Herd is the Word

by Jenna Lynn Badger

  Danielle didn’t slow when she got to the crowd and a few people parted to let her through. She marched up to a baffled and exhausted looking Ronald. “Did you see who took him? Get a license plate number? A description? Anything?”

  Ronald looked completely exhausted. He swayed on his feet, a bit like he was drunk. “I—”

  Danielle cut him off. “Well! How could you let him get taken like that?” The anger in her voice was replaced by betrayal and a deep sorrow. “We trusted you to keep watch. If you weren’t going to do it, you should have just told me. I would have stayed awake all night if I had to.” Her voice cracked on the last few words.

  Ronald flinched as if she had slapped him. He was wrapped in the red plaid blanket he had brought out the night before, long pants, and even a beanie with earflaps. He should have been the warmest one there, but he looked absolutely miserable. “Danielle, I’m sorry. I didn’t feel that tired but I sat down in the doorway of the barn to stay out of the snow and the next thing I knew, I was waking up. I kept my eyes open for hours, I swear. I didn’t see anything. I fell asleep on accident.”

  “The gate is open,” said Fran. “Both of them are. Doesn’t that mean that Prince Albert just got out? Maybe he’s just around here somewhere, looking for his mate. You never know—”

  Danielle cut her off. “You’re saying that as if we don’t know for a fact that Penelope didn’t just wander off. If you thought that was the case, then why didn’t you jump at the chance to search the forest yesterday?” Danielle’s hands were balled into fists. “Someone is taking these alpacas and we need to make sure it stops.” For someone who seemed so sweet, she certainly had her limits. Her eyes blazed with anger, and June couldn’t help but feel a bit glad that the angry glare wasn’t pointed in her direction.

  If crickets were around this time of year, their noises would have been the only sound. No one dared to speak. The crowd of people gave each other uncomfortable glances as if everyone was suddenly wishing they didn’t get out of bed this morning.

  Ronald, who was taking the brunt of her anger, tried to respond in a placating tone. “Be reasonable, Danielle. Why else would the gates be open?”

  “Because, whoever took him is trying to make it look like he just opened the gates. I may not be that smart, but even I can tell that’s what happened. If Prince Albert was the one who had opened the gates, we would see him. He would be with the females or somewhere else in the camp, looking for apples. He doesn’t just go wandering off and neither does Penelope. Someone took him.” She shook her finger in his face.

  “Well, I happen to know who did it,” said Gabriella, looking smug. She pulled out her phone and showed the video to the crowd. It was the same one that she had shown to Blanche the day before.

  The crowd bunched around to see the video, and June heard Rebecca talking to the animal. ‘Aren’t you the cutest? I could just take you home with me.’

  Gabriella paused and spun on June and her family. “See, she admits on the video that she took her, and what enterprising young couple would take a female without a male?”

  “Now hold on a minute,” said Nathan. “She was just joking. Where would we even put the thing? We travel for a living.”

  Gabriella cocked her head to one side. “Then why did she admit on camera that she wanted to take the exact alpaca that has disappeared.”

  To June’s horror, the crowd seemed to be nodding along with every word that Gabriella said. The only two who didn’t look convinced by the little video were Danielle and Ronald. Where was Jameson? Did he believe all this stuff?

  Nathan’s face had gone a bit red. “It was a joke. You’re all being ridiculous, you know that? You’re just pointing fingers at us because you don’t know who did it.”

  Gabriella didn’t back down. “You bring back the alpaca. I am so done with you famous people thinking you can just take whatever you want.”

  “We didn’t take anything!” shouted Nathan, as if being louder would convince anyone it was true.

  June grabbed Rebecca’s arm. “You two need to get out of here. You’ve got a bunch of people who haven’t had enough sleep. They’re not going to see reason, and the more he yells at them the angrier they will be.”

  Rebecca looked around. “But where’s Blanche? She won’t let them treat us this way.”

  “She’s not coming to our rescue,” said June. And not just because of the earplugs.

  “I don’t want your stupid alpacas! I never have. They’re just dumb and useless animals,” said Nathan.

  “How dare you!” said Gabriella.

  “And here’s another thing. This is one of the worst campgrounds we’ve ever stayed at.”

  Rebecca hurried to his side and pulled him away from the crowd. “Let’s go, honey. There’s no point in arguing.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  June followed her daughter, but she was much, much slower.

  Gabriella caught June’s eye and gasped. “Look! There’s white alpaca fur on her jacket! She’s the one who took Prince Albert.”

  June looked down at her sleeve. Her heavy fleece jacket did have white fur on it. She turned, unsure of what to say.

  “We demand to see inside your motorhome. We’re not going to sit by and watch while you steal away our income,” said Gabriella.

  “You were there last night,” said June. “I waited for Ronald to get his blanket and Prince Albert startled me. I must have gotten the fur on it when I patted his neck.”

  “A likely story,” said Gabriella. “We were there all right, but we didn’t see you anywhere near his pen. Convenient that he went missing after we went to bed. Come on, let’s start with your motorhome.”

  A crowd of people watched with interest.

  “Hey,” said Ronald, jogging over. “You can’t just invade other people’s property. It’s against the law.”

  “And what police are going to back up that law? It’s not like we can have a proper investigation,” said Gabriella. “She took those alpaca and she’s going to get away with taking them all because Blanche doesn’t like the police. Are we supposed to just sit by and suffer the consequences? I don’t think so.”

  Ronald pinched the bridge of his nose. There were bags under his eyes and June couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. “It’s not only illegal, but you’re violating your contract if you invade someone’s private property,” he said. “You sure you want to risk that?”

  “But she—” Gabriella started.

  He cut her off. “She was hanging out with the alpacas and Danielle yesterday. Any one of us could have alpaca fur on us. It doesn’t prove anything.”

  Gabriella and Fran both shot June angry glares. “This is not over,” Fran said.

  The rest of the crowd began to disperse, glancing at June with mistrust in their eyes.

  Ronald looked beyond exhausted. “I’m sorry for the way everyone is treating you, but I’m going to pass out if I stay out here any longer. You know where I am. Come get me if they try anything.”

  “Thanks for your help,” said June. A knot had formed in her stomach. She worried where the alpaca had gone. She had the unsettling feeling that Gabriella would be building a mob of angry senior citizens who would be beating down her door sooner or later, and when they didn’t find what they wanted, what then? She clenched her teeth. She needed to figure out who had taken the alpacas before she left. Of all things, she felt a bit sad when she realized they’d be leaving tomorrow. Maybe it was the friendship with Danielle or the way her life had simplified out here, or maybe it was the alpacas, but she knew somehow that she would miss this place when she was gone.

  Ronald slumped away like a drunk man.

  She watched him go, hoping he didn’t fall over before he was safely home.

  That left June, the only person crazy enough to stay outside. The sun was rising and already steam was rising off the ground. The snow would be melted in no time and she needed to discover what she could before it was gone. The snow c
runched beneath her feet and every step had to be a careful one.

  Once again, the alpaca clustered together, ears straight up and watching in every direction. She leaned her cane against the fence and rested her elbows on top of it. The dark brown alpaca approached her, pushing against her hand with its nose.

  She stroked the soft fur. “I’m going to do my best,” she told her. “Your herd belongs together.” She patted the alpaca for a moment before setting off along the fence. “And I need to make sure that no more of you disappear.”

  She made her way along the snow-topped fence, watching the ground for footprints. Of course, the crowd who had come had left their own marks, leaving brown in the otherwise white snow. She came to the metal center gate and paused, glancing down at the ground.

  She should have thought to pay closer attention to the snow. She could probably have found the alpaca just following their steps, but everyone’s footprints had erased so much.

  The empty pen glared back at her. The white alpaca may not have been her favorite pet, but now that she’d gotten to know him a little, it just looked wrong to not to have him there.

  No, it’s not empty, she told herself. There were tracks. He had come up to the fence after she had gone to bed. His two-toed tracks were strange looking, like an oval divided down the middle.

  There were a bunch of footprints in front of the barn and around Prince Albert’s pen. Probably Ronald trying to keep warm, she thought. Had he inadvertently covered up the alpaca’s prints? But no, even inside the pen, the alpaca hadn’t come all the way to the gate, which meant…

  She hobbled faster along the fence. There was a gate, just like the one in the female’s pen with a trough in front of it. That had to be how they had gotten him out. A surge of excitement filled her. She was going to find the alpacas and bring them back. She would prove that her family had nothing to do with the disappearance.

  June paused near the trough, expecting to see the indentation in the ice where her hand had broken through to retrieve the earring, but the trough had been tipped on its side.

  She tapped her lips with one finger, noticing that this gate, unlike the other ones, was closed. There, in the mud of the overturned trough was a clear footprint, and the alpaca’s were right next to it. Prince Albert had gone with whoever had made that print. She placed her foot next to the human print in the frozen mud. It was significantly larger than her own, and it had to belong to a man or a very tall woman.

  A thrill ran through her despite everyone’s angry accusations this morning. She grinned.

  “Well, that rules out a lot of people.”

  Chapter Twenty

  June glanced around. She was still the only one at the pens and she didn’t want whoever had left that footprint to know that she had seen it. It would be easy enough to destroy once the ground thawed. Actually, once the snow started melting, the footprint might be washed away all on its own. An uneasy feeling settled over her. Someone could be watching right now. She shoved that thought aside and began walking back toward the females’ pen.

  She looked along the fence. The sun had risen, creating long shadows through the trees and making the snow sparkle. The whole landscape was still and beautiful.

  The crunch of footsteps on the road caught her off-guard and June turned to see Travis, Ronald’s nephew, strolling toward the pens. The animals all clustered near the fence, trying to get to him as if he had bales of hay in his pockets.

  June smiled, watching the way they pushed and shoved at each other to try to get to him first.

  The young man stopped and glanced over at her. His eyes narrowed. Something about him reminded her of her son, Ryan, when he was that age. Maybe it was the way he held himself, with uncertainty and a wary look in his eye. “I don’t think the alpacas need strangers around today. They’re stressed out enough.”

  “Oh,” said June. “I didn’t think I was bothering anyone.”

  “I’m sorry.” He bit his lip as if unsure what to say. “They’re already upset, you know?”

  June nodded. “I understand.” She didn’t want to bother any more campers or alpacas than necessary, and besides, she had yet to have a cup of coffee. How was she going to manage anything without caffeine in her system?

  Back home, she hung up her jacket, and a wave of exhaustion overtook her. With all the excitement this morning, she had forgotten how tired she was. She gave the sleeping Mr. Bigglesworth an envying glance. “It must be nice to be able to sleep anytime you feel like it.” Even if she tried to take a much-needed nap, she knew she would just lie there awake, thinking over the possibilities of who had taken the alpacas and why.

  She poured her first cup of coffee, enjoying the smell and the warmth of the mug in her hands, and sat on her couch. Just across from her, the item she’d fished out of the water the night before lay on the table. In her hustle to get out of the door this morning, she had forgotten all about it. She leaned over and picked up the earring. It was a pretty thing. Delicate stitches of turquoise made tiny loops, which made up the larger, almost oval shape. She had never seen anything like it and she was certain that it was part of a unique pair. She needed to talk to Danielle to see if she knew who it belonged to and to make sure that she was doing okay. Prince Albert’s disappearance would definitely be hard on her.

  June pulled open her blinds and glanced out. As if her thoughts had summoned her, Danielle strode down the path, walking with sensible boots toward the front of the campground.

  Good, thought June. Just the person I need to talk to. She downed the coffee as quickly as she could manage, burning her tongue a little in the process. She added more milk and chugged the rest. She needed the caffeine in her system. It felt like a crime not to stop and savor the bitter flavor, but she could not sit by and be blamed for the alpacas’ disappearance. Besides, Danielle looked to be in a rush and June hoped she could catch her before the cold morning pushed her back indoors.

  She pulled her jacket and gloves back on, pausing long enough to slip the earring into her pocket and stepped out into the quiet morning. Water dripped off her motorhome and into her hair, reminding her that the footprint might be fading quickly. Already patches of snow were melting away from the road and steam rose from the campground.

  She spotted Danielle in front of Blanche’s RV. The morning light cast long shadows through the trees, and they both stood in a patch of sunlight. The owner of the campground was bundled against the cold and looked like she’d rather be inside her warm home than outside talking to Danielle.

  June hobbled along the main road, trying to catch up, but the rapidly melting snow made for slow going. She needed Blanche’s permission to go hassling people about that footprint, and the sooner she did that, the better.

  The owner looked refreshed, as if she was the only one in the whole campground who had gotten a decent night’s sleep.

  As June got closer, she could hear what Blanche was saying.

  “You just need to calm down about this. I will see what we can do to find the alpacas and bring them back.”

  But Danielle was anything but calm. “Now Prince Albert is missing. We need to call the police. You might not care about the alpacas the way I do, but you have got to see sense. This is your prize male. You should call them or let me do it.”

  Blanche’s brown eyes flashed with anger. “That is not going to happen. I’m sorry if it makes you upset, but this is my campground and I don’t want them here. You seem to keep forgetting that they are my alpacas, not yours.”

  “But—” Danielle never got to finish what she was about to say.

  Blanche looked over at June and, if possible, she looked even angrier. She cocked her head to one side and glared. “Well, if it isn’t April Winters. How long did you think you could keep me from knowing who you are? You not only failed to find my alpaca, but now another one is missing. Gabriella says that you might be the reason they are gone! How dare you come into my camp and pretend to care, all the while you’re taking a
way my animals.” Her nostrils flared and her brown eyes flashed with anger.

  “She didn’t—” Danielle started, but Blanche cut her off.

  “You and I have nothing further to discuss.”

  Danielle turned and stormed away, her hands balled into fists and her shoulders stiff.

  June came right to the point. “Look, my family and I have nothing to do with the missing alpacas and I am trying to figure out who took them. I found a boot print in Prince Albert’s pen. It’s big enough to be a man’s. I’d like to—”

  Blanche glared at her. “And I’m sure it belongs to Nathan, doesn’t it?”

  “No. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Nathan and Rebecca have nothing to do with this.”

  Blanche cocked her head to one side. “You know, I might not want the police in my campground, but I don’t think I’m opposed to having them meet you on the highway. I want my alpacas back and I should have you thrown out of my camp.” With that, she slammed the door in June’s face.

  June’s heart sunk. She hadn’t really wanted to spend her day wandering around the camp, collecting men’s smelly shoes, had she? Frustration rose within her. Actually, yes. That’s exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to gather shoes, find the alpaca thief and force them to bring back the stolen animals. She wanted people to stop thinking her family had anything to do with the crime. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else, but this was Blanche’s campground, and she made the rules. June reached into her pocket and felt the delicate earring.

  Without Blanche’s support, she might not be able to bother any of the residents of the camp about their shoe size, but that earring had been dropped by whoever had taken Prince Albert.

  Her new friend was walking slowly down the road, slow enough that for once, June could catch up.

  “Do you have a minute?”