Page 19 of Mile High Mystery

“Do you think there will be a next time?” he asked. “From what I understand, law enforcement has been after the Chalk brothers for years, and they’ve yet to make anything stick.”

“We’re not going to stop trying,” she said. “They’re going to make a mistake.”

“That was one of the hardest things when we thought she died right after the trial,” he said. “That she had sacrificed everything to testify against those crooks, and it meant nothing.”

“It didn’t mean nothing.” She gripped his arm, not even realizing she had done so in her desire to make him understand that Camille’s sacrifice hadn’t been foolish or useless. “We weren’t able to put the Chalk brothers behind bars, but we’re still investigating them. They have committed other crimes—we’re sure of it. And I wish I could make you understand the way testifying at that trial transformed Camille.”

“What do you mean?” He didn’t look at her as he asked the question, but down at her hand around his arm.

She released her hold on him and took a step back. “I didn’t know her before the trial,” she said. “But when I spoke to her about it, she spoke with such pride about what she had done. She told me she had spent years feeling guilty that she wasn’t doing more with her life. She wanted to make a difference in the world, but she didn’t have money or power, and she hadn’t excelled in school or in sports. Her life was so ordinary, and then she had decided to speak up about what she saw in the restaurant that night. She had power over Charlie and Christopher Chalk in those moments, and she had the influence to show others that they could speak up, too. Though she was working at an insurance agency as part of her new identity, she was taking college courses, too. She wanted to work as a victim advocate, and she was so excited about everything ahead of her.”

“But she threw all that away to come see me.”

“I don’t think she thought of it that way,” Shelby said. “I think she intended to talk to you, then to come back. We had protected her for four years. I believe she trusted us.”

“She didn’t trust you enough to tell you whatever it was she wanted me to know.”

Hearing him say what she had thought so many times hurt more than she had anticipated. “No, she didn’t,” she said. “But I’m doing what I can now to try to make that up to her.” She turned away. “Let’s look around a little bit more and see what we can find.”

But all they found was a site swept clean of any other evidence. She consulted the sheriff’s report again. Deputies had collected half a dozen soggy cigarette butts, a faded and bent beer can, two bottle caps, a gum wrapper and half a plastic water bottle, none of which were likely related to either Camille or her killer.

“Who was this camper who saw this guy with Camille?” Zach asked when they were back at Shelby’s car and she was stowing the evidence bag in the trunk.

“I’m not going to tell you his name,” she said. “You don’t need to talk to him.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Maybe he would tell me something he wouldn’t tell the cops.”

“Or he might feel threatened and accuse you of intimidating a witness.” At his thunderous look, she rested a hand on his arm again. “I know you want to do something to help, but there really isn’t anything. I promise I’m going to pursue every lead. Camille was my friend, and finding the person who killed her is important to me.”

“Were you even going to tell me about this man?”

“I was if you had ever returned my calls or texts.”

He flushed and looked away. “I didn’t feel like talking to anyone.”

“I need you to talk to me,” she said. “I especially need you to tell me if you see anything or anyone suspicious. You know this town better than I do. You would recognize someone who was out of place when I might not.”

“Lots of tourists visit here, especially in summer,” he said.

“Has anyone been paying unusual attention to you?” she asked. “Have you noticed anyone following you or hanging around your townhouse?”

He shook his head. “There isn’t anyone. I think that car the other night was just a coincidence, not someone following us.”

Maybe. But maybe not. “I need you to help me,” she said.

“With what? You just said there isn’t anything I can do.”

“Maybe I was wrong.” She considered him. Hurt etched every line of his face and every angle of his body. He looked so vulnerable, despite his powerful physique. “Tell me, why do you think Camille came here, to this campground? I mean, why do that instead of going straight to you? Eagle Mountain is a small town. If she knew you were here, she wouldn’t have much trouble finding you.”

He frowned, but she could see he was seriously considering the question. “Maybe she wanted to make sure no one was watching her,” he said. “No one she might inadvertently lead to me.”

“So she was cautious like that?”

He shook his head. “Not cautious. She was always pretty daring. But not rash. She made quick decisions, but they were almost always the right ones. She was smart. It was true she didn’t do that well in school, but that was because classes bored her. She always wanted to be active. Like you said, she wanted to make a difference.”

“Most people aren’t like that,” Shelby said. “Most people wouldn’t risk so much to tell the truth.”

“I think it had a lot to do with Laney dying,” he said. “When she got that tattoo, she told me it was to remind her that she was living for two people now.”

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