Page 25 of Obscurity (Pros and Cons Mysteries #5)

T he Mountain Boys were on intermission when more chaos erupted at the back of the crowd.

“Someone was in my tent!” Maya’s voice cut through the murmurs of the crowd as she ran toward the stage area, her face pale with shock and anger. “Someone went through my stuff in my tent!”

Heads turned toward the commotion. Maya, who clearly wasn’t shy, climbed onto the stage and stood in the glow of the stage lights. Her perfectly styled hair was now disheveled, and her hands shook as she held up her phone.

“I went back to get my portable charger.” Her voice carried clearly in the sudden silence. “My tent was torn apart. My backpack was open. My clothes were everywhere. Someone went through everything.”

Murmurs of concern and fear rippled through the crowd.

“I think it was the Mothman,” she finished.

The Mothman? Really?

“Why would you think that?” Dr. Z asked.

“When I went inside, I thought I saw glowing red eyes. The Mothman has those, right?”

Brad Kellerman appeared at Maya’s side with the speed of someone who’d been expecting this.

“Now, now, let’s not panic.” His voice lilted in attempted reassurance. “Sometimes animals can get into tents if food is left out?—”

“This wasn’t an animal!” Maya’s composure had completely disappeared. “My stuff was searched, not destroyed. Someone was looking for something specific.”

“What kind of something?” a man yelled.

“I don’t know! But they looked through my memory cards, my laptop bag, my—” She stopped abruptly, her face going even paler. “Oh no. My backup hard drive. I didn’t see it. I think it’s been stolen.”

The crowd’s energy shifted from concern to genuine fear.

If someone was bold enough to search tents while everyone was gathered for the performance, what else were they capable of?

“I’m sure it just got misplaced in the confusion.” Brad’s smile was looking more strained by the minute. “These mountain campsites can be tricky?—”

“I didn’t misplace anything!” Maya’s voice rose to near hysteria. “Someone deliberately went through my belongings and stole my equipment!”

Jason tensed beside Olive. If someone was searching tents, looking for cameras and recording devices, it suggested they were worried about documentation. About evidence.

“Has anyone else noticed anything missing?” Dr. Z asked. “You shouldn’t leave valuables in these tents. They’re not secure!”

The crowd started to fracture as people hurried back toward their campsites to assess their own situations.

“Please, everyone, let’s stay calm.” Brad’s voice was quickly losing its authority. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding?—”

“Like the misunderstanding about Midnight Echo?” Frat Boy yelled from the crowd. “Or the misunderstanding about the luxury accommodations? How about the food?”

The situation was deteriorating rapidly. People were scared, angry, and beginning to realize they might be trapped in a situation that was far more dangerous than they’d bargained for.

“Everything is under control,” Brad called. “To make you feel better, drinks are on the house!”

People emerged from the catering tent carrying coolers and cups.

A collective cheer sounded.

As people scattered to get their drinks, Olive saw her opportunity. She gave a nod to Jason, indicating she should have this conversation alone. He headed back to their tent.

As he did, Olive approached Connor as he adjusted his camera settings, apparently preparing to document the aftermath of Maya’s revelation.

“Excuse me. We haven’t officially met, but I’m Olivia Jones. I wanted to tell you how impressed I am with the promotional video you created.”

Connor looked up, his expression cautious but professional. “Thanks. Though this isn’t exactly the festival footage I expected to be shooting.”

“I bet it’s not.”

“However, they told me they wanted me to film everything.” He shrugged. “I thought it was a little weird. But I’m just doing what they’re paying me for.”

Olive glanced around to make sure they weren’t being observed too closely. “I’m actually curious about the promotional videos I saw. The production quality was incredible. You must have hours of footage from those shoots.”

Connor’s laugh sounded bitter. “Hours and hours. And what a complete disaster that was.”

“Disaster?” Her curiosity was real and pressing.

“The whole promotional shoot was insane. They hired people to come party for the cameras, flew in cases of alcohol, and basically threw a massive rager. I filmed it to make this place look like the hottest festival destination in the country.” Connor shook his head.

“Most of the ‘festivalgoers’ in those videos were paid actors, completely wasted by noon.”

Olive’s pulse quickened. “Everyone was drunk?”

“Most people, yeah. It was like a frat party, not a professional video shoot.” Connor paused, studying her face. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m curious about someone from the video.

That blonde girl who talked about the festival being a ‘transformation’?

I was hoping to get her name, to see if she might be interested in being in an advertisement for my business.

I have a line of all-natural skin care products.

I’d love to talk to you about utilizing your services as well. ”

“You mean Chloe?” Connor’s expression shifted, becoming more guarded.

“Is that her name? I haven’t seen her here at the actual festival. I was hoping I might.”

Connor remained quiet for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice was lower. “Chloe got mad and left. Can’t say I blame her.”

“She left? Why?” Olive tried to keep her tone casual, just curious rather than investigative. “What happened?”

Connor glanced around as if checking to see who might be listening. “The last time I saw her, she was going to explore the old mine.”

Olive held her breath, anxious to hear what else he had to say. “Why would she do that?”

Maybe she and Jason would get their first real lead.

Then he stopped abruptly, his face closing off. “I probably shouldn’t?—”

“Connor!” Brad’s voice cut through their conversation like a blade. “I need you to get some crowd control footage. Document how well we’re handling this situation.”

Connor’s expression became carefully neutral. “Sure thing, Brad. Be right there.”

He turned back to Olive, but the openness was gone from his face. “Nice talking to you, Mrs. Jones. Enjoy the rest of the festival.”

As he walked toward Brad, frustration built in Olive’s chest.

Connor knew something—something about what had made Chloe angry enough to leave the promotional shoot. Something that might explain what she’d discovered about Grayfall.

And now Olive needed to figure out where Connor was storing all that extra footage.

Because if Chloe had seen something that revealed the truth about this place, it might be the key to understanding what had really happened to her.

The question was how to get access to hours of video footage without blowing her cover or ending up like the people in Elias’s incident reports—another missing person case with no satisfactory resolution.