Murder at Sunrise Lake

Raine frowned. “No, why should they? They would send a pro. He would hit his target and get out. No one would be the wiser. If there was a witness, he might have to kill the witness as well, but no, he wouldn’t indiscriminately kill a bunch of others. Ghosts aren’t mass murderers. They take out specific targets that are threats to national security. Heads of drug cartels or terrorist cells. They don’t just kill anyone, Stella. Someone sent after them in retaliation wouldn’t want attention drawn to them.”

An assassin sent to kill Sam wouldn’t have known ahead of time that he would have been out at the campsite she’d chosen to set up in order to prevent a murder. Sam hadn’t mentioned the possibility because it wasn’t a possibility.

“There was no way for an assassin to know Sam would be out here, Raine,” she pointed out logically. “It isn’t like he fishes on a regular basis.”

“Unless they were already following him or watching him, which is a possibility,” Raine persisted. “I’m just saying, you might need a conversation, Stella.”

Stella nodded and took another sip of hot chocolate. “Thanks, Raine. I do appreciate you talking to me about Sam. You know I’m cautious about relationships. We’ve been dancing around each other for two years now. I’ve always been attracted to him.”

“Anyone could see the chemistry was there,” Raine admitted with a little smile. “The rest of us were taking bets on whether or not you were secretly sleeping with him and just not admitting to it.”

Stella’s eyebrow shot up. “Really? No, I was careful. I didn’t want to ruin what we had. Besides, he had to make the first move.”

Raine shook her head with that little smile still on her face. “How was he supposed to do that when you were so closed off?”

Stella couldn’t deny that she had been. She was pretty closed off to everyone.

“But he made his move?” Raine prompted.

Stella nodded. “He’s indicated that he’d like something more.”

After what both Raine and Denver said about Sam possibly being one of these ghosts and on the run, how could they have a real relationship? That left out the possibility of a real future. He would have to be able to pick up and go at the first sign that someone had found him. She loved her resort. She’d made a home here and she’d worked hard for it. She loved the Eastern Sierras. There would never be children if they wanted them, because they couldn’t run with children. Sam hadn’t once indicated there would be a problem. She definitely needed to talk to him.

“I’m going to bed,” Raine said. “Thanks for letting me say my piece without getting upset, Stella.”

“Thanks for caring enough to say it.” Stella knew Raine was worried about risking their friendship, but she’d still gone ahead, stating her worries.

Stella sat for a long time by herself while the flames in the firepit died down to red ashes. Clouds drifted overhead, occasionally blocking the moon and then moving on. She kept scratching Bailey’s ears and head, and then petting him until she finally was so sleepy, she had to retreat to her tent.

VIENNA GOT A call first thing in the morning. James Marley, a local, hadn’t come home nor did he answer his cell. He was seventy years old with four children, three sons and one daughter. He had seven grandchildren. He called his grandchildren every day even if it was only for a few minutes. He often took them fishing—his favorite pastime.

James had gone fishing the morning of the attack on Sam and hadn’t been heard from since. His daughter, Sadie, had gone looking for him when he hadn’t checked in as he always did. She’d gone to several of his favorite fishing sites and eventually found his truck, but she hadn’t found him. She called her brothers and they dropped everything and came at once, searching the area and the lake close to where his truck was but couldn’t find him. They alerted the sheriff, who called Search and Rescue.

Stella waved Raine and Vienna off, telling them she would break down the tents and take them back to the resort. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Had the killer swum straight from Sam to James and murdered him? How far away had James been from Sam’s location? She had no idea. She felt guilty. It hadn’t occurred to her that the killer might simply abandon one victim for another. She hoped she was wrong and James was just off somewhere, but she knew better. That terrible feeling in her gut told her he was the first victim of the serial killer right there in her beloved community.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Stella sat in her favorite egg chair, which hung from the ceiling of her porch overlooking the lake. This time of evening, all the boats were in and the marina was quiet. Most of the people were in the cabins for the night. A few heavy partiers were going strong, which always gave her some concern. Alcohol and water didn’t mix, especially at night. If one of those partying decided to go for a swim on his own, or just walked into the lake, she would be notifying the sheriff in the morning of another drowning.