“Yes.” Frankie nodded.
“Good. If you want to set up shop in the mess hall, be my guest. I’ll let you know when I’m back, and you can head home.”
“As you see fit, Sheriff.”
Daniel waited for Frankie to exit the vehicle first. He needed to give Emma a bit of time this morning. He didn’t want to rush her. Something might jog her memory either here or at the hospital. And he intended to find a better sleeping situation for himself in an empty bunk.
At the front office, he found Mr. T staring at a computer, squinting behind his readers. Daniel knocked on the open door.
“Mr. T?”
“Hello, Sheriff. I’m on my way out soon with Lucille. I’m glad to have a minute with you. I wanted to thank you for last night. Telling us in person couldn’t have been easy.”
Daniel shrugged. “It’s part of my job.”
“I’m not so sure I could have done that in your position,” Mr. T continued. “I hope the old army cot wasn’t too rough on you.”
“Well,” Daniel said. “Speaking of that, until we have all the details, I’d like to keep an eye on the camp. Any chance there is a free cabin I can hole up in? The mess hall is a little too open.” He hadn’t been able to rest for more than an hour at a time, worried about the exposure.
Mr. T stroked his chin. “Hmm. I think cabin three isn’t too rough. Owen had been fixing it up. He wanted to turn it into his own man cave. But hold on a second.” He got up from the desk chair, his joints cracking as he straightened and walked to a closet. After a few seconds of rummaging, the door blocking Daniel’s view, Mr. T returned with a brand-new, still in its packaging sleeping bag. “Use this.”
Daniel accepted it with thanks and made his way out of the building. He grabbed his pillow and blanket from the mess hall. Breakfast service started. The noisy room was coming alive again.
It was a shame for the camp to close. The Thomases had done a lot of good for a lot of people, helping generations of young women grow in their faith. He’d petition them to keep at it. But short of taking on a co-ownership with Owen, he didn’t see how. It was a demanding job for one dedicated person. Maybe Owen would come out of his accident with a new appreciation and zeal for saving the camp. But that wasn’t likely. At least, the Thomases could end their careers with one more weekend surrounded by light and laughter. Or so Daniel vowed he’d do his best to protect everyone for that purpose.
He continued down the path to cabin three. Set kitty-corner from Emma’s lodgings, he liked the close proximity. If the events of last night involved Liz somehow, as he started to suspect, he needed to keep Emma in his sights.
Five
Emma returned to a cabin in chaos. A cell phone alarm blared. Pillows littered the floor. And three harried looking women were tossing articles of clothing everywhere.
“What’s going on?” Emma shouted above the noise.
“Maggot can’t find her phone,” Christine yelled.
Emma drew back her chin. Referring to Margaux by the unkind nickname recalled that first summer when the East Coast girls totally shunned her. Before Liz coined Marge as a slight improvement.
“Name calling is not helping,” Jennifer said in a sing-song tone.
Margaux’s red cheeks rivaled the ambulances’ flashing lights last night.
Emma shut the screen door and took a step to the side, spotting the offending device on its side, screen facing the wall next to the bunk. She bent and retrieved the phone, shutting the alarm off.
Margaux rushed forward, grabbing the device. “Thank you.”
Jennifer and Christine raced to the bathroom.
“Hey, it’s just an accident. Don’t sweat it,” Emma murmured, trying to catch Margaux’s eye.
“After everything and the note, I’m becoming a problem for you all. Maybe I should leave.” Margaux kept her gaze on the floorboards.
Emma ached for the other woman. Margaux was a sophisticated adult, and she’d fallen victim to youthful insecurities. How quickly she’d reverted to her old self reminded Emma that no one was free of imposter syndrome, no matter how rich or cultured. Anxiety didn’t care about material trappings. “Of course you should stay. But you’re an adult. You have to do what’s best for you.”
“Are you alright?” Margaux asked, leaning close and peering at her intently.
Emma took a half-step back, her knee hitting an end table. “Me? Fine. Great. Why do you ask?”
“I heard you talking in your sleep. You were saying, no Liz. Don’t go. Stay.”
