CHAPTER 4
Travel trailer tip 4: Know your exact camping location in case you need emergency help. You can’t just say “near the big tree.”
As I sat in my trailer, I dined on a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich. For dessert, I’d have a banana. It was hard having a gourmet meal while living in a small space. Not that I wanted that anyway. The simpler things in life were what I enjoyed most. My dinners consisted of paper plates and plastic utensils. At least I had electricity and plumbing. As much as I loved the trailer, I was always glad to go home to my quaint cottage house. I lived in a house on the edge of my parents’ property. Sometimes I wondered if it was a bit too close.
Van sat at my feet, waiting for me to drop a crumb. After I finished eating, he made one last, sniffing loop around the floor in case he’d missed a morsel before giving up and curling up in his comfy, paw-print bed. The lining I’d added had been made by my grandmother. She’d quilted it to match mine in the same pattern, with blue and white patches of fabric.
The longer I sat there, the more anxious I became. In my opinion, Evan should hire a security guard for the fair. He probably wouldn’t go for that, though. It wouldn’t hurt to ask though, right?
I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. “Van, I’ll be right back.”
He opened one eye and looked at me but went back to his nap. I hurried out the door, locked it, and headed down the path toward Evan’s trailer. He was staying at the fair like most everyone else. From his constant scowl and grumpy disposition, it didn’t seem as if he liked his job much.
A gentle breeze carried across the warm night air. Crickets chirped in the nearby trees. Fireflies lit up the dark of night. I wasn’t sure why I thought speaking with Evan might be a good idea. He could be so rude. No doubt he would treat my request with utter disdain. As a fair vendor, I figured we had the right to feel somewhat safe while we were here, though.
I passed by Carly’s trailer but saw no sign of her. The lights were off. I wondered if she’d found the money yet. Even if there was no one taking money, it was still a good idea to have security. Especially if she had really been robbed.
Next, I passed Shar’s booth. The lights were out there too. I was surprised everyone went to bed so early. I thought back to what she’d said about Evan. Still, I had to assume she had only been joking.
Soon, I reached his expansive, shiny, silver travel trailer. This thing even had a queen-size bed. I knew because my second cousin twice removed on my mom’s side had a travel trailer like this one. If I had this thing, I’d feel like I was staying in a five-star hotel. I’d heard it wasn’t Evan’s but had been provided for his use by the organizers of the craft fair.
Because no lights were on inside, it was a bad sign that I would be able to speak with him tonight. I suppose I shouldn’t knock on his door if he was sleeping. That would be like waking a hibernating bear. I would just have to talk with him tomorrow.
As I turned around to head back to my trailer, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. I peered to my left for a better view. It looked as if someone was lying on the ground next to the trailer. Was it Evan? Was he hurt? I raced over to the motionless person. I was shocked to see Evan lying there.
“Evan, are you okay?” I called out.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t move at all. Was he alive? Panic surged through me as I decided what to do. Should I check to see if he was breathing? I leaned down to Evan. As I reached out to check his pulse, my hand shook. I moved my fingers toward him but stopped when I spotted what looked like a knife protruding from his neck.
The knife was short, with a wooden handle. I’d seen one like this before. Maybe I was wrong, but it looked as if something used for carving wood. Based on the position of the weapon, I’d say there was no way he could have done this to himself. Of course, I was no detective.
I pressed my fingertips to his neck. Nothing. I had to call 911. Unfortunately, I’d left my phone at my trailer. It would do no good to perform CPR. How long had he been here? When was the last time I’d seen him alive? It was at Carly’s booth. That had been right around sunset. This must have happened shortly after.
I jumped up and raced around the corner of his trailer. I hoped that I’d spot someone so I could tell them to dial 911. It would be much faster than going all the way back to my trailer. Someone had killed Evan. That sent a shiver down my spine. A murderer at the craft fair? The thought was terrifying.
I’d just made it around the corner when I smacked right into someone. The tall, muscular man grabbed me and I screamed.
“Whoa, are you all right?” He looked into my eyes.
It took me a second to form a sentence.
“Over there. The man is dead. He’s been stabbed.” I pointed toward the side of the trailer.
The man frowned. “Where?”
He took off toward the side of the trailer before I had a chance to answer. I followed behind him. I had forgotten to tell him to call for help. Perhaps he had a phone on him. When I reached the edge of the trailer, I stopped. The man was next to Evan.
With the faint light from the trailer, I got a better view of this man. He had short, caramel-colored hair with streaks of lighter blond, as if he’d been out in the summer sun. Though his hair was a bit tousled at the moment. He wore a white T-shirt and navy-blue shorts. I noticed his shirt was on inside out, as if he’d dressed in a hurry.
He turned to look at me. “Have you called the police?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have my phone on me.”
He stood and pulled a phone from his pocket. I tried not to look down at the body while I listened to the man’s side of the 911 call.
When he finished, he said, “They’re on their way.”
“That’s a relief.” I rubbed my arms to fight away the goose bumps. “Thank you for calling.”
“Step over here with me,” he said, guiding me toward the front of the trailer. “Did you find him?”
“Yes, I came by to speak with him. Ironically, I wanted to talk with him about security. Who could have done this to him?” I asked.
The man looked around. “Did you see anyone by Evan’s trailer?”
“No, thank goodness,” I said breathlessly.
“My name’s Caleb Ward.”
“Celeste Cabot. Do you have a booth here at the fair?”
“Yes, it’s on the far side over there.” He pointed across the way. “I do wood sculpting.”
“Painter.” I gestured with my thumb toward my chest.
Where were the police? I hated standing out here trying to act calm when Evan was over there with a knife in his neck. I felt as if I might hyperventilate.
A few seconds later, sirens sounded. The flashing lights appeared in the nearby parking area.
“We should go over there and direct the police to the trailer,” Caleb said.
“That’s a good idea,” I said.
We headed toward the parking area. People were starting to come out of their trailers now. When I glanced to my right, I spotted Carly standing by one of the tall oak trees. She was watching us. After jumping out of their cruisers, the police rushed toward us.
“The body is over there by that trailer.” Caleb pointed.
“Stay here,” one of the officers instructed us.
He didn’t have to tell me twice. Caleb and I stood there as several officers walked by toward the trailer. I supposed they would want me to tell them everything I’d seen. There really wasn’t much to tell. I’d gone there and found Evan. The part about the knife in his neck they’d see for themselves.
“Are you all right?” Caleb asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Yes, I’m fine. I need to get back to my trailer to check on my dog.” I blew the hair out of my eyes.
“What kind of dog?” he asked.
Maybe he was just trying to distract me so I wouldn’t stress, but I was finding it hard to make small talk right now.
“He’s a Chihuahua,” I said.
“I have a German shepherd,” he said.
“My brother has a German shepherd,” I said, still somewhat distracted.
The lights from the police cars cast a blue glow over the area. I looked over toward the oak tree where I’d seen Carly. She was no longer there. I scanned the crowd for her but didn’t see her anywhere. A tall man wearing a suit walked by. He seemed out of place with that clothing. I assumed he must be the homicide detective. He spoke with a few of the officers. One of them pointed in our direction.
“It looks as if they are talking about us now,” Caleb said.
My anxiety increased as the man in the tan suit headed over to us. Maybe now I could speak with him and get back to my trailer. I just wanted to put distance between myself and the crime scene. Finding Evan had been disconcerting, to say the least.
“Are you the person who called 911?” the raven-haired man in the suit asked.
“She found the body.” Caleb pointed at me.
Oh, great. Way to rat me out. I held my hand up in acknowledgment because it seemed my voice had become nothing more than a barely audible squeak. If I seemed too nervous, would they think I had something to do with Evan’s murder?
The man pulled out his notepad and pen. “I’m Detective Pierce Meyer with the Gatlinburg Police Department. What’s your name?”
“Celeste Cabot.” I managed.
“You’re a vendor here at the craft fair?”
Now was certainly not the time to notice this man’s dreamy eyes. The artist in me couldn’t help myself, though. The nearby trailers had all switched on lights, which allowed me a better look at the copper and green colors in his eyes. The playful, upward tilt of his full lips didn’t go unnoticed by me either.
“Yes, that’s right,” I said.
How had he known? I suppose all the customers had gone. Plus, I had paint all over my clothing. That was a good indication that some crafting had taken place in my past. He jotted down my name and turned his attention to Caleb. He gave the detective his name.
“Did either of you touch the body?” he asked.
I raised my hand as if this was a pop quiz. “Only to check for a pulse.”
“Do you have any idea who may have wanted to harm the victim?” Detective Meyer asked.
For a split second I thought about answering “everyone at the craft fair.” But surely there was no one here who disliked Evan enough to actually murder him.
So instead, I said, “Not that I’m aware of.”
The detective looked at Caleb. “How about you, sir? Do you know of anyone?”
“No, I can’t imagine. I didn’t really know the guy,” Caleb said.
“Why were you coming around the trailer at this time of night?” the detective looked at me and asked.
Did he think I had done this? Now I was really starting to worry. If I was in jail, who would take care of Van?
“I was coming to speak with Evan,” I said.
“About what?” the detective asked.
“About adding security to the craft fair.”
“Well, now we’re talking . . .” The detective’s voice rose. “What made you think you needed security?”
“Earlier this evening, one of the vendors had her money stolen,” I said.
“Really? What’s her name?”
“Carly Koy. That’s spelled K-o-y. I saw it on the business cards she has on her booth table.”
“Thanks for paying attention to the details.” He jotted down the information. “All right. And you say she has a booth here?”
“Yes, it’s the fourth one down right there with that turquoise trailer.”
“I’ll have a talk with her. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “I’m surprised you hadn’t heard about this yet.”
He eyed me up and down with his sexy eyes. “I just came on shift. I’m sure I’ll be briefed about everything soon.”
“Right,” I said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“If you think of anything else, please let me know right away.”
“Absolutely, I will,” I said. “Is it all right if we leave? I have a dog waiting for me and he does too.”
The detective looked from me to Caleb. “Sure, that’s fine, but I’ll be in touch.”
Would the fair continue now that there had been a murder?
“I think it’s best if I get out of here for good.” I rubbed my arms as if fighting off a chill. I wanted nothing more than to get Van, jump into my pink pickup truck, and drive home to the safety of my little cottage.
Apparently, Detective Meyer had other plans. “I’m sorry, but we want everyone to remain here until we’re finished with questioning.”
“How long will that be?” I asked.
“We’ll try to make it as quick as possible,” Detective Meyer said.
That hadn’t exactly answered my question.
“Thanks,” I said half-heartedly.
Detective Meyer studied my face. “Rest assured, we’ll find out who did this.”
I never dreamed this night would end with me speaking with the Gatlinburg Police Department. Detective Pierce Meyer was a tall glass of water, but no matter how long he studied me with his penetrating hazel eyes, I wouldn’t confess to something I didn’t do.
I turned and headed toward the trailer. Caleb fell into step beside me.
“Don’t be scared tonight, okay? I’m sure someone was targeting Evan,” Caleb said. “I’m sure no one would ever hurt you.”
I stopped and looked at Caleb. “How do you know that?”
“Well, I don’t know for sure, but it’s just that, you know, he was Evan. His personality probably made him have a few enemies,” Caleb said.
“You think so?” I asked.
“Absolutely. You know Evan.”
“Yeah, I had some dealings with him.”
“And you’re just so sweet. Like I said, no killer would want to do anything to you.”
I scoffed. “I don’t think a killer would care if someone was nice or not. They just have it in their heads to the eliminate people sometimes.”
“But not all the time,” he said.
I’d had enough of this conversation. “Thanks again and I’ll see you around,” I said with a wave of my hand.
“See you around,” Caleb said.
I hurried my steps so that I could get to my Shasta as quickly as possible. Not a single light shone from Ruth’s trailer. I suppose she had no idea that anything had even happened. Well, that was probably for the best. She’d hear all about it in the morning.
The thought had barely left my mind when movement caught my attention and I spotted Ruth. She’d walked from around the side of her trailer. With her head down, she hadn’t even noticed me.
“Ruth,” I called out.
She jumped as she turned her attention my way. Her hair seemed unkempt, her clothing askew.
“Oh, I’m sorry if I startled you. Is everything okay?” I asked.
Maybe she had seen all the activity and gone to check it out.
“Everything’s just fine,” she said as she continued toward her trailer door.
I wanted to stop her to ask if she’d heard what had happened. She was in such a hurry, though, it didn’t seem as if she wanted to talk right then. Her behavior was a bit odd, but I figured she was just tired and not in the mood for more chitchat.
With shaky hands, I opened the door to my trailer and stepped inside. Van looked up at me from his bed but didn’t make an attempt to run over to greet me. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
“Thanks for the warm welcome home,” I said around a laugh.
Obviously, he hadn’t been too worried about me being gone a few minutes longer than I’d hoped.
The returned painting was still propped up against the wall where I’d left it. No matter where I moved it, her eyes seemed to follow me. I suppose it was just my imagination. There was no way the painting was haunted. It was impossible.
I hoped I would be able to sleep that night after what had happened. The benches that converted into a bed wasn’t the most comfortable I’d ever slept on, but nevertheless, it was better than camping outside with the bugs and a possible killer.