“Way more than is necessary,” Zander agreed, sidling closer to the couple. “Jared is definitely not gay. You never have to worry about him dropping that bomb on you later in life.”
“Thank you,” Jared said dryly. “That’s a weird thing to say, but I appreciate it.”
Zander beamed. “You’re welcome.”
“Just out of curiosity, how can you be sure I’m not gay?”
“Because your nipples are freakishly large, and if you were gay you would have them filed down or something.”
Jared scowled. “And I so deserved that because I stupidly opened myself up to it.”
“You did.” Zander clapped Jared on the shoulder and offered up a legitimate grin. “Not that I’m not having fun, but what’s the next step? You talked to Leslie a long time. Did she give you any leads at all?”
“No.” Harper shook her head. “She doesn’t remember what happened. The life she lived before is one timeline to her. Everything that has happened since her death is another. She needs to be able to separate those timelines.”
“Is that something you can help her with?” Jared queried. “I mean ... is that something you can work out together?”
“In theory. It depends on how fast she can put her memories together. We can’t rely on her.” Harper was matter-of-fact. “We need to figure this out without her help.”
“How do you suggest we do that?” Shawn asked.
“We need to pay attention to the players,” Harper replied. “We need to get to know the rest of the people hanging around the campground. That includes the participants, the workers, and anyone else who might have ready access to this place on a daily basis.”
“Most everybody is back at the bonfire,” Jared noted. “There was talk of s’mores and hard cider.”
Harper brightened considerably. “I’m not a fan of cider, but who doesn’t love a s’more?”
Jared smirked. “You’ve got me there. So, bonfire it is. We’ll head over and start feeling people out.”
“The key is to see if anybody is acting weird,” Harper stressed. “Odds are everybody is feeling off given what happened. There’s likely only one killer here, though.”
“Then let’s find a killer.” Jared linked his fingers with hers and gave her a little tug. “I’ll make you a s’more and everything. How does that sound?”
“Weak.”
“What?”
“I want two s’mores.”
That had his grin widening. “So, basically you want to get hopped up on sugar and find a killer. That sounds fun. What could possibly go wrong with that plan?”
14
Fourteen
As far as Harper could tell, almost everyone involved with the event was grouped around the central bonfire when they returned to the campground. Jared suggested separating into pairs so they didn’t appear intimidating when questioning workers and they went from there.
“You’re so lucky,” Becky gushed when Harper ran into the woman near the supply table.
Harper didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know what Becky had focused her attention on. Jared was behind her talking to one of the actors. “I’m definitely lucky. I tell myself that every single day.”
“He’s just ... amazing.” Her expression was whimsical. “Are there days when you still wake up and think it’s a dream? I mean ... he’s so amazing. You must wonder if you ended up with him by accident or something.”
Harper was taken aback. “Well ... I don’t really think about things in those terms.” She forced a smile she didn’t really feel. “I like to think Jared and I are equals.”
“Of course.” Becky had the grace to be abashed. “I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just ... he’s so freaking hot.”
Harper wanted to be offended at the woman’s insistence on focusing on Jared, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “He’s very attractive,” she agreed. “I like to think all my men are attractive, though.” She darted her eyes to where Shawn and Zander talked to one of the men Harris had referred to as a “guide” upon their initial tour of the property. “Beauty is everywhere in my life.”
Becky followed Harper’s gaze and made a face. “If they’re trying to get Lance for a threesome, they’re going to have a rude awakening,” she noted. “I’m pretty sure he’s not gay.”
“They’re not recruiting,” Harper reassured her. “It’s okay for gay men to talk to straight men. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you.” Becky’s eyes went wide. “I was just talking without thinking. My mother always said that was going to be my downfall.”
“Yes, well, Zander’s mother told him that, too.” Harper smiled as a particularly loud memory from her childhood pushed to the forefront. “He’s still walking around and fine. I’m sure you’ll survive, too.”
“I certainly hope so. I love my job.” As if remembering who she was and what she was supposed to be doing, Becky suddenly dusted off her hands and turned serious. “Is there something you need? I guess I thought you guys turned in after dinner. I haven’t seen you in almost two hours.”
“We went for a walk,” Harper replied, not missing a beat. “We wanted to see if we could find more clues. My understanding is that they will be placed in the various areas over the course of the event so they’re not necessarily in place at the start.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think Harris plans on putting out clues after dark.” Becky’s lips curved down. “He was thrown by the call from the police. I’m guessing the next round of clues won’t be available until tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, well, I should’ve figured that was the case.” Harper briefly allowed her attention to drift to Harris, who talked to Josh and Jenny with fake gusto even though his heart clearly wasn’t in the conversation. “Um ... I heard the ingredients for s’mores were up here. Jared asked me to get some.”
“Oh, they’re right over here.” Becky cleared a spot in front of the table. “Jared doesn’t strike me as the s’mores type. I figured he worked out
