The Murder At Summer Camp (Clara Young Series Book 4)

by Renee Marski

  Maddy rolled over to look at Clara. "It seemed easier than talking about her. Guess it was a stupid thing to do." She closed her eyes as tears leaked out. "She really didn't run away. Someone hurt her."

  Clara nodded. "Yeah, they did. I'm gonna get the girls into bed. We can talk more tomorrow." Maddy nodded and watched silently as Clara grabbed her pajamas and headed out the door. Clara wanted to say something comforting but she wasn't sure what to say, so she closed the door quietly, hoping Maddy would feel better in the morning.

  11. PATRICIA

  W hen Clara walked into the big house the next morning for breakfast, a woman she'd never seen before stood in the kitchen with Katy, glaring around. Her arms were crossed over her small frame. The billowy flower shirt she wore didn't do much to reveal her real size. Red painted toes peeked out from underneath the bright pink skirt she wore. Her dark hair, the same shade as Katy's, was piled on top of her head in a messy bun. "I can't believe this is happening. How could you be so irresponsible?"

  Clara saw Katy flinch. Deciding to speak up, Clara walked around the island and put on her biggest smile. "Good morning! You must be Katy's mother. I'm Clara, one of the counselors volunteering here this summer." She held out her hand, ready for a shake. The woman looked at her hand, then at Clara's face, her left eye twitching ever so slightly.

  "I don't shake hands. Nice to meet you." She turned back to Katy, her teeth clenched. "We'll talk more later." She spun and stomped out, leaving Katy standing there with her hand on her chest.

  "Well, she's sweet." Clara gave Katy a smile, which Katy gratefully returned.

  "She means well. She's worried about the camp getting shut down. And she's not wrong. I'm the one who let Maddy get behind the wheel."

  "Does Maddy have a license?"

  Katy nodded. "Yes, but normally we don't let the younger girls drive. You guys doing it is fine, you drive all the time. While Maddy has a license, she doesn't have a car and not so much practice. I actually took her last year to get her license in the van, if you can believe that."

  "Still, your mom shouldn't blame you. You couldn't have known what would happen."

  Katy shrugged and turned to the coffee pot. She poured herself a cup. "In my mom's mind, I should be able to anticipate everything, just like she did. If you ask her, she ran this camp perfectly."

  Clara placed a hand on Katy's shoulder. "It's going to be OK. The cops will figure out who killed Gretchen, Savannah will get better, and we'll end this summer with a bang."

  Katy took a sip of coffee, savoring the flavor. "I hope you're right." She left Clara in the kitchen, going the way her mother had. Apparently, they had to finish their conversation. Clara poured her own cup of coffee, then sat at the island until the other girls woke up. She suggested that the counselors make breakfast for the campers today. They agreed and jumped right into it. Clara saw Maddy in a corner chopping veggies and stepped over to help.

  "How are you feeling?"

  Maddy sighed. "Better. I think I needed a good night's sleep to put things in perspective. At least now we know what happened to Gretchen."

  Tracy stepped up to Maddy. Her red hair was pulled back into twin braids and she smiled. "Deputy Bianchi said he'd like to stop by to speak to you today about Gretchen, if that's okay?" Maddy nodded and turned back to the veggies. Tracy pulled out her phone to text the deputy, while Clara grabbed a knife and helped Maddy. The campers came wandering in, hungry looks on their faces. They devoured the scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon like they were starving. All talk was about the accident and Savannah.

  "Can we visit her?" Diamond asked this around a piece of toast, a hopeful look on her face.

  Clara frowned. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. They let only family visit at the hospital." The girls groaned but nodded in understanding. To distract them, Clara suggested a morning hike once chores were done. Denise and Hannah volunteered to come along. Tracy and Stacy offered to stay back with Maddy to wait for the deputy. Clara hoped the conversation wouldn't be too hard on Maddy. She could only imagine what the deputy wanted to know.

  As they got ready to leave for the hike, several vans pulled into the drive. Clara stepped out onto the porch, shielding her eyes against the glare of the sun from the windshields. She watched Katy's mom approach the vans and shake hands with several of the people inside them. Everyone she spoke to seemed to be attired in business suits. Clara wondered if these were the trustees or sponsors or whatever. Then she saw the microphones and cameras and realized they were reporters, looking for a story. Clara shook her head. She couldn't stand reporters and always avoided talking to them. Even after she'd helped catch Anthony's brother, she'd refused to talk to reporters.

  She walked around to the back of the house, where the campers and other counselors waited for her. Then she clapped her hands and got their attention. "Okay, ladies, let's get to it." They nodded and followed her to the trail that bordered the lake.

  They spent the first part of the walk in silence, each girl stuck in her thoughts. Soon, though, the girls began to talk, the main topic being Gretchen, with some mention of Savannah here and there. Clara heard Diamond tell another girl, "We went on a hike the day Gretchen went missing. She claimed she hurt herself but I thought she was faking." Clara slowed down, letting the other campers go ahead of her until she was beside Diamond.

  "What do you mean she was faking?"

  Diamond shrugged and pulled out a canteen to drink. "I mean that she said she hurt her ankle but she wasn't even limping. She kept glancing at the trees and waited until we'd all walked past her before starting back. I looked back once, to check her progress, and she was gone, like a puff of smoke. I tried to say something, but no one would listen to me."

  Clara glanced at the woods. "She probably went in there."

  Diamond shrugged. "Sure but why? What could be in there that would draw her in?"

  Clara sighed. "That's a very good question." She walked until she caught up to Denise, whom she nudged with her shoulder. "So, random idea. Diamond doesn't think Gretchen was hurt. Said there was no limping. And that she disappeared while heading back to the house. So, that means she went to the clearing. But why?"

  Denise looked up at Clara, her eyebrows raised. "To meet someone?"

  Clara nodded. "Okay, but who? She'd broken up with the deputy."

  "What if he wanted to talk and asked her to meet him there?"

  Clara scratched her chin. "I guess. I just don't think she was meeting him." Clara walked on, her thoughts jumbled. She hoped the police had more to go on than she did and wished she was back at the house so she could pick the deputy's brain. She knew Gretchen had met with someone. She just had to figure out who it was.

  12. SUSPICIONS

  W hen the campers got back to the big house, the reporters' vans were gone, having been replaced by a cop car. The word "Sheriff" had been stenciled on the side in black letters. Clara headed inside, hoping to talk to the deputy before he left. She found him with Maddy and Katy's mom in what had once been a living room. They sat on folding chairs, drinking from Styrofoam cups. It sounded like he'd just started asking questions. Clara leaned against the doorframe, listening. "So, how did Gretchen seem to you that morning? Nervous, excited?"

  Maddy shrugged. "She seemed normal. Ready to take on life, head home, and go to college. It was all she talked about anymore. It made me sad." Maddy fiddled with her cup, not really drinking from it.

  "Why did it make you sad?"

  Maddy sighed. "She was leaving and not coming back. I didn't understand how she could just do that. This was such a big part of our lives. How could you just turn away from it?" The pain in her voice tore at Clara's heart.

  "People grow and change. It's just life. When was the last time you saw Gretchen?"

  "Here in the house, at breakfast. She was going on the hike and kept bouncing around the room. I wasn't sure what she was so excited about. She'd been pretty mopey for a couple of days before that." Maddy looked at the dep
uty and Clara winced. She meant Gretchen had been moping because of him.

  He ran a hand through his hair. "Any idea what had her so excited?"

  Maddy's face went from sad to mad in an instant. "Why don't you tell me? Maybe you asked to meet her out in the woods, in the clearing? Maybe she didn't say what you wanted to hear and you hurt her?" Maddy's fists were clenched, like she wanted to punch him.

  He held up his hands. "Maddy, I'm the one asking questions." His voice lowered as he leaned toward her. "I'd never hurt Gretchen. You know that."

  Maddy seemed to relax at his words. "I know but I can't for the life of me think of what else would make her so happy. You made her act like that."

  He nodded, standing. "I know. I'm sorry." He glanced at Katy's mom. "I'll be in touch if I have any more questions." He turned to the door and noticed Clara for the first time. "Ma'am." He smiled at her as he walked past. Clara rolled her eyes and turned to follow him out.

  She stopped him at his car. "So, what do you think?" She crossed her arms and waited for his reply.

  "I think this is a police matter and you should let me handle it."

  Clara shook her head. "I'm good at this. I have experience. Call the chief in my college town. I helped her out. Better yet, call my dad up north. He's a sheriff and I've helped him before too." The deputy cocked an eyebrow at her. "Look, I've solved murders before. I put my boyfriend's brother in prison. I know how to get the information you may not be able to get. All I ask is that I be kept in the loop."

  He narrowed his eyes. "I'll check out your references. Where is it you go to college?" Clara told him the town, gave him her dad's number, and then watched as he drove off, her gut churning. Would he let her help? She certainly hoped so.

  ***

  Maddy kept to her room for the rest of the day, claiming she didn't feel good. Clara suspected the talk with the deputy had rattled her and she decided to let Maddy have her space. Clara spent the day with the campers, helping them harvest veggies from the garden and clean out the stalls in the barn. The chores were a distraction, keeping everyone's hands busy, and thus not giving their minds time to think about things. It certainly helped distract Clara.

  Maddy finally appeared that evening during free time. She walked over to Clara's table and sat down. Clara offered to deal her into their card game but Maddy declined, shaking her head. "I think the deputy did something to Gretchen."

  Clara's eyebrows rose but she said nothing, continuing to deal. Tracy looked upset but held her tongue. Hannah smiled and said, "Go on."

  "Gretchen loved him. He made her happy. He's the only reason she'd be so excited. What if he planned to meet her in the clearing and then killed her?"

  Clara held up a hand. "Did he know about the clearing?"

  Maddy snorted. "Of course he did. That's where they were meeting all the time."

  The girls exchanged glances. "So, if they were meeting there, it wasn't a surprise to him when we told him we'd found it." Hannah couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice.

  "Then why did he make me show it to him?" Clara felt confused. He'd acted like he'd never seen it before.

  Maddy shrugged. "Who knows? But who else would she meet in the woods? Who else would make her that excited?"

  Clara rubbed her chin, considering Maddy's words. "I mean, he really didn't seem to know the clearing. He followed me the whole time. Are you sure she was meeting him out there?"

  Maddy shrugged and stood up. "Where else would they meet?" She walked over to the campers, plastering a smile on her face for them. Clara watched her talk to them and shook her head.

  "That just doesn't make sense."

  Hannah followed Clara's gaze. "You think she's lying?"

  Clara sighed and rubbed her forehead, her cards completely forgotten. "I'm not sure. But if she is, why? What does she gain by lying about the deputy?"

  "I could just ask him." Tracy held up her phone, one eyebrow arched.

  "Not over the phone, Trace. I want to see his face. Guess we're going into town this weekend to talk to the deputy."

  Tracy groaned. "Our free days really aren't going to be free, are they?"

  Hannah nudged Tracy. "What, you and the deputy have a big date planned?"

  Tracy nodded. "We wanted to go river rafting." She smiled at the girls. "He invited you guys too."

  Clara smiled back at her. "I can question him on the river just as well as I could anywhere else. Let's have some fun." The others nodded, agreeing to the outing. Clara's eyes drifted back to Maddy and took in her whole appearance. She seemed better now, over the shock of the accident and the questioning. Clara hoped that she'd feel better in the days to come and that Savannah would wake up soon. She felt that only Savannah could confirm Maddy's claim and tell her whether the deputy had been out to the clearing.

  13. RIVER RAFTING

  T he girls stood near the van and watched as the deputy pulled up beside them in a beat-up pickup truck. The paint had faded from bright red to something closer to pink, while rust covered quite a bit of the bottom half. He hopped out, a faded ball cap on his head and a grin on his face. He waved at the girls, then reached into the bed to pull out a tube. "I have my own. You can rent them at that booth for fairly cheap." He indicated a stand about twenty yards from them. The girls nodded and headed over to the stand to get their tubes. He walked up behind Tracy, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed the back of her head. She giggled, swatting at his arm. Clara smiled, happy that Tracy was happy.

  Clara got tubes for everyone, passing them back as the cashier handed them to her. They turned and followed the deputy to the starting point in the river, laughing when they realized he had two tubes and a cooler. "One tube for the cooler, so we don't lose it." He hopped into the water first and turned to help Tracy in. Each girl wore a different-style suit, one that fit her personality. Denise and Tracy both wore two-piece tankinis: Denise's a deep purple and Tracy's a dark green. Hannah, by far the tallest of the group, wore a light blue bikini with a coverup over top, just until they got into the water. Clara's red suit was also a bikini but she opted for shorts for the bottoms instead of the small bikini bottoms Hannah sported. As the girls settled into their tubes, the deputy held them steady. Once in the tubes, they linked them together with a piece of rope he'd brought. That way they wouldn't lose anyone.

  As they started floating down the river, he popped open the cooler and pulled out sodas for everyone, passing them down the line. "I've got snacks too. This is a pretty long river, so we'll be out here a while."

  Clara took a swig of her soda, enjoying the bubbles on her tongue. "So, Deputy, you come out here often?"

  "Braydon. Just call me Braydon."

  Clara smiled. "Okay, Braydon. You come out here often?"

  He shrugged and looked around. "Pretty frequently. It's my favorite spot to relax after a trying week."

  "This week was pretty trying." Hannah jumped in, following Clara's lead. If anyone could help her question someone while seeming not to be questioning them, it was Hannah. Being a sheriff's daughter did that to a person.

  He nodded. "It was. But also provided a lot of closure. I've imagined a lot of scenarios about Gretchen in the last year. At least now I know where she was."

  "So, was she drowned?" Clara played with the rim of her can, not wanting to seem too interested. She wanted to keep him talking about the case for as long as possible, get as much information as she could.

  "The medical examiner doesn't think so. Not that there's much to go on but she had a pretty good crack on the back of her head. He thinks she was whacked and then tied under there to hide her."

  "Whacked?" Denise looked at him in surprise. "Who says ‘whacked' anymore?"

  He laughed, the sound loud and deep. "Well, I guess I do. That was his word, actually. I think he meant hit really hard." He shook his head. "You should meet him. He's quite the character."

  "I might have to take you up on that." Clara winked at him, hoping he wouldn't hear th
e excitement in her voice. She'd love to pick the medical examiner's brain about this case.

  Hannah took over the questioning, watching as the deputy took a sip of his soda. "So, about the clearing. Maddy said something interesting yesterday that we thought you should know." He nodded and waited for her to continue. "She said you knew about it. That you used to meet Gretchen there when you guys were dating. Is that true?" She quirked an eyebrow at him and gave him a small smile.

  He shook his head, looking utterly confused. "The clearing? The one you ladies found?" All four girls nodded. "No, I've never been there. That's why I had to have Clara take me there. Gretchen and I used to meet by the dock. We'd stick our feet in the water, lay on the dock and talk, or make out, whatever we wanted. Gretchen loved the stars. You can't see the stars so well in the woods."

  The girls exchanged glances. "Then why would Maddy say something like that? It makes no sense."

  Denise held up a finger. "What if Gretchen told Maddy that's where they met so that if Maddy went looking for them at night, she wouldn't find them? No one wants their night interrupted. Am I right, Braydon?"

  He nodded and took another sip of soda. "Could be. Gretchen and Maddy were close, but there was a strain there too. Gretchen had told the girls she wasn't coming back this year and that seemed to upset Maddy. More than Savannah anyway."

  "Savannah understood." All heads turned to Tracy. She shrugged. "This was going to be Savannah's last year. She understood why Gretchen wanted to move on."

  "And now she's in a coma." Something clicked in Clara's mind. "Deputy, could the accident have been on purpose?"

  He shook his head. "Didn't seem that way. I mean, Katy was in the van with them. She swore it was an accident."

  "Or it just looked like one." Hannah met Clara's eyes over the rim of her can. Clara nodded, knowing Hannah was thinking what she was thinking. It was too much of a coincidence that Savannah had wanted to leave and now she was in a coma. Gretchen had wanted to leave and she was dead.