Herd is the Word

by Jenna Lynn Badger

  Danielle turned, a sad look on her face.

  “I’m sorry this is going so badly.”

  Danielle took a deep breath before responding. “I’m sorry this whole campground has lost their minds. I saw that video Gabriella is flashing around. It’s obvious your daughter was joking. No one, not even Blanche, has room in her RV for one alpaca, let alone two.”

  June nodded. “At least I’ve got one person at the campground who doesn’t think we had something to do with it. Blanche is considering having the police meet us on the highway when we leave.”

  Danielle turned, a look of surprise and frustration on her face. “Really? After all that about not calling the police.” She shook her head. “If everyone’s looking at you guys as the thieves, then we’re never going to find the person who really took the animals.” She paused, blinking away tears. “No one is going to find Prince Albert or Penelope. No one will bring them home.”

  “I’m sorry,” said June.

  Danielle wiped tears from her eyes. “It’s not your fault. It’s not even Ronald’s fault. I shouldn’t have trusted him to stay awake. I should have done it myself.”

  “I don’t know,” June said, pushing a gray strand of hair out of her face. “I thought your idea of having shifts was a good one. Being in the cold for too long isn’t really good for anyone. He could have gotten frostbite.”

  Danielle nodded despondently. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe whoever took them would have hurt Ronald if he hadn’t been asleep. It’s just so frustrating that nothing is being done.”

  “I’m not sure any of us are really thinking clearly this morning. Hopefully, Blanche will come to her senses and we can discuss this like adults.”

  Danielle gave her a sidelong glance. “You sound overly optimistic. Either that, or you don’t know Blanche very well.”

  June shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter if she calms down or not. Unless she is actually going to look into it, which I doubt, I’m just going to have to keep poking my nose into everyone’s business until I figure out what happened.”

  Danielle gained a hopeful look in her eyes. “Are you serious? Even with the whole campground angry at you?”

  They began the walk back to June’s motorhome.

  “Someone has to figure out what happened to the alpacas.”

  Danielle sighed out a long breath. “I’m glad you haven’t given up. I thought you might after the way they treated you.”

  June pursed her lips. “I don’t want to leave the campground with everyone thinking we were the ones to take the alpacas. I can just imagine what someone like Gabriella might cook up to get back at us. People on the internet can be really cruel and she could make it hard for my daughter and her husband. I can just imagine the damage that could do to their online community.”

  “Huh,” said Danielle. “I’ve never really thought about it that way, but you’re right. It can be guilty until proven innocent online and sometimes there’s nothing you can say.”

  June nodded. “I’ve done more research into online videos and the business around them than I probably should have. It just makes me worry even more.”

  That got a bit of a smile. “I can imagine. Once a mom, always a mom.”

  They stopped in front of June’s motorhome and stood in silence for a while, watching the snow turn to water and drip down the sides.

  Danielle scratched at her curly black hair. “What I don’t get is Blanche’s behavior. She has never cared about the alpacas the way some of us do, but she needs them here to make ends meet. Losing Penelope is bad enough, but Prince Albert…” She shook her head. “Him going missing should have been a wakeup call. She makes money off of his easily dyeable fleece, off of mating him with females from other farms, off of his ability to produce more alpacas. She could lose a lot if she doesn’t get him back. And I…” she paused, her lip trembling. “I am going to really miss him.”

  June put an arm around Danielle’s shoulders. “There’s no sense giving up yet. I found a couple more things that might help us figure this out. Why don’t you come inside? We’ll get you a cup of coffee and I’m sure I can whip up some breakfast.”

  Danielle sighed. “That would be nice, but I think I need sleep before I have any coffee. Maybe I’ll drop by later?”

  “Anytime,” said June. “Oh, I have a question for you.” She pulled the little earring out of her pocket and held it out to Danielle.

  “Any idea whose this is?”

  Danielle blinked a few times, seeming mesmerized by the intricate design. “Where did you find it?”

  “I found it last night after you and the others had gone to bed. It was floating in Prince Albert’s trough.”

  “As far as I know, Fran is the only one at the camp who knows how to make those.” Danielle rubbed at her face. “I’m too tired to even consider what that earring has to do with the alpaca going missing.”

  June patted her arm. “Get some rest. I’ll figure out what to do next.” She wished she could go collecting shoes, but with everyone on edge, and Blanche angry at her, it might not be a good idea.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Hi, Mom.” Rebecca sounded worried. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was digging through June’s cupboards.

  “Looking for something?” June asked, putting her cane on the floor and using the handle to mount the stairs.

  “Do you mind if I use your kitchen? Nathan’s feeling frustrated and cookies always makes him feel better. I knew you’d have all the ingredients.”

  “What self-respecting chef doesn’t have the ingredients for emergency chocolate chip cookies on hand at all times?”

  Rebecca smiled, her dark eyes sparkling. “I knew I could count on you.”

  June poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat heavily at the dinette. “You might want to stock up on chocolate chips,” she said between bites. “Cookies can keep a marriage together, you know.”

  Rebecca measured out the butter and sugar into a big, canary-yellow bowl which had a melted spot on the side. That bowl was older than her daughter. She found the little hand mixer.

  June had much better equipment at her home in Illinois, but what she had on hand would suffice. She had a lot of practice taking all the ingredients and tools she would need to new locations from her catering job. Packing the food and utensils required for the trip had been the easy part. The hard part had been everything else — how many clothes, how warm it would be, and all the little toiletries.

  “I almost forgot how much Dad loved them,” said Rebecca, giving her a wry grin. “Even I was aware whenever you were smoothing things over with him with a batch of cookies.”

  Harold had been gone for so long that the pang of loss that should have accompanied that statement was just a dull ache and a fond memory. June loved Harold, she really did, but it had been so long that the mere mention of his name no longer brought her to tears. “Not only that, I could win every argument.”

  They sat in silence for a time, neither one of them wanting to bring up the shouting match that had happened this morning. June sighed out a long breath and pushed the half-eaten cereal aside. This part of their vacation had definitely turned sour and they would be leaving tomorrow.

  Rebecca gave her a sidelong glance. “You doing ok?” She clicked off the mixer and added the eggs.

  “Oh, I’m just tired and frustrated. The alpacas woke me up twice, and of course I had to bundle up both times and go see what was going on. It didn’t do much good, though, having everyone standing out there in the cold. Now two of them have gone missing.”

  “I heard them last night, but I refused to get out of bed. Besides, Nathan was still sleeping. He always wakes up if I move around too much.” Rebecca smirked. “I suppose not all of us have a burning desire to figure out what happened.”

  “You had enough curiosity to get you out of bed before the sun was up, though,” said June.

  Rebecca turned and looked at her, her long ponytail sw
aying with the motion. “You want to discuss the elephant in the room? I can’t believe people actually think I took an alpaca. This whole thing, the whole campground, is ridiculous and Nathan’s half-ready to strangle someone.”

  June grimaced. “I know he’s feeling protective, but we can’t risk upsetting anyone any more than we already have.” She paused, wishing she didn’t have to share the next part. “Blanche threatened to call the police on us as we’re leaving tomorrow and said that she should have us thrown out.”

  Rebecca planted a flour-covered fist on a hip. “That woman was all smiles three days ago. Honestly, I can’t understand what’s wrong with everyone. And calling the police on us when she won’t even bring them into the camp to figure out what really happened?” She took a few breaths, but it didn’t seem to calm her. She untied her apron strings. “I should just march over there right now with cameras rolling.”

  “Rebecca,” June started.

  “No, Mom. We are not going to take this lying down.” She pulled off the apron and balled it up.

  June got to her feet and grabbed her daughter’s arm before she could make it out of the motorhome. “Going after Blanche is not going to help our situation. I need you to think carefully over all of your actions and how they will appear if people continue to think that you did it. Finish the cookies or don’t, but I think you guys might want to leave the campground for today.”

  Rebecca frowned. “And what if they come after you?”

  June chuckled. “Then I’ll be the one to call the police and this whole thing will get resolved.”

  She paused, seeming to take her mother’s advice for once. “Maybe you’re right, and I’ll finish the cookies. At least Nathan will have that to look forward to.” She put the apron back on and worked in silence for a time. The only sound was the hand mixer. Rebecca glanced at her mom out of the corner of her eye. “Any idea who really took the alpacas?”

  “Not really.” June sighed and picked up the spatula off the counter before turning it over in her fingers. She filled her daughter in on all the details she had found this morning, and what Danielle said about Blanche’s behavior. “She’s right, you know. Blanche should have called the police by now.”

  Rebecca mixed in the dry ingredients, switching to a spoon so she didn’t burn out the motor, and dumped in the chocolate chips before the dry ingredients were fully incorporated.

  June’s spirits lifted. It was good to know that she had at least given her daughter some of the skills she would need in the kitchen.

  Rebecca gave her a sidelong glance. “You could consider letting it go. We’ll be leaving all these grouchy people behind us tomorrow.”

  June tried not to feel heartsick about leaving the campground. She hadn’t felt that way about leaving any of the other places they had stayed at on the way here. Why should this one be any different? “If there’s a way I can clear up this misunderstanding before we leave, everyone will be better off.”

  “Misunderstanding, Mom? That’s the understatement of the year. I wasn’t kidding about the pitchforks. You better be careful.”

  June waved a hand. “Oh, I’ll be fine. No one’s going to attack a helpless old lady. Besides, Danielle is completely heartbroken about the whole thing. She was really close to the alpacas.” She felt a pang of sadness herself when she thought about the missing Prince Albert and Penelope. When had she become attached to alpacas? She shoved that thought aside. Feeling sad about it wasn’t going to get anything done.

  Rebecca dug in the cupboards for a cookie sheet. “You have a silicone mat in here? I didn’t even know they made them for RV ovens.”

  “How am I supposed to bake anything without one of those?” asked June.

  Rebecca laughed. “Oh, I don’t know, cooking spray, like a normal person.” She pulled the silicone baking pad out and set it on the cookie sheet, which looked ridiculously small to June’s eyes. Then she began scooping out the cookie dough. “It’s a good thing you and dad didn’t decide to get a smaller rig. Where would you put all your kitchen gadgets?”

  June huffed. “I left plenty of them at home, if you’ll recall.” She didn’t want to be hassled about all the food in her fridge or the way her cupboards were stuffed full to capacity, so she changed the subject. She pulled the earring from her pocket and set it on the dinette. The intricate, turquoise loops caught her eye, even though it had wrinkled a bit as it dried. “I found this last night, floating in the male’s trough.”

  Rebecca slid the sheet pan into the small oven and walked over to look at the earring. “Wow. Look how tiny the stitches are. Where do you think it came from?”

  “Danielle was pretty sure who made it, but why it was floating in Prince Albert’s trough is anybody’s guess,” said June. She leaned back into the cushions. “The keys were Melanie’s, but she isn’t even here. Fran got into a big fight with her before she left, and now I find an earring pointing back to Fran.”

  Rebecca raised an eyebrow. “You think she had something to do with the alpaca’s disappearance?”

  “That, or someone was trying to frame her. I need to talk to someone at the campground that I can trust, and Danielle is just so emotionally involved, I doubt she can think straight.”

  “You know these people better than I do,” said Rebecca. She covered the top of the next cookie sheet with cooking spray and scooped out more dough. “Is there anyone here who doesn’t have too much of an interest in the alpacas?”

  “Yes,” said June. She immediately thought of Jameson. He had told her that he didn’t care as much about the alpacas as everyone else. He hadn’t been in the crowd last night or early this morning, either. She had a suspicion that whoever had taken the alpaca would want to see everyone’s reactions and, with the large crowd that had gathered early in the morning, it would be easy enough just to blend in.

  Mr. Bigglesworth hopped up on the chair next to June and rubbed against her hand.

  “Oh, did you want attention?” June asked her furry friend.

  Rebecca smiled. “That cat doesn’t seem to like anyone else. Nathan is starting to lose hope.”

  “If he wants to take over feeding her, that would probably do the trick.” She rubbed under her cat’s chin, and Mr. Bigglesworth purred.

  The smell of cookies wafted through the motorhome.

  Rebecca washed and dried a few dishes before turning to her mom. “I’m really glad you’re looking into this. I doubt our followers would really think we were alpaca thieves, but you’re right. If we can figure out who did it and set people straight, it will be better for everyone in the long run.

  June smirked. “It’s not like I’ve solved anything. All I’ve really done is return a set of missing keys.”

  “Maybe you’re closer than you think.” Rebecca pulled the first batch of cookies out of the oven and slid the next one in. “You sure you don’t need help?”

  “No. I doubt Fran would appreciate both of us showing up on her doorstep. That is, if she’ll talk to me at all.”

  “As long as you’re careful. Do you want a cookie?”

  June raised her eyebrows. “For breakfast instead of something healthy? Of course!”

  Rebecca slid one onto the plate and grabbed the milk out of the refrigerator. They sat at the dinette, enjoying the taste of freshly baked cookies. The chocolate was still melty and they had just the right amount of chew.

  “You did a good job on these.”

  Rebecca bit into her own cookie. “I learned from the best. I’m sure I can convince Nathan to leave the campground with a plate of these.”

  June stood. “I think I’ll take a walk. I need to clear my head.”

  “Good luck, Mom. I’ll leave you some cookies.”

  “Just in case I burn too many calories?” June chuckled as she reached for her cane.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  June walked around the campground, fingering the earring in her pocket. If she hadn’t seen it last night, it would have been lying in a puddl
e of mud this morning. Then no one would have noticed it.

  A few people wandered around the camp, bundled against the cold and doing various jobs. One couple drove out of the campground, leaving slushy tracks behind them, but most of the paved loop that led into and out of the campground was already clear of the snow.

  The more she thought about the way Blanche had talked to her this morning, the more frustrated she became. June just couldn’t imagine how anyone would believe that Rebecca and Nathan were responsible. The fact that the owner was now buying into that whole idea made her feel both worried and frustrated.

  She was so lost in thought, she didn’t see the swarm of kids until they nearly ran her over.

  A brown-haired boy, taller than the rest, was in the lead. He grinned from ear to ear and clutched something in his hand.

  “Give it back!” a girl in blond braids shouted, but she was having trouble keeping up because she kept giggling.

  Oh, to have that kind of energy, June thought, feeling a little better. It didn’t seem to matter how cold it was or what the adults were up to, kids always seemed to find a way to have a good time and bring a little joy wherever they went.

  The laundry room and the bathrooms had people walking in and out in a steady stream, hampers or towels in hand. Danielle was nowhere to be seen and neither was Blanche.

  June found herself standing in front of Jameson’s little trailer. It had to be the smallest one at the campground. It looked a lot like Fran’s Airstream, but the curving front and back seemed to be made of overlapping plates instead of one continuous sheet of metal. It was shinier than Fran’s, and the shuttered windows opened out. It looked barely big enough to put a bed inside and was parked under a massive tree. A motorcycle and an old green Chevy pickup sat in front. The truck was missing wheels and sitting on cinder blocks.

  Jameson stepped out of his home. He left the door open and sat on the steps with his boots in hand.

  “Good morning, Jameson,” June stepped up closer so she wasn’t in direct sunlight. “I was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions.”