“I was leery at first because I thought it would be weird to be up here, away from my mom, but I’ve enjoyed it for the most part,” she continued. “Sure, Harris is a little intense about this camp, but it’s only because he wants it to be a success. He doesn’t mean to be a bad guy or anything.”
Since the last statement was directed at her, Harper felt the need to address it. “I don’t think he’s a bad guy,” she reassured the young woman quickly. “It’s not that. Please don’t think that. He just ... bothered me with the Leslie stuff.” She was rueful. “I didn’t think he showed her a lot of respect.”
“That’s just in public,” Becky supplied. “In private, he was torn up about it. He feels he has to be strong for everybody else here. If he falls apart then the participants fall apart, and if that happens they’re likely to leave.”
“Would that be the end of the world?” Jared queried. “I mean ... given what’s happened, maybe it’s best if he lets this group go and set up another group in a few weeks.”
“He’s on a very specific timetable. He wants to make sure everything is up and running perfectly for Halloween. This summer is basically going to be a soft launch. Then he wants to have an absolutely huge fall season with the Halloween enthusiasts. If all goes as planned, by the time we close for winter, he’s hoping to have the bulk of next summer and fall booked.”
“That actually sounds like a smart plan,” Zander noted. “He’s doing it the right way, having this really quiet launch to start to work out all the kinks. I’ve seen far too many people launch hard on stuff like this, and then, when something inevitably goes wrong, it’s hard to recover that momentum.”
“That’s exactly it.” Becky preened a bit as she glanced at Jared. “It was my idea to do the launch like this. I actually did a project kind of similar to this in college — although not with a murder-mystery campground or anything — and I already had the basics in place. I was nervous to mention it to Harris, but he actually really loved the idea.”
“I can see that.” Jared flashed a genuine smile. “I’m sure he feels lucky to have you.”
“I don’t know how lucky he feels. This death could bury him.”
“Or it could serve as free advertising,” Zander argued. “I mean ... a real murder at a murder-mystery camp? That’s going to get people massively excited. Word of mouth will be burning throughout the state.”
Becky hesitated and then nodded. “I brought that up to him. It’s not as if I want to take advantage of that poor woman’s death,” she added hurriedly. “In fact, that’s the last thing I want.”
Jared nodded encouragingly. “We know.”
“This could ultimately be good for Harris, though. Of course, it could go the opposite way if the state shuts us down, too. I think that’s why we’re both on pins and needles until the determination comes in from the medical examiner’s office.”
Jared stirred. “Any word on when that will be?”
Becky shook her head. “No. They told us to sit tight. It’s difficult, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”
“I’m sure everything will work out,” Zander offered, lightly clapping the girl on the shoulder. “I believe things always work out how they’re supposed to.”
“I hope so.” Becky was silent a beat and then held up her hands. “You guys need to be looking for clues, though. I don’t want to interrupt you or serve as a distraction. I’ll just be standing over here if you need anything.” Her gaze was back on Jared. “Honestly, I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
Harper pressed her lips together as Jared lowered his eyes.
“Thank you,” Jared said finally. “I’m pretty sure we can muddle through on our own, though.”
“I’ll still be here. Take your time.”
With nothing better to do, and expectations firmly in place, Harper and her friends went back to focusing on a fake murder. They had no other choice.
12
Twelve
The group kept at it for the bulk of the day, gathering fake clues — that nobody had any interest in — while also keeping their eyes open for real clues as to what might’ve befallen Leslie. It wasn’t an easy endeavor.
By the time dinner rolled around, Harper was happy to take a break ... even if her mind continued to function at a fantastic rate.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier,” Jared noted as they sat at their table, trays full of food. They’d purposely selected a spot that was away from the rest of the group so they could talk in relative peace, which was something that wasn’t possible with Becky hanging on their every word.
“That’s because your new girlfriend has a tight leash on you,” Harper teased.
Jared’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not funny.”
She took pity on him, although only marginally. “It’s kind of funny,” she countered, refusing to let him wallow in self-pity. “You can’t tell me that you don’t enjoy spending time with your number one fan.”
“Um, yes I can.” Jared was adamant. “Listen, I get that she’s a nice girl. She’s also a pain. She just ... doesn’t take a hint.”
“She is a little lacking when it comes to picking up social cues,” Shawn agreed as he sat down across from them. He’d loaded up on food, two hamburgers and potato salad, and looked ready to dig in. “That could be youth, though. I don’t particularly remember being all that bright at that age.”
“She’s not all that much younger than you,” Jared pointed out, amused despite himself at the way Shawn scowled. “She’s not that far removed from any of us. Like six and seven years in most cases.”
“You can pack a lifetime of learning in six or seven
