Part 7 (1/2)
”Are you planning to come to the library for the Halloween party tomorrow?” Hazel asked me. ”Your mom will be reading to the preschoolers from our selection of seasonal favorites.”
”I'd like to come if I can work it out. What time is it?”
”We'll start at ten and be done by noon. We spent the day decorating the children's room, and a couple of our volunteers are bringing cupcakes.”
”Can I bring Charlie?”
”Certainly, if you'd like.”
Charlie was spending more time at home now that I lived with Zak and Bella, but I still tried to bring him into town with me as often as was convenient. Charlie enjoyed hanging out with the dog Zak had adopted in July, when her human was forced to move to a retirement community, but he loved kids, and I knew he'd be thrilled to attend the party at the library.
”So how did everything work out with Ellie and the pup?” Pappy joined the conversation. I'd mentioned to him the previous evening that we were making the trip down the mountain to look into adopting a German shepherd.
”It went really well. We haven't introduced him to Charlie and Bella yet, but I'm sure they'll all get along great, as long as poor Charlie doesn't get trampled on.”
While Charlie weighs less than forty pounds, Shep probably weighs close to a hundred, and Bella, a golden retriever/Newfoundland mix, weighs close to one-fifty.
”Your dad has big dogs and Charlie does fine,” Pappy told me.
”That's true, but Shep is a puppy, and a bit more energetic than Dad's dogs.”
My dad and mom have three dogs between them. Tucker, a golden retriever, had been with Dad since he was a pup. He's getting on in years and tends to enjoy sleeping the day away about as much as anything. Last October, I talked Dad into adopting a yellow lab whose owner also had to move to an a.s.sisted living facility. Kiva has a bit more energy than Tucker but likewise is happy to lounge for much of the day. The third dog in the family, Sophie, is a rescue my mom fell in love with while pet sitting for me during the time I brought the pregnant terrier to the boathouse to have her pups.
”I'm glad the adoption worked out. Poor Ellie has had a rough time as of late,” Hazel added.
”Yeah, it's been a tough few months. She did manage not only to get a puppy but a date out of the excursion to Peter Darwin's ranch, though.”
I filled the others in on the chemistry I sensed between Ellie and Peter, and the date they'd set up.
”Good for her,” Nick said, joining the conversation. ”Peter Darwin is a good guy.”
”You know him?” I asked.
”We have some friends in common, so we've played golf a few times.”
”Did you know he was a counselor at Star Lake when the camp was open?” I asked.
”No, I don't know that he's ever mentioned it.”
”He has a photo of a group of counselors in his office. You know who else was a counselor at the same time? Adam Davenport,” I supplied without waiting for an answer.
”Our parapsychologist?” Pappy asked.
”One and the same. Peter told me he only worked at the camp for one summer, but Adam came back every summer until it closed down. I spoke to a man who goes by the name of Puk today. He's another friend of Peter's. He was hired on at the camp the same year Peter was, but he stayed with the program until they shut down. He had some interesting things to say about what went on the night those kids died.”
Nick moved forward so that he was barely still on the chair he was sitting on. ”Do tell. What did he say?”
I took a sip of my wine and settled in for the interesting tale. It was nice to have all eyes in the room on me as Nick, Pappy, and Hazel waited for me to continue.
”According to Puk, Davenport told him that strange things happened at the Henderson house that night. Davenport was there, one of the few who survived. It seems the survivors all swore never to tell anyone what actually happened at the party, so Puk didn't have a lot of details. He did say that he knew the name of one other counselor who was in the house that night.”
”Someone we might know?” Pappy asked.
”His name is Griff Longiness. He moved away after the incident but came back to Ashton Falls last year.”
”Odd that he'd move back to the very place where something so terrifying occurred,” Pappy pointed out.
”Yeah, I thought the same thing, which makes him suspect number one in Davenport's death, as far as I'm concerned.”
Chapter 7.
Thursday, October 23
After spending the morning at the Zoo, digging through the mountain of paperwork on my desk, I called Zak and asked if he and Bella would like to join Charlie and me for lunch in the park. It was another in a string of gorgeous autumn days and it seemed a waste to remain indoors for even one more minute. Jeremy and Tiffany seemed to have things handled at the Zoo, so it was the perfect time to spend the afternoon with my man.
”I'm glad you suggested this,” Zak said as he unpacked the sandwiches and soup he'd picked up from Ellie's. ”You've been so busy that I've barely seen you.”
”I know.” I slid onto one of the picnic benches in the sun. ”I need to try to focus my energy a little better. I totally missed the Halloween party at the library, which I told Hazel I'd try to attend.”
”You have a lot going on right now,” Zak sympathized. ”Is everything set for the opening of Haunted Hamlet tonight?”
”Almost. I need to buy some candy for the kiddie carnival. I thought I'd stop at the market after we finish here.”
”Bella and I will come with you,” Zak offered. ”What kind of candy are you thinking?”
I shrugged. ”I need several thousand pieces since we're giving it out to the children who don't win bigger prizes. I was thinking maybe bubble gum or suckers; the type of thing that comes a hundred to a bag and only costs a few bucks.”
Zak frowned. ”You can't give a kid a single stick of gum as a prize. Let's get candy bars. Full-size Milky Ways, Snickers, and Twix. I'll donate them.”
”Buying several thousand full-size candy bars will cost a fortune.”
Zak smiled. ”I just happen to have one.”
”Okay.” I shrugged. ”But as long as we're buying candy bars, we need to get Baby Ruths and b.u.t.terfingers. They're my favorites. And the local market may not have the inventory we need. You may need to run down to the grocery warehouse in Bryton Lake.”
”Let's check with Ernie first. If he has what we need, I'd rather buy locally. Is there anything else we need for the carnival as long as we're going to the store?”
Charlie looked at Zak and barked.
”I think Charlie wants to remind us that we're out of dog biscuits.” I laughed.
”Don't worry.” Zak scratched his head. ”I won't forget the dog treats.”
”Maybe we should have a selection of treats for any dogs that show up at the carnival with their humans,” I said. Normally, I wouldn't go to the expense for such a well-attended event, but as long as we were spending Zak's money . . .