“We’re professional free-lance photographers, mostly nature and scenery,” Virginia was saying.
“We sell to magazines, calendar companies, writers doing nature books…,” Valerie added but Virginia jumped in.
“Not so many for books, but this week we’ve spent a lot of time at the nature center, shooting some of the environmental classes. Have you been over there? We got some great shots of the high ropes course. Mostly we do greeting cards and stationery, notecards, calendars, that kind of thing. That’s why we were working down by the river this morning.”
“The wildflowers are just…,” Valerie started, but Virginia leaned forward in her chair and interrupted again.
“There’s a very odd little old trailer back there that we took some shots of—kind of a scruffy-looking guy hanging around. He didn’t look very happy about us taking pictures.”
“He saw you taking pictures?” Larry asked.
“I assume so—he watched us the whole time,” Virginia said, unconcerned. “I think we can get a great black-and-white photo spread out of it. There was an old pickup there too that really added to the ambience.”
“I think you should be careful about that ambience,” Larry said. “They may be doing something illegal there. We were just asking Mary Louise about it.”
“What do you mean?” Valerie asked.
“They aren’t actually on the campground land, but I just thought it looked suspicious and would be careful, if I were you,” Larry repeated.
“Larry used to be a cop,” Mickey said. “He’s suspicious of everybody.”
Larry frowned. “This may not be a joking matter, Mick.”
“I know, I know,” Mickey’s grin disappeared and he held up his hands.
“We’re fascinated by your trailer,” Nancy said.
“It’s German,” Virginia said. “We saw them when we were traveling in Europe a couple of years ago and had one shipped back. Since we do a lot of our work in state and national parks, camping is the best way to go and we love it.”
Nancy said, “Do you both pull it or…”.
“I drive,” Virginia said. “Valerie really doesn’t want to.” Valerie didn’t say anything.
The conversation continued around the places the twins had camped with Virginia doing most of the talking and Valerie adding small embellishments. Virginia was describing a hike along the south shore of Lake Superior when Valerie grabbed her hand.
“Ginny,” she said. “There’s that pickup.”
“Don’t call me that,” Virginia growled, but she followed her sister’s gaze, as did the rest of the group. An old rusty gray truck rattled slowly along the main campground road. A man in the passenger seat, elbow out the open window, surveyed the campground and seemed to fixate on them, although he was some distance away. Frannie thought the description ‘scruffy’ was probably too kind. They couldn’t see the driver.
Finally, Valerie said, “So what kinds of places do you guys camp?” Virginia looked a little put out at losing the center of the stage.
After listening impatiently a few minutes, Virginia said, “Valerie, if we’re going to get that walk in, we’d better get going.”
Valerie nodded and got up. Mickey said, “Another hike? How many miles have you already put on today?”
Virginia laughed. “Just a turn around the campground before bed. We’re early risers.” They left and headed along the road, away from the entrance.
As they disappeared, Frannie said, “Very odd. I can see the fascination with dressing alike when twins are children, but as adults?”
Jane Ann agreed. “How would you even know which one you were by that time?”
Mickey looked at his wife, puzzled. “What?”
“I mean, you would have no sense of individual identity, I would think.”
Nancy suggested a trip to the nature center the next morning. “There’s actually an old path from here along the river if we want to hike it. A little hilly, but not bad.”
“We’ll meet you there, Nance,” Mickey said, and the rest agreed, laughing. Nancy was much more eager for physical activity than the others. After discussing the logistics and confirming a good weather forecast, they retired to their units for the night.
Chapter Four
Early Saturday Morning
Virginia climbed out of her bottom bunk and pulled on a sweatshirt. She put a cup of water in the microwave for tea, and while waiting for it to heat, peered out the window, stretching her back. A faint chirp came from Valerie’s windbreaker on the dinette seat. She glanced back to make sure the curtain to the bedroom was closed, and pulled Valerie’s cell out of the jacket pocket. A text message from Richard.
“Old Power Plant at 9:30. Wear your necklace.”
As she deleted the message and replaced the phone, she thought, “Necklace?” Then she remembered a silver chain with a pinkish Murano glass pendant that Valerie said she had gotten at one of the ports of call on the cruise and wore on special occasions. It had made Virginia angry at the time that Valerie hadn’t bought her one like it; they always did that for each other. So. It must have been a gift from Richard.
She sat down at the dinette with her tea and looked at her watch. 7:30. They had hiked to the old power plant before; Valerie must have met Richard secretly and mentioned it to him. Somehow, she needed to get away without Valerie. They had planned to get some photos this morning in a wildlife sanctuary on the other side of Burdensville.
Soon she heard Valerie clamber out of the top bunk. “Good morning!” her sister said cheerily, pulling back the curtain on the bedroom entrance. She was dressed in the same pajamas and sweatshirt as her twin and looked more upbeat than any time since the pie shop yesterday. Something was definitely up.
Virginia spoke weakly. “I don’t know how good. I’m afraid I’ve caught something.” She looked up with a drawn face.
Valerie was immediately concerned. “Oh, no. Upset stomach or what?”
“Just dizzy and chills.” She shivered. “I don’t know if I should go traipse around that sanctuary this morning.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got time; we can go later.” Valerie started fixing her own tea.
“But it’s such a beautiful morning. What if the weather changes? Maybe you should go and get some shots while the light is good.”
Virginia could see surprise and then comprehension of this sudden freedom on Valerie’s face.
“Well,…I could. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I think I’ll just try and get some more sleep. I’ll be fine.”
“Can I fix you something to eat?”
“Not right now. Nothing sounds good.” Virginia made a face.
“Okay. Maybe I’ll go shower then.”
After Valerie had gathered her supplies and left the trailer for the shower house, Virginia went back to the bedroom and found Valerie’s small travel jewelry pouch. She spotted the Murano necklace right on top, untangled it from the rest, and stuck it in the pocket of her sweatshirt. By the time Valerie returned, she was back at the dinette.
Valerie went in the tiny half-bath to dry her hair and put on makeup, spending more time than she normally would for a trek through a wildlife sanctuary. Then Virginia could hear her in the bedroom rummaging through the jewelry pouch.
“Virginia?” she called, “Have you seen my necklace? The one I got on the cruise?”
Virginia smiled to herself. “Oh, yeah! I found it on the floor of the kitchen before we left home. I laid it on the kitchen counter. Didn’t you see it?”
“No.” Valerie sounded crushed.
“Well, you don’t need it this morning, do you?” Virginia couldn’t resist.
Valerie came out of the bedroom. “No, of course not.” But she didn’t sound convincing. She wore jeans, a white tank top and open denim shirt with a long blue plaid scarf loosely tied. After loading up her camera bag, she slung it over her shoulder and grabbed her cell phone out of her jacket pocket, her cowboy hat
and the truck keys.
“Call me if you get to feeling worse,” she said.
“I will.”
Virginia heard the little pickup start and pull out. She got up and rummaged through her storage compartment for a matching outfit to Val’s attire. No time for a shower; she did a little extra work on her hair to get it just right and fastened on Valerie’s necklace. Finally, she pulled a small back pack from under the dinette bench and put in a water bottle and a couple of granola bars. Her small Ruger LCR revolver already nestled in the bottom of the bag.
The trail to the nature center and the power plant started on the far side of the campground, so after locking the camper, she took off along the back road to the trailhead. It was just 8:30, so she would have plenty of time to get to the power plant for the date with Richard.
Valerie drove toward Burdensville, enjoying the sparkling morning. Traffic was heavier than she expected for a Saturday, but there was a farmers’ market that morning which probably explained it. Shortly after passing through Burdensville, she pulled into the wildlife sanctuary and parked. Before getting out of the truck, she dialed Richard on her cell. According to the dashboard clock, it was 9:00 and he should be up. There had been no sign of him when she passed his camper on her way to the shower.
He answered at once. Her heart lifted just hearing his voice. Everything would work out.
“Good morning!” she said. “Virginia isn’t feeling well this morning so I’m out on my own. Can we meet somewhere?”
There was a pause. “Didn’t you get my text?”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t even check for messages this morning. What about?”
He told her about his suggested rendezvous.
“I can make that! I’ll just come back here later and get some shots so I have something to show Virginia for my morning.” She giggled.
“Great! I’ll see you there.”
She hung up and checked her messages. Nothing from Richard. Reception wasn’t great in the campground; the message would probably show up sometime this afternoon. She just wished she had her necklace. She started the truck, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed back to the nature center.
Virginia made good time on the trail and, shortly before it ended at the nature center parking lot, took a little-used cutoff that led down to the old power plant. The way was steep and narrow, beset by roots, overgrowth, and rock outcroppings. The hulking building built into the side of the cliff had a gaping entry at the upper level. Doors and windows were long gone, and the floor on that level was weak and broken in places. Rusty beams hung down from the remains of the ceiling like bony fingers. A narrow staircase along the back wall led down to the lower level which had a cement floor. Trees and shrubs poked in at the open windows, and busted pipes and trash covered the floor surrounding rusted derelicts of machinery that filled the center of the room. Not exactly a place for a romantic tryst in Virginia’s opinion. One more strike against Richard.
She picked her way halfway around the room to an open doorway that led into a smaller room. The floor was in better shape in here and she stood for a moment at a window overlooking the river, sparkling and dancing on its way to the Mississippi. She looked at her watch. 9:15. Richard should be here soon. She considered their situation. She and Valerie had, practically speaking, lived together their whole lives. In their twenties, they had tried marriage to another set of identical twins, Dan and Ron Flack, whom they had met at a twins’ convention. A double wedding, followed by a shared duplex. It was pleasant, but Virginia could tell that Valerie wasn’t happy. Virginia’s husband, Dan was an okay guy but not any great catch. So three years later, they both filed for divorce and had lived together ever since.
They had a full life—rewarding work, a very nice home, travel, and friends who provided a social life whenever they wanted it. Money was no issue; their parents’ deaths a couple of years before had left them extremely well off and able to quit their day jobs to concentrate on their photography full time. But Valerie was such a sucker for almost any guy who looked her way and there were plenty of fortune hunters out there. This wasn’t the first time Virginia had had to intervene, but Richard proved more persistent.
She fingered the glass stone on the chain at her neck and heard someone on the stairs. Footsteps crossed the floor of the other room.
She unzipped her backpack and set it on the floor just inside the door and walked through, expecting to see Richard. Instead, Valerie rounded the corner of the old machinery. They both registered the same shocked expression. Time seemed to stop as each woman realized the implications of the other one’s presence.
Virginia said, “Valerie! But—”
Valerie’s eyes were drawn to her sister’s hand clasping the pendant and all the heartbreak of the last four years exploded as she lashed out. “My necklace! I thought you hadn’t seen it! And I thought you were sick!” With each word that she hissed, she moved closer into Virginia’s face. Virginia started to back up.
“No—”
“No what?” Valerie’s voice got even higher and more menacing. “You pretended you were me and broke it off with Richard once and now you’re trying to do it again. I had to marry Ron so that you could marry Dan.” She exploded and screamed, “You cannot stand for me to have a life of my own!”
Valerie’s shrill voice covered up the scuffing sound of more footsteps coming from the opposite corner of the room.
Chapter Five
Saturday morning
Larry pulled their pickup into the nature center parking lot.
“Quite a few cars already,” he commented.
The parking lot was ringed on three sides by large Prairie-style buildings. The largest, in the middle, had a “Visitor Center” sign, so they headed that way.
“Wow. This looks like a pretty big operation,” Mickey said, looking around.
“It’s actually an environmental learning center,” Nancy said. “They have all kinds of programs—day camps, weekend programs for families, corporate and school programs, some just for women. There’s a high ropes course that you might want to try, Mickey.” She grinned at him.
“Uh, I’ll get back to you on that.”
They went in the main entrance and stood looking around.
“Help you?” A young, no-nonsense looking woman stood staunchly behind a desk, clad in a crisp green uniform with an engraved badge reading ‘Deborah McCabe.’
“We just want to look around,” Larry said. “Do you have brochures or maps or something?”
She took one brochure off a stack and laid it smartly in front of him. “Our main mission is intensive participation programs for both children and adults. We offer programs for schools, families and corporate retreats. We also have volunteering opportunities, if you are interested in that.” She paused and then continued reluctantly. “We do have exhibits in this building that you are welcome to look at. There is no charge but we do encourage donations.” She nodded at a clear acrylic box on the counter with a slit in the top and half-filled with fives and tens.
Larry said, “Yes, ma’am,” and dropped a couple of bills in the box.
As they walked away, Frannie chuckled. “You are as much of a smartass as me.”
“I was not being smart. She reminds me of my fifth grade teacher, Miss Budlong. Except Miss Budlong was much older. But no way I would mess with either of them.”
The others made their contributions and followed. They browsed the small exhibit of plants and wildlife and dioramas of the geographic region.
As they circled back to the entrance, Frannie said, “Just a minute,” and walked back over to the information counter.
Deborah McCabe looked up, disappointed when she saw Frannie again, meaning no large reservations, volunteers, or big donations were forthcoming. “Yes?”
“Aren’t there some hiking trails too?” Frannie asked.
“Yes, there are.” Deborah stood there, stoic.
“Well, do you have a map of those trails?”
Frannie asked, as sweetly as possible.
“Yes, we do,” and she grabbed a trifold off another stack and laid it in front of Frannie, who wasn’t about to be frightened off.
“Is there a trail that leads down to that old power plant?”
“There is, but it isn’t safe, and neither it nor the power plant are on our property. We are not liable for them.”
“I understand. Where is that trail?”
Deborah McCabe gave a loud sigh. “It’s off the trail that goes down to the River Bend Campground.” She pointed in the general direction, and returned to her ledger. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”
“Certainly. Thank you for all of your help,” Frannie said with a straight face and turned back to her friends, rolling her eyes.
Back outside, after a short conference, Frannie, Donna, Nancy, and Ben decided to try the path down to the power plant and the others opted to check out the high ropes course.
“Not that I plan to try it,” Mickey assured them. “Just want to see what it’s about.”
“I see there’s a session this afternoon,” Ben said. “I think I’ll try it then.”
“If you don’t fall in a hole in the power plant,” Jane Ann said.
They split up and Frannie’s group found the cutoff after passing it only once. Ben led and pointed out tricky footing spots as they gingerly descended into the thick woods and undergrowth. They could make out the shape of the old building through the trees and finally gathered on a small slab at the entrance. In spite of the sun filtering through the trees, the massive relic squatted threateningly.
Nancy entered the opening and gaped at the busted floor and ceiling, bristling with twisted beams.
“Looks like maybe this is far as we go,” she said.
“No, look! There’s a stairway here,” Donna said. She was the last one in and stood in the open doorway pointing down to the right. The stairs were cement and looked sturdy, so she started down hugging the wall. Frannie looked at the others, shrugged and went after her. Ben and Nancy followed. When they reached the lower level, they looked around at the large rusted machinery filling the center of the room and debris on the floor. Sunlit trees could be glimpsed through the window openings, but a deep gloomy chill pervaded the room.
Peete and Repeat (The Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries Book 3) Page 4
