Rebecca leaned across the table, eyeing the tablet in her husband’s hands. “That’s gorgeous. You think we’ll have time to hit Bryce before we go?”
Nathan frowned. “We might have to do that one on the way out. We should have booked this place for longer.”
June was glad they hadn’t, not that she hadn’t enjoyed the last few days that they had been at the campground. But she needed to be on her own, to stop relying on Rebecca for every little thing. They only had two more full days left here, and then it was going to be at least a week of travel time to make it back to Buffalo Grove.
The young couple were busy planning their next video. They uploaded them to the internet once or twice per week and got enough money from ad revenue to pay half their bills with it. The other half of their income came from Nathan’s part-time programming job, which he was able to do on the road. It was just enough money to keep traveling, and they both lived debt-free. A strange life, but one that was full of adventure. As long as they enjoyed it and were safe, June was happy for them.
It only took a few minutes for her to finish up the omelets. She had just set down a plate for Nathan and one for Rebecca when she heard a buzz of excitement coming from outside. Her curiosity went into overdrive. Maybe she had spent too much time watching TV, but she couldn’t help wanting to know what everyone else was up to.
“What do you suppose is going on out there?” June pulled on the cords for the shades and had to argue with them to get them to open.
“You know, you can have those replaced,” said Nathan through a mouthful of food. “I’d be happy to do it for you. I could do a video on it, add it to my how-to playlist.”
“Oh, I don’t know that I’ll be spending as much time in my RV as you two. Thanks, though.” She finally got the blinds to stay open and peered out the window, which was speckled with dust.
Outside, a whole group of people were clustered around the alpaca pen, chattering excitedly. June watched for a while, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“Can you see what’s going on?” asked Rebecca.
“I’m too hungry to worry about it,” said Nathan, taking another bite. “These are amazing, June.”
Rebecca turned back to breakfast as well.
June moved to get a better look, but it was impossible to see from this angle. There was a crowd of at least twenty people. She heard a handful of angry voices. Was someone crying out there? Her curiosity piqued and she couldn’t ignore it any longer. Something was definitely happening and she wanted to know what it was. Out here in the middle of nowhere, she hadn’t had any television or internet and any drama was too good to ignore.
June wolfed down her own omelet, barely pausing long to enjoy the taste of the three-cheese medley, eggs and vegetables. It was quite good, she had to admit, but it didn’t hold her attention quite like the bustle outside.
Rebecca and Nathan seemed too preoccupied to notice, still planning out the next couple days of travel before their reservations at Castle Creek Campground ran out.
“I’m going to see what’s up,” June said.
“Okay,” said Rebecca, barely looking up.
June pulled on a jacket and stepped outside, taking her cane on the way. Her hip might not recover fully, but at least she hadn’t been stuck with a walker for the rest of her life. She may be old, but she was not that old.
She breathed in the crisp morning air and coughed, her breaths coming out in clouds. She had thought that Utah would be warmer. It didn’t have the biting cold she was used to, but it was still chilly, even in the spring.
The campground was shaped like a big loop, with spots for forty or so RVs. Hers and Nathan’s were right next to each other, crammed closer than any of the others. Rebecca had received special approval to have them share a single spot, which was the only way June could have come here. Castle Creek Campground apparently booked months in advance. Nathan had driven her motorhome down from Illinois.
The crowd had moved toward the alpaca pens and she followed at a slower pace. Fortunately, their spot wasn’t far from the pens. She passed several other sites, all of which had plenty of space for awnings and lawn chairs. Some people even had portable pens for their dogs or children. She stepped along the paved bottom of the loop and down a walkway between buildings. It was frustrating to be so slow. Finally, she caught up with the crowd, about the time that some of them turned and walked away, having already seen what the big deal was about. June felt dejected. Apparently, she had missed the excitement already, but maybe she could still figure out what had happened.
The entire side of the campground, stretching as long as the RV park itself, was an enclosure for alpacas, one of the main attractions for this particular place. They had a lot of space to roam, but the fluffy animals were all along the fence, some of them making cute honking and squeaking noises.
June had never been around alpacas before this trip. In fact, she had barely remembered hearing about them before she had arrived at the site. They were cute in a sort of odd-looking way, with fluffy bodies and long necks, like a sheep mated with a short giraffe. Some of them had fuzzy hair that grew over their eyes, making them look like overgrown sheepdogs.
June walked toward the people who were still standing around the pens.
In the distance, a sharply-dressed thin blond woman was talking to the camp host, and there was one other small group, all speaking amongst themselves excitedly. Concern and curiosity filled the air.
June took it all in, still wondering what had happened. She sidled up to a short and squat woman with dark hair, standing by herself. “Do you mind my asking what’s going on?”
The woman turned and glared at her with fierce blue eyes. She looked angry even through the tears that marked her cheeks. “Penelope has gone missing!”
Chapter Three
“That’s horrible! Have the police been called? Are her parents out looking?”
The woman next to her didn’t seem capable of answering. While June waited for her reply, her gaze wandered to the alpacas. It was a strange business having any kind of farm animal at a campsite, in her opinion. Was she staying at a farm or a campground? According to her daughter, the animals were part of the draw for this place, and the spots next to the pens were the most highly sought.
Three large pens were divided with walkways between them. A lone white male in one and a myriad of female alpacas of different shades of brown, black and cream in the other. The one in the center was mostly taken up by a barn.
The white alpaca watched her warily out of the corner of his eye, as if he instantly mistrusted her.
She wondered if the animal scrutinized everyone that way. Eventually it ignored her and began nibbling at a pile of hay. The whole campground smelled like a farm, though June had to admit the smell was very mild and it was usually masked by the scents of pines and aspen. They were in the middle of a forest, after all. Southern Utah was gorgeous.
June’s gaze returned to the woman at her side, who seemed to have calmed a bit.
“I’m June Winters,” June finally said, holding out a gloved hand. “I just got in a few days ago. It’s a nice place you have here.”
“Danielle Davis,” the short woman replied, taking June’s hand in what could only be called a limp fish handshake. Danielle wore jeans and a blue jacket with a hood, which covered most of her peppered black hair. She took a deep, shaky breath. “She’s not a child. She’s pregnant with her first.”
June’s heart skipped a beat. “Has anyone informed her husband?”
Danielle gave her an odd look and pointed to the white alpaca. “He probably saw the whole thing.”
June’s mind worked. So this wasn’t a child, but an alpaca the woman was crying about. “Do they get out of their pens very often?” Beyond the pens, there was a huge dirt lot, but past that the trees were quite dense. An animal that got lost in the forest would be hard to find.
Danielle shook her head. Her eyes were still puffy from crying
and she had to pause and clear her throat before speaking. “The girls never get out of their pen and…” she trailed off and blinked rapidly.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to intrude,” said June. It wasn’t really any of her business and she wouldn’t pry if it was too upsetting. She tried to listen in on the other conversations around them, but couldn’t make out more than a word here or there. She wondered if the alpaca had been dragged off by whatever predator lived out here, but she didn’t notice any dried blood on the ground, and if the pen had been opened, more animals should have gotten out. She shifted, putting weight onto her good leg, and wondering how adept the alpaca were at self-defense.
Ronald, the man who had checked them in a week ago, held up a hand. “Everybody,” he said, then waited for the crowd gather in. Despite the early morning chill, he wore cargo shorts and a t-shirt. He was overweight with reddish brown sideburns of all things, and sported a decidedly sour look.
June felt sorry for the poor man, having to deal with campsite drama in the freezing air.
“Hey, everyone. Blanche wants to talk to all of you. We know you’re worried about Penelope, but we’ll figure something out.”
Blanche was an unusual name, an old one June hadn’t heard in decades.
A woman in her late thirties or early forties stood next to Ronald. Her hair and makeup were immaculately done, even this early in the morning. She wore a loose white silken blouse and tight jeans that flared over light brown cowboy boots. It was an odd ensemble for a middle-of-nowhere farm, but it took all kinds to make the world go ’round.
She spoke out in a clear voice. “I know we’re all worried about Penelope. I just want you to know that I appreciate your concern. If anyone has anything to report, anything that might help us figure out what happened, please let me or Ronald know.”
Danielle turned to June and whispered, “Blanche is the owner of the camp.”
June nodded with recognition. “Ahh, I was wondering why she was so dolled up in the middle of the woods.”
“However,” continued Blanche, placing a French-manicured hand on her hip. “I would appreciate it if no one bothered the police in this matter. They wouldn’t lift a finger to help a missing alpaca anyway and we have a camp to run. No one is going to want to stay here if there are police wandering everywhere.”
The wave of grumbling washed over the crowd, but no one spoke out openly against her odd request.
Danielle seemed to be grinding her teeth in frustration.
June couldn’t imagine people actually leaving the campground if police were there. More than likely, they’d be curious to stay and see what happened. Despite the cold, she hadn’t noticed even one vacant spot the whole time she was here. It was a very nice place with beautiful weather and lots of things to see nearby.
Blanche continued. “Did anyone see or hear anything that might help us figure out what has happened to Penelope?”
A chorus of “no’s” and “didn’t hear anything’s” echoed through the crowd.
“Aren’t you going to plan a search?” asked Danielle, finally speaking up over the murmurs. “She had to have gone somewhere. We should search the forest, look for footprints.” That was a good point. The snow may have melted, but muddy tracks might be visible.
Blanche’s eyes narrowed. “Everyone knows that alpacas never leave their homes. There’s no point wasting everyone’s time by searching the forest. Besides, she wouldn’t have made it past the fences and into the forest anyway. The only direction she could have gone is toward the highway. I already have Dillon driving up and down the road and looking for her.”
Danielle set her jaw, clenched her chubby fists, and took a step closer. “You’re not going to call the police and you’re not going to look? It sounds like you’re giving up already.” She shook her head. “Don’t you even care?” Her voice had raised a little bit since she last spoke, but she hadn’t yet reached hysteria.
Blanche’s eyes flashed once again and she pursed her lips for a moment before speaking. “Of course I care. They’re my alpacas, and I’m doing everything I can to find Penelope.”
Danielle did not back down. She took another step forward. “Have you thought that Penelope might seek somewhere private to have her baby? Maybe she didn’t want to be around the other alpacas when it happened and now she’s out there, somewhere, trying to give birth and no one even wants to bother looking. You know they need our help to survive.” Danielle’s voice finally broke at the last word. She took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to regain her composure.
June took a step forward, already siding with Danielle. Surely there was something that should be done about a missing alpaca. Maybe animal control could help if the police couldn’t.
But Blanche spoke first. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you. Of course I’m worried, but I don’t think it’s even a little likely that she’s in the forest. She would not have risked her baby like that. If you want to gather people to go stumbling around the forest, be my guest, but I’m not forcing anyone to waste their time. I’m sure she would not have left on her own and there are no other alpacas missing.”
“So you’re saying that you think she was stolen? Kidnapped?” Danielle asked, her voice raising an octave at the last syllable.
Alpaca-napped? June thought to herself, suppressing a wry smile.
Blanche frowned like a newscaster who is supposed to look sad about something. “As much as I hate the idea, it seems the most likely. In all the years we’ve been here, we have never had one of the girls break out of their pen. I just can’t see why she would completely change her behavior now.”
“Penelope is about to be a new mom. I don’t think we should rule anything out,” Danielle replied, calmer now.
Blanche pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, but she didn’t seem to have anything more to say on the subject.
“Shouldn’t the ranch hand be here today? We need to find out what he thinks about this,” Danielle said, looking around.
Blanche shook her head, blond curls swaying with the movement. “He isn’t expected until tomorrow. Ronald will call and let him know what has happened so he can come in. If he thinks she’s wandered off into the forest, I promise we will organize a search, but again, I don’t think it’s likely.”
Ronald nodded. “I’m gonna call Kurt as soon as I get back to my trailer.”
“If you think of anything that might help us find Penelope, please let Ronald or I know,” repeated Blanche to the small crowd.
With that, the people began to disperse.
Danielle watched them leave, her eyes moist and her face still flushed. “I really love those alpacas, you know?” She wiped at her red and puffy eyes.
A woman with a cloud of short, white hair called out Blanche’s name.
“I can tell,” replied June. “This must be hard on you.”
Danielle nodded. “Penelope is very pregnant, so kidnapping her would be risky. I just don’t see why anyone would take her away from her home.” She blinked rapidly and cleared her throat. “The worst part is, it doesn’t look like anyone is going to do anything about it.”
June frowned at that. “Surely, Blanche will figure something out. Didn’t she say she had someone out looking for her?”
Danielle shook her head. “Dillon. Her husband,” she said with a hint of distain in her voice. “Blanche makes it sound like she’s going to do something, but she never wants the police involved. Who’s going to look into it if they don’t even get notified?”
June wondered if Danielle was right. “Maybe the ranch hand will have an idea what to do?”
She shook her head. “No one around here lifts a finger unless it’s their job. Not even Kurt would go looking for her. He’s a nice enough guy, but I doubt he’s paid enough to care. I’m half-tempted to call the police no matter what Blanche says.” She paused, taking a deep breath and turning away from the pen. “I’m sorry for unloading my frustrations on you.” With that, she walke
d away.
“I don’t mind,” said June but she wasn’t sure if Danielle heard.
The white alpaca, Prince something-or-other, still wandered anxiously, glancing in all directions.
Ronald stood by the wooden fence, arms crossed against the cold.
June walked up to him. “I didn’t realize how much people cared about these animals.”
He jumped when she spoke, like she had surprised him. He gave her the same warm smile she remembered the day they pulled into the camp. He would be a handsome fellow if he shed a few pounds, not that she didn’t need to do the same thing herself.
He scratched at one of his red sideburns. “I felt the same way when I first got here. You would think they’re just mindless farm animals if you didn’t know any better, but they have a tendency to grow on you.”
June cocked her head at the camp owner. “Is Blanche going to look into whoever took her alpaca?”
Ronald shrugged. “I doubt it.”
June tapped her frowning lips with one finger. “So she’ll just let it go?”
“She might consider hiring a private investigator if they weren’t so expensive. Depends on whether it’s a financially smart thing to do. I’m sure she’ll look around but in the end, Penelope may never come back.”
And that’s why Danielle was so upset, June thought. She watched the alpacas, all wandering around their pens and honking occasionally. She loved the way some of them looked like they were wearing fuzzy leg warmers.
Ronald pointed into the pen. “Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me. Do you see something under the trough?” he asked.
June squinted. There was something glittering in the sunlight. “I think I see something metal. Is that what you’re talking about?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Can’t make out what it is, though.” He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “My vision’s not what it used to be, you know?”
She understood all too well. Prescription sunglasses were one of the best inventions of the century. She glanced back at the trough. There definitely was something there, and she found herself curious to know what it was. “Do you think Blanche will mind if we go into the pen to look?”
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