by Louise Lynn
"He doesn't seem to have as good of a night vision thing on his cameras as you do," Esther said.
Hazel smiled. "Good eye, for a photography novice like yourself. And it has more to do with how wide the aperture is and how long the shutter is open than a night vision lens, but I'll let it slide.”
She had to considerably lighten the exposure on her computer’s photo program in order to see what the pictures actually were.
Most were dark shots of the camp, the tents still and no one about, though she did notice that blue cooler sitting out on a picnic table in between them all.
Odd.
When she got to the scene, it was near the bear box.
“This is wrong. Someone tampered with the scene before I got there,” Hazel said and pointed at the cooler.
Esther’s eyes widened. “Do you think Abby put it there?”
Hazel’s heart sank. “I don’t know, but James saw her with a cooler that morning, so it’s likely.”
She flicked through the next few pictures without finding anything.
"What's that?" Esther said and squinted at the screen on the final one.
Hazel zoomed in, and her eyes widened. James must've been crouched down when he took that particular photo, because it wasn't a complete figure—only the legs from the knee down.
"It looks like a pair of boots. Size ten female. Maybe size eight for a male, but if James took this picture, as far as we know, he was the only guy around that night. Besides dad.”
Since the photo was so dark and grainy, it was impossible to make out detail in the boots. But they had laces, thick soles and went up well past the wearer’s ankle.
Esther nodded. "Dad doesn't have boots like that. Does this clear him?"
Hazel looked at the timestamp and shrugged. "It's about thirty minutes before the earliest estimated time of death, so not necessarily, but it's still good evidence. I think James Duke caught the killer on camera.”
The only problem was, Hazel wasn't sure who the boots belonged to.
Chapter 20
Esther and Hazel went to bed that night arguing about who they’d seen wearing boots. Esther was pretty sure they weren't Abby Reynolds, because the girl wore those weird hiking sandals. To which Hazel replied, she could’ve thrown them somewhere—along with the murder weapon.
“Why are you so hung up on the murder weapon?” Esther whispered in the dark tent.
Hazel sighed. “I think it’s the key to the case, but if the killer disposed of it, we might never solve it.”
Esther reached across the space between their cots and patted Hazel’s arm. “You’ll find it. If anyone can outsmart a killer, it’s you and Anthony Ray. Plus, I’m helping this time.”
Hazel chuckled. “Well, then I’d better find it soon.”
“You know, maybe the killer didn’t toss it, but they hid it somewhere and they’re waiting for the commotion to die down before they retrieve it.”
Hazel’s skin pricked with excitement. “I hadn’t thought of that, and I hope that’s the case. So, our crime solving check list goes: motive, murder weapon, and killer. Who has the strongest motive?”
Esther snorted. “Besides dad? Ranger Albright.”
Hazel pinched her lips and ran her fingers over Anthony Ray’s sleeping form. “She’s pretty suspicious with the evidence planting and the black garbage bag dad saw her with, but that’s not motive.”
“Not like Abby, James, or even Summer, you mean?” Esther said.
“What’s Summer’s motive?” Hazel asked, and would have sat up if not for her fluffy cat making it impossible.
“Money. That whole sponsorship thing makes me think she’s the type of person who would kill for money. Especially since she made of point of saying it was her deal and her father butted into it.”
She had a point, but— “Summer was at a motel that morning, even if that is a good motive. And family is the best suspect in many cases. Unfortunately.”
Esther was quite for a long moment. “Are you certain she didn’t come back?”
“I didn’t see or hear her truck that morning, but she does have those motorcycles—which are apparently hunting machines. But, you know, Abby’s lime green moped was missing that morning too, so either one could have been the engine me and dad heard.”
“It wasn’t Abby! I’m sure,” Esther said, and they devolved back into the conversation about the boots.
It was a very sisterly argument, and they didn't come to an agreement before they both drifted off to sleep.
Hazel was content to sleep until well after the sun rose, but she wasn't granted that gift. At some point, far too early for her taste, a scream ripped through the air of the silent campground.
It was soon followed by shouts and voices, one of them definitely belonged to Summer Crawford, as she shrieked at a level that hurt Hazel's ears.
Anthony Ray sat on her chest, ears perked and fluffy tail fuzzed.
"What is that?" Hazel said and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Esther sat up in her cot, her hair disheveled and her face squished into a scowl. "I don't know, but I'm just putting this on the record—worst vacation ever. I love you, but it's true."
Hazel wondered if she agreed.
When it didn't sound like the screaming would abate, they both got out of their cots and quickly threw on some clothes.
As Hazel was hopping out of the tent, slipping on her tennis shoes, she saw the commotion across the campground near Summer Crawford's ugly diesel truck.
"This is vandalism, pure and simple. Who did it?" Summer cried, hands on her hips.
James Duke stood next to her. The dogs whimpered, bellies pressed to the ground, and James Duke looked ready to join them.
Deputy Simmons was trying to comfort her, and Ranger Albright was staring at the truck with wide eyes.
Hazel thought about what she’d seen the ranger do the day before and scowled.
"What's this all about?" their father said as he walked up next to them.
Hazel peeked around the small crowd. She imagined that the truck’s tires had been slashed, but she didn’t expect the big red letters painted on the side of the diesel monstrosity. They dripped down the side like blood and read:
MURDERERS!!!
Hazel raised a brow.
Well, she knew of two protesters who had a thing against Summer Crawford, and either James Duke or Abby Reynolds could have done this—though she leaned toward Abby.
But she wasn't about to out either of them.
"You," Summer said and rounded on Hazel's dad. "You did this. Just like you killed my dad," she said and shoved a stubby finger into his chest.
Edgar Hart stood up to his full height and his beard bristled with dissatisfaction. "I would never deface someone else's property. Nor would I kill anyone, even your father, who may have deserved it," he said and his eyebrows danced the way they did when he was truly angry. Hazel had only seen him like that twice in her life.
“I think it’s time to leave, dad," Esther said and threw an arm around his shoulder.
"Not so fast," Ranger Albright said and stepped between them. "She's right, this is vandalism, and this entire thing has gone on far enough. Some fellow rangers are coming in tomorrow, and we're going to take over that crime scene, warrant or not," she said.
Hazel’s stomach sank into her shoes. That meant she had to find the real killer before the rangers arrived. “What do you think you'll find at the crime scene now? The police went over it thoroughly. Do you think they missed a piece of vital evidence?" She stared hard at the woman's eyes.
Ranger Albright had the gall to not even look the least bit ashamed. "Perhaps. I don't really trust you city police folk to do ranger business."
That was rich. Calling Cedar Valley a city, for one, was a bit of a stretch. Although, Colton was originally from San Francisco, the deputies were mostly locals. That had to count for something.
"This isn't worth it," Esther whispered in Hazel's ear.
&n
bsp; Hazel huffed and turned to follow her sister, but Ranger Albright's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm also going through your things, Mr. Hart. I believe you might have the paint responsible for this,” she said and pointed at the truck.
Their fathers cheeks turned red, and he shook his head. "No, I don't take paint camping. But feel free to go through my things. You won't find anything there,” he said and put his hands on his hips.
Esther groaned, Hazel frowned at the words dripping off of the truck.
As they headed back to their site, she noticed Abby Reynolds sitting at her own picnic table and gnawing on a piece of mushroom jerky. She didn't seem to notice them, as she only had eyes for Summer Crawford.
Murderous eyes.
"That's a scary look," Esther said under her breath.
Hazel silently agreed.
Chapter 21
By the time Hazel and Esther returned to their campsite, Ranger Albright was already going through their father's things. Deputy Simmons stood by with his arms crossed, but he didn't make any protest to the search.
Hazel slung an arm around her father’s shoulder and squeezed. "You didn't have to agree to this," she reminded him.
His beard bristled. "If it's what I have to do to prove my innocence, so be it."
Meanwhile, Ranger Albright looked like a woman on a mission. She’d already gone through his things outside of the tent, and made a move to duck inside Esther and Hazel’s.
Hazel stepped in front of it before she could. "This is our tent. And I didn't give you consent to search in here.”
The ranger gave her a sour look. "Have something to hide?"
Esther rolled her eyes. "You know she works with the police, right? And she didn't even know Cliff Crawford until the other day. Plus, not that it needs to be said, but my sister isn’t a killer."
Hazel smiled gratefully at Esther.
Ranger Albright didn’t look convinced, but she turned for their father's tent nonetheless.
"When is the sheriff getting here?" Hazel asked the deputy.
Simmons shrugged. "I haven't heard from him since yesterday. But he did say he’d be here this morning. I say we give him until noon and then call him again.”
Hazel agreed with that, but a tight knot still lodged in her gut.
Things were getting too far out of hand.
After a few minutes, Ranger Albright emerged from their father's tent brandishing a knife.
"And what is this?" she said, her voice full of accusation.
"It looks like a knife," Hazel said, perhaps unnecessarily, but that's what the woman got when she asked a silly question.
"I'm aware it's a knife, but it could've been the knife that killed Cliff Crawford, if a mountain lion didn't do it.”
Their father shook his head. "It's a camping knife I use for cutting rope and small twigs. Does it look like there's any blood on it?"
Albright’s eyes narrowed. "You could’ve washed it off. This is enough to take you into custody,” she said and made a move for their father.
“That knife is too big,” Hazel said, remembering what Colton told her. “The murder weapon was only about six inches at most, and curved, like a claw. That knife has a straight serrated edge.”
“You sure know a lot about a murder weapon that doesn’t exist,” Ranger Albright said and snagged Edgar by the arm.
"What?" cried Esther and tried to step in front of her, but the deputy gave a sharp shake of his head.
"You're going to let this happen?" Hazel asked.
Deputy Simmons sighed heavily. "It's not that I'm letting it happen, but I think it's best to wait until the sheriff gets here. She can't really arrest him," he said and sounded rather sure of it.
Still, Hazel didn't like to see the ranger lead their father away. In fact, she decided to follow.
If Ranger Albright wanted to be nasty about this whole mess, Hazel could play along.
"You haven't even read him his rights,” she said.
The woman scowled but started the process.
Edgar Hart walked after her, his head held high, even though his eyes had a tinge of worry Hazel had never seen before.
Summer Crawford and James Dukes stared as they walked past, and Abby Reynolds sat up straight. Her expression going from deadly to worried in the manner of a second.
"What's going on?” the girl asked.
Ranger Albright frowned. "You stay out of this. I'm tired of all the trouble you're causing. He had a knife that could've been the murder weapon, so I'm holding him until the other rangers get here."
Abby blinked. "Mr. Hart never would've done anything like that. You'll see," she said and turned to march into her tent.
Ranger Albright didn't wait for her to emerge, and Hazel rushed after the ranger and her father.
Once they got to the Ranger’s Station, the woman led Edgar inside her office and sat him down in a chair in the corner. It looked like it was there for petty criminals, not for someone she thought might’ve murdered a man.
Hazel shut the door after them and crossed her arms. Anthony Ray had followed her, and she let him have full reign of the office and anything hidden within it.
“I know what this is really about."
The ranger’s eyebrows shot up. "It's about trying to find a killer mountain lion. Or a human killer, as you two seem to think,” she said with a husky laugh.
Hazel rolled her eyes. "It is a human killer, and my father's innocent. You're the one who wants to pin it on a mountain lion."
Ranger Albright put her hands on her ample hips. "And what makes you think that?"
Hazel chewed her bottom lip and glanced at her father. The worried expression was replaced with one of curiosity.
Typical dad, Hazel thought.
"Because I caught you planting evidence at the crime scene yesterday. I have it on camera, so either you can explain yourself or we can wait for the sheriff to show up. Tampering with a crime scene is illegal, by the way," Hazel said.
After the words spilled out, she realized the woman might have a gun, and hoped that wasn't the case.
"I – I don't know what you saw," Ranger Albright stammered.
Edgar Hart leaned forward in the chair. "I'm pretty sure she knows what planting evidence looks like.”
The woman looked back and forth between them. "Are you blackmailing me? That's illegal too."
Hazel wrinkled her nose. She really hoped the ranger didn’t have a gun. After everything she and Esther talked about the night before, it fit. Ranger Albright had the most evidence stacked around her. ”It’s not blackmail. I’m telling you what I know. You're trying to pin the murder on a mountain lion, and you wear thick soled boots, not unlike the killer.”
Ranger Albright shook her head frantically. "Me? These boots are regulation. They’re part of the uniform. And I didn't even know who Cliff Crawford was until his body showed up in my campground. Why would I want to kill the man?”
Hazel crossed her arms. “I told you he was a big game hunter. And your boots being regulation doesn’t matter. I have proof someone wearing boots like those was at the crime scene right before the murder.”
The color drained from Ranger Albright’s cheeks. “You what?”
“I have a photo of boots a lot like yours,” Hazel said, and hoped that didn’t sound as lackluster as it felt.
“But that’s impossible! I wasn’t anywhere near that campsite. I was on the ridge trail that morning. I saw your father, though he didn’t see me”
Hazel blinked. “You saw him that morning and you didn’t tell the sheriff?”
Ranger Albright finally looked ashamed of herself. “No, but I will. I planted the cougar fur as evidence, okay? You got me. But I didn’t kill Cliff Crawford.”
Edgar wrinkled his brow. "Why would you want to get a beautiful creature like that killed? Especially one with cubs?"
The woman ran a hand over her face and her shoulders slumped. "I didn't want that mother mountain l
ion or her cubs to be sacrificed, but I saw an opportunity and I took it. It may not have been right, but it's the truth."
"Opportunity?" Hazel said and frowned. “What kind of opportunity would drive you to that?”
Anthony Ray meowed as if she’d just said ‘treats.’
The ranger looked at her desk.
Hazel glanced at her father. He said he'd seen Ranger Albright on a hike in one of the high meadows with a black plastic garbage bag, which in itself, seemed suspicious.
"Does it have anything to do with the black garbage bag? Did you kill those cubs? Are you trying to get rid of the evidence?" Hazel cried.
The woman's eyes opened wide with horror. "I would never kill innocent mountain lion cubs. Do you think I'm some sort of monster? But I've seen this happen before. An animal attack in a remote campground, and the National Forest Service thinks it's easier to shut the campground down instead of dealing with the PR nightmare it creates. So for several seasons, this campground would be closed to the public, which could only be a good thing, by the way. And the black plastic garbage bag you're talking about? I was picking up trash hikers and campers like you left behind. Do you have any idea how fragile the Sierra meadows are? The simple act of walking through them disturbs the ecosystem. Crushing the wildflowers here is detrimental, and hikers refuse to stay on the path. They want to go to the edge of the lake to get the best selfie. I was doing this for the entire area," she said and slumped into her chair.
"Killing an apex predator and her cubs would also have a terrible effect on the ecosystem," Edgar said, his voice kind.
Hazel didn't think she could sound like that to a person who just accused her of murder, but maybe it was something she'd learn with age.
"I know that," Ranger Albright said. “I—what have I done? I didn't want that mountain lion to be killed. You have to believe me. But when I found out what sort of a man Cliff Crawford was, and that his death was the perfect opportunity to…” her voice trailed off, and she shook her head.
Anthony Ray yowled again and jumped onto a side table. "So you made a mistake. And you read my letter about Crawford, right?"
