by Louise Lynn
That was a little bit selfish, she realized, but she also didn't have a lot of sadness for Cliff Crawford's passing.
"Exactly why we should just cancel this trip and move on to another one at some later point. It's not a shame to admit defeat. But, let me guess, you want to find the killer."
Hazel gave her a strained smile. "Colton said I was his secret weapon. Do you expect me to turn tail and run when he trusts me like that?"
Esther rolled her eyes and stopped to neatly fold Ruth's jacket. "You guys have a weird relationship. Have I told you that lately?"
Hazel shrugged. "You and Raj like to cook together. Me and Colton like to solve crime together. What's so wrong with that?" she said with a grin that wasn't nearly as strained as her first smile.
Esther’s shoulders sagged, and she looked around the tent. How Ruth had managed to make such a mess of it in a single day was beyond Hazel. “You really don't think we should leave? Ruth's only eight, and I know you can take care of yourself but–"
Hazel nodded. "No, you're right. Ruth can go back with mom. And I'm not going to let Violet go wandering around either. But Simmons is camping right at our site. I talked to him a few minutes ago, and he agreed to stay with dad. Though I don't know how much sleep he's going to get with all that snoring. I think we'll be fine. It's your choice, but I know I'm staying,” Hazel said and wondered if those were going to be her famous last words.
A very real human killer was out there, but in her experience, a motive usually went along with murder. And the person so far who had the strongest motive was her father, whom she wasn't going to point a finger at.
But who else had both motive and means?
She really had to do some digging if she was going to clear his name.
"This is just like when we were kids," Esther said and plopped on her cot. The jacket hung loose in her hands.
"What does that mean?"
Esther tugged her braid over her shoulder and chewed on her bottom lip. "You know. You and dad would always go off on these wild adventures, and I'd always stay home and be the sensible safe one. I was the one who didn't want to go swimming in Lake Celeste because I didn't want to get hypothermia, while you jumped right off the pier. I was the one who wouldn't go on hikes with dad, because he wanted to take one of his midnight astronomy hikes, and I had to get up early to go to school. But there you were. Hazel—daddy’s little girl."
Hazel felt like she’d been punched in the gut, and she sat down on Ruth's cot, opposite her sister. “Do you think I did it on purpose? I thought you didn't want to do any of those things. You were always so–"
"Boring?" Esther said without a hint of humor in her voice.
“No!" Hazel shook her head. She reached across and grabbed her sister’s hands. Esther let her. "You always had different things going on. You know school and all your extracurricular stuff. I had Celia and dad and photography. I thought that's just the way things were. Plus, you always put up a stink whenever he got back from an assignment,” she said carefully. Hazel wasn’t sure if she should bring up Esther and their father's strained relationship.
"I know what I did, and I can't say I don't regret it a little bit. I didn't go with you guys a lot of the time because I felt left out. I wasn't good at photography, and you were, so I thought dad liked it that way. Like this trip. This is you and dad’s thing, and yet, here I am—messing things up with my practicality.“
“You haven’t messed up anything. We invited you because we wanted you to come along. And dad always wanted you to come along. You know, you and mom also spent a lot of time cooking and doing things I never did with her,” Hazel reminded her younger sister.
Esther let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry. I don't mean to blame it on you, because I know it wasn't your fault. But I still feel like I'm in the way sometimes."
"You're never in the way. I promise. But, if you want to leave, I won't blame you. And you're right, we can pick up the trip some other time. It's fine," she said and leaned forward to hug her sister.
Esther squeezed Hazel's middle and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."
After Hazel let her sister go, she offered to help Esther pack, and they were almost done with Ruth's bag when they heard a bloodcurdling scream from outside the tent.
Chapter 13
Hazel and Esther burst from the tent and ran toward the sound of the scream. The sun was close to setting, and deep shadows trailed across the campground.
Anthony Ray ran next to Hazel, and she stumbled to grab his leash. He’d probably try to take on a mountain lion by himself, and she knew who would win that battle.
It wasn't her cat.
"What on earth?" Esther cried, her eyes wide. "Where's Ruth?" She sounded frantic, and Hazel understood the feeling. Her own heart was pounding a mile a minute.
It took a moment, but she spotted Ruth with their parents, coming along one of the trails, completely unharmed.
“She’s there, so who screamed?" Hazel said.
The scream tore through the air again, and Hazel's heart fell into her sneakers when she realized one person she hadn't seen—Violet.
"Violet?" she cried and ran toward the sound of the scream. She thought the girl would be safe for just a few hours, but if she'd been wrong and something happened—no!
She didn't want to think that.
But after the scene that morning, Hazel couldn't help but imagine the same horrific mess happening to the poor fifteen-year-old. Now she knew why Esther wanted to get out of there.
Hazel spotted a flash of dark hair between the trees and a purple sundress, which she remembered Violet wearing that day.
"Violet?" Hazel cried.
"Hazel?" Violet called back.
Hazel felt like her heart burst. The girl was safe, so what was all the screaming about?
She found out the answer soon enough.
Abby Reynolds stood a few yards away from Violet, and pointed a shaking finger at James Duke. "You. Murderer. Monster. I can't believe you," she shrieked, her voice reaching levels that Hazel was sure only dogs could hear.
From the way the hounds howled, she decided she wasn't too far off on that assumption.
Anthony Ray's tail fuzzed impossibly large, and Violet winced.
"What's this about?" Hazel asked when her ears stopped ringing.
Violet shrugged. "We were just coming back from a walk, and she saw him and started screaming. I have no clue," she said, her eyes wide and focused on the scene at hand.
Hazel did too.
James Duke seemed to shrink under her screams. "Abby, what are you doing here?"
The young woman put her hands on her slender hips and whipped her hair like a weapon. "What am I doing here? I'm trying to save the world, James, unlike you. You just want to destroy it. After everything, how could you join Cliff Crawford’s side?” Her shoulders shook as she devolved into a mess of sobs.
James Duke stared at her and shook his head. "Don't cry, Abby. I—you don't understand. It’s not what it looks like, but you’re one to talk,” he said and patted himself down for a Kleenex. Hazel didn't think he was going to find one since his problem at the crime scene that morning.
With a sigh, she decided to approach. "Are you all right?" she asked the two of them.
Abby shook her head and threw herself against Hazel’s shoulder. "I'll never be all right again. Get me out of his sight before I do something irrational,” she sobbed.
Hazel raised an eyebrow. She was pretty sure Abby had already done something irrational.
James Duke looked absolutely helpless.
Hazel turned and led Abby away. She figured the less the girl had to do with James, the better. Though she did wonder what this was about. James seemed like he was trying to impress Summer Crawford, so maybe it was an old lover's spat.
Had he broken up with Abby for Summer? Well, that was a pretty big change—though it was all speculation on Hazel's part, of course.
And she wasn't even certain if
Abby and Summer knew each other, though Abby and James definitely did.
"Are you okay?" Violet said and draped an arm around Abby's shoulder.
Abby let go of Hazel and hung herself over Violet instead. The girl didn't say much until they neared her campsite. "Okay? I'll never be okay. Not until all monsters like him are dead," she said and swiped her nose across her sleeve.
Hazel decided she needed to get this girl Kleenex, ASAP, and patted down her pockets until she found one. "How do you know him?"
That seemed like a reasonable question after what she’d witnessed, and it also gave her a chance to talk about the crime. Especially since Abby’s moped is probably what woke Hazel that morning. She’d also been the only other person at the campground that they knew of, after all, besides the ranger and Hazel's immediate family. And no matter how hippie chic, she did just say she wanted people like James Duke dead.
"The guy I knew doesn't exist anymore. He died when James…” Her voice broke off into more sobs.
Violet met Hazel's eyes and raised a brow. “Let me get you some water," she said and moved to open Abby’s cooler.
"Stop," Abby cried and slammed her hand on the top of the cooler before Violet could even touch the lid. "I have some really delicate vegan stuff in there. I don't drink cold water anyway. I just fill up my water bottle from the tap," she said and motioned to the communal drinking spigot near her campsite.
Hazel watched Abby go, then glanced at the cooler.
Yep, that was suspicious too.
Extra sensitive vegan food? She really doubted that.
"So who was the James you knew,?" she asked while trying to figure out a way to look inside that cooler.
Abby sat down on the picnic bench and took a long swig of water. With her large brown eyes, she looked like a doe caught in headlights. ”The James I knew had similar views as me. He was sweet and kind and cared about all living things. That monster over there is nothing like him. It’s like, he’s a pod person now. Do you think that's what happened?"
Hazel shook her head. "Do I think a pod person took over your old friend? Probably not."
She hoped Abby didn't bring up the possibility to Hazel's mother, because Maureen Hart would no doubt jump on that. Though she hadn’t gone so far off the rails and brought up alien visitation. She’d probably think an evil spirit had possessed the young man.
Hazel thought the real explanation was probably much simpler than that.
"Well, alien or not, the James I know would never have stooped to hunting. Especially with a monster like Cliff Crawford."
Hazel glanced at Violet. The teenager glared daggers at James’s campsite. "You're right. He is a monster. What possessed him to do that? Is he dating that awful Summer girl?"
Abby shrugged. "Who knows. Not that I care. None of them value life at all."
Hazel remembered what her father told her. "Yeah, I agree with you. They don't even seem that sad Mr. Crawford is dead."
Abby let out a shrill laugh. "I'm not sorry he's dead either. He was an awful man. After what he did to those poor animals in Africa, I could never forgive him. At least he was stopped from whatever he was planning to do here.” Her eyes narrowed at James. "What James was going to help Mr. Crawford do is pure evil, and that's that."
The look Abby was giving James was certainly murderous, but Hazel knew that didn't really prove anything. Though, hating trophy hunters this much did seem like a motive. Especially considering who the victim was.
"Yeah," Hazel said and leaned down to pet Anthony Ray. He was keeping his distance from Abby, which Hazel always took to mean something. Her cat had pretty keen senses when it came to judging people's intentions. "I'm not sorry Mr. Crawford's dead either. He was, like you said, an awful man."
Abby nodded. "The fact that a mountain lion killed him is poetic justice. It's exactly what he deserved."
Hazel raised a brow. "Who told you a mountain lion did it?”
“It’s what Ranger Albright said. Are you saying someone murdered him?"
Hazel nodded. "Yeah. That's exactly what we think happened."
Abby's expression cleared suddenly. "Actually, that's almost better than a mountain lion doing it. It's even more like poetic justice that way, but it makes sense. Hunted by his own kind when he thought he was such a great hunter. In the end, he wasn't." She smiled, and in the twilight, it looked more like a grimace.
“Yeah, that's poetic justice all right,” Violet said.
Hazel decided to change the subject since she still needed to find out more about Abby. “Do you know Summer Crawford?"
Abby blinked. "Not personally. I only know of her. And I know enough to stop her."
Hazel sat up straight and glanced at Violet, whose eyes widened considerably. Hazel wondered if the girl was still enamored with Abby now. "Stop her from doing what?"
Abby took another sip of water. "I'm an activist, and I protest hunting, so that's what I want to stop. Simple as that. Oh, it's late, and I need to do my pre-bedtime yoga before the sun goes down. I hope to see you tomorrow," she said with a sunny smile. It seemed at odds with her former performance.
Hazel and Violet walked away from the girl’s camp.
It looked like she’d found her first suspect, and now she had to see if Abby Reynolds had the murder weapon.
Chapter 14
When Hazel and Violet got back to the campsite, Esther was already loading their things into Maureen Hart’s hatchback. Ruth pouted and tugged on her grandmother’s skirt.
“Please let me stay! It’s not fair. We just got here, and I didn’t even get to go swimming yet,” Ruth cried.
“Ruthie, we need to go back to Cedar Valley. Your mother insisted,” Maureen said, and Hazel was surprised she hadn’t given in.
Esther sighed and shoved another bag after the first. Her tent was down and packed, and she loaded that next. “You can’t go swimming if a mountain lion eats you, Ruth. I already said we’d take another trip soon. I promise.”
“You always promise, and nothing happens,” Ruth said and gave Anthony Ray a squeeze.
Esther’s expression pinched, and she glanced at Hazel helplessly. “Your safety is more important right now. Violet is going too. Maybe she can spend some time with you?”
Violet nodded and bent down to Ruth’s level. “How about we go camping in your yard? We can set up the tent and everything.”
Ruth shrugged, but she went along without further complaint.
To Hazel’s surprise, Esther didn’t climb in with their mother, Ruth, and Violet. “You’re staying?”
Esther nodded once and jutted out her chin. “Yeah, I thought it might be good for me. Plus, I already had the shop closed for the week, so I might as well. Only, now my daughter hates me.”
“She doesn’t,” their father said and patted Esther on the back. “She’s just disappointed, but she’ll get over it.”
“Like I did?” Esther asked and tugged at her braid.
Their father chuckled. “I’d like to think Ruthie takes after her father in that respect. She’s not as stubborn as you.”
Hazel wasn’t sure if that was the case or not. Ruth could be pretty stubborn, from what she knew of her niece.
“We’ll, you packed your tent, so it looks like you’ll be rooming with me. Let’s get you set up and fix dinner. Then we need to find a way to sneak a peek inside Abby’s cooler.”
Esther gave Hazel a questioning look. “Isn’t that illegal?”
“I don’t think so. Let’s say it isn’t, just to be safe. I didn’t say we were going to take anything.” Hazel grinned.
“Just don’t let Deputy Simmons find out about it, and it should be fine,” their father put in and started to build a fire. “But why do you want to look inside Abby's cooler? Are you looking for more of that mushroom jerky?"
Hazel snorted. "Not quite."
Then she explained her suspicions about the girl, though she did so in a hushed voice in case Abby was close enough to overhear
. She doubted it, as the girl had walked in the opposite direction of the campground to wherever her yoga spot was.
"You think Abby could’ve done this? Have you seen that girl? She's a tiny slip of a thing. How would she overpower a man like Cliff Crawford and slit his throat? Or drag him that far from his tent?" their father said and his beard bristled.
Hazel sighed. "Look, I know you like her, but I already told you how suspicious she was. Not to mention, she has the best motive. And, if we don't find the real culprit, who knows what the rangers are going to do to you?”
"I thought you said Sheriff Cross didn’t think he was guilty?" Esther said, hands on her hips.
"He doesn't, but we’re not sure if this is his jurisdiction yet. If Ranger Albright wins that argument…” She decided not to finish that sentence and let the possibility of their father being arrested for a crime he didn't commit hang in the air.
"I'm not going to accuse an innocent young woman just to clear my own name. Do you really think Abby Reynolds could've slit a two-hundred and fifty-pound man’s throat and dragged his dead body a good ten yards from his own tent?"
Hazel shrugged. "Looks can be deceiving. Esther is freakishly strong, for one."
Esther rolled her eyes. "No, I just go to the gym. Unlike some people."
Hazel knew that was aimed at her, and decided not to respond. It was her own business why she didn't go to the gym. Mostly because she didn't have time, and she hated it. She'd much rather spend her free time with Sheriff Cross instead of suffering on the stair machine.
With a sigh, Esther's shoulders slumped. "She's right, dad. Even though you like Abby, you can't exclude her for that reason alone. Especially if she's the real killer."
Their father went to the bear box to pull out their cooler. "I'm telling you, she didn't do it. But, if you have to look inside her cooler, she does tend to get up and go on early-morning hikes. She won't be around her campsite then."
Hazel walked over and gave her dad a tight squeeze. Anthony Ray followed and wound around his feet. "Thanks. You know I'm just trying to–"
Their father nodded, cutting her off. "I know. But I'm not going to pin it on someone innocent either. Not that girl or a mountain lion."
