Homicide on the Hunt Page 2

  Then there was the most important item.

  “I’m all prepared,” I said, pointing to my backpack and jiggling it around a bit. It was heavy. “It’s all food that we can eat on the run.” Fruit, nuts, protein bars. It also had various other survival items—flashlight, medical kit, and a knife—just in case we got into any tricky situations.

  Troy looked horrified at the idea of eating on the run. Right. So it seemed that when he thoroughly read the rulebook, he didn’t quite take in the severity of the situation. The fact that there were no official breaks. “No stops,” I said.

  “What about the bathroom?”

  I glanced up at him. “You hold it in.”

  He gulped.

  I had gotten thirteen hours sleep the night before so I could go the entire twenty-four hours without sleeping. And if I really needed them, there were caffeine pills in my bag. But usually the hunt kept me so hyped all night that I ran on adrenaline all the way through, then collapsed at the end. I had only ever missed one race and that was the precious year when I’d been overseas in Bali. That had just made me even more hyped up for this one.

  I had a chance to say a word to Matt while Claire filled out the signup sheet, right before we took off. “Where is J?”

  “At Mum and Dad’s for the night,” he said, then laughed a little. “Not that she didn’t put up a major fight at being left out of the hunt.”

  Yep, I could just imagine the scene. J would have thrown a major fit and tried to convince Matt that she was old enough to take part. Probably would have stowed away in a backpack if she could and started her own team just to show us all how grown up she was. But an all-nighter for an eight-year old was not a good idea. “You played it right. Even if she’s in a rotten mood for the next week.”

  Claire finished signing up and I dashed away before we had a chance to meet eye to eye. I didn’t even want to risk the awkward moment where we weren’t sure whether we were supposed to say hello, or just snub each other and pretend the other one didn’t exist. I pushed back to the front and shot her a glare over my shoulder.

  “You don’t need to look so nervous, Troy,” I said as the first gun went off and people began to scatter. Each team had been given a piece of paper with the first clue on it and people began to run in random directions just hoping they’d chosen the right way while they tried to read the clue.

  Mayor Strang had explained that there were twelve clues, each leading toward the final clue where the winner would find the five thousand dollars.

  I unfolded the first clue. “We just have to follow all the clues, find certain items, and then there’s a pot of treasure at the end. It’s always been like that in Eden Bay. Makes it more fun. More intense.” And this time, there really was treasure. Usually it was just a voucher or a year’s worth of free meat from the butchers. Plus, you got to have your photo on the front page of the paper.

  But I could see the worry hit him. Oh boy. Poor Troy. He’d thought this was going to be a fun little stroll around town for the afternoon, collecting items and taking in some fresh air and sun. Yeah, yeah, sounds real peaceful and relaxing, bud. Nice dream. In reality, it was more like an all-night brawl. And I could tell the regret was kicking in. “It’s too late to pull out now,” I said. “We’ve completed the signup sheet.” I made it sound like he’d be breaking a law by pulling out, when of course, there was literally no penalty for stopping any time you wanted to. There should have been, though.

  Troy gulped and tried to throw me a reassuring smile. “Of course. I’m in this for the long haul. Ready to win it.” He rubbed his hands together.

  Sure.

  I stopped and looked at him. This would be the last time I stopped all hunt, but I had to make one thing clear. “You’d better be, Troy. This competition is intense. You’re going to see and experience things tonight that are going to change you forever. Things you’re not prepared for. Now, are you really in? All in?”

  He read over the clue I’d passed him and nodded. “I am all in, Alyson. You can count on it.”

  No more stopping.

  I ran.

  The first clue was simple, like it always was. It lulled contestants into a false sense of security. Made them think it would be easy. Even Troy was proud of himself for figuring out the clue. The clue was, “Your lungs might thank you for only smoking this.” I just humored him and pretended I hadn’t figured it out too, even though I had. I needed to build his confidence.

  It was leading us to the skate rink. The half-pipe.

  The item to collect here was, cheesily enough, an actual pipe, so we had to find where they had been hidden. The next clue would be inside.

  I glanced behind me as I jogged into the park. Even though it was an easy clue, we were the first ones there thanks to the fact the we had sprinted, and I had just happened to guess the correct direction. The skatepark was slightly inland of the beach, going west. I tried not to let Troy see that I needed to catch my breath when I reached the half-pipe. In spite of his medical problems, he had completed the sprint, in sunlight, without even breaking a sweat.

  “So, this is where the pipes and the clues are supposed to be, right?” Troy looked around in confusion when we walked all over the pipe and didn’t find anything.

  Yeah. Apparently.

  He re-read the clue. “There’s no one else here. Did I read the clue wrong?”

  He looked so disappointed that I didn’t have the heart to say, “Maybe.” Because he was right—there was absolutely no one else here. Maybe the clue had nothing to do with skating at all. Maybe it was far more literal and we were supposed to head to the cigar shop. That was probably where Claire had gone. She’s a more literal thinker than I am. I’ve got more of the lateral brain.

  “Look!” I said, pointing toward the hill where two people in matching shirts were racing up so fast that one of them had to pause for a minute to take a hit of his asthma inhaler. “There’s another team!”

  Suddenly, I was frantic. We were in the right place. We just had to find the pipes.

  Troy had an idea, but I thought it was ridiculous. He thought we should leave the skate pipe and check the nearby tunnel. But why would there be a bunch of loose pipes inside the tunnel that linked the skatepark to the beach? No one even went inside that tunnel. There was water collecting on the bottom because it was dank and wet in there all the time. There wasn’t a single part of Eden Bay that I would ever describe as “scary” per se, but that tunnel was the closest thing. No one went inside it. I wasn’t afraid to, though. I just didn’t particularly want to.

  But underneath the park and into the tunnel was where he went. I hung back for a moment just waiting, sure he was wrong. Luckily, that man’s asthma had delayed them by a few minutes.

  “Troy?” I called out when he didn’t return after a few seconds. I could hear more footsteps. I craned my neck to see which team was approaching us. Oh no! It was Claire and Matt coming up the hill. If they’d detoured to the tobacco shop, then they had set the course right now. “TROY!” I bellowed again.

  He was backing out slowly from the tunnel. But not slow enough that he didn’t bang right into me. “Ow!”

  “I don’t think you want to go in there, Alyson,” he whispered softly as he turned around, a haunted look on his face.

  “Like heck I don’t,” I said, pushing him aside, completely oblivious to the fact that he was white-faced and shaking. I guess I thought that treasure hunts just weren’t his thing. But he hadn’t even found the next clue. “Let me at it.”

  And yep. I sure did find a pile of pipes with teeny bits of paper sticking out of them. But I also found something far more grim.

  Let’s just say, I didn’t remember a dead body being on the list of treasure hunt items.

  4

  Claire

  Matt was trying to hold me back to protect me from whatever was inside that tunnel. The cops were already on their way and there was that same familiar sinking feeling in my stomach. Not again. But
there was also that old feeling in my chest, where my heart beat a little faster and adrenaline pushed me forward. Let me see. I can help.

  Because I suddenly had the feeling that it was more than just a treasure hunt we were solving that day. “You don’t need to protect me, Matt…” I started to say, and suddenly, I had a flashback to ten years earlier in that very same spot. The same day I had stopped skating, at least seriously, at least with the intention of ever making it professionally. It had been Matt who had been there for some reason, who had held me back and said the pipe was too high for me to land the trick I was trying. I hadn’t listened. Why would I listen to my best friend’s older brother? I had thought at the time, indignant. Of course I didn’t listen.

  I’d ended up with a shattered wrist and a stay in the hospital.

  Still. I did the same thing, ten years later, and pushed past him. Better to see for myself, do my own thing and get hurt, rather than stand back and watch from the sidelines.

  I recognized the guy. Brett Falcon. My stomach dropped. Another flashback to ten years earlier when Brett and I and the rest of the gang had been down at the skatepark every day after school. And before. And very occasionally when we were supposed to be at school. Who would do this to Brett?

  Seeing that Alyson was already on the scene—maybe even the one who’d found the body—was like nails on a chalkboard to me. Matt really was going to have to hold me back at this rate. Otherwise, I was going to push past her. Knock her down if I had to. Climb over her. Okay, so I’d never actually do anything like that. She would though, if the situation was reversed.

  I could hear Alyson say something to Troy. She was far away, but it was something like, “Well, if we don’t tell anyone about this right away then the hunt can continue…” Surely not. The cops would already be on their way. They couldn’t stop this from getting out.

  Troy rightfully told her that was insane. At least someone was thinking sensibly. But that wasn’t going to stop her. She reached down and picked up one of the pipes containing the next clue, then started to run.

  “What are you doing?” I called out. They were the first words I had spoken to her in weeks.

  She spun around and waved the pipe at me, sticking her tongue out at me like she was four years old. “Good luck, Princess! See ya later!” But Troy reached out for Alyson’s arm and stopped her.

  I had no idea what any of us were supposed to do, so I looked at Matt for an answer. He shrugged. “No one has officially called the hunt off yet.”

  “There is a dead body!” I pointed at Brett laying inside the tunnel. “Am I crazy? Can no one else see this?”

  According to Alyson, the cops were coming and there was nothing any of us could do.

  “Fine,” I said, crossing my arms and feeling awfully smug. “You get on with your little game then.” I glanced over at Matt. “Meanwhile, we will get on with the much more important task of discovering who actually killed Brett Falcon.”

  Alyson’s face fell, and her mouth dropped open. I knew that would get to her.

  But then she collected herself. There was a simmer in her eyes. Uh oh. What was she planning? “Well, I don’t see why I can’t do both!” And then she just ran off.

  I turned to Matt and threw my arms up in frustration. Typical. She’d just left us there to deal with the mess. “Why is your sister like that? I blame you.”

  He just laughed a little. “She’s the most competitive person I’ve ever met.”

  Somehow, I managed to take offense to that. “What about me?”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “So now you’re getting competitive over who can be the most competitive?”

  “That’s right. I want to know right here and now. Which of us do you think is more competitive?” Uh oh. There were other teams approaching. He’d better answer quick. I reached down and grabbed one of the pipes just in case. I wasn’t out of the race yet.

  He looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Claire, but Alyson does outrank you a bit. She is crazy, scarily competitive.”

  Yeah. Well, I would show him. I pulled the next clue out and read it. But I was interrupted by the sound of sirens.

  The police were there. But the treasure hunt was still on. And now it was really winner takes all.

  5

  Alyson

  You could tell that Troy Emerald was not an athlete. It wasn’t that he wasn’t in good shape. He was fit enough, had a good frame, and probably went to the gym a couple of times a week. He made an effort to surf, even though he was terrible at it. And I suppose some women would call him ‘attractive,’ if you liked that sort of thing. You know, tall, arrogant, city slicker guys. But he was more of a shirt and tie guy. An indoors man. Not one built for the elements or the conditions of a twenty-four-hour hunt. Meanwhile, I was ready to jog onto the next location and to get as far away from the skatepark as possible. But Troy wasn’t so certain. “I’m just not sure that running away from the crime scene was the best idea.”

  “Yeah, well, we can always circle back later, and the hunt clues still need to be solved as well. Don’t worry, Troy, we can do both.” There was no sense in sticking around while Princess and my brother were there anyway, they’d only get in the way. And what was up with those two anyhow? Why were they suddenly such best friends that they were teammates?

  Troy stopped walking all together and took a deep breath, which was against my own personal race rule of ‘never stop at any time for anything.’ I mean, breathing was okay. Just do it while you’re walking. “Alyson, I meant it was a bad idea because it probably made us look guilty.”

  Oh. Right.

  “What does it matter? I’m already a wanted criminal.” I’d slowed down a bit as I contemplated our next best move. Not to the point of stopping, of course, but it seemed that no matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t stop the thoughts of my upcoming court date creeping into my head. I’d probably do okay in jail. It was all a competition in the big house anyway, wasn’t it? I could survive. Fight my way to becoming top dog.

  “I wouldn’t quite put it that way,” Troy said. He tried to laugh to diffuse the situation. He didn’t think I had any chance of actually being convicted. He’d already offered to pay for my defense, but I had turned him down. I was still hoping it wouldn’t come to that. There was no way that they had enough evidence to prove that I was the one who had burned Nicole Marie’s house down, let alone that I’d done it either on purpose or maliciously. I’d just been in the house at the time that it burned down with candle. All I’d been doing was innocently breaking and entering. Ahem. Okay, it didn’t sound good.

  But I didn’t want to accept Troy’s help financially. And this 5k we were going to win would barely put a dent in the fees. But that was okay, because I was ready to go back into firm denial over the whole thing. The plan was that the 5k would allow me to have a proper stall for my surfboard business, because I planned on being free as a bird.

  “Let’s go!” I said, jumping up and down and clapping with newfound enthusiasm.

  Troy sighed reluctantly and looked over his shoulder one more time toward the skatepark. But I knew he would go along with whatever I said at that point.

  We were too far in.

  There was a woman walking past us with her arms swinging and a determined look on her face. She was about my age with pitch black hair that looked dyed, and an attitude on her face.

  She was going in the wrong direction. I kinda, sorta, vaguely recognized her from eons ago during my high school years. I was pretty sure she’d never gone to Eden Bay High but had attended the high school in Rushcutter’s Cove. But she’d been friends with Claire for a while, during their teenage skater girl days. Except while Claire had gone fully corporate and now looked ultra-glam with her icy blonde bob and blazers and pants combo, this girl still looked like, well, a skater girl in her red flannel shirt and ripped black jeans.

  “She’s going in the opposite direction,” I said to Troy.

  “Alyson, not everyone is in
on the treasure hunt.” He shook his head as though I was just being silly to assume that every single person in Eden Bay was taking part. “Some people have other things in their lives that preclude them from being available for a twenty-four-hour hunt.”

  I didn’t believe him. He didn’t know this town like I did, and he never would.

  “Nah, she must know something we don’t know,” I said, peering at her.

  “She’s not even in a team,” Troy pointed out. “She’s on her own.”

  I still wasn’t buying it. She could have just been temporarily separated from her partner, or on her way to meet them. Plus, technically, you could complete in the hunt on your own if your partner became sick or injured during the race. But this was a strict technicality that most people didn’t know about, and it was thoroughly looked down on. But it was still a possibility in the case of this woman. What was her name again? I wanted to say Anna.

  “So what now?” Troy asked as he read over the clue and read it out to me. “You might think that the next location is a walk in the daisies. If so, you’d be dead right.”

  I sighed. “The cemetery. Obviously.” These clues were getting easier and easier. And yet I hadn’t quite started to move in that direction yet. There were thoughts rattling around my head like bones.

  “Do we try to find the next item or do we try to find the first clue as to who murdered Brett?” Troy stared at me and waited for my answer.

  I didn’t like having to choose between them. “Who says they are mutually exclusive?”

  Troy shot me a skeptical look.

  I shrugged a little. “Maybe by solving the treasure hunt, we also solve the mystery of Brett’s murder.”

  Troy was not convinced. “You’re acting on a huge presumption there.”