7. Kat
Chapter 7
Kat
C amp Sunny-Lu looks a lot like the summer camp I went to when I was a kid. I look around and am thrilled all over again at what we have to work with. The arts and crafts building has already been transformed into a salon and spa. The administrative offices will stay the same. We will be converting the kitchen and dining room to a multi-purpose party room and hall, with upgrades for caterers. We have plans to turn the eight camper dorms into luxury two-bedroom cabins with shared bathrooms. It’s going to be fantastic.
Except that we are now down one cabin to seven. The eighth is a smoking husk.
I find a parking spot far from all the excitement, and Wylie pulls in beside me. We make our way to a very bedraggled Romy talking to a man in a firefighter’s uniform. The rest of the volunteer fire crew continues to hose down the building. I’m grateful the fire didn’t spread to any of the neighboring cabins. Violet is also there providing moral support, and I see Rhiannon’s car parked beside the administrative block.
I approach Romy, and she gives me a soggy hug. I hand her a backpack full of dry clothes; we are close enough to the same size that they’ll do for now. “Are you sure that you are okay?”
“I’m fine. Bishop wouldn’t have left if I wasn’t.”
“Which way did he go?” Wylie asks.
Romy points. Wylie nods, gives me a squeeze around the waist, and takes off without a word. “What do you need from me right now?”
The fire chief who has been speaking to one of his men at the burned-out building waves and heads our way. “I’ll arrange for you to come in and sign your statement later, Ms. Turner, but we don’t need anything else from you for now. An arson investigator will be contacting you.”
“What about the other buildings? Is the salon undamaged?” I ask.
“Yeah. Bishop insisted that we upgrade the security there after the last incident. The cabin is on the edge of the property, and we aren’t using any of them yet, so I’d put them at the bottom of the list,” Romy says.
“The salon is the important part. Any news from Bishop?”
Romy checks her phone. “New message! Oh, he lost the guy. He called in a description of the pick-up truck to the police, though,” Romy adds. “He’s heading back here now.”
Romy had been on her own for a long time. It’s nice to see her have somebody to lean on. “Go get changed. I put a towel in the bag too,” I tell her.
I walk around the rest of the grounds. We bought the whole twenty acres. The usable land consists of about five cleared acres, where all the buildings and the beach are. The burned cabin is on the south edge of the campground; the rest of the buildings follow the shoreline north. We haven’t explored beyond the first hundred yards or into the trees. One pine looks pretty much like another. I wonder if there is a building in there that we don’t know about. That could be what Jefferson Cross is after. I know there is an old fire road up that way; I’ve seen it branching off the lake road.
The idea has possibilities, but I don’t have time to investigate this morning. Bishop returns and whisks Romy back to their house. I tell her not to come back until tomorrow, but Rhiannon and I share a look, both of us knowing that Romy will probably return by lunchtime. Then the truck with the dumpster arrives just as the fire trucks are leaving. We get everything arranged, with Violet and Rhiannon tackling the dining hall while I start emptying out the old kitchen.
I hear the rumble of a motorcycle. I’m covered in dirt and grime, but Wylie may as well meet this side of me. He’s met the lawyer-Kat and date-Kat, it’s time for grubby-Kat to make an appearance.
He laughs when I peel a cobweb from my T-shirt sleeve. “Are you ready to break for lunch?”
“I’m starving,” I say.
He holds out a helmet. “Jump on.”
He didn’t flinch at my dust, but I’m not going out in public like this. “Give me a minute.” I knew what I’d be getting into today, so I threw a second shirt into my car this morning. I duck into the spa’s bathroom to change and do some repairs to my hair and make-up and I’m out a few minutes later. Wylie just smiles and hands me the helmet.
I don’t know where we’re going, but I trust him. We end up behind the large building beside the Lonesome Bar and Grill. It’s the last building before Lonesome’s Main Street peeters out and the highway resumes. “What is this place?”
“My clubhouse. The guys are firing up the grill since the weather is still decent. I thought you might want a burger or hot dog.”
My stomach growls in response. Unfortunately, it’s after he turns off the motorcycle, so he stares at my loud tummy in shock. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Burger, please.”
“Duck, throw on a couple burgers for us, will you?” Wylie calls to the silver fox manning the barbecue. “Tolk, this is Kat.”
A tall, long-haired blond man steps forward. “Your kidnapper.”
“You know what they say. You only have one chance to make a first impression,” I quip.
Tolk grins. “We’re going to get along just fine.”
Two more men are sitting at the picnic tables scattered around the concrete patio. Everybody but me is wearing a leather vest with a Lost Souls patch on the back, with another patch showing “Lonesome” at the bottom. I recognize JD, but I can’t read the name patch on the chest of the last guy. “That’s Picnic. You already know JD. I know that it’s a little early for introductions to my friends, but I knew that Duck was cooking and several of them would be here. Do you mind?”
“Not at all. You already know my girls. Turnabout is fair play.”
The burgers are excellent, the water bottles cold, and the company as sexy as ever. I haven’t had a hamburger that tastes this good in ages. Wylie fills me in a little about his motorcycle club. It sounds like mostly former military men and their family members who banded together for support and fun. I was a little nervous at first, but when I find out they own the bar and grill next door, plus a couple other businesses around Lonesome, my worries ease. Liquor licenses and business registrations come with background checks, so these guys either have wicked legal representation or they aren’t the complete badasses that they appear at first glance. Even knowing that, I still don’t want to mess with them.
“I don’t mean to rush you, but I do have that staff meeting this afternoon. Are you ready to go back.”
“Unfortunately,” I say. I raise my hands with obviously fake enthusiasm, “Yay, dirt!” I wave to the guys. “Thanks for lunch.” I spy a little mustard on my pinky finger and lick it off. I see Wylie watching me. “Don’t say anything.”
He looks away, shaking his head. “Not a word.”
“Will I see you again tonight?” I don’t want to push, but I don’t want him to think I’m not interested either.
“I’ve got a bartender shift tonight. But I’ll let you know if we learn anything about your arsonist,” he promises.
“Why are you looking into it?” I ask. “I mean, we’d appreciate any information but it’s not your responsibility.”
“If it’s related to our little adventure the other day, I’m already involved. We won’t know if it is unless we ask some questions.”
“Do you think it’s related to the court case? They wanted the property back. Burning it down seems counterproductive.”
“I don’t know. Yet,” Wylie says. “Come on, I’ll drive you back along the scenic route. It’s longer.”
More time snuggled up to Wylie on a vibrating machine? Sign me up.