Minnie Crockwell - Will Travel for Trouble 02 - Trouble at Sunny Lake

by Minnie Crockwell

  “You might face that kind of thing more than I do, but I’ll admit I was pretty stressed out.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. He gave me a charming white-toothed smile.

  Although I knew Ben was usually with me, I hoped he was distracted by something else. Maybe he had stayed near the RV and not accompanied us. I did know he could control that if he wanted. If and when the day came that I fell in love with a living person, I wasn’t sure what we would do. I didn’t think I could bear to lose Ben.

  While I wanted to blurt out all the information I’d learned that day, I held back. The police hardly needed an interfering amateur sleuth/busybody offering up tidbits of misleading information.

  “So, how long have you been a deputy?” I asked over my salad.

  “Oh, about two years. I was in the Army before that, in Afghanistan.”

  I stopped short of rolling my eyes, but my heart pounded. I stared at him. Surely not!

  “Oh, really?” I said more as a stalling technique while I played with and discarded a million questions.

  “Yeah,” he said, offering nothing further. He asked me questions about traveling, the RV, my boring life in general, and it was fully ten minutes before I could steer the conversation back to Afghanistan.

  “So, Afghanistan, huh?”

  “Yeah, I don’t talk about it much though.” If he wanted me to take the hint, too bad. I pondered how best to ask him if he had known Sean before yesterday, or if he knew Scott. He hadn’t mentioned he knew Jason, so maybe this was all a coincidence. Plenty of men and women had spent time in Afghanistan.

  “Someone told me that Sean was in Afghanistan? You know? The guy who works in the Sunny Lake RV Park office?”

  Josh nodded and sipped his water. “Yes. I’ve known Sean for years.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that!” I exclaimed. “You didn’t seem like you knew each other when you and Deputy Kline were interviewing him.”

  “Sam Kline knows him too. Sam’s son was killed in Afghanistan. They were in the same unit. In fact, we were all in the same unit.”

  My heart pounded in my ears. All of them? Josh, Scott, Sean, Deputy Kline’s son, and the victim, Jason Strait?

  “Did you know the victim, Jason Strait?”

  Josh shifted his eyes toward the lake. “Yup. I’m not surprised he ended up dead at the bottom of a cliff. If anyone had it coming to him, it was Jason Strait.”

  I choked down the lettuce in my mouth, and tried not to look as shocked as I felt at the dispassionate tone in his words.

  “Because?”

  “He was bad through and through. Got a lot of people killed, including Kline’s son, Steve. Steve and I had been friends since we were kids. We did everything together.”

  I swallowed a large swig of water. All of a sudden, it seemed like everyone had a motive for pushing Jason Strait off a cliff.

  Ben, are you here?

  I hesitate to let you know as you are engaged in dining with a possible suitor, but yes, I am here. I have not liked the situations in which you place yourself, Minerva, and I sought to watch over you without giving you discomfort.

  Hardly a suitor, Ben! But I’m glad you’re here. I’m in way over my head. This is like some Agatha Christie novel come to life.

  I do not understand your reference, my dear. Who is Agatha Christie?

  I’ll explain later.

  “How odd that you both responded to the call,” I mused.

  “Not really. Jim Kline and I both work for the county marine enforcement division. We’ve only got two regular deputies in the division, so that’s why we responded. We’ll turn it over to the investigators though. You saw them yesterday. Two guys in plain clothes.”

  “Right now, we’re looking for Jason’s brother, Scott, if only to notify him,” Josh continued. “He came back from Afghanistan a lot angrier than when he went over. Well, he’d been deployed more times than some, so maybe that was it.”

  This was my chance to do right, and I couldn’t force the words from my mouth. Was I hindering an investigation if I knew something and didn’t tell?

  I do not know your laws, Minerva, but I would hazard a guess that it will not go well for you if you know the whereabouts of someone wanted by the authorities, and you do not speak up.

  You’re right, Ben.

  I looked up to see Josh smiling and waving a hand in front of my eyes.

  “Hello? I thought you’d gone off somewhere. You looked like you were having a private conversation there.”

  “Well, maybe. As it happens, I do know where Jason’s brother is. Scott Strait is staying in one of the cabins at Sunny Lake RV Park.”

  Josh’s eyes rounded then hardened. “Where?” he barked.

  The nice man I’d been having dinner with suddenly transformed into a cold, determined police officer, and I caught my breath.

  “Where is he?” he repeated. “Did Sean know he was there?”

  I shook my head quickly. “No, I don’t think so. Scott didn’t want anyone to know he was staying in the cabin.”

  Josh pulled his cell phone from his belt as if to make a call and then he paused and stared at me.

  “If you knew he was there, why didn’t you say something yesterday when I asked if you knew Jason Strait?”

  “I didn’t know you were looking for Scott. I didn’t even know his name until this morning.”

  He dropped his eyes to his phone as if he was thinking.

  “I’m sorry,” I said ineffectually. “I probably could have told you on the phone this morning or at the beginning of dinner. I’m not sure why I didn’t.”

  He looked up at me again, seemingly lost in thought. I would have expected him to call the authorities by now or at least rush me out of the restaurant to return to the park and find Scott, but he made no movement.

  “Yes, you probably should have. Now that we know Scott was in the area, he is probably the prime suspect.”

  I blinked.

  “Just like that?”

  “Well, there’s no love lost between the brothers.”

  I couldn’t help myself. I blurted. I often blurted.

  “It doesn’t sound like there’s any love lost among any of you.”

  He threw me a quick narrow-eyed look. Apparently, he didn’t blurt words out without forethought because he stared at me for a moment. His lips curved into a slow smile, and his face relaxed into the expression I had seen from him yesterday as he leaned over my car.

  He nodded. “You’re right about that. I suppose we could all be suspects, couldn’t we?”

  Ah! Apparently, he can read your mind as well, Ben said lightly. I note that he has a certain charm. I hear your heartbeat quicken at his smile.

  Ben! My heart? You can hear my heartbeat? Well, if it’s beating fast, it’s because all of a sudden, I don’t trust this guy. I don’t trust anyone right now. Shoot! I think they all lined up and stabbed poor ole hated Jason one by one.

  I do not understand your reference, my dear. Stabbed?

  Agatha Christie. You’d love her mystery novels.

  Josh leaned in. “Hey, I was only kidding,” he said. “Thought I lost you there for a minute. You spaced out.”

  I focused on him and smiled. “Oh, no, sorry. I’m here. I was just having random thoughts.”

  “About?”

  “Agatha Christie.” I blurted again. And gave him a cheesy grin.

  “So, you think we all did it?” He grinned.

  My cheeks heated. Ooops! He did know the reference.

  “I’ve read a few mysteries in my time,” he explained. “I love the old classics.”

  I nodded, embarrassed to be caught speculating so wildly.

  “Is there a reason you haven’t whisked me out of here to go confront or arrest Scott?” I put up a hand as if to stop him though he didn’t appear to be in a hurry to leave. “Not that I want you to. Honestly, he asked me not to mention that he was staying in the cabin. That’s before I even found the body or knew th
at he was Jason’s brother. He’s not a very likeable guy, but I don’t know whether that’s due to his experiences in the war or whether that’s just the way he is.”

  “I understand,” Josh said. “I’m not accusing you of withholding information. You’re the one person who didn’t know Jason in all of this.”

  He shook his head and pushed his plate away.

  “Neither one of the Strait brothers is very likeable. And that was before the war. They both had problems in school, getting into fights with each other, with other guys. Jason thought he owned every girl he dated. Scott could never even get a date because Jason stole all the girls just to do it. Just before our last deployment, Scott managed to get himself a girlfriend, but Jason went after her. The girl realized they were both kind of nuts and walked off on the whole thing. Scott never forgave Jason.”

  It sounded like Scott good reason to hate his brother. But murder?

  Josh signaled for the check.

  “Well, I’d better get over to the RV park to find Scott. I’ll just talk to him tonight. We don’t really have probable cause to arrest him right now.”

  I pulled my wallet from my purse. Somehow, it seemed appropriate that I pay my own way.

  “No, no,” Josh said when he saw me. “This is a date, even though it seems to have turned into a police interview. I’m paying.”

  I smiled and stowed my wallet.

  “Thank you,” I said with heated cheeks. A date. In the last twenty-four hours, I’d gone from thinking of Josh as a trusted law enforcement officer to a handsome flirt to a dinner date to a possible murderer and back to a trusted law enforcement officer and then dinner date.

  We rose, and he drove back to the RV park. As he pulled up to my space, he asked me to point out which cabin Scott was staying in. I pointed to the one on the hill behind my RV.

  “Okay, go inside,” he said. “If something happens, I don’t want you out here getting hurt.”

  I swallowed hard and thanked him for dinner.

  “My pleasure,” he said. His eyes were focused on the hill above, but he turned to me. “I’ll call you soon. I know this first date didn’t go particularly well, but when this is all behind us, it will be better.”

  I said nothing but wished him good night. I was only planning on staying for a week or two. Did it really make sense to date someone? Even someone as charming as Josh Wilson?

  Ah! The handsome “and” charming Deputy Wilson!

  I could always count on Ben to make me smile.

  I stepped inside the RV.

  Lock the door, Minerva. I do not want to imagine what this Scott Strait might do when he finds you revealed his whereabouts.

  “Oh, no! You don’t think Josh will tell him, do you? I probably should have asked him to keep quiet about it.”

  Were I in hiding, and only one person knew, I would assume it was that person who betrayed me.

  “Not betrayed, Ben! Really? Betrayed? That seems extreme. It’s not like Scott and I are best friends.” I left the lights off and sat down on the couch to listen for sounds in the night. If there was shouting, gunshots, screaming or banging on my RV door, I wanted to know about it.

  Perhaps betrayed is too strong a word. You are not beholden to Scott Strait. You have no reason to feel guilty.

  “Well, I do.” I sighed. “Can you see what’s happening up there?”

  Do you wish me to leave you and discover what I can?

  “Well, no, I’d rather you didn’t leave. I take it there’s no way you can be in two places at once?”

  No, dear. I cannot, not at that distance.

  “So, you don’t float very fast, huh?” I laughed nervously.

  I do not float, dearest. I told you that before. I simply am.

  “I know, I know. I’m teasing. I’m just rambling. Anxiety, you know?”

  Yes, I do know.

  A sharp sound broke the stillness of the night. Dogs started barking. I jumped up and ran for the front door.

  It is the sound of a gunshot, Minerva. Stay here! Keep the door locked! Ben commanded.

  I knew then that he was dashing off to find out what had happened.

  I adored Ben, but there was no way I was hiding behind a locked door. I pushed open the RV door and peered out. Dogs continued to bark. I heard no voices though. I would have expected my fellow campers to tumble out of their RVs to find out what was happening, but apparently no one cared about the sound of a gunshot. They may very well have thought it was just a firecracker. After all, it was July. That or their TVs and air conditioners were too loud.

  I stepped down from the RV, and tiptoed around the back. I wasn’t sure where the shot had come from, but I assumed it came from the cabins. I hadn’t noticed Josh wearing a gun at dinner, but maybe he kept one in his SUV. My heart pounded in my ears as I fervently hoped he hadn’t been injured…or worse.

  The lights were on in Jason’s cabin, for once.

  Minerva Crockwell! You are a willful, stubborn woman! I told you to stay inside the RV!

  Ben was back. I dared not speak aloud but whispered.

  “Hey! Don’t lecture me! You don’t get to tell me what to do, Peregrine Ebenezer Alford!”

  I heard an exasperated sigh. I stared up at the hill but saw no movement other than lights through the windows. Had it really been a gunshot?

  “So, what did you see?” My anger dissipated as fast as it had come. It always did.

  Forgive me. You are right, of course. Your handsome and charming Deputy Wilson is at the cabin, pistol in hand. The office worker, Sean, brandishes a rifle at one seated, but uninjured Scott Strait. Sean’s grandmother, Mary, creeps silently away in the night in the direction of her own trailer. I cannot say what she was doing before my arrival. The older gentleman, Deputy Kline, also stands inside the cabin, and aims a pistol at Sean. I do not know who fired the single shot that I heard. There are acrimonious threats abounding, albeit through hissing and bared teeth. No one shouts, which is all the more concerning. The situation is deadly.

  I leaned against the side of the RV. “Everyone is there? Everyone?”

  With the exception of Mistress Mary, as I said. As I understand some of the discussion, Sean discovered that Scott was in the cabin and made his way there with his weapon. His grandmother may have tried to prevent him. I believe she called for the police which brought Officer Kline onto the scene. And as you know, your Deputy Wilson arrived last.

  “He’s not my Deputy Wilson. So, what are they doing now?”

  I cannot say. I am not there but am here trying to keep you safe.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Well, go back up there and find out what’s going on.

  Ben said nothing, and I knew he had gone. I couldn’t stand to lurk outside the RV and do nothing, and I thought I was likely to get shot if I made my way to the cabin, so I thought I might head to Mary’s camper to get the scoop.

  I hurried past the office and ran up the hill behind it where the campground host was located. Lights shone through the curtained windows of Mary’s trailer. Campground hosts regularly stayed in the RV parks they managed, full time in the event of emergencies. It was acceptable to present to the host at any hour with concerns, and I took advantage of it.

  I knocked. The door flew open immediately, and I jumped back. Mary, her eyes wild, looked down at me.

  “Yes?”

  “I hope I didn’t disturb you. I was just…” I paused. There was no point in coming up with some excuse for my visit by stating that my electricity was out or that my water wasn’t running. I came to the point.

  “I think I heard a gunshot coming from the cabins behind my RV.”

  “What?” I thought she was pretending to misunderstand.

  “I said I think I heard a gunshot coming from the cabins behind my RV.”

  She seemed to think for a minute and finally came to a decision.

  “You probably did. There’s some stuff going on up there. Somebody was staying in one of the cabins and h
e shouldn’t have been. He wasn’t registered. I had to call the police.”

  “And they shot him?” I knew they hadn’t, but I thought I’d throw that out there to see her reaction.

  “No, of course not,” she shot back.

  “Oh! You scared me for a minute!”

  She looked frustrated with me like she would like to slam the door in my face.

  “This has been a stressful few days here at Sunny Lake RV Park,” I offered. “First, the poor guy on the lake yesterday and now this guy.” Would she take the bait?

  “It’s been stressful for everyone, not just you,” she said with narrowed eyes. Oh, where did my charming little old lady go? This was a tough, nasty gal.

  “It’s not my intention to compare whose day was worse, Mary. I was just wondering if the two incidents were connected.” Of course, I knew they were, but would Mary give me any clues?

  She let out a frustrated sigh.

  “Yes, they are. The man staying in the cabin is the brother of the fellow who fell off the cliff.”

  “Oh, did the police say he’d fallen? I wasn’t sure.”

  “What makes you say that?” She gave me a sharp look.

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I thought maybe someone mentioned he might have been pushed off.”

  Mary charged down the stairs and planted herself in front of me. I jumped back. Was she going to smack me? She sure looked like she wanted to.

  “Who said that? Not Sean!”

  “No, I think it was the police. I can’t remember now. So much going on.”

  “Are you telling me that the police think it was murder?”

  “I don’t know, Mary. I really shouldn’t have said anything.” My palms were sweating. I thought it was time to extricate myself as gracefully as possible.

  She took a deep breath and seemed to force her face into a smile. But it was too late. The sweet lady who had checked me in only yesterday morning was long gone.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, although I didn’t think she was sincere. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’ve had a tough time, finding the body and all. Tell me what you heard.”

  “Just that he might have been pushed off, that’s all.”

  “Do they have a suspect?”