BEANED BY MURDER

HART TIMES COZY MYSTERIES, BOOK 8

EMMA AINSLEY

SUMMER PRESCOTT BOOKS PUBLISHING

Copyright 2023 Summer Prescott Books

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Also by Emma Ainsley

Author’s Note

Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

CHAPTER ONE

“And here is the kitchen area where you will stage the meals from,” the camp host said to Carolina Hart. She followed her around the wooden deck and peeked inside the round structure. From the inside, you could never have guessed that the yurt was not a brick and mortar building. Carolina was delighted to see the solid oak cabinets and plentiful counter space. She would have a lot to work with, along with the rest of her crew for the long weekend.

“Is this building permanent?” Carolina asked Deborah Jo Wilkins, the camp host and owner of Paradise Glamping.

“Actually, no,” Deborah Jo said. “This structure goes up and down just like the rest of them.”

“It’s still so amazing to me,” Carolina said. She shook her head as she spoke. “I never thought of camping like this.”

“Trust me,” Deborah Jo said. “Once you meet the clientele, you’ll understand why this is the only kind of camping they would ever do. We offer a relaxing getaway for our guests. There are activities, mostly new age in nature. But that’s my partner’s wheelhouse, not mine.” She spoke softly so that her words didn’t carry beyond just the two of them.

Carolina stepped off the wooden deck and back on to the mulch covered pathway that led between each of the structures. She was about twenty miles west of her hometown of Sycamore Ridge, New Mexico, in the middle of nowhere. Even her cell phone didn’t pick up any signal. She wondered how the all-female guest list would fare over the next five days.

“And you are happy with the final menu as I have submitted it to you?” Carolina asked. She wanted to make sure everything was in place before she ventured back to the Hart Family Restaurant to finalize her preparations for the extended weekend. It was one of the longest catering gigs she had ever endeavored to undertake, and one of the most promising.

“Oh, absolutely,” Deborah Jo said. Her brown eyes sparkled as she spoke. Carolina had instantly liked the woman. She was in her mid-fifties, plump but athletic, sweet but stern when it came to business. “The breakfast buffet is perfect. I love the idea of pre-made lunches, and I have absolutely zero complaints when it comes to the sit-down meals at night. If any of our guests have a problem, it won’t be because of the food.”

“Do your guests often have problems?”

“My guests always have problems,” Deborah Jo said. “That’s why they come to these retreats. They spend five days away from the hustle and bustle of their normal lives out where it’s quiet and calm and peaceful. The idea is for them to reconnect with themselves before they go back into the thick of things.”

“It sounds like it will be an interesting weekend,” Carolina said. She checked the clock on her cell phone. “I best be getting back. My staff and I still have a lot of preparations to complete before we head out first thing in the morning.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Deborah Jo said. “Just remember, no one will arrive until around lunchtime, so you don’t have to worry about the breakfast bar in the morning.”

“Right, I remember,” Carolina said. She extended her hand to the woman. “It was nice to meet you in person. When will I meet your partner?”

“Monica will be around tomorrow when you get here,” Deborah Jo said taking her hand. “Oh, I almost forgot. Here you go.” She pulled a white envelope out of her handbag and handed it to Carolina.

“What’s this?” Carolina turned the envelope over in her hand without opening it.

“That’s your fee,” Deborah Jo said “I know we agreed upon me paying you the rest at the end of the weekend, but I know what it’s like to run a small business. I wanted to make sure you received that from me directly.”

“Thank you very much,” Carolina said, careful to contain her surprise and shock. “You have to be the first person who has ever paid me in full ahead of time.”

Deborah Jo smiled. “I worked in the service industry for a number of years before I finally saved up enough money to open this business,” she said. “I know how it goes sometimes. I could write a book about the things I’ve seen in this industry. You have to grab onto the business and hold tight with both fists. Anyway, enough of that. I’ll see you in the morning.” She smiled warmly at Carolina and headed back into the large yurt.

Carolina tucked the envelope into her pocket and headed back down the path toward the parking area. She glanced inside some of the open tents as she made the trek back over the one-hundred-yard span between the camp and the parking space. Just like the yurt in the center, Carolina was surprised to see four poster beds with layers of plump throw pillows placed in the middle of the tents. She was equally surprised to see the wooden porches that had been assembled in front of each one.

She might have been just as shocked to see a four-poster bed covered in fine quilts in the middle of the woods somewhere. The tents seemed as out of place as if she had happened upon a full living room suite. But perhaps that was the draw of “glamping,” or glamorous camping, as Deborah Jo had explained it to her.

Carolina sat in the driver’s seat of her car for a moment and closed her eyes. She felt the euphoria of landing the long weekend gig at the retreat, but somewhere inside her mind, she had an inkling of panic. There was so much to do in such a small space of time. At least the number of guests wasn’t huge. Less than a dozen women were expected. Along with staff and the host, Carolina had planned the number of guests for each meal at fifty people, even though she knew the number was high.

“Why are you planning for so many people?” Uncle Toad had asked her the night before.

“The rule of thumb is to add at least ten percent above the total,” Carolina said. “And Deborah Jo told me there would be various people coming in and out all the time.”

“What people?” he’d asked. “I thought this was a faraway retreat.”

“It is,” Carolina had told him. “But there will be horseback rides, so the trainers and horse handlers will be there. I know there will be yoga classes as well. I think Deborah Jo said something about massage therapists coming in, too. So, if there’s one therapist per guest…”

“Okay, okay, I get the picture. I can see how that number could be around fifty.”

The one thing her uncle had not said was that he felt like taking on the glamping gig was a mistake. As a matter of fact, most everyone at the restaurant expressed their enthusiasm for it. Carolina herself was very grateful, though she did worry about the lack of cell phone service in the area. She planned to take a minimal crew with her, just herself, a server, and a cook.

Marissa Lopez, Carolina’s cousin and closest friend, agreed to accompany her first thing in the morning, despite having to leave her family for a few days. They would be joined by Levi Miller, sous chef at the Hart Family Restaurant and Carolina’s significant other. Uncle Toad volunteered to stay behind at the cafe. Camping just wasn’t his thing, he’d told them. Carolina wondered if his outlook would change given the chance to see the luxurious accommodations.

“Well, how was it?” Uncle Toad asked her when she returned to the restaurant half an hour later.

“You wouldn’t believe it.” Carolina beamed.

Levi turned around from the grill and smiled at her. “So, no cooking over hot coals on the ground?” he teased.

“No, not at all,” Carolina said. “You couldn’t tell that kitchen apart from one inside of a nice restaurant. I mean, it’s inside a yurt, but you’d never know that from the way it looks inside.”

“What on earth is a yurt?” Denise Lopez, Marissa’s younger sister-in-law, asked. She reached inside her apron pocket to unwrap a stick of chewing gum. She popped the gum in her mouth and leaned against the kitchen sink. “It sounds like some kind of Turkish dish or something.”

“No, a yurt is a round structure built on a platform. It’s basically built over a wooden framework with canvas stretched over it to make the outer walls and the roof,” Uncle Toad said. “Some people live in those things full time.”

“I had a buddy that put one up outside of Tucson after he got out of the military,” Levi offered. “I’m not sure you could do that in the Midwest, but out in the desert, they’re perfect structures.”

“Is it really camping if you’re sleeping inside of a yurt then?” Marissa asked from the doorway into the kitchen.

Carolina chuckled and shook her head. “They’re not sleeping in yurts,” she explained. “But you’ve never seen tents like these. The inside looks like a hotel room and the outside has a covered porch. This is not your typical camping setup.”

“And they move this whole thing from site to site?” Uncle Toad said. “That’s just incredible to me.”

“It’s sort of like when the carnival comes to town,” Carolina said. “They truck those rides in and set them up for a few days then break them down and drive away. I think it’s the same concept.”

“I guess it really doesn’t matter,” Levi said. “As long as they pay their bill, it doesn’t matter to us what they sleep in at night.”

“Don’t forget we’ll be sleeping there at night, too,” Carolina said.

“I did forget about that,” Uncle Toad said. “How is that going to work?”

“Marissa and I will share one of the tents,” Carolina said. “Deborah Jo provided one with a divided space and two smaller beds.”

“What about Levi?” he asked.

“I’ll be sleeping in the loft inside of the yurt,” Levi said with a slight eye roll.

“You’re sleeping in the kitchen?” Marissa asked.

“Technically above the kitchen,” Levi said.

“Speaking of the bill,” Carolina said, pulling the envelope from her back pocket. “She already paid.”

“Wow! That’s fantastic news. Hopefully everything goes well,” Marissa said.

“It will,” Carolina said. “This is a sign it will be a good weekend despite our concerns about cooking for a bunch of campers.”

CHAPTER TWO

“Why does it feel like we have so much stuff this time?” Marissa asked when they’d met up at the restaurant that morning.

“Because we’ll be staying on-site until the end of the weekend,” Carolina said. “Those Mexican breakfast bowls alone require a lot of separate ingredients.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have done a build-your-own-breakfast bar,” Marissa quipped.

“On the contrary,” Carolina said. “I think the breakfast bar is the best idea we could have come up with. We’re providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for these people. Dinner is going to be bad enough given that it’s a sit down meal.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about breakfast today,” Marissa said. “I’m so glad we took the time to make the lunches last night.”

“Which probably accounts for quite a bit of the stuff in the van and your car,” Carolina observed. “Everything else will be assembled here on site.”

Just before ten, everyone headed out with Carolina driving the catering van by herself, Levi riding on his motorcycle, and Marissa following in her car. Just like the catering van, Marissa’s personal vehicle was packed full of food and other items for the remainder of the weekend.

The campgrounds were still empty when they finished unloading both vehicles. Carolina spotted Deborah Jo in the distance and waved at her. She assumed the small, dark-haired woman standing with her was Monica, her business partner and co-owner. Deborah Jo motioned her to come over.

“Monica, this is Carolina with the catering firm we hired,” Deborah Jo said. “Carolina Hart, meet Monica Burch, my business partner.”

Carolina immediately smiled and extended her hand. She took for granted that the second owner of Paradise Glamping would be as congenial as the first. but Monica Burch was nothing like Deborah Jo Wilkins. Instead of shaking Carolina’s hand, Monica looked her over and tightened her mouth into a scowl.

“You do intend to dress more appropriately when you serve food today, don’t you?” Monica asked.

Carolina looked down at her pressed black slacks and monogrammed shirt. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with what I’m wearing,” she said. “What do you prefer we wear?”

“I would prefer that you be dressed in skirts with white shirts and ties,” Monica said.

“Oh, come on, Monica,” Deborah Jo said. Carolina could tell it required effort to keep the smile on her face as she spoke. “We have never asked anyone to wear skirts and ties to any event. What she is wearing is perfectly fine.”

“She looks like a fast-food employee,” Monica said. “She’s not even wearing heels.”

“I would be more than happy to provide a different shirt if that would make things better,” Carolina said. “But skirts and heels are out of the question. We are here walking around on uneven ground. I will not put myself or my employees through that.”

“So, you are the owner,” Monica continued. “I was afraid of that. I was hoping there was someone else over you I could speak with.”

“There will be no speaking to anyone else,” Deborah Jo said. Her smile was instantly gone. “What you are wearing is perfectly fine. Monica, you must remember they are working on rough terrain.”

“Maybe they shouldn’t have taken on this job if they were unable to do it in the right attire,” Monica said.

“This discussion is over with,” Deborah Jo said. She looked over at Carolina and smiled empathetically. “You go on and do everything that you need to do to get ready for lunch. Don’t concern yourself anymore with this conversation.”

Carolina nodded and turned toward the yurt. She was grateful to leave the conversation between the two owners. She made a mental note to check her contract with Deborah Jo, just to ensure nothing had been mentioned about their attire.

“What was that all about?” Marissa asked her when she stepped into the kitchen.

Carolina shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she said. “The dark headed one, that’s Monica, said something about us wearing skirts and heels. I just met the woman, and she started criticizing what I was wearing.”

“What’s the matter with what we’re wearing?” Levi asked.

“Nothing, according to Deborah Jo,” Carolina said. “I have a feeling this might be a more difficult gig than we first thought.”

“What makes you think that?” Marissa asked. “Just because she made a few comments about the way we’re dressed?”

“Not just that,” Carolina said. “But there seems to be some friction between the two of them. I don’t know how that might play out for us, but I think the best thing we can do is keep our heads down and do a good job.”

“Sort of like we always do,” Levi said, smiling. “We don’t need to do anything differently than we typically do, Carolina. We are professionals and we always act like it.”

“He’s right, cousin,” Marissa said with a grin. “We never act at catering gigs the way we do back at our family’s restaurant.”

Carolina found herself smiling, despite her concerns over the interaction with Deborah Jo and Monica. She didn’t have too long to think about it. They had fifty lunches to set out and prepare for the incoming crowd.

Carolina had approached Deborah Jo with the idea of offering three separate lunch entrees. Each guest was required to fill out their preference before their arrival, but Carolina prepared several extra just in case. She was inspired by Deborah Jo’s enthusiasm for the menu. Carolina had offered a Japanese miso noodle soup, served in a glass mason jar. The second entree was a black bean and quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing. The final choice was a ploughman’s lunch box, which included varieties of cold gourmet cheese, pickles, authentic French baguettes, various olives, gourmet cold cuts, fruits, and other finger foods.

Nearly all the attendees had chosen the lunch box. Carolina was surprised that the questionnaire had not been a bone of contention with some of the women since Deborah Jo had informed her that several of the attendees were first timers.

“I sure hope that Monica woman doesn’t decide to criticize everything we do,” Marissa whispered to Carolina as they placed the lunches on the designated picnic tables.

“If she does, we’ll just deal with it,” Carolina said reassuringly. “We at least have an ally in Deborah Jo.”

Before either could say another word, a throng of well dressed, middle-aged women flowed into the center of the campsite. But rather than stepping forward to pick up their lunches as Deborah Jo invited them to do, most of the women stayed about twenty feet away in tight clusters.

“Ladies, please come forward and pick up your meals,” Deborah Jo pleaded with them. “We have a lot to cover this afternoon, and we want everyone to be nourished and attentive.”

None of the women moved forward. Carolina was shocked when, after several moments of silence, Monica snatched the clipboard out of Deborah Jo’s hands and stepped closer to the first group of women. She loudly flipped several pages over the back of the clipboard and cleared her throat. “Haley Myers,” Monica shouted. “You have ordered the ploughman’s lunch box. Please step forward and pick up your meal.”

At first, no one in the group moved a muscle. After a moment, a tall, slender blonde stepped around the rest of the women and walked slowly toward the picnic table. She clasped her hands in front of her and held her head down as she selected her lunch bag.

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” Monica said, not smiling. “Sonia Muensterman, step forward and pick up your lunch bag. After Sonia, I want to see Twila Anderson, Shai Wright, and Pam Martinez.” Slowly one woman after the other broke free from the group and shuffled toward the picnic tables for their lunches. Pam was the only one who said something, and by the look on Monica’s face, it didn’t sound like anything kind. Like Haley, Sonia was tall and thin and blonde. Twila and Shai were a bit more on the thick side, both with reddish-brown hair. Pam looked to be the youngest in the group with waist length thick black hair and shining brown eyes. She was athletically built but short and had a scowl on her face.

Carolina lost track of the other women as they were called forward. She was surprised to see none of them looking directly at Monica. Once each of them had a lunch in hand, Monica herded them toward the open picnic tables and ordered them to eat as if she was talking to a group of unruly third graders.

“What were you saying about us keeping our heads down and just doing our jobs?” Levi whispered in Carolina’s ear after the women obediently took their seats at the picnic tables and began eating their lunches.

“Hush now,” Carolina mockingly scolded him. She had to admit she was a little worried about Monica herself. Thankfully, they were no longer needed around the rest of the women. Carolina, Marissa, and Levi picked up the extra lunches and headed back to the kitchen inside the yurt.

If Carolina thought Monica was the only prickly pear she might run into at the campsite, she was quickly relieved of that conclusion. After spending time cleaning up, Carolina ventured out to find Deborah Jo. She wanted to offer extra lunches to anyone who might feel peckish after the afternoon yoga session.

What she found instead was Haley and Sonia seated on a pair of large boulders behind the yurt. Carolina stopped and smiled at the pair. She guessed each of them to be in their early or middle forties, not far off from her own age.

“I can’t bend myself in those directions anymore,” Haley said. She raised her arm over the back of her head and grimaced.

“She has no right to expect us to turn ourselves into pretzels,” Sonia said.

“We paid enough money to come here for the weekend,” Haley continued. She stopped speaking when she noticed Carolina. “Can I help you with something?”

Carolina shook her head. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I have some extra food and I wondered if you might like a snack.”

Haley gasped and looked at Sonia. “Do we look like we eat that much?”

“Unlike some people, we don’t spend our lives around food.” Shai smirked.

Carolina was taken aback. The quiet nature she had seen on display earlier seemed to have dissolved into thin air. “I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said quickly. “It’s customary to offer extra food to guests when I do a catering gig.” She stood there for a minute unsure what to do with herself.

“Well, it’s not like either of us would have known that,” Sonia said. “Neither of us engage in that line of work.”

“Imagine, the two of us working for a catering company.” Haley snickered. “Also, it isn’t like we’ve been to one of these retreats before.”

“What do you do for a living?” Carolina asked curiously.

Haley snickered again. “What do we do for work? Have you ever heard of raising children and keeping house?”

“Of course I have,” Carolina said. “I just thought based on what you were saying both of you had different jobs. That’s all.”

“We do have jobs,” Sonia said. “We both run households. Apparently, you don’t know what goes into managing a house full of children, your husband’s career, or the kitchen staff.”

“I’m a trophy wife,” Haley added proudly.

“Apparently, I don’t,” Carolina said. “Again, sorry to have bothered you.” She turned on her heel and headed back to the front of the yurt. She could hear the women giggling as she walked away.

“What’s the matter?” Marissa asked as soon as she walked back inside.

“Why do you think something’s wrong?” Carolina snapped.

“Maybe it’s how you’re talking to her for one thing,” Levi said. “The other part could be the look on your face.”

“What look is that?” Carolina asked.

“Somewhere between you just lost your best friend and you’re so angry you could throat punch someone,” Levi said.

“I’m sorry,” Carolina said. “I just had a little bit of an interaction with two of the retreat guests. I suppose I took it for granted that they were going to be nice.”

“I guess I took that for granted too,” Marissa said. “After the way they responded to Monica’s orders at lunchtime, I figured they were all sweet and gentle people.”

“So did I, and we assumed wrong,” Carolina said.

“Were they openly rude?” Levi asked.

“Rude, mean, and definitely condescending,” Carolina said and recounted the conversation.

“Who were they?” Marissa asked.

“I think their names were Haley and Sonia,” Carolina said. “All I did was ask them if they wanted a snack.”

“And they got mad about that?” Marissa asked.

“They seem offended that I had the audacity to speak to them in the first place.”

“I sure hope it’s not going to be that way at every meal,” Marissa said.

“So do I,” Carolina said. “Otherwise, this is going to be a very long weekend.”

CHAPTER THREE

The owner of Paradise Glamping poked her head into the kitchen and waved. “Dinner will be served in an hour,” Carolina informed Deborah Jo.

“I’ve already forgotten what’s on the menu for tonight,” she admitted. “Can you remind me?”

“Of course.” Carolina smiled. “Tonight, we will be serving chiles en nogada.”

“Right,” Deborah Jo said. “That was on the menu, and the guests unanimously ordered it.”

“Hopefully there won’t be any complaints to the kitchen then.”

“I’ve been to your restaurant in the past and know better than that,” Deborah Jo said.

“That’s wonderful to hear. I haven’t seen you in there before.”

“Well, it’s been a while and I’ve never come in and announced I was there.” Deborah Jo chuckled. “But I have been there, and I know good food when I taste it. Tonight’s dinner should go off without a hitch.”

“Would you like an early sample?” Carolina asked. She stepped out of the way so Deborah Jo could enter the kitchen.

“I’d love that.”

Before Carolina could ask, Marissa had a plate ready. “Here you go,” Marissa said.

“Thank you.” Deborah Jo held the plate in front of her and carefully cut into the poblano pepper with her fork. “This is divine. I can’t believe you put this together in a remote kitchen far away from where you normally work.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t make us cook over an open flame in the dirt,” Levi said from where he stood in front of the stove.

“I don’t think I would have complained if it was,” Deborah Jo said, cutting another piece. “Either way, this is sure to be a hit.”

“I hope you’re right,” Carolina said. She chatted with the host for a short time, then turned her attention to organizing the kitchen space for the duration of the weekend.

“Do you think we brought enough food to last from now until Sunday?” Marissa asked.

“I sure hope we did,” Carolina said. “Not that we can’t go back for more, but the schedule is going to make that pretty hard to do.”

“Maybe we should have asked more people to come with us,” Marissa suggested. “If it gets bad, I can drive down the road until I have cell phone signal and ask Denise to come.”

“She’s helping out at the restaurant, and they can’t lose her,” Carolina said. “I think we’ll make do.”

“If it gets too difficult, maybe we can call Jocelyn Hendricks for assistance,” Levi whispered in her hair. Carolina responded by turning around and nudging him hard in the ribs with her elbow. “Ouch! That wasn’t necessary.”

“I think it was a perfect response,” Carolina said.

Levi grabbed a kitchen towel and snapped it toward her behind. Thankfully, the end of the towel didn’t reach her. For the remainder of the afternoon, the three of them continued to work on organizing the kitchen and preparing dinner.

Just before it was time to eat, strange music began playing outside. They could hear it through the yurt. “That sounds like some sort of pipe music,” Levi whispered.

“This is a retreat,” Carolina said. “I would expect nothing less.”

A little while later, Levi set to work preparing chiles en nogada. Carolina assisted Marissa with the table settings, then turned her attention to the specialty dessert she’d decided to make to go with dinner. While Levi did most of the cooking, Carolina had come to enjoy preparing one or two dishes for each event they catered.

For the evening meal, Carolina chose to prepare conchas, a traditional Mexican dessert. She began by stirring together flour, yeast, cinnamon, salt, and sugar. Afterwards, she stirred milk and butter together over a low flame. Once the milk and butter were combined, she slowly stirred the warm mixture into the dry ingredients. As the mixture cooled, Carolina added beaten eggs and turned the dough out to knead.

While the dough was rising, Carolina mixed softened butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl. She divided the mixture in half and added melted semisweet chocolate to one bowl. As soon as the dough had risen, Carolina punched it down and divided it up into portions to fill greased cupcake pans. She added the streusel topping, half chocolate and half vanilla, to the dough and placed the pans in the oven.

“Do you really think any of those women are going to eat pastries?” Marissa asked her before they began to carry out the food.

“You know, it’s not really our problem if they decide to eat it or not,” Carolina said. “We get paid whether they decide to partake or they don’t.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Marissa admitted.

Carolina spotted Haley and Sonia heading toward the picnic tables as soon as dinner was announced. She knew better than to make eye contact and smile this time. Deborah Jo stood at the head of the first table and encouraged the women to come and take a seat. The picnic tables were set for the guests and the hosts alone. Anyone else would take their food from the kitchen and eat in the small area reserved for staff behind the yurt.

“Please, ladies, come and take your spots so that we can get dinner underway while this delicious food is still hot,” Deborah Jo said. Carolina looked around for signs of Monica but only spotted other guests.

Carolina noticed three of the other women she had seen earlier in the day seated together at the far end of the last table. Twila, Shai, and Pam clustered together as they ate. Once in a while, Sonia and Haley threw them a look then bowed their heads together and giggled. “I didn’t expect this to be so similar to a middle school lunchroom,” Carolina mumbled to Marissa.

The adolescent act continued through the remainder of the meal. Carolina was pleased with the accolades from the guests over the food, but she was distracted by the mean girl routine from the two blondes. Before dinner was cleared and dessert was served, the strange music began again. The women at the tables hushed their conversations immediately.

Deborah Jo stood near one of the picnic tables in the center and waited. Moments later, a hooded figure cloaked in layers of colorful silk scarves and robes, emerged from behind one of the tents. The person, clearly another woman, walked slowly and deliberately a step at a time until she reached a large, flat rock in the middle of the picnic area. The music ended with one loud gong. The figure in the middle pulled the veil off her head. Monica Burch stood in the center with her hands clasped together.

Monica turned around slowly and eyed each of the women. After she completed a circle, she turned back and bowed slowly toward the front of the picnic area. When she stood upright again, she began to hum softly. Carolina looked over the picnic tables at the other women. Some stared wide eyed at Monica with their mouths hanging open slightly. Others had their eyes closed and heads bowed. A couple of women bit their bottom lip seemingly in an effort to keep from laughing out loud.

“Welcome to the First Annual Desert Moon Retreat,” Monica began in a solemn monotone. Her voice was deep and thick, nothing like she had sounded earlier that day when Deborah Jo introduced her to Carolina. “I am the Moon Goddess.” She spread her arms wide and began another rotation. Her silk scarves flowed as she turned.

Carolina busied herself with removing the dishes and bringing them back to the yurt. She did her best to tune out the monotone voice as she worked. She returned to the picnic area twice more and Monica had remained in the center of the eating area.

On her last trip, Carolina was relieved to see the Moon Goddess step down from her place in the center. Monica walked slowly around each of the tables, touching the back of each woman’s head as she walked past. Carolina wondered if it was some sort of strange blessing.

After she made her pass around the last table, Monica resumed the same path that she had taken when she arrived, walking one slow step at a time until she disappeared into the darkness. Carolina gathered the remainder of the desserts from the tables and headed back to the yurt as most of the women started to leave. She met Marissa halfway. “Here,” Marissa said. “I’ll take those.”

“Thank you. I haven’t seen Deborah Jo since Monica came in all dressed up. I wanted to chat with her before we turn in for the night.” She turned around and headed back to the picnic table area, eager to find the camp host. Some women were milling about while a few remain seated, but many had already returned to their tents.

Deborah Jo stood on the edge of the darkness, close to one of the pathways towards the tents in the back. Carolina walked toward her with her hand raised hoping to get her attention. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it again promptly when she heard a call for help coming from somewhere in the darkness.

“What was that?” one of the women asked. Carolina was unsure of her name.

Deborah Jo immediately returned to the center of the picnic area. “Ladies, ladies, is everyone okay?” she shouted. “Everyone, please return to the picnic area.”

The women returned quickly, clutching one another and shivering. Carolina spotted Sonia and Haley walking back in last. She noted Twila and Shai on the other end of the eating space.

“Where is Monica?” Carolina called out. Deborah Jo turned to her with panic in her eyes. Levi rushed in with his apron tied around his waist and a towel over his shoulder.

“I’ll go look,” he said.

“I’ll go with you,” Deborah Jo said, motioning for Carolina to join them. A few camp staffers emerged from behind the yurt. Carolina heard one of them speaking loudly to the women in an effort to calm them down.

“I think the voice came from back here,” Deborah Jo said. She led them to where three smaller tents were clustered together. “These are staff tents. Mine is the one in the center. Monica sleeps here.” She pointed to the tent on the left. Carolina peeked around the side of the tent. A small electric lantern hung from a post in front of each. The circle of light was small, but Carolina could see a couple of feet past the back of each tent.

There was something back there. Carolina squinted to make out what it was in the darkness. “Oh, no.” She gasped when she spotted a pile of colorful silk scarves on the ground. “Isn’t that what Monica was wearing?” She pointed the clothing out to Deborah Jo and Levi.

Deborah Jo rushed around the side of the tents and stopped. She knelt down and picked up the colorful silk. She stood up and looked around. “Monica? Where are you?” she shouted into the night.

“Carolina, walk around the back of the tents,” Levi directed her. “I’m going to head around the other side, and I’ll meet you in the middle.” He spoke softly and squeezed her hand before he took off. Carolina patted Deborah Jo softly on the shoulder as she walked around her. She pulled her cell phone out of the back of her uniform pants and turned on the flashlight to illuminate the dark ground as she walked.

She made it to the back of the center tent and stopped cold. The narrow shaft of light from her cell phone illuminated the sight of the woman lying on the ground. She was on her left side, face down with her right arm over her head. Carolina knew instantly that she had found Monica Burch.

CHAPTER FOUR

“What happened back there?” Marissa asked when Carolina returned to the kitchen yurt.

“There was a body,” Carolina blurted out. “I found a body.”

“Where is Levi?” Marissa asked next.

Levi. Carolina had forgotten all about him. Not exactly forgotten about him but had been so wrapped up in her own shock that she forgot for a minute where he went. “He was there, too,” she began. “He volunteered to run down the road on his motorcycle and call for help. After that, I don’t know where he got off to.”

“Who was it?”

“Who was what?” Carolina asked. She was stunned into a stupor.

“The body,” Marissa said emphatically. “Who died? How did they die? What’s going to happen now?”

Carolina shook her head. She covered her ears with her hands and pinched her eyes closed. “So many questions.” She dropped her hands and raised her eyes to look at her cousin. “Give me a second to catch my breath.”

“Okay, sorry,” Marissa said. “I’m just freaked out. You were gone forever. I didn’t hear anything, so I stayed back here in the kitchen and cleaned everything up. I was afraid to step outside. Nobody came and told me what was going on.”

Carolina exhaled slowly for the first time in entirely too long. She nodded and took a seat on a chair in the middle of the kitchen. “You’re right. I can’t imagine what you must have been thinking being stuck back here in the kitchen. It’s been absolutely crazy out there. All the women gathered around to get a better look at the body. Some of those ladies are so mean. It makes you wonder if they’ve got a shred of human decency in them at all.”

“You still haven’t answered any of my questions,” Marissa pointed out. “For starters, who died?”

“Monica,” Carolina declared. “I found her out behind Deborah Jo’s tent.”

“She’s the one who came out in the middle of dinner with the robe and all those scarf things on?”

“That’s her, yes.”

“How did she die?” Marissa asked.

“I don’t know for sure,” Carolina said. “But she had a nasty gash on top of her head. I have a feeling somebody hit her over the head with something. They think she called for help just before she actually passed away.”

“I guess that answers my next question,” Marissa said.

“Which is?”

“If you know who killed her.”

Carolina shook her head. “I have no idea,” she admitted. “I imagine the sheriff will figure that out.”

“Oh, great,” Marissa said. “We get to deal with Billy Sanchez again.”

“Not this time,” Carolina said. “We’re about a mile into the next county. No Billy this time.”

“I guess that’s a relief,” Marissa said. “I suppose we have to stay until morning. Or do you think they’ll question us tonight?”

“I’ve already been questioned,” Carolina said. “I imagine they’ll get around to talking to you as well. But as far as I know, we’re staying until they’ve figured everything out.”

“Wait a minute,” Marissa gasped. “We have to stay here?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Carolina said. “Not just because of the police either. You should have heard them. Most of the women started going on and on about how they paid for this weekend retreat, and they have no intention of going back to their homes until Sunday night when the retreat is over and done with.”

“You can’t be serious,” Marissa said.

“I’m afraid I’m completely serious,” Carolina said. “The sheriff said it would make it easier if all of the women stayed put for the time being anyway. She said the coroner’s office may not get to the autopsy until first thing Monday morning.”

“I’m not staying any longer than our contract says we have to,” Marissa said firmly.

“That’s exactly what I told Deborah Jo,” Carolina said.

“How does she feel about all of this?” Marissa asked.

“How do you expect her to feel?” Carolina asked. “Her business partner was just murdered.”

“Not about that. Of course she’s not happy about that,” Marissa said. “I mean how does she feel about running the retreat after everything that’s happened?”

“To be honest with you, I’m not sure how she feels,” Carolina said. “All she did was nod her head and mumble a few words. She spoke up one time and that was to ask me if I was still going to provide the meals as planned.”

“Where is Levi now?” Marissa said.

“He’s talking with the sheriff,” Carolina said. “As basically the only man on the premises, I think they wanted to rule him out as a suspect first.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“Excuse me? Hello!” Carolina was interrupted by a voice outside the kitchen door. A second later, the door flung open, and Haley stood on the other side.

“Can I help you with something?” Carolina asked.

“Yeah, you can answer the door,” Haley said, walking in uninvited.

“Hey, you can’t be in here,” Marissa said.

“And why not?” Haley asked, folding her arms over her chest.

“Because this is a secure area.” Marissa glanced at Carolina as she continued, “This is a food preparation area and not open to the public.”

“Oh, get over yourself,” Haley snapped. “I paid to be at this campground for the weekend and I’ll go wherever I please.”

“She’s right,” Carolina said. “This is the food preparation area. No guests allowed.”

“What, so I can’t just come get a snack in the middle of the night?” Haley said.

“No, you can’t just come get a snack in the middle of the night.” Carolina crossed the floor and met her in the middle. They stood practically toe to toe. “Read your handbook. I know it explicitly states that the kitchen area is off limits to guests.”

“I never read any handbooks,” Haley said.

“I can tell,” Carolina said. “You are not allowed in here and you are definitely not allowed to get into any of the food. What we have is what’s been planned for the next several days. This is not an open refreshment area.”

“But I’m hungry,” Haley said.

“Then you could start with asking nicely,” Marissa muttered from the other side of the stove.

“What did she say?” Haley asked.

“She said if you had asked nicely, we may have been more inclined to help,” Carolina said, not attempting to hide her frustration with the openly rude woman. “If you want more to eat than just the provided meals, you’re going to have to speak with Deborah Jo.”

“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but Deborah Jo is predisposed at the moment,” Haley said. “She’s out there speaking with Sheriff What’s Her Name.”

“I believe it’s Sheriff Darnell,” Carolina said. “The only thing I can offer you is a leftover lunch. That’s all I have.”

Haley shifted her gaze to the open pantry on the other side of the yurt. “What kind is it?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Carolina said. “Just take your chances. Take it or leave it.”

“Fine, I’ll take it,” Haley said, dropping her arms to her side. “Do you have any soda?”

“We don’t,” Carolina said simply.

“Why don’t you have any?” Haley asked, stamping her foot on the floor.

“Are you for real?” Marissa asked.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Haley challenged.

“It means a couple of things,” Marissa said. “For one, your behavior is way out of line. And for two, are you not aware that a woman was killed here tonight? Because if you are, you have a funny way of showing it.”

“I’m quite well aware of what happened,” Haley said. Her voice had lost its syrupy tone. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m a stress eater. The first thing I do in the middle of a stressful situation is eat. And that’s what I want to do right now. I want to eat. I want to eat, and I want caffeine.”

“The lunch and a cup of coffee is the best I can do for you,” Carolina said.

“Is anyone in there?” a timid voice asked from outside the open door to the yurt.

“We’re closed,” Haley shouted toward the door.

Twila poked her head inside. “If they’re closed, what are you doing in here?” she asked quietly.

“Haley just came here looking for a snack,” Marissa said.

“That’s why I’m here too,” Twila admitted. “I was sort of elected to come and see if we could get something to eat.”

“We? How many of you are there?” Carolina asked.

“About eight of us,” Twila said. “They’re all waiting around the picnic area.”

“Listen. I’m not trying to starve all of you, but the only thing we have are a few leftovers from lunch,” Carolina said.

“I saved some conchas from dinner, too,” Marissa added.

Haley’s eyes sparkled. “Are those the cupcakes you served at the end of dinner?”

“Well, they’re not exactly cupcakes, but yes,” Carolina said. “Look, go tell everyone to have a seat and we’ll bring out coffee and leftovers as soon as the coffee brews. Okay?”

“That sounds terrific.” Twila grinned.

“But that’s all I have,” Carolina said again. “I can’t run through all the food that we have for the entire weekend in just one night.”

“Fair enough.” Twila turned and rushed back outside.

Haley clutched the lunch bag to her chest. “Nobody’s getting this one, though.”

Carolina ushered her out of the kitchen. With Marissa’s help, she gathered up the leftovers from lunch and dinner and placed them on trays. Marissa filled a cart with the trays and carefully pushed it down the mulch-covered path to the picnic table area. Carolina followed with the large portable coffee urn and coffee mugs on her cart.

“We’re going to need plenty of sugar and cream,” Haley said when Carolina placed the urn at the head picnic table.

“I have both,” Marissa said. She wheeled her cart over to the table and placed a small metal bucket filled with sugar packets next to the urn. Carolina helped her unload the artificial sweetener, powdered creamer, and a small jug of half-and-half.

“I suppose you can’t make me a latte with that, can you?” Sonia asked.

“No lattes,” Carolina said. “Just the basics tonight, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah, but you’re a chef, right? Surely you could whip something up for us,” Haley said.

“It’s ten-thirty at night,” Marissa said. “Nobody is getting a latte.”

“Fine,” Haley said again.

“Where is that guy who was with you earlier?” Sonia asked.

“Yeah, where is he?” another woman asked. Carolina read the lust in her eyes.

“Our cook is speaking with the police at the moment,” Marissa cut in.

“Ooh, he’s hot and dangerous,” Haley said. Her words elicited a round of giggles from half of the women.

“What is going on here?” Carolina turned around to see a tall man with thick, silver hair staring down the group of women. She had not been introduced to the man, but immediately spotted the “Paradise Glamping” logo on his sweater.

“We’re just gathered here for some refreshments and company,” Pam spoke up. It was the first time Carolina had heard the younger woman say a word other than when she mouthed off to Monica.

“Who authorized this?” the man asked.

“Nobody,” Pam answered.

Carolina rose from her seat near the coffee urn and stepped between two picnic tables. “I’m Carolina Hart, the caterer,” she explained. “I had a few women come into the kitchen asking for snacks, so we decided to put a few leftovers together and gather here.”

“Who told you to do that?” he asked.

“Nobody told me,” Carolina said. “But it made more sense than scrounging together a few things in the kitchen yurt.”

“This needs to stop,” the man said. “You women gather your things together and return to your tents. Get up and move. Right now.”

“Says who?” Sonia stood up and challenged the man.

“Says me,” he said, waving his hands toward the guest tents.

“And who are you?”

“Ronnie Burch,” the man said. “Owner of this ridiculous outfit and husband to the woman who just paid for it with her life.”

CHAPTER SIX

“You can’t just order us to go back to our tents,” Haley stood up from her seat and shouted. The remains of the lunch were spread out on the picnic table in front of her. “Some of us haven’t even finished our food yet.”

“Besides, we’re not inmates or anything,” Sonia said. “Some of us paid a lot of money to be here.”

“We all paid a lot of money to be here,” Twila said. “Why do you want us to go back to our tents?”

“Because that’s what I told you to do,” Ronnie growled.

“Are you going to refund our money?” Haley asked.

“Why would I do that?” he sneered. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

“We’re here against our will at this point,” Pam added. “No one is going to tell me what to do, where to go, or how to act. I don’t care who you are.”

“She’s right,” Sonia agreed. “None of us have our own vehicles here. In case you don’t remember, we were instructed to park at the airport in Sycamore Ridge. I don’t even see the bus you brought us in here on. How are we supposed to leave?”

“You’ve got two legs, don’t you?” Ronnie smirked. “There’s the road. Surely you know how to walk.”

“We’re here because the sheriff ordered us to stay put,” Deborah Jo said, entering the picnic area. “What seems to be the problem?”

“This guy told us we have to go back to our tents and stay there,” Sonia explained.

“They need to get out of here and go back and sit on their beds until they’re told to do otherwise,” Ronnie said. He folded his large arms and stood mere inches away from Deborah Jo.

“Sit on our beds? You’re speaking as if we’re all three-years-old,” Haley said. “Who is this guy, Deborah Jo?”

“I thought I already told you who I am,” Ronnie said. He turned around to face Haley. “I told you I’m the owner of this ridiculous company.”

“You are not the owner of my company,” Deborah Jo said quietly.

“Why don’t we all just calm down?” Carolina suggested.

“What’s going on here?” Levi asked. appearing suddenly out of the darkness.

“And just who are you?” Ronnie demanded.

“He’s part of the catering crew,” Deborah Jo said. “You see, if you were involved in this company like you claim to be, you would know that.”

“I don’t care who he is, he can get out of here just like everyone else,” Ronnie said.

“Actually, just like everyone else, I’ve been ordered to stay put by Sheriff Elaine Darnell,” Levi said.

“Everyone needs to calm down,” Carolina said. She turned to Deborah Jo. “These ladies came looking for refreshments, so we decided to have snacks and coffee out here. I hope that was okay.”

“Of course. There’s nothing wrong with that at all,” Deborah Jo said, casting a glare in Ronnie’s direction. “We’ve all been through quite a lot tonight.”

“I fail to understand why none of you are listening to me,” Ronnie said. “I expect immediate obedience when I give an order. You girls better stand up, throw away your trash, and skedaddle back to your tents right this minute.”

“Or what?” Pam challenged. “Are you going to send us to our rooms without supper? You seem to have an authority problem.”

“I’m the one with the authority problem? Have you looked in the mirror lately, lady?” Ronnie shouted.

“Enough of this.” A tall, lean woman with dark hair entered the picnic area. From her uniform, Carolina knew right away she must be the sheriff. “Who is this man?”

“Ronnie Burch, ma’am.” He stepped forward with his hand extended to the sheriff. “Monica Burch was my wife.”

“Mr. Burch, I’m surprised I haven’t met with you yet,” Sheriff Darnell said. She looked the man over carefully. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions about your wife’s passing. Would you like to meet with me now? I have some questions I would like to ask you as well.”

Ronnie took a step backward. “You want to meet with me? Why?”

Carolina was shocked by his question. “I imagine that’s standard practice,” she blurted out before thinking.

“Thank you very much,” Ronnie said. “I’m glad to know the caterer knows what’s going on. Next time I need a legal opinion, I’ll be sure to look you up.”

“Maybe it’s time the rest of us do go back and retire for the night,” Twila suggested. She stood up slowly and gathered her food.

“I think she’s right,” Sonia added.

“Ladies, breakfast will be served in the morning as planned,” Deborah Jo said. “Why don’t you all go back, get some rest, and we’ll regroup tomorrow and figure out what to do from there.”

“Imagine that,” Ronnie said. “I wonder who had the great idea for you all to go to bed?”

“This guy better watch it,” Pam spat.

“Don’t worry about the coffee mugs and the trash, ladies,” Carolina said, ignoring both Ronnie and Pam. “My staff and I will clean up out here.”

“Thank you,” Deborah Jo said, smiling sadly. One by one, the women rose from their seats and filed off down the mulch-covered pathways to their tents. Carolina set about gathering the coffee mugs. She placed them back on the wheeled cart while Marissa picked up trash and the leftover food. Levi carried the large coffee urn back to the cart. He moved slowly; his eyes fixed on Ronnie.

“What about this guy?” Ronnie asked the sheriff after a moment.

“What about him?” Sheriff Darnell asked. Her eyes were sharp as she spoke. She continued to smile, but Carolina wondered how thin her patience was wearing.

“Maybe you should put this guy in handcuffs,” Ronnie said.

“Why would I do that?” the sheriff asked.

“Why? I would think that would be obvious,” Ronnie said. “What kind of sheriff are you anyway?”

“All right, now,” Sheriff Darnell said. “I have been patient with you, Mr. Burch. I’m aware that you just lost your wife, but this aggression has to stop. Come with me now and let’s have a talk in private.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Ronnie said. “Not without my attorney.”

“Why would you need your attorney?” Deborah Jo asked.

“I don’t suppose that’s any of your business,” Ronnie said. “Besides, it’s probably you that needs one more than I do right about now.” He stalked off into the darkness.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Sheriff Darnell disappeared into the darkness behind Ronnie. Carolina said nothing to the rest of her crew as they gathered things together and headed back to the safety of the kitchen yurt. She could tell by his body language that Levi was livid.

“Who was that man?” he said at last.

“You know about as much as I do,” Carolina said. “He just appeared out of nowhere and started ordering everyone around.”

“I think it’s weird,” Marissa said. “First of all, why was he so mad? And what does he think he’s doing telling everyone to go to bed and sit down on their beds and whatever else?” her words sputtered out as she spoke.

“Are you okay?” Carolina asked. “You seem a little shaken up.”

Marissa shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s just something about that guy. I get uncomfortable when anyone swoops in and starts acting like they’re in charge like that. It makes me feel like I can’t trust my surroundings.”

“I have to admit I have the same feeling,” Carolina said. “He acted more like a prison warden or a drill instructor than he did the host of a glamorous camping experience.”

“It makes it difficult to believe what he claims,” Levi said.

“What do you mean?” Carolina asked.

“I mean, if he’s the owner of the company, why would he act that way?” Levi said. “I’d think if he was the owner, he would be concerned about his guests, and gee, I don’t know, maybe even his dead wife?”

“That’s the part that really gets me,” Carolina said. “I’m struggling to understand why someone would react like that after learning their wife had been killed.”

“Yeah, me too,” Marissa said. She plunged her hands into the hot, soapy water and began washing the coffee mugs by hand.

“Hey, girl,” Carolina said. “You do know there’s a dishwasher, right?”

“I know,” Marissa said, looking over her shoulder. “Washing dishes is therapeutic sometimes. I’m trying to deal with my stress.”

By the time they turned in to bed, it was well past midnight. Levi insisted on walking them to their shared tent before he turned in. Carolina could hear Marissa snoring almost as quickly as her light went out. Sleep was more elusive for Carolina who tossed and turned most of the night. She arose around five the next morning, exhausted and anxious from the day before.

In her mind, she told herself it was important to carry on as if nothing had happened. For the time being, they were essentially stuck at the campground. Sometime in the night, Sheriff Darnell herself had gone home, and only a pair of deputies remained behind.

Carolina had considered waking Marissa and Levi in the middle of the night and leaving in the catering van. All three had their own vehicles, but she figured they could leave and come back later for Marissa’s car and Levi’s motorcycle.

But she remembered Ronnie’s words and decided retaining her own attorney wasn’t something she wanted to do. As she worked in the kitchen, more of his words entered her mind. She thought about what Levi had said about Ronnie’s lack of concern over his wife’s demise. Could it be that he was responsible?

She was also worried about his authoritarian nature. If they were to be stuck there through the end of the weekend, the last thing she wanted to put up with was a bossy person telling her where to go and what to do all the time. She wanted to check in with Deborah Jo and make sure she understood the order of things around the campsite.

Carolina finished slicing bell peppers for the build your own breakfast bowls and turned to Levi. “I have a question I need to ask Deborah Jo,” she said quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Marissa asked. She stood at a small prep table mixing waffle batter. In addition to the breakfast bowls, Carolina had planned a waffle bar as well as an omelet bar.

“I’m going to run over to Deborah Jo’s tent,” she said. “I want to catch her before everyone else gets up for breakfast.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? A woman was murdered here like twelve hours ago,” Marissa said.

“Do you want me to walk with you?” Levi asked.

Carolina shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Besides, there are two deputies hanging around. They’ve been up all night.”

“How do you know that?” Marissa said.

“Because I was up most of the night too,” Carolina admitted. “That’s one of the reasons I want to speak with Deborah Jo before the camp guests arrive for breakfast.” She headed straight for the door and didn’t look back. She stepped out of the yurt and into the cold morning air. Despite the typically dry New Mexico climate, she was delighted to see a mist rising off of the ground. She was in a beautiful spot, and it was a beautiful morning.

As she wove her way through the paths around the various guest tents, Carolina could hear the stirrings of several of the women. She hoped silently that no one would get up and demand breakfast before the scheduled time. She passed by one of the deputies on her way back to Deborah Jo’s tent. He stopped and questioned her briefly.

“I’m the owner of the catering company,” she said. She pointed to the name tag on her lapel.

“Why aren’t you in the kitchen?” the deputy asked. Carolina surmised from the look in his eyes that he was tired and ready to be off duty.

“I have a question for Miss Wilkins,” she said. “It concerns my contract with her, and I need to see her in person.”

“You couldn’t just text her the question?” the deputy asked. Carolina chose to believe his crankiness was from being up all night.

“This is something I wanted to ask her in person,” she said. “I have no problem if you want to walk back there with me and wait outside while I speak with her. I’m sure you understand this situation is a little bit more than we bargained for when we took this gig.”

The deputy’s eyes softened. He nodded and gestured for her to continue. “I can only imagine that it is,” he said. “Just go right to Miss Wilkins tent and come right back. Please don’t go wandering around. I’ll be watching you.”

Carolina nodded and headed past the deputy. She walked quietly up on the wooden deck in front of Deborah Jo’s small tent. She looked around searching for something to knock on when the tent flap opened.

“Oh, Carolina,” Deborah Jo said. “I was just headed to the kitchen to talk to you.”

“I hope you don’t mind me coming back here to speak with you.”

“No, not at all,” Deborah Jo said. She stepped out of the way of the door. “Please, come inside and have a seat.” She led Carolina to a small bistro set at the front of the tent. Carolina took a seat and rested her arms on the round table between the two chairs.

“First of all, I wanted to let you know that breakfast will be ready on time,” Carolina said.

“That’s good to know,” Deborah Jo said, clearly relieved. “I wanted to check in with you again to make sure after everything that happened yesterday, you still plan to hang around and serve meals. I assume you have to stick around like the rest of us.”

Carolina nodded her head. “That’s our plan,” she said, referring to Marissa and Levi. “We discussed it and as long as we’re all bound to be here, we plan to honor the contract we signed with you.”

Deborah Jo exhaled audibly. She grasped Carolina’s hands with her own and squeezed them. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much of a relief that is to hear.”

“There is something I wanted to discuss with you, though,” Carolina said. She took a deep breath before she continued, “Yesterday, Mr. Burch surprised all of us when he showed up at the picnic area. He was quite determined to tell everyone where to go and what to do.”

“I know,” Deborah Jo said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry about that.”

“My question is whether we need to listen to him or not,” Carolina said. “I know that’s rather blunt, but I signed a contract with you. I don’t appreciate my staff being ordered around like that. We aren’t servants. We are here as professionals to do a job.”

“And you’re doing a great job,” Deborah Jo said. “I’ll speak with Ronnie. He had no right to order everyone around like that.” Carolina waited for her to give more of an explanation, but Deborah Jo said nothing.

“Thank you,” she said. “Forgive me for wanting a little further clarification, but my plan is to listen to you and to follow your orders. Does that sound right to you?”

“It sounds like you’re asking me whether you should do what Ronnie tells you to do,” Deborah Jo said.

“That’s exactly what I’m asking you,” Carolina said again. “I don’t want my staff having to figure out whose orders to follow if it comes to that. And after that little display last night, it makes me wonder if that’s inevitable.”

Deborah Jo patted Carolina’s hands and stood up. “You just follow the contract we signed and come to me with any questions,” she said. “If Ronnie sticks his nose into your business again, you tell him to come and talk to me. Does that help?”

“Absolutely,” Carolina said, standing up. “Thank you for being so open to my concerns.”

“No, thank you for helping me keep this disastrous weekend running smoothly,” Deborah Jo said. “I sure hope they give us the go ahead to leave soon.”

“So do I,” Carolina admitted. “But still, it is just Friday.”

“I know, and I worry what’s going to happen if we’re all confined here until Sunday,” Deborah Jo said. “Tensions are going to boil over, and I’m afraid that will be the least of our concerns.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Carolina stepped out of Deborah Jo’s tent and headed back down the path toward the kitchen yurt. She was surprised to see no one else as she wove her way through the campground past several other tents. The sun had yet to rise, and Carolina could see lights on in most of the guest tents.

“What do we need to do?” she asked as soon as she walked back into the kitchen.

“That didn’t take long,” Marissa said. “What did you talk about?”

“I wanted to make sure I understood who we have to answer to,” Carolina said. “I flat out asked Deborah Jo if we have to do what Ronnie orders us to do.”

“And what did she say?” Levi asked.

“She said to direct Ronnie to her if he comes around issuing orders again.”

“Is that all?” Marissa asked. “I mean, I’m happy to hear that, but still.”

Carolina nodded. “I thought it was a little strange too, but maybe I just wanted to hear her rail against him the way I wanted to.”

“She might be keeping it close to her chest right now, so to speak,” Levi said. “I’m sure the sheriff’s department had a lot of questions for her last night.”

“You know, there’s a possibility we won’t even see Ronnie today,” Marissa said.

“Why wouldn’t we see him?” Carolina asked. “He’s been ordered to stay here just like the rest of us, I assume.”

“I’m sure he has, but if he decided to wait to talk to his attorney, it’s possible he was allowed to leave so they could meet or something,” Marissa said. She shrugged. “It made sense in my head.”

Levi chuckled at the stove. He was beating egg yolks in a large metal bowl. “You may be on to something there, Marissa,” he said. “At the very least, I would imagine his lawyer would be summoned to the sheriff’s department and not to a remote campground.”

“That’s true,” Carolina said. “I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe we won’t have to deal with that awful man today after all.”

Carolina began placing items on the rolling buffet tables just before seven. With Levi’s help, she moved the tables out to the picnic area and waited for the women to file in. Deborah Jo made her appearance five minutes before the hour. She looked over the breakfast bar and smiled approvingly.

“This looks fantastic,” she said. “As it turns out, some of the staff won’t be here today. We might have extra food, but I understand the sheriff’s department will be here in greater numbers than yesterday.”

“It’s up to you, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re more than happy to serve them as well,” Carolina assured her.

“Fantastic.” Deborah Jo turned as the first group of women made their way down the path toward the picnic area. “Good morning, ladies. I hope you all slept well last night.”

“I’m not sure how you could expect that,” Haley snapped. “Given the circumstances, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get a good night’s sleep again.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Sonia said. They sat down together at the first picnic table they came to.

“What’s for breakfast?” Haley demanded.

“I think I’ll let our caterer explain it,” Deborah Jo said, scowling at the women.

“Good morning,” Carolina said, stepping in behind Deborah Jo. “What we have for you this morning is a build-your-own breakfast bar. We have Tex-Mex breakfast bowls, an omelet station, and a waffle station.”

Haley’s eyes widened. “At least we’re not lacking for good food,” she said. Carolina was surprised by her sudden approval.

“We also have juice, coffee, hot tea, and water to drink,” Carolina said. Haley stood up again. “Please, help yourself.”

“I think I will,” Haley said. She walked to the front of the picnic area and picked up a plate from the stack in front of the buffet table. She stood looking over the food for a minute, then returned to the front of the table and grabbed a bowl as well. Carolina felt a surge of satisfaction as the woman piled brown rice, chunks of cooked sweet potatoes, chorizo, onions, and peppers into her bowl. She topped it with sour cream and sliced avocado. She made her way through the omelet station and then helped herself to a large waffle.

“Think you got enough to eat?” Sonia teased when she returned to the table.

“Do you have a better idea?” Haley shot back. “We’re stuck here so we might as well enjoy the one thing we have left to splurge on. Good food.”

Sonia replied with her arms folded over her chest and a pout. She stared at Haley while three other women stood and helped themselves to the breakfast bar. One by one, the women came up and filled their plates and bowls with the food.

So far, Carolina had not seen any sign of Ronnie. She was grateful he hadn’t made his appearance. Maybe they would get lucky, and he would arrive after breakfast was over.

Sonia remained pouting at the picnic table next to Haley. When five uniformed sheriff deputies descended the path and walked toward the breakfast bar, Sonia decided it was time to get up and get breakfast for herself. Carolina exchanged an amused look with Deborah Jo as Sonia filled her plate.

A short time later, each of the picnic tables was filled with either the guests or members of the sheriff’s department. Carolina closely monitored the food in the buffet stations. A few of the women stood to leave, but more headed back to the buffet tables for refills.

Carolina excused herself to the kitchen to retrieve more onions, peppers, and cheese for the omelet station. She walked up the path toward the yurt and Levi stepped out of the kitchen door before she could reach to open it.

“I was just coming to check on things,” he said, smiling.

“I was just coming for more ingredients for the omelets.”

Levi looked around behind her in all directions. He pulled her close and kissed her quickly. “This would be a great place for an out-of-town weekend,” he said. “Don’t you think?”

“I think I would love to think about getting away for the weekend,” Carolina said. “It would give me something else to focus on right now.”

Levi hugged her tightly and then let her go. He stopped to listen for a moment. Carolina turned around and listened, too. They could hear shouting in the distance. The voices seem to come from far up the hill, away from the rest of the campsite.

“Do you think we ought to check that out?” Levi asked.

“I don’t think we have a choice.”

CHAPTER NINE

Carolina was first up the trail behind the kitchen yurt with Levi right behind her. They trekked past the last tent and into the small patch of forest behind the campground. Her legs ached when she reached the top of the trail.

“Do you see anything?” Levi whispered.

Carolina looked around for a moment. All she could see were the spruce and pine trees that stood close together, but somewhere among the tree trunks and the foliage she could hear two women grunting. They were not shrieking or screaming but clearly tussling with one another. “This way,” she said to Levi and headed directly into the forest and off to her right.

Levi ran beside her. They emerged through a thick stand of pinyon pine trees and into a clearing. Carolina immediately spotted the two women rolling around on the ground together. At first, she couldn’t tell who she was looking at. The only identifying feature she could see was the hair on their heads. One was a blonde, the other a dark brunette.

“What are they doing?” Levi whispered to her as they stood and stared for a moment. One woman had both of her hands pushed against the chin of the other while the second woman squeezed the face of the first. They rolled around together on the ground. For a moment, the blonde was on top, but just as soon as she seemed to gain control, the brunette would push against the ground with her legs and get the better of the blonde.

“This is ridiculous,” Carolina said and stepped forward. She stopped five feet from the squabbling women and planted her hands on her hips. “Hey! What are you two doing?”

The women stopped moving immediately. The brunette rolled off the top of the blonde and lay flat on her back on the forest floor. Carolina immediately identified Haley as the blonde and Pam as the brunette.

“We could hear you two clear down into the picnic area,” Levi said. “What is going on?”

Carolina could hear footsteps behind her and turned in time to see two deputies emerge from the tree line. “Is there a problem up here?” a female deputy asked. She was an older woman with short blonde hair.

“We just found these two rolling around on the ground and fighting,” Levi said.

“And what about you two? What are you doing here with them?” the same deputy asked. Carolina noted the name on her lapel pin. Deputy Jones stood with her thick arms folded over her chest.

“We heard them from the kitchen yurt, and we followed the sound.”

Deputy Jones and the other officer walked around Levi and Carolina. The older woman reached down and pulled Haley to her feet. “What is going on here?” she demanded.

“She just came out of nowhere and attacked me,” Haley whined. Her face was covered with dirt. Pine needles littered her hair.

“That’s not true,” Pam gasped as the other officer helped her to her feet. Her face was smudged with dirt as well. Her thick, dark hair had come free from a braid and stood out all around her face. “I came up here to get some fresh air away from everybody and she came out from between those trees over there and started yelling at me. I’m so tired of being blamed for things that aren’t my fault.”

Haley folded her arms and shook her head but said nothing. Deputy Jones released the back of her shirt and stood in front of her. “Are you hurt or injured anywhere?” she asked Haley.

“I think so,” Haley pouted. She unzipped her light sweatshirt and exposed her arms. “She punched me. And not just once. She kept hitting me.”

“Oh, really?” Pam challenged. She quickly unfastened her own jacket and let it fall to the ground below. She was wearing a short sleeve shirt under it. She held out her arms for the deputies to examine. They were covered with bruises. “Does this look like I was getting the upper hand?”

“I didn’t touch you,” Haley said. “At least, I didn’t do that. She turned on me and I have no idea why. We barely even spoke to each other before now.”

Carolina watched the exchange with curiosity. She could see the angst in Haley’s face but found it hard to believe that Pam would simply attack the larger woman. Both were in great shape, but Haley stood nearly a foot taller.

“Don’t you all have enough to deal with right now?” Deputy Jones asked. “We already have a murder investigation going and you two have to add this as well? You can talk to the sheriff.” She grabbed Haley by the arm and led her toward the tree line.

“Ouch, you’re hurting me,” Haley complained.

“I could put you in handcuffs and see how that goes,” Deputy Jones said.

“Never mind,” Haley said. As she walked, Carolina sensed her frustration. Somehow, Haley had figured out whining and complaining wasn’t going to get her anywhere in this situation. They reached the top of the trail and stopped.

“We’re going straight to the sheriff right now,” Deputy Jones informed them. “But I need to know right here and now if we’re going to have a problem. I have no qualms about putting both of you in handcuffs. I didn’t want to do that while we made our way through the woods, but I have no problem doing it now. Is that something I’m going to need to do?”

Haley and Pam said nothing but shook their heads and lowered their gaze. Haley continued with Deputy Jones and Pam with the other. Halfway down the trail, Deputy Jones looked back at Levi and Carolina. “I’m going to need the two of you to come along as well,” she said. “I’ll need your statements.”

“Not a problem,” Carolina said. She followed the deputies through the maze of trails. They headed toward the center of the campsite. Carolina was surprised to see that the sheriff’s department had set up headquarters in one of the tents.

Inside the large tent, the four-poster bed had been moved to the far side. A long folding table and chairs had been set up in its place. Sheriff Elaine Darnell was seated at the end furthest from the doorway.

“What is happening here?” Sheriff Darnell asked. She sat back in her chair and picked up a coffee mug. Carolina wondered if the sheriff’s department had brought in their own coffeemaker.

“We heard some shouting and these two went to look into it,” Deputy Jones said, pointing to Carolina and Levi.

“And the two of you are on the catering staff, correct?” the sheriff asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Levi answered. “I’m the cook and she is the owner of the catering firm.”

“Okay,” the sheriff said. “And these two were clearly the two you found, right?”

“How do you know it was the two of us?” Haley challenged.

“Oh, I don’t know.” The sheriff grinned. “It could be because of the leaves and debris in your hair.”

Haley reached up and pulled a small nest of pine needles out of her blonde locks.

“Sheriff, can we please just go?” Pam asked suddenly. “We’re all under a lot of stress here and I can’t keep dealing with this.”

“Is that why you came out of nowhere and jumped me?” Haley asked.

“I did no such thing,” Pam insisted. She displayed her bruised arms for the sheriff. “Does it look like I attacked her?”

“What is this all about?” the sheriff asked. “How do the two of you know each other?”

Haley shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know this woman from Adam,” she said.

“She’s right,” Pam said. “We just met on this retreat.”

“Then what was all of this about?” Deputy Jones interjected.

“I don’t know,” Haley said, bobbing her head. “Why don’t you ask her? She’s the one who started all of this.”

“This is getting us nowhere,” the sheriff said.

“If I may,” Carolina stepped forward and said. “Both of you had just eaten breakfast right before this happened. How did the two of you end up in the forest in the first place? I watched you get up from your picnic tables and head up the path.”

“Good question, Madam Caterer,” Deputy Jones said with a smirk. “What were you doing up there?”

“I was just going for a walk,” Pam said, pressing her palm to her chest.

“So was I,” Haley said.

“So, you both just got up and decided to head up the path for a walk in the same patch of woods at the same exact time?” the sheriff asked.

“I guess so,” Haley said.

“You can ask my roommate,” Pam said. “I wanted to get some fresh air. None of the programs we were supposed to enjoy during this retreat are happening, of course. I only came here because I wanted a chance to get away from my regular life. But since Mrs. Burch was murdered, it’s turned this whole thing into nothing but a nightmare.”

“Why do you think I wanted to get away?” Haley scoffed. “I want to go home. I just want to get out of here, but you people won’t let us leave.”

“That’s because we’re conducting a murder investigation at the moment,” the sheriff said. “You’ll be able to leave as soon as we’ve wrapped everything up here.”

“But when will that be?” Pam asked.

“I can’t give you an exact time,” the sheriff said. “But I can tell you that pulling stunts like the two of you just pulled, won’t do anything to quicken the process. As a matter of fact, this puts us behind schedule.”

Pam held up her hands. “Look, can we just forget this ever happened? I don’t want anything to delay our ability to go home and resume our lives,” she said. “I’m willing to stay out of her way if she promises to stay away from me.” She glared at Haley as she spoke.

“Fine by me,” Haley said. “All I’ve got to say is if you ever come within ten feet of me, I will press charges.”

“I do have another question,” Sheriff Darnell said, looking hard at Pam. “Where did you get those bruises up and down your arms?”

“Where do you think?” Pam said, nodding her head in Haley’s direction.

“No, no,” Haley said, holding up her hands. “I didn’t do that to you.”

“You were the one who just scuffled with me up in the woods,” Pam countered. “I surely didn’t do this to myself.”

“Haley didn’t do that to you,” Deputy Jones said.

“How do you know that?” Pam swiveled her head toward the deputy and demanded. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“I know because those bruises are at least a day old. You can tell by the coloring,” the deputy said. “Do you want to share something with the rest of us?”

“I already told you,” Pam said. “This woman here put these bruises on me.”

“You lying witch,” Haley said. She stepped forward with her fists clenched, but one glare from the sheriff forced her back where she stood.

“Somehow, I don’t think this truce is going to do anybody any good,” Deputy Jones said.

“One of you is clearly lying,” Sheriff Darnell said. “But the truth of the matter is, I don’t want to expend the resources to figure out who. If you both agree to stay away from each other for the remainder of your time here, I am obliged to let this go, but that means I don’t want either of you to even look at each other. Do I make myself clear? Not a look at each other, not a word to each other.”

“Yeah, okay,” Pam said reluctantly.

“Sure, whatever gets us home faster,” Haley said.

“That’s better,” Sheriff Darnell said. “Deputies, will the two of you please escort these ladies back to their tents? Then maybe we can resume our investigation without further interruptions.”

Deputy Jones motioned for Haley to follow her. The other deputy guided Pam in the other direction. Carolina and Levi headed for the tent flap when the sheriff called out to them. “Miss Hart, if you don’t mind,” the sheriff said, gesturing toward an open chair. “I would like to speak with you for a moment.”

“Can I go?” Levi asked. “We were in the middle of breakfast.”

“Of course, please,” the sheriff said. She waited while Levi touched Carolina on the shoulder and then headed outside. As soon as he was gone, she turned to Carolina. “You definitely have a concerned staff.”

“Levi is a little more than just my staff member,” Carolina said, not wanting to hide anything from the investigating sheriff. She still had no idea why the sheriff wanted to speak with her.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to hang around,” Sheriff Darnell said, as if reading her mind.

“The question had come to me,” Carolina said. “I’m here to help in whatever way I can.”

“Well, Miss Hart, I need to come clean with you,” Sheriff Darnell said. “It appears your reputation precedes you. I had a phone call with Sheriff Sanchez a short time ago.”

“Oh, boy,” Carolina said. Any mention of her former husband sent shivers down her spine.

“I know he’s your ex-husband,” Sheriff Darnell said. “But the conversation was actually good. He informed me that you have a knack for flushing out suspects. Is that true?”

“I’m not sure that’s quite the way I would put it,” Carolina said. “But I have helped work a few things out in the past.”

“That’s why I wanted to speak with you,” the sheriff said. “You see, I’ve hit the proverbial brick wall here. There are just so many people and potential suspects in play. I want to know if you’ll keep your ear to the ground for me.”

“My ear to the ground? I’m not sure what you mean,” Carolina said.

The sheriff stood from her seat and let out a long sigh. “Every hour we’re here takes a toll on not only me and my deputies but also the county’s budget,” she said. “If asking you to observe things and report them back to me helps shorten our stay here, I’m all for it.”

“So, you want me to let you know if I hear or see anything that seems suspicious?” Carolina asked.

“That’s exactly what I want,” the sheriff said. “Are you up for it?”

“Absolutely. Any way I can help,” Carolina said. “But I have one question. How do you know I wasn’t involved in Monica Burch’s death?”

“Maybe I don’t.” Sheriff Darnell smiled. “But what better way is there than to keep you in my shirt pocket? This way I can keep an eye on you and make sure my instincts are correct that you had nothing to do with it but also be the beneficiary of your observation skills to help me find who did. Does that make sense?”

Carolina nodded. “That makes perfect sense,” she said, already letting the thoughts of what was going on flow in her mind. The first thing she considered was the bruises on Pam’s arms. What if they’d come from a fight after all? Just not one between her and Haley, but instead, her and Monica.

CHAPTER TEN

The sheriff’s words rang in her head as she made her way back to the yurt. As soon as she stepped inside the kitchen, she was greeted by an eager Marissa. “What happened?” she asked. “Levi told me the sheriff asked you to stick around.”

“It’s not like being asked to stay after class,” Carolina said. Her cousin’s exuberance weighed on her. “She just asked me a few questions.”

“Questions like what?” Levi asked.

“Like whether I would be willing to listen in and share what I observe,” Carolina said.

“How does she know you weren’t the one who killed Monica?” Levi asked. “Or me, for that matter?”

“I asked her the same question,” Carolina said. “And she reassured me that she didn’t know, but that it would be better to keep me close by. She did say that her instincts tell her I had nothing to do with it.”

“I would think the lack of evidence would tell her that, too,” Marissa said.

“The problem is, she doesn’t have much evidence to go on at all,” Carolina explained. “What she needs from me is my ears to the ground and my eyes opened at all times. That means you two, too.”

“Why did she ask you?” Levi asked. “I mean, we all know you’re quite the investigator, but how did she know that?”

“Because she talked to Billy,” Carolina said. “And for once, my former husband didn’t throw me under the bus.”

The three of them cleaned up the remains of the breakfast bar in silence. They agreed to sit down and take a break in the half an hour span between cleaning up breakfast and prepping for lunch. Carolina suggested they sit at the employee picnic tables behind the kitchen yurt. She poured three mugs of fresh, hot coffee and carried them on a tray to the picnic table.

“I suppose we should go hang out around the others,” Marissa said, taking a mug of coffee. “I mean, if the sheriff wants you to observe people and all.”

“I think she meant more during meals,” Carolina said. She rested her legs on the picnic bench in front of her. “I still think what happened this morning was so weird.”

“You mean between Haley and Pam?” Levi asked. “I have to agree, that was strange.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with Monica’s murder?” Marissa asked.

Carolina shook her head. “I’m not sure yet, but it is weird, isn’t it?”

“If you ask me, everything around here is weird,” Marissa said. “From the dead woman’s overbearing husband to her business partner to all of these odd, whiny women.”

“Whiny women?” Levi tilted his head and looked quizzically at her.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s so strange to me how these women show up at an outdoor retreat and act like they’re going to break a nail,” Marissa said. “Especially when some of them brag about camping outdoors all the time, and a bunch of them have been to these retreats before.”

“What women, in particular?” Carolina asked. She felt something buzz in her head. “Who has been to one of these retreats before?”

“Well, Pam and Haley both said they’ve been to these retreats,” Marissa said. “I heard them both say it.”

Carolina exchanged looks with Levi. “Haley specifically said she’d never been to one of these before.”

“Yeah, I had the idea none of the women had been here before,” Levi said.

“That’s a little strange,” Carolina admitted. “But it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“Right, they may have meant they’d never been to a retreat with Paradise Glamping before,” Levi said.

“No, they made it clear they had been camping with these people before,” Marissa said.

“Haley and Pam made that clear?” Carolina asked.

“Not just Pam and Haley,” Marissa said. “Several of them.”

“But how did that come up in conversation?” Levi asked.

Marissa shrugged. “I wasn’t part of the conversation. I just overheard them talking about it.”

“What a weird thing to lie about,” Carolina said.

“Does it mean anything though?” Marissa asked.

“Are you asking me if that makes them suspects?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m asking.”

“To be honest with you, all of them are suspects,” Carolina said. “At least in my book they are.”

“Is there anyone else you’re thinking of?” Levi asked.

“Of course there is,” Carolina said. “But I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it. Other than the fact that I think it’s weird Pam was covered with day-old bruises.”

“Like maybe she had done some fighting with someone else?” Levi asked. “Someone like Monica Burch.”

Carolina shrugged. “Maybe I’m grasping at straws. There are more obvious suspects.”

“Like?” Marissa asked.

“Well, the obvious choice is Ronnie,” Carolina said. “I mean, he comes in and orders everyone around, but says little about his wife’s death.”

“And he hasn’t been seen or heard from since,” Marissa said.

“Exactly,” Carolina said. “Beyond that, I suppose Deborah Jo herself could be a suspect.”

“Deborah Jo? Why do you say that?” Marissa asked.

“Just because they’re business partners,” Carolina said. “It stands to reason if there were differences between them. Perhaps she wanted Monica out of the way so she could have the business all herself. She made a point of telling me she had begun the business after working hard to save the money.”

“Right, but Ronnie acted almost indifferent about his wife’s murder,” Levi said. “That’s where I’d start looking.”

“But what about the other women?” Marissa asked. “Why do you consider them suspects?”

“Simply because they’re here,” Carolina said. “And enough has happened that makes me doubt what they have to say. Once you catch someone in a lie, it makes it difficult to trust them after that.”

“Where is it, Deborah Jo?” a voice shouted outside of the yurt. Carolina shot out of the door as fast as she could to investigate. She found Ronnie standing ten feet in front of the kitchen yurt with his hands raised above his head. He held a large stick in his right hand. Deborah Jo appeared pinned against the wide trunk of a tree between the yurt and the closest tent.

“Go away and leave me alone, Ronnie,” Deborah Jo cried.

“What is going on?” Carolina yelled.

“He’s threatening me,” Deborah Jo said. Her eyes were wide with fear.

“Ronnie, put the stick down,” Levi thundered from behind Carolina. He rushed in front of the man and blocked his reach to the women. “Don’t make me take you down, man.”

“I don’t have any beef with you,” Ronnie said. “But I do with her. Give it to me now and I’ll be out of here forever, Deborah Jo.” Ronnie made no move to put the stick down.

“I’m going after help,” Carolina announced.

“Don’t you move,” Ronnie ordered. “If you do, I’ll hurt her. Everyone just stay right here.”

“Not going to happen,” Carolina said.

“I mean it,” Ronnie said.

“Is that what you did to your wife?” Marissa asked from behind Levi.

“What are you talking about?” Ronnie asked. “I didn’t do a thing to my wife.”

“You’re standing here threatening her business partner with a stick,” Carolina pointed out. “Your wife was murdered after receiving a hit to her head. How do you think this looks?”

“That’s what I want to know,” Deputy Jones said, appearing between two tents. “Put the stick down slowly, Mr. Burch.” Carolina turned to see her service revolver trained on the man.

“I didn’t do a thing to my wife,” Ronnie declared as Deputy Jones put him in handcuffs. “I never would have hurt my wife.”

“Then why did you threaten Deborah Jo just now?” Carolina asked.

“You can ask her,” Ronnie said. “She has something that belongs to me.”

“What is it?” the deputy asked. “What does she have that belongs to you?”

“My wife’s will,” Ronnie said. “She has my wife’s last will and testament in her possession and I want it.”

“You’re never going to get it,” Deborah Jo sneered. “She didn’t want you to have it.”

“That’s enough talking,” Sheriff Darnell said, appearing behind Deputy Jones. “Save it for the interrogation room.”

“Why did he say you have his wife’s will?” Carolina asked Deborah Jo.

“Because she was afraid of him,” Deborah Jo said. “She was afraid of him, and she left her will with me in case anything happened to her. He wants her part of the business and that’s why I think he killed her.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I know it’s a lot, but I wanted to thank you for continuing to provide the meals for us.” Deborah Jo said to Carolina after Ronnie was taken away in handcuffs. They were now seated at one of the picnic tables in the eating area. The owner of Paradise Glamping had sequestered herself in her tent for a short time, then returned to speak with Carolina.

“We are still under contract with you to do that,” Carolina said with a weary smile.

“Yes, well I still thought I’d thank you again. I can’t imagine that this has been your favorite job so far,” Deborah Jo said.

“It definitely has been one of the most eventful gigs we’ve ever had,” Carolina said.

“Well, once this blows over, I sure hope you do consider us the next time we’re in this area,” Deborah Jo said with a smile.

“Blows over?” Carolina asked. She felt an unexpected wave of concern wash over her.

“Once Ronnie is charged and put away for murder,” Deborah Jo said. Her words slurred slightly. Carolina wondered if she had been drinking, not that she could blame her.

“You think he’ll be charged?”

“Don’t you? He had motive, after all,” Deborah Jo said.

“I guess I don’t know enough about him to come to that conclusion,” Carolina said. “Aside from knowing how rude he is.”

“Well, I’m sure you can imagine what sort of a husband he was,” Deborah Jo said. “He never supported Monica in her dreams.”

“Do you mean her work here as the Moon Goddess?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“And how did you say you wound up with her will?”

“Oh, that? Monica gave it to me,” Deborah Jo said. “She was afraid Ronnie would hurt her. She just recently changed it and asked for me to hang on to it for her.”

“She entrusted her will with you instead of an attorney?” Carolina said, thinking such things were more valid if they were logged by someone official.

“Monica and I were very close,” Deborah Jo said sadly. “I tried to be there for her while she was going through her issues with Ronnie.”

“Well, I’d better get back to work,” Carolina said. “Lunch will be upon us before we know it and we have quite a few meals to make up.”

“Not as many as before,” Deborah Jo told her. “Most of the staff won’t be here today.”

“Really? I’m shocked the sheriff hasn’t required them all to stay,” she said. “I guess the rest of us won’t be that lucky just yet.”

“Not just yet,” Deborah Jo said. “But now that Ronnie has been taken away, we can hope it will go along much faster now.”

“Do you think you’ll be back?” Carolina asked. “I mean, back in this area soon. I’d assume you have to work out some sort of deal to refund your guests money for this weekend.”

“Refund their money?” A shadow crossed her face. “Oh, yes. Of course. Only next time, things will be a little bit different.”

“Different how?” Carolina asked, genuinely curious. “Aside from the murder of your partner, of course.”

“Not only that, but I’ve been considering a different focus for a while,” Deborah Jo said. She stood up from the table and stumbled slightly. “I think it’s time for us to move away from the new age stuff and focus more on mindfulness. That seems to be the current trend anyway.”

“How did Monica feel about that?” Carolina asked carefully. “I mean, before she was killed.”

“Monica was not on board with it at all,” Deborah Jo said. She reached back and steadied herself on one of the large trees providing shade to the picnic table area. “She thought it was a bad idea from the get-go. Guess I don’t have to worry about her opinion anymore.” She turned and walked back up the path toward her tent, leaving Carolina with her mouth gaping open, wondering if she had just heard what she’d thought she heard.

“Where have you been?” Marissa asked her when she returned to the kitchen yurt. “It’s time for us to start packing up.”

“For what?” Carolina asked.

“Probably because we are going to be leaving here soon,” Marissa said. “Now that they’ve arrested Ronnie, I assume they’ll shut this down at last.”

Carolina shook her head quickly. “They haven’t released everyone yet.”

Marissa sighed and hung her head dejectedly. “I should have asked you before I got my hopes up. Oh well.”

“I’m glad today’s lunch menu is a little simpler than yesterday.”

“Me, too,” Marissa admitted. “Why don’t I get busy on the cucumber sandwiches while you put together the hummus and pitas? That way we can relax for a little while before we have to start passing them out.”

“That works for me,” Carolina said. She was preoccupied with her conversation with Deborah Jo. “Oh, I almost forgot. Deborah Jo said not to prepare as many lunches. Not all of the staff will be here today.”

“That seems odd,” Levi said from the other side of the kitchen. “Do you think she told them not to come in or if the police already went through the process with them?”

“I have no idea,” Carolina said.

“I don’t understand why we have to be here if they don’t,” Marissa said.

“Probably because they think Carolina can help,” Levi said. “I bet it’s all her fault we’re still here.”

“Very funny.” Carolina rolled her eyes, but knew he was probably right. “After we prepare lunch, I’ll go up and talk to the sheriff about it. Maybe we aren’t needed here that badly now that Ronnie is gone.” She said the words but didn’t quite believe that Ronnie was anything more than a jerk. He wasn’t a killer.

“What are you going to do if the sheriff says we can go home?” Marissa asked. “I thought we were still under contract here. I wouldn’t mind a bit if I was able to get home to my family.”

“We can still prepare our meals,” Carolina said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t get away for a little while, or even go home for the night. I’d give anything to see my bed again.”

They worked for another hour putting together the lunches for themselves, their host, and the rest of the guests and staff. Carolina still felt distracted by the words of her last conversation with Deborah Jo.

“You must really miss home,” Levi said as they loaded the lunches up on a rolling cart.

“Why do you say that?” Carolina asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Levi teased. “Maybe it’s because you have been somewhere else for the last hour or so. Is there something on your mind? Other than the obvious, of course.”

“What would be the obvious?” Carolina asked, wondering just how well he knew her.

“I don’t think you fully believe Ronnie killed his wife,” Levi said bluntly. “Is that what you’re thinking about?”

Carolina moved to the window and gazed outside. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for an outdoor camping experience. It was warm enough to enjoy a walk outside, but the cool breeze kept them from sweltering. “I don’t know what to think,” she said after a moment. “I mean, Ronnie is the obvious suspect, as we’ve already discussed.”

“But,” Levi said.

“But there are so many other things going on around here that seem out of place,” Carolina said. “Like the women lying about their previous glamping experiences. Pam and her bruises. And even Deborah Jo.”

“What makes you suspicious of Deborah Jo now?”

“I’m not sure I’m suspicious, exactly,” Carolina said.

“But there’s something on your mind.”

“It’s just the conversation we had a little while ago. I think she had been drinking.”

“Having a drink or two doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Levi said. “It’s odd that it’s so early, but her partner was just killed.”

“It wasn’t the drinking that made me wonder as much as it was the fact that she was so sure Ronnie was the killer. And the fact that she admitted to having Monica’s will. She let it slip that Monica had just changed her will, too. I think that’s an interesting bit of information.”

“But if they were close friends, it’s possible.”

“True, but the last thing Deborah Jo said to me was that she had decided to get away from the new age stuff that Monica liked so much. When I asked her what Monica thought about that, she made some flippant remark about how she wouldn’t have to worry about Monica’s opinion anymore.”

“Okay, that changes things a little,” Levi admitted.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I think I’m going to take a walk before we serve lunch,” Marissa announced.

“I think I will too when you get back,” Carolina said, aware of her cousin’s growing frustration with being stuck at the campground.

“Yes. You need to go talk to the sheriff. I think you’ve gathered enough information now and you need to share it.”

“I think she’s right,” Levi said. “You probably have enough information to cast doubt on Ronnie’s guilt.”

“If you’re worried about someone coming into the kitchen, I’ll stay here,” Levi offered.

“Alright, but if you wander around, Marissa, please be careful,” Carolina warned. “We aren’t sure if what happened around here is over yet.”

“I’m not going far,” Marissa said. “As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to sit in the employee area behind the yurt.”

“I’ll join you,” Levi said. “From there, we’ll be able to see if someone decides to come snooping around the kitchen.”

Carolina left the two of them and headed toward the top of the campground where the sheriff had stationed herself during the investigation. She made it up the trail past the first tent, determined to see the sheriff before it was time to get back to work. She was surprised to see a group of women gathered behind one of the tents when she passed between two rows.

“Are we still eating lunch?” Haley asked her when she passed.

Carolina stopped on the path and nodded her head. “My crew and I will be here to provide meals for the remainder of the time we’re all required to be here.”

“I wish I knew how long that was going to be,” Sonia said.

“Trust me, I’m wondering the same thing,” Carolina said. She started to move further up the path.

“You know, I didn’t hit her that hard,” Haley said.

For a moment, Carolina had forgotten about the tussle between Haley and Pam. Her mind immediately went to Monica being hit and she froze. “What?”

“Pam? Remember?” Haley said slowly.

“Oh, right. That’s none of my business.” Carolina kept walking.

“I know it isn’t, but I want to make that clear,” Haley continued. “I don’t think it was me who put those bruises on her. I never even touched her like that.”

“Who do you think did it?” Carolina asked, stopping again. “Where do you think those bruises came from?”

Haley cast a long glance at Sonia. “I’ve only heard the rumors.”

“What rumors?” Carolina asked. “I thought you were all strangers before today.”

“No, to be honest, some of us have been to these retreats before,” Sonia said.

“But earlier most of you said something different,” Carolina said.

“We know,” Haley said. “It’s just a little something we’ve done with the catering staff since we were kids going to sleep-away camp. It’s dumb, but we have fun with it.”

“So, you know Pam from before this trip?” Carolina asked.

“Not well, but we have seen her before,” Sonia admitted. “Anyway, I think she’s got some anger issues and is a bit of a scrapper. I heard she comes to these retreats after she gets out of jail from one fight or another. It’s like she never grew out of the mean girl stage of her high school career.”

Carolina didn’t have it in her to tell Haley it seemed like she hadn’t left that stage either. Instead, she asked how many retreats she’d been to of Deborah Jo’s in the past.

“This is my fourth time with Paradise Glamping,” Haley said. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if Ronnie had always been an issue,” Carolina said casually. “I mean, the way he came in throwing his weight around really threw me off.”

“Ronnie comes around but never really gets involved with us,” Sonia said. “Plus, as far as I knew, he and Monica were as good as divorced.”

“Yeah, he seemed to have more in common with Deborah Jo than his ex-wife,” Haley said.

“Ronnie and Monica were already divorced?”

“If not already, it was pretty close,” Haley said. “I think Deborah Jo had something to do with it, too.”

“But I thought Deborah Jo and Ronnie were practically sworn enemies of each other?” Carolina asked, now more confused than ever.

Sonia shook her head. “I don’t know about that. The last time I was at one of these retreats, they seemed pretty cozy.”

“How long ago was that?” Carolina asked.

“Maybe six months ago,” Sonia said. “I don’t think you were there that time, Haley.”

“No, I missed the retreat six months ago,” Haley said. “But Ronnie and Deborah Jo certainly were not enemies. In fact, I think it was Ronnie’s idea to buy into Deborah Jo’s company.”

“But why would Deborah Jo take on a partner in the first place?” Carolina asked.

“Beats me,” Haley said. “Another one of the rumors is that she was having some problems a few years ago.”

“She was losing money,” Sonia added. “That’s what one of the staff members told me. It was after I had been to one of Paradise Glamping weekends. After that, I stopped coming for a while.”

“Me, too,” Haley said. “After she teamed up with Monica, things got better. Weirder, but better.”

“Are you sure she was losing money?” Carolina asked.

“Positive,” Sonia said. “You could tell by the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches she served for lunch.”

“Speaking of lunch, will it be served at the same time as yesterday?” Haley asked, changing the subject.

Carolina smiled. “Same time, same place.”

The women returned to their chattering and Carolina headed straight for the sheriff’s headquarters.

“Something strange is going on around here,” Carolina said when she entered the sheriff’s tent.

“Has something else happened?” Sheriff Darnell.

“That I’m not entirely sure Ronnie is the killer,” Carolina said bluntly.

“He hasn’t been charged with murder as of right now.”

“I’ve had a string of funny conversations,” Carolina said. “I’ll save time and just give you the gist of it. For one thing, Pam, who I had my suspicions about, may or may not be someone who has anger issues and spends some of her time in jail. I think that’s probably easy enough for you to look up unless you already have.”

“We’ve looked into everyone here,” the sheriff said. “But what makes you think this information is helpful?”

“It’s not necessarily helpful, but I do think it eliminates her as a possible suspect. Originally, I’d wondered if her bruises came from fighting with Monica.”

“Do you have anything else?”

Carolina told her most of what she knew and then sucked in a breath. “I’m really confused about some of the things I heard about Deborah Jo.”

“Go on,” the sheriff urged.

“For one thing, I heard Deborah Jo and Ronnie were cozy as recently as six months ago. I don’t have any more details than that to share with you, but that information alone is startling.”

“What else have you heard?” the sheriff said.

“I heard from Deborah Jo herself that she was planning to change the format of the glamping retreats,” Carolina said. “But the one thing she said that really threw me was that she didn’t have to worry about Monica’s opinion anymore.”

“Did she say anything about Monica’s will?” the sheriff asked.

“Only that she did have it, and that Monica had recently changed it.” She looked at the time on her phone.

“Do you have somewhere to be?” Sheriff Darnell asked.

“I have about half an hour before we need to start setting lunch out.”

“I really need to get a look at that will,” the sheriff sighed. “But I don’t have probable cause just yet.”

“Are you asking me to go search Deborah Jo’s tent?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” the sheriff said. “I was just talking out loud.”

“Actually, maybe that’s not a bad thing. I don’t know the rules about stuff like this, but what if I were to tell you that I was worried about Deborah Jo and how much she’d been drinking today?”

“Are you making that up to give me a reason to do a welfare check?”

“That was my idea, but I’m not making it up. I do think she’d been drinking. I couldn’t smell it on her, but she was slurring her words and stumbling.”

“Can you do me a favor?”

“I can try.”

“Can you step outside and see if Deborah Jo is in her tent?” the sheriff asked. “I think we need to do an official welfare check on her.”

“What are you doing here?” Deborah Jo demanded a moment later when Carolina poked her head inside the open tent flap. “I think it’s time for lunch, isn’t it?” the words tumbled out of her mouth. She had clearly been drinking more than before.

“I just wanted to come and check on you,” Carolina said.

“And you brought the sheriff with you?” Deborah Jo rushed toward the doorway and grabbed Carolina by her arms. Carolina stumbled backward from the weight and tripped over something on the floor. She could feel herself going down with Deborah Jo’s weight on top of her. They landed hard on the floor of the tent.

“Are you two alright?” Sheriff Darnell rushed in and asked. She reached down and helped Deborah Jo to her feet. “I’m worried about you, Miss Wilkins.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Deborah Jo began laughing. The sheriff guided her to the small bistro table at the front of her tent and sat her down. A packet of papers lay on the table in front of her. “This is what you might be looking for.” She handed the papers over to the sheriff.

“What is this?” the sheriff asked, taking the seat across the table.

“Oh, I’m sure you know what that is, you silly goose,” Deborah Jo said. “But you won’t find anything wrong in there. No, you won’t.” Deborah Jo fell over slightly in her chair but righted herself before she tumbled over onto the floor for a second time.

“This looks like a will and testament,” the sheriff said, glancing at Carolina. “Do you mind if I take a look at this?”

“Go right on ahead. Help yourself,” Deborah Jo slurred. She gestured wildly with her hands. “But a lawyer has looked at it and was there when Monica signed it.”

Carolina rolled to her side and pushed herself up on her knees. She sat up for a minute and caught her breath, shaking her head. Maybe she had been wrong about everything all along. Maybe Deborah Jo had problems, but that didn’t mean she was a double-crossing murderer. She grabbed the foot of the large four poster bed to pull herself up but stopped when her eye caught on something under the corner of the dust ruffle on the right hand side of the footboard.

Instead of pulling it out, Carolina slowly raised the hem of the dust ruffle. “Sheriff, you’re going to want to come and look at this.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“How did the women react when the sheriff led Deborah Jo out in handcuffs?” Uncle Toad asked the following morning at the Hart Family Restaurant. They were seated around the table in the center, between morning rushes. Carolina sipped her coffee. Her throat was dry from recounting the many events from the weekend.

“There were a few open mouths,” Marissa said, speaking for Carolina. “But I think there were some who weren’t terribly surprised she was involved.”

“I still don’t understand how you knew she was guilty,” Denise, Marissa’s younger sister-in-law, said.

“It was what she found under the bed,” Marissa told her.

“What was it?” Denise asked eagerly. “You never got to that part. Finish the story.”

“A colorful silk scarf,” Carolina said. She pictured them in her mind. “Just like the ones Monica had been wearing when she was murdered.”

“But what was it doing there?” Denise asked.

“I think they must have gotten into an argument and Deborah Jo ripped it off of her,” Carolina said.

“Exactly,” Levi said. “It also makes sense because Deborah Jo wasn’t around pretty much right after the moon ceremony thing started.”

“Right, I noticed that too. Especially because I wanted to talk to her, and she was nowhere to be found. She went back there and waited for Monica to come and change her clothes.”

Levi nodded. “And clobbered her over the head with something.”

“Yes, but not hard enough to kill her immediately,” Carolina added. “She was able to call for help.”

“Oh, will you two cut it out,” Denise said. “You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?” Carolina asked.

“You know, that weird couple thing,” Denise said. “My brother and Marissa do it all the time. It’s like you two can talk to each other in your brains.”

Carolina chuckled. “We just think alike.”

“It’s true,” Levi said. “Deborah Jo planned to kill Monica and after she hit her, she rushed back up to where we were so everyone would think she was around the entire time.”

“But what was the motive for the murder?” Uncle Toad asked. “Did the other guy finish Monica off? Was he waiting back there and in on things the whole time?”

“I’m sure the sheriff will discover more about it, but my suspicion is that Deborah Jo was angry that she had taken on a partner like Monica,” Carolina said.

“Do you think the sheriff has a strong enough case against her?” Marissa asked.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt now,” Carolina said.

“What makes you say that?” Uncle Toad asked.

“The fact that Ronnie Burch sang like a bird,” Levi answered for her.

“Toad was right! They were working together?” Denise gasped.

“No, actually, it sounds like Deborah Jo was a double double-crosser,” Carolina said. “She worked with Ronnie against Monica, then turned around and convinced Monica to leave Ronnie and change her will leaving the business solely to Deborah Jo.”

“You know, there’s something I always wonder about cases like that,” Uncle Toad said. “You just have to wonder why people like that think they’re going to get away with it in the first place.”

“People get caught up in whatever scheme they’ve created, and they convince themselves it makes sense,” Carolina said.

“I wonder what those women will do with their extra time now?” Marissa said.

“I’m sure there’s a trophy wife retreat out there somewhere they can spend their time at,” Levi said.

“‘Trophy wife,’” Denise said. “That’s a little harsh. Just because they take care of themselves you think they’re trophy wives?”

“That’s the term they used for themselves,” Carolina said.

Maybe someday I’ll get married and become a trophy wife,” Denise said. “It’s too bad you’re not rich, Levi.”

“What on earth do you mean by that?” Carolina turned red.

“Because if he was rich, he could marry you,” Denise said, grinning. “Then you could just stop working and become a trophy wife yourself.”

Carolina responded by wadding up the kitchen towel in front of her and throwing it promptly at Denise’s head.

ALSO BY EMMA AINSLEY

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