Aspen Allegations - A Sutton Massachusetts Mystery

Chapter 26

A metal bar stretched across the driveway to the Sutton Town Beach, blocking the entrance. The parking lot beyond had been turned into a field of white by the snow. I pulled the Forester along the right hand side of the road, then walked around the edge of the gate. My footsteps made a soft crunching noise in the snow as I crossed the parking lot and walked down the long, sloping, curved pathway toward the edge of Lake Singletary.

One of the original buildings from Marion's Camp still remained to the left, a sagging wooden building with boarded up windows. In the summertime it had a decrepit air, but now beneath its layer of snow, it looked almost romantic.

The lake glistened in the afternoon light, gentle ripples moving toward me with the wind. There was nobody here, of course - just me, the crunch of the sand, and the crisp wind stinging my cheeks.

I stood for a long while gazing out at the lake. Forty years ago an elderly woman had walked these shores, had heard a cry or noise out in the water, and perhaps had peered uncertainly into the fog, wondering what had caused it.

My cell phone rang, shaking me out of my distant musings. I picked it up absently. "Yes?"

Sam's gruff voice sounded from the other end. "It's me, Sam," he stated. "We were wondering ..." His voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Were wondering?" I gently encouraged.

"Well, with your talking and such, it made me think. It's the holidays and all; a time for forgiveness. So I called Charles and Richard. Tomorrow was her birthday, you know. So we were going to go down to Marion's Camp. You know, the Sutton Town Beach. And ... maybe say a few words for her."

I glanced around me. "That sounds lovely," I offered.

"We would like you to be there," he added. "You were the one who brought us back together, after all."

A chill wind whistled against me and I held in a shiver. "Would it be all right if Jason came too?" The thought of being alone on this desolate beach with the three men had sent a shaft of unease through me.

"Yes, of course," he agreed promptly. "Jason has been just as much a part of this as you have."

I wasn't sure that gave me a sense of ease, but knowing that Jason would be by my side did. "What time would you like to meet?" I asked.

"How does four sound? That should be right around sunset."

"We'll be here," I agreed.

Sam had barely clicked off before I was pressing the button to call Jason.

"Tell me you're not busy tomorrow at four," I began without preamble.

"What's up?"

"The trio is planning some sort of ceremony here at Marion's Camp and they want me to join them."

"In that case, absolutely I will be there with you," he agreed. "I'll make sure some friends know where we are, too, just in case."

"You're having those thoughts too?" I asked, relieved.

"I was a lifeguard for my teen years, out on the Cape, as well as an Eagle Scout," he pointed out. "Be prepared."

I glanced up at the camp building. "Well, this was a Camp Fire campground before it became the town beach," I explained. "They were for girls only until 1975, but they had the same type of self-reliant mottos. I guess back when they were getting started in 1910 that there were only scouting organizations for boys, and not one which would accept girls."

"It's good to train all children – male and female – to be able to look out for themselves," he agreed. "It sounds like a good thing that the Camp Fire Girls were founded."

I pulled my scarf closer around my neck, then turned and headed back up the long slope. "Well, you and I will be prepared for tomorrow's meeting, that's for sure," I said. "See you soon?"

"Absolutely," he murmured, and warmth spread through me like spring sunshine.