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

by Renee Marski

  She wiped her face, sniffling. She may not be able to bring back Katy, but she could figure out what had happened to her and Gretchen. This was no longer about some girl she'd never met. This was personal. Katy didn't just fall into the lake. Clara knew that much. Something had happened to her and Clara was going to find out what it was.

  15. THE FUNERALS

  T he next several days were spent in a fog. The campers went about their chores in silence, all laughter gone. No one talked about the upcoming funeral, which Patricia had insisted be held at the camp the following Saturday. She claimed Katy had loved the camp so much, she'd want to be buried there. Clara felt that was a little much, but kept quiet, thinking maybe Patricia needed Katy close. Gretchen was going to be buried there as well, during the same funeral. Patricia had decided to pay for Gretchen's funeral, as she knew that even if she got a hold of Gretchen's mom, she wouldn't be able to afford anything.

  Clara tried to keep the campers' spirits up, encouraging them to do the activities they loved. No one wanted to go near the lake and Clara didn't blame them. That was where Katy had been found and for now, it was still fresh. Instead, she took them hiking and horseback riding, trying to do things to take their mind off everything. The other girls helped, except for Maddy, who locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Clara had popped in a couple of times to check on her, bringing her food so she wouldn't have to leave. Maddy hadn't acknowledged her, but she ate and left the empty tray outside the door for Clara. At least she wasn't trying to starve herself.

  The morning of the funeral dawned bright and sunny, with birds chirping in the trees. Clara felt that was unfair. The weather should match their mood. She hoped the funeral would give the girls some closure, so that maybe they could move past this. Katy wouldn't want them to mourn her forever. Clara helped them get ready, styling hair where she could, offering compliments in other cases. Diamond took over helping with hair, handling the ones Clara had no idea what to do with. By the time the funeral rolled around, the campers were all ready.

  Patricia had set up the funeral by the woods, bordering the lake, near where Clara and the girls had found the clearing. Clara didn't mention that fact, not wanting to say anything about the clearing on such a sad day. Both caskets were closed, as neither girl was presentable and it would just upset the campers to see their bodies that way. The deputy came, hat in hand, and sat next to Tracy. He held her hand throughout the service. Patricia had gotten a priest from the town to come out for it. Clara wasn't sure if Katy or Gretchen were Catholic, but maybe that was all Patricia could find.

  As the priest went through his sermon, talking about death and life and Heaven, Clara glanced around and took in everyone. The campers huddled together and leaned on each other for support. They all looked anguished, sobbing into handkerchiefs that Clara had picked up in town for them. The counselors sat together, the deputy with them. Clara's friends were distraught, crying as the priest spoke. Maddy had emerged from her room, her hair brushed back from her face, her eyes red-rimmed, but she didn't cry. She stared at the caskets, anger on her face. Clara couldn't figure out why she was so mad. The girls hadn't asked to be killed. Clara felt it was an odd reaction to the funeral but didn't want to say anything to upset Maddy.

  After the funeral, they all said their goodbyes to the girls, dropping roses that Patricia had bought onto the caskets. Then they turned away as the caskets were lowered into the ground. The sound of dirt hitting the wood of the caskets followed them back to the big house. There, Patricia had set out a huge spread and told the campers to eat until they couldn't eat anymore. She stood in a corner, wine glass in hand, taking small sips and watching everyone. Clara had noticed she did that a lot since Katy's death, just watching the other girls, like she could pinpoint who had hurt her baby.

  Clara stood next to the deputy as he piled his plate full of little sandwiches and sides. She glanced around before asking, "What did the medical examiner say?"

  He sighed and glanced down at her. "Blunt force trauma to the head. She was dead before she hit the water."

  "So, not drowned."

  He shook his head. "Nope. Which means someone put her in that water. Probably to get rid of any evidence."

  "Did it work?" Clara bit her lip, knowing it probably did. Water tended to wash away everything.

  He nodded. "Pretty much. We know the shape of the object that was used to hit her, but beyond that, any hairs or fibers are gone."

  Clara sighed and looked down at her plate. "So, you don't have much to go on."

  "Not yet. But we'll find something. We always do." He stepped away and headed over to Tracy. Clara had to smile at his confidence, but she knew he was worried. They'd searched the whole camp the day the body was found and had discovered nothing. There was no indication of where Katy had been killed. There was blood on the pier, but not enough to have come from a head wound. That meant she'd been killed somewhere else and dragged to the pier.

  Clara stepped over Hannah and Denise and watched as Stacy tried to comfort Maddy. "They've gotten close."

  Hannah nodded. "I think Stacy being there when you told them about Katy did that. Maddy has been following her around all morning. The only time she'd come out of her room was if Stacy was the one to get her."

  "She found someone else to latch onto." Clara glanced down at Denise, surprised at her comment. Denise shrugged. "Just an observation. She was attached to Savannah and she's in the hospital in a coma. She was attached to Katy and she's dead. I'd be worried if I were Stacy."

  Clara scratched her chin, nodding. "It is weird that the people Maddy clings to seem to get hurt. She was pretty close to Gretchen too."

  Denise sighed. "I'm not saying Maddy is the killer or whatever, but she's the link. At least, it looks like she is."

  Hannah looked between the two of them, worry on her face. "Maybe Stacy should be careful. What if it's someone obsessed with Maddy? Stacy would be the next target."

  Clara popped an olive in her mouth, enjoying the salty tang before swallowing. "All good theories. We'll just have to keep our eyes on them for now." Clara glanced around, realizing for the first time that Patricia was missing. "Anyone see Patricia?"

  Hannah and Denise shook their heads in unison. Sadness dripped from Hannah's voice. "No. She was here when we first got here. But she must've slipped out. This has to be really hard on her." Losing someone you loved was never easy. Hannah knew that all too well. Clara reached out, squeezing Hannah's shoulder.

  "You okay?"

  Hannah nodded, brushing away a stray tear with the back of her hand. "I haven't cried over Betty in ages."

  Denise looked between the two of them, confusion on her face. "Betty?"

  Hannah and Clara exchanged a look, then Hannah gave Clara a small nod. "Betty was a girl who died in the bathroom stall at our school. Murdered. My family moved into her house several years later. Betty and Hannah were like sisters, so the fact that Hannah's dad couldn't solve the murder really hurt."

  "The fact that a high schooler did hurt my dad more." Hannah took a sip of her drink, trying to suppress a giggle.

  Denise's eyes widened. She turned to Clara. "You solved it?"

  Clara nodded. "Turns out my sister was dating the guy. Oh, and I liked his brother. I got him to confess while the girls recorded him in my closet. One of the scariest moments of my life." Clara shook herself, the other scary moment briefly passing through her mind. She wouldn't think about Alice today.

  "So, Anthony…?" Denise let the question hang in the air.

  "Is his brother. Yeah, I ended up getting engaged to him. They're nothing alike, trust me."

  Denise looked down into her glass, her forehead scrunched in concentration. "What was his motive for killing?"

  Hannah and Clara shared a look. Clara nudged Hannah to answer. "He thought the girls were stealing away his brothers. All the girls he killed were the older brothers' girlfriends. Some he scared off, but the ones he couldn't, he made disappear. Some
thing about them all going to college together and playing football. Honestly, he was dumb. He wanted to keep his brothers to himself." Disgust rolled off Hannah in waves. Even after all this time, she couldn't get over how much she hated Andrew. Clara could understand the feeling.

  Clara blew out a breath, trying to smile. "Enough morbid stuff. Let's see what Stacy and Maddy are doing." The other two nodded and followed Clara to where Stacy and Maddy stood, plates in their hands. Clara wrapped an arm around Maddy's shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. "How are you holding up?"

  Maddy looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "Better. I think burying them gave me closure. Now I have to worry about telling Savannah once she wakes up." Maddy sighed. "She's going to be so upset. She looked up to Katy so much. We all did."

  Clara nodded. "It will be hard. We can help if you need us to."

  Maddy gave her a grateful look. "Thanks. Stacy has been a great help so far."

  Stacy shrugged, chomping down on a small cucumber sandwich. Swallowing, she nudged Maddy with her shoulder. "It was no big deal. You just needed a little extra support. This summer has been pretty tough on you."

  Clara decided to ask the question and get it over with. "Maddy, do you know of anyone who would hurt Katy? Anyone she may have upset?"

  Maddy chewed on her bottom lip, worry and concern crossing her face. "Honestly? There's only one person whom Katy ever fought with." The girls leaned forward and waited for her answer. This could be the key to solving the murders. "Patricia."

  Clara shook her head and leaned back. "If Patricia killed Katy, she's a really good actress. She had a complete breakdown when the deputy and I told her."

  Maddy shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me. She took acting classes several years ago, when she claimed she was going to go to Hollywood. Katy didn't have the heart to tell her that she didn't have the talent for it. But maybe the classes actually worked." Maddy took a sip of her drink, swallowing before continuing. "I don't know. All I know is that those two fought the day Katy disappeared."

  Hannah and Clara shared open-mouthed looks. "Wait, did you tell the deputy that?"

  Maddy snorted. "Not yet. I've been pretty out of it, remember?"

  Clara placed her hands on Maddy's shoulders, then steered her toward Tracy and the deputy. "Well, you aren't out of it now. Time to tell him. This could be important."

  Maddy glanced over her shoulder at Clara. "You think so? You think it'll help?"

  Clara nodded. "I know it'll help."

  They stopped in front of the deputy and Tracy, who both looked at the group in confusion. Clara grinned at them. "Maddy has something she wants to tell you."

  Maddy clutched her plate and cup, her hands shaking ever so slightly. "So, um, well, Katy and Patricia got into a fight the morning Katy disappeared. Patricia had been offered a book deal to write about the camp and Gretchen's death. Katy told her she was exploiting the girls and what had happened to Gretchen. They started yelling at each other. We could hear them in the kitchen as we made breakfast. Katy came down after, apologized, and helped the girls with the chores. We didn't see Patricia until that afternoon."

  Clara set down her plate and cup, then rubbed her hands together. "Which means Patricia could've slipped out of the house and hurt Katy and no one would be the wiser."

  Maddy shrugged. "I guess it's possible. Maybe it was an accident?" She looked between the deputy and Clara hopefully.

  "She accidentally killed her daughter? I don't know." Clara tried to keep her tone as neutral as possible. No need to upset Maddy anymore than she already was.

  The deputy set down his stuff as well and scanned the room. "Maybe I need to have another talk with Katy's mom. Anyone see where she went?" The girls shook their heads. He nodded and kissed Tracy on the cheek before stepping away. The girls watched him go, then surrounded Maddy with hands and hugs.

  "It'll be okay. Thanks for telling him, Maddy." Stacy stood the closest, her arm wrapped around Maddy. Maddy leaned into her and closed her eyes.

  "It was the least I could do. Katy was always so good to me." Maddy sighed. "I think I'm going to go lie down now." She left, glancing back at them only once before heading out of the room.

  Denise leaned against a wall, arms crossed. "You guys really believe Patricia killed her own child?"

  Clara shrugged. "I don't know who killed Katy. It's just a lead."

  Denise nodded. "A lead that Maddy handed to you." Stacy gave Denise a confused look, so Denise explained. "Everyone around Maddy ends up getting hurt or killed. Don't we think Katy and Gretchen are connected? If so, it can't be Patricia. She wasn't here last year until after Gretchen died."

  "They did both end up in the lake." Hannah held up a finger as she said this.

  Stacy shook her head. "You think Maddy had something to do with this? She's been distraught for days."

  "Or acting. And planning how to throw the suspicion onto someone else." Denise shrugged. "Look, I don't know who did it. I'm just saying don't count her out. She's the common link between them. She has also been the one to throw suspicion onto two other people so far."

  Clara glanced at her friends, worried they'd start arguing. "Okay, how about we gather the girls and knock out the chores so we can spend the rest of the day relaxing? Sound good?" The others nodded. Hannah grabbed Denise and Tracy grabbed Stacy. Clara followed them, grabbing the campers as she went and pulling them along with her out of the room. Everyone needed a really good distraction before tempers flared and they all said something they'd regret.

  16. LUNCH WITH THE DEPUTY

  P atricia reappeared that evening as the girls were walking the campers to bed. She didn't look at them as she headed into the big house, her nose high in the air. Clara just shook her head, not sure what else they could do for her. From the looks of it, Katy had been her whole world. While Maddy seemed to think Patricia was capable of killing her own child, Clara had her doubts. She wondered what the deputy had asked her, but thought it best to ask him instead of Patricia.

  Because they were now down on counselors, the girls had to combine cabins. At Stacy's suggestion, they pulled out tents from a back room in the big house and set them up in the middle of the yard. It wasn't as comfortable as the cabins but it allowed them to keep an eye on all the girls. The campers didn't seem to mind, thinking this added to the camping experience, making it more authentic. Clara couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm as they set up the tents.

  The next several days were filled with chores and distractions. Clara did everything she could to keep up the campers' spirits. Camp was drawing to a close soon and she wanted them to have more good memories than bad ones. The girls agreed. Clara could see them doing all they could to encourage the campers, spending as much time with them as possible. The girls offered them the chance to talk about what had happened, but not many took them up on it.

  Maddy eventually emerged from her room again, slowly getting back into camp life. She stuck to Stacy like glue, following her every move. This seemed to bug Denise but she kept her mouth shut and just watched them every time they were together. Clara let Denise do that, figuring it couldn't hurt. At the very least, it meant someone was watching out for Stacy. Maddy didn't seem to mind Denise's presence. She always looked surprised when she found her nearby.

  Clara decided midweek to take a trip into town to talk to the deputy. She took the van, letting the other girls know where she was going before she left. The van, while having been damaged in the wreck, still drove, so Patricia had decided to hold off replacing it until after camp was over. The whole way to the station, Clara prayed that it wouldn't die on her. It didn't, but Clara had doubts it would make the trip back.

  She called the deputy from the van, not wanting to bother him if he was busy. He answered on the third ring. Clara heard sounds from the room in the background: phones ringing, papers printing, people talking. "Deputy Bianchi," he answered.

  "Hey, Deputy, it's Clara. I'm outside. I was hoping I could pick your
brain for a bit."

  She heard him lean back in his chair. "Sure. You hungry?"

  Clara glanced at the dash clock, realizing it was lunchtime. "I sure am."

  "Great. Be out in a minute." He hung up, leaving Clara to wait in the van until he stepped out and placed his brown hat on his head. He stepped up to the van window and smiled at her "Let's take my car. Yours is on its last legs."

  Clara nodded and hopped out. "Which one is yours?" She glanced at the police cars, not really seeing a difference between them.

  He pointed to the beat-up pickup that he'd driven out to the rapids. "That baby right there."

  Clara giggled. "Okay. Let's go."

  As they walked to the truck, he told her about it, about how he'd found it at an auction and bought it for cheap, fixing it up with parts he'd found at the junkyard. Stepping up next to it, he patted the hood. "Next, I'll get her painted. Saving up for that, though."

  Clara glanced into the truck and took in the fresh brown leather interior. "It looks great on the inside." He beamed in appreciation as he held the passenger side door open for her.

  They drove to the diner in silence. Clara tried to figure out what she wanted to say. She had more than one reason for this trip. Clara had seen how close he and Tracy were becoming. She wanted him to realize that summer camp was almost over. Once it ended, Tracy would be leaving. He hadn't been willing to leave this town for Gretchen. Would he be willing to do it for Tracy? Clara worried at her lip, not wanting to see one of her best friends get hurt.

  Inside the diner, sitting on red plastic seats at a brown laminate table, Clara ordered a burger and fries while the deputy ordered a chicken sandwich and salad. He patted his stomach and gave her a wink. "I have to watch my figure, you know."

  Clara shook her head, trying not to laugh. She leaned forward, her hands on the table. "So, did you talk to Patricia?"

  The deputy nodded. "I did. She admitted to the fight. And also admitted that her daughter was right. She wanted to exploit the camp, make some fast cash, and didn't take into account how it would make other people feel. She now says that it was a stupid idea and a dumb reason to fight, that if she'd just listened to her daughter, maybe she'd still be alive right now."