19. Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
“I’m the head honcho.”
The canoe ride across the lake took longer than the trip to the island because there was only one person paddling instead of two. The kids all did well, though, and stayed close to Wes and Cassandra, who paddled side by side for most of the way. Ellie relaxed as they got closer to camp.
As they pulled into shore, Lester was waiting for them. “You kids head to the mess hall. There’s a hot breakfast waiting for you.” He looked at Wes and Cassandra. “For you, too, of course.”
Wes helped Cassandra out of her canoe. “You go eat. Lester and I will get this stuff unloaded.”
“I can help.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. You’re just as hungry and tired as I am.”
They unloaded the gear and left it in a pile on the shore for the kids to come and get after breakfast. Then Cassandra and Wes headed for the mess hall. He left her at the table.
“I need to check on the kids, then make those phone calls.”
“I’ll check on the kids while you make the calls. I’m your number two, remember?”
“I’ll be in the office.”
Wes got hold of all the parents, who were genuinely concerned and agreed that the kids should leave camp.
A few of them questioned why their children were unsupervised and able to eat something they shouldn’t.
He refrained from telling them that their children were nearly adults and needed to take some responsibility for themselves.
But blowback was bound to follow, and he would need to take the heat.
Emily, at twenty-two, shouldn’t be held responsible, even though the kids were in her charge at the time and she ate berries right alongside them.
Wes tried to assure the parents that he’d make things right.
After the last phone call, he leaned back in the chair behind the small desk and closed his eyes as he covered a yawn. When the office door opened, he sat up and smiled at Cassandra.
“Did I catch you napping?”
“Hmm. I wish.”
“How did the calls go?”
“I got a mixed response. A few of them aren’t too happy with the situation.”
“Are they blaming you?”
“They’re questioning why I wasn’t with them.”
“Do they understand the counselors are there to take some of the responsibility?”
“Yes. But still. I’m the head honcho.”
“I’m sure it’ll blow over.”
“Let’s hope so.”
She held out her hand. “Let’s get some breakfast, then maybe a nap.”
“Food, yes. Nap, not until these kids are picked up.”
“Even if their parents leave town right now, they won’t be here for three hours.”
“I can’t have anyone saying I was sleeping while the kids were sick in their cabins. I’ll sleep tonight.”
“You’ll be a zombie by tonight.”
“So be it.”
She motioned for him to get up. “Come on. Food will help a little.”
He took her hand and groaned as she pulled him out of the chair. He looked at her for a moment, then reached for the door and shut it. “I need something else to help me get through the day.”
“What’s that?”
He leaned in and kissed her. “That.”
“There’s more where that came from.”
“In that case, I’ll take another.” He put his arms around her and kissed her again. “Okay. Food.”
They left the office and went into the kitchen. The kids had all finished eating, and the leftover food had been removed from the dining area. May handed Wes and Cassandra each a plate.
“We kept the food warm for you.”
“Thank you, May.” Wes took some scrambled eggs, two pancakes, and some bacon, then poured himself a cup of coffee. Cassandra took eggs, bacon, and coffee, then they went to the table in the dining hall and sat down.
June came from the kitchen with a pitcher of syrup and some butter. “For your pancakes, Mr. Buchanan.”
“Thank you.” He sat for a moment and stared at his plate, pushing away the image of six sick kids.
Cassandra patted his hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just a little nauseous.”
“Don’t think about it.”
“I’m trying not to.” He picked up a piece of bacon and looked at it, then took a bite. “Okay. Bacon saves the day.”
Wes cleared his plate, then leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “I feel…slightly better.”
“Ready to face unhappy parents?”
“Ready as I can be, I guess.”
“Do you want me to be your wingman?”
“No. You should help Lester with the Camp Blueberry Olympic Games.”
She laughed. “The what?”
“They’re not until tomorrow. But he’ll be setting up for them while the kids have the afternoon to hang out by the water.”
“Okay, but if you need me, call me.”
“I will.”
“You can come with me to check on everyone, though.”
They took their plates to the kitchen, then left the mess hall and headed to the cabin designated as the sick cabin. Jill, one of the counselors who hadn’t been on the overnight, was sitting on the porch. She got to her feet when she saw them approaching.
“Are you here to relieve me?”
“We just wanted to check on everyone.”
“It’s horrible in there. It’s like the…Black Death.”
“Hmm.” Wes smiled. “I need you to hang in there a little longer. Their parents are on the way.”
Emily came out the door looking pale, but better than she did a few hours ago. “I’m feeling better, Mr. B. I really want to stay.”
“Well, you’re an adult, and you drove yourself here, so I’ll leave that up to you.”
“Thank you.”
“Take the day, and we’ll see how you are in the morning. How is everyone else?”
“I think some of them are feeling a little better.”
Wes opened the door and went inside. Everyone was lying down, but the moaning was minimal, and half of them looked up at him and Cassandra.
“Your parents are on the way.”
One boy raised a hand. “Do we have to go?”
“I’m afraid so. Can we get you anything? Are any of you hungry?”
The thought of food seemed to make things worse, and Cassandra went to the table in the middle of the room with water bottles and used cups. “Keep drinking your water.”
Wes took a step back toward the door. “Let Jill know if you need anything before your parents get here.”
Casandra followed him out the door, and they both sucked in the fresh air. Wes looked at Jill. “Leave this door open. It’s very stuffy in there.”
“I don’t want to catch whatever they have.”
“It’s not catching. They have food poisoning.”
“Still.”
“Just leave the door open, and I’ll send someone else to relieve you soon.”
“Thank you.”
They left the cabin, and Wes nodded toward the activity at the lake. “While you keep an eye on that crew, I need to put a call into Stu Morrow and give him a heads-up.”
“I don’t envy you your job sometimes, Wes.”
He shrugged. “Most of the time, it’s great. Then someone decides to eat poison berries, and all hell breaks loose.”
They parted ways, and Wes returned to the office after pouring himself another cup of coffee in the kitchen.
The office was small, cluttered, and disorganized, a shared space used by whoever was in charge of the current group of campers.
The owners of Camp Blueberry simply rented out the facility and offered no on-site staff other than May and June.
Wes took a few minutes to straighten out the desk, then picked up the phone and dialed the superintendent’s office.
“Bridgeport District Office.”
“Hi. This is Wes Buchanan. Is Stu available?”
“Of course, hold please.”
She clicked off, and a few moments later, Stu’s obnoxiously jovial voice came on the line. “Wes, how’s it going up there?”
“Well, there’s been a bit of an incident.”
“What kind of incident?”
“The overnight campout was last night, and a few of the kids ate some elderberries and got quite sick from them.”
Stu’s jovial tone disappeared. “What the hell, Wes?”
“They’ve been told not to eat anything. It’s in the handbook. It’s mentioned when they first arrive. Other than personally following them around, I don’t know what else I could’ve done.”
“You weren’t with them?”
“No, they were on a short hike with Emily Conner.” He got to his feet. “She knows better, too. But it happened anyway.”
“Where were you?”
“At the campsite. I can’t keep an eye on all forty kids. That’s why we have counselors.”
“So, you’re claiming no responsibility?”
Wes paced around the small space. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m in charge, and I will, of course, shoulder the blame if it comes down to that.”
“What’s being done?”
“We got the kids back to camp. They’re resting in a cabin, and their parents are on the way to pick them up.”
“You called them all?”
“The ones I needed to, yes.”
“How many kids?”
He stopped at the small window facing the lake and watched the campers by the water. “Five kids and a counselor, Emily, who wants to remain at camp.”
“Well, I haven’t gotten any calls yet, so maybe that’s a good sign. Let me know how the parents are when they get there. Be…as accommodating as you can be.”
“Of course.”
Stu sighed into the phone. “I know you can’t be everywhere at once, and the district will stand behind you on that.”
“Thank you.”
“But we might need to reassess sending that many kids again. That is a decision you’ll need to justify.”
“Other than last night, things have been running smoothly. I think everyone is having fun and…”
“We’ll talk when you get back.”
“Okay.” He turned away from the window.
“No more hikes away from camp.”
“Of course.”
“Call me in the morning with an update.”
“Will do.” Stu ended the call, and Wes returned the handset to the cradle, then sat back in the chair. The sound of a car arriving brought him to his feet again, and he looked out the window. “Here we go.”