Murder at Sunrise Lake

“He must wonder how you knew,” Raine mused.

“A while back, Denver told me Sam was a ghost. We were at the Grill before all this happened and Denver told me his father and uncle had died and he’d inherited a lot of money. He also told me Sam was a ghost and not to get involved with him because it was too dangerous. He thinks Sam knows everything. Denver would come to my property all the time and watch us. Or me. I’m not certain which. Maybe Sam. He said men like Sam aren’t seen. He was very intrigued by him. Sam thought Denver was fixated on me, but I’m beginning to be afraid he was fixated on Sam. Not in a sexual way, but in the way of pitting his skills against Sam’s.”

She turned to face Raine. “He was really the only friend Sam let close to him, and that was mainly because Denver pushed the friendship. You know how Denver is. He just would invite himself along or persist in inviting you. He did that with Sam. Showed him the fishing spots. The best hunting areas. Would go help when Sam had too much work. Denver would talk. Sam rarely talked, but he was a good listener and he liked Denver.”

“Everyone likes Denver,” Harlow said.

“What exactly did he say to you about Sam being a ghost?” Raine asked. “Can you remember his wording? You asked me about it, but I don’t recall what you told me Denver said.”

“He’d been drinking pretty heavily. He never drinks very much. I’d been drinking too. That’s when he started telling me about his father and uncle and how they were dead. He’d had a really ugly childhood. He never talked about his past so I felt really privileged that he opened up about it to me. I could also tell he was a little bitter. Then he said something about Sam and me having a relationship. That we never danced more than one dance and Sam had his hands all over me. I was kind of upset that I’d been drinking so much I didn’t get the full benefit of feeling Sam’s hands all over me, so I texted him and asked.”

“You texted Sam and asked him if he had his hands all over you?” Harlow echoed, laughter bubbling up in spite of the seriousness of the conversation.

“I told you I had too much to drink,” Stella defended.

“Keep going,” Raine insisted.

“Yes, but start with what Sam said,” Zahra suggested.

Stella wasn’t sharing that. “That is not pertinent.”

“I’ll bet it’s not,” Zahra muttered.

“I reminded Denver that he was Sam’s friend and he said no one was really friends with a ghost and that was what Sam was.”

Raine’s eyebrows drew together. “He actually said no one was really friends with a ghost and that was what Sam was? You’re certain?” There was speculation in her voice.

Stella nodded. “Yes, because I said Sam was real flesh and blood. That he worked his ass off at the resort and on Search and Rescue, that Denver was the one who told me he did. Then he started talking about the military again.”

“Wait.” Raine stopped her. “Again? He’d been talking about the military?”

“Earlier, when he was talking about his life, he said even though his family was wealthy, he didn’t touch their money. He put himself through school by going into the military. That was how he became an anesthesiologist. He was an officer in the Army and became a doctor. He said men like Sam were necessary and were called in when all else failed.”

Stella went over to the side table Shabina had set up with water bottles and the kettle with hot water, mainly for Zahra, and the baked goods. She took a bottle of cold water and drank from it, needing the break.

“Stella, I know this is difficult,” Raine said. “I wouldn’t keep harping on this conversation if I didn’t think it was important. Can you tell me anything else he said regarding Sam being a ghost?”

Stella frowned, trying to remember. “Something about sometimes seeing them like shadows, hunting like wolves, but alone, always silent. I remember that because it stuck with me. Sam does kind of stay in the shadows and he is very quiet. He’s difficult to spot, so that resonated with me. Denver said you didn’t see ghosts most of the time, you just felt them. They got you out of a bad situation. I thought that was a good thing and said so.”

Her other friends were staring at her wide-eyed, as if what Denver said about Sam was gospel. She hoped Raine had a reason, a direction she was taking this.

“I need to know what he said about his family. You said he was upset, Stella. Tell me what he said.”

Stella detested going over Denver’s past with everyone in detail. In a way, as silly as it sounded, it felt like a betrayal. He’d never shared his secrets before and she had felt honored that he had, even though they both had been drinking.