Murder at Camp (Pineville Gazette Mystery Book 5)

by Wendy Meadows

  Betty took a deep breath and began helping Mary back toward camp, one painfully slow step after the next.

  Chapter Eight

  Mary spotted John Cunningham standing outside of the cave, throwing his eyes around, studying the land with a concerned expression. She raised her left hand and waved at him. “Mr. Cunningham!” she called out.

  John shot his head forward, saw Mary and Betty breaking through a set of trees, and ran to them. “Where have you been?” he asked. “I have been very worried. I checked the cabin, and you weren’t there.”

  Mary drew in a tired, wet breath. “Roy Delston took me hostage...it’s a long story. The important thing is he’s dead. But Mr. Cunningham,” Mary said in a frantic voice, “we have to leave this land. Roy Delston has men at the MacNight Dam. They’ve set dynamite and are going to destroy the dam in less than...well..” Mary shook her head. “Maybe an hour?” She pointed down at her ankle. “My ankle is hurt, and it took effort...and time...to get back here.”

  Betty looked up at the dark, gray sky and let out a scared whimper. “We don’t have time, Mary. There’s no way we can beat the clock.”

  John looked down at Mary’s ankle and then raised his eyes. “The MacNight Dam will put this land under many feet of water,” he warned. “There will be no safe place to take shelter.”

  Mary heard despair in John’s voice. “Mr. Cunningham, there—”

  “Mary! Betty!” Stephanie yelled. Mary looked at the cave and saw Stephanie running out. “Where have you been? Oh, I was so worried!” Stephanie ran to Mary and hugged her, then hugged Betty. “I was so worried,” she said again. “What happened to you?”

  Mary quickly explained about Roy Delston, her ankle, and then the dam. “We have to leave right now,” she pleaded.

  Stephanie’s face went pale. She turned, ran into the cave, and pulled Andy out. “Mary, tell Andy what you told me! Hurry!”

  Mary blurted out the bad news. As she did Andy’s face drained of color. “We have to get to get upriver,” he demanded. “The dam will flood this entire valley. We’re sitting ducks.”

  John glanced at the cave. “I will go get the prisoners. Andy, you find Mrs. Holland a better crutch. Hurry, now.”

  Mary watched John rush into the cave. “Hurry,” she begged Andy.

  Andy threw his eyes around, searching for anything that would act as a stable crutch, and spotted a fallen stick that was taller than the one Mary was holding. The stick would support Mary’s arm better, allowing her to move quicker, rather than having to lean low. “There,” he said and ran to fetch the stick, ignoring the rain and winds.

  Mary glanced up at the sky, saw a flash of lightning race through the dark clouds, and shivered. “We’re not going to make it.”

  “We have to get upriver,” Stephanie told Mary, forcing a shaky calmness to her voice that didn’t hold. “We have to get to the high ground.”

  Betty grabbed Mary’s left hand. “We’re going to be okay, aren’t we, Mary?” she asked as tears began to fall from her eyes. “I want to see Mother again and eat apple pie at the diner and drink hot tea before bed and bake cookies.”

  Mary placed her cheek against Betty’s forehead. “We’re going to try,” she promised.

  “Here,” Andy said, running over to Mary with the new crutch just as John began pushing Dylan, Tom, and Mitchell out of the cave. “Try this.”

  Mary took the new crutch, placed it under her arm, tested it, and nodded. “Better,” she said. “I don’t have to bend down.”

  “If you try to escape,” John warned his prisoners, “I’ll leave you tied to a tree.”

  “I should have known that snake would have a hidden card up his sleeve,” Mitchell hissed as he walked toward Mary. “All of those private meetings I wasn’t invited to...I should have known.”

  “Please,” Tom begged, “we have to hurry or we’ll all drown.”

  John pushed Dylan and Tom toward Mitchell. “Andy, you will take the rear with me,” he ordered. “Miss Aires, you, Mrs. Holland, and Miss Mavery will take the front. You three,” he ordered, pointing at Dylan, Tom, and Mitchell, “will walk single file. We’ll walk fast and nonstop. Now move.”

  Stephanie glanced down at Mary’s ankle. “I know it’s going to hurt, but walk as fast as possible,” she begged and began moving. Betty took Mary’s left hand, placed it over her shoulder, and hurried after Stephanie. Dylan followed next, followed by Tom and then Mitchell. John and Andy took the rear.

  “Hurry,” Stephanie begged, resisting the urge to break out into a full run and leave her hurt cousin behind. She slapped rain away from her face, worked her way around a wet tree, and then stepped back onto the trail.

  “We’re not going to live if we keep walking at this pace,” Mitchell complained. “John, cut the ropes. We’ll carry the woman.”

  “No,” John answered in a stern voice. “Keep walking.”

  Mitchell turned his head and growled at John. “We have different mothers and I’m thankful for that. But it sickens me to know I share some of your blood.”

  “Walk,” John ordered.

  “At least the white man who we come from has enough sense to understand the way of life!” Mitchell yelled at John.

  “The white man was a drunk who ruined everything he touched,” John snapped. “He never put food on the table. Never tended to the crops. Never paid the bills. My mother suffered greatly because of him and so did yours.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Mitchel hissed and focused back on the trail. “Maybe he was a louse but at least he understood how to put himself first, and that’s all that matters.”

  John shook his head, grew silent, and studied Mary as he walked through the storm. “Mrs. Holland will cause us all to die,” he finally whispered to Andy. “I want you to take everyone and run. I’m going to stay behind with Mrs. Holland.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” Andy told John and pushed a low-hanging tree limb away from his face. “I’m not a coward.”

  “I know that, my friend, and that’s why I trust you to watch our prisoners.” John looked at Andy with stern eyes. “I’ll start carrying Mrs. Holland to the high grounds.”

  “You can’t carry Mary that far.”

  “I’ll rest when I need to,” John told Andy and without saying another word to him he yelled at Stephanie to stop walking.

  “What is it?” Stephanie asked as thunder shook the sky loose.

  Mary and Betty swung around. “What’s wrong?” Mary called out.

  John nodded at Andy. Andy hesitated, reached his eyes into the storm, and then ran up to Mary, brushing past Mitchell, Dylan, and Tom. “Mary, we’re not going to make it at this pace,” he explained. “John wants me to take everyone and run. He’s going to stay behind and try to carry you to high ground.”

  “I’m not leaving Mary,” Betty exclaimed in a panicked voice. “Mary is my dearest friend...my sister.”

  “I’m not leaving Mary, either,” Stephanie informed Andy.

  Andy rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re all going to drown if the dam is destroyed,” he said in a worried voice. “Mary just can’t keep up a good pace on her hurt ankle.”

  “Andy is right,” Mary said in a quick voice. “I’m slowing everyone down and we’re running out of time.” Mary looked at Betty. “Betty—”

  “I’m not leaving you and that’s final,” Betty said in a voice that nearly brought Mary to tears.

  “Andy, Stephanie, take Dylan, Tom, and Mr. Rideback and get out of here,” Mary begged. “There’s no sense in all of us risking death.”

  “That’s right,” Tom yelled in a furious voice. His face was red and his eyes desperate for life. “My death will on your hands.”

  “Your wife’s death is already on your hands,” Mary reminded Tom and sighed. “If...her body is never found, why, it’ll be our word against his...” Mary shook her head. “No judge will hold any of these men, will they?”

  Andy looked down at the rainy ground and kicked a stick. �
�I doubt it,” he said in an angry voice. “The flooding will destroy all the evidence. It’ll be their word against ours.”

  “That’s right!” Mitchell yelled and turned to John. “Cut me free...we’ll settle our differences later.”

  “Cut them all free,” Betty ordered John in a sad voice. “Let them run away like the savage animals they are. The rest of us will stay behind and work as a team to carry Mary to the high ground.”

  John looked into Betty’s sorrowful eyes and realized an ugly truth. Even if he did manage to escape and bring Dylan, Tom, and Mitchell to the sheriff, what good would it do? The sheriff would demand proof. Showing up empty-handed would certainly create an immediate defeat. And even worse, Tom, Dylan, and Mitchell could all insist that John had taken them hostage and try to have him arrested. John read all of these things in Betty’s wise eyes. “Yes, okay,” he said. He took out his knife and quickly cut his prisoners free.

  Mitchell rubbed his wrists, threw his deadly eyes at John, and promised revenge. “Not now, though,” he hissed and without saying another word took off running at a full sprint. Tom and Dylan hesitated, looked at each other, and then chased after him down the trail.

  “There they go,” John said in a miserable voice, putting his knife away. He ran to Mary. “Please, Mrs. Holland, crawl up...piggyback.” John lowered his back. “Hurry.”

  Mary threw down her stick, crawled up onto John’s back with the help of Andy, and held on tight. “I’m ready, Mr. Cunningham.” John started off in a quick trot. Even though he wasn’t a young twenty-year-old he was still in great health and knew he could carry Mary a good way before growing tired.

  Stephanie grabbed Betty’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  Betty got her legs moving and didn’t look back. She kept her eyes on Mary and John, feeling Andy covering the rear like a brave soldier. Minutes passed, and then before she knew it Mary’s car came into view. John trotted past Mary’s car and continued north, striking out on a second trail that was nearly impossible to see from the parking area. He moved north for another five minutes and then stopped. “Andy, your turn,” he said, breathing hard.

  Andy ran up to Mary, and with the help of Stephanie, put her on his back. “Okay?” he asked Mary.

  Mary tucked her head down against the rain and wind. “I feel like I’m being bounced all over the earth,” she said, “but yes, I’m okay. Hurry.”

  Andy checked on John and then got his legs moving. As he did the ground beneath his feet began to vibrate. The vibrations were weak but easily felt. “John?”

  John dropped down to his knees and placed his hands on the ground. His eyes grew wide. “Run!” he yelled. “The water is coming our way.”

  Andy took off with Mary as fast as his legs would carry him. Stephanie grabbed Betty’s hand. “Don’t faint,” she begged and dragged Betty off. Betty, although she did indeed feel like fainting, decided that staying conscious was far better than drowning.

  John took up the rear, keeping his eyes east. “We have to—” But he was interrupted by two voices.

  “Get up a tree!” Dylan yelled.

  John shot his eyes upward and saw Tom, Dylan, and Mitchell all cradled up in a tall tree. “Mitchell said we would be safe up in this tree,” Tom yelled down. “He said the floodwaters won’t reach this high.”

  “You can’t take that risk. Get down and get to the high ground,” John begged.

  “You’ll never make the high ground,” Mitchell taunted John.

  “What is it?” Andy yelled back at John. John raised his hands and pointed up at the tree. Andy looked up, spotted three skunks sitting on high branches, and shook his head. “Forget them, we have to run!” he yelled and started moving again..

  “Your fate is your own,” John told Tom, Dylan, and Mitchell and took off running. Just a couple of minutes later the ground began to shake more violently. “Hurry!” John yelled as the trail finally began to climb uphill. He ran up to Andy, grabbed Mary off his shoulder, and pushed Andy forward. “Go...all of you! I’ll take care of Mrs. Holland!”

  Betty could hear the sound of rushing waters in the distance. She heard trees snapping, ground breaking loose, and hills caving in. “Mary—”

  “We have no more than five minutes!” John yelled. “Run!”

  “Run, Betty!” Mary begged with tears in her eyes. “Run!”

  Andy grabbed Betty and without saying a word forced her to run. Stephanie followed close behind. John situated Mary on his back and took off like a deer on powerful legs. He ran hard, keeping pace, to Mary’s shock, with Andy, Betty, and Stephanie. He ran up the trail, breathing hard, staying focused, not daring to look behind him. He ran as hard as his heart would let him. And then, when he couldn’t run anymore, he collapsed down onto the trail just as the raging water struck the camp like a bomb exploding. The ground shook so violently that Mary slid off of John’s back and fell down to the ground.

  “I’m...sorry...Mrs. Holland. I—” John tried to speak but was stopped when Andy grabbed him up into his arms and began dragging him uphill. Betty and Stephanie grabbed Mary’s arm and began half pulling, half dragging her uphill. As they did, vicious waters that were once contained behind a dam began running up the trail with hungry eyes.

  “The water...” John tried to speak.

  “I see...I see,” Andy yelled and pulled John even harder.

  “Hurry!” Stephanie cried, pulling Mary uphill as fast as her legs would allow her.

  “Oh dear!” Betty yelled, seeing the floodwaters racing up the trail, flooding everything. “Goodbye, Mother! Please don’t marry Mr. Steen!”

  “Oh my,” Mary cried and began thinking about her husband. “Oh, John...my sweet husband...we never...” Mary stopped talking as the water reached her feet. “This is...goodbye...this is—”

  “I love you, Mary!” Betty yelled, feeling the floodwaters rushing over her shoes and trying to climb up to her ankles.

  “Don’t give up...keep dragging her up the trail,” Stephanie begged, trying her best to ignore the face of anger that was hissing at her. She felt the water rush up to her ankles. “Keep dragging her, Betty!”

  Betty threw her eyes forward, drew in all the courage she could muster under the circumstances, and continued to drag Mary uphill. As she did, the waters climbed a little past her ankles.

  John, feeling his strength return, yanked free of Andy. “Run!” he ordered Betty and Stephanie. “Andy, you and I will carry Mrs. Holland. Hurry!” Andy ran to Mary, and with John’s help, placed her over his shoulder. John threw his hands on Mary’s back and began pushing her and Andy both up the trail as the floodwaters raced up to his knees and then up to his waist. “Keep moving!”

  “I’m trying,” Andy yelled, feeling the floodwaters reaching up toward his own waist. John kept pushing at Mary and Andy, watching Betty and Stephanie move up the trail to higher ground. He felt the floodwaters struggling to reach past his waist, threatening his footing. And then...slowly...very slowly...as he continued to push Mary and Andy up the trail...the floodwaters lowered down to his thighs, then down to his knees caps, and then dropped all the way down to his ankles...and then John stepped onto ground that was only being soaked by rain water. The floodwaters had reached as high as they were going.

  Far down the trail three tree skunks were not as blessed.

  Mary wrapped a warm towel around her hair, glanced down at the pink robe she had purchased, and then limped over to a soft bed covered with a soft orange and white blanket and sat down. “The hot shower was nice,” she told Betty. “My ankle is feeling better, too. The doctor said I just twisted it.”

  Betty picked a cheeseburger out of a brown bag and sighed. Sure, she was grateful to be alive, grateful to be at the Pumpkin Inn, inside a nice, safe room, grateful to have food and grateful that she was wearing a brown and white dress that didn’t make her look like a piece of fruit. But still, her heart felt very sad; sad for Mary.

  “This trip was supposed to be fun, Mary,” she sa
id as she sat down at a round, square table resting in front of a window covered with pretty white curtains. “Instead you were nearly killed, nearly drowned, and have a hurt ankle—”

  “Don’t forget that I lost my car,” Mary tried to joke but failed. She was far too tired to joke around. “I think I’ll have a cheeseburger,” she said, standing up, hobbling over to the table, and plopping down. Betty lovingly retrieved Mary a cheeseburger. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Betty smiled and pushed a brown mug full of hot coffee across the table toward Mary. “Here is your coffee.”

  “You’re a mercy,” Mary told her best friend.

  Betty blushed. “Making a pot of coffee doesn’t take a lot of courage.”

  Mary set her cheeseburger down onto a brown paper plate and looked at Betty with loving eyes. “We arrived at Stephanie’s camp and were thrown into a very deadly situation laced with many villains. You were amazing.”

  “You were the...you made sure Roy Delston got what he deserved,” Betty said and felt guilt strike her heart. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that. My words were mean and uncalled for. It’s not up to me to judge.”

  “The Bible teaches us to love justice,” Mary told Betty and patted her hand. “Roy Delston was set on killing innocent people. His heart was full of evil. He...got what was coming to him.” Mary took a sip of her coffee. “I should feel bad but I don’t,” she confessed. “The truth is, I’m glad the river destroyed Roy Delston. The floodwaters didn’t only destroy Stephanie’s camp. They destroyed many homes, nearly killed eight people, and flooded numerous pumpkin patches that people depend on. Roy Delston caused harm to many people in a vain attempt to kill his enemies.”

  “I guess when you put it that way,” Betty said, picking up a second mug of coffee and taking a careful sip. “I’m just glad the criminals who blew up the dam were caught.”

  “Me, too,” Mary said in a relieved voice. “The sheriff over in the next county said when he saw a black car cross the county line carrying four men wearing black suits he became suspicious.”