by Lucy Quinn
Evie peered at the map on the phone screen. “Wheatonville? That sounds like farmland.”
“It’s on the edge of the Shasta forest,” Dora said. “Doesn’t look like farmland on the map.”
“That drive looks gnarly.” Evie pointed to the winding mountain road they were going to need to take from the coast to get to the inland location. “Do you think the bus can make it?”
Dora blinked at her. “Do I think the bus can make it? Are you serious? That thing got us all the way from New Orleans to the northern California coast. Of course she can make the trip. And it will save us money because we can just camp in her instead of getting a hotel room.” The truth was the bus was not a reliable form of transportation, and they were lucky they’d made it to California without a major incident.
Even Windy thought so, telling them they could use her Bug to drive around town if they needed to for their investigation.
“Camping. Great,” Evie said as she led them into the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed. Dora stood near the window, peering out at the redwoods.
“Oh, come on, Evie. It will be fun. It’s better than feeding the pigs and chickens, right?” Dora knew that Evie was still upset after reading Matt’s journal and that was likely why she was hesitant about another adventure, when normally she’d be making all kinds of crazy plans. Even though Evie had put on a brave front and done everything in her power to lift Dora’s spirits, Dora hadn’t missed the unusual worry swimming in her friend’s normally sparkling eyes.
The truth was that Dora had wanted to cave into that same impulse ever since the day she’d uncovered the money laundering scheme back at her old job. But she didn’t have the luxury of burying her head in the sand. She was starting to turn into the full-speed-ahead kind of girl she’d always admired. And she needed to embrace that persona if they were going to survive this.
Once they solved this murder and had the evidence she needed to clear her name, maybe then she’d let herself breakdown. Until then, she needed to take a page out of Windy’s book and do whatever it took to survive. Evie would do that, too. She just needed to take a moment and collect herself.
“Fun. Sure,” Evie said, although the enthusiasm was definitely lacking.
“We can make s’mores,” Dora taunted as she turned to her friend. “Over a real fire. And I’ll even let you tell me ghost stories.”
“Ruff! Ruff!” Sunshine perked up from her place at the end of the bed and launched herself at Evie, instantly bringing a smile to her mistress’s face.
“See?” Dora said. “Even Sunshine is excited about the prospect of seeing more of California. I hear Lake Shasta is gorgeous. We can camp there while we poke around Wheatonville.”
Evie let out a sigh. “Okay, okay. I’m sure it is beautiful. I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud. It’s just been a day. I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”
Dora moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“No.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s not that I’m worried about me. You know that, right?”
Dora nodded, because she suspected as much. “You’re concerned I’m going to be a mess like Matt, right?”
“Well… yeah.” Evie plucked at the blanket on the bed. “You were in a traumatic situation. There’s been no time to deal with it.”
“That’s true.” Dora took a moment to really check in with herself. Sure, she’d had a little bit of a freak-out back at the treehouse. But she was okay now. She knew that Steve’s death was on his hands, not hers. And while she was sure she’d always hear the echo of that gun, she didn’t feel any guilt about Steve’s death. He’d tried to kill her. “He got what he deserved,” Dora said, her tone low and steady. “I won’t let his death mess me up, Evie. Don’t let it mess with you either.”
Evie met her friend’s gaze. “I’m still worried about you. I don’t want you going through what Matt went through. And don’t even tell me that it doesn’t bother you. I know you have trouble sleeping sometimes. You don’t sleep in the same bed with a girl for two weeks and not notice things.”
“I don’t have nightmares,” Dora insisted.
“Good. But you do toss and turn. Something’s keeping you up at night.”
“Being on the run, finding the damn flash drive, yeah. I’ve got a few things that make me toss and turn,” Dora snapped. “And, yes, I was there when Steve died. But I don’t feel guilty. He brought that on himself. You know what?” She let out a sigh. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Dora put the phone on the nightstand. “Can we go to sleep now so we can get on the road early tomorrow?”
Dora’s voice must’ve demonstrated the finality she’d been trying to get across, because Evie nodded and moved over on the bed to make room for her friend. “Sorry, Dor.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Dora said as she slipped into the bed. “I’m sure once this is over, I’ll be spending all of my discretionary income on therapy sessions.”
“You know,” Evie said, pressing up on one elbow. “I once worked for a therapist. I typed up her notes. I bet I could counsel you and save you a crap ton of money. Quick, tell me the first thing you think of at night when you close your eyes.”
“Luke’s butt,” Dora said just to mess with her. “It’s round and firm and well, it’s a really good one.”
Evie burst out laughing. “Well, it doesn’t get much more normal than that. But please don’t go grabbing mine while you’re half asleep. It won’t even compare.”
Dora snickered. “Girl butt is a whole different thing, and don’t sell yourself short. All you’d have to do is shake it once and all those fishermen at the Mooring would be following us home.”
“Just what I need,” Evie said with a yawn. “Should I put a sock on the doorknob to let you know I have a visitor?”
“Please. Like they’d get past the compound gates.” Dora teased, knowing that Evie would never step out on her boyfriend Trace. The two were so gone for each other that it was almost painful to watch them. Or at least it had been before Luke had walked into Dora’s life.
“You’re right. The pigs would get them first. They smell just like the slop.”
Both of them were still chuckling when Sunshine crawled between them and snuggled up on Evie’s pillow.
“Night, Evie.”
“Night, Dor.”
“I can’t believe Windy made us slop the pigs and muck out the barn before we left this morning,” Dora complained as the stench of pig waste lingered in her nose.
Evie rolled the window down and stuck her head out into the fresh air. “At least you didn’t trip and land in one of the troughs.”
Dora couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up from the back of her throat. She could still see Evie lying in the trough, covered in the greenish slop. Her friend had showered twice before they’d left, but she no doubt would be smelling the pungent stench for the next few days even if it was only in her head. And Windy must have felt bad, because she’d packed them a lunch for the trip.
The bus rumbled over the winding mountain road with a line of cars stacked up behind them. Every time they came to a new hill, the VW slowed to a crawl, creating more of a backup of impatient drivers. The red minivan right behind them was especially annoying, tailgating so close he might as well have been hitched to the bumper.
Dora was half-tempted to slam on the brakes just to send the man a message to back off but decided they couldn’t afford to be in an accident. They had enough troubles and didn’t need to lose their transportation as well as the place they planned to sleep.
Dora searched for a spot to pull over and let people by. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand their annoyance, but for some reason they were on a stretch of the highway that didn’t seem to have one. Finally, though, she saw a sign for a rest stop and exited the highway.
“Sweet,” Evie said. “I’m starving. Quinoa and cucumber salad just didn’t cut it. Time for road trip food.”
>
While Dora hadn’t minded the healthy meal, she could have done without the spinach juice Windy had packed for them to drink. She knew it wasn’t the best habit, but she was craving a diet soda. And she had another reason for wanting to stop. “Bathroom,” Dora said.
After the two women used the restroom, they went into the neighboring convenience store for snacks.
Evie surveyed the shop with her gaze. “Pick your poison, Dor. Cheetos? Microwave burrito? Siracha chips?”
“Beef jerky. I need the protein.”
Evie cocked an eyebrow at her and reached for a bag of Cheetos.
Dora raised her eyebrows right back and grabbed two sticks of beef jerky with the intention of forcing her friend to eat one too. Nobody could live on cheese puffs alone.
When they got back to the bus, Evie said, “My turn to drive.”
“Are you kidding? And get salty orange dust all over the steering wheel? I don’t think so.”
Evie sighed and moved toward the passenger side. “Suit yourself.”
Dora frowned and realized Evie had given up too easily, which made her think she’d just been hoodwinked into driving another leg of their trip. As she got behind the wheel, Evie popped the top on a can of soda.
Dora twisted the key in the ignition to get them back on the road, and the engine made a sluggish attempt to turn over but didn’t succeed.
“Careful not to flood it,” Evie warned.
“I know how to keep from flooding it,” Dora snapped and tried again to start the vehicle. But even after another attempt she had no luck. She threw her hands up in the air. “Seriously? Now what?”
“Bet it’s the fuel pump,” Evie said.
“Let me guess, you were a car mechanic at some point and I’ve forgotten.” She reached her hand out. “Get me the manual please. And no cheese dust.”
“Fine. But I’m right.” Evie calmly licked each one of her fingers clean before opening up the glove box, and she pulled out a VW maintenance manual. She flipped a few pages before Dora grabbed it from her hands.
“Give me that,” Dora groused, and she turned to the troubleshooting page. After skimming it she found the section she was looking for. “It could be the battery.”
“Nope. Luke put a new one in for us.”
“He did?” Dora smiled. He was definitely thoughtful. “Spark plug, then.”
“Changed all those out too.”
Darn it. Luke sure was thorough. “What about the starter?” Dora was running out of causes.
“Maybe,” Evie said. “But my money is still on the fuel pump.”
“Okay, smarty pants. Why?”
Evie grinned at Dora and removed the baseball cap she was wearing. “Because Luke said the one in this heap of metal was on its last leg. He only got a better one just before we left and didn’t have time to install it for us.” She put her hat back on with the bill facing backward. “However, he told me how to do it.”
As Evie pushed her way out of the bus, Dora let out a heavy sigh. “Of course he did,” she said to nobody in particular since her friend was already riffling through the storage cabinet in the back, looking for the part.
Since Evie hadn’t asked for her help, Dora decided to take the opportunity to bask in the sunshine, and she retrieved a lawn chair, donned her sunglasses, and sat back to watch Evie work.
After a few colorful swear words from Evie and an hour’s time, the two were back on the road toward solving a crime.
11
Evie hummed along to a song on the radio as Dora and she continued to drive southeast. Her belly was comfortably full of pizza and the salad Dora insisted she eat for dinner, and it was time to find a place to settle down for the night.
“Okay, I’ve got a spot for us coming up in ten miles,” Dora said. “You’re going to want to turn—” She looked up from her phone. “Here!”
“Jeez!” Evie yelled as she cranked the wheel and flew over toward the exit ramp, desperate to make it. She knew from the map they’d seen online that on this stretch of road the next exit could be another half hour away.
Dora let out a small sigh and looked down at her cell again as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Evie thought it was nice Dora had finally learned to be calm about such things. Dora said, “We turn left on Mayfair Way in half a mile.”
Mayfair Way was no spring picnic. The dirt road was so full of potholes Evie had to slow down to a crawl to get them safely over it without breaking an axle. “You sure this road isn’t named Mayday Way?” she joked.
“Cute,” Dora said, eyeing the massive redwood trees that were lining the road. “Those trees are so huge. I don’t like the way they make me feel so small. Insignificant.”
“I know.” Evie shot her a toothy grin. “But it’ll be the perfect setting for ghost stories later.”
“I’m not so sure I want to hear them.”
“Aw c’mon, Dor. Don’t you want to go to sleep dreaming of Bigfoot?”
Dora chuckled as they bumped along down the road. “Only if he’s smoking hot and had a waxing lately.”
After another turn onto an even narrower and bumpier road, they finally reached the campground. They turned off the bus and made their way into the small building marked Office. “Winner, winner! Chicken Dinner!” An old man yelled when they stepped inside, and then he cackled at whatever joke it was he’d just told.
Evie and Dora exchanged looks before Evie asked, “Can we get a campsite for the night?”
“Yes, indeedy,” the man said. He flashed them a yellow-toothed smile. “You two just nabbed the last one. But no chicken for you. I ate it already.” He laughed again, and both women couldn’t help but smile at the jovial man.
“Sorry,” he said once he recovered. “Gets pretty boring around here some days and I have to entertain myself. He reached for a sheet of paper Evie could see was a campsite map. “Now,” he popped the top off a yellow highlighter, “You’re going to want to take this route to your spot.” He drew on the map to indicate their path. “Might be a little damp down there so don’t go far enough to get stuck in the mud.”
“Okay,” Dora said with concern in her voice as she reached for the map. She gasped when he grabbed her wrist.
The man’s expression turned serious. “You from around these parts?”
“N-no,” Dora stammered.
“Why?” Evie asked as she prepared herself to attack the man should the need arise. She didn’t like the look in his eye as his gaze darted between Dora and her.
“Be careful. Get your bathroom trip all set before sundown. You don’t want to be out in the dark.” He released Dora and winked at them. “Bigfoot likes pretty young girls like you two.” He cackled again, clearly pleased he’d managed to scare them for a moment.
Evie supposed she should let his laughter tell her that he was joking, but an eerie sense the man might have been half-serious niggled at her. It was probably leftover adrenaline from the way he’d just made her heart stop. She offered him a smile anyway. “Thanks for the tip. Now, how much do we owe you?”
They paid cash for their campsite and headed down the winding, pothole-riddled path at a snail’s pace. Dora asked, “Does this road seem to be getting darker and narrower as we go?”
“Uh-huh,” Evie said as she became wary. “There might be a reason we got the last spot.”
The road finally ended in a small clearing which had a huge puddle in the middle. Dora pulled to a stop just before it, and Evie hopped out to make sure they weren’t going to sink into the mud before Dora turned off the vehicle.
“Well,” Evie said as she surveyed the large puddle that took up most of their spot. “We’ve got a water view.”
“Funny,” Dora said, but she wasn’t laughing, and Evie could see she had her work cut out for her if she was going to get Dora to enjoy the evening. It was humorous that the night before Dora had been the one excited by camping, but in practice she was just as fussy as Evie had expected her to be. But Evie knew
her friend had just been trying to put on a brave front. Now that they were here, Evie was determined to make the most of it.
“I’m going to start the fire,” she said in a chipper voice and moved to the back of the bus to get supplies. They’d stopped at a grocery store on the way to purchase a firewood bundle, a bottle of wine and the fixings for s’mores later. Evie had even purchased a citronella candle to chase away bugs just in case. She was going to make the best of their situation and was looking forward to kicking back and relaxing with her bestie for the night.
But the moment she opened the hatch she heard Dora say, “Don’t bother with a fire. I’m not getting out of the VW.”
“What? Why not?”
“This place is creepy,” She crossed her arms in defiance. “And it’s not safe. Even Sunshine agrees with me. Look, she’s curled up on the front seat.”
“Sunshine is snoozing after sight-seeing out the window all day,” Evie said. She realized cajoling wasn’t going to work when Dora was like this, but she was determined to show her how fun camping, or glamping in their case, could be. She hopped up into the bus and said, “Fine. You can sit here and watch me. You know, make sure nothing gets me. Want to have 911 all dialed and ready to hit if it does?”
“Hmpf.” Dora said, “Tease me all you want, but you can’t convince me the reason this spot was left is because it’s so desirable.”
“I wouldn’t try, but I honestly don’t think we have anything to worry about. The man was entertaining himself at our expense.” Wood thudded on the ground as Evie released it from the packaging. “I think someone needs her wine. Open the bottle for us, and I’ll have the fire burning by the time you’re done.”
Evie wadded up the free newspapers they’d grabbed from a display outside of the grocery store and prepared her wood teepee over them the way she’d learned to do as a kid at camp. In moments, her fire was roaring, and she hopped up inside the back of their camper to sit next to Dora. Her friend handed her wine. “See,” Evie said. “This is nice. Right?”
