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Chapter 3

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"Keller, drop those bags!" a voice boomed from the doorway. Amanda was so surprised, she obeyed. A distinct tinkle of breaking glass could be heard, and Sady hid her smile.

CJ marched into the bunk like a little martinet, hands behind her back, and a snarl on her face. "I said fifteen minutes," she yelled. "Next time you're late, you'll be doing 10 pushups for every minute you're overdue! Now get out of those civvies and into your camp clothes."

Sady raised her hand and CJ redirected her withering stare. "Well, what is it, Morrow?"

"There's no clock in here," Sady said, while Amanda snickered out loud.

"Is that funny, Keller?"

"Yes, sir, it is," Amanda replied. She and Sady looked at each other and went off into another round of laughter. They quit laughing when CJ put her nose in Amanda's face, because Sady was too tall.

"You're responsible for knowing the time, at all times," CJ said in a low voice while she bored holes into Amanda with her eyes. It grew quiet in the bunk, then she screamed, "Understand?"

Sady and Amanda jumped again, but still couldn't control their mirth. The corner of CJ's mouth twitched, then she snapped. "You have five minutes to get into your camp clothes, or you'll be washing the dishes every night." She gave them a mean look. "And I'm not joking, ladies. Now move it!" She stomped out the door while Sady and Amanda rushed to the stacks of clothes. CJ might be kidding, but then again, this kind of gig might go straight to her head and make life hell for everyone. They didn't want to take a chance on that, so they changed into camp clothes.

"Believe me when I say I know what time it is," Amanda griped. "I'm already late for leaving." They made faces at each other's army surplus T-shirts and shorts, then headed out the door.

The men waited with expectant grins while the other guests milled around. Amanda viewed them as fellow prisoners although they appeared to be recovered from their hike. Sady assumed that being treated like cows in a barn wasn't new to them. When CJ barked, they came to attention and entered their stalls.

Sady rolled her eyes around to see she and Amanda were the only ones who didn’t stand like they had a ramrod shoved up their spines. She elbowed Amanda and straightened. CJ stopped in front of them and said, "That slouch could use a little work, Keller."

"Then I'll make sure to give it little effort," Amanda retorted. Sady could almost hear the combined breath of shock from the others. She bit her own lips to keep from smiling. CJ turned her eyes in Sady's direction, but she gave Amanda the full brunt of her wrath.

"Drop and give me fifteen push-ups, Keller."

A sound of disbelief escaped Amanda’s lips. "You're kidding, right? Do I look like I can do push-ups?"

"Make it twenty," CJ ordered.

"Pfft! Yeah, right." Amanda elbowed Sady with a smirk.

"I can make those sit-ups if you prefer," CJ threatened.

"Yes, sir," Amanda yelled. It took her a while, and she moaned and grunted, but she managed to give CJ fifteen push-ups.

"I said twenty."

"You also said fifteen, which I gave you. Now do you really want to wait around while I do another five push-ups? Because I guarantee it's gonna take as long as those fifteen just did," Amanda argued. "I think I chipped a nail."

"Forget it," CJ snapped. "We'll work out your discipline in another manner." She turned to the group and told them, "At ease." Sady dropped to the ground, but hopped back up when she realized at ease only meant you could remove the poker from your butt and bend your spine.

Sady crab walked across the camp when CJ wasn't looking, so she could be near the men. When she got there, she looked at Harry, her brown eyes huge with speculation. "What happened to CJ?" she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Harry ignored her, and she hissed, "She's watching me, isn't she?" Harry murmured a low sound of agreement, and Matt stepped away from her.

She turned to glare at him, and he low voiced, "Unauthorized fraternizing isn't allowed."

"Nice, Meadows," CJ congratulated him. "Knight, did you not understand the rules when you signed up?"

"What rules would that be, ma'am?" Harry asked with a grin.

CJ's eyes became slits. "No unauthorized fraternization," she warned. She also managed to convey a threat, and Harry lost his grin in a hurry.

"Sorry, it won't happen again," he replied, although his blue eyes twinkled.

"I didn't think so," CJ muttered. "Now, why don't you take a few minutes to meet your fellow campers?"

"Is it authorized?" Amanda asked in a snotty voice. "I'd sure hate to break any of your rules, sir." Harry's grin returned, and CJ grabbed Amanda by the arm to haul her off to the side. "This is assault," Amanda yelled. "You're all witnesses. If I disappear, you'll know who to blame." A final jerk from CJ had Amanda behind one of the buildings.

With worried looks, the other campers grouped around them. "Is the big mouth with you?" they asked. "She's the kind that gets the whole group in trouble." Sady was the only one who nodded to their question, and they moved away like she had poison ivy.

Three older men introduced themselves as Chuck, Tom, and Robbie. "We're Army buddies. This is our annual reunion."

Sady looked at them in awe. "You choose to come here?" she asked.

"It's the one place we are guaranteed the wives won't follow," one of them grinned.

"And they think camp is a week longer than it really is. We allow them to live in blissful ignorance," another added.

"Oh, I see," Sady said with a sideways glance at Matt.

"They aren't complaining," the third man concluded. "They're at a spa, or a beach, or a shopping mall."

"Probably all three," the first man said, shaking his head.

"So that's how this is supposed to work," Sady exclaimed. "I wish someone had told me before I got dragged here."

"Amen, sister!" Amanda said from behind Sady. Then she pinched her lips and squeezed out, "I mean this will be good for us. It builds character." Sady's brows went up, Amanda's brows went down, and CJ smiled contentedly.

A slender, pale young man wearing glasses stepped up to Amanda with a wide grin. "I'm Aaron," he told her with a look that under other circumstances would have Amanda slapping his face. He held out his hand and Amanda took it with a firm and determined grip after peeking at CJ first.

Off to the side, Matt snorted to Harry, "Does Joey have a little brother?"

"If not, then he might have competition," Harry chuckled.

"More like a job as a bail bondsman," Matt replied. "She's gonna twist that little guy's arm off and beat him to death with it."

They watched in awe as the little guy not only endured the pain inducing twist Amanda gave his arm, but then he stared at her adoringly after CJ cleared her throat and Amanda released him. "No comment," Harry mumbled under his breath.

"I expect not," Matt teased. "I somehow envision you and CJ in that same stance. Of course, Aaron at least has the reason that he's smaller than Amanda. What's your excuse?"

"She could kill me with her pinky," Harry told Matt. "And I'd probably have that same stupid look on my face." He shook his head at Matt and asked, "How did the women end up as the bosses? At least you haven't let Sady take over your dominion yet... or have you?" Matt flushed and changed the subject while Harry smiled.

Aaron whispered to the group. "We have a famous guest here, but you'll never know who it is. The only person you'll see is their assistant, who looks and acts like a butler."

"Is the famous person a man or a woman?" Sady asked, and Aaron shrugged.

"All I've seen is a long pile of curly hair and the back of a long bathrobe," he admitted. I couldn't tell if it's Beyoncé, Cher, Ozzie, Gene Simmons, or one of those football players with long hair." He looked around to make sure no one overheard. "I'll pay anyone here fifty bucks if you find out who it is." His eyes flicked back and forth several times and he dropped his voice even lower. "A hundred if you get a photo," he offered, like it was the chance of a lifetime deal.

Amanda nudged him and pointed to a woman standing off to the side by herself. "What's her story?"

"Oh, her. I'm not supposed to talk about her," he whispered loudly.

"We'll keep it between us," Amanda assured him with a pat on the head.

He looked like a puppy dog, then spilled his guts. "That's Melody, and she was a, uh, guest of Mr. Mills. If you know what I mean." He gave them a meaningful look and Sady had to prevent Amanda from knocking the side of his head for implying they were stupid. Aaron continued, "She doesn't seem all that broken up about his death, if you ask me. I mean look at her... standing there... looking like a model... not even sweaty..."

"Down boy!" Amanda scolded him, while they studied the late Representative Mills' guest. She was tanned and fit, with her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The standard issue T-shirt and shorts looked good on her, Sady thought with a touch of jealousy. She peeked sideways at Matt and he caught her eye, then smiled. She narrowed her eyes slightly before turning back. Melody wore sunglasses and a visor, but Sady would bet she had beautiful eyes.

After spending so many years analyzing the competition, it came instinctively for her to size up another woman. Melody wasn't tall enough to make a successful model, but she had enough going for her to make a living without having to work hard. Her only job was staying fit and finding rich men. Of that Sady was sure. Women like her seemed to bounce from one rich man to another. Ironically, they all usually ended up as friends, not enemies. Maybe they just routinely changed and moved in a circle, like dancers in a square dance. Sady wasn't into politics but she was fairly certain she'd seen Melody's picture in the newspaper, with another man of importance. Who or when, she couldn't say.

Aaron and the three Army buddies ogled Melody as she stretched and loosened up. "I don't like the looks of that," Amanda said to Sady.

"Jealous?" Matt teased.

"No, I'm worried about what this concentration camp has on the schedule for the next activity." Amanda released a howl of laughter when she saw the blonde’s flexibility. "Stubbles, she's gonna kick your ass out there," she warned. "And I'm gonna be on hand to rub it in- figuratively, of course."

"Well, get ready," Harry warned when he saw Wallie march out of the main building and head in their direction. Then the mystery guest stepped out onto a small porch attached to their bunkhouse. All anyone could see was leggings, a hooded T-shirt, and long curly hair.

"That's either one ugly woman, or one pretty man," Matt chuckled to Sady. She turned to look.

"That's a man," she told Matt and the others.

"How can you tell?" Aaron asked.

Matt put his arm over Aaron's shoulders and said, "That's a question better left unanswered, Aaron. You can trust Sady when it comes to gender identification. Beyond that, you don't want to know. No one wants to know!"

When Wallie barked, everyone stood at attention. This time Sady got it right, and Amanda gave a slightly better showing. When he marched past she straightened with a snap and her chest nearly bumped into him. He jumped back in fright while Sady clamped down on her lips. Amanda gave CJ a perfectly innocent look as CJ followed Wallie down the line. Her eyes squeezed in warning but Amanda didn't back down. CJ sighed and moved along. Leave it to Amanda to corrupt everyone and mess with Wallie's tight ship.

Wallie didn't take the disrespect without vengeance. When he reached the end of the line, he turned and barked. "We're going back to the obstacle course, for a refresher. Those who can't complete the course will run a mile."

Along with Amanda, Sady began sweating. She'd been off the beauty circuit for years now, and she wasn't as fit as she had once been. And beauty school never included an obstacle course. Or running a mile, because running was bad on the joints, not to mention the effect of gravity.

"Partner up!" CJ commanded.

Sady blew out a sigh of relief. Matt could help her through the tough areas. She turned to see Matt and Harry walking to the obstacle course together. She and Amanda gazed at each other in shock. Amanda had been counting on Harry to pass the course.

"Is there a problem, ladies?" CJ asked.

"No, sir," Amanda replied.

CJ bugged her eyes and hissed, "I thought we came to an agreement!"

"Not if I have to run a mile," Amanda retorted. "It will take an extra week of paid vacation to recover from the devil’s playground." She grabbed Sady's arm and pulled her to the obstacle course.

"She did that on purpose," Amanda griped to Sady in an offended tone. "She's just afraid of what Harry might do if he gets his hands on a real woman." She ran her hands down her curves and batted her eyes at Harry. He gave CJ a scared look and shook his head. In return, CJ grinned at Amanda, who blamed it on Matt.

"It's Stubble's fault then," she complained.

Sady sighed. "It doesn't matter. We're stuck with each other. Where's the starting line?"

They looked and moaned together. Sady heard Amanda mutter, "Damn tires will kill me if I run through them, support bra or not." Sady chuckled as Amanda deliberately and slowly placed a foot in each tire. Sady hopped through them and realized Amanda was probably right.

"We should find out what she's using," Sady whispered to Amanda as they watched Melody's fast footwork through the tires. She was running the course solo. Aaron teamed up with the three Army buddies and they paired off, taking turns helping him through the course.

Amanda nudged Sady. "We should have grabbed those guys," she said.

Sady's eyes squinted as she watched Matt and Harry ahead of them. "Tomorrow we will," she said firmly. "I didn't hear any rules about who you had to partner with, and since the heroic men of Knight Investigations have decided to leave us behind... well, I hope they enjoy each other's company!"

"Ooh, you go girl!" Amanda howled. "I can't wait to see Stubbles when one of those Army guys has his hand on your rear end, shoving you over a wall."

Sady sniffed. "He had his chance. Now let's kill this thing before it kills us."

They waited while Aaron swung on a rope over a mudhole. His buddies cheered when finally made it. Apparently it was his first successful swing even though one of the men had to grab him to keep him from falling back in.

Amanda gave Sady a shove. "I went first last time."

Sady took a deep breath and ran for the rope. Afraid to let go, she nearly held on too long and just barely made it to the other side of the mudhole. She flipped the rope to Amanda and closed her eyes. This isn't going to end well, Sady. Don't blame Amanda.

Amanda's swing barely took her to the other side of the mudhole. When she finally drifted back toward Sady again, Sady tried to catch her before she lost momentum and stalled out. It didn't work. Whistling and jeers from the others greeted them as they rose from the mud. CJ stood over them with towels and water bottles. "Keep moving," she yelled. "No one goes back to change! You finish the course. It's motivation to do better next time."

"It's also a motive for murder," the two muddy women agreed.

Melody floated across the pit like a fairy, landed on her feet, then jogged to the rope climbing wall. Sady glanced out of the corner of her eyes at Amanda then back to Melody's seemingly effortless scaling of the slippery wall, using only the rope and her feet to hurdle it.

"I don't like that woman. She's making us look bad," Amanda groused.

"I hate to say it, but Aaron is making us look bad," Sady giggled. "What are we going to do? Beauty queens don't work on muscle strength, they work on muscle tone. I might be able to do it if no one was watching, but here? I think they're hoping we'll fail."

Amanda gave her a saucy look. "I'm not here for their entertainment. Move it, Sady. I might be a few pounds overweight, but there's still some muscle under these curves. I'm going to give you a boost."

"How are we going to get you over?" Sady asked.

"When you get to the top of the wall, straddle it and drop me the rope. When I grab the rope, you grab as much slack as you can, get a good grip, then hop off the back side of the wall. Your momentum will pull me up." Sady looked doubtful, and Amanda huffed. "You got a better suggestion?"

"Do you think Harry and CJ would accept our resignations?" Sady whispered. "This is humiliating."

"Uh, huh. And someone's gonna pay for our humiliation," Amanda promised, sounding determined. Sady still seemed hesitant until CJ barked through a loudspeaker.

"Morrow, Keller- move those flabby asses, ladies!"

"Flabby?" Sady's eyes grew dark, and she turned to Amanda. "Do I look flabby?"

Amanda gave a snort of laughter. "You still look like a celery stalk to me. Maybe a little on the soft side, but still..." She looked down at her own body. "Personally, I don't want a boot camp booty."

"Well, I'd like to put a camp boot up someone's booty," Sady snapped. "Let's go!"

It took them a while to accomplish the climbing wall, but they succeeded... eventually. Aaron and the three Army guys applauded their ingenuity. "Nice going, ladies!" Amanda took a bow, and Sady grinned until they saw the next obstacle.

"Do I look like a dog?" Amanda asked. "Those tube things belong at a kennel for those teacup dogs to run through. And what's with the steep incline at the end?"

"They have water running through the tube at that end," one of the Army guys replied.

Amanda’s cranky expression intensified. "Of course they do. I'm surprised they don't have a wind tunnel there as well. Sady, you go first because if I get stuck I'm not letting them make you run a mile. I'm gonna sue the stripes off Wallie after they extract me from the tunnel of death!"

Sady crawled through the tiny tube that wormed like a maze. She heard Amanda yelling and cursing behind her. By the time Sady made it to the water incline, she was ready to join Amanda's protest. Unexpected help in the form of one of the Army men helped Sady up the last few feet. He laughed at the look on her face.

"Hey, I got the easy job. The others are helping your friend."

Sady watched in horrified fascination as several mounds moved through the tube. It looked like parts of a giant earthworm trying to come to life, only to fail every few feet. The only mound she could identify was Aaron because he was the smallest and moved the quickest.

When Amanda finally emerged from the tube, she asked Sady, "Have you ever seen a black woman with an angry red face? Because this is what it looks like. If it wasn't for these gentlemen I'd be stuck in the opening, with my rear end hanging out. They make that first ring extra small on purpose, don't they?"

She sat down to rest while Sady thanked the men. "Aw, we always help the newbies," they said. "It's fun to watch Wallie's face change color. Besides, we rarely get to help beautiful women. Usually it's sweaty, overweight men we're prodding through the tube."

"It's all downhill from here," they assured the women. "Just check in ahead, then hike back to camp."