Killer Rapids, page 6
His eyes widened. “Yeah, I do remember you now.” His eyes flicked to the area where the body lay. “Curious that you’re involved in another murder case, just weeks after the one you just described.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I guess that is a little weird.”
He grunted and jotted something down in his notebook. “What can you tell me about finding the body?”
“Brandi asked me to come with her to find the, uh, bathroom area. I didn’t want to go, but she guilted me into it.”
He chuckled. “Go on.”
I explained how she’d screamed, and I’d come running, only to discover the lifeless form on the other side of the log.
“Was Brandi anywhere near the victim? Did she touch him?” he asked.
“No, she was standing a few feet away. She was too stunned to go near him.”
“And do you know who the victim is?” he asked.
“Ray identified him as his cousin, Arnold.”
“Last name?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know Arnold’s last name. I barely talked to him.”
“Do you know if anyone seemed unfriendly toward Arnold? Any strange behavior with Arnold and others on the trip?”
I swallowed hard. This was the part I was worried about. I didn’t want to get Ray in trouble, but…
“Clarity?” The detective urged me on.
I sighed. “I did see him arguing with Ray last night. But I don’t think Ray would hurt anyone, let alone his own family.”
“Have you known Ray long?”
“No. We just met him earlier this week.”
“Who’s we?”
“Brandi, Jonah, and myself. We have a business next to Ray’s in Seattle.”
He jotted more notes down. “Do you know what Ray and Arnold were arguing about?”
“I have no idea. Maybe Brandi knows more.”
“Why would your friend know more?” He looked up from his notes.
“Because she and Ray kind of like each other.” God, why was I telling him all this? I might as well just throw my friends under a bus. Maybe the detective had the same effect on me as truth serum.
“How long have they been dating?” Detective Reilly asked.
“They’ve only been on one date.”
“Was there anyone else who didn’t like Arnold?”
I surveyed my rafting friends. My eyes lingered on the place where Arnold’s body lay silent and still. “I don’t know. He didn’t seem like the warmest person, you know? The only one I talked to who knows him is Joe. And I think Astrid knows him too. Both Joe and Astrid have been on previous trips with Ray’s company. Joe mentioned that Arnold had tried starting a company like Ray’s, but he wasn’t successful.”
Detective Reilly nodded as he took more notes. “Can you think of anything else? Any other details or information about Arnold and his relationship with the other people on the trip?”
“No.”
“Thank you, Clarity. You’ve been very helpful. Here’s my card in case you think of anything else.”
I took it from him and put it in my pocket. “Thank you. I hope you find out who did this.”
He met my eyes. “Me too.”
CHAPTER 10
Everyone had been interviewed, and we’d all been sent to pack up our stuff. Ray’s employees took down the tents and loaded the food into wheeled carts. My stomach rumbled thinking about our missed breakfast, but it wasn’t appropriate to mention food at this time.
The victim had been collected by the medical examiner, but the police were still examining the crime scene.
“The vans are here, waiting on the road. Please follow me. My crew will take care of the tents, rafts, and equipment.” Ray pointed us to a path that led away from the river.
“Come on.” I took Brandi’s hand in mine and tagged along after Ray. Jonah followed at our heels.
The trip was supposed to have momentarily taken us away from the stress of the city. Instead, it had turned into something far more stressful than starting a new business.
Jonah, noticing that Brandi and I had gone quiet, tried to distract us with funny stories from his childhood.
“And then my dad made us clean the entire garage. That was the last time we ever whined that we were bored.” Jonah chuckled. “Except my youngest sister, Ellie. She didn’t learn as fast as the rest of us did and ended up having to wash the boat a couple of times. She’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, if you know what I mean.”
I smiled. Brandi’s face remained blank.
Jonah frowned.
“Thanks for trying,” I mouthed to him. I hoped he didn’t take it personally. She was still suffering the after-effects of discovering Arnold’s body.
Once we got into the back seat of one of the vans, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Soon, all of this would be behind us and we could move on with our lives.
The driver let the engine idle while we waited for everyone to finish talking to the police and then load into the other vehicles. Ray was sitting in the front passenger seat talking in low tones to the driver. Beatrix, Charles, and Ruth sat quietly in the row in front of us.
“Maybe our next trip should be somewhere warm and exotic. A place where we can lay out on the beach and drink tropical drinks with the little umbrellas in them.” I buckled my seatbelt and hoped Brandi would say something cute and funny, like she always did.
Jonah hesitated a moment, probably waiting for a response from Brandi too. “Yeah, that sounds like a much better option than this.” Then he whispered so only I could hear, “And I don’t think there are any dead bodies sunbathing on white-sand beaches.”
“So true,” I whispered back.
I rubbed Brandi’s arm, hoping to get a response. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged. “I guess.”
“That must’ve been so scary to come upon Arnold like that. I’m sorry it was you and not me.”
She shot me a glance. “What? What do you mean?”
“When Hunter and Zen took me along to a crime scene in Ballard—before we knew that Paul was a killer, I saw something gruesome.” I flashed back to the severed leg laying in an alley next to a dumpster. “And I was surprised that I was more curious than grossed out. It was almost like I was watching a movie instead of experiencing it in real life.”
Brandi blinked. “What did you see?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think you want to know. Let me just say that it was awful.”
“But you didn’t panic? Or throw up?”
“Nope. I almost feel bad about that. I mean, the normal thing would be to have the reaction you’re having, right? Maybe that makes me some kind of outlier. I should be sick to my stomach and traumatized. But I’m not.”
Brandi laid a hand on mine. “No. It just means you have the ability to analyze a horrible event. I think it means that you’re suited to this type of work.”
“PI work?
She nodded. “Exactly. You’re meant to do it.”
“Well, maybe not in this instance. No one has hired me to find out who killed Arnold. The police are handling that just fine.”
“True.” Brandi studied the back of Ray’s head. “I feel bad for Ray. Arnold was his cousin. What should I say to him?”
“Tell him you’re sorry for his loss. Hug him and tell him you’re there for him.”
She squeezed my hand. “Yeah. This whole traumatic thing is not about me. It’s about someone losing his life. For Ray, it’s about the loss of a family member.” She was quiet for a moment. “It actually makes it easier to put the focus on Ray and his experience rather than focusing on my own reaction to finding Arnold’s body.”
The van’s engine was loud enough that it covered our quiet conversation. But Ray must’ve felt our eyes on him.
He turned around in his seat to look at us. His face was pale and drawn, and the smile he normally wore was nowhere in sight. “You okay back there?”
Brandi leaned forward. “We’re all right. The better question is, how are you? I’m so, so sorry about Arnold.”
“Thank you, Brandi. I don’t know what to think. What happened today was quite a shock. I don’t know what I’ll tell the family.”
“Was Arnold on your mother’s side or your father’s side?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking. But I was starting to feel a tickle of curiosity deep down in my gut.
“On my mother’s side. Arnold is the son of my mom’s sister, Peggy.”
“Are your families close?”
“Yeah.” His face grew even paler. “Growing up, we lived right next door to Aunt Peggy and her kids. Arnold had two older sisters. They were always over at our place. Arnold was like a brother to me when we were little. Well, except he was like that annoying little brother who was always tagging along with you and your friends.” He chuckled, and then shook his head. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“So, did you two get along as adults?”
Brandi shot me a warning look. “Clarity,” she hissed. “What are you doing?”
My cheeks flushed. “Sorry, Brandi. I can’t help it.”
“We got along,” Ray said. “For the most part. Every now and then, he gets… got… on my nerves.” He turned his body back around and stared out the window while the others climbed into the van.
I played back the scene in my head during last night’s dinner. The two men arguing by the campfire. What were they angry about? I wanted to ask more questions, but the daggers Brandi was shooting at me made me swallow my words.
Jonah, in the seat next to me, looked nervously from me to Brandi. “We’re returning two days early. Do you guys want to go straight home once we pick up the car at the hotel?”
Wistfully, I thought there would be nothing better than to go home and forget all this happened. But I’d made a promise. “Would you guys be okay with helping my parents harvest apples? We can help them make cider too, if you’re up for it. Hopefully, we can stay overnight in their bed and breakfast.”
Brandi perked up a bit. “Yes! Doing something chill sounds great right now.”
“I’d love to help.” Jonah shifted in his seat and let his head rest against the headrest.
Once we got back to the hotel. We piled out of the van. The other passengers, Beatrix, Charles, and Ruth had slept during the trip back. Their faces bore the seatbelt imprints to prove it.
We hugged them goodbye and joined Ray and the driver.
“Thank you for the, uh, rafting trip,” Jonah said awkwardly as he shook Ray’s hand.
Ray looked down at his feet. “Sorry it turned out like this. I don’t know what to say, except that I’m devastated.”
“We’re the ones who are sorry.” Brandi hugged Ray. “Please let us know if you need anything.”
He nodded, not meeting Brandi’s eyes. “Will do.”
Brandi seemed crushed. I could tell she desperately wanted to do something, but there wasn’t a thing she could do to make it better.
Not knowing the right thing to say, I gave Ray a simple thank you, and we gathered our packs and found Jonah’s car.
The silence enveloped us on the drive to my parents’ house.
I struggled to gather my thoughts. Unless a random stranger had killed Arnold, someone in our rafting party was a murderer.
CHAPTER 11
The sun was shining brightly by the time we reached Mom and Dad’s house.
Jonah pulled into the graveled parking space next to the bed and breakfast and turned off the engine.
The front door of the main house opened, and Mom stuck her head out. “Well, my goodness! What are you doing back so early?” She stepped outside and greeted us as we tumbled out of the car.
“Our trip was cut short,” I said. “One of the rafting guides was killed.”
Mom grabbed my arm. “Oh my God! What happened? Did he fall overboard?”
“No.” I paused. “He was murdered.” My stomach dropped as I thought about the gruesome discovery Brandi and I had made in the early hours of the morning.
“I can’t believe it.” Mom dropped my arm. “That’s terrible. Did they get the killer?”
“Not yet,” Jonah said. “We were all interviewed by the police, but so far, no arrests have been made.”
“None that we know of, anyway,” I added.
“You should call your brother.” Mom picked up my backpack and set it on the porch. “Maybe he can come out here and help with the investigation.”
“It’s not his jurisdiction, Mom.”
“I know. But maybe there’s something he can do? I don’t know. But, in any case, you’re all welcome to stay here. We just had a cancellation for a party of four, and the inn is empty. Come on. Let’s get your stuff inside.”
We followed her through the door.
“Girls, you can take the two ground-floor rooms. Jonah can take one of the rooms upstairs. First door to the left, Jonah,” Mom called to him as he made his way upstairs.
“Thanks.” I opened the door to my room. Inside, the walls were painted a calming blue. I was pleasantly surprised at the elegance of the décor, considering I’d expected to see something a little more 60s or 70s tie-dye-themed.
The queen-size bed’s plush white comforter looked soft and inviting after a night of tent-camping. I sat down and scooted my back against the oversized blue and white pillows. “Nice,” I said out loud.
“You like it?” Mom stood in the doorway. “Your sister, Henna, did all the interior decorating.”
That made a lot more sense. Henna was an artist. “Well, she did a wonderful job.”
“I think so too.” Mom sat on the end of the bed. “Are you kids going to stay to help with the apple harvest?”
“Of course!” I got up and put my shoes back on. “We’ll help with the cider production too. But first, I’m going to take your advice and text Zen about this murder. I just want to get his take on the situation.”
“Excellent idea. I’ll just head to the barn to get out the garden gloves and ladders.”
“Okay, meet you there.”
I texted Zen and explained about the murder.
His response came back almost immediately. “Figures that you’d get involved in another murder investigation.”
“Hey!” I texted back. “That’s not fair. I didn’t choose to get involved.” As usual, Zen was laying blame on me when I deserved absolutely none.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll call the police department up there. A guy I know there used to work with the Seattle PD.”
“That’s right. One of the detectives I talked to said he knew you.” I put the phone in my pocket and went outside to meet my mom.
Brandi and Jonah were already standing on ladders, picking apples.
“Hi honey,” Dad said. He ran to hug me. “I heard the news. I’m so sorry someone in your rafting party was killed. Are you all right?”
“Thanks, Dad. I’m fine.” I glanced at my friends, absorbed in the task of picking fruit. “How can I help?”
He pushed the bandana tied around his forehead up higher into his receding hairline. “I’ve got a ladder set up for you over there.”
He pointed at a nearby apple tree. “Those are the honey crisp apples. They make great cider and they’re good eatin’ too.” He cupped his hand around his mouth and whispered, “And they make righteous hard cider, if I do say so myself.”
I laughed. “Okay, Dad. I’m happy to help.”
While I climbed up the ladder, he lifted a woven basket to me.
“Now, just put those in gently. You don’t want to bruise them.”
I squinted down at him. “But I thought these were cider apples. Why does it matter if they get bruised?”
He chuckled. “Always the logical one, aren’t you? Actually, I reserve some for eating, not just for cider. We’ll pick out the best lookin’ apples and sell them to the local natural grocery store, Smithy’s.”
“Okay. I’ll be extra careful then.” I set about picking apples and gently placed them into the woven basket. The sun was warm on my back. I listened to the bees buzzing to and fro, collecting pollen to turn into honey for their winter reserves.
My mind wandered to pleasant thoughts of Hunter. His broad shoulders, his warm brown eyes…
“Dagnabit!” Mom screeched from the area of the garden. “Get out of my vegetables! Shoo!”
The sound of small hooves pounding the dirt path made me turn my head. A herd of goats came tearing around the corner, chasing a puff of orange fur. “Pumpkin?”
The orange ball flew out from behind a clump of bushes and headed straight toward the ladder I was standing on. Jolie, the tiny goat who served as Pumpkin’s farm friend, ran ahead of the herd—likely in an attempt to protect her feline pal from the stampede.
“Pumpkin, no!” I shouted as he clambered up the ladder I was precariously balanced on.
He shot into my arms, then scaled my shoulders, his claws digging into my scalp.
The ladder wobbled as I tried to maintain my balance while trying to pull the cat from my head. Pumpkin let out a long yowl as the goats rammed the ladder.
Suddenly, Jolie, the animal whisperer, let out an ear-shattering bleat. The goats stopped mid-ram and focused their attention on her.
Sadly, the ladder had other ideas. It was in the midst of a wobble after the last goat butted it.
Like a slow-motion action scene from ninja movie, I hung in the air, cat still attached to my scalp, before we both tumbled downward.
Momentarily blacking out, I came back to consciousness flat on my back. Between the branches of the apple tree, the sky was a clear blue. My vision was not as clear. Blurry white, brown, and black shapes encircled my head like a crown.
I blinked. The blurry shapes turned into the faces of curious goats. Their strange vertical pupils made them look a little like horned demons.
“Maaaaaaa!” the littlest one said. It was Jolie. She was asking if I was all right.
“I’m fine,” I croaked when the wind returned to my lungs.
