Herd is the Word

by Jenna Lynn Badger

  “That ought to do it,” said June, stepping onto the wooden floor of the barn. She would have expected dirt and she certainly didn’t anticipate the warmth inside the shelter. She glanced around. This didn’t seem to be a typical barn. While bales of hay were piled up against one wall along with farm implements, the other side boasted a cold fireplace, a table, a couch, and a nice rug. It looked like more of a meeting place for humans than a place to store hay.

  June was about to comment on what a nice place it was when she caught Prince Albert’s expression.

  His ears twitched and he stood with his head erect and mouth open. A bit of hay stuck out of his mouth.

  Then she heard it, too.

  Footsteps, coming closer.

  Her heart pounded in her chest. Had Ronald somehow found out that they were in here? Was she putting everyone at risk?

  The door opened and Nathan stepped inside, his camera bags slung over his shoulder and a walking stick in one hand. He glanced around.

  June put a hand to her chest. She had let her imagination get the better of her. She glanced at Danielle who had a similar expression.

  “What?” he asked. “Do I have something on my face?”

  Rebecca smirked. “I think they both thought you were Ronald,” she said.

  He rolled his eyes. “I hope not. I’ve got work to do before he shows up.” He handed the walking stick to June. “I thought you might want this. It’s not your cane, but it’s better than nothing.”

  June took the stick in one hand. It was cold and metal and lightweight, but she felt a bit steadier. “Thank you, Nathan.”

  He set up two cameras. His phone, set on a tripod, was focused on June, as if she didn’t have enough to worry about.

  Why had she agreed to this?

  Time passed and she started to worry that Blanche wasn’t going to follow through. Her heart pounded in her ears. What would happen to Penelope if they didn’t catch Ronald? Would he sell her or leave her to starve out of spite?

  The barn door had been left open just a crack, and she kept watching the shaft of sunlight, hoping that Ronald wouldn’t see through her plan. He’d been smart enough to hide the alpacas and no one had suspected him. He might be expecting something like this.

  Prince Albert came to stand beside her as if understanding her worry. He was still chewing away.

  Stroking his neck calmed her nerves, but when his ears pricked up again, she felt her anxiety rise.

  Danielle stood just beside the barn door.

  Finally, she caught the sound of Ronald’s voice. “Can’t this wait until later? I didn’t sleep well last night or the night before.”

  “No, it can’t. I won’t have rodents eating away at the hay again. I want the traps set this morning. And what if they get into the pellets? Those are even more expensive.” The voice had to be Blanche’s, but she sounded more angry than she should have been over mice. Would Ronald notice and realize something was up?

  “Come on, Blanche. I’m dead on my feet. I’ll get it done later,” Ronald whined.

  Finally, she heard the squeak of the gate and the subsequent click as someone swung it closed.

  So far, so good, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and let it out.

  Prince Albert sniffed at the air, as did the other alpacas, then he let out a squeak.

  Danielle barely had enough time to push the door open before he got to it.

  There was no stopping him now. The barn was flooded with light.

  Ronald stood in front of the door. “What’s going on? Prince Albert—” He paused, realization dawning on his face.

  The other alpacas followed him out.

  Half a dozen animals surrounded Ronald, squeaking and screaming at him. On the other side of the fence, the others joined in the noise.

  Jameson sauntered up to the gate and stood on the other side. He couldn’t have had better timing if she had planned it. He caught her eye and winked.

  “Get them off of me!” Ronald shouted, but the alpacas crowded in, all trying to get closer to him. “Ah! Get away. Get back!”

  The alpacas pressed him into a corner, staying in a close cluster that would have been impossible to get past.

  Prince Albert spat in Ronald’s face.

  “Ew.” He shoved past the alpacas and tried to make a break for the gate.

  Prince Albert spat again, covering his back in slime.

  “Get that crazy animal away from me! Come on, Blanche. I don’t know why they’re acting like this.”

  The owner glared at him. “You brought this on yourself. How dare you steal my alpacas!”

  Ronald reached for the latch on the gate.

  But Jameson clamped a hand over it. The bearded man said something to Ronald, but June couldn’t make it out.

  Ronald turned and wiped spit from his face. “This is so disgusting.”

  Everyone watched in silence, waiting to see what he would try next. He glanced around and his shoulders slumped. “Fine. You know what? Yes. I took the alpacas. It was me, but Fran and Melanie deserved to be framed for what they did. They are heartless witches who think it’s ok to toy with a man’s heart.” His voice cracked on the last word and he glared at Fran. “You have no idea how humiliating that was or how much I thought you cared about me. You should have been thrown out of the camp.”

  June couldn’t help but feel a stab of pity for him, until she remembered that he had manhandled her and thrown her into the trailer. She planted a hand on her hips. “You’re right. What they did to you was unfair, but you didn’t have to take the alpacas. They didn’t deserve your rough treatment and neither did I. They didn’t do anything to hurt you.”

  “They’re just stupid beasts,” said Ronald.

  “That’s exactly where you went wrong.” June walked over to Prince Albert and patted his fuzzy neck. “If it weren’t for this alpaca, I’d still be stuck in that smelly trailer you stuffed me in. He is quite intelligent.”

  Ronald’s face contorted in anger. “I was going to leave this place anyway. I am so sick and tired of all the squabbles and manipulations and the stupid, smelly animals that everyone is so crazy about.” He wiped at his face and shook spit from his fingers. “All of you people are insane!”

  “Where is Penelope?” Danielle shouted. “You bring her back!”

  “I don’t have to do anything of the sort,” said Ronald. “I’ve already got a buyer.”

  Danielle marched forward, murder in her fierce blue eyes, and slapped him across the face. “You’re despicable.”

  Blanche stood beside her. “You had no right to take my alpacas, and you’ll bring her back or I’ll press charges.”

  “Not everything is about you, Blanche.”

  Her eyes flashed with anger. “You’re right and you’re fired. I don’t ever want to see you at this campground again.”

  June ignored the rest of the argument as she caught a glimpse of a police car coming into the campground. Relief flooded through her and she found herself smiling stupidly. Her plan had worked so far, but it wasn’t over yet.

  The wheels made crackling noises over the paved road. It had a big yellow stripe across its side and “Sheriff” was written in clear, black letters. Nathan climbed over the fence with ease and jogged over to bring the police to the pens.

  As the car pulled up, everyone stopped shouting.

  Two men in uniform stepped out. The one with the hat appeared to be the sheriff, a lean man in his fifties with a salt-and-pepper beard.

  The other was an overweight man with red hair. He had a trusting face and looked a little too nice to be a police officer.

  Blanche pasted on a smile and marched over to the sheriff. “I’m Blanche Bidet, the owner of this campground.”

  “Can you tell me about the missing woman?” asked the sheriff.

  She gave the him an odd look. “Well, she’s not exactly a woman. I mean, she’s an alpaca. Why are you here, exactly?”

  June used the walking s
tick to make her way up to them. “I think I can explain.”

  Ronald pushed past her, almost knocking her over.

  June clung to the walking stick with a white-knuckled grip, but regained her balance.

  He moved quickly for a man his size. He was out the gate in a flash and hurrying away from the pens.

  The deputy was already in motion. In three strides, he had a hold of Ronald’s arm. In a flash, he marched him back to the police car and shoved him against it.

  “Why were you running?” asked the sheriff.

  “Just getting my morning exercise,” said Ronald.

  “No. He kidnapped two alpacas and when I figured out what he was up to, he stuffed me in that trailer over there.” June pointed for emphasis. “And tied my hands so I couldn’t escape.”

  “Cuff him,” the sheriff said.

  “Cuff me, too,” said Travis, coming forward with his hands up, a look of remorse in his young eyes. He walked down the road toward them and looked the sheriff in the eye. “I helped him hide the alpacas but I had nothing to do with what he did to the old lady.”

  June sniffed. Even if she did think of herself as old sometimes, it wasn’t nice to call people that.

  The deputy was more gentle with Travis than he had been with his uncle, but they both ended up handcuffed and leaning against the side of the car.

  The sheriff turned back to June. “Do you want to tell me exactly what happened?” It didn’t seem like much of a question, more of a flat out statement that he needed answers.

  June started from the beginning, and found that she had a bit of an audience. Danielle, Blanche, Fran, Rebecca, and of course Nathan with his cameras all listened to what she had to say.

  Jameson had disappeared again. Maybe he was camera shy, but she would have to find him and thank him for his help.

  June cleared her throat and told the sheriff everything that had happened.

  When she had finished, the sheriff just stood there, blinking at her in stunned silence. Finally, he tipped his hat to her. “Ma’am. You did good work here. However, I cannot condone citizens taking matters like this into their own hands. We should have been called when the first alpaca went missing. You could have been hurt.”

  June couldn’t help the glance she sent Blanche’s way, but she also wouldn’t rat out the owner, so she said, “I’m sure you’re absolutely right.”

  “I would like to have my other alpaca returned,” said Blanche. “She is due any day now and would be much safer here than anywhere else. Leaving her all alone would be putting her and the baby in danger.

  The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see what we can do.” He walked over to speak to his deputy.

  June turned back to the alpaca pens where Danielle was still trying to convince Prince Albert return to his pen. It was good to see that he hadn’t suffered too much in the confines of that horrible trailer.

  Rebecca came up behind her and gave her a tight squeeze. It wasn’t at all what she was expecting from her daughter.

  After spilling the beans on everything that had happened, she expected a tirade on how unsafe June had been.

  “I’m just glad you’re ok, Mom. It could have been really bad.”

  “I know,” said June. “I had all night to regret coming out here.”

  The deputy returned, saying, “Travis told me where the other alpaca is stored.”

  Blanche replied to the deputy. “I’ll send my husband with you to get her. She wouldn’t fit in your car. Oh, and one more thing.” Blanche turned to the sheriff. “Mr. Ramsey has something that belongs to the camp. It is quite irreplaceable, and I need that back, too. I just want to make sure he doesn’t try to claim it as his property.”

  “You can’t do that,” Ronald whined.

  “You broke the rules of the contract,” said Blanche coolly. “As host, you should have known better. If you don’t give it to me, I have the right to search your property until I find it.”

  “You know what? Fine. I’m done with this place and all of you crazy Bidets anyway. I’ve had enough of your entire family.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  June watched as Ronald and the sheriff walked back to the police cars. His face was red and scowling. When he got close enough, he shoved something into Blanche’s hands. “Good luck running this campground without me.” He laughed bitterly. “You’re going to have to lift a finger for once.”

  Blanche met his eye with the cool calm of someone who knew there was no point in arguing.

  The sheriff helped him back to the police car, where he sat glaring at anyone who would look at him.

  People were watching by then, some of them peering out of windows. Others walked down the street and clustered a dozen paces from the police cars.

  It wasn’t long before Blanche’s black pickup rattled back into the campground, a horse trailer hitched to the back.

  The moment Blanche’s husband opened the door to the trailer, Danielle began to clap and cheer, and the rest of the crowd joined in. “Penelope!” she shouted.

  The very pregnant alpaca rose to her feet and walked out of the trailer.

  Danielle opened the gates so that Penelope could return home. She walked right in and was immediately surrounded by the other females, all humming with her in a tight circle.

  Agatha, the dark brown female, sniffed Penelope all over.

  Prince Albert seemed proud just then, watching them all with his head held high and a permanent smile on his face.

  The deputy handed June her phone and cane. “Travis wanted you to have these.”

  June turned. “He really did argue against stuffing me into that trailer. If you need a statement from me, let me know. I doubt he would have gotten into that sort of trouble on his own.”

  The deputy nodded and the scowl on his face softened a bit. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  June watched the police car drive away and then checked her phone for damage. She expected scratches after it flew out of her hand, but other than a banged-up case, it appeared to be in good condition. She clicked it back off. The battery was at five percent.

  Danielle was busy with the alpacas. She caught her eye and grinned.

  June felt a pang of sorrow watching her new friend.

  Danielle had been someone she had confided in, someone she would miss.

  Of course she could always call her, but June was well-aware of how relationships over long distances tended to fade. Still, Danielle and Prince Albert would always hold a special place in her heart. She reminded herself to get a picture of them before she left. She might even want the one Fran had taken if she didn’t look too horrible in it.

  Rebecca snuck up beside her and handed June a cup of coffee. “You look like you could use some sleep. Let me talk to Blanche and see if we can stay a little longer, or do you think you could nap on the way?”

  “Where’s Nathan?” asked June.

  “Oh, he’s packing things up. Wants to head out soon, but only if you think you could manage.”

  June rubbed at her face. “I feel like I could sleep through a stampede.”

  Blanche walked up to them. She still hadn’t taken the time to put on makeup and her hair was wavy instead of done up in its usual curls. “I’m glad you’re still here. I wanted to thank you and to apologize for the way you have been treated.”

  “We appreciate that,” said Rebecca. “I’m sure you’ll make it clear to everyone at the campground that we had nothing to do with the alpacas’ disappearance.”

  Blanche smiled. “Of course, and I’ll be happy to refund your stay, since you did bring back the alpacas. They are as integral to this camp working as the campers themselves. They’re part of my dysfunctional extended family and part of the legacy my father left me when he gave me this place.”

  June took a deep breath. “I know what you mean. I don’t know what would have happened if Prince Albert hadn’t helped get us out of that trailer.”

  Blanche was quiet for a moment and
then sighed dramatically. “I suppose I was bound to lose something with this whole rotten business. Losing Travis is one thing, but Ronald was a good camp host, despite his faults. At least he was, until he started stealing alpacas.” She rubbed her temple. “I just hope Kurt will want to take over more of the duties that Travis was covering. The real problem, though, is that I no longer have a host.”

  June cleared her throat, eyeing her daughter. “You know, I might be willing to take over, if I’m qualified for that position. I’m already here, and I’m not looking forward to going home right now. Besides, I’ve taken quite a shine to Prince Albert. I would consider it, as long as I can get some sleep before taking on any responsibilities.”

  “Are you serious?” Blanche’s eyes danced with happiness. “I would hire you on the spot if you’re certain that’s what you want to do.”

  Rebecca’s smile looked like it was pasted in place. “Could you give us a moment?” she asked sweetly. She pulled June a few steps away and spoke in a harsh whisper. “Mom, are you too tired to think straight? What about your catering job? You can’t possibly do both.”

  June put an arm around her daughter. “I know, and I realize that you’ve had to look out for me for weeks now while I recovered. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your help. But I think it’s time I try something new. If I go home, I’ll be alone in that house. Just me and the cat in too big of a space, with friends who don’t have time to spend with me and nothing but catering to fill my hours. Here, I have people to talk to. I’ll have a camp to run and new people coming in all the time. Alice has gotten by without me for months now and I’m still not sure I’m recovered enough to take on catering.”

  “But that was your business. You built it from the ground up. Do you really want to leave it behind?”

  “I think it’s time,” said June.

  Rebecca gave her a bewildered expression. “I can’t believe you want to leave all that behind.”

  “When you’ve done a job long enough, even something you love can wear on you. I love that business but I don’t miss the amount of stress that went along with it, or the city, or the fact that I don’t know my own neighbors. You kids have all moved away, and your father has passed. My job, the routine, and the house were the only thing keeping me there. When I think about it, it’s not enough.”