[Mystery Deal]popularfiction.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/5/8/13589717/bw... · 2018. 10. 13. · 1 [Mystery Deal] By Lily Hammer Packing It was a normal day at New Moon Outfitters. Kit

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[Mystery Deal]

By Lily Hammer

Packing

It was a normal day at New Moon Outfitters. Kit Daniels was getting packs ready

for the coming trip and listening to the radio for weather. It sounded like it would be

fine, not too rainy, and not too cold. Rainy and cold was the worst combination on trips.

“We just got more news on the kidnapper plaguing the Boundary Waters,” came

the radio broadcast.

“Kidnapper? Maybe I should listen to the weather more often,” Kit thought.

“There have been more disappearances of children, near the Gunflint trail

entrance point. The adults traveling with the children were stranded without supplies.

The total missing children is now up to 11. We advise all people entering the area to be

on their guard.”

“Hey Kit, its Norm,” came an elderly voice from the other room. “I just got back

from my trip.”

Norman Harper was the owner of the outfitter that Kit worked at. He was in his

60s, and in great shape. Ever since she’d moved to Ely, he had almost been a father

figure to her. When Kit’s ex-boyfriend Rick recently broke up with her, Norm helped her

through it.

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“Hey. Did you hear about the kidnappers? Over by the Gunflint, some kids have

been disappearing.”

“Yeah, our sister outfitter in Grand Marais had to close because some kids on

their trip got kidnapped. Gotta be someone pretty crazy to do that.”

“Yeah... Hey, have you seen Natalie? She’s supposed to be helping me pack. I

haven’t seen her all day.”

“Oh, that’s right. I got a call from her by radio. She sounded urgent. I don’t

know why, but she had to back out of the trip. All she said was that she wasn’t going to

be around, and could I have someone please cover for her while she’s gone. A new guy’s

coming in anytime now anyway, so he’s gonna go with you, if that’s alright. He used to

work at the Grand Marais outfitter, until they closed. He seems nice, about your age.

Name’s Jude Kayland.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Weird about Nat, though. I wonder where she is…”

“You’ll be fine. Now keep up that packing, Kid! I’m going upstairs to unpack.”

“See ya.” Kit was surprised that Natalie just disappeared like this. Natalie had

been acting strange lately, though, now that Kit thought about it. She didn’t usually keep

anything from Kit; they’d been friends, it seemed like, forever. But as of late, she’d been

unusually distant.

Kit heard the door open to the front of the store.

“Is anyone here?” a male voice called.

“Yeah, I’ll be right up.” Kit put down her packs of Tang and walked out from the

back rooms of the store. She was met by a handsome young man, carrying a suitcase and

a canoe paddle in his strong arms. He looked friendly, and had an easy air about him.

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“You’re Jude, then?”

He smiled at her. “Yeah. You’re Katheryn?”

“Kit. Nice to meet you. You can bring your bags up; we have a spare room,

upstairs to the left. I’m just packing for the trip in two days. I guess you’re coming with

me on that, because we don’t know where Natalie is…”

“Oh, OK. I’ll come down and help you pack. Cool, I haven’t been up here lately.

I’ve been over at the Grand Marais branch, but since the kidnappings… Anyway, I’ll be

right down to help.”

“OK.” Jude. He seemed nice. Kind of cute, too. But Kit wasn’t going to like

anyone anytime soon, not after Rick. She was glad for a good companion on the trip,

though. Hopefully he was good with kids. A group of five 10- and 11-year-olds wasn’t

easy to handle by yourself.

In the next two days, Kit and Jude got all the equipment ready for their trip, and

helped Norman pack for his. The always-busy man was setting off on another trip, in a

different direction from Kit and Jude. Their route was not well-traveled. The two guides

were becoming good friends, looking forward to the trip.

Day One

The children arrived in the morning. There were five of them, three girls and two

boys. Jenni and Mela came from the same school, and were excitable, girly 10-year-olds.

Lucy was a shy, nature-loving 11-year-old. Travis was a stubborn, outgoing 11-year-old,

and Owen was an easygoing 10-year-old. After spending only a short time with them,

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Kit knew that they would have an exciting trip. They went over basics of paddling, and

the kids were eager to be on their way.

They headed out, bidding safe journey to Norm, the latter warning them to watch

out for the kidnapper. The all fit in two canoes, and Jenni and Mela were content to sit in

the middle after little paddling. Travis and Owen hit it off, and both took a liking to

Lucy, who was content to paddle in her own world. Without mishap, though the kids

were tired from their first day, they arrived to their first campsite, and made camp.

That evening, sitting in her and Jude’s tent when he was already asleep, Kit was

glad to have Jude with her. They had talked, and he was a good listener. She still

wondered where Natalie could be, but was glad to have a new friend in Jude.

Day Two

They paddled through the next day, to their second campsite. The kids were

having a good time, the boys harassing Lucy in an elementary school-flirtatious way.

Jenni and Mela loved sitting “princess” and not paddling. Lucy loved the beauty of

nature, and talked to Kit the most of the people there. She was a charming girl, though a

bit solitary. In the tent that night, Kit and Jude were talking, laughing about Travis and

Owen’s little crush on Lucy, and hanging out. They ended up talking about Kit, and her

ex, Rick. Jude listened and gave advice (best to get over him, he left a great girl like

you!), but didn’t say much about his own personal life. All he volunteered is that he

didn’t have a girlfriend. Kit felt bad for fixating on Rick, but was thankful that Jude

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didn’t react negatively. She realized that she was beginning to really like Jude, but told

herself not to again like another guy. She still was shaken from the Rick ordeal.

Day Three

Kit and Jude woke and packed up camp. As the kids were packing their last

belongings, Kit got a call by radio from Prairie Portage, the nearest ranger station in the

Boundary Waters. The kidnapper was still at large, but hadn’t struck since the last attack

near the Gunflint. As they were canoeing in the afternoon, Kit spotted a canoe within

shouting distance, with a figure in it that looked like Natalie. Another, larger figure was

in the canoe, as well.

“Natalie? Is that you?” shouted Kit.

The figure started, and turned sharply towards Kit. “Yes, it’s me.” The other

figure in the canoe looked quickly over, then turned away and slouched down.

“Where have you been? I thought you couldn’t come up here!”

“I… had to… transfer to another outfitter… I’m going to Atikokan right now and

I’m on a tight schedule… I’ll talk to you later, k?”

“OK… bye...” Kit was perplexed. Why would Natalie have had to switch

outfitters? Why was she going to Atikokan? Kit would sort that out when she got back,

though. She had enough to deal with on her own trip.

“That was Natalie,” she told Jude.

“She seems…. nice…” he responded. He seemed to be in a more distant mood

that day.

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They canoed to their next campsite, where they would stay for two nights, or

“layover day.” They found a nice site, and set up camp. Travis and Owen got into a

small fight, probably over Lucy. Jude went over to them, and told them to cut it out.

When they began complaining again, he snapped at them. “Just SHUT UP, you guys!”

A bit harsh, Kit thought. She tried not to get in his way for awhile after that. She didn’t

talk much to Jude that night.

Layover Day

Kit woke up on their fourth day out. Layover day. The day where they got to sit

around camp, relax, and not paddle. She always loved layover day, and loved the

campsite they were at, this particular time. Some called it “The Hilton” because it was

such a fantastic site. They were lucky to have gotten it. Kit knew the trails up the

enormous rock terraces by heart, and loved to walk them.

After breakfast, Jude asked Kit if she wouldn’t mind him going out on a short trip,

only to Kekekabic Lake. The kids were quite manageable, so, though surprised at his

asking, Kit easily consented. With a promise to be back by the afternoon, Jude left,

quickly paddling out of site through the drizzling rain. Kit was taken aback a bit, and a

bit dejected that he would leave her. She wouldn’t let it ruin her layover day, though, and

when the sun peeped out to dry the damp rock surfaces, Kit took the opportunity to dry

out her always-wet clothes. The kids were content to explore the campsite thoroughly,

romp about, and go swimming, occasionally. The Hilton had magnificent swimming.

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Kit watched the kids, and decided to radio Norm. She told him about Jude’s

small trip, Norm permitting his absence, so long as Jude returned in not too long a time.

Norm was just as stumped as Kit was as to why he left, however. Kit confessed that she

almost felt that she was beginning to like Jude, but was still stuck on Rick. Norm

approved of Jude, though, saying that he was really good with kids. This puzzled Kit,

because Jude had just chewed out Travis and Owen, not in the best way Kit thought

possible. Kit also told Norm about seeing Natalie, and Norm said that, as far as he knew,

Natalie hadn’t quit and transferred outfitters… He still hadn’t heard word from her since

she’d backed out of Kit’s trip, though. He had no idea who the other figure in the canoe

could be, or why they were on this route, claiming to go to Atikokan. This was not the

fastest way to get to Atikokan. Norm said that he was going to keep paddling, and let Kit

go back to the kids. She lounged on the rocks, and pondered what had been said.

Kit was cleaning up supplies after lunch, and the kids were finally taking a break

from activity, sunning themselves on the rocks. Kit got a radio call from Prairie Portage,

telling all visitors near the area that there had been a kidnapping on Kekekabic Lake.

That was where Jude said he’d gone! The parents with the children had been stranded,

like in the other cases, but they’d had a radio on them, so they could call in for help. As

in the other cases, they didn’t see who the kidnapper was. Kit hoped that Jude hadn’t run

into this maniac, or gotten into any trouble. She couldn’t help but worry about him. She

radioed Norm, but he must’ve been paddling, and not heard the radio.

In the afternoon, Jude returned to camp. Kit frantically questioned about seeing

anything while he was out, and on receiving an unhelpful answer, told him about the

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kidnappings on the lake he’d been on. He was reluctant to talk about what he had been

doing, but told her that he hadn’t witnessed any kidnapping.

In the evening, when the kids were already in their tents, Jude and Kit went up to

Kit’s favorite rock, way above the lake, looking over the water to the breathtaking

western sunset. Jude agreed that it was his favorite rock in the entire Hilton, as well.

Jude seemed a bit nervous at first, but it seemed to wear off as they sat cherishing

nature’s splendor. Kit only thought of Rick once.

Day Five

Kit woke up in the morning a little later than she would like, and turning to wake

up Jude, realized that he wasn’t there. He must be waking up the kids already. She

quickly dressed, and went out to start packing. There wasn’t any noise coming from the

tents, and Jude was nowhere to be seen. She shouted their names, but received no

answer. Kit looked around, panic rising in her. Where was everyone?! She saw that one

canoe was missing, along with some other supplies. Kit’s crew had been kidnapped! It

must be; what other solution was there? Kit was glad that she at least had been left a

canoe, unlike all the other guides, but was panicked that everyone was gone. Where was

Jude? She found her pack, still there, only to find that all of Jude’s belongings were

missing. A note was attached to the inside of the pack, reading “only because you’re a

nice girl. I’m sorry.” Whoever the kidnapper was, he or she knew Kit! The handwriting

was familiar, but Kit couldn’t place it.

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She didn’t know what to do. Her kids had been kidnapped, and her co guide was

missing, as well. She had been beginning to like Jude, to open up to him, and after the

sunset last night, she thought that he liked her, too. Now, it seemed as if he meant to

leave, taking his belongings and all. Kit was stunned and exhausted, though it was just

morning. She sat down and sobbed.

After a bit, Kit gained control of her emotions. She couldn’t just sit there, and she

wouldn’t let those kids be taken without a fight. She had trusted Jude. He’d listened to

her ramble about Rick! Now he just up and left. Kit’s wrath was kindled.

She immediately radioed Prairie Portage. Norm was supposed to report in there,

and he didn’t show up. Kit hadn’t heard from him since she radioed him the other day.

She was about to tell the ranger about her kids being kidnapped, but at that moment, the

batteries died! Kit knew then that she shouldn’t have abused the radio and talked so long

to Norm when he had called the other day. The radios were for emergencies like this,

and now hers had died. She wished that she could have some backup on this, or at least

someone there with her, but now she had no communication, in addition.

Kit thought. Where could all of these kidnapped children be kept? She had

enough supplies for herself for a few days, and she remembered an old cabin that Norm

had taken her to once, between trips. Some weird old guy used to live there, a long time

ago, before the Boundary Waters became a wilderness, and it was still intact. It was a

long shot, but it was something to go on, so Kit packed up and paddled off.

Kit reached the lake neighboring the cabin by afternoon, and set up her lonely

campsite right near the trail. She spent the evening preparing herself to go investigate the

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cabin. Whoever the kidnapper was must be pretty insane, so she was going to have to be

careful.

Kit spent a restless night, thinking about the situation. She hoped her kids were

okay. She wondered why Natalie lied about going to Atikokan, or why she was taking

the long route there. She wondered why Norm hadn’t reported in to Prairie Portage. She

wondered where Jude was, and even though she didn’t want to, wondered if Natalie or

Jude could be connected to the kidnappings. She thought about Rick, even through this

ordeal. She knew that he wasn’t the best guy for her… he probably wouldn’t care if he

knew that she could be in danger right now. Then again, she thought, Jude probably

didn’t, either… She was sick of men!

Day Six

Kit woke up earlier than usual. She was unaccustomed to not having someone

else in the tent beside her. She tried the radio again, to no avail. She ate a quick

breakfast and got ready to leave for the cabin.

She walked through the darkened woods from the overcast day, about fifteen

minutes from her campsite. Looking through the trees to the clearing where the cabin

was, she saw that no one was there. There was evidence of people having been there

recently, however. Kit looked around in the stony silence. The eerie stillness was

shattered by a muffled scream, for an instant. It seemed to come from far away, but not

echoing from the woods around Kit. She jumped, and concealed herself behind a rock.

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Then it seemed like the ground was talking- from beneath the leafy soil came voices. She

could make out many, when she listened hard.

Kit ran back to her campsite. She knew something was very wrong here, and it

seemed as if this could be a place where the kidnapped children could be kept. Her kids

could be there, underground somehow, imprisoned. She knew that she had to go back,

but would need assistance. Kit resolved to paddle to Prairie Portage and report her

situation, get some help, and come back to investigate the cabin more thoroughly. She

battened down her camp, prepared a minimal amount of equipment for the long paddle to

the ranger station, and ate lunch. Before she left, she crept back to the cabin, to make

sure she hadn’t hallucinated the entire thing. The cabin was as she had left it, but when

she turned to go, she saw, glinting in the sunlight, a red, blood-covered knife. It was

unmistakably Jude’s, with his initials inscribed on the ivory handle. The blood trailed

into the woods, and Kit followed it to a mound of something. She looked closer, and

realized that it was a pile of dead bodies, all children! She recoiled in horror, and

sprinted back to her camp. She realized, too late for those kids, just how serious this

kidnapping- now murder- really was.

Kit paddled to Prairie Portage by evening. She recalled her dreadful story to the

rangers, who were as terrified as she was. She excluded, however, the details about

Jude’s knife. She couldn’t believe that he could be the murderer, but she did include the

particulars about Natalie. They recruited eight other rangers to accompany Kit back to

the cabin the following day, and spent the rest of the evening preparing supplies,

including a medical kit. The children who were alive were probably in horrible

condition. The rangers called the police, who would come to assist them the following

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day. However, they wouldn’t be able to get out to the cabin until, at the earliest, late

morning. With many people paddling, the rangers and Kit could arrive in the early

morning, as they were leaving quite early. Kit spent a luxurious night in the comfort of a

bed, but was even more anxious for the coming day.

Day Seven

At the break of dawn, the group of nine paddled out to Kit’s campsite and the

cabin. They dropped off some supplies, and trekked out to the cabin. Hiding in the trees,

they arranged to go into the cabin, two gun-toting rangers leading the way. Before they

left the cover of the woods, Kit spied Natalie’s unmistakable water bottle, sporting all of

its bright stickers. It was half hidden underneath some leaves on the ground.

They crept past the pile of bodies, which had grown a bit larger since Kit had last

seen it. One ranger took photos for evidence. They advanced into the unlocked cabin.

No one was inside. Food and empty pill bottles were littered about the floor, along with

some equipment. There was a small back room filled with more junk. Upon

investigation, they found old war movies, and a secret lever opening the back wall,

revealing a narrow staircase.

They proceeded down the long stairway, to an extensive hallway. It was

completely bare, except for a locked case containing different types of guns and weapons.

They came to another, locked door. Muffled moaning leaked from within. The two front

rangers broke down the door, and the nine stumbled into a large but crowded room. The

first thing Kit noticed was the stench. It smelled like every latrine in the Boundary

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Waters, all in one room. The kids all looked over, in shock and relief. The rangers and

Kit were stunned, as well. On one side of the room were the boys, the other, the girls.

Kit picked out four of hers, but couldn’t find Jenni. The kids were bound loosely in

ropes, able to walk, but only for a few feet. They had chain leashes attached to stakes in

the wall.

“We’ll get you all out and safe home,” spluttered one ranger. “Who did this to

you?”

One child pointed to a door on the far end of the room. The nine tripped over to

it, leading them to a room filled with kids in, if possible, worse condition than the

previous. Jenni was amongst them. They lay, unmoving. One child wasn’t breathing.

“We’re here to save you,” Kit whispered, in shock and awe.

They went through another door, leading down another dark hall. At the end

loomed an even darker black door. They quietly walked to it. Through the door, the

sounds of machine guns emanated. They bashed it down, to find someone sitting with

their back to the group, intent on a war movie playing on the battery- operated television.

He slowly turned his chair around.

The rangers had their guns poised.

Kit found herself staring into the crazed eyes of Norman Harper.

-----

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Norm’s eyes were insane. Kit could tell that he wasn’t in a normal state of mind.

She’d never seen him like this… He turned away and quickly swallowed something.

When he faced them once more, his eyes were normal, and his expression sorrowful.

“Take me,” he whispered.

“How COULD you?!” Kit cried. She couldn’t believe it. NORM was the

kidnapper. The child abuser. The murderer. She felt as if she was in a daze.

-----

The rangers bound up Norm, to wait for the police to come and take over from

there. Kit looked and saw Jude in the corner, bound and gagged. She rushed over and

untied him. His exhausted and weak state was evidence of struggling against his chafing

ropes. The rangers radioed the police, telling them that they had captured the kidnapper,

and found the missing children. Kit was still shocked. They moved Jude and the kids

that were able up above ground. Norm willingly gave up the keys, knowing that there

was no escape for him now. Kit tended Jude’s gashes in his back, and rope burns. He

wasn’t in as bad of shape as some of the kids, but not in good condition, either. Then Kit

went over to talk to Norm. He told her the entire story of his insanity.

Norman Harper had serious mental problems. He would get bouts of insanity,

and thought that joining the army was a way to help. He fought in Vietnam, years ago,

and it only worsened his mental state. When he came home from the war, he sought

medical help, and got pills to calm him down and keep his senses. If he didn’t take them

daily, however, he would go completely mad. He decided that it was best to come away

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from cities and civilization as much as he could, so he came to the Boundary Waters

because he’d always liked the outdoors. He was doing fine, and opened New Moon

Outfitter, for the kids. Norm knew that kids were the future, and wanted them to

experience the beauty of the wilderness, so maybe they would preserve it when they grew

older. After a few years up there, however, Norm had been out on a trip by himself, and

hadn’t brought enough pills. He thought a lot, in his tent at night, and while paddling

during the day. His disturbed brain was still traumatized from the war. He wanted kids

to know what War was like, how the enemy was evil. He wanted them to experience the

conditions that they could be put in and be prepared for battle, as he himself hadn’t been.

He hatched an insane plan to harden the kids and build a camp from the cabin. When he

returned to Ely, Norm got more pills, knowing that he needed to take them. But he

missed the free feeling of not being on medication. Every now and again, he went out on

a trip without the pills, and worked on the cabin, perfecting the place until he would

strike and abduct children to fill it. He would come back to base, take his pills, and no

one would know anything about it. He became very skilled at acting sane when

passersby saw him in his crazy state. Then Kit came. Norm took to her like a daughter

and a friend. He almost abandoned his plan, knowing that she would be devastated. But

Norm had thought up this sadistic idea before Kit came, and he wasn’t going to give it

up. This year, all was ready, and Norm struck. The kids had to experience War.

As Norm told the account to Kit and saw her horrified expression, he wished that

he’d never done the cruel deeds that he had.

Kit was amazed. She had tears in her eyes, and was in shock.

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“I’m sorry… I can’t believe you would… Even though you did this, I’ll miss

your sane side. But I can’t believe…” She broke off, overwhelmed with emotion, too

much to go on. She glided, in a daze, over to the kids, and told them that they would be

safe and going home soon. She shuffled away from the rest of the group, and sat on a

rock, looking into a sunlit meadow. Behind her, the rangers exchanged amazed words at

Norm’s story. The children sat huddled, some talking, some just lying on the ground,

glad to be back in fresh air. Kit heard someone come up behind her. Turning, she saw

that it was Jude. He hobbled over to Kit’s rock and plopped himself down next to her.

They sat in silence, Kit mulling over what had happened, Jude rubbing his cramped

muscles from being tied up.

“I’m sorry I left. Norm came, and told me to pack up my stuff and leave. He

wrote you the note, which I’m sure was truly heartfelt… I asked why he wanted me to

leave you, and said I didn’t want to, but he held a gun to my head. His eyes didn’t look

normal.”

“Yeah, I figured,” murmured Kit.

“He said that I’d make a good leader. I am good with kids, I just snapped at

Travis and Owen because I… was in a bad mood. I’m sorry.”

“What did Norm do at this camp?” wondered Kit. “If you want to talk about it, I

mean,” she quickly added.

“It’s fine. He wanted me to be like a drill sergeant, a sadistic one. I was

supposed to whip them and drill them. I flat out refused, and he bound me, like how you

saw when you came in,” Jude wearily explained.

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“I trusted him, but I shouldn’t have. I can’t believe he’d do this!” Kit was on the

verge of tears again.

“I thought he was a nice guy, too. Don’t blame yourself! He’s a madman, but a

very intelligent one. He was good at hiding it.”

“I guess so, but I should’ve at least seen something coming.”

“It’s not your fault at all!” exclaimed Jude. “You solved this. If not for you, we’d

all still be bound and locked up!”

He gingerly put his arms around Kit. She leaned into him, and for a moment, let

him comfort her. She caught herself, though, and they both parted, slightly awkwardly.

“How’s your back?” Kit inquired.

“Better, a little, now.”

“The bodies…?”

“He starved them. Kids are so fragile… If someone died, he threw them in a pile

outside. There were probably about ten kids dead when I came, more now. He also took

my knife and killed a couple, who were going to die anyway, but he just killed them.”

Jude shuddered.

“I’m glad that most of them lived. Our group is all here. I’m glad that you’re

okay.”

Kit peeked at Jude, who was returning her shy glance.

“Hey, the police came in copters!” a ranger yelled through the woods at them. Kit

and Jude walked back to the cabin, and helped load the more injured kids into waiting

helicopters. Float planes were waiting at Kit’s campsite, for the more able kids.

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Norm asked if he could be trusted to “use the woods,” as they called going to the

bathroom. They consented, warning him that if he wasn’t back in five minutes, they were

coming after him. Norm assured them that he wasn’t running anywhere. He gave Kit a

fleeting look, as if to say something.

They waited for Norm, and moments too late, Kit realized that Norm’s glance had

said goodbye. They heard a gunshot from the woods. The rangers sprang into action,

running to find out what had happened, but Kit knew before she saw the body that Norm

was dead. He was lying on the ground, a revolver in his limp hand, a bullet hole in his

head. In the dirt next to Norm, in the same hand as the note Kit had received when she

found her companions missing, was scribbled “I’m sorry.” Kit turned away, into the

arms of Jude, and sobbed.

The rangers promised to bury Norm in the Boundary Waters, since he had no

living relatives. Kit, amongst her tears, knew that it would be what Norm would want.

Goodbye, Norman Harper.

Six Years Later

It was a beautiful day. Kit sighed and looked out the window into the late

afternoon sun. The weather was perfect, and the forecast was great for the coming week.

Awesome for her next trip out. She was leafing through maps, still deciding where to

take the kids that would be arriving the following day. Even though she was a co-owner

of New Moon, she still took kids out on trips. It was the whole reason she got into the

business, and when she took over the outfitter six years before, she promised herself that

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running the business wouldn’t get in the way of actually going out on trips. In six years,

it hadn’t yet.

Kit had just gotten an email from one of the girls, Mela, who was on the famous

Trip, six years ago. She was a sweet girl, who’d taken to Kit on the trip. Even though

she hadn’t come back since the Trip, she kept in touch with Kit by emailing every month

or so. Jenni was still her best friend, and they were surviving high school together, as

they had done on the Trip. They must be what, 16 by now? Kit smiled at the thought.

She looked down at the maps under the mess on her desk. One was of Kekekabic Lake,

again reminding her of the Trip. It was only six years ago. It seemed like so much

longer, yet at the same time, just like yesterday. Kit hadn’t thought about it much lately,

but the map and the email from Mela jogged her memory a bit.

Natalie walked into the back room, telling Kit that there was someone there who

wanted to talk to her. Kit remembered when Natalie was one of her suspects, on the Trip.

She laughed. Natalie had only been avoiding Kit because she was with Rick. He had left

Kit to be with Natalie, and Nat didn’t want Kit to find out. The new couple had been

going out on a romantic trip together, coincidentally on the same route as Kit’s. Kit

remembered seeing Nat’s bottle, and wondering if her once best friend could be… But

they’d only stopped for lunch there. Now Natalie was Kit’s good friend still, six years

later. Rick was long gone, Nat realizing what a sleaze ball he was.

“Kit, hurry up. That girl is waiting up front.” Natalie’s voice brought Kit back

from her memories. She walked up to the front room, the one decked out with paddles,

life jackets, and pictures from trips long past. She saw a pretty teenage girl with hints of

recognizable 11-year-old features. It was Lucy!

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“Lucy! How are you?” Kit rushed to embrace yet another one of the participants

from the Trip. Guides weren’t supposed to have favorites, but on the Trip, Lucy was

Kit’s. It was an incredible coincidence that Lucy had come, just when Kit had been

reminiscing and recalling the Trip.

“Great! How are you, Kit? It’s been forever!”

“I’m superb, as well! Weird, I just got an email from Mela, you remember her.”

“Yeah! We email, too. So, I was wondering… is there a job opening here, like

for assistant guide, or something…?”

“Of course! There’s always room on board for an ex-participant!”

They filled out the paperwork for Lucy to work there, and caught up on talking.

Lucy, Owen, and Travis all ended up going to the same high school, and Lucy and Owen

were dating. Lucy hadn’t come up to Ely as of late, but went camping with her family

frequently. She was happy, and doing well.

“So how are you, Kit? What ever happened to Jude? When we were all here, I

always thought that there was something between you two…” Lucy grinned, seeming to

hope that her old suspicions could have come true.

Kit smiled. She remembered the “good old days,” to sound like an old-timer. She

told Lucy the story:

Kit and Jude had just gotten back to base after the ordeal at the cabin, what they

came to call the Trip with a capital ‘T’. Kit remained shocked and dazed, but was glad

that Jude wasn’t guilty. They stayed at base for a couple days, and then had a week to

spare before the next group of kids would come. After resting for a few days, Kit and

Jude decided to paddle up to Knife Lake in a day, find a layover site, and hang out there

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for awhile. They found a beautiful site on Kekekabic Lake, and just relaxed. To Kit, the

best place to recover and relax from anything was in a breathtaking campsite, and so it

seemed to be for Jude, as well. They were having a spectacular time, and in the evening,

Jude told Kit that the wanted to show Kit something. He led her up a trail that no one

would have noticed if they didn’t know where to look. They strolled through the woods

for a bit, and Kit began to have a familiar feeling about the area. Once they had

progressed a way up the trail, Jude pulled out a bandana and put it over Kit’s eyes. She

smiled, and again had the feeling that this had happened before. Jude led her uphill, and

when he removed the blindfold, Kit found herself on a rock, high above everything, high

above the world. The sun was on the western horizon, setting gorgeous colors, streaked

with clouds.

Then it hit Kit. When she was little, her family annually traveled to the BWCA

through an outfitter, often accompanied by another family. Kit had made many friends

on the trips, but only kept in touch with one- Natalie. One trip, when Kit was about 12,

there was a cool boy, Judah, and his family, on the trip with the Daniels family. They

had connected on the trip, but lost touch afterwards. Back then, the 13-year-old Judah

had taken little Kit up to this same rock. On trips for the next few years Kit searched for

the spot, but had forgotten what lake it’d been on, and didn’t find it. She gave up

searching, and let the rock fall into her memory.

Kit looked at Jude in amazement. He was the little boy, Judah, all grown up! He

told her that this spot was where he had gone on layover day, when he left the camp for

the morning. He wanted to make sure that he could still find it, so he could take her

there. The only reason he’d acted strangely was because he liked her… When Kit had

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talked about Rick, Jude became internally upset, and a tad jealous, which is why he

snapped at the boys. But now, 15 years after they had come there as kids, they were back

at the stunning outcropping, far above the water below. Jude said that he’d never

forgotten Kit, and recognized her as soon as he walked into New Moon. He didn’t want

to appear creepy, and assumed that Kit wouldn’t remember him. But now, here they

were. They sat with each other, staring at the sunset reflected in the other’s eyes, away

from all problems, on top of the world.

“It was so romantic, Lucy!” Kit brought herself back to the present. Lucy had

enjoyed the story, being a bit of a sap herself. She wished that would happen to her.

“Now we’re co-owners of the outfitter. Jude’s out getting supplies at the moment. And

I’m not Kit Daniels, I’m Kit Kayland.” Kit smiled at the memory that had really

reconnected her to Jude.

“I’m home, Kitten!” drifted a voice from the back entrance. “You’ll never guess

who wants to apply for a job here…”

Jude walked in, with Owen close behind. Lucy gasped and rushed to Owen. Kit

felt a happy connection to be reunited with these people. It all just seemed right. It was

six years after the Trip, and Kit was sure that if Norman hadn’t been crazy, he would be

happy to see his store, and the closest people he had to family as content as they were.