He looked a little unsure. I guess his pride really had been dented. "Please," I said, meaning it. "I really need the help."
"I thought you said the others were down at the lake." I said in a low voice. "There's no one here."
"They might have gone to fetch the kayaks first," Robert said. "Really, you’re panicking about nothing. Can you and Pippa really not go half an hour apart from each other without considering it an emergency?"
I sighed. "Yes and no." I had to admit something to him if I was going to make him see why I was so worried. "It's just strange that she would have gone out with the rest of the group though, because... Well, Pippa and I were about to leave."
Robert looked hurt. "You were?"
I nodded. "We were going to drive back to Belldale."
"Oh. Were you going to say goodbye?"
I shrugged a little. "I'm not sure, to be honest."
Robert looked out over the water. "I can't say I blame you. You don't owe me any explanations or goodbyes anyway."
I snuck a look at him. "I would have said goodbye," I said, deciding that was the truth.
He gave me a little smile. "Let's just look for Pippa."
"Where is she?" I narrowed my eyes and shielded them against the sun as I tried to look over the glare of the lake. "Can you see her?" I asked.
"Well, my eyesight must be a little better than yours, seeing as I am so much younger," he teased.
I gave him a playful little hit. "But seriously, can you see her? Or any sign of anyone?"
Robert's voice changed from jovial to grave as he replied, "No, I can't."
"But everyone is out here besides Pippa," I said, turning to him frantically. "You told me she came down to the lake."
"Hey," he said. "I thought she did." He put his hands up. "Don't take it out on me if she's not here."
"You're right. I'm sorry." I ran my hands through my hair. "It's just that her phone is turned off and she's nowhere to be found. That's not like Pippa. To just disappear like that and not tell me. To have no contact with me for this long."
Robert raised an eyebrow. "I noticed. You two are kind of co-dependent."
That had been said about us before. It wasn't the time to argue or take offense. "I'm going to try her phone one more time." When there was still no response, I shook my head.
"Something's not right, Robert. I can feel it."
He reached over and took my hand. This time, I let him. "If you say something’s wrong, I believe you."
I gripped his hand tighter.
"Whoever killed Ann...they've got Pippa. I just know it." I looked up at him desperately. "And I have no idea what to do about it. Or how to find them."
Chapter 12
Robert took my hand and started to lead me away from the water.
"Where are we going?"
"To the shed," he said, still dragging me along.
"The shed?" Maybe I shouldn't have been letting a guy I barely knew drag me to a shed. I dug my heels into the ground and pulled my wrist away from his grip.
Robert turned to face me. "The shed is where Bryan keeps the kayaks. That's where Pippa will be if she's with the group."
I shook my head. "She's not with the group, though. She's with..."
I stopped talking when I saw them.
"Oh no," I said as Morris and Jane approached us. "I wasn't expecting to see these guys." Had they already killed Pippa and disposed of her body?
"What’s wrong?" Robert asked. I looked up at him. He didn't need to know what I knew.
"Hey, go ahead and wait for me in the shed," I said. "Let me deal with these two."
Robert nodded and jogged over to the shed.
I held my head high and crossed my arms over my chest. "Why aren't you two with the rest of the group?"
Jane averted her eyes as I came towards them, but Morris was brave and held my gaze.
"About...what you saw last night," Morris said.
I looked away for a second, then thought, No, you know what, I need to hear what they have to say.
"Why did you have all those photos of Ann? What the heck were you doing?"
Morris looked at the ground and dug his hands into his pockets. "I'm not sure you're going to understand, Rachael."
"Try me."
"We were helping Ann to pass over," he said awkwardly. "We've been so worried about her, Jane and I. The way she died was so horrible. The ceremony we were doing is part of our belief system. We live lives you might not understand, Rachael. We don't hurt our bodies with any impurities."
"You mean actual food?" I shot back.
Morris glanced away again. "Our home-made protein bars are clean and pure, made with ingredients we've grown ourselves. You really have to stop being so offended that we won't eat your food. We won't eat anyone's except our own. Just like with food, we like to do things our own way, spiritually as well. We'd never mean any harm to Ann. We were just trying to help her. We heard rumors that she was having troubles while she was alive. We feel terribly sorry for the poor girl."
I shook my head. "I still don't get it. When you opened the door last night, you said you were expecting someone else. Who?"
Morris cleared his throat. "I don't think I should give away other people's business like that."
I shook my head. "Okay, whatever."
"Rachael," he said brightly now, trying to hide any lingering awkwardness or concern he may have been feeling. "You look awfully concerned today. Is every thing else okay?"
"Not really," I answered quickly. "I can't find my friend Pippa." I didn't take my eyes off them for a split second as I waited for their response to that. I took a deep breath. "Have you seen her?"
Morris and Jane looked at each other. Finally Jane opened her mouth to speak, but only to Morris. "We did, didn't we, Morris? Earlier, down in the common room, while the rangers were here questioning that young lad."
"You saw Pippa?" I asked Morris.
He nodded. "She was talking to that Ranger Wilson guy."
I frowned. I knew she'd been going to spy on the rangers' conversation with Robert, but why had she been talking to Ranger Wilson? If she'd been telling them about Morris and Jane, then they would still be there, talking to the couple right in front of me. But they weren't.
I stepped forward. "Did either of you speak to the rangers?"
They both shook their heads.
I glanced over at the lake and frowned before I slowly turned back to them.
"When you saw Pippa talking to Ranger Wilson, was he asking her questions about the case?"
Morris looked at Jane and they both shrugged. "Didn't seem like that," Jane answered. "Seemed a little more friendly than that. Kind of flirty. Like something was going on between them. "
I just stared at her. That couldn't be right. There was no way she would go for someone like Ranger Wilson. Besides, Pippa was married!
"She...uh..." I started to say, confused. "You must have it wrong. Pippa wouldn't do that."
Would she? What if that was where she had disappeared to? Somewhere off in the woods, alone on the lake, with Ranger Wilson...
My heart started pumping.
The guy that Ann had been seeing. The one that was a secret from everyone.
"Oh my goodness," I said out loud.
"What is it, dear?" Jane asked.
I gulped. "Jane, did you see where the rangers went? Did you see where Ranger Wilson went when he left? Did he have Pippa with him?"
Without meaning to, I grabbed Jane by the shoulders and started to shake her.
"I...I don't think so," Jane said helplessly. She looked at Morris for help.
Morris stepped over to me. "Take it easy there." I dropped my hands away. "Wilson left in his jeep straight afterwards. Pippa was still here at the resort."
I looked first at him then at Jane. "What? That doesn't make sense." I shook my head. "Are you sure?"
Jane nodded. "Yes, because that partner of his was left behind without a ride. Poor thing. S
he's very sweet, very generous, and a much better detective than he is. She seems to know a lot more about Ann's death."
Morris placed a hand on Jane's shoulder. "Jane," he said in a low, warning voice.
"Oh, right, sorry," Jane said.
"What are you apologizing for?" I asked quickly. "And how do you know all that stuff about Stacey? When have you even spoken to her?"
Morris shook his head. "It's not our business to tell her, Jane, I've already explained that."
I stopped. "Wait." I swallowed. "Stacey, Ranger Stacey, was the person you were expecting last night, wasn't it?"
Jane looked at the ground.
"Wasn't it?" I yelled.
Jane nodded.
"But why would she? Why would she want to be involved in that ceremony? How did she know Ann?"
"She told us she had more photos of Ann," Jane whispered. "She was supposed to drop them off. But she never showed up. We've spoken to her a lot, though. She seemed to know a lot about Ann. And she was very concerned with making sure she passed over to the other side properly."
Stacey had photos of Ann? What was Jane talking about?
"What photos did she have?" I whispered.
Jane looked unsure if she should answer. "Apparently they were photos of her with her mysterious boyfriend that no one knew about, though Stacey told us she knew all about him."
My stomach was about to drop right out of me.
"And what man does Stacey know well?" I asked. When neither of them answered, I did it for them. "Ranger Wilson. He was the guy Ann was seeing."
Jane let out a little skeptical laugh but then stopped. She shot a look at Morris. "Well... Well, yes, I suppose that does make sense, doesn't it? I just never pictured them together..."
"Why not?" I asked.
Jane shrugged a little. "I always thought that Ranger Wilson and Ranger Stacey might be an item...the way she looks at him. I thought she would be a good match for him."
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Yes, she would be a good match for him," I murmured. Because detectives always have to fall in love with and date their partners.
A chill went down my spine.
Morris said that it looked like Pippa was flirting with Wilson. With the man that Stacey is in love with.
And she'd already killed one of her competition.
"I don't think Ann was dating Wilson," I said. "At least, not officially. But I think Stacey was jealous anyway." I turned and stared at Jane. "And now she's jealous of Pippa."
I saw Robert running back towards us and I left Morris and Jane to sprint over to him. The stitch hit my abdomen before I'd even run twenty feet.
"Ouch," I called out, grinding to a stop. "Robert," I said breathlessly. "What is it?"
He shook his head. "I couldn't get into the shed. It's locked. But I could have sworn I heard somebody in there."
I stood up and winced as the stitch gripped my stomach. "Robert, we've got to get in there. It's Ranger Stacey. She's got Pippa."
His eyes darted back and forth. "What? Are you sure?"
I nodded, massaging my side. "We've got to get in there."
Robert helped me by slinging my arm over his shoulder and we raced back towards the shed, both of us banging on the door.
"PIPPA!" I screamed.
"STACEY!" Robert screamed.
"What the heck are you two doing?"
We both spun around to see Bryan barreling towards us. "That is my shed you are trying to break down there," he said angrily, pulling us away.
"Hey!" I screamed. "Stop that! You don't know what you're doing! Let go of me!" I screamed and struggled while Robert kept trying to knock down the door. When Bryan was done with me, he turned his attention towards Robert and, in one swift movement, punched him in the face.
"Noooo!" I screeched. "You idiot!"
"Get away from my shed!" Bryan moved back towards me as Robert tried to stand up, clutching at his aching jaw.
"Someone is being held hostage in there!" I screamed, backing away as Bryan barreled towards me. "Let me past! My best friend is in there!"
I thought he was about to punch me, so I fell to the ground. Robert lunged for Bryan's ankles and knocked him clean to the ground. "What the heck are you doing?" Bryan screamed, kicking at Robert's face.
I clambered to my feet but the stitch hit me and I fell over again.
Behind me, a siren screamed and I managed to turn to see Wilson's jeep screeching through the dust, the solitary siren and light buzzing on top.
Jane rushed over and helped me to my feet. "We called him, dear."
I nodded and pushed Jane away, following Wilson as quickly as I could as he hurried towards the shed, grabbing a gun from his holster. For the first time, he looked like a real police officer.
"Stacey!" Wilson called out, kicking the door open and jumping through it. There, cowering in a corner, was Pippa. Stacey was standing over her, a plank of wood in her hands, ready to make friends with Pippa's face, by the looks of things. "Put your hands up and don't touch that woman! You are under arrest for the murder of Ann Scully!"
Once Stacy had been dragged away by the actual, real authorities from the next large town over, Wilson was left behind, shaken and attempting to take statements from the rest of us.
Part of me wanted to congratulate him on finally doing his job, but I couldn't bring myself to. Parts still didn't add up.
"How did you even know Ann?" I asked him when it was just the two of us alone next to the lake with the setting sun.
He shook his head in shame and looked away. "I was the one that helped supply the food to camp," he whispered. "The pre-cooked meals. Ann had been worried because she wanted to stop the deal, but I didn't. It was a good way for me to earn extra money...so we were meeting up all the time, arguing about it."
I shook my head. "Stacey must have thought all that sneaking off meant you were having an affair with Ann. She was jealous. Out of her mind with jealousy, in fact. She was in love with you, Wilson," I scoffed. "For some unknown reason, you sent her into a jealous rage."
Wilson hung his head. "I thought... I thought right from the start that she knew something, or that she might have been involved. I just didn't want to believe it."
I stared straight at him. "And you didn't even want to investigate it," I said flatly. "You tried to pass it off as an accident."
He refused to meet my eyes.
I shook my head. "You don't deserve to be a detective, Ranger. You don't even deserve that ranger's badge."
"I know," he said meekly. His stupid grin had disappeared long ago.
"You're going to have to tell the authorities. Tell them what you did. Or I will," I said.
He nodded and finally looked up, taking the pin out of his khaki shirt. He looked up at me and meekly handed it over. "Here, take it now," he said.
I turned it over in my hands. Not exactly the type of badge I wanted. I gulped. I wasn't sure I wanted any type of badge.
"You're a good detective," he said. "Better than me. You should to take it up full time."
Once he'd driven away in a puff of dust, I turned to the lake and threw the badge in, waiting till it sank all the way down to the bottom.
Epilogue
"So, I suppose this is goodbye," I said, leaning out the window.
"Yep," Robert said, grinning and nodding as he shoved his hands back into the pockets of his shorts. "I'm sure going to miss this place."
I let out a snort of laughter. Beside me in the passenger seat, Pippa laughed as well.
"Are you sure you don't want a lift with us?" I asked him.
"I'll be fine on the coach," Robert replied. "It will give me a chance to bond with these guys at long last."
I raised my eyebrows. "What about your travel sickness?"
He shrugged. "I gotta get over that sooner or later."
Pippa cleared her throat. "Come on," she said softly. "Let's go."
I nodded. "Well," I said, starting the engine.
"See you around, Robert. I guess."
He reached out and placed his hand on the car just as I was about to pull out. "Wait," he said. "Do you want my number? We don't live that far apart, you know."
"I know," I replied quietly. "But I don't think that's such a good idea. I realized I've got some unfinished business back home."
He nodded. "That older guy."
"That older guy."
He tapped the car one last time and stepped away. "Goodbye, Rachael."
"Goodbye, Robert."
Pippa snoozed for most of the journey back. I didn't blame her after what she'd been through. But she seemed unscathed.
"I was never really in danger," she'd said. "Pippa..." I had replied. "She killed the last person she thought Wilson was flirting with!" "I just showed her my wedding ring. She wasn't actually going to kill me!"
The wind grew chillier as we made our way home, and more and more clouds appeared in the sky.
When we were just a couple of miles out, Pippa finally opened her eyes. "Can't say I'm sorry to have missed the journey."
"Well, I missed you," I said, flicking the radio on. "It's good to have you back, Pippa."
She reached over and turned the heat on, shivering as she pulled her jacket tighter around her.
"I can't wait to get back and relax and just take a break," Pippa said, leaning back into her seat as we finally rounded the corner and the "Welcome To Belldale" sign loomed over us.
"Pippa, we're just getting BACK from vacation. We're starting work again tomorrow."
She shot me a look. "I know. That's what I meant: a relaxing break."
I laughed as we finally pulled into town. Home sweet home at last. And Jackson was right.
The storm had cleared.
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