Thrill Squeaker

by Christy Barritt

  My crew sat away from the bar area, in a corner where we ordered some pizzas and soda. Seamus had joined us. He was probably in his late twenties. He’d grown up around here and had been one of the people laid off from the mines when they closed. He was on the shorter side with a prematurely receding hairline, crooked teeth, and a quiet demeanor.

  Several people called hello to Nate when he walked inside, and he gave a few people high fives as he made his way from the bar toward our table. He wore a loose tie, which made it appear he’d just come from work. His office was in Whitehurst, from what I’d gathered. He must have stopped by his house and changed clothes after leaving Mythical Falls this morning.

  “So I heard we had some more excitement today.” Nate’s eyes looked animated with life as he squeezed around the table. “What’s going on?”

  Chad filled him in on everything that happened up until the point the police arrived—including the Ferris wheel incident, the scream, and the glove. Nate’s eyes widened with each new detail.

  “Creepy,” he muttered, all surfer/skier like.

  “The police confirmed that the glove matched the one found by Caleb,” I filled in. “They’re looking into the theory that he was trying to put the whole place up in flames before he was murdered.”

  “No way. I can’t believe someone would do that. Maybe he was a pyro.” Nate’s eyes widened as he made the motion of lighting a lighter.

  I shifted as I remembered my earlier theory. “You didn’t know him, did you?”

  His eyes got wider—maybe a little too wide. “Me? The dead guy? No way. Why would I know him?”

  “Just wondered if he had a personal vendetta against you.”

  “Personal vendetta.” He did the trademark laugh. “That’s crazy. Why would anyone hate me?”

  Why would anyone hate him? Let me count the ways. 1. His laugh. 2. His overuse of adjectives. 3. Because he looked at women like they were meat.

  The list could go on and on.

  “No, this is random,” Nate said. “I sure hope the police figure things out.”

  “Me too.”

  Nate wouldn’t do something like this in order to stop someone from destroying the park . . . right? In a fit of rage and panic, he wouldn’t have strangled someone who threatened his future . . . would he? He didn’t appear to have abnormally large hands.

  No, I couldn’t think like that. Nate would have to be seriously mentally off to do something like that.

  Chad gave me another pointed look, and before I could try to deny assumptions, our pizza came. A waitress named Bertha—no joke—brought it. She looked nothing like a Bertha, though. She was thin, pretty, and blonde—and she gave a special wink to Nate. He winked back. “Thanks, Sweetheart.”

  I cleared my throat, unable to get the thought of Nate as the killer out of my mind. I had to mix things up before I said something I shouldn’t. “You know, I’m going to run to the restroom before we eat.”

  “Sure thing.” Nate slid out so I could escape for a moment.

  A woman wearing a tight outfit was leaning over a mirror when I stepped inside. She was probably my age, a brunette, and she gave off the “single” vibe. She did a double take when she spotted me.

  “Now there’s a new face,” she muttered.

  I could only assume she was talking about me. “Where I’m from, it’s unusual to run into someone I know while I’m out and about. It sounds like it’s unusual to run into someone you don’t know around here.”

  She chuckled. “You got that right, Sweetie. Name’s Mavis Wells.”

  “Gabby St. Claire.” I took a place beside her at the mirror. Going into the dingy stall at this point seemed too awkward, because I was certain she would keep talking to me, even if I did.

  “You part of Nate’s crew?” She reapplied some bright-pink lipstick.

  “How’d you know?”

  “Who else would you be?” She chuckled, as if the answer had been a given. “How are things going out there at Mythical Falls?”

  I contemplated my answer and decided it was better not to say too much. “Okay. We’re just getting started.”

  “I see.”

  I shifted, realizing this would be a good opportunity to get more information on Mythical Falls and everything happening there. Small town local with a gift for gab and prior knowledge of what was going on? Check, check, and check.

  “You ever been out there?” I asked.

  She put the top back on her lipstick and puckered her lips together. “Many times. It was a great place back in the day. I hope Nate makes something of it again. It’s a shame to see it just sitting there for all these years. I didn’t think Nate would ever actually do something with the land. I figured he’d sell it to Scotty Stephens.”

  “Scotty Stephens?” I made myself busy by examining a curly red hair.

  She nodded. “He’s been wanting to buy the place for years. He wanted to start a retirement community, kind of like the ones they have down in Florida.”

  That was unexpected. “I’m sure there are plenty of other pieces of property in this area, right? I mean, I drove past miles and miles of nothing to get here.”

  She shrugged, puckering her glossy lips for the mirror. “I suppose. But he wants Mythical Falls.”

  “Nate wouldn’t sell, huh?”

  “Nope. The place was his great uncle’s. He couldn’t let it go. His great uncle Jebidiah was like a dad to him, so I guess the land has sentimental value.”

  “I see.” I hadn’t realized that aspect of this. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned it? Why hadn’t Nate brought Scotty Stephens up?

  “When Scotty heard that Nate was trying to fix the place up, he was madder than a hornet. Apparently he’d offered millions of dollars, but Nate always said no.”

  “Isn’t that interesting. Does this Scotty Stephens live around here?”

  “Oh, yes. He has a home here but also in Beckley. He made a fortune in the mining industry before it went bust.”

  Could this Scotty Stephens be the first real person I’d heard about who had a real motive? Quite possibly. Well, other than Nate.

  What if this Scotty guy was willing to kill to get his hands on this property?

  It was something worth looking into . . . if I wanted to get involved. Which, of course, I didn’t.

  In theory, at least.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Riley and I rode back to Mythical Falls together. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Nate yet about Scotty Stephens, but I hoped that opportunity would come up soon. I didn’t like being kept in the dark by someone I was supposed to be helping. Trust was a delicate thing, easily damaged and slowly repaired.

  My life was living proof of that.

  We climbed into my Honda, but I let Riley drive. I’d saved a long time to buy this car, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. It felt good when my hard work paid off and I could buy the vehicle debt-free.

  Before I could even clip my seatbelt in place, my phone rang.

  “Who could this be?” I glanced at the screen, pleasantly surprised when I recognized the number. “It’s Marion.”

  “Marion?”

  “I’ll explain in a moment.” I put the phone to my ear and answered.

  “Gabby, I’m so glad I caught you. I was afraid you’d be out of range. Is this a bad time?”

  I stared at the small town of Whitehurst as we breezed past. The whole place was only one block so by the time I looked, it was gone, and woods surrounded us instead. “We’re just leaving Yuck Yuck’s.”

  Marion chuckled. “That place is a fixture around here. You’ve got to go there at least once for a slice of pizza and a slice of life. Did you try the Appalachian Oysters?”

  “Are they anything like Rocky Mountain Oysters?”

  “Similar.”

  “Then no. And I won’t.”

  She chuckled again. “Of course, that’s not why I called. I had something to run past you.”

  “Go for it.”

  R
iley grabbed my hand. It was our routine when we rode together, and if he hadn’t done it, I would have been worried. It was such a simple gesture yet it seemed to speak volumes.

  “I was talking with Caleb Kidwell’s family,” Marion said. “His parents want to hire someone to look into what happened, to be a second set of eyes and corroborate what the police find out. The family has money, and they’re willing to pay. I wondered if you’d be interested.”

  “Me? Interested in an investigation?” I nibbled on my bottom lip. Everything in me wanted to scream, “Yes! Yes, of course I’m interested!” But I did have other obligations while I was here, and I needed to be wise and keep that in mind.

  Riley shot me a look, which seemed to reaffirm my priorities. I’d promised Chad I’d help. I couldn’t back out on him now.

  “I understand they’d pay you—probably pretty well,” Marion continued.

  I frowned and looked away from Riley, out the window at the darkness outside. “I want to help. I do. But I’m not sure if I’ll have time. My schedule is pretty packed.”

  “Would you at least think about it? It would mean a lot to the family.”

  Think about it? Great idea. There was no harm in thinking about something. “I’ll do that. You can give them my number. You know—just in case.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll do that. And I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

  I hung up and sat in silence a moment, my thoughts turning over in my head. The desire to investigate clashed with the desire to help Chad. Fix up an old theme park? Or find a murderer and help a family get closure?

  I obviously knew what my first choice was. But my mom used to tell me that I was only as good as my word. And as someone who had trust issues, it was important to me that people knew I was responsible.

  “So . . . ?” Riley asked.

  I gave him a quick update on everything, ending with the bathroom conversation and my phone call with Marion. I finished just as we pulled into Mythical Falls. Riley put the car in park behind one of the old prospector cabins.

  Now that Clarice was here, she and I would have our own place to stay while the guys bunked next door. However, at the moment, the rest of the gang was out at a campfire not far from the cabins.

  Over pizza, everyone had decided to have a campfire tonight, which honestly seemed like a terrible plan after everything that had happened. But maybe I was overreacting because no one else thought it was a bad idea, as long as we all stuck close. Who was I to argue?

  “Let me grab my jacket before we meet everyone,” I told Riley.

  I felt his presence behind me as I unlocked my cabin and stepped inside. He lingered by the door as I grabbed a heavier jacket than the parka I had. It was downright cold right now, despite being September.

  Riley stayed at the door, facing me, as I approached.

  “You want to get involved,” Riley said, putting his hands on my waist and pulling me closer. “I know you do.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment and relished the warmth that radiated from him. I found strength simply in the fact that he was here, and that he was back in my life. I only wished the past didn’t constantly batter me and play with my psyche.

  “I do. I do want to know what happened,” I admitted. “But Chad is counting on me.”

  “Maybe you can figure out a way to squeeze an investigation in somehow,” Riley said. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

  “Investigating to me is like breathing for most people.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  “At least that conversation with the woman in the bathroom takes your suspicions off Nate,” Riley said. “You could see the hair on Chad’s neck standing up when you suggested his friend might be guilty earlier.”

  I shrugged, clearly remembering the moment. “It wasn’t personal. I was being objective, something that Chad is not.”

  Riley shifted and peered at me with squinted eyes. “You really think Nate could be guilty?”

  “There’s really so much I don’t know. I’m just getting started.” I blanched. “I mean, I’m not getting started. But if I were just getting started, then I’d really just be scratching the surface of all this. You know what I mean?”

  Riley smiled. “I know you. You’re going to get involved.”

  Boy did I ever want to. But . . . “I came here to do a job for Chad, not to investigate.”

  “Well, if we all continue to be in danger, you may not have any choice but to investigate. Otherwise, all this will be for naught.”

  “Good point,” I told him, another ripple of excitement rushing through me.

  “I’m glad we can work on this together,” Riley said. “I know we’ve both been busy over the past couple of months as we’ve tried to settle into a routine again.”

  It was true. I’d been getting the hang of my new job with Grayson Technologies. He’d been working for a new branch of his law firm. In between times, I’d been trying to help out with Reef and doing side jobs for Chad. It was a busy, full season. But Riley and I saw each other as often as possible. It was easy since we lived across the hall from each other.

  “It will be fun to work together.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “It will be like old times. We haven’t had an adventure together—”

  “In a few months. It really hasn’t been that long.”

  I shrugged. He told the truth. And I should be grateful that life had been rather boring lately. But I was programmed to want adventure, and I’d been itching for another mystery to tackle. But boring meant uneventful and without drama or heartache. There was a lot to be said for that. It was like I was being pulled in two different directions.

  “Either way, this will be fun,” I continued. “The mountains are beautiful, the old theme park is fascinating, and we’re together. What more could we ask for?”

  “Sounds like famous last words to me.”

  I grinned. “They very well could be.”

  * * *

  Fifteen minutes into our time around the campfire, I found a moment to chat with Nate. Chad and Riley were conducting a snipe hunt with Clarice—remaining close, of course. It was only smart with everything that had happened around here in the past couple of days.

  Nate had decided to stay by the fire, and he looked particularly pensive and quiet. Maybe all the alcohol he’d consumed at Yuck Yuck’s had finally worn off. Maybe he had something on his mind. I had no idea.

  I moved in for the kill—um . . . . bad thought choice. I approached him with my questions. “So, I wasn’t aware that this place used to be your great uncle’s,” I started, trying to sound casual.

  “Really? I didn’t mention it? That’s weird. I just assumed I’d mentioned it. Or that Chad had mentioned it. How do you think I afforded this place? Easy. I didn’t. He left it to me.”

  “When did he do that?” I plunged my stick into the fire and tousled the flames.

  “Three years ago. I wasn’t ready to take the plunge at that time, though.”

  “I see.” I continued to twirl my stick, watching flecks of fire race through the air. “Were there other people who wanted to buy the land?”

  “Oh yeah. One in particular. Scotty Stephens.” He rolled his eyes.

  “Did you mention him to the police?”

  Nate drew his thick eyebrows together and looked hopelessly confused. “Why would I do that?”

  “There was a murder here. He might be the prime suspect.”

  “Nooooo . . .” He said the word with the same cadence as his woodpecker laugh. “He might be a shark, but why would he kill?”

  “To shut this place down? To prevent you from opening so you’ll sell to him?” Wasn’t it obvious?

  “He wouldn’t do that.”

  “I heard he was pretty nasty. You might be surprised at what some people might do. People you least suspect.”

  He shrugged. “I guess I’ll mention him to the police then. But I don’t think he did any of this. Someone with that much money doesn’t need t
o kill.”

  Before I could dwell on the thought too much, I heard the sound of someone—multiple someones—rushing through the woods. Quick footsteps, rustling underbrush, frantic words.

  Fear clutched my heart. What had happened out there in those woods?

  The next instant, Chad, Riley and Clarice appeared through the woods. Chad was laughing hysterically while Clarice scowled.

  “Snipe hunting is so stupid,” she muttered before looking at me. “You could have told me.”

  I shrugged. “It’s a rite of passage. I’m sorry.”

  Clarice scowled again. “I’ll get you all back. If it’s the last thing I do.”

  Her words were supposed to be funny. But something about them caused me to stiffen.

  What if this all was just one big prank? Or what if it was revenge?

  There were so many possibilities that my head wanted to explode.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Riley and I met the next morning to read our Bibles and pray together. It was Sunday, and normally we’d go to church. Since we were here, we’d decided to have a little mini service of our own. We’d invited Chad and Clarice, but both had declined.

  After breakfast, Chad handed out orders. I was in charge of sealing the floors, Riley was helping Braxton with electricity, and Nate and Clarice would be working together on plastering and sanding the walls.

  I worked steadily applying sealant, and the cabins looked amazingly better by the time I finished them. Despite my progress, I was more than happy when Chad called me on the walkie-talkie at lunchtime.

  “Gabby, you need a break?”

  I paused. “Sure. I’m almost done.”

  “Great. Could you go check on the landscaping crew? I’m tied up here at the other cabins helping Brax with electrical. Just make sure the crew is running on schedule. I have to stay on top of people if I want this job done on time.”

  “Sure thing.” I put down the long-handled brush and arched my back. I was still sore from my near collision with the Ferris-wheel car yesterday. Every inch of my body seemed to remind me of my brush with death.