Page 21 of Wilderness Search (Eagle Mountain: Unsolved Mysteries #2)

Scott Sprague did not turn Willa down when she called and asked to meet with him Thursday afternoon.

She arrived for their appointment, not at the lodge, but at the cabin on the property where he lived.

He was freshly shaved and smelled of expensive cologne and she immediately doubted her decision to wear a clingy sundress instead of her nurse’s scrubs.

She wanted this to work, but she didn’t want Scott to think she was coming on to him.

He invited her to sit on the porch with him.

“I would invite you to join me in the house, but I don’t want to start any rumors,” he said.

“A man in my position has to guard his reputation carefully. Working with children is such a vulnerable responsibility. I can’t even risk the appearance of scandal. ”

“It’s a lovely day to sit outside,” Willa said diplomatically.

From this vantage point, she could see most of the camp—the cabins and mess hall, and the lakeshore beyond.

Boys and girls in green T-shirts ran between the trees or clustered around counselors.

Several canoes bobbed on the lake, and another group of kids swam in an area marked by yellow buoys.

“You said you wanted to discuss volunteering at the camp?” Scott asked. “We’re all trained in first aid, but having a nurse on-site would certainly be welcome.”

“I was thinking I could teach a first aid class to the campers,” she said. “A couple of hours for each cabin, with hands-on exercises. I find children really enjoy wrapping each other in bandages and trying on slings.”

“Our counselors usually do some basic first aid instruction, but it might be good to have a medical professional teach a course.” He rubbed his chin. “That would take our training to the next level. Parents would like it. When are you available?”

“We could start tomorrow,” she said. Aaron hadn’t specified, but it seemed reasonable to her to try to collect information about Olivia as soon as possible. “I have the day off. I could do the girls this Friday and teach the boys next week.”

Scott rubbed his chin. “Friday afternoons we have our weekly canoe regatta, but the morning is open.” He nodded. “We can sub in your class instead of the pottery workshop. The girls can do pottery next week. Could you be here at nine?”

“Yes.”

He stood and extended his hand. “Thank you for offering. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

She texted Aaron on the walk back to her car.

Class is on for tomorrow. You have to help me figure out what to ask the girls.

He replied right away. When can you meet?

I get off at five.

We need somewhere we won’t be overheard , he said.

She hesitated, then typed, Come to my place. Gary would be there, but that was a good thing. With her brother present, she wouldn’t be tempted to let emotion get the better of sense. She didn’t exactly hate Aaron anymore, but she would never be foolish enough to trust him.

This isn’t a date , Aaron reminded himself as he shaved before meeting Willa Thursday evening.

But unmet expectation charged every interaction with her.

He was trying to get past that, to accept that the best he could hope for from her was casual friendship.

His brain might agree, but his body wasn’t listening.

He pulled on jeans and a button-down shirt. Blue—her favorite color. He had jotted some notes, and he carried those with him, adding to the illusion that he was viewing this as strictly business.

She answered the door promptly, still wearing pale blue scrubs from the clinic. “I was running late and just got home,” she said. “Would you mind waiting while I change?”

“No problem.” He followed her into the house.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she said. “Gary should be home soon. I’m going to jump in the shower. I need to wash off any clinic germs.”

She hurried away and moments later he heard water running.

His mind immediately conjured memories of other showers, ones they had taken together.

He groaned and closed his eyes. Think about something else.

He sat on the sofa and picked up a magazine from the coffee table.

Modern Nursing. He flipped through it, but could focus on nothing but the running water and the heat coursing through his body.

The back door opened and he stood and moved toward the kitchen. Gary took a step back when Aaron entered.

“Hey,” Gary said. “What are you doing here?” He looked wary, but not hostile. Despite everything that had happened, Aaron had never sensed any particular animosity from Gary.

“I’m meeting with Willa.” He held up his folder of notes. His prop to prove there was nothing to see here. No conclusions to leap to.

“Is this about the class she’s holding at the camp?” Gary asked. He opened the refrigerator and leaned inside. “Do you want something to drink?”

“No, thanks. Yeah, it’s about the first aid class.”

“My sister, the police spy.” Gary grinned. “Never saw that one coming.” He leaned back against the yellow Formica counter.

The kitchen was small and dated—not that different from Aaron’s own. But he could see the effort Willa had made to dress it up, with a stained glass piece in the window over the sink, and framed pen-and-ink drawings of fruit and flowers on the wall over the table.

“She’s not really working for the sheriff’s department,” Aaron said.

“Right. It’s a big secret.” He popped the top on a Coke and sat at the kitchen table.

“Any changes at the camp since Olivia left?” Aaron asked.

“The counselors have to do bed checks every four hours,” Gary said. “Whether they’re actually doing that, who knows?”

“No more thefts from the storage shed?”

“Nope. It’s locked up tight. I take it no one’s gotten any closer to finding Olivia?”

“No.”

“It’s a long time for a girl to be on her own in the wilderness,” Gary said. “There aren’t many people out there, but there are bears and mountain lions. And what’s she doing for food?”

“She may not be on her own. She might have arranged to meet up with someone, or someone might have taken her from the camp.”

“Have you seen some sign of another person out there?” Gary asked.

“No, but we have to be open to all possibilities,” Aaron said. “That’s why I asked Willa to do this. I’m hoping one of Olivia’s friends will mention something that will help—if she ever talked about leaving, where she might go, if someone had been bothering her.”

“So maybe she didn’t just run away?”

“We don’t know,” Aaron said. “That bloody shirt pointed to violence, but we haven’t found any other sign of that.

And someone crafted that shelter we found.

It didn’t look as if it had been there long.

It’s possible whoever took Olivia made it, but it’s just as likely she built it herself. We simply don’t know.”

Willa came into the room. She had changed into pink shorts and a T-shirt, and had a blue towel wrapped around her head like a turban. “Hey, Gary. How was your day?”

“Okay.” Gary stood. “I’m going to leave you two to it.”

Willa looked alarmed. “You don’t have to leave.”

“It’s okay. I’m going to check out that new pizza place in town. I heard it’s really good.” He nodded to Aaron, then left. Willa stared after him.

“Do you really think you need a chaperone?” Aaron asked.

Her cheeks flushed pink. “It’s just…awkward.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” He was amazed at how calm he felt. Seeing her nervous made him feel steadier. She wasn’t acting like someone who hated him.

“Why don’t we sit here?” She indicated the kitchen table. “Do you want something to drink or eat first?” She pulled a can of Coke from the refrigerator and held it up. “Do you want one?”

“Sure.”

He accepted the drink, then they sat across from each other and he laid his notes between them.

“I should give Bethany credit for this idea,” he said.

“She thought if we could find out if Olivia was running from something or to something, we could figure out how to persuade her that it’s safe to come home – or, if she was kidnapped, it might point to who took her.

We’re also still trying to determine if she’s hurt, and who might have hurt her. ”

“Because of that bloody shirt?”

“Yes. She’s doing a good job of avoiding all the searchers, so that makes me think she’s in pretty good shape. We believe she stayed close to the camp for several days at least. We’re hoping that’s still the case.”

“So she wanted to get away, but she stayed nearby. Why?”

“Bethany suggested it’s because she’s waiting for the person who hurt her to be caught. Then it will be safe for her to return.”

“Why not go somewhere and tell someone in authority what happened?” Willa asked.

“I don’t know. She seems like a bright kid, but maybe she doesn’t feel like she can trust anyone with her secret.”

“Or maybe the person who hurt her is someone in authority.”

Aaron nodded. “We don’t think it was another camper. So that leaves one of the counselors or other workers at the camp.”

“Or a parent?” Willa wrinkled her nose.

“We’ve checked out her parents pretty thoroughly,” he said. “There’s nothing suspicious there. But you might see if you can find out how Olivia viewed their relationship.”

She leaned back and grabbed a legal pad from the counter and began making notes.

“Part of first aid is protecting our personal safety and our mental health, too,” she said.

“With kids, especially, there’s an emphasis on not getting into dangerous situations in the first place.

That includes identifying people who might be a danger or behave inappropriately.

I can start a conversation with the kids from that direction.

Maybe they’ll mention a particular incident or person at camp. ”

“That’s a good idea,” Aaron said. “There’s also the possibility that Olivia left on purpose. She wanted to play in the wilderness, see if she could live like people in stories she’s read or heard about.”