“There will definitely be time to wander around,” Harris replied. “We’re starting with a tour, though. Basically, the goal of the camp is to be interactive. So, we will set up weekends, or even five-day events, where the objective will be to solve a mystery. That means there will be various things happening over the course of that time period.
“There’s more than just this campground out here,” he continued. “There’s an old barn to the west and an old cemetery to the east. We’ve taken over what used to be a campground way station, too. Oh, and there’s an old state police outpost that they said we can do whatever we want with because if they ever want to start working out of this area again they’ll have to build a new outpost.
“So, we have several actors on the premises — and no, we won’t tell you how many because that’s part of the game, too. We want the guests to explore and uncover clues on their own.”
Jared bobbed his head in understanding. “That’s smart ... and impressive.”
“If it all works out,” Becky countered. “This is only the first of what we think will be many test runs. It’s going to take a lot of work to get things running smoothly.”
“It’s still smart.” Jared rubbed his hand over Harper’s back as she ate. The move was less proprietary and more self-defense than anything. The avid way Becky stared made him distinctly uncomfortable. “Will you have more than one story to solve?”
“Yes.” Harris was enthusiastic as he rubbed his hands together. “We hope to have ten different stories to work from, at the very least. We’ve been considering doing some ‘ripped from the headlines’ stuff as well, but we’re still debating about that.”
“I happen to think that stuff is a bad idea,” Becky offered. “I mean ... people want to come to a place like this because they’re looking for an escape. Sure, it’s also meant to be gory fun, but you don’t want the gore to become too gruesome.
“So, like, if there was a real serial killer running around out there doing terrible things, we wouldn’t want to focus on him because it would upset people,” she continued. “The goal is to entertain through horror, not frighten through real-life trauma.”
“That seems smart,” Harper noted, her forehead wrinkling. “You’re basically saying you want to focus on people like Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers versus Ted Bundy and Ed Gein.”
“Yes.” Harris’ eyes widened. “Like I said earlier, you’re very smart. If you ever want to entertain the idea of a new career, I think I might be able to secure a job for you.”
“Oh, well, I’m flattered.” Harper shot a nervous look toward Jared, who appeared amused. “I’m pretty happy where I am, though.”
“With me,” Jared teased, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. “There’s no way I’ll let you steal my girl.”
“Oh, wow,” Becky said on an exhale.
Harper’s cheeks burned as she went back to her breakfast. “Just out of curiosity, you mentioned allowing guests to wander around and uncover clues. Shouldn’t there be an inciting event — like a murder or something — before they start digging for clues?”
Harris beamed at her. “Oh, I would totally like to steal you away from this guy.” He jerked a thumb in Jared’s direction. “An inciting event is necessary. Things will be slightly different for this event because it’s our first time out, and we want to make sure that you understand the lay of the land. After that, though, it’s anybody’s guess what will happen.”
“Well, that’s something to look forward to.” Jared kept his hand on Harper’s back and tried to avoid Becky’s penetrating gaze. “Are we leaving right after breakfast?”
Harris chuckled, genuinely amused. “We are. Probably about ten minutes. Can you last that long?”
“I certainly hope so.”
“He’ll be fine,” Harper reassured the business owner. “We’ll be ready to go when it’s time.”
“Yes, my wet hair is really looking forward to it,” Zander groused. “It’s going to be quite the day.”
Harris’ smirk broadened. “I think it’s going to be a day for the record books. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to this.”
“We all are,” Harper said. “It’s going to be a first for everybody ... and then some.”
4
Four
Technically the campground consisted of multiple acres. The tour didn’t take long, however, because not everything was open on the property.
“This is still a work in progress,” Harris explained to Harper. He seemed eager to get her take on things, and while she was flattered, she was also annoyed that he kept infringing on her personal space. “We have a lot of ideas. We figured the barn and cemetery were most important.”
“That’s probably smart.” Harper flashed a smile before focusing on the cemetery. “Is this place real? I mean ... was it a functioning cemetery at one time?”
“It was,” he confirmed, bobbing his head. “It’s been out of use for years. Still, the older tombstones add a sense of ambiance.”
“Uh-huh.” She moved closer to one of the tombstones, one where the name had long since faded. “I guess there’s no one left to visit these people.”
“Probably not.” Harris was a businessman, so his tone was unsympathetic. “I believe the last real body went into this cemetery in the 1950s, so that was quite a long time ago.”
“Yeah.” Harper dragged her attention away from the tombstone and searched the scattered group participants for Jared. She found him crouched down on the far side of the small cemetery. “I’m going to check in with my people.”
“Absolutely.” Harris beamed at her. “Just ... um ... you’re having a good time, right?”
Harper understood his needy nature. He’d invested everything he had into this operation after all. That didn’t mean his determination to get her on board before things had even kicked off didn’t grate. “I am having a good time.” She hoped her smile came off as legitimate rather than forced. “I’m really looking forward to seeing
