Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Upon parking his bike, Cisco walked into camp, whistling. His excitement over seeing Hilly again bubbled through his veins, and he hastened his steps.

He rounded a stand of trees, and the tune in his throat dried up. A glum looking group stood outside Hilly's cabin, and none of them brightened at his arrival.

His mood turned hyper vigilant.

Something bad had clearly happened.

"Hilly?" he questioned, coming up to where she stood with Buffy, Adeline and Coco, and Mrs. S.

Nel was whining, pasted smack up against Hilly's thigh as Hilly patted her dog absently on the head.

"We had an incident today," she told him, her eyes full of worry.

Cisco's first thought was that Cottins, that asshole, had done something to cause Hilly the amount of angst she was exhibiting.

Un-fucking-acceptable.

"Someone did something to you? Are you okay? Where's Crash?"

If that bastard of a developer had hurt Hilly or the camp, Cisco was going to go ballistic.

Hilly bit her lip. "He's…at the hospital with Bailey."

"What?" It's the last thing Cisco expected to hear. His brain went into overdrive. The entire camp had been scheduled to hike that morning…

"She had a fall?" he guessed.

Hilly shook her head. "No. Bailey suffered an allergic reaction while we were on our excursion. She went into anaphylactic shock."

Holy shit. "Stung by a bee?"

Cisco was flying blind. He needed details so he could wrap his head around what Hilly was trying to impart.

"No. She has a peanut allergy, and we believe that somehow a peanut based product got into her snack bag."

"How could that happen?" Cisco asked, suddenly on alert.

"All the kids picked up their labeled daypacks in the dining hall this morning that Mrs. S had filled with snack bags, but they were left unattended numerous times after that."

"She's okay, though, right?" he asked, appalled.

"Yeah. Crash called a few minutes ago. Bailey came out of it without any residual effects, but when I talked to her parents who just arrived, they were furious. Bailey won't be coming back to camp." Her face grew even darker. "They told me I'll be hearing from their attorney."

Cisco couldn't believe this was happening. Of all the…

Damn. This couldn't have been an accident. He'd seen the allergy protocols Hilly had put in place. Cisco's gut roiled. Bailey being targeted sounded like either revenge from someone she'd pissed off, or sabotage by one of Hilly's nemeses. Someone either hated Bailey with a passion, or wanted to put Hilly out of business.

Since his attention had been mostly on Hilly while he was at camp, it escaped him who besides Carter might have it out for Bailey, but as for Hilly's enemies? He could think of a few people who'd relish the camp being shut down.

"This isn't your fault, Hilly. We need to do an investigation and find out how this happened."

Mrs. S was wringing her hands. "I swear I double and triple checked the gorp that I packed this morning, Cisco. I specifically used brands that were labeled safe for allergies, which includes dairy, soy, gluten, and nuts being out of the mix." She held out the ingredients list to him that she'd cut from the package.

Cisco took it, and looked it over carefully.

Ellen was right. There was nothing remotely suspect in the snack she'd provided. His brows came together.

How, then, did?—?

"Now look at this," Hilly interrupted his thoughts.

She turned to her doorstep, stooped, and pulled two paper bags out of her backpack before walking toward him, holding the pair where he could inspect them. "This one is Bailey's." She shook the one in her left hand. "And this one," she thrust the other forward another few inches, "is an example of every other bag we provided."

"Damn." Cisco didn't have to handle them to see that one had grease spots on it while the other had none. Realization hit. "Someone spiked her snack."

Hilly looked grim, before tossing the bags back to her pack. "It certainly looks like it."

"Have you talked to your campers and staff, yet?"

Hilly shook her head. "We thought we'd wait for you. That maybe it would make a bigger impression on them if you spoke as a police officer; let them know this could have ended in a much worse scenario. That if someone thought to do this as a joke, it could have ended up killing Bailey, and with them being charged with manslaughter."

Cisco agreed.

"Where are the kids, now?"

"We confined everyone to quarters until it was time for your demonstration. Not that that will be happening today. Crash is still sorting things out at the hospital; attempting to placate Bailey's parents, so I doubt he'll be back for a few more hours."

Cisco moved closer to Hilly, took her face gently between his palms, and looked down into her troubled visage. "We'll get this sorted out, Hilly. I promise. I'm not letting you lose this camp. I'm going to help turn over every stone until we find out who's behind this."

"Ditto," Buffy stated, moving in to hug Hilly from behind.

"Count me in, too." Mrs. S joined the trio, throwing her arms around them all as best she could.

Adeline nodded and added her body to the clinch.

The five stood like that for a few heartbeats, before Cisco eased his way out of the hug and broke things up. "Okay. No more lamenting. We have things to do," he told them, resolutely. "Hilly, go call all the campers and counselors into the pavilion."

Hilly nodded, squaring her shoulders.

He dropped a quick kiss on her tight lips. "Nothing will stop me from finding out how this happened."

Cisco strode off.

To say he was pissed, was an understatement. He was absolutely furious on Hilly's behalf. Clearly, this was an act of defiance from someone who'd made it a point to know the ins and outs of camp, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

His phone rang in his pocket. He picked it up and saw it was Mason.

"Yeah, LT?" he answered.

"I hear you're having some problems at camp."

Leave it to Mase to cut right to the chase.

Cisco gave a wry snort. "You talked to your mother?" It was the only way his SWAT boss could have heard the news.

"I did. And she's really upset. Which I can't stand. I'm just calling to make sure you're trying to get to the bottom of things, and will make this right."

"I am," Cisco told him. "I'm about to read the entire camp the riot act to see if I can shake anything loose."

Mason grunted. "I think your problem more likely stems from someone not on site. I'm in the mindset of it being Langford Cottins, Marty Smittfield, or that drunk nurse Hilly canned."

Wow. The boss was well informed. But with the man's mother on staff, he probably got a phone call and an earful every night.

"It most likely is," Cisco agreed. "But I'm not ruling anyone out at this point." Cisco would go over every possibility, thoroughly.

Mason continued. "Good. If you need help or back-up, let me know. Your posse is already champing at the bit to come out and help with the investigation."

That would be Kyle, Mike, and Welker.

"Thank them for me, but hold them off. I've got this meeting, then I'm going to do some recon on the grounds and see if I can find anything suspicious."

"Okay, Cisco. But keep us posted."

"Will do, Chief."

Cisco hung up, a little calmer than he'd been. Knowing his team would have his back went a long way toward making him feel more in control. Where Hilly was concerned, he needed that affirmation. His heart was way too involved with this one. Which meant his emotions could get in the way.

Ten minutes later he stood in the pavilion, hands clasped behind his back, his body in the at-ease position, even though he was feeling anything but.

The kids and counselors began filing in, and the mood was low, to say the least.

Cisco would play on that.

He examined the myriad of faces as everyone took seats on the concrete, examining the crowd for one person who might seem more anxious than the rest, or even smug.

A few kids were giggling uneasily amongst their peers, but under the circumstances, Cisco figured that was normal. Unforeseen, distressing events could cause uneasy laughter.

What Cisco looked for, and didn't observe, was anybody shifting nervously, or gloating.

When the entire group had finally settled, he began speaking. "As you all are aware, Bailey had an allergic reaction this morning which sent her to the hospital. She's going to be fine, but that's only thanks to Crash, who happened to be with you and had the necessary EpiPen to counter the reaction she suffered."

He scowled out at the crowd, now that he had their attention. "For those of you who don't quite understand what happened, I'll tell you. Bailey's peanut allergy is nothing to be taken lightly. It's a serious condition, and this is what went down. After ingesting something that was peanut based, Bailey's airway swelled and was in the process of closing up. In other words, she couldn't breathe. If Crash hadn't been there, Bailey might have died."

Now, the eyes glued to him went wide. It was clear that a lot of the younger kids had no idea that things had been that serious. A few of the older counselors, however, were nodding their heads. They'd all been trained in first aid as a prerequisite for getting their jobs, so they'd one-hundred percent understand what had been at stake.

"Now, I have something else that's equally as troubling to tell you." He'd thought about whether to couch his remarks, and had decided not to.

No one so much as twitched.

"Bailey was poisoned deliberately."

Gasps arose, as well as cries of "no!".

"Yes," Cisco countered. "The snack she was eating had been spiked with peanut oil." Cisco didn't know that for a fact, but evidence pointed that way, and he was willing to bet on it.

Using scare tactics, he hoped, would lead to everyone on site becoming extra vigilant.

One, tentative hand came up from a little girl in the front. "Why would anyone do that?" she asked.

Cisco wondered how much more he should share, but this affected them all. There might not be this nurturing camp if a lawsuit was brought against Hilly and she was shut down.

"We can only speculate at this time, but it could be that she has an enemy among you who wanted her gone. And I mean ‘gone' in the sense of getting her out of camp, because I'm going to be nice here, and assume that if someone on site did this, they had no idea Bailey's reaction could have led to her death. I'll be looking into that. But I'll also let you know that a few outside influences might be holding a grudge against Miss Hilly, and would love to see her camp shut down."

Lance, from the back, spoke up. "Like that nurse who left a few weeks ago, yelling all over the place that she was going to make Miss Hilly's life a nightmare?"

Carter nodded angrily from his position next to Lance, clearly agreeing with his colleague wholeheartedly.

"Yes. Like her," Cisco agreed. "So, what I'm asking from all of you, is, first and foremost, remain vigilant and stay safe. Never go anywhere alone, and if you see anything suspicious, anyone who you even suspect doesn't belong here, let me or one of the other adults know, immediately."

Everyone nodded.

Yeah. Cisco planned to be here. There was no way he was going home until this mystery was solved. Cisco knew that Crash was more than capable of handling things, but his gut told him he couldn't leave Hilly.

Cisco wondered how Chief Ildavorg would react if he asked for an immediate leave of absence, and instantly knew, with certainty, that his boss would give him the time off he needed. Which was the type of thing that made Cisco glad he worked for a smaller police department in a close-knit town. People here watched out for each other; neighbors, friends, and acquaintances, stepping up when help was needed.

Cisco would definitely be given all the time he needed to make sure Hilly was safe.

Hilly moved up beside him once he was finished and cleared her throat, preparing to speak.

Cisco stepped back.

"I also want to make it clear that this summer is all about you," she started. "My goal is to make you feel safe and comfortable. If any one of you doesn't feel that way after what you've heard, please come to me with your concerns. We'll arrange for counseling, initially," she tipped her head toward Buffy, "then if you're still apprehensive in any way, we'll notify your parents to come get you." Her voice dropped to a mumble. " If they're not already contemplating pulling you from camp."

She heaved a great sigh and explained. "I've already emailed your contacts the details of what happened, and so far, the ones who have responded, have given their total support. But as the day wears on, I'm assuming some of them won't be happy, and we'll deal with that, accordingly."

There were, after all, seven other "peanut kids" amongst the campers. Hilly figured those parents might be the ones wanting their kids away from possible danger, ASAP.

Her eyes traveled over the group, clearing her face in an attempt to turn the somber mood around. "You're a great bunch, and we've already had so much fun in the few weeks we've been here. From your schedules, you know we have a lot more planned, and I assure you, there's a lot more enjoyment to be had. My greatest wish is that we can all move past this and get back to what we're here for; supporting each other, relaxing together, and finding new friends for life."

She pasted an even larger smile onto her face. "On that note, Mrs. S still has a mid-afternoon barbeque planned for today on the beach. It was supposed to happen after the demonstration Cisco and Crash were going to hold, which won't be happening now. But I promise it will be rescheduled for another day."

Mrs. S stepped forward, also attempting good cheer. "Hotdogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hot-wings, are on the menu, and I assure you, they will be served in a very short while."

A happy murmur started up.

Hilly sent Mrs. S a thankful smile, and took the helm again. "If you all head to the dining hall for a half-hour of craft-time while we set up, the counselors will bring you to the beach when things are ready to eat. Believe me, there'll be plenty of music and food waiting for you."

Smiles began returning to the kids' faces, and as Hilly had clearly anticipated; their young focus was easily shifted.

Cisco only wished he could have that kind of resilience. His head was going to be wrapped up in over-think mode until he had some definitive answers.

"Are there any questions?" Hilly asked as everyone came to their feet.

There were none, but several children—after she finished—came right up to Hilly and gave her huge hugs.

Cisco saw tears came to her eyes, but Hilly managed to keep a watery smile on her face while not letting the droplets fall.

She was one, strong woman.