Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

J ust like yesterday, the rescue squad came.

Andi stood outside of the lodge, her coat pulled close, and watched as they loaded the injured guest onto a stretcher and carried her to the ambulance.

As they walked by, she glanced at the woman. Andi sucked in a breath when she recognized the woman’s bluish face.

It was the woman Andi had seen in the dining hall yesterday, the one who’d been watching everyone.

Andi had been curious about her. The woman didn’t seem like the typical relaxed vacation guest here to have a good time. Instead, she’d appeared on edge.

Why was that?

A man and a teenage boy, probably family members, trailed behind the stretcher. They had to be worried sick.

How had this even happened? Had someone weakened the ice on purpose? Had this woman discovered something she shouldn’t have, and had someone tried to kill her in order to keep a secret?

And the even bigger question: Was that person Caleb? Tim? Or someone else entirely, someone they hadn’t even met yet?

Someone here had secrets. Secrets that may have gotten Pepper killed. Secrets that might even relate to the death of Calvin and Mary.

There was much more going on here than met the eye, Andi realized. They had to get to the bottom of this, and they had no time to waste.

A mental timer was ticking in her ears as she turned to Juniper. “I want to see that lake.”

“What?” Juniper blinked as if surprised. “Why?”

“I need to know if this was truly an accident or not.”

“So you think this accident wasn’t so much of an accident?” Duke whispered to Andi as they walked toward the lake, Tim leading them.

He’d had the same thought, so it wasn’t really a surprise.

“Someone wants to ruin this camp’s reputation. Or ruin Juniper. I’m not sure which one.”

Duke remembered their earlier confrontation with Bert. He’d been here at the property when this accident had occurred. But Duke didn’t think the man could be guilty.

No, the one who appeared responsible for this was the woman who’d been injured. After all, she had insisted on ice fishing.

That was Caleb’s story at least. Otherwise, planning for something like this would have been difficult. It would have had to be someone who knew the schedule and how the camp usually operated.

Tim was muttering beneath his breath as he tromped through the woods toward the lake. Duke couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he didn’t pay much attention either. He figured the guy was most likely just blowing off steam, and Duke couldn’t blame him for that.

“My brother and his wife wanted a whole houseful of children, you know?” Tim called over his shoulder. “They had trouble conceiving but finally were able to have Juniper. They doted all over that girl.”

“I’m sure they did,” Andi said.

“They wouldn’t want all of this for her. It’s a lot of responsibility for someone her age. People think I’m just on a power trip or something. But I’m not. I’ve screwed up and made my fair share of mistakes. But at least I have some experience with management.”

“It is a lot of responsibly for a nineteen-year-old,” Andi agreed.

“Mistakes like this are unacceptable. I’d quit and leave this place, but then I really fear for what would happen.”

Finally, the trees cleared, and a beautiful, frozen lake appeared. Several chairs and fishing rods were still out on the icy surface.

“Tell us a little bit about ice fishing here,” Duke said as he pushed a branch out of the way.

“It usually starts in November and lasts until early April. We look for about twelve inches of clear ice first. You have to be careful and watch where you set up. We try not to go very far out at this time of the year because it’s not fully frozen in the center yet.”

Duke glanced across the lake and saw an area where the ice was broken. That had to be where the accident occurred.

“Can we walk closer?” Duke asked.

“Of course,” Tim said. “We just need to be careful.”

“You said this is a little farther out than you would usually go at this time of year?” Andi clarified, taking another careful step. The ground was slippery, and it was only going to get worse.

“That’s right. We try to stay closer to the edges of the lake right now. I’m not sure why Caleb let that woman talk him into going out farther. It doesn’t make much sense.”

They paused close to the break in the ice, and Duke knelt to examine it. He wasn’t an expert on this type of thing, but he wanted a better look.

“We use an auger to drill these holes.” Tim remained standing and nodded toward the ice. “We’re very careful about the locations we choose. Safety first . . . unless Caleb is in charge.” He scowled.

Duke didn’t ask. He already knew what the man’s feelings on Caleb were.

Something on the ice seemed to catch Tim’s eye. He knelt down and squinted as he examined something.

“What is it?” Duke asked.

“This mark right here . . .” Tim ran his gloved finger over a nick in the ice. “It looks like someone came out here and drove something into the ice in several places.”

“Why would someone do that?” Andi frowned as she stared down at the small holes.

“It doesn’t make any sense. The only reason someone would do this would be to weaken the ice, to compromise its safety.” Tim stiffened as if his thoughts had just caught up with his words. “And if that’s true . . .”

Tim didn’t have to finish his statement.

If that was true, then somebody had come out here and compromised the ice on purpose . . . hoping someone would be hurt.

The action could have had deadly consequences.

Maybe that had been the intent.