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***
Cameron was reading through the files Agent Howard had sent, trying to catch up on what Rusty already knew. There were so many levels of concern within the pages, but nothing concrete or any one person to point to. The one certainty was the subterfuge and intensity to which people had gone to hide how many women, all tourists, had gone missing from Jubilee.
He was deep in thought when his phone rang and Wade Morgan’s name came up on caller ID.
“Hey, Wade.”
“Cameron, got a minute?” Wade asked.
“Yes, sure. What’s up?”
“Leslie just came home all upset and worried. She dumped a story on us that I don’t like, but she won’t let me go to the police with it. Said she doesn’t want anything more to do with the man, and stirring this up will just involve her again. I need someone else to know this besides me.”
“What happened, and who’s the man in question?” Cameron asked.
“A guy named Kevin Vanzant. He has a campsite out at Jack Barton’s campground, doing some kind of research.”
The hair stood up on Cameron’s neck. He’d just read that name as someone the feds wanted checked out.
“How is Leslie involved with him?” Cameron asked.
“They’ve been seeing each other off and on for a few weeks. Nothing serious. But it all blew up on her today and she left his campsite running.” Then he related everything Leslie had told them, including the fear that Kevin might follow her.
“She said the argument started over the photos?” Cameron asked.
“Yes.”
“And when she tried to leave, he wouldn’t let her?”
“Right, until Barton showed up. She left while they were still talking. Does this all sound as shifty to you as it did to me?”
“Something seems off, for sure,” Cameron said. “Leave this to me. I know some people. We’ll check him out and he’ll never know it, and Leslie will be in the clear.”
Wade sighed. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate this.”
“Just tell Leslie to stay away from the campground and him. I’ll be in touch.”
“Will do,” Wade said, and disconnected.
Cameron’s gut knotted. “And so it begins.”
***
After Wade’s phone call, Cameron needed to talk to Rusty, but calling her was risky in case she was with her family, so he sent a text.
Word from the mountain. Kevin Vanzant, the camper at Barton’s campground outside of Jubilee, has a laptop full of strangers’ photos. Close-ups of young women and children’s faces.
Once he’d delivered the message, it was up to Rusty as to how to act on this. He also had to find a way to caution Rachel about being vigilant without scaring her more than she already was. After calling her to make sure a visit was okay, he put two cookies and a dog biscuit into a baggie, then left the cabin with Ghost at his heels. They drove up the mountain to Rachel’s house. As he was getting out, Rachel opened the front door, holding Lili, and when the toddler saw Cam and Ghost, she started waving and chattering. “Unca Cam…Unca Cam.”
Cameron was smiling as he came up the steps. “The best welcoming committee ever,” he said as he leaned down to hug his sister, but when he did, Lili abandoned her mother and climbed into his arms.
Rachel laughed. “I guess I know where I stand.” Then she knelt, stroked Ghost’s head, and then hugged him. “You are our hero, too,” she said, and led the way indoors.
The moment they sat down, Lili turned in Cameron’s arms and patted his face.
“Cookie?”
Cameron glanced at Rachel before he answered, and when she nodded her approval, he put Lili down on the floor and pulled the bag out of his pocket.
