Even as the thought occurred to her, another slammed into her mind. The campers. Would they be safe here? What if someone revved up the chainsaws in the middle of the night while they were here? What if someone decided to take on the persona of Chainsaw Charlie and terrorize the campers? Even worse, what if a hunter’s stray bullet wandered this way while the campers were here?
And why had her employment application been in that dead man’s pocket? It made no sense. None of this made sense.
She tried to put the thoughts the rest, but couldn’t. She slipped from the nurse’s quarters and wandered into the cafeteria. She paused in the doorway, spotting Nick at the table with his shoulders slumped. What had happened to him? What had changed him so much?
She cleared her throat, not wanting to scare him, especially after all that had happened. He looked over his shoulder and straightened. “Molly. Everything okay?”
She stepped closer. “I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking. Nick, do you think you should let the campers come tomorrow?”
“I’ve been wrestling with that thought myself.”
“Do you think they’d be in danger by being here?”
“Right now we just appear to have some empty threats. I don’t know if these are someone’s idea of a prank or if there’s more to it. Until we figure that out, I think camp should continue. I don’t want to shut everything down just because someone’s feeling mischievous or because some hunters had too much to drink and got trigger happy.” His gaze stayed on her a moment. “What do you think?”
She paused, just a second. “I guess I agree. Until we have some answers, we should proceed. I just hope that things don’t escalate.”
“You and me both.”
Awkward silence stretched between them. Why did you say to someone you hadn’t spoken to in ten years?
“What a night, huh?” Nick finally said. He was apparently having as much trouble thinking about what to say as she was.
“You can say that again.”
He opened his mouth and then shut it. Finally he ran his hand through his hair again. “Why here, Molly?”
She blinked, his question startling her. “Excuse me?”
“Why Camp Hope Springs after all of these years? I never thought I’d see you again. I definitely didn’t expect you to show up here.”
Her throat burned at his words. “Camp Hope Springs is the last place I remember being happy. I wanted to have just a touch of that again. But I guess things aren’t always the way we remember them being.”
“I guess not.” He stared at her, his face solemn. “You sure you’re going to be okay? I know you’re shaken up.”
“I’ll survive.” But even as she said the words, there was a part of her that wondered about their truth. “How about you, Nick? Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. I just know that I need a good night’s rest. My ordered, predictable life keeps getting turned upside down. I’m beginning to not even trust my own instincts at this point.”
Her heart ached at his words. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“It’s been a long time since you’ve seen me. Things have changed.”
Molly looked away, deciding to ignore his comment. Though he had no reason to be angry with her, she had to acknowledge that skirting around the issue of their past could cause some heightened emotions. But Molly wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about their breakup, to acknowledge those old hurts.
“I’m sorry.” Nick raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know why I’m snapping at you.”
“Don’t apologize.”
Molly wanted an excuse to not have to go back into the nurse’s quarters. She knew she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight as it was. There was no way she’d be able to relax enough to truly rest after all that had happened, especially when she thought about how someone had been in those very quarters. But she couldn’t think of any other reason to be out here with Nick. She stepped back toward her quarters.
Just as she did so, Molly heard the screen door slam shut. She jerked her head toward the sound. A young man with shaggy hair and wild eyes stood there.
In his hands he held a chainsaw.
* * *
Nick stood as he saw Cody, the camp lifeguard, walk into the building. “Where did you get that chainsaw, Cody? And why do you look so crazy right now?”
“Sorry, the light just hurt my eyes for a second when I walked in.” He raised the chainsaw. “I found this beside the pool when I went to check the pH levels there. I didn’t want any of the campers getting hold of it tomorrow. You think Ernie accidentally left it there after he finished landscaping?” Cody set the chainsaw on one of the cafeteria tables and put a hand to his hip.
“I can’t believe that Ernie would be that careless.”
Could that be the chainsaw used to hack up the sign out front? The one he and Molly had heard from outside? He glanced at Molly and saw that her face was pale, listless. He realized that she had no idea who Cody was. It must have been a shock to see him there with what could be a weapon in his hands.
“Molly, this is the camp lifeguard, Cody. Cody, this is Molly. She’s going to be the camp nurse for the summer.”
At once, some of the tension seemed to leave Molly. Her shoulders eased down some, her lips cracked into a half smile. “Nice to meet you, Cody.”
Cody nodded a greeting back to her. The nineteen-year-old had just finished his freshman year at college and fit the stereotypical lifeguard image—toned, tanned and blond. All of the female campers were sure to have a crush on him by the end of their stay here.
“You’re going to need to leave that chainsaw with me. I’m going to have the police check it out.” Nick explained about the sign out front, as well as the noises he and Molly had heard.
“That’s odd. Why would someone destroy that sign? It’s been there since I started camp here when I was a kid.”
Nick nodded at the senselessness of it all. “My thoughts exactly.”
“I hope the sheriff figures out whoever did this and gives him what he deserves. It’s like the camp has been haunted or something for the past week—not that I believe in ghosts.”
“What do you mean by that?” Nick asked.
Cody shrugged. “I don’t know, man. It’s just that the director cuts and runs, the sign is destroyed. I keep on thinking that someone’s gone through my stuff in my room, even though there’s been no one here. I just keep getting the feeling that someone is moving things, trying to send subtle signs that they’ve been there.” He shook his head. “I don’t know. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
“No. Thanks for sharing, Cody.” Nick paused again. “You said all of this didn’t start happening until Gene left?”
Cody shrugged again. “Yeah, man. Could be a coincidence. But maybe it’s not. Who knows, right? I didn’t want to mention it earlier because I didn’t want to sound paranoid or something.”
“No, I’m glad you mentioned it, Cody.”
“For what it’s worth, right? Anyway, nice to meet you, Molly.” Cody glanced back at Nick. “I gotta get some shut-eye.”
Nick drew in a deep breath. Why did he have the sinking feeling that Cody was anything but paranoid?
* * *
Molly checked the last bottle of medication and stored it securely behind a locked medicine chest in the nurse’s quarters. That should be the last camper checking in. Middle school students had flooded the campus, ready for a fun-fille
d week at Camp Hope Springs. The bunch was already enthusiastic. Their excitement almost made Molly forget about everything that had happened the day before...almost. Fear still lingered in the back of her mind. What if what had happened wasn’t an innocent prank? What if there was more to it? Were the campers in danger?
She sat back on an old couch in the room as shivers raced across her skin. She’d always had a good gut instinct for people and situations. Her gut right now told her that there was more to these “pranks” than just irresponsible fun. Could someone be so mad at the camp that they’d try to shut them down? Would these incidents remain pranks or escalate beyond that? Her presence here had nothing to do with this...did it?
Derek was the first person who flashed into her mind. Certainly he wouldn’t have gone through all of this trouble just to make her life miserable and convince her to go back to Maryland.
Come back to me and I’ll make the charges disappear, he’d said.
That’s when she’d known that the false charges leveled against her were all a part of his plan to manipulate Molly into staying in a relationship with him.
Her anger over the situation had died and now she simply accepted it for what it was. She could do nothing to change Derek; she could only change the way she reacted. She’d learned through her troubled childhood that there were few things in life she could control, but her attitude was one of them. That very mindset—along with her faith—had gotten her through some of her darkest seasons.
A knock sounded at the door. “You ready for the staff meeting?”
She looked up at the sound of Nick’s voice. “Is it that time already?” She stood and brushed the wrinkles out of her outfit, thankful that the sheriff had dropped her suitcases by this morning. “I’ve got all the medical forms filled out, so everything’s good to go here.”
Nick had scheduled a staff meeting to explain to all of this week’s counselors that they should be extra vigilant and report anything suspicious going on. Would that be enough?
She joined Nick as they walked down the hallway to a meeting room. All of the volunteer counselors were waiting there, a good mix of youth pastors, college students and even a few parents whose kids were most likely horrified that they’d come along for the week.
Cody, the lifeguard, had recruited the young adults at his church to come to the camp right after service today in order to help clean things up. If it hadn’t been for them, Molly wasn’t sure things would have been ready for the campers. Cleaning the cabins was one thing. But the young adult group had helped to clean the cafeteria, the meeting hall and several of the picnic shelters in the area. Cody had taken care of the pool and cleared the campfire area and a few of the nature trails that had started to grow over. Ernie, the part-time groundskeeper who lived in town, had cut the grass. All of this after a makeshift church service in the meeting hall this morning.
So many memories of her time at the camp had flooded back to Molly. Her heart clenched as she remembered the good and the bad.
Her attention snapped back to the meeting. Nick stood in front of the group, a picture of leadership and discernment. He’d always been a natural in front of people and his peers had seemed eager to follow. Things were no different now. Everyone’s eyes focused on Nick, waiting for him to take the helm.
He hesitated a moment before stretching a smile across his face and welcoming everyone.
Molly watched him for a moment, knowing that she finally had the chance to soak in the changes the years had brought without seeming like she was staring. Time had been good to him and only enhanced his already handsome features. He had a few wrinkles at his eyes. He was still long, lean and fit. He had a few more chiseled muscles now than he did back in high school. His dirty-blond hair looked tousled. His blue eyes could still melt hearts, though their depths had taken on more layers.
What had really brought him back here? Molly felt certain there was more to his story. There was more of a hardness to him now. Had he simply grown up or had life taken a hard, unexpected turn somewhere down the line?
“I realize most of you were not expecting to see me here directing this meeting. The truth is, neither was I. Gene, the previous director, is no longer working at the camp, so here I am. I’m Nick White and this land was donated by my grandfather. I’ve served on the board of directors for the organization ever since I graduated from seminary, but I’ve primarily been deployed to Iraq with the Navy for the past six months,” Nick announced.
Iraq. That was a place that could change a person. In her position as a nurse in a military hospital, Molly had specialized in helping veterans returning from war adjust to life back in the States. She’d seen how that place could change people, give them nightmares; yet, at the same time, purpose.
What had that time done to Nick, though? And would he ever let anyone help him?
The meeting concluded twenty minutes later. Ernie, the groundskeeper, leaned against the wall as everyone else cleared out of the room. Molly found her way over to him. The man was probably in his sixties, but still looked fit despite the deep wrinkles on his face, prominent because of his work out in the sun.
“I heard about what happened last night—all of it, not just the parts that Nick glossed over during the meeting,” he started in a slow, country drawl. “You need to be careful.”
Molly tensed. “How’d you hear?”
“One of the deputies was running his mouth down at the local bar once he got off duty.” Ernie shook his head. “It’s a small town. Unfortunately, people talk.”
“Did they talk about who might be behind all of this?”
“You mean besides Chainsaw Charlie?” Ernie chuckled. “Did come up that none of this started happening until Nick White got back into town.”
“I was with Nick when we heard the chainsaws. He obviously couldn’t be in two places at once.”
Ernie shrugged. “I’m just saying. I don’t want to believe it, either. Maybe he’s not the one behind these ‘incidents,’ but maybe they’re happening because he’s here.”
“What sense would that make?”
“A lot of people would love this property. Who owns it? Nick White. Scare him off and maybe they have a chance.”
“You really think someone from around here would do that?”
“I’ve lived around these parts for a long time. Sure, there are some locals who are up to no good and wouldn’t think twice about going to great lengths to get what they want.”
“I don’t want to think people are capable of that.” But she wasn’t naive either, and she knew greed could cause people to do terrible things.
He nodded toward Cody, who stood off in the distance. “You might want to keep an eye on that young man over there.”
“Cody?” she whispered. “Why would you say that?”
He shrugged again. “Had a reputation for doing drugs not too long ago before he started going to church. Drugs can make people do funny things.”
“People change. Maybe he’s put his old ways behind him.”
Ernie held up his hands, as if in surrender. “I’m not trying to cause trouble. I was friends with Nick’s grandpa, you know. I want what’s best for the camp, too. What’s best for the camp means clearing up this mess.”
“Maybe it was all a coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. Nope, especially not now.”
* * *
The remainder of the day passed in a blur. Campers arrived, ate dinner
, participated in a worship service and then ended the day with campfire. The songs soothed Molly’s aching soul. The crackle of the fire, mixed with a single acoustic guitar and a multitude of middle school voices nearly brought tears to Molly’s eyes. The simple worship, for a moment, made her forget about everything else going on—the reasons she left the hospital in Bethesda, the man she hit while traveling to camp, and being forced to work with the man who broke her heart.
What had Molly been thinking by coming here? Really, it had been a whim. She’d remembered Camp Hope Springs as a place of such peace and focus. She’d wanted that back in her life again, especially after what happened with Dr. Derek Houston... She shook her head, knowing she couldn’t go there.
She wanted to put Derek out of her mind. Now that she was away from him physically, she had to remove herself mentally. He would not have an effect on her here, a hundreds miles away. But how did one get past the fact that you’d become everything you never wanted to be?
For so long, Molly had been strong and focused and had total trust in God. Then Derek came along and swept her off her feet with his charm. Slowly, that charm had faded and turned into subtle put-downs and control. She’d woken up one day with the realization that she was just like her mom—with a man who treated her poorly. Finally, she’d come to her senses and broken things off. Over the next couple of months, though, it had become apparent that she had to leave Maryland and Derek in order to regain her joy.
After campfire wrapped up, Molly gathered the campers who needed to take their medications to walk with them back to the nurse’s quarters. Nick touched her arm, halting her, before she started down the path. She looked up, surprised at his closeness, drawn in by his expressive eyes framed by those long lashes.
“I’ll walk up there with you. One second.”
Relief spread through her. Fear still kept its sticky fingers around her, making the thought of walking anywhere alone seem frightening. Having Nick with them would help alleviate some of that anxiety—no matter how paranoid it might seem.
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