Camera Never Lies (23 page)

Spencer picked up where I’d left off. “So when Hillary returns, she also finds him in the closet. Polly, you’re just getting to your room. That’s when Hillary screams, and you also go next door.”

The phone rang. It was Mom. “Look, can I move up to your room now or what? You talked me into getting out of my room today, but now you won’t let me leave. So I’m coming up there whether you like it or not. Then we’re going to explore this park.”

I cringed, frustrated because we were in the middle of putting together the puzzle pieces of the murder. But I knew Mom’s insistent tone, and she wouldn’t take anything other than a yes from me. I’d learned from the best, after all. Remembering her luggage, I realized it might be better if Spencer went to get her instead of me. “Okay, but I’m sending Spencer to get you. Stay there.” I hung up, turning to see Spencer’s flat smile. “You heard?”

“Yes. We’ve got to think fast. What are we missing? Who are we missing? How could someone have come into the room in between all the other comings and goings? They would have had to have killed Alec after Hillary left and before Emily entered. Think, ladies.”

That afternoon, I’d taken more photographs at the lake and then looked around a bit for Mom. I must have been too preoccupied to pay attention to anyone other than her. “Emily, do you remember seeing anyone in the hallway?”

She shook her head. “No, I was too nervous, thinking about having to confront the man who’d stolen my ring. What if I was wrong, and he didn’t do it? What if he lied? I just sort of melted behind a plant in the lobby, wishing I’d worn green instead of black.”

I almost laughed, but three hard sneezes kept me from it. “See, all that late-night cavorting, and now you have a cold.” Spencer grabbed a glass from the dresser and went into the bathroom.

“It’s not a cold. I’m allergic to something. I think it might be your perfume.”

Emily’s eyes widened, making me feel terrible that I’d insulted her. Then she bolted from the bed. “I’ve got it!”

Spencer came out of the bathroom, the glass now filled with water. “What?”

“There was a distinct odor in Alec’s room that made me think of the holidays. It was an odd smell.”

Disappointment registered on Spencer’s face. He went to my desk to fiddle with my broken computer.

Something niggled in my mind. “She might have something here. Was it like turkey and dressing? Spices? Apple and cinnamon? Pumpkin Pie?”

“I wouldn’t know, really. Just reminded me of the holidays. I’m not much of a cook. But it’s not something I smell very often. So that’s why I noticed it while I was looking around the room for my ring.”

“I smelled that before, too, here at the park. I just can’t remember where.” Perhaps I hadn’t noticed it in Alec’s room because I’d almost immediately seen him in the closet, and that had consumed my thoughts. But Emily had time, while searching the room, for her mind to absorb her surroundings before she’d finally discovered Alec.

The room seemed to grow smaller by the minute. “I wish we could get out of this place.” I glanced at Emily. “But I suppose it’s too dangerous if you’re dressed like yourself. Listen, Spencer, you’d better go get Mom before she tries to lug all her stuff over here on her own.”

Spencer stretched, obviously feeling the need to escape, too. “Quite right. But I don’t want you going anywhere while I’m gone.”

“I promise I won’t. Emily and I are going to piece things together.”

When he walked through the door, I had the strange urge to kiss him—a simple peck on the cheek—wishing him a good-bye. Not so strange for a wife or a girlfriend, but I feared we weren’t at that place yet.

I mentally ran through everything I’d done since arriving, every place I’d been and every person I’d talked to. Someone knocked on the door. I threw my hands up. “See? That’s probably Mom now. Spencer couldn’t have gotten there and back.”

I opened the door before looking out the peephole. “Rene?”

My friend and bride-to-be stood in the doorway, her hair looking freshly shampooed and her face glowing. “Polly. You ready to go?”

“Um, ready to go where?” I moved back to allow her in.

With a frown, she strolled past me into the room. “Conrad and I agreed that we should give ourselves time apart this afternoon, to build up anticipation for tomorrow. So I scheduled us to get our nails done—you know, acrylics. I’ve hiked almost every trail, so that’s out of the question.”

Nature girl?
“Are you out of your mind? You don’t get your nails done. As a matter of fact, neither do I.” I scrutinized my pathetic cuticles.

“I know, but I thought on this one occasion, I’d try to become a little more of what Conrad might like me to be.”

Shaking my head, I strode toward her. “Conrad doesn’t want you to be anyone other than who you are.”

She tossed her purse on the bed, realization dawning on her face. “Oh! I didn’t know you had company.”

“I’d like you to meet my friend Emily.” And it was true. Emily was becoming a friend of sorts. “Emily, this is Rene. She’s getting married tomorrow afternoon.”

Emily’s luggage was open, clothes strewed on the bed. She quickly sat on the cloth bag to hide the jewels.

Rene’s gaze stopped on the display. “So, is she staying with you or something?”

“Um…yeah, it’s just for one night.”
So far
. How did one keep the truth to protect others without telling lies?

Rene turned her back to me for an instant. I shrugged in apology at Emily.

“Oh.” Rene pushed her bottom lip into a pout and plopped on the bed opposite Emily. “And here I thought we could spend some time together. You being my maid of honor.”

“Me? Your maid of honor? What about your sister?”

“Oh, Polly, really. Where have you been?”

“Where have
I
been?” A long, deep breath helped to hide the incredulity in my voice. “Where have you and Conrad been?”

“We did some hikes. I told you. Plus, we had to meet with the preacher who’s performing the ceremony. Premarital counseling.”

“Well, I’ve stayed close to the lodge.” My head was spinning at her sudden appearance. I was in no mood to wrestle with guilt, but there it was. I’d come here for her wedding. With all that had happened, I’d almost forgotten my reason for being in Caldera National Park. And if she needed me to spend time with her…

How was I to manage Rene and still follow up on the clues? For that matter, how could I photograph the wedding and be maid of honor? “But what about your sister?”

“She fell and broke her leg. I just found out this morning. I was freaking out at first, thinking it was another omen, but Ronni convinced me that I shouldn’t postpone. Conrad agreed, of course. And then I remembered our little talk, and I’m really going to put all that superstitious stuff behind me this time. For real.”

Astounded, I stared at Rene. Had she really come that far? “I’m so proud of you.” I couldn’t help myself; I pulled her into a hug. But remembering what brought on her news, I released her. “Oh, I’m so sorry about your sister!”

“I know. Isn’t it crazy? But don’t worry, Polly. She’ll be fine.”

Honestly, I couldn’t believe Rene appeared so calm, but I had no intention of fanning the flames of panic.

“Uh, Polly. But her not being here means, tag—you’re it.”

I shook my head. “But how can I be your maid of honor?”

“Look, Polly, it was tough deciding between you or my sister to begin with. But it’s a small wedding and…well, she’s my sister. What I’m trying to say is, it would mean so much to me for you to do this.”

Rene’s words touched my heart. Forget that she didn’t have many choices at the moment. “Yes, of course I’ll do this for you. But I’m the photographer, remember? And what will I do for a dress?”

“As for the photography, you’re talented. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. As for the dress, I have that with me. Now are we going or what?” Rene examined her nails, dismissing my earlier objections.

I sighed—my head spinning with my newest responsibility—and looked at my plain, unenameled, short nails again. “I still don’t get why it has to be nails. Can’t we do something else?” I wanted to pull my hair out and scream. Why now? Spencer would be back with Mom any minute.

“Look, it’s my wedding day. I want to be every woman, okay?” She stood and looked at Emily as though trying to decide what we’d do with her.

And that was my problem as well. “Give me a minute to get myself together. Where can you get your nails done around here? I don’t think they have nail salons in Miller’s Point, do they?”

“It’s not too far, Polly, don’t worry.”

Considering we were in the middle of nowhere at this park, courtesy of Rene’s desire to have her wedding here, I ventured to ask, “What exactly does ‘not too far’ mean?”

While posing the question, I considered what to do with Emily and Spencer and Mom. What would Rene think if she saw Mom moving into my room, too? I’d have to explain everything to her. But the way things were shaping up, that might be the best thing to do.

“Medford, Polly. We’re going to Medford.” Rene gave a nervous laugh. “All things being relative, that isn’t too far. It’s about an hour’s drive, but I thought we could use the time to catch up.”

“I see.” That would never do.

“Polly, you can’t get your nails done.” Emily spoke up, a surprise to be sure.

Both Rene and I stared at her, but if I’d been more than an amateur at this game, I would have acted like I knew why I couldn’t get my nails done, going along with Emily.

“You’ve got that fungus, remember?” Emily pulled my hands out and looked at my nails.

“Oh, ew! You’re right. I totally forgot. I can’t believe I forgot this terrible fungus I have. It’s on my toes, too. Do you want to see?” The truth was, I did have a problem with nail fungus once. Still, I wasn’t being completely up front with Rene, and all these half-truths were beginning to eat at my stomach. I chewed the inside of my lip and prayed for guidance.

Rene backed away.

Emily gave a slight shake of her head. What? Was I overacting? I sneezed again then grabbed a tissue. Suggesting I had a cold would have been a better idea.

Rene opened her mouth. “But I’m not talking—”

“Thanks for reminding me, Emily. We’ll have to do something else, Rene. Unless you really have to get your nails done.”

I wondered if Conrad would want to spend time with Spencer now, too. We’d come here for them, but the wedding threw a fifty-pound bag of rice—or was it birdseed now?—into my sleuthing plans. Still, maybe there was a way I could make things work. Some of the truth might go a long way.

“What’s going on, Polly? You’re acting strange.” Rene pursed her lips.

What had I been thinking, trying to fool Rene? She’d always been sharp. But desperate times called for desperate measures, or so they say.

I lowered my voice. “It’s Mom.” Both Rene and Emily came closer. I sighed deeply. “She’s been sleepwalking. I’m worried about her, so I’m moving her in with me.” I glanced at Emily and continued. “And Emily for tonight.”

Rene frowned. “That would be much too crowded for me.”

“I have an idea. I don’t feel comfortable leaving Emily and Mom to themselves, so would it bother you, Rene, if they tagged along with us?”

Behind Rene’s back, Emily shook her head and frowned.

“Well, I suppose we could still spend time together that way. Wait, I know. I still haven’t taken the boat ride across the lake. How about we all do that?”

The boat tour
. My quick intake of breath drew a sharp glance from Emily. “Sure, that sounds like a perfect idea,” I said, my mind wrapping around what could be a way out of this afternoon’s plans.

I knew Mom couldn’t make the steep trail, especially after taking up smoking again. That would give me a reason to back out, or at least leave Rene and Emily on the boat. I hated scheming like this, but I felt it was for the best and for their protection. The less Rene and Mom knew, the better. And Emily would be safe on the boat tour. Maybe Spencer could go as well.

“That settles it then. I’ll go get tickets, and you can wait here for your mom and Spencer.”

“All right, we’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Depending on what time the tour begins, we can get lunch, unless you’ve already eaten,” Rene said, as she opened the door. “It’s almost two. Let’s meet at two thirty.”

She needn’t know the smile I gave her was one of relief. “See you in a few.”

The door safely shut behind me, I rested against it. “That was close.”

“You’re really taking this investigation seriously, aren’t you?”

“I feel like I’m this close.” I held my forefinger and thumb millimeters apart. “What were we talking about before Rene showed up?” Another painful sneeze erupted.

“I don’t remember. Listen, I don’t know if you can tolerate me in your room or not.”

“That’s all right. Rene has allergy pills in her purse. I’ll get some when we meet up with her.”

I lowered myself to the edge of the bed and blew into a tissue. “I remember what we were talking about. And now I know where I smelled that before.”

“You do? Where?”

A knock on the door kept me from telling Emily. I needed to think it through first, anyway. I opened the door for Spencer, who was loaded down with Mom’s luggage. I could tell she’d been smoking again. Emily’s expression showed displeasure. I wondered if she would try to flee, after all.

I started with explanations before Mom could put me on the defensive. “This is my friend Emily.”

Dressed in all white, including a wide scarf that encompassed half her head, Mom smiled, in an attempt to cover her distaste for the all-black gothic look. “Nice to meet you, Emily.”

My two new roommates were diametrically opposed. But weren’t opposites supposed to attract? Well, I could hope they would at least get along.

Mom watched Spencer set her luggage down, then she noticed Emily’s luggage. “Polly! Don’t tell me we’re all staying here together. I can’t do that. Spencer, move me back to my room.”

“Mom, it won’t be a problem.”

She grabbed her toiletry bag and dumped it on the bed. Picking up a prescription bottle, she handed it over to me. “Here. You can have these. I won’t take another one, I promise, if you’ll just let me go back to my own room.”