CHAPTER 19

Travel trailer tip 19: Try to avoid walking too close to other people’s travel trailers.

Later that night, I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard a strange noise, something like a loud thump, thump, thump. Driven by curiosity, I got out of bed and opened the door and peeked outside. It seemed as if someone was always poking around. Maybe it was the thief, waiting for another chance to steal money—or the killer, looking for another victim. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I thought I heard Ruth call out my name, though she was nowhere in sight.

“Ruth, is that you? Are you all right?” I said into the darkness.

No answer came. The fairgrounds were dead quiet. What if she was in danger? I had to check on her. After locking the door behind me, I hurried over to Ruth’s trailer. Just being outside at night gave me the creeps. There was no sign of Ruth. However, a light was on in her trailer. It was probably just my imagination, I told myself. There was nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, I decided to check on her.

Despite the warm night, a breeze brought goose bumps to my skin. An owl hooted in the distance, breaking the eerie silence. I stepped up to Ruth’s trailer and knocked on the door. As soon as my knuckles touch it, it opened.

“Hello?” I called out. “Ruth, are you there?”

I didn’t want to step inside, but I needed to check on her. With a shaky hand, I eased the door open a little bit more.

“Ruth, are you here? Is everything all right?”

Still, I got no answer. This was making me nervous. I had to go inside. What if she had just forgotten to lock the door? What if she came back and caught me in her trailer? She would think I was the thief. I supposed I had no choice but to take that chance. I had to help her if she needed me. I took a couple more steps up the stairs and into her trailer.

Even with the little lamp on in the corner, the space was dark. Her living area was quite messy. Clothes were lying about on the table and chairs. Newspapers and other papers were tossed about. A blanket covered the little pullout sofa. Underneath it was a mound in the shape of a person. The cover was completely over the figure.

My heart sped up as I moved closer. Was Ruth under there? Had something happened to her? Standing over the sofa, I reached down and grabbed the cover. Ever so gently, I eased it back. Thank goodness it wasn’t a body. Just more laundry. Ruth seriously needed to visit the laundromat. There were no other places for her to hide in the trailer, so it was time for me to get out of there.

Obviously, she had just left the door unlocked and forgotten to close it all the way. But she would have to do better than that, because someone was stealing money. This would be an easy target for them. I didn’t want to tell her that I’d been in her trailer, but I would have to confess that I came by to check on her. I’d let her know the door had been open.

As I walked over to the door, I happened to glance down at some of the papers. A name on one of them caught my attention. It didn’t read Ruth Gordon, but instead Ruth Stone. That was odd. I knew for sure she’d told me her last name was Gordon. And Gordon didn’t sound anything like Stone. Maybe Ruth was divorced.

It was really none of my business. However, something about it made me suspicious. Perhaps it was because I was feeling that way about everyone at the craft fair. So many strange things had happened, I was suspicious of everyone. Nonetheless, I left the trailer and closed the door exactly as it had been when I arrived. I should have closed it all the way, but I didn’t want to do that in case Ruth had left it that way on purpose. Maybe she didn’t have a key. I didn’t want to lock her out.

I moved down the small stairs and turned to position the door as I’d found it. Just as I turned to walk away, I spotted Ruth. The frown on her face was evident from all the way across the path. Only the moonlight lit her face. Her glare was focused on me. I hoped she didn’t call the police. She would probably tell them that I’d been the one stealing all the money.

She rushed over to me as I tried to get back to my trailer.

“What do you think you were doing in my trailer? Are you the one taking the money?” she snapped.

I whipped around. “No, I am not taking money and I don’t appreciate you accusing me of it.” It really made me mad, because I hadn’t done anything wrong. “You left your door open,” I went on, “so I went to close it.”

“Did you go inside?” she asked.

I just couldn’t admit I’d gone in there.

“I did not go into your trailer. I wouldn’t do that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, so I cracked the door open just a little bit farther. I called out to you. Obviously, you weren’t there.”

“I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my trailer.” She narrowed her eyes.

“No problem,” I said.

“What did you want anyway?” The bite in her voice snapped right through me.

“I came by to ask if you heard that strange thumping sound. I thought you called out my name. Plus, it sounded as if someone was walking around the trailers. But maybe it was just an animal.”

I’d told myself that, but I really thought it was more like the killer.

“I didn’t hear anything. And I didn’t call your name,” she said. “If that’s all you want, I’m going back inside.”

Ruth turned and stomped back over to her trailer. Right before she walked inside, she looked back at me and gave me another nasty look. Clearly, she didn’t want to be my friend.