Page 31 of Wilderness Search (Eagle Mountain: Unsolved Mysteries #2)

Willa shook her head. She had no idea, but she didn’t want to interrupt the flow of Olivia’s story.

The girl finished her cookie and picked crumbs off her lap.

“After Mr. Sprague hauled Trevor to the cabin, I sneaked up and watched through the window. He’d switched on one of those LED lights we all carry around, like this one.

” She nodded to the light on the ground between them.

“Mr. Sprague tied Trevor to a chair, then left for a little bit. He locked the door behind him. I tried to break the lock but I couldn’t, and I had to run hide again when I heard Sprague coming back.

Trevor was awake by that time, and throwing himself around, trying to break free.

Mr. Sprague pulled out a really big pistol and put it to Trevor’s head.

I thought I was going to die right there.

If he had shot Trevor, I might have—not died, maybe, but I bet I would have passed out.

Instead, Sprague handed Trevor this big bottle of whiskey and made him drink it.

He held the gun there until Trevor had drained about half of it.

Then Mr. Sprague pulled his head back and forced something down his throat.

Maybe pills or poison or something. Then he made Trevor drink some more. ”

She bowed her head and fell silent. Willa waited a moment, then prompted, “What happened next?”

Olivia blew out a breath. “I stayed there watching a really long time, until Mr. Sprague untied Trevor and led him to the parking lot and helped him into his car. I thought everything would be all right then. He was letting Trevor go. So I sneaked back to my cabin and went to sleep.”

“And the next day you found out Trevor had died?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I saw his brother, Wade, out by the boat house. I could tell he’d been crying.

I asked him what was wrong and he told me about his brother.

I wanted so bad to tell him Trevor didn’t commit suicide—that Mr. Sprague had gotten him drunk and poisoned him.

But then Mrs. Mason came up and told me I needed to get back to my cabin.

Everybody knows she’s Mr. Sprague’s stooge, so I couldn’t say anything with her standing there. ”

“What do you mean, Mrs. Mason is Mr. Sprague’s stooge?”

“Oh, she’s got this huge crush on him. You can tell by the way she moons over him.

She does anything he tells her, and she’s always spying on us and reporting back to him, even though he either ignores her or orders her around like his personal servant.

But if any little rule gets broken, he’ll end up hearing about it, and we know she’s the one telling him.

I’d feel sorry for her if it wasn’t so gross. ”

“Why did you have to run away?” Willa asked.

“Because Mr. Sprague sent me a note to meet him Sunday night. He did that sometimes. I had to sneak out and go or something horrible would happen. I know it wasn’t smart or brave of me or anything, but that man scares me.

So I went and let him do his nasty thing and kept my mouth shut.

I figured camp would be over in a few weeks and I’d never have to see him again. ”

She fiddled with her shoelaces. Willa wanted to reach out and pull her close, to tell the girl that none of this was her fault. But would those words from a stranger mean anything?

Olivia looked at Willa again, determination in her eyes.

“When I got word that Mr. Sprague wanted to see me that night, I was terrified. I figured he would kill me, the way he killed Trevor. He knew I could tell everyone he was the last person who had been with Trevor, even if he didn’t know I had seen what he had done in that cabin.

It would be a lot harder for him to make people believe I was lying about something like that. ”

“So you decided to leave instead?”

“Yeah. I took what food I could from dinner and stuffed it in my pockets, then took an extra blanket and some water and camped out in the woods. The next day I decided I could do better and took a sleeping bag and a pack and more food from the shed. I had to break into the building but it wasn’t that hard.

That door is really old and kind of flimsy. ”

“They found a shirt,” Willa said. “With your blood on it.”

“Oh yeah, that.” Olivia made a face. “I really wanted the cops to take a good look at Mr. Sprague. I knew I wasn’t the first girl he had bothered, so I thought if they started asking questions, someone would say something. So I took one of my old shirts and ripped it up and put that blood on it.”

“You put your own blood on it?” Willa couldn’t keep the horror from her voice.

“Gross, right? But we had a first aid class and I remembered one of the things they said was that head wounds bleed a lot, even if they’re not serious.

So I stabbed my forehead with a pair of scissors.

” She pointed to an inch-wide cut on her forehead, already almost healed over.

“It hurt so bad! And I felt pretty stupid. But it did bleed a lot, and I wiped it all up with that shirt and shoved it under the edge of Mr. Sprague’s house.

It was raining so hard I just hoped the rain wouldn’t wash all the blood away before someone found it.

But then they did find it and they didn’t even look at Sprague. ”

“So many people were searching for you,” Willa said. “Why didn’t you go to one of them and tell them what happened?”

“Because I figured the first thing they would do is take me back to camp, where Mr. Sprague would make a big deal about me being a runaway juvenile delinquent who made up lies because I didn’t want to get in trouble. And then when all the cops left he would strangle me in my sleep or something.”

“They’re going to be looking for me now,” Willa said. Aaron would be looking for her. He would know she wouldn’t leave without an explanation.

“I know.” She picked at the frayed hem of her jeans. “But they’ll believe you. You’re an adult. So then maybe they’ll believe me, too.”

“They’ll believe you,” Willa said. She slid over until she was next to the girl and put her arm around her. Olivia had done a good job of surviving on her own, but for all her maturity, she was still a little girl.

She laid her head on Willa’s shoulder. After a while, she said, “It was fun at first, hiding from everyone, making this hiding place and stealing food. But I’m really tired now, and I think I’m ready to go home.”

“Do you know how to get back to the camp from here?”

“Yes. But we need to wait until morning. Trying to get anywhere in the dark is dangerous. I fell into a gully one evening and it took me hours to climb out.”

“Promise you’ll go with me back to the camp in the morning,” Willa said.

“I promise.” She yawned. “If I spread out my sleeping bag, we can both sleep on it. It’s better than the hard ground. And I have the blanket from my bunk.”

They made their bed and Olivia turned out the little lantern. Soon she was sleeping, breathing evenly next to Willa. But Willa lay awake, staring into the darkness, praying for morning to come soon.

Kelli agreed to come with Aaron and Jamie to speak with Gage. “I figure I’m safer with you guys than here in this cabin by myself,” Kelli said.

“We won’t leave you alone until we’re certain you’re okay,” Jamie said. “But Sergeant Walker needs to hear your story so we can take Mr. Sprague into custody. Aaron and I can tell him what you said, but it will be better if he hears it from you. And he may have more questions for you.”

“I can talk to him.” She stood, then hesitated. “Can I make sure Emma is okay, first? I mean, what if Mr. Sprague was so mad after I ran away that he went after her?” All color drained from her face and Jamie reached to steady her. “I just now thought of that.”

“I’ll find Emma,” Declan said. “Do you know where she is?”

“If the bonfire is still going, she’ll be with the younger girls. Their counselor is a woman named Sage. Or they’ll all be in Willow Cabin. It’s the cabin farthest from the lake and closest to the parking lot.”

“We’ll be up by the lodge,” Jamie said to Declan. “If you could bring Emma to us.”

Aaron called Gage and let him know they were bringing Kelli to speak with him. “Scott is in his office, with Ryker watching over him,” he told the others after the call ended. “Gage is going to meet us outside the lodge.”

Gage was waiting outside when they arrived, the overhead security light casting ghastly shadows over his features.

“Sergeant Walker, this is Kelli,” Jamie introduced the girl. “She needs to report a crime.”

“Yeah. A crime.” Kelli lifted her chin. “Mr. Sprague has been molesting girls at the camp. He molested me, and threatened me, and I think he did the same with Olivia. That’s probably why she ran away.”

Gage glanced at Aaron, who nodded. “You have a statement about all this?” he asked Jamie.

“Yes, sir. It wasn’t a stranger who attacked a camper behind the pit toilet tonight. It was Mr. Sprague.”

“Did you stab Mr. Sprague with a coat hanger?” Gage asked Kelli.

“Is that what happened to him?” Kelli shook her head. “I didn’t do it, but I wish I had.”

“I think Willa stabbed Scott,” Aaron said.

“She heard Kelli cry out and went to investigate. She shouted at Scott to stop and that startled him enough that Kelli was able to get away. But now Willa is missing. Declan found her phone behind the pit toilet.” He held up the evidence bag with the phone inside.

“Where is Scott now?” Jake asked.

“He’s in his office,” Gage said. “Ryker is keeping him there. His story about rescuing a camper who was being attacked by a mysterious stranger didn’t add up to me.”

“Don’t believe anything he says,” Kelli said. “He lies all the time.”

Gage’s radio crackled and he answered the summons. “Sergeant, I’ve over here at Willow Cabin. Emma Agnew is fine. No sign of Scott.”

Gage sent a questioning look to Jamie, but Kelli answered him. “Emma is my little sister. Mr. Sprague threatened her if I didn’t do what he wanted. I asked the deputy to make sure she was okay.”

“You say you think Mr. Sprague was molesting Olivia Pryor?” Gage asked.

“I don’t have any proof,” Kelli said. “But he didn’t start bothering me until she was gone. And why else would she run away? If it hadn’t been for Emma, I might have tried to leave, too.”

“We need to contact your parents,” Gage said. “Where do they live?”

“Pennsylvania,” Kelli said.

Gage checked his watch. “It’s after midnight there.”

“I can contact them, sir,” Jamie said. “Kelli can speak with them. I’m sure they’ll want to come down as soon as possible.”

“What do I do until they get here?” Kelli asked. “I don’t want to stay here at camp.”

“We’ll speak with your parents,” Jamie said. “But if it’s all right with them, you and Emma can stay with me and my husband. He’s a law enforcement officer, too. My sister and our infant daughter live with us. You’ll be safe there.”

Kelli smiled. “It will be like having two bodyguards.”

“Speak with the Agnews,” Gage said. “I’ll see to Sprague.”

“There’s a side parlor we can use to make the call, over there.” Kelli pointed to a doorway to their left.

When Jamie and Kelli had left, Aaron turned to Gage. “I want to talk to Scott,” he said.

“What about?” Gage asked.

“I want to ask him about Willa. What happened when she interrupted him and Kelli?”

“He may not tell you anything.”

“I still want to ask.”

Gage nodded. “Come with me.”

Ryker stepped aside to let them into the office. Scott was seated behind his desk, fresh scratches on his face glowing red in the bright overhead light that bleached the rest of his skin the color of a puffball mushroom.

“I’ve telephoned my lawyer and I don’t have to say anything else to you,” he said.

“All I want to know is where is Willa?” Aaron asked.

Scott frowned. “Who is Willa? We don’t have a camper by that name.”

“She’s not a camper,” Aaron said. “She’s a nurse. Her phone was found behind that pit toilet. Where you were fighting with your alleged assailant.”

“There is no ‘alleged’ assailant. I was attacked.”

“How’s the leg?” Gage asked. “I’ll bet it hurts.”

“No thanks to you.”

“You could have gone to the hospital with the paramedics,” Gage said.

“I don’t need a hospital.”

“I don’t know.” Gage peered over the desk at Scott’s leg. “Those marshmallow roasting sticks probably aren’t the most sanitary things.”

Sprague glared at him, then rose. “I’m going to bed.”

“First, would you like to tell us about Kelli?”

“I don’t know any Kelli.”

“She’s a camper here,” Gage said. “Long brown hair. Twelve years old. She says you were molesting her behind the pit toilet when Willa Reynolds interrupted you. She ran away. You struggled with Willa and she stabbed you with a coat hanger used to roast marshmallows.”

Scott’s expression remained impassive. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And that’s all I’m saying until I see my lawyer.”

“Fine.” Gage turned to Ryker. “You and Shane take him to the station and book him.”

“Book me for what?” Scott roared. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Mr. Sprague, you’re being charged with sexual assault of a child by one in a position of trust, for a start. There may be other charges forthcoming. You have the right to remain silent…” Gage recited the full Miranda warning while Scott gaped at him.

Ryker moved forward and cuffed Scott’s hands behind his back. Scott remained silent, though he glared at them all, eyes dark with rage.