. She glanced at Crystal and Veronica as she spoke. Crystal was doing something or another on her cell phone. Veronica was hugging herself and looking into the distance as if deep in thought.
“Crystal said Wynter might be back at the camp. As far as anyone can figure, Lula is off somewhere, probably talking to the media.”
Rowen nodded and took a moment to consider her options. “Let’s head to the camp then.”
“You sure about that?”
“Pretty sure.”
“All right then.” At least Ben was willing to follow her lead on this. “Let’s go.” He raised his voice. “Excuse me, Ms. Spruce? Would you and your assistant mind joining me at my car for a moment?”
Crystal and Veronica both detached themselves from the group of campers. “What’s going on?” asked Crystal as they stood around outside the car.
“We’re going to see if we can find Wynter,” said Ben.
“And you need us for that?” asked Crystal.
“I had a few more questions for you and your employees. I think this will all go a lot smoother if you’re together. If you don’t—”
“It’s fine,” said Veronica. She stood up straight, looking more like her fastidious self. She gave her boss a stern look. “We’ll help in any way we can, right?”
Crystal lowered her phone. It looked like Veronica’s words had sobered her a bit. “Of course.”
“After you then.” Ben opened the back door of his car and Crystal got in. It took Veronica a moment to realize Rowen and Eric would be riding with them as well. She made a big show of sighing and reluctantly taking the narrow middle seat. Rowen slid in beside her while Eric took the front seat. He was a tall, broad-shouldered guy. Having him try to squeeze into the back would have been a nightmare. Besides, Rowen wanted to sit with Crystal and Veronica. She had questions.
Ben’s car pulled away from the curb, followed by the hateful gaze of Paris. Rowen turned from the window and looked instead to the women she was sharing the back seat with. “How are you two holding up?”
“As well as can be expected,” said Crystal, her eyes on her phone again. “I’ve been getting messages nonstop.”
“About the murder?” asked Rowen.
“What else?” Crystal paused to quickly punch in a message and send it. “No one will leave me alone. They all want the story. I already had a couple of offers for book deals, if you can believe it. ‘It’s too soon,’ I keep telling them, but you know how people in the industry are.”
Rowen didn’t know how people in the industry were, but she nodded anyway. “So, are you going to write a book?”
“At some point,” said Crystal, not outright answering whether she was taking one of those offers that had been handed to her. “Of course, I’ll need to find an assistant.” As she said that last word, she shot an unkind glance in Veronica’s direction.
Veronica didn’t even bother returning the look Crystal had given her. “I’ll be sure to pass on some names if I think of anyone suited to the job,” she said, not looking put out in the least by Crystal’s slight.
“She has to ‘move on to other clients.’” Crystal rolled her eyes. It was clear that she was angry. Rowen doubted it had anything to do with Veronica’s skills as an employee and everything to do with the fact that she had been intimate with Phoenix.
“Forgive me if I think it’s time to go our separate ways after everything that’s happened,” said Veronica. She didn’t look at Crystal, but she did cross her arms over her chest and shift uncomfortably in her seat.
Crystal opened her mouth to say something to that but closed it. She looked to her phone again and began typing. Rowen had other questions she wanted to ask, but she decided against it. Her questions could wait.
***
Things got less tense once they were all outside again. The camp was much like they had left it. Crystal’s huge w
hite tent was still up. No one had come to move the stuff from it or disassemble it yet.
“Do you think Wynter is in there?” asked Rowen.
They were already crossing the lawn toward the tent. Crystal gave up on her phone and pocketed it. It probably no longer had a signal anyway. “I believe so,” she said. “He’s not staying in the hotel, and he’s way more comfortable out in nature.”
“He’s not supposed to be up here,” said Ben, stating the obvious. “If you knew he was going to stay behind, you really should have said something.”
There was another shrug from Crystal. “What can I say? I’ve been a little distracted as of late. You’ll have to forgive me.”
Ben didn’t say anything else. He waited until they were at the tent. “Wynter, are you in here?” he asked, moving the silk over the entrance aside as he did so. It wasn’t like there was a solid door to knock on.
A woman shrieked. Everyone jumped, Ben included. Rowen was left stunned but only for a moment. She pushed forward through the entrance. She recognized that shriek. “Peony?!” Her exclamation was framed as a question, even though it was plain to see that the woman that had just shrieked was indeed Peony. “What in the world are you doing out here?”
Peony stood in the center of the tent, her eyes wide and her posture stiff. She was wearing denim shorts and a tank top. There was a lit candle in one of her hands and what looked like a store-bought pie in the other. “What?”
“What are you doing here?” Rowen asked again, closing the distance between herself and her cousin. “You know you’re not supposed to be here, right?”
“Am I not?” Peony looked down at her pie. “I have to be here though.”
“Why?”
Peony fidgeted. “Remember?”
Rowen shook her head and spread her hands. She wasn’t sure what Peony was trying to get at. “Remember what?”
“When we got lost in the woods.” Peony inclined her head, willing Rowen to make a leap of logic from there. She held her pie a little higher.
