Sandy ~ 

Monday, 3am
Quiet, oh so quiet. The only sound came from the crunch of leaves along the river. The full moon cast an eerie light at the water’s edge. A solitary figure pulled a small wagon into the woods. A lumpy shape hung over the edges. In the back of one of the all-gravel sites the wagon was tipped up, dumping its load onto the ground. Quickly he worked to cover the shape. A sinister smile then spread across his face. It was done. He was finally free. He peered into the darkness. Nothing stirred. As he walked back to the campsites, an owl broke the silence, “Who, who goes there?”

Friday, Three Days Previous 
Staff had worked preparing the sites and the park for the campers. Leaves, seeds, nuts, branches were cleared from the sites and roads. Buckets of ash were cleaned out of fire pits and grills. Bathhouses were scrubbed until they shined. The Pavilion was blown and swept. Finally, everything was ready.

Saturday, mid-day
First to arrive, over the weekend, were the leaders of the pack, Nigel & Evelyn Wolf. Site 21, at a major bend in the river, was chosen for The Wolf Pack. Jutting out into the bend, it was spacious and slightly removed from the other nearby campsites. Stairs took you down to the river’s edge. Evenings provided a clear view of glorious sunsets. It would be the perfect place for the main gathering spot. After unhooking their rig, the Wolf Pack started to take shape. Tables and chairs were spread out with spaces for more. The flag pole was set up and lights added to let everyone know where to come. Lights adorned the trees and fence. Technology was connected and ready to go. The Arctic Wolf had arrived!

Sunday afternoon
The bright sunrise promised a day full of fun and friendship at the latest Arctic Wolf Festival being held at Forkland COE Campground, Alabama. One-by-one the campers began to arrive from all over the country: North Carolina to California, New Jersey to Texas, Illinois to Florida, South Dakota to Louisiana. Because Forkland is known for its fishing, some of the campers even brought a boat, instead of a TOAD. Forkland Campground was filled with the sounds of camps being set up, shelters erected, and firewood stacked. The noise level grew as more and more campers briefly greeted their neighbors for the next days. Everyone focused on their work for time was running short. Soon it would be 4pm, Happy Hour! Let the Festival begin!!

Just before 4pm, the campers wandered down the road. The serenity of the park was evident everywhere. Tall trees lined the road and sectioned off campsites. The river could be seen flowing along with the occasional fisherman’s boat and the spots of countless white egrets. Since the river is an essential part of the park, it was interesting to see stairs leading down to the river, every few campsites. Then the lit flag pole came into view. 

When it seemed that most had arrived, Nigel raised his glass. “Cheers! Welcome to this Arctic Wolf Fall Festival! It is so good to see y’all. Good to see so many familiar faces. Hello to the first timers—Gunther & Eileen, Robin & David, Mary & Kirk, Carol & Jim, Woody & Donna, Kathy & James! Glad to have you join us!”

“This is going to be our most laid-back campout yet. The most frequent comment after our other campouts has been that the time went by so fast and campers didn’t feel like they had enough time to really get to know one another. Our hope is that you will spend this time here relaxing and getting better acquainted — meeting new campers or catching up with old friends is the goal. Like a continuous ‘talking stick’, this is your opportunity to share ideas, get advice, recommend campgrounds and destinations.  have fun and most importantly, really get to know each other. The river has great fishing anywhere along the shore. You can go to the boat launch or just use any of the stairs behind many of the campsites. “

“The Wolf Pack, as well as the group pavilion are both available for informal gatherings or games.  Daily happy hours, nightly campfires, and morning coffee will take place here at The Wolf Pack. Mellow out with a walk (with or without your furry companion) around the campground or down the nature trail out by the gatehouse. Enjoy each other and this beautiful location.”

Soon the Wolf Pack was buzzing with conversations. ‘Do you remember when’ was a common phrase to be heard. Nigel & Evelyn smiled as everyone mingled. Snippets of conversations swirled throughout the groups.

Intriguing to many, a group reminisced about boondocking in the desert over the holidays. “Remember when we rode those camels, Dedra?”, Annalise said. “Who would have thought that you could do that in Arizona?” “I will never forget the challenge of getting up on the camel,” replied Dedra. Others spoke of the brilliant and colorful sunrises and sunsets that made up for the windy days and chilly nights. Joanna and Chloe challenged Kurt, “Maybe we can get you to sing again at a campfire. Are you game?” The answer was lost in the commotion from the card players at the other picnic table. 

Everyone around the table had been unusually quiet, concentrating on the game. Suddenly, Sarah slammed her cards down and stormed away, yelling “You are all cheaters!” Sam just shrugged his shoulders and went back to playing. “Sometimes she just loses it”, he said. The card players looked around the table and then went back to their game. Who knows what that was all about.

Under the trees, the techies were discussing the pros and cons of various connection options. Geoff expressed, “Starlink is the way of the future. It will be the only way to stay connected” Jessie countered, “Too expensive. My weBoost does just fine and it’s affordable.” “Peplink is the way to go,” suggested Gunther. Bruce added his two cents to the mix. You could tell that tempers were rising. Then the calm voice of Jerry could be heard, “Depends on what you are looking for and where you are. You have to find out what will be best for you.” Everyone took a breath and the discussion continued.

 “How did you make that peach cobbler outside in your Dutch oven, Deanna?” “Anyone try to bake bread in their convection oven?” “What about cooking ribs on an open fire?” “What’s your favorite Instant pot recipe?” Lena, Mary, Loretta and others joined in sharing tips and recipes. All the talk about food reminded everyone that it was dinner time. 

The first happy hour was done. “Time for dinner y’all. See you back here around 7 for more,” Nigel announced over the mic. Conversations and games were put on hold. Food was to be eaten. Dogs needed to be walked. Off everyone went, alone and in groups, back to their campsites. 

Around 7, everyone returned to The Wolf Pack for the evening. Some conversations resumed. New conversations and new groups formed. The Wolf Pack was a hub of activity. A couple of people just sat on the edges watching from a distance. “Look over here,” Bruce shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to the beautiful sunset. “Wow,” said Michaela. “Almost as good as in Arizona”.  Immediately phones came out. “Look at this one from Florida.” “No, this is way better over the Pacific in California.” “How about this sunrise over the Atlantic in North Carolina?” Who’s to say that one is better than the other? 

Over in a corner a couple seemed to be having a pointed discussion before one of them made an abrupt exit.  The other slowly followed behind. Bruce & Lila were strangely quiet, sitting by themselves. Joana went over to chat, but you could tell that something was going on between the couple. Joana gave them their privacy.

As the temperature dropped, tempers seemed to be getting frayed. Unfortunately, the mood was shifting. Attributing it to long days of travel, campers started saying their good nights. Tomorrow would be another day.

The night owls remained at the campfire for a little while longer before calling it a night. Evelyn looked around. “Did you notice that the mood shifted? I could feel it. It is giving me the chills.” Everyone glanced around the group, abnormally quiet. One by one they got up and left. The river flowed silently by the campsites. For some, sleep came easily. For others, their minds continued to race, thinking, planning…. 

Monday
The early birds gathered at The Wolf Pack for coffee. Some looked ready to tackle the day. Others needed their coffee to become human again. Mary and Bruce were already down by the river fishing.  Campers walked their dogs or, were the dogs  walking the people? Greetings were exchanged, both human and dog. Joanna & Peetie pranced along. Morgan kept Buddy on a short leash. Leanna tried to keep up with Milo who just wanted to play with everyone. Mary and Pat strolled past down the road, around the curve too.

“Anyone have any plans for today?” Nigel asked.

Bruce suggested, “How about a field trip out to the hay bale display up on the main road, Bird’s Hay Bale Art Farm? You really have to see it to believe it. A man, now in his 80s, created “artwork” out of bales of hay and found objects. Plus, there is a huge tin man at least 25ft tall. I think it would be fun.”

Before anyone could reply, a scream echoed through the park. Bruce came running back. “Someone call 911! Loretta just spotted a body partially hidden in the leaves! I’m going to get Sherry. She’ll know what to do. Also, someone call the Camp Host and let them know what’s going on!”

After a moment of shock, Nigel got on his phone calling 911. Bruce called the Camp Host. Evelyn rushed down the road. Momentarily, Sherry arrived where a group had already started to gather. Assuming her past demeanor, Sergeant Wharton calmed the crowd. “Everyone stay calm and step back. Make room for the local authorities.” 

“Who could it be?” “What happened?’” So much for an uneventful, relaxing few days. 

Joan Smith ~

Monday, 5:30am
The man worked hard to conceal his gleeful smile.  He’d done it; He’d committed the perfect murder!  He had thought for years about what it would feel like to snuff the life out of a human.  After years of watching every crime show on television, he felt well prepared and marveled at how easy it was when he’d strangled her.  The way her eyes changed from shock, to terror, to nothing had excited and aroused him.  He just couldn’t stop smiling as his mind replayed those brief moments.  He couldn’t allow his pleasure to jeopardize his anonymity and give cause for suspicion. 

He was new to the Arctic Wolf group and remained quiet and reserved even when asked about his RV life; where he’d been, how long had he done it, where did he come from, etc.  All the usual questions campers ask in order to get better acquainted with one another.  Strange guy but nice enough, thought progressive Nigel, ever watchful for anyone that could possibly damage the close bond that he and Evelyn had built among this group. The guy just blended in enough to almost disappear into the crowd of regular attendees.

His rig was not new and was very modest, nothing to draw undue attention to himself.  The rig was small but adequate for his sinister purpose. He had given the group false information about himself.  These people would never see him again after this campout but he needed them as alibis as he went about his dastardly deed.  

The festival was huge, over 75 rigs, and there were planned activities from sunrise to well into the evening.  It had been easy for him to slip away unseen into a nearby campsite where a solo female had been boondocking camping for a couple of weeks.  He had introduced himself to her, using his false name, and they talked for a while.  He then asked if she’d be interested in joining the “Wolf Pack” around the campfire that evening.  When she responded positively, he said he’d come back and pick her up around 6:00 to escort her and introduce her around.  

When he had come back for her, she said she could use a glass of wine to settle her nerves and offered him one.  He declined the offer but encouraged her to take her time and enjoy her glass.  As she sat back in her chair and took a sip, he stepped behind her chair and offered a shoulder massage which she happily accepted.  

She finished her glass and as she started to stand, he twirled her into his arms and boldly kissed her.  Being relaxed and happy she returned his kiss and snuggled against his body.  His hands again went to her shoulders but this time they continued to her neck where he immediately began to strangle her.  

Her eyes, he’d never forget that transition from life to death.  It was almost orgasmic. He then placed her lifeless body into her utility wagon and pulled it to an empty campsite about ½ mile from her site; away from the Wolf festivities.  He dumped her body and hastily covered it in leaves.  He didn’t notice how closely he had left her by the road. It was his plan to leave her undiscovered until at least a day or two had passed. He returned the wagon to her site and wiped it clean of any biological evidence he may have left.  He hadn’t touched anything else; the clean-up was quick and easy.  

He returned to his rig and prepared himself to face the day and all his new friends for coffee time at 7:30. If he could just stop smiling.  He just knew that people were going to ask what he’d been up to.  A smile like that isn’t the normal one you’d expect for a good morning greeting. 

Somehow, he’d done it.  Nobody asked any probing questions as the morning activities began.  Then the scream followed by orders being given on who was to do what.  During all of the commotion, he climbed into his rig and slowly, silently left the campground.  Nobody knew his true identity and he’d sell the rig for cash this afternoon.  He’d catch a bus back to his hometown and settle in with his wife and family after his return from a “business” trip.  He’d take a huge loss but his mission had nothing to do with profits and losses, except the loss of one life.  

Monday, 9:30am
Sergeant Wharton stood as close as she dared to the newly discovered body.  She knew preserving the scene was paramount as she and the group of onlookers waited for the arrival of the police and coroner. 

Candy  ~

The police had cordoned off the area, and detectives were swarming the scene trying to catalogue any clues. They also locked down the park. No entrances in or out until every person had been interviewed and identified. Unfortunately, the man who did it had slipped away before they got there. The police missed him by mere seconds as he slipped around a bend and out of sight.
It didn’t take long for the police to discover the victim’s identity. She was a local college student named Lila, and her body had been left in a small clearing near the pond under a pile of leaves. It was just on the other side of an empty campsite. Somehow the murderer failed to check her pockets and her wallet was tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. The detectives began questioning everyone who had been in the park that day, trying to piece together what had happened.

The first person they interviewed was Loretta, who had found the body. She said she had been strolling around the park when she heard a strange noise and went to investigate. That’s when she saw Lila’s body lying on the ground. A small animal had been foraging nearby which made the noise. Loretta nearly jumped out of her skin as it ran off into the leaf covered forest. Her heart was still pounding out of her chest.

The detectives also questioned a couple who had been having a picnic nearby. They claimed they hadn’t seen or heard anything unusual. However, the detectives found it suspicious that they tried to leave the park shortly after the body was discovered.

As the detectives continued to question witnesses, there was a man standing on the edge of the park, watching the investigation intently. He had circled back after moving his rig to enjoy the horror he had created. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and his face was partially obscured. No one noticed him in the shadows. No one except Justin. Justin noticed the man shuffling around the edge of the park out of the corner of his eye. He decided the behavior was odd enough to pay a bit of attention to.

The man walked briskly down the street, and Justin trailed him from a distance. The man eventually entered a small apartment building a few blocks away from the park. Justin strained his eyes to get a better look, but he could not make out the man’s face. Justin waited outside the building for a while before deciding to leave and report his findings to the detectives.

Justin walked up to the lead detective. He began to tell the officer what he had seen, but the detective wasn’t listening. He was immediately beginning to interrogate Justin.

“What is your name son?” Officer Dunnegan asked.

“I’m Justin Robertson.” Justin replied.

“Do you have identification with you?” The officer continued to probe.

“I have it in my rig over there. But listen, I just saw…” He said.

“I need to see it. Let’s walk over and get it.” Officer Dunnegan began to walk in the direction Justin had pointed.

Justin resigned himself to satisfying the detectives’ request. Every time he tried to speak; the detective interrupted with a question related to finding out more about Justin’s activities that morning. He couldn’t begin to tell the detective what he had seen with all the interruptions. It slowly began to dawn on Justin that the detective might be asking these questions for reasons other than routine investigation.  The realization hit him hard. Justin knew somehow by walking up to the detective he had just become a person of interest in the investigation. He began shaking and choking down panic at the thought and just decided to keep what he had seen to himself.

The detective was so relentless in his questioning that Justin decided he needed a lawyer. Of course, this only made the detective more determined to have the case fit the scenario he had decided in his mind. According to the story the detective was designing, Justin was obviously the one. I mean he had means and opportunity. The guy was over 6’5” and packed a whopping 280 lbs. Strangling this small college student wouldn’t even take much effort. All he really needed to do was trick Justin in to admitting something that could be construed as a motive.

Since Justin had asked for a lawyer and the detective didn’t have probable cause to arrest him just yet, he turned his attention to getting information from the rest of the witnesses. It was only after extensive interviews and careful cataloging of every one who had been in attendance that he noticed 4 people were missing or unaccounted for. One was a relative stranger to the group no one could seem to remember very many details about. Another was the couple who had been playing cards at a picnic table and packed up to go shortly before the body was discovered. The last person unaccounted for was a long-time member of the group but no one could seem to remember if Charlie had arrived yet or not. He was always around but never said much. One of those guys that sort of functioned as the local fence post. It wasn’t that no one noticed him, just that he was such a regular fixture everyone just expected him to be there. So, no one could actually verify they had seen or spoken to him. He had been planning to come, but his spot was now empty as well as the others who were unaccounted for.

Amanda ~ 

Sherry kept everyone away from the body while a small group of campers circled around Loretta her face pale, eyes wide with shock. Someone gave her a sweater while they waited for the police to arrive. 

A cool fall breeze off the river rustled the leaves on the trees, as a handful of the group quietly talked. Everyone was shocked wondering who the victim was. Was it a fellow camper?

The sound of a sirens wailing in the distance, signaled the arrival of the police to the scene. 

Sunday 8:30 pm
There was a travel trailer parked on a site not far away from the bend in the river. It was an older model Prowler fifth wheel, that was a little rough around the edges, but still in relatively good shape for a rig of its age.  The decals were faded and worn but the interior of the unit was immaculate, nothing out of place. The cushions were a little faded from the sun and the walls were the typical 80’s RV interior… durable though a little dated. In a comfy recliner by the window sat an older gentleman his name, Charlie Pilker.  Charlie was a retired sanitation worker who traveled with his canine companion, Pipsqueak, his long-haired chihuahua, Squeakers for short.   

Charlie kept the window shades partially drawn, and the lights off, so he could monitor the activities going on in the park. He held a worn pair of binoculars up to his eyes as he scanned the campground.  He saw the brightly lit pole of the Wolf Pack site, glowing in the sky. There were also strands of lights highlighting the group of campers, chatting, and playing cards. Charlie watched the activity, but nodded off after a while, it had been a long day of travel.  

The next time he looked out the window, the lights on the pole were out. The campground was quiet, everyone had turned in for the evening.  It was late and Squeakers whined needing to go out to do her business. Charlie liked the peace and quiet he could hear the sound of the river as it flowed between the banks. 

The buzzing of an old streetlight, and the squeaking sound of a rusty wheel caught his attention. If it hadn’t been so quiet he wouldn’t have noticed the shadowy outline of a golf cart and trailer making its way around the sites. The driver performing a late-night garbage run.  The shiny black plastic of bags on the back of the cart reflecting the flickering light of the street lamp.  He thought it was a little odd to not have his lights on but shrugging his shoulders, figured he was just being polite not shining the lights and disturbing the campers.  Squeakers finished her business and she and Charlie went in for the night.

Early Monday Morning
Charlie, woke just before dawn as was his habit, he liked to get to the bath house early, before all the hot water was gone. With so many people staying in the park you had to be quick. The birds were unusually quiet for that time of the morning, none of the usually happy chirps and calls. He made his way down the path toward the bath house and had the strangest sensation that he was being watched. The path to the bath house wound its way through big oaks, their gnarly branches casting odd shadows as the sun started its journey across the sky. Charlie rounded a corner just as someone came dashing down the path. Charlie narrowly avoided a head on collision, by side stepping at the last minute.  It was a man wearing jogging pants and a hooded sweatshirt that obscured his face. Charlie said in a cranky tone” slow down junior” The man responded with a rude gesture never slowing his pace.  Later that morning as Charlie was pouring a second cup of coffee, he heard a sudden scream.  

 Rushing to the window he grabbed his binoculars and peered out the window.  Loretta was pointing and gesturing to a mound of leaves by an unoccupied site. She was talking to Sherry Wharton both were fellow members of the Wolf Pack. Evelyn, Gunther, Bruce, Leanna and her dog Milo clustered around the two ladies. Nigel came jogging down the road towards them gesturing off towards the Wolf Pack site and Charlie watched the crowd disperse leaving two ladies behind.  A police siren sounded off in the distance and within minutes the camp-host came barreling up the gravel road followed closely by the local police.  

The camp host’s name was Marvin Flakey. He made the rounds of the campground riding around in a tricked-out golf cart that looked like it cost more money than Charlie’s rig and truck combined. “More money than sense”, muttered Charlie talking to Squeakers.  The camp host was wearing a pink flamingo shirt, Bermuda shorts, paired with sandals and socks. His uniform of choice accessorized with aviator sunglasses, a heavy gold chain and a couple of shiny gold rings thrown in for added flair.  Charlie got the impression that Marvin thought he was a ladies’ man.

Back at the Wolf Pack everyone waited for Loretta and Sherry to return, a few people pulled out a deck of cards and tried to distract themselves with a halfhearted game of Spades. 

Eugene T. Dunnegan, a veteran officer who had served in the Army before joining the academy, working his way up to detective.  Dunnegan was a by-the-book, follow procedure, strait laced kind of guy. After introducing himself and doing a quick survey of the scene, pulled out a note pad and began to question Loretta and Sherry. 

“Do either of you recognize the victim”? “When did you first notice the body”? “What time did you find them”? “Have you noticed anyone strange hanging out in the area”?  

Loretta and Sherry responded to the questions as best they could with what little information they had. 

As they finished talking to the detective, a big black Suburban rolled up to the site. The windows were darkly tinted making it impossible to distinguish the driver. The front fender had a big dent in it and there were scrapes and scratches down the sides. The tires and tailpipe were caked with mud. The white lettering down the side of the vehicle read “Greene County Coroner” There was a layer of red clay dust that was so thick, it made it hard to read.  The engine turned off and the door opened with a protesting creak, the hinge badly in need of oil. 

Loretta and Sherry looked on with surprise as the lone occupant of the SUV hopped out of the vehicle.   

Patricia “Pepper” Haskill didn’t look like a coroner, at least nothing like Sherry had ever seen. At 5 feet tall she looked more like Pipi Longstocking or Anne of Green Gables.  To say she was petite would be an understatement. Her flaming red hair was held back from her face with a faded baseball cap with the initials GCC on the front. She was casually dressed in blue jeans, muddy hiking boots, and a grey button down shirt. Her eyes were pale green like spring grass, and there was a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.  She didn’t look like someone who dealt with dead bodies or crime scenes on a regular basis.   

 Detective Dunnegan stiffly greeted the young woman calling her Ms. Haskill. Patricia smiled greeted the ladies and the camp host saying, “Please Y’all call me Pepper”.  

After going over the information provided by Loretta and Sherry, Pepper quickly got to work. Marking out the perimeter of the site, she checked the ground for anything that looked like it might be a clue. Photographing the area from every angle she methodically processed the scene of the crime.

Pepper could see where the plastic bags wrapping the body had been torn. The edges of the tear had puncture marks like a wild animal or maybe a dog had ripped through the material. The torn bag revealed a delicate hand, with fingers tightly clenched as though holding on to something.  

George ~

After taking a photo of the clenched hand, Pepper carefully pried open the fingers to reveal a gold locket. After taking photos of the locket in the hand from several angles, she removed it carefully and placed it a sample bag for closer inspection back at the lab. The locket was round and smooth except for a pair of initials on one side. She then inspected the hand. Short unpainted nails were soiled. A dark substance under them, possibly blood but that would have to wait for the autopsy. She encased the hand in a bag sealed around the wrist. Finally, she removed the bag covering the head; took photos; and inspected the face and neck.

As she did this Detective Dunnegan walked and asked, “What have you got?”

Pepper said, “We’ll know more later, but it looks like a strangulation by someone large and strong. There are few signs of a struggle, no marks on the face. She was surprised and had no chance to fight back. Either she was unconscious or this was someone she trusted. She was holding this in her hand. We’ll check for fingerprints and DNA.”; handing over the sample bag with the locket.

Detective Dunnegan held the bag up to look closely at the locket. “I see the initials. Have you looked inside?”

“No, have to wait for processing the outside”

“Lots of scratches on the outside. Someone wore this a long time?”

“Maybe.”

“Get us some answers. These people aren’t from around here. Half of them travel full-time and will be in another state tomorrow.”

Justin called his father, a retired lawyer in Ohio. His father instructed him to not talk to the police at all and promised to get a lawyer to the park as soon as possible. Justin sat down in his chair outside his RV and waited while watching the activity.

An hour later, a black Tesla Model S silently drove down the drive stopping in front of Justin. A young woman stepped out and went over to Justin. She introduced herself. She was a lawyer specializing in criminal law. Her father was an old friend of his father. Justin told her everything he knew. She listened silently, taking notes. When he was done, she instructed him to sit tight while she talked to the detective.

After she did, she returned to Justin and said, “I talked to Detective Dunnegan and the coroner. Your suspicion was correct, he does suspect you; I think. But he doesn’t have a complete case. I will talk to the prosecutor and tell them your story but now I need to talk to all the people here. Sit tight.”

As she walked away, Justin watched. He was suddenly aware of how attractive she was, and young. Surely, she cannot have handled many cases of this sort. Yet she had a competent manner that made him feel more at ease. Still, he did not trust that detective. He wondered if he should worry about the man in the hoody. Had he been seen? What if he came back? Should he warn the others. No, his lawyer had said to sit tight. “His lawyer”, what a strange thought. He, Justin, had a lawyer. How was he going to afford that. What if they searched his rig? Did he have anything they might find suspicious? Would they take his gun? Could he get it back? His cash! He had a large stash of cash in his safe, his rainy-day fund. He had heard that some jurisdictions took cash claiming it to be suspicious. How long is she going to take? Maybe he should call his dad and ask his opinion of the situation, again. Thirsty! Could he go in and get a drink? She said sit tight. Don’t be silly. She just meant to stick around the rig.

Justin went inside and got a cold bottle of water.

When he came outside Detective Dunnegan was standing by his chair looking at him.

Jane ~

Detective Dunnegan began questioning Justin. Due to his aggressive approach, Justin asked to have his attorney, who had been talking to the other campers, present. Justin called to his attorney to come over to the campsite. Amy Brennan approached Justin and the detective. She had just spoken to many of the campers who had vouched for Justin and the fact that they saw him at the get together all of that evening and watched him return to his camper. She informed Detective Dunnegan of the statements she had received from the other campers. 

Detective Dunnegan told Ms. Brennan, “That’s nice to know, but it is not an alibi for his whereabouts during entire night.  I will need to question Mr. Robertson further.  And I believe I requested a form of identification from you, Mr. Robertson.”

Justin looked toward Amy and she nodded her approval for him to provide his ID. Justin opened a large folded wallet to reveal an FBI badge and official ID. The detective looked it over scrutinizing every detail. He handed it back to Justin and asked if he was attending this gathering in an official capacity. 

Justin replied, “No, I’m really just on vacation. Actually, an extended vacation because I needed to get away from all the stress of law enforcement and crime. And here I am, smack in the middle of a murder scene.  Detective Dunnegan, I know most of these people. I’ve been traveling with some of them, regularly meeting with many of them either virtually or in person over the past 3 years. They aren’t your suspects. I can’t vouch for the new folks who just joined this group, however. Also, most of these people don’t know I work for the FBI. If you could keep that confidential, I’d appreciate it. These are my recreational friends and I don’t want my job to change how they treat me.”

Dunnegan agreed to keep Justin’s status with the FBI from the other campers, but he did let him know that he’d have to brief his office of the fact that an agent was present at the crime scene. Justin briefed Dunnegan on what he had tried previously to tell him about seeing the suspicious person watching from the periphery and how he had followed him to a nearby apartment complex. Dunnegan moved on to questioning the rest of the campground campers and staff. He also called in to his office to get a roster of the residents of the nearby apartment complex. 

Pepper was back at her lab in the coroner’s office.  She tried to get some finger prints off of the locket recovered from Lila’s closed fist. No readable prints were found, just smudged ones that weren’t enough to trace to anyone. Inside the locket was a very old black and white photo. It was of a man in his mid-twenties, but by the age of the photo, it probably had been taken nearly 50 years ago. Pepper would do some further analysis of the photo to see if she could age it or find a facial recognition match to someone. She requested crime scene photos from Dunnegan that included the onlookers and asked if he could get photos of everyone at the campground before they all left. 

Getting the photos was easier than expected. This group shared a lot of pictures! All she needed was to access their online group page on Facebook and she found pictures of everyone present at the gathering the night prior to the incident. Pepper cut close-up facial shots from all the group pictures posted. She then ran a facial recognition program that would find any similarities between these current day photos and the one she found inside the locket. Due to the poor quality of the online photos and the age of the locket photo, this process was going to take some time. Pepper left the program running and clocked out for the night. She could check the results in the morning.

Meanwhile back at the Wolf Pack, nobody could stop talking about the dead girl and who she was and how she died and who did it. Many theories surfaced and fingers were pointed at probable suspects. Eventually Nigel and Evelyn stepped up and made an announcement. 

“This incident, although very tragic, is not going to change the tone of this get-together. We will continue to act as if nothing unusual has happened and we would prefer if everyone would just stop talking about the poor unfortunate girl who was murdered just a few campsites from us. Let the local authorities deal with this.”

Most of the group continued on with the games and chats and campfire gatherings. However, Justin couldn’t stop thinking about it. He soon found Sherry sitting by a campfire just staring into it. He sat down beside her and soon they were passing theories between themselves. Charlie joined them and shared what he had observed through his binoculars. The 3 of them decided to form a secret investigation of their own. 

The next morning, Pepper arrived back at her lab and the facial recognition software had found a probable match to the photo in the locket. 

Carl  –

She pulled up the report and saw that the probable computer match returned a suspect named ‘John Doe’ which actually indicated no reliable conclusive result. The software algorithm had pulled up a few different identities from the large list of potential suspects.  This was disappointing to say the least.

Pepper decided to cross-reference the list with the residents of the nearby apartment complex that Detective Dunnegan had requested. She found an intriguing potential match, but the result did not fit the profile of the person in the photo. She decided to hold off on sharing the results until she had more concrete evidence. Perhaps the poor quality of the old photo was just too much for the facial recognition algorithm to handle. “So much for science,” Pepper whispered to herself.

Meanwhile, Detective Dunnegan had been busy at the nearby apartment complex, the one that Justin had seen a suspicious person enter into earlier, questioning the residents.  Most of them didn’t have any useful information, but one man caught his attention by his mannerisms during questioning. His name was Gary, and he lived in a unit that overlooked the Wolf Pack campground. When asked if he had seen anything unusual the night of the murder, Gary hesitated before responding. He claimed that he had been asleep all night and hadn’t seen or heard anything out of the ordinary.

After recording all his interview notes, Dunnegan wanted to follow the lead on this character Gary. He decided to go back and meet Gary at his apartment again.  Once Dunnegan had Gary on his home turf once more, perhaps he could see a clue that might indicate any involvement. 

When he arrived, he knocked on the door and called out, but there was no response. Detective Dunnegan thought, “Well, we may have a runner.” He immediately contacted Thomas Dooley, his favorite judge at the County Courthouse, explained the circumstances, and obtained a search warrant for Gary’s apartment. He first looked for the apartment manager, who was now off for the day, then called for backup officers to have the door forced open and witness his inspection of the premises.

Once inside the apartment, he found evidence that Gary had been keeping an eye on the Wolf Pack campground. There were binoculars on the bedroom windowsill and a notebook filled with observations of the campers, but no indication at all of deadly intent of any kind, and nothing else of consequence caught his eye. “Let’s go gentlemen” he said to the group.

“Inspector Dunnegan,” said one of the officers who had forced the door open, “Isn’t it strange that there are no clothes in the closet, nothing in the pantry, and not much in the fridge at all?” Dunnegan replied, “Not your job, son; please go back to your beat and let me do my work.” Dunnegan immediately thought, “Damn, should have seen that myself.”

As the investigation continued, more pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. But with each new clue, more puzzling questions arose. This case was far from solved, and the tension in the campground was beginning to reach a breaking point. The “Wolf Pack” were a close-knit group of RV aficionados who had been pulled together by the Arctic Wolf Pack leaders Nigel & Evelyn Wolf. The group that had come together for a peaceful “get-together” event was now on a psychological knife’s edge, with everyone wondering if the killer was still among them, and thinking who in the group could it possibly be. This had shaken all to the core, and now, the fear of a killer perhaps right in the midst of their happy world was taking a heavy toll. The old adage “paranoia will destroy ya” was alive and well in every RV at the campsite.

Pam –

“Why isn’t there any physical evidence on this body”, Pepper thought to herself.  She thought long and hard.  There was a smudge fingerprint that was useless on the locket.  How did a locket that the victim wore every day have no distinctive fingerprint.   “I think I need to take another look at this body”, she thought.

Justin, Sherry, and Charlie gathered and sat outside Charlie’s RV and began to discuss what they knew about the various people in the Wolf Pack group.  They all knew each other for quite a long time and even the first timers were friends with other members and had been invited to the outing.  The only one is the guy that was so mysterious and kept to himself.  He even pulled out early.  Who invited him to the group?  Each one had no idea.  Was it Nigel & Evelyn or one of the newcomers? Was he invited by one of the long-time known members or was he invited by one of the first timers.  There were six new couples.  They all came from different parts of the county and some of them knew each other, a few knew long time members of the Wolf Pack. But who knew the mysterious lone man and who invited him.  Why did he leave so abruptly? Something did not make sense to either of them.  Justin was feeling his investigative juices churning….something was being overlooked.  He was determined to find out what.  Sherry and Charlie saw the look in his eye and looked at each other.  “what is on your mind, Justin?” Sherry asked.  “Something just doesn’t seem right.  Dunnegan is missing something, I can feel it”.  They all shook their heads in agreement.  Now to figure out what.

Pepper, back in her lab, is staring at the lifeless body of the young woman.  “Talk to me.  Tell me what happened that night. Who did this to you”.  She sat quietly with the soft pop rock music that was her signature music playing softly in the back ground.

Justin, Charlie and Sherry went back to the Wolf Pack gathering and joined in on the pot luck dinner.  They were together for a bit then, as agreed, split up to talk to the new comers.  Justin talked to Gunter & Eileen and discovered that they and Robin & David had known Nigel and Evelyn for years but had only gotten into RV life recently for the relaxation.  They didn’t know any of the others but was enjoying the peace that RV camping was bringing to them.  They were all high stress finance jobs and this was a perfect way to destress.  Sherry engaged Mary & Kirk along with Carol & Jim and Woody and Donna over a pineapple upside down cake and freshly brewed coffee.  They all knew each other and had met Nigel & Evelyn last year when they were all camping in another area and made friends.  This was their first Wolf Pack gathering and were loving every minute. Charlie along with Kathy & James were enjoying toasting marshmallows by the fire pit.  Kathy was a talker and was quick to talk about this murder.  James added a few comments, but Kathy was definitely the talker of the couple.  She mentioned another trip 2 years ago in which a young woman was found dead in her tent.  James was quick to remember that trip and said that they were in the same campground but never met the girl.  She was strangled they remember and as they left the campground in Kansas City the next day, they didn’t know any more details.  Charlie was now biting at the bit to tell Sherry and Justin what he discovered.

Pepper sat and stared at the young girl…..and suddenly she jumped up.  She went to one of the shelves in the autopsy room and took down a jar that held a powder.  The fluorescent powder was carefully applied to the young girl’s neck and upper chest.  Gently, the powder was blown away and a UV light was held to her body…..FINGERPRINTS!  The powder revealed latent fingerprints!!  She methodically lifted each fingerprint and called Inspector Dunnegan.  She had something for him.

Justin, Charlie and Sherry gathered back at Charlie’s and shared the conversations they had with each of the couples.  The death at the Kansas City campground was quite the revelation.  But each couple stated that they didn’t not invite the lone man or every knew who he was as he didn’t really interact with them.  Isn’t that just too much of a coincidence, they all thought?

Inspector Dunnegan was staring at the computer running the fingerprints through AFIS and the FBI database.  Would it find something?  Was the killer in the database.  A hit!!! The fingerprints were in the system.  They were found on dead bodies and a necklace of 3 other young girls found dead at campgrounds in Kansas City, Lake George, and Seattle.  The cases were all cold.  Pepper and Dunnegan had stumbled onto a serial killer!!

Corinne ~

He quickly gathered up what little belongings he had taken with him into the small apartment.  His wallet, cell phone, and a few toiletries; and purposely left behind the binoculars he had found on the path leading into the woods in the campground.  He was certain this would throw anybody off his trail.  He had been lucky to find the empty apartment a couple of days earlier where he could hide out after leaving the body near the path.  It was easy enough to break in without damage to the property.  He got into his rig and headed out of the small town and back to the city, back to his wife, and back to his family.  He knew it would be easy to come up with a few stories that would cover his activities of the past few days as he had practiced saying them over and over again until he was confident in saying all the right things.  Meetings with clients who would remain unnamed, lunch at local breweries and cafes, evening dinners by himself in his hotel room where he “went over notes” of the day’s meetings.  He wasn’t worried about his wife finding out what activities had really taken place that weekend since she was usually busy taking care of the kids and getting them to and from their daily activities.  

As he drove along the quiet country road, he thought back to the feelings he had leading up to fulfilling his long-time desire of taking an innocent life.  He remembered how anxious he was and knew how satisfied he would be once he committed the murder.  He could vividly remember feeling this way at another time in his life.  He almost felt as if he had committed this same crime at least a couple of times before.  The excitement leading up to the murder, getting to know the victim, gaining her trust, that one passionate kiss right before he strangled her, and the satisfaction of taking the life of an innocent victim were all too familiar to him.  He couldn’t put his finger on why though, but he did remember episodes, times he would go camping by himself, meeting up with other campers and eventually singling out a lone victim.  This is where his mind drew a blank, leaving him confused and unsure of who he really was. 

About 100 miles from home, he made a detour to a small ranch off of the main highway.  It was the address he got when making a deal with a young ranch hand who had been looking for a used RV to buy.  The deal was sealed and the young man kindly drove him back to the small city where he would catch the next bus home.

Pepper and Dunnegan had a lead.  They were anxious to get to the bottom of this murder.  Things like this just didn’t happen in their small town.  They would start their investigation in Kansas City, but first, another visit back to the empty apartment that they had inspected just hours before for another look around.  Back to where they retrieved the binoculars and a newly discovered little notebook that had been left behind. 

Gina – 

While there was a continuing investigation, back at the campground Nigel and Evelyn had a campout to host.  The activities so far have proven to be successful and the group seemed to be having fun, even though there had been a murder just 48 hours earlier.  Evelyn thought it odd that the police had not questioned her or Nigel nor had they asked everyone to stay in the campground while they investigated.  As the group gathered around a campfire for the evenings events, Evelyn pulled Nigel back into their Rig.  

“Nigel, what do you know about what’s going on here?” Questioned Evelyn.  “What do you mean? I’ve been working on the campout and keeping everyone connecting and busy.  I haven’t thought about the girls murder.” stated Nigel in a nonchalant kind of way.  “Nigel stop it!  Stop acting like you don’t know!” she demanded.   “Damn it, Evelyn!  Keep it down.  Yes, I know!  But think about it Evelyn.  Who else here in the camp knows beside us?  Who else here has something to lose if anyone found out?  See we have to stay low and keep our mouths shut, but our eyes and ears open.  Hopefully, we can finish up this campout and get out of here without anything else going wrong.” Nigel said sounding a little rattled.  “We’ve got to get out there and entertain tonight.  It’s up to us to keep the group together, make them forget about the murder and get them to want to come to more campouts without feeling afraid. Now, I’ll see you outside.” Nigel reached for the door to go out, but not before Evelyn had the last words.  “Nigel, if you have anything to do with this girls death or know who does then you need to tell me and tell me now.  Like before, I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s going on. Think about it!  We have several of our new friends here with us and at anytime I could redirect suspensions to cast doubt, if need be.  And Yes, I know who else is here that knows and has something to lose.  I’ve been thinking about how that would play out.  Have you?  I also watched over dinner how Sherry, Charlie and even your bother Justin were out drilling the others on how they came to know about this campout and us.  I pay attention Nigel.  Do you?  We need to have our act together and know what each other is planning in order to keep our hands clean.  So watch yourself out there.  We’ve gotten lucky so far, but this was sloppy and someone is going to get caught this time.”  she whispered sternly through her teeth just before Nigel open the door.  “I know! Don’t mention that he’s my brother again!” he said angrily as he went outside.  

Evelyn took a deep breath and thought, “What have you gotten us into.”  She freshened up, put on a smile and joined the others by the fire.  Nigel took requests to play some classic tunes and everyone was laughing, singing and having a good time.  Evelyn noticed a few people had not come back for the evening fire and after the early morning commotion of a murder, she understood they may have been tired and turned in early.  It wasn’t until she saw Justin coming from the woods that her suspicions sparked.  He spoke to several people then finally sat behind the group.  Evelyn watched him for a bit then decided to walk around and mingle.  She spoke to a few people here and there than took a chair by Kathy. 

“What song did you request?’ She asked Kathy as she sat down.  “Oh, I haven’t. I like songs, but can never remember the titles, so I just listen to the music.” Kathy smirked. 

“We sure are glad you and James came to the campout. Where is James tonight?  He okay?” Evelyn asked casually. 

“He said he was tired and wanted to turn in early, but I think he is on his computer researching.” stated Kathy kinda agitated. 

“Research?  Is he looking for epic places to visit when you guys head out on Thursday?” asked Evelyn. 

Quickly Kathy stuttered just a bit, “No, no he is researching the murder that happened in Kansas a few years back. They found the body of a young girl in her tent the morning we left the campground.  We never knew what happened and really never gave it another thought, until today.”  They both just sat there a second then Kathy continued with, “I mean, it is strange that we have been in a campground twice now where a murder has happened. Don’t you think?  And not just that, but James seems to think the killer could be one and the same.  If that’s the case then that means the killer was at both campgrounds.  Which in turn means, through all the photos we take, we could see if there’s anyone in those pics we recognize from then to now.  What do you think, Evelyn? Is it just a coincidence or could James be on to something? Oh, and we are glad we came to the campout too.  Thanks for inviting us!”

Evelyn had watched her friend while she talked and could see she was struggling with all the “what ifs” but she knew James could be on to something. Now, how was Evelyn going to answer Kathy without raising suspicions.  Just then, Nigel came over and asked for a song request from Kathy.  She just laughed and shook her head no.  “Come on, anything. Just throw out any song that comes to mind.” he said smiling at Kathy.

Evelyn feeling relieved, nodded at Kathy as she tapped her on the knee and said, “Pick anything you want, anything and he will leave you alone.  Let me mingle a bit then let’s talk more later.  Ok, be back soon.”  she quickly walked off leaving Kathy to deal with Nigel on her own. Everyone was laughing and singing along to the songs even reminiscing about what the song meant to them “back when”.  Evelyn smiled as she watched Nigel “do his thing” and entertained the group.  But tonight it felt different. She wasn’t sure yet what was going on, but deep down in her gut she knew something was stirring and it didn’t feel good.  The air smelled putrid and stifled, the woods around them eluded an eerie feel and they still had one more day left in the campout before leaving on Thursday.

Lucia – 

The facial recognition software had shown a resemblance with some people in the Facebook pictures, but Pepper considered it a fluke because there were three matches and the three men were unrelated, according to the list of attendees she got from the police. One was the organizer of the Arctic Wolf Festival, Nigel Wolf, the other Justin Robertson, and the third a camper registered as Eric Smith. Nigel and Justin were known members of the RV group, while Eric was a recent addition, and nobody seemed to recall anything special about him. On the other hand, the man in the locker had no distinctive features. It was a black and white picture of a light-haired white man, he could have been in his late teens or early twenties. The hairdo was typical of the 50s, short, combed on the side. “Shit!” Pepper thought, it could have been her father in that picture, or at least a dozen of her relatives whose old pictures she had seen.

Considering Pepper’s recent findings about the other murders, Inspector Dunnegan decided to contact the Kansas City, Seattle, and Lake George police departments. He started with Kansas City because an old roommate was just named Deputy Chief there. Dunnegan had always been good at keeping in touch, and he was sure the guy would be happy to cooperate.

It was a very productive call. His contact provided lots of information and a name and reference for the Seattle police. From both precincts he was able to get the autopsy, police crime scene reports, and all the pertinent photographic evidence emailed to him during the day.

To have another set of eyes on it and because he appreciated her intelligence and intuition Dunnegan went to the morgue that evening and asked Pepper to review the information with him.

“What do we have?” Asked Pepper. “A puzzling situation”, said Dunnegan. “All the girls were found holding a locket with the same picture inside. They all had just turned 21 shortly before they were murdered”. “Were they all killed in campgrounds?” Asked Pepper. “Yes, but they all had different gears. Apparently the one in Seattle had a small teardrop trailer, the one in Kansas City was in a tent, and ours had a Class B motorhome. They were all alone when it happened and the MO was the same, strangulation by a more powerful, tall male”.

“How about the one in Lake George?” “I don’t have an answer yet. One of my friends is a big shot of the Kansas City police, and he provided a contact in Seattle. I had to go through regular channels for Lake George. Hopefully I can get in touch with someone who worked the case there. It is the oldest. Cases are more than two years apart and maybe the people involved there are already retired. That’ll be my luck!”

“But here! At least we have reports, pics of the other two murder scenes, and details about the lockets. We can start reviewing that”. “Sure”, said Pepper. “Let me read the autopsy reports while you set up the pictures to compare them”.

After a while they convened that all the lockets looked the same, they were probably put in the victims’ hands postmortem, and the photograph inside was of the same man. The outside of all the lockets was quite worn, but two initials could be seen, and they were in the same style, in some pictures the first letter wasn’t clear but in all the second letter was readable, a ‘W’!

“Do you think the girls were related?” Asked Dunnegan. “Well, there is one way to find out”, Pepper responded. “Apparently, nobody ran DNA because the girls were identified by their IDs and confirmed with fingerprints. We have our evidence, so we can run it here, and I’m pretty sure the other labs will be happy to do the same once you let them know all the similarities. With today’s equipment it shouldn’t take long, especially if we send our sample to them as comparison”.

After a couple of days Dunnegan received the news from Lake George. He got the paperwork with information about the case in question, and the phone number of the detective in charge of the case 11 years ago.   Indeed, he had retired, but he was still living in town. An old timer sleuth whose sole unsolved case didn’t leave his mind. Receiving Dunnegan’s call was his best news in a long time. He initially suspected a serial or an opportunity killer, but nothing similar had ever happened in the area, and he never found out about the other cases. There were none in the files he had at the time. Dunnegan explained that he and Pepper believed Lake George was the first kill.

When he got together with Pepper that evening, he had a more complete picture of the situation, but no leads. The Lake George detective did say something different from the others, though. He said that the girl fought her aggressor, she had been an excellent athlete and apparently was able to inflict some damage since they found blood not belonging to the victim, but it did not show up in any database. The crime scene was messy, and the death was not as quick as in the other cases. 

The detective kept tabs on the case, and analyzed the DNA as soon as DNA analyses became more common. He had uploaded the DNA of the victim as his own under an alias to a genealogical database. He already found several possible DNA matches but had no access to identifying information. Of course, he knew those were potential relatives of the killer, not the killer himself. He was in the process of trying to locate the identity of the matches. It was not easy due to privacy concerns. The DNA database was now giving people the choice of letting the police access their identity upon request or not. If they choose not to do so, the authorities will have to get a warrant to be able to obtain their information. Most of the matches had declined permission for a simple police request. Now, with all this new information, maybe a judge would be more inclined to issue a warrant. Pepper looked at the printout with the information about the matches. “Wow! Generally, you don’t get these results. There was a recent case with that many matches. It was discovered that the people were all siblings, fertilized with the same donor sperm in different families, spanning several years. It is not at all uncommon if you think about it. Usually, a donor’s sperm is used for multiple fertilizations”. “That’s too much information for me”, said Dunnegan. But Pepper was on a roll “Hypothetically, we can have a flawed gene in the Y chromosome and generate a number of males with a killer instinct”. Dunnegan sat heavily in the chair with a desperate look, “you mean we may have several killers related to each other?”

Russ –

Connie Wortman was busy on the computer searching the internet when her husband came home. His arrival caused a sense of panic in her. She knew he wouldn’t be happy if he caught her doing such undomesticated things. She cleared all her history and turned off the computer and went out to greet her husband.

He was one of those guys that thought a wife’s job was to take care of the husband, the children, and the household not necessarily in that order, but as long as she took care of it, he didn’t care. He once commented that her opinion should reflect his position on all things. She wasn’t too unhappy with that, after all the wife of a big business owner had its perks, and the fact that his family was filthy rich just made it totally okay with her. Not that money was a driving force in her life but it had its upsides especially with a husband who was often gone on “business” trips.

“How was your business trip?” she asked as she greeted him with a quick kiss, knowing full well that there was no business purpose for him being gone. 

Kissing him was somewhat of a challenge, his being 6’ 5” and her being 5’ 4”, required her to stand on her tip toes and raise her head while he lowered his head and bent over a little, which sometimes required more effort than he was willing to put into it. This was one of those times.

His response was as noninformative as the reasoning he gave when he left. “It went okay, like most other trips.” 

He pushed his way around her and headed towards the front door. “What’s for dinner?” was his typical greeting, and today was no different. 

She hesitated, sighed and finally replied “I didn’t know you were coming home; the kids ate about an hour ago. What would you like?”

“Just get me something good to eat and bring it to my study” he replied. His frustration was beginning to match hers. 

“The kids missed you, why don’t you spend some time with then while I fix you something to eat?” she suggested hoping that being with the kids would improve his mood.

“Maybe later” was the best he could offer,

Connie didn’t know what had caused the change in her husband, early in their marriage he was excited to be a dad and couldn’t spend enough time with them. He originally wanted a large family in contrast to his own, where he was an only child. Shortly after the second daughter was born he made an off handed comment that there were too many Wortman kids in the world already, no need to be adding more. She has yet to figure out what he meant by that, but her world really changed after that point.

The girls were approaching their teenage years and Connie was wondering how long it would be before there were three brooding souls occupying her world. The thought of divorce crossed her mind more and more often. Was now the time to act or should she wait? The answer eluded her, and so she continued to follow the default and do nothing.

Evidence that he was having an affair was elusive, no strange phone calls, no mysterious notes in his pockets when she did the wash, no lipstick on the collar, no periods of giddiness except for when the girls did something to make him laugh. But the business trips did seem to be something other than business. None of the nightly phone calls to the girls that one would expect a dad to make, no souvenirs for the girls from wherever he went or romantic dinners with her after he comes home. None of that, ever.

As she entered his study with his dinner, she noticed that he was shoving something into his desk drawer. He was too quick for her to see what it was; she knew that it had to be something she wasn’t supposed to see, which made her even more determined to see what secrets he was keeping from her. 

She kissed him on the cheek, told him she was going to bed, and asked him to please put his dishes in the sink when he was done.

She left the room and closed the door, waited ten seconds, then popped her head back in the room and said, “I missed you, so don’t be too long.”

He obviously wasn’t expecting her to reappear, and she saw that the box that he so quickly put in the drawer had just as quickly made its way back to the desktop. He didn’t even make an attempt to hide it this time, but his look was pure guilty. Exactly what she had expected. She was definitely determined to find out what he was hiding, and soon.

The next morning after sending the girls to school and her husband off to his office, she waited an appropriate time to make sure he wouldn’t double back and catch her, then headed into his study.

As expected, the drawer was locked, but it was a newfangled desk, and it had a three-digit combination lock. She looked at it and thought for a second, thinking of what would he use as a combination. His birthday, would take 4 digits, hers too. She tried their anniversary, each of the girl’s birthdays, their house number, nothing seemed to work. Then she tried her father-in-law’s birthday, Bingo, it opened! Odd, but as long as she figured it out, she was in. 

Next came the little box she saw last night. Well, if nothing he was consistent, his dad’s birthday worked that one too. Inside was a stash of money, thousands of dollars, what in the world, would he need that for?, she thought. 

Next she pulled out a bill of sale, for an RV?? It was dated a couple of weeks ago, but the buyer was an Eric Smith, and it said he had paid in cash?? She was confused, if he paid cash for the RV, then why is there still so much in the box? And who in the world is Eric Smith?

The last thing she pulled out of the box was an old picture of his dad. She could not make heads or tails out of what she saw. 

None of it made any sense to her.

She thought for a moment, and decided to take a picture of it, and put everything back the way she found it while she figured out what to do with all of this.

She figured while she was doing her housework was the best time to do some thinking. All kinds of scenarios crossed her mind.

Was he out travelling the country with some other whore while she stayed home with the kids?

Where was this RV at?

Who the heck was Eric Smith?

We were rich, but why keep so much cash in his desk?

He definitely was up to something, and has all the earmarks of being no good. But what to do with the information? 

Confronting him with the evidence was probably not the way to proceed, he probably had an explanation already concocted. She had to think about this and make sure she didn’t raise his suspicions while she figured out what to do. 

Chris ~

Once he arrived to work and settled back into his office, Chris Wortman realized he really did not want to be there.  His mind drifted off to dark places that he seemed to enjoy a lot better.  

Making the money, building businesses, hiring and firing people used to satisfy him completely.  Lately however, he needed much more to feel powerful.  Nothing he did was satisfying that internal demand for control.  

The more his mind roamed, he got more and more angry.  His assistant knocked quickly on the doorframe of his office, which startled him back to reality, and asked if he needed anything.   

“Yes, I do, thanks” he said quickly.  “Please clear my schedule, reserve my normal room at the downtown Hilton, then call my wife and tell her to meet me there at 2pm”.  “Your wife Mr. Wortman, are you sure?”  “Yes, Jenna, this time it has to be her!”  

Connie received the call from Jenna and was completely shocked but excited at the same time.  She got herself ready for what she believed was going to be one wild afternoon and drove quickly downtown with nervous anticipation!  She stopped by the front desk, got the room key left there under her name and hopped into the elevator.  “Room 269” she chuckled under her breath as the elevator doors opened with a swoosh. 

The room was at the very end of the hall on the right.  Once at the door she took a deep breath, fixed her tight blouse, scanned the lock with the key and slowly opened the door.  Her heart stopped for a moment with the scene she walked in on.    

There in the center of the room was Chris, completely naked and hanging DEAD by an extension cord attached to a hook installed in the ceiling!  She dropped to her knees and screamed so loud that housekeepers down the hall heard her and came running.  

The next several minutes were a complete blur to Connie.  Many people rushed in and out, chaos was all around, yet internally she was slowly realizing that the shock was wearing off and happiness was overcoming her!  

She was escorted to an empty room next door and kept company by the Hotel Manager until authorities arrived.  Minutes seemed like hours to her, but finally a police officer came and sat beside her.  

His first question to her was, Mrs. Wortman, who is Evelyn Wolf?

Her mind spun out of control and she had no idea how to answer.  Realizing this the Police Officer gently handed her a piece of paper.  He said they found it under his cell phone beside the bed.  The paper read “I did not do those evil things, but if you want to know who did, find Evelyn Wolf!”  

Deb ~

Connie sat back in the chair and tried to get her thoughts together.  Somehow in the back of her mind she felt as though the name was familiar, but she couldn’t imagine how she knew it.  Connie looked at the officer and said that she didn’t know.  The officer informed her that the body would be taken for autopsy by the medical examiner for the judicial circuit, Ms. Patricia Haskill.  That office would contact her for information regarding the funeral home she wanted to use.  The officer took down Connie’s address and phone number and then walked with her to her car. 

Pepper Haskill was at her desk when she received the call that a suicide victim was being brought in.  She prepped the examination room and got ready to conduct the autopsy. 

Connie returned home as the shock of what happened set in.  She was going to have to tell the girls about their dad but needed time.  She called a friend and arranged for them to keep the girls for the night and take them to school the next day.  She then went to her computer and searched for the name Evelyn Wolf on her social media site.  She sat in amazement as the name pulled up a group called Arctic Wolf.  She went to the group’s page and started looking at pictures.  There in a recent picture was her husband. 

Pepper began the examination of the body of Christopher Wortman.  She took fingerprints and a DNA sample which she gave to her assistant to have processed.  Before Pepper left for the day, she pulled up the file on C. Wortman to finish her documentation.  She did a double take when she saw that the fingerprints were a match for the ones found on the murdered women from the campgrounds.  Pepper contacted Detective Dunnegan with this information.  Dunnegan called Mrs. Wortman and was able to arrange to meet at her house later that evening. 

Connie was seated across from the detective and medical examiner in her kitchen.  She was told that her husband’s fingerprints were a match to three murders, the last being two days ago in a campground.  They asked if she could tell them where her husband had been for the past week.  She told them that he had just returned from a business meeting but that she might have information to help them.  She left the room and came back with the contents from his desk and put them on the table. The detective saw the bill of sale for the camper with the name Eric Smith and the piece of paper left by Chris naming Evelyn Wolf.  Dunnegan immediately contacted his office and told them to lock down the campground and not let anyone from the Arctic Wolf group leave. 

Laurie & John

Leaving Mrs. Wortman’s, Dunnegan gets in his car and heads toward the campground. On his way, dispatch calls, “We already have units at the campground, there is a missing person.”

Dunnegan responds, “Who is missing?”

Dispatch says, “A Mrs. Evelyn Wolf.”

Dunnegan says in a tired voice, “It is going to be a long night. I hope someone has coffee.”

When Dunnegan arrives, the campground is a beehive of activity. Campers with flashlights are everywhere. Shining lights here, there, in the trees and in each other’s eyes. It looks like the 4th of July. “My God,” thinks Dunnegan, “what a mess!”

Meeting the officer in charge, “We’ve got to get this mess in order. Where’s the campground host?”

“Out looking for Mrs. Wolf,” responded the officer.

“Find him, get him to the gate and secure it so no one leaves. Then get everyone back to their own campsite and have them stay put.”

The officer in charge locates Marvin Flakey, the camp host and gives him Dunnegan’s orders. “What authority do you have to close this campground?” 

Not wanting to argue with the camp host, the officer brings him to Dunnegan. “Sir, Mr. Flakey wants to know what authority we have to close the campground?”

At this point, Dunnegan is beyond frustrated and his tone reflects his frustration. “Not only is there a missing person. We are investigating a murder which happened in this campground. That gives us the authority to close the campground. Now secure the gate and get campers to their own campsite.”

As Dunnegan arrives at the Wolf’s campsite, Mr. Wolf is walking up with one of the officers. Obviously distraught, he begins to tell Dunnegan, “Earlier in the evening Evelyn left for a walk and never returned. I thought she had stopped at a campsite to chat. I have checked with all our group and no one has seen her since Happy Hour. At that point I notified the camp host and everyone began looking for her.” Confused, he said, “She has never done anything like this before. We are always together.”

Dunnegan looked up to see officers approaching. “We have searched the area and there is no trace of Mrs. Wolf.”

Dunnegan, with more frustration, “Did you find any signs of a struggle or foul play? Something has to be out there.”

“Sir, there is nothing. No sign of foul play, no sign of any belongings.”

More frustration from Dunnegan, “Did she just disappear in thin air or was she abducted by aliens?”

The officer looks at Dunnegan, “Sir, I can only report what I see or find.”

Dunnegan dismisses the officer with, “Keep looking for Mrs. Wolf and let me know what you find.” Turning to Mr. Wolf, “Do you know a man named Chris Wortman?”

“No sir, I do not. Never heard the name before.”

“Your wife has never mentioned that name?”

“No.”

After 2 hours of searching the area and talking with every camper and no Mrs. Wolf, Detective Dunnegan decides to open the campground and let it get back to normal. Without any bit of information found, frustration is running high. Mr. Wolf is not only frustrated, but very concerned and confused. “She has never done anything like this before. We are always together. Detective, what do you want with my wife and who is Chris Wortman?”

Detective Dunnegan debates about telling Mr. Wolf anything. Being a seasoned detective, he decides to give a few details hoping to get a response or some indication that Mr. Wolf knows something. “Chris Wortman was at your festival. He committed suicide and left your wife’s name as someone with information.”

Mr. Wolf stares at the detective with a confused expression. “There was no Wortman registered at this festival. My wife and I have been hosting campouts for many years. We know the people who have attended. The name Chris Wortman has never appeared on any reservation. Do you think my wife is involved in something illegal and where do you think she is? She went for a walk many hours ago and never returned. She has not been found or heard from. What is going on?”

One year later:
Justin Robertson is in Alabama on a special assignment for the FBI. Out of curiosity, he is interested in the outcome of the missing person case of Evelyn Wolf. He calls Detective Dunnegan, “Good day Detective Dunnegan. This is Justin Robertson. I am in Alabama on FBI business, not far from Forkland. As a professional courtesy, would you meet with me and give an update on the Evelyn Wolf missing person case?”

“First off, I would like to apologize for my reaction to you and suspecting you of the murder. I would be happy to discuss Evelyn Wolf. In fact, I will invite Coroner Haskill also. A new pair of eyes might shed light on this situation. Would tomorrow at 10am work for you?”

“Tomorrow at 10am will be great. Look forward to visiting with you and the coroner.”

The next morning Justin arrives at the police station just as Coroner Haskill does. “Coroner Haskill, nice to see you again. I am glad you are also at this meeting.”

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Robertson. Please call me Pepper. This has been an interesting year. Never have we had a missing person that was never found, not even a trace.”

The two walk in together while making idle chit chat. Arriving at Dunnegan’s office, they are greeted warmly by the detective.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me to discuss Evelyn Wolf”, states Justin matter of fact.

“Like I said on the phone, we are at a dead end regarding Evelyn Wolf. In fact, once we received information from the first three murders and added ours, the fingerprints matched. It was conclusive that Chris Wortman committed our murder as well as Kansas City, Seattle and Lake George. We don’t think there is any reason to believe there was foul play regarding Evelyn Wolf. We will continue to search for Mrs. Wolf. She is a missing person. There is also no reason to hold our murder case open because we can’t find her.”

Pepper adds, “Fingerprints and DNA don’t lie. We tied Wortman to the four murders. The mystery, however, concerns Evelyn Wolf. What did she have to do with Chris Wortman and where is she? Fortunately, we know our murder was solved. Unfortunately, we may never know why Wortman named Evelyn Wolf. Or for that matter, where Evelyn Wolf might be. It is like she vanished in thin air. I love mysteries and enjoy solving them. This one, though, may go down unsolved.”

“I am glad to hear all four murders were solved. Mrs. Wolf truly is a mystery. She was a nice lady and enjoyed hosting campouts. Just for your information, the Wolf Pack has disbanded. Thank you for your time and information.” Justin stood, shaking hands with Dunnegan and Pepper, “Good luck with the missing person case.”

Dunnegan chuckles, “I wouldn’t call it a case. Mrs. Wolf is listed as a missing person. No reason, as I said before, to suspect foul play.”

Justin smiles, bids Dunnegan and Pepper farewell. “If I am ever down this way again, I’ll stop in and visit.”

As Justin walks out, he has a smile on his face. The type of smile that says, “They have no clue.”