by Dave Daren
“So,” he said, “now I want to show you our coolest project. The one I am most excited about.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Well,” he continued as we walked, “we’ve decided to invest the money that’s coming in from Earth Market into renovating the property. And we thought about what was the best way to do that. Someone said Tranquility is a serene, quiet place to be, and maybe we should offer that to other people. You know, they brought up the point we should give to the outer community from our extra funds. What we have here is really special, and people need it.”
“You’re talking about a retreat?” I mused.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I mean, people pay thousands of dollars a night to have what we have. So, why not give it to them at a much cheaper price?”
“How does that fit into Tranquility’s ideals?” I asked.
“It didn’t,” he shook his head, “for a while. But so much money was pouring into the bank from the kombucha that I didn’t know what to do with it. And so, I found offering our unique brand of peace to others was a perfect way to invest that money.”
“So,” Vicki began as she looked at the property around us, “are you talking about building cabins, or a hotel or something?”
“We’ve already started,” Perry explained. “We’ve built three cabins. Let me take you over there.”
We all hopped in a small golf cart, and Perry took us down a long grassy hill and along a gravel tree-lined trail. A minute later, I noticed a couple of small, wooden cabins at the end of the narrow dirt road. They each had a tiny wooden porch and vibrant flowerbeds.
“I like them,” I remarked as my eyes took in every detail. “They look cozy, and intimate.”
“That’s what we’re going after,” Perry said as he drove us down the hill for a closer look. “We’ve got a whole nature aspect to what we’re doing. We offer horseback riding, a pond, and of course the animals. But we also offer our brand of healing massage.”
He pointed toward a small wooden building that was larger than a cabin.
“This is our lodge,” he continued. “Here we do massage. A lot of our community members are trained in reflexology and ancient massage practices. And we also have workshops on inner healing and peace. We’ve found people are really into it.”
“How long have you had this?” I asked, and I was more than a little impressed..
“We just started,” he replied. “We have a couple of regulars. But the cabins are booked solid for months. We’re talking about building more just to keep up with the demand.”
“Wow,” I remarked as we rounded the pond toward the third cabin.
“This is our Elm Grove cabin,” Perry explained. “It’s set up to be a romantic suite. That just means we have a bigger bathtub in there, and we put rose petals on the bed before you come.”
Vicki and I laughed as he reached the dead end by the cabin and turned around back toward the hill.
“I wish I could show you the insides,” he added, “but they’re all occupied. But--”
As we turned around, we noticed a couple coming out of the Elm Grove cabin.
“Oh, yeah,” Perry waved at them, “those guys are our newlyweds. They have this thing booked every weekend for months in advance. They’re always here.”
Perry slowed as the couple noticed us. He waved graciously to them again, and they smiled at Perry, although they seemed preoccupied with each other.
“Hey guys,” Perry greeted them as he neared the cabin.
As soon as they saw Vicki and me, the couple looked petrified, and they turned and ran inside.
“What the … ?” Perry mused with a perplexed frown.
“It’s Vicki,” I cut in quickly. “She’s just too hot. She has that effect on people.”
“I know,” Vicki joked with a flip of her hair. “I just can’t help it.”
We all laughed and then drove back up the hill. But I looked over at Vicki, who raised an eyebrow at me.
The newlywed woman was definitely Clare Clearmont.
Chapter 13
Perry took us back up the hill toward the rest of the party, and he chatted the whole way about the cabins and the landscaping they were putting in.
“It’s a semi-immersive experience,” Perry said. He was still talking about the retreat center, but I kept looking for an opportunity to talk about Clare.
“We want people to get the feel of living in that community and what that means,” Perry continued. “But, at the same time, we know that not all of our guests will want to be as immersed, you know? So, we offer a lot of the modern lifestyle as well.”
“You’re talking about indoor plumbing?” I asked absently while my thoughts kept circling back to Clare.
“Well,” he said and furrowed his brows, “it’s more than that. Living in a community like this--it’s not easy if you’re not used to it. The modern convenience thing is an outward manifestation, but in reality, community is a heart based lifestyle. It’s about the people, and loving and giving to others. Regarding others as more important than yourself, and giving yourself to benefit the community. When everyone is doing that, it’s a beautiful experience. But our human pride often gets in the way of truly loving others, and we put up walls of selfishness and ego. Our culture often rewards selfishness, so when we have community members come, there’s a lot of rewiring the thought process toward a freedom based lifestyle. But, with our guests, we want them to enjoy themselves.”
I lost interest in Perry’s rant as he droned on about selfishness and the vileness of American thinking. I was an upper middle class, educated white male. He wasn’t going to sell me on it.
He rounded the corner, and we saw the factory under construction again.
“So when does the factory open?” I asked.
“We’ve already opened parts of it,” he replied. “Moondust and Saffron have some really solid ideas on moving forward that I think will really benefit us. Can I just say, like, your dad’s awesome, dude. Like, seriously. He’s awesome.”
“He has his moments,” I laughed, and the fact was not lost on me that I had now heard this about both of my parents in the last twenty-four hours.
“No, man,” Perry shook his head, “like, now I get you.”
“You get me?” I echoed and cocked an eyebrow. I was always suspicious of people who made such statements.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Like, you’re like one of us, but like, you know how to get shit done, too. You’re like your dad.”
“Huh,” I said. “Thanks.”
I didn’t see any similarities between myself and my parents at all, but I certainly wasn’t going to get into my family issues with a client.
“Dude,” he continued as we got closer to the compound and the party, “he’s smart as shit, and he’s got your same kind of vibe. You know, ‘I’m pretending to be cool and laid back, but really I’m take charge and opinionated.’”
Vicki and I both laughed at his perceptive take on my manner.
“So, who were the newlyweds?” Vicki asked casually, and my mouth twitched into a smirk.
“Oh, yeah,” Perry said, and we were almost up to the party now. “That was Clare and Jim. I married them.”
“You married them?” I asked as my eyes widened.
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I do marriage ceremonies sometimes. We’ll do a lot of them here. But Clare and Jim wanted to do the Grand Canyon, so we drove out there for that. They wanted a private affair, so it was really just a couple of people.”
The Grand Canyon was just a few hours away from here, so it was a common vacation spot and day getaway for Sedona people.
“With them, you know,” Perry shrugged and made a face as he went on, “I get the whole personal touch thing to the wedding. That’s cool and all. I get you don’t want the drama of a thousand people you don’t even talk to at your wedding. I understand that. Kristen and I only had our families there. But … I don’t know. Clare and Jim seemed to be a little
too into the ‘intimate,’ vibe. It was a little weird.”
“Really?” I asked as Vicki and I both leaned in curiously. “How long ago was this?”
“Six months ago?” Perry furrowed his brow in thought. “That sounds about right. They didn’t even invite their families. Just her son. I … thought the whole thing was off, and I almost didn’t do the wedding because it seemed so weird. But I did background checks on them to make sure they weren’t already married or anything. They checked out so, you know, whatever. It’s their business.”
“Right,” I said. “And what’s his name?”
“Jim,” Perry replied. “Jim Hurley.”
“Do you know anything about him?” I asked as I filed the name away for later.
“Not much,” he shook his head, “about either of them, really. She came to me out of the blue. She said she needed an officiant and that I popped up in an online search. So, we went from there. They were both so cagey about their personal lives and used the words, ‘private,’ and ‘intimate’ so many times, it started to bother me. But, like I said, I couldn’t find anything wrong with it, and they said instead of paying the fee, he would design the cabins.”
“Design them?” I asked and blinked in surprise.
“Oh, that’s right,” Perry laughed, “Jim’s an architect. He designed the retreat center.”
“Wow,” I whistled. “That’s a high price for an officiant’s fee.”
“That’s what I said,” Perry replied, “but, I mean, a free architect? Cool.”
“Sure,” I allowed, “but there’s definitely something shady going on.”
He shrugged. “Well, I don’t judge. As long as I don’t know anything about it, and they’re not involving me in it, it’s all their own business, you know?”
“But you know she used to be married to Jerry Steele, right?” I asked.
We were at the party now, and Perry slammed the brakes on the golf cart and turned to me with wide eyes.
“Seriously?” he gasped. “The dead guy?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
He looked fearfully toward the direction of the cabins.
“I don’t want any trouble,” he muttered. “I’ve got a wife and a kid. I don’t need whatever kind of shit they’re into out here.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, “I don’t know what it is, but those people are up to something. Who barters an entire retreat center for an officiant at a secret wedding?”
“A secret wedding?” Perry murmured with a frown as we got out of the vehicle. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
Kristen saw us at that point. Perry’s wife had long brown hair and a pretty smile, and today she wore a blue sundress and flip flops while she carried the baby in a pouch on her chest. She smiled and immediately greeted us.
“You’re back,” she laughed as she pecked Perry’s cheek. “You took forever! I was about to think you got killed by a deranged axe murderer hiding out in the retreat center or something. Here.” She unwrapped the baby and handed him to Perry. “Take him, I have to find another jar of that salsa. People just can’t stop eating the stuff.”
“Yes ma’am,” Perry chuckled as he cuddled Neptune into his chest.
Kristen seemed to notice us in an afterthought. “Vicki, Henry, good to see you guys.” Then she dashed off before we could reply and left Perry holding the baby.
“We’ve got to get those people off this property,” Perry said as he looked at the baby and then back at the cabins again.
“We don’t know anything right now,” Vicki told him.
He kissed Neptune on the head and glanced at us. “I should have listened to my gut when it told me there was something wrong in the first place.”
“No reason to jump to any conclusions,” I cautioned. “Just because someone wants to have a secret wedding does not mean they’re a murderer. There’s not even any connection between the two incidents.”
“Yeah,” Perry sighed as he rocked the baby and stared toward the cabins. “You’re right.”
But I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced.
The ceremony itself was a peaceful affair. The community gathered in a crowd spread around the courtyard, and I noticed a small hole dug in the ground, a few gardening tools, and a fledgling tree.
Perry quieted the group and stood over the hole while Kristen stood by his side and held Neptune.
“Thank you all for coming out,” Perry began. “Neptune is an amazing miracle. Anyone who is familiar with the history of Kristen and me knows how truly blessed we are to have this child.”
The crowd murmured, and I saw Kristen wipe away a tear. Kristen had had a tumultuous background until she met Perry. She’d shared a few things with us, but I was certain the rest of the crowd knew much more about her story than we did.
“I … cannot,” Perry’s voice choked up, “I cannot tell you how truly happy I am. I’ve got a beautiful wife, the best in the world. And a child who … who just … well, look at him.”
Perry gestured toward the baby, and Kristen held him up for everyone to see. My mom was right, Neptune was all baby fat and smiles as he cooed and waved his arms. Everyone awwed, and Neptune looked a little scared, so Kristen took him off display.
Perry’s eyes were red rimmed with the emotional overflow. “I just am so filled with love and gratitude for my family.”
There was a gentle applause, and then Perry sighed before he continued. “And not just my family, but our family as a community. We have been through a storm, but we have come out strong, and healthy.”
There was reverent nodding throughout the crowd.
“And as with all the children in the community,” Perry went on, “you guys will be here to watch Neptune grow up, to be part of his life, and to be his extended family. And Kristen and I are deeply honored to share this experience with you in that way.”
Gentle applause followed his comments.
“So, today,” he said, “we are going to plant the tree of life. The placenta is what nourishes the baby during its time in the womb. It’s an ultimate fertilizer. After much research and deliberation, we decided to plant an orange tree in honor of Neptune. The placenta will fertilize it, and out of the life that nourished our baby, new life will form.”
A titter of applause followed, and then Perry motioned toward a couple of the community members, who grabbed shovels.
“Can someone … ” Kristen gestured around with the baby, and Vicki was standing closest to her. “Here. Can you hold him while I help with the planting?”
Vicki looked a little surprised but took the baby. “Sure,” she replied before she looked down and cuddled the little bundle. “Hey little guy.”
Neptune’s face contorted and then softened into a smile.
Vicki lit up as she stared into Neptune’s face.
I leaned over and found myself chuckling as I touched his smooth cheeks and stared into his big, blue eyes.
“Oh my God,” I gushed to Vicki as my heart melted.
“I know,” she whined. “So cute.”
I looked over at the planting group. Kristen was wearing gardening gloves, and in her hands was the reason for the occasion. I had never seen one before, but the placenta was a large piece of bloody tissue wrapped in butcher shop paper.
She opened the package, and I fought the impulse to gag. I knew it was supposed to be a beautiful reverent moment, but it reminded me of the time I fell off my bike and ripped my leg clean open to the bone. As I writhed in agony and the doctor sewed me up, I remember seeing bloody human meat falling out of my body. If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have thought it was cool.
Now, looking at the flesh coming out of the package and into the ground, like a flabby slab of raw sirloin, I couldn’t have been more grossed out.
The rest of the crowd seemed to be wrapped in the poetic reverence, life, nourishment, returning the placenta to Mother Earth, and whatever else.
But I wanted nothing more than to get out of there.
Still, I didn’t expect to be so excited to get a text from Clare Claremont.
Meet me at the cabin.
Chapter 14
I flashed the text to Vicki, shrugged, and slipped away from the party. I knew she wanted to be there, because it was important to continue to show support for our current client, even while chasing down leads for another one.
The walk down to the cabins was long. In the golf cart, we had covered a lot of ground, but relying on my own two feet took considerably more effort. Once I was out of sight enough not to disturb the party, I jogged way down the hill and to the retreat center. It didn’t occur to me until I was halfway there that the implication was these people were some how involved in, if not directly responsible for, a murder.
Maybe coming down here by myself wasn’t the best idea.
Too late now, though.
I was breathless and sweaty when I arrived at the cabins. The retreat center was silent. The noise of the party was long behind me, and I had never noticed before how much ambient city noise I was used to, even in Sedona. The absolute piercing silence down here was completely maddening.
I suddenly understood why people talk about getting away from it all, losing perspective, and all of that crap. It had never made any sense to me. I loved the energy of city life. Sure, there was a naturist Arizonan in me, but the city appealed to me.
I found the romantic Elm Grove cabin and knocked on the door.
Clare answered it.
“Hi,” I said. “I got your text.”
She sighed. “Yeah. Come in.”
The room smelled of cheap body spritzer and chem lab air fresheners, and I coughed at the scent. It was a sparsely furnished room, decorated in red and white, I presumed to go with the romantic theme. A king sized bed with a maroon comforter sat in the middle of the room, with red and white throw pillows. An antique wash basin was situated in one corner, and a rough log hewn desk in another.
Jim sat in a wooden chair and rested his elbows on his knees. He was a tall man in his early forties, with salt and pepper hair and wire rimmed glasses. He wore blue basketball shorts and a black athletic brand t-shirt.
