by Lynn Cahoon
Although he didn’t ask any follow-up questions, she saw him scan the crowd looking for the guy from the carnival. Angie wondered if he was even still here. He’d been strange—but he worked at a traveling carnival for weeks or months on end. Maybe he just didn’t have social skills. She pushed her concern out of her head and focused on what Ann was telling the crowd.
More stuff about the upcoming election and voter registration tonight. Did she really think this discourse was earning her more votes? Angie leaned into Ian, and he swung his arms around her. She felt safe. Loved. And warm in the gentle summer evening. Her life was good. No, her life was great.
Someone must have talked to Ann Cole about her over-the-top campaigning the previous night because her intro remarks focused more about the joy of childhood visits to the fair. And she kept it short. She pulled out the envelope. “We enjoyed all the frozen delights, but there can only be one winner. And that team is—Copper Creek.”
Sydney squealed and jumped a little too enthusiastically for a pregnant woman, at least from Angie’s perspective. But she was happy for her friend. Now she had to wait for the bad news. Had they made the cut to the next round?
Ann Cole tapped on the microphone. “Since our next contest isn’t scheduled until Friday, we decided we’d cut the waiting time for at least the three losing teams.”
Hope grabbed Angie’s hand again. Man, the girl had a death grip.
When Ann Cole read off the names, Hope glanced up at Angie. “She didn’t call our name.”
“That’s a good thing, peanut.” Matt squeezed Hope’s shoulders. “It means we’re going on to the next round.”
“Main courses on the run. Or what can you put on a stick.” Angie shook her head. “This is going to be rough. But if anyone can figure out something, Estebe can. Matt? You’re going to be helping Felicia at the restaurant Friday, and then Estebe on Saturday. Hope? You’re staying on with me.”
Hope stuck her tongue out at Matt. “Shows you who’s more important to her.”
“Yeah, the guy who’s indispensable at the County Seat.” Matt made an Ironman pose, flexing his biceps.
“Children…” Angie warned.
“Anyway, let’s go play. We didn’t get to ride everything last night, and you’re going to be a wet blanket tomorrow and stay home.” Matt slapped Ian on the back. “See you later, farm guy.”
After they left, Angie and Ian sat at the small table near the trailer. They sipped on a couple of beers that they’d stashed in the trailer’s refrigerator. Ian pulled the label on the bottle. “Do you need me to help clean up?”
“Hope’s already taken care of everything. All I want to do is relax and maybe walk through the animal barns tonight. Do you want to continue our fair date?” She sipped her beer, happy that they’d made it through another round. “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you win me another stuffed bear.”
“Maybe I’ll just buy you a diamond necklace. I’m sure it will be cheaper and will last longer.” Ian rubbed his shoulder.
“You have a game tomorrow night?”
Ian nodded. “We’re playing the Meridian Baptist team. They’ve been impossible to live with since they won the league last year. Every team is trying to kick butt against them.”
Angie hid her smile behind her beer bottle. “I thought winning wasn’t everything.”
“It’s not. But payback is amazingly satisfying. I’m thinking I’m going to have to spend some time in prayer if we win to try to get my overwhelmingly strong need to go TP their church lawn in celebration under control.” He finished his beer and stood up. “So, if we don’t have to clean up, let’s go play for a couple of hours. I want a caramel apple.”
“Let me lock up. I’m going to leave my backpack here until we’re done, so don’t let me forget or I’ll be out of the gates without my keys.” She paused at the door. “And I can’t really stay out that late. Dom hasn’t been fed since this morning.”
“Actually, I ran out to your place to check on everyone before I came into town.” He grinned. “Yes, I am the best boyfriend in the world. Dom, Precious, and Mabel are all fed and watered for the night.”
Angie turned off the lights and locked the door, slipping the trailer key into her pocket. “Well, I wouldn’t say ‘in the world,’ but you do have your moments.”
“What? You’re holding out for a prince? I don’t think Dom or Mabel would like living in a castle.”
“Precious would love it.” Angie put her arm in his and they made their way back into the stream of people and toward the animal barns. “And I’d leave the others in your capable hands.”
“I’m afraid you have thought this all out.” He leaned down and kissed her head. “Is my English accent wearing on you?”
“More like fading. You sound more and more like the rest of us.” She hugged his arm. She loved their banter.
As they walked past the carnival entrance, someone grabbed her arm. She turned to see a wild-eyed Matt standing next to her. “What’s going on?”
“Come quick. Hope, she just collapsed. She’s in the carnival area.” He pulled on her arm.
Ian came around to the other side. “Slow down, Matt. Did you call the medical team?”
“Yes. They’re with her now. I don’t know the answers to the questions they’re asking. I never asked her about her folks. Can you come and talk to them?”
“Of course.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “She’s going to be fine.”
Matt shook his head. “What if she’s not? What if she’s been poisoned like Chef Nubbins?”
Chapter 6
A wall of people surrounded the area near the balloon dart game. Ian and Matt pushed their way through. And Ian pulled her after him, not letting go. A pale, unconscious Hope lay on a stretcher.
“Come on, folks, move along. Nothing here to see.” A security officer tried to move Ian and Matt away from the scene.
“We’re her friends.” Ian pushed Angie to the front of the group. “She works for Angie.”
The security guard looked unimpressed, but then one of the EMTs called out to him, “Let them in. The kid was with her when she went down. We have a few questions.”
Angie recognized one of the guys from last night. “It’s been a crazy few days here.”
“You’re not wrong.” He studied her. “You guys are from the Restaurant Wars contest.”
“Angie Turner. And this is Hope Anderson. She and Matt work for me. What happened?”
The EMT nodded at Matt. “According to her boyfriend over there, they’d just gotten off the Dust Storm and she stopped and went down.”
Angie pushed out the one question she didn’t want to ask. “Has she been poisoned?”
The EMT shook his head. “I don’t think so. More likely it’s heatstroke. Those trailers have air-conditioning, right? Was she hydrating enough?”
Angie thought about the day. She could remember Matt getting out bottles of water, but Hope? She hadn’t been near the fridge. “Matt? Was she drinking water today?”
He shook his head. “I gave her a bottle first thing when we started working, but I don’t think she even finished that.”
The other two EMTs were starting to move her toward the back of the carnival area.
“Where are they going?” Matt demanded.
Angie put a hand on his arm. “Let them do their job.”
The EMT who’d been talking to them stood in front of Matt to block his forward movement. “We have an ambulance at the access road behind the tents. We’re taking her to St. Luke’s on Cole. Can you call her next of kin? If she’s not eighteen, someone will have to approve treatment.”
“She’s twenty. Almost twenty-one,” Matt said.
Angie nodded. “We’ll call her parents on the way and will meet you at the hospital.”
“I’m sure it’s just heatstro
ke. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.” The EMT nodded at the group and then left to follow his teammates.
Ian took Angie and Matt by the arms and led them away from the area and toward the exit. “I’ll drive to the hospital. We can stop by here and get your cars later.”
Angie shook off his grasp. “I’m fine. I’m going to go grab my bag and check the trailer one more time. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
When Ian paused, she put a hand on his arm.
“Really, I’m fine to drive. I need my car, and I don’t want you running everyone around.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Sorry about missing our impromptu date.”
“There will be other times.” He nodded to Matt, who looked like he was about to sprint to the hospital. “I’ll see you soon.”
Angie watched as they power walked through the food court aisle. She turned back toward the Restaurant Wars section, taking her phone out of her pocket. Dinner service had just started, so she called the landline. A hostess answered, and a few minutes later, Felicia was on the line.
“Don’t tell me you won?” Excitement flowed over the speaker.
“No. Copper Creek took the win today. Look, I need you to do me a favor and not freak out. Are you in my office?”
“No, but I can be. Let me put you on hold.” Felicia’s tone went from excitement to professional in seconds.
Angie listened to the upbeat music track they’d chosen for their hold music. “Positive energy,”
Felicia had said when she vetoed Angie’s idea of a country music track. And as usual, she’d been right. As she was waiting, she walked through the gate, nodding at the same security guy who had been stationed there yesterday. She unlocked the trailer, grabbed her backpack, and had already locked things back up when Felicia came back on the line.
“What happened?”
Angie sank into one of the chairs, the adrenaline rush she’d felt a few minutes ago leaving her. “Hope fainted. At least that’s what the EMTs think. We asked about poison but they don’t believe that’s the problem. I just hope they’re right.”
“Oh, no. Where is she?”
“On her way to St. Luke’s Emergency Center on Cole. I hate to ask, but would you call her parents and have them meet us there? Ian and Matt are already on their way to the hospital.” Angie closed her eyes and tried to settle herself. Heatstroke. Not a big deal. Especially for someone as young and healthy as Hope.
“Wait, they left you alone? What were they thinking?”
“I’m an adult. I can make it to the car and to the hospital by myself.” Angie felt her lips curve at Felicia’s worry. “I wanted to check on the trailer and grab my bag before I took off. Things have been weird here.”
“It’s a freaking fair. It should be all fun and play, not running to the hospital.”
“True, but you deal with the cards you’re dealt. Look, just call Hope’s parents. Tell them as little as possible, but lean toward heatstroke, okay? We don’t need to freak them out too.”
Felicia expelled a breath. “I think telling them is going to be easier than telling your team. You know Estebe’s going to want to take off.”
“The service comes first. Remind him of that, and tell him I’ll be there with her. Maybe that will help.”
“Just keep us in the loop. As soon as you hear that she’s okay, call please.”
“Definitely.” Angie stood. “I’ve got to get going. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
She tucked the phone into her backpack and took out her keys, a safety habit she’d picked up in California. She never dug for her keys in a parking lot. Boise might not be San Francisco, but she continued the habit, mostly because it calmed her. And she needed the calm today. She started to walk out and saw the door to Copper Creek’s trailer open. She looked to the security guard, but he was out of sight.
“What else could go wrong today?” Angie stepped over and called out, “Sydney, are you in there?”
When there was no answer, she looked for the guard again. He was across the street, talking to a young woman in a golf cart. They were laughing over something. Apparently flirting with the fair personnel was more important than staying at his post. Whatever.
She decided she’d just step over and shut and lock the door. She would never forgive herself if something happened to their trailer if she could have stopped it.
Stepping up the stairs, she had the doorknob in hand, ready to turn the lock and slam the door. She glanced inside to make sure no one was there or to see if she needed to shut off the lights, and gasped.
The inside of the trailer had been ransacked. Pots, pans, and supplies were all over the floor. She backed down the stairs and ran over to the security guard. “Someone’s trashed Sydney’s trailer.”
He stared down at her, obviously annoyed at being interrupted. “What are you talking about?”
Angie slowed her words down. But her heart was still pounding in her chest. Thank God she’d locked up her trailer before heading out to play, or it could have been her stuff scattered all around and who knows what they would have taken. “The trailer next to mine has been broken in to. You need to call the police.”
Now his eyes widened, and he ran toward the area, already on his walkie-talkie. The girl in the golf cart stared after him. “Maybe I should go too.” She didn’t wait for an answer, but instead started the cart up and took off down the food court lane.
“So much for security.” She wondered if she needed to stay, but then thought of Ian and Matt waiting for her.
She dug her phone out of her pocket and called the number she now knew by heart. Sheriff Brown answered on the first ring.
“What can I help you with, Ms. Turner?” His tone was brisk, and Angie wondered if she’d caught him at dinner.
When she told him about the break-in, he swore. “Stay there. It will take me about an hour to get back.”
“I can’t.” Angie explained that she’d be at the hospital with Hope.
She could hear rustling on the other side of the phone, and she realized he was already getting ready to leave.
“I’m sorry about that. I hope she’s all right. I’ll talk to you later, then.”
And the phone went dead. She’d done all she could here. Now it was time to go wait for news about Hope. And talk to Hope’s parents. And hope they didn’t blame her.
Ian and Matt were in the waiting room when she got there. When Ian looked questioningly at her, she shook her head. Not the time to talk about another issue. “How is she?”
“They won’t tell us anything.” Matt had his head in his hand. “This is my fault. I pushed her into going and riding the rides. She said she wasn’t feeling well before we got on that last roller coaster, but I called her a chicken.”
“It’s not your fault, Matt.” Angie sat next to him and rubbed his back. “She’s a big girl. You can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do.”
“You must be talking about my daughter.” An older man with gray hair stood in front of them in jeans and a T-shirt with a picture of Smokey Bear. Somehow the bear even seemed to look accusingly at Angie. “I’m Bill Anderson. My wife, Gayle, has already gone back to the exam room with the nurses, but they tell us that you followed her in. I’m assuming you’re her work family?”
Ian stood and shook hands. “I’m Ian McNeal. This is Angie Turner and Matt Young. How is she?”
“They tell us she was dehydrated.” He held out his arms to welcome a newcomer to the conversation.
A woman came and hugged him. “She’s awake. They have an IV in for fluids, but they say she’s going to be fine.”
Angie waited for the hug to break before she stood and introduced herself to Hope’s mom. “I’m Angie Turner, Hope’s boss. I’m so glad she’s better. And if there’s anything you need, please feel free to call.”
“We appreciate all you’ve done for her. All she can talk about is the County Seat. Not many chefs get to work at such a wonderful restaurant just starting out.” Gayle hugged her. “Our girl is going to be fine. This is just another lesson for her life plan.”
As Bill and Gayle walked back to the exam room to be with Hope, Angie stood up. “I’m grabbing a few bottles of water for us and then heading home. I need some Dom time.”
When she found the break room, a sobbing Sydney was there, sitting on one of the plastic folding chairs. “Oh, my God, what happened? Are you in labor?”
Sydney looked up at Angie, her face tearstained. “Oh, Angie. I’m so glad to see you.”
She stood and pulled Angie into a hug and cried some more.
Angie let her get it out, then went over to the vending machine. “What do you want to drink?”
“Water’s fine.” Sydney sniffled into her tissue. “My sister’s with Brandon while they move him to a room. I needed some air. I don’t like to cry in front of him.”
“What happened to Brandon? Heatstroke?” Angie wondered how many people the EMTs had transported out of the fairgrounds this weekend.
“What? No, they think he got food poisoning.” She shook her head. “I told him not to eat those nachos that the contest sponsors gave us.”
“What nachos?” Angie figured it wasn’t a good time to mention the break-in at the trailer. Sydney might just go over the deep end. Let her find out later, once Brandon was better.
She looked up at her quizzically. “The ones that were in our trailer after the competition this afternoon. Well, maybe they just gave it to the winning trailer. I can’t believe I won and now we’re here at the hospital rather than celebrating at the restaurant.”
Her phone buzzed with a text. She stood and hugged Angie. “I’ve got to go. They’ve got him moved. The doctors say he’ll be fine by the morning, but pregnant me is tied up in knots with worry.”
Angie waited for her to leave, then set the extra bottles of water down. And for the second time that night, she called Sheriff Brown.
Ian frowned when she came back to the waiting room. “I almost went looking for you. What happened?”