Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

D uke, Simmy, and Juniper bundled up to go outside. The wind was frigid, and the snow was deep, which would make the walk difficult.

Duke double-checked his gun before they left. It was locked and loaded—and jammed into a holster at his waist.

He had no idea what was waiting out there for them. But they’d need to be careful. All of them.

He was thankful the guests and the rest of the staff had gone into Fairbanks for the night. It was only wise—at least until they could figure out what was going on. The more people who were here, the more people who were at risk.

Simmy and Juniper chatted behind him as they walked, and Duke let them have their moment. He knew they had a lot of bonding to catch up on.

There were still unanswered questions in the whole scenario. But Duke had no reason to think Juniper wasn’t telling the truth about what she’d learned. He knew about the situation with Simmy. She’d been taken advantage of. The man behind the scheme was evil.

When they reached the reindeer pen, Juniper used a key to unlock the padlock on the shed. As she did, Duke took the shovel and scooped the snow away from the door so she could get inside.

The lock clicked, and Juniper tugged it off. She opened the door just enough for them all to squeeze in.

Duke, for one, was happy to get out of the cold. Even if the shed wasn’t heated, at least the walls blocked the frosty wind.

Juniper tugged a light on before walking to a tub to check the pellets inside. “I need to grab some feed from this container.”

“Reindeer can take care of themselves out in the wild, but we’ve kind of spoiled them here,” she explained. “The good news is that the cold doesn’t bother them too much. But they’ll need to eat, and they’re not going to find food while trapped in their pen.”

Juniper seemed to be talking more than usual, probably out of nerves.

“I think it’s wonderful how much you care for the animals,” Simmy told her. “You remind me of Snow White.”

Juniper gaze jerked toward Simmy. “That’s what my dad used to call me to.”

Simmy smiled softly. “I can see why.”

So could Duke. Juniper cared for animals like Simmy cared for people—another way the two of them were alike. Now that Duke knew, he couldn’t stop thinking about the similarities.

He glanced around before his gaze stopped at something in the corner. “What’s in this tub over here?”

“Should be the magic Christmas dust the kids sprinkle on the reindeer to help them fly. It’s really just oatmeal that’s been ground up with some sparkles. It’s safe for the reindeer if they eat it.” Juniper took a scoop and loaded pellets into a canvas bag. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s on the bottom of the stack, so I’d think it would be used last. However, it’s cleaner than the rest, almost like it’s been used more frequently.”

Juniper observed the tub. “You’re right. I’m surprised you’d notice a minor detail like that.”

“I was in the Army CID. Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

Out of curiosity, he moved the other bins aside and opened the one on the bottom.

Sure enough, bags of reindeer dust were inside.

But he squinted when he saw the bags had been disturbed.

Out of curiosity, he moved some of the magic dust away to see what was under them.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized what was hiding beneath the magic dust in the bin. It was magic all right . . . but not in the way Juniper had probably intended.

As Duke stared into the tub, Gibson called.

“Hey, man.” Duke kept his eyes glued to the tub.

“Everything okay?” Gibson asked. “You don’t sound like yourself.”

Duke carefully picked up one of the hidden bags inside the tub and held it up for a better look. “I think I may know what’s been going on here. At least part of it.”

“What’s that?”

“It looks like someone may have been using the camp to smuggle drugs.”

Juniper gasped behind him. “What?”

He hadn’t had a chance to explain anything yet, and all he had were theories.

“Let me put you on speaker.” Duke did that and placed the phone on a nearby shelf.

As he did, Juniper and Simmy walked to the bin and peered inside. Juniper moved more of the magic dust aside, revealing more bags.

Her eyes grew wide. “What is that? And how did it get in there? It’s definitely not reindeer feed.”

“Looks like crystal meth, if you ask me,” Duke stated.

“Crystal meth?” Juniper’s voice climbed a few notches as she backed away. “Why are drugs in there?”

He turned toward Juniper. “Didn’t you say you set up some reindeer appearances around town?”

She nodded.

“Whose idea was it originally?” he asked.

“Peppermint brought the idea up to me. Why?” She shook her head as if confused.

“I’m guessing part of the reason she dreamed up this idea was so she’d have an innocuous way to hand off these drugs to people.”

“What?” Juniper’s hand flew over her mouth. “Peppermint wouldn’t . . .”

“Who was responsible for the appearances?” Duke continued.

“Peppermint and Caleb were in charge of them.” Her face paled as her voice drifted off.

“That would explain the fairy dust I saw by one of the reindeer also,” Duke said. “I assumed it was some type of reindeer food you used as a gimmick for the kids.”

“We do have that. But . . . the drugs are what got Peppermint killed, aren’t they?” As Juniper seemed to go weak at the knees, Simmy wrapped her arms around her. Juniper sagged against her. “Then she got Caleb involved. Or maybe this was all Caleb’s idea. I don’t even know. But they were in on this together. They had to be. I was being played this whole time—being played for a fool.”

“You all need to get out away from that camp,” Gibson said through the phone. “I don’t like anything I’m hearing right now.”

Duke agreed. “How are the roads?”

“They’re bad. A sheet of ice, and the city can’t keep up—they’re freezing over just as quickly as the crew can treat them. The backroads are especially dangerous.”

Duke frowned and rubbed his jaw. “That’s what I thought. I’ll see what we can do to get us out of here.”

“I have another update,” Gibson continued. “But why don’t you call me when you get back to the cabin? My update can wait.”

Duke promised to be in touch once he was back with the rest of the gang, and then he ended the call.

“Does Officer Gibson think that the people buying these drugs are going to come back to get them?” Juniper’s voice rose with anxiety.

“It’s a possibility,” Duke said. “We should leave just to be on the safe side. Let’s get these reindeers fed. Then let’s get back. Because if I had to guess, we’re sitting on at least a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of meth. That’s something a lot of people would kill for.”