Page 14 of Only One More Lie

“I’m afraid more and more people are going to come just because they have a morbid curiosity. Any chance Juniper has of healing will disappear faster than daylight in December.”

“And you think the podcast will only make this worse?”

“Absolutely. Look at what happened today.”

Duke glanced back to where Pepper had been found. “You think her death is connected?”

“I think Pepper was nothing but trouble. She was always running around camp like she owned the place. Apparently, she lived here secretly for a couple of months before Calvin and Mary were murdered. They wouldn’t have wanted her here.”

Duke tried not to show his surprise. But he wanted to hear more about Pepper’s secret residency sometime.

“Why wouldn’t your brother want Pepper here?”

“Because they didn’t like her or her parents. But she was Juniper’s best friend. She needed a place to live when her parents moved to the Lower 48 so she wouldn’t have to go with them.”

“And after Calvin and Mary died? What happened then?”

Tim scowled again. “Then Juniper insisted Peppermint should move into the staff housing. She had a whole cabin to herself. I keep telling Juniper she needs to make her leave, but Juniper won’t listen. And Juniper has the final say in these things now that she’s in charge.”

Duke hadn’t been expecting that tidbit. “I guess that won’t be an issue now.”

Tim shrugged, his expression softening but still annoyed. “I guess it won’t.”

A lot was going on here at this camp, much more than Duke had initially assumed.

CHAPTER 5

Two hours later, Andi and the gang watched as the medical examiner took Pepper’s body away.

Juniper stood outside on the porch with them, still grief-stricken.

But as the ME pulled away with Pepper, Juniper turned to them, something changing in her gaze.

Her grief now had flares of anger.

“I want to go on with the interview,” she announced.

Simmy stepped closer, her gaze soft with compassion and concern. “Are you sure you don’t want some time to process what happened first?”

Juniper nodded a little too adamantly. “I’m positive. I need the person who killed my parents to be found. I need the person who killed Pepper to be found also.”

Andi nodded slowly. “If you’re sure . . .”

“I am.”

“Okay then,” Andi said. “Then let’s get started.”

Andi hoped she could concentrate. Not only was she thinking about Pepper and the note left in the dead woman’s hands, but Duke had also told her what Emmett said.

He’d implied that someone had killed Pepper.

Had Emmett seen something? Before he could share whatever that was, he’d had a heart attack. What had he been about to say?

The man knew something.

She prayed he pulled through—for the sake of those who cared about him, but also so they could figure out what happened to Pepper.

At Juniper’s direction, they headed back inside the cabin. Gibson and his crew were wrapping up outside and getting ready to leave. The state trooper had already dismissed them and said he’d be in touch.

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