Lunacy Lake Read online

  Lunacy Lake

  A Zoe Donovan Mystery

  by

  Kathi Daley

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Katherine Daley

  Version 1.0

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

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  Chapter 1

  Sunday, July 14

  When Alex Bremmerton, the fifteen-year-old girl who lived with my husband, Zak Zimmerman, and me, asked for permission to attend a female empowerment camp during her summer vacation, I was hesitant. Not only was Alex two years younger than the other girls who would be there, but she was already intelligent, brave, and confident. I understood Alex’s need to hang with the gang, but I wasn’t sure how a week of confidence-building exercises would actually help. Still, Alex seemed intent on going despite the fact that she was only a sophomore and the camp was geared toward young women entering their senior year of high school. My first instinct was to tell her that she would need to wait until she was seventeen, but after quite a bit of discussion, Zak and I agreed to let her go this year with the rest of her friends with one stipulation: I would go along as a chaperone.

  That actually turned out fine because eight girls from Zimmerman Academy had signed up to attend, and the camp organizers encouraged the schools that sent students to also send at least one adult for every six teens, which meant Zimmerman Academy would need to send one more adult beside me to account for our eight students. Initially, I planned to chaperone along with school administrator Phyllis King, but she came down with the flu just days before we were to leave, so my best friend, Ellie Denton, agreed to fill in at the last minute.

  “Name?” asked the woman with short brown hair and an athletic build who greeted us at the Denver airport.

  “Zoe Donovan Zimmerman. I am here with the group from Zimmerman Academy.”

  The woman looked at her list. “Are all ten of you present?”

  “We are.”

  The woman handed me ten name badges that had been hung on pink lanyards. “You can wait for the shuttle that will take you to the helicopter in the lounge across the way.”

  “Helicopter?” This was the first I’d heard anything about a helicopter.

  “The helicopter that will take you up to the camp,” the woman explained.

  I frowned as I tried to get a grip on the situation. “I figured we’d take a bus or shuttle of some sort.”

  An expression of annoyance and impatience crossed the woman’s face. “The camp is not accessible by road. I figured if you were here as a chaperone you’d know that. Now, if you will wait with the others, I have other groups to check in.”

  “Uh, sure.” I said as I stepped away. Wow, someone needed an attitude adjustment. I hoped all the Inner Goddess staff members weren’t quite so uptight. If they were, it was going to be a long week indeed. I glanced at Alex, who was standing just behind me. “Did you know about the helicopter?”

  She shook her head. “No, this is the first I’ve heard of it. The woman with the name badges is acting like we should know all about the helicopter, but I’m sure it was never mentioned before. The fact that the camp is only accessible by air isn’t a problem, is it?”

  I thought of my husband and daughter, who awaited me back in Ashton Falls, along with Ellie’s husband, Levi, and their two children. I trusted the guys to take care of the babies, but somehow, heading out to a location so isolated that there were no roads to reach it felt a lot different than going to the conference center or fairgrounds I’d been picturing as the venue for the retreat. I tried to think back to the flyer I’d seen. The camp promised to provide the girls who attended the chance to find and nurture their inner strength, courage, intelligence, and resiliency in critical situations. On the surface, that sounded awesome, but I supposed I’d pictured puzzle rooms, team building, and obstacle courses in a controlled environment. If we were heading to a location only accessible by air, perhaps my vision of the situation had been faulty at best.

  “Zoe?” Alex asked again, concern evident on her face.

  “No. It’s not a problem,” I answered. “I was just surprised to hear that the camp was so isolated. I wonder if there will be cell service.”

  Alex grimaced. “Yeah, about that. I’m afraid that cell phones, computers, or any other electronic devices are not allowed. That part actually was mentioned during the presentation at school. I imagine the staff plan to collect everyone’s phone before we board the helicopter. Or maybe once we arrive. I’m not sure.”

  “If there is no service, why do they need to collect the phones?” I asked.

  Alex frowned. “Again, I’m not sure. I suppose there may be service for staff use. It would seem odd that they would run an entire program without service at all.”

  I furrowed my brow. “I guess that could be the case. I wonder if they will make an exception for chaperones. I had planned to check in with Zak while we were away, and I’m sure that Ellie planned to be in touch with Levi.”

  “I guess you should ask the staff if chaperones are allowed to use their phones. If not, you might want to call Zak to let him know you will be unavailable so he doesn’t worry.” Alex looked around at the masses that had congregated around us. “Ellie should call Levi as well.”

  At that moment I seriously considered pulling the plug on this whole thing, but Alex and the other girls looked so excited, I really hated to spoil their fun. I pulled Ellie aside to discuss the situation. “Alex just told me that electronics of any sort, including cell phones and computers, are not allowed at the camp, which apparently is so remote that we need to take a helicopter to get to it.”

  “Yeah, Pepper mentioned the no-cell-phone rule when I asked about service.” Prudence “Pepper” Pepperton was one of the Zimmerman Academy students who lived with Phyllis and was Alex’s best friend. “How did we not know this before now?”

  “I don’t know. Alex seemed to know about it, but the girls did go to an orientation that we did not attend. I guess it might have been brought up then.” I looked at the girls who had gathered in the lounge where we were supposed to wait for transportation to the camp. “I guess we can still bail.”

  Ellie bit her lower lip as she glanced toward the girls. “I hate to do that. They are all really psyched to find their inner goddesses.” Ellie looked back to me. “I wouldn’t want to ruin their fun, but I will admit to being worried about being totally cut off from Levi and the kids for an entire week.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “I had the same thought. Not that I don’t think Zak can handle things on his own.”

  “Yeah, Levi too.”

  “And my parents are in town if there are any problems.”

  Ellie nodded. “It really should be fine. And I’m sure the camp has cell service for the staff, or at least a satellite phone or radio in case of emergency.”

&nb
sp; “I’m going to call Zak to see what he thinks. Why don’t you call Levi as well, and then we can decide,” I suggested.

  Ellie agreed to the plan and we both called our husbands. Zak wasn’t concerned about the setup from the perspective of needing my oversight. He assured me that he was perfectly capable of taking care of our daughter, Catherine, for the week and that he actually thought it would be good for me to have some time away. He was somewhat concerned that the camp was quite as isolated as it was and suggested that I ask about the type of communication network that was in place to handle emergencies. The idea that we would be sequestered somewhere so far off the grid that we had only ourselves to rely on seemed like a cool idea until someone had an accident.

  Levi, who was off work for the summer, likewise had no problem looking after Eli and Alya for the week. After a bit of discussion, Ellie and I decided to ask the conference staff about the provisions the camp made for emergency communication and then make our final decision.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the woman who’d greeted us. “I understand that there are no cell phones allowed at the camp.”

  “That’s right. The camp is all about harnessing and then completely depending on the inner strength and power each woman is born with yet most never learn to nurture. Our primordial ancestors didn’t depend on electronic devices or other crutches, and neither do we.”

  “What about emergencies? I assume you have made provisions for that?”

  The woman nodded sharply. “We have a radio that allows us to communicate with our corporate office in case of emergency. Guests do not have access to the radio, however. If you have any last-minute social media updates to see to, I suggest you take care of them now.”

  “Okay.” I wanted to remind the woman that this was supposed to be fun and she needed to chill out, but I held my tongue. “Thank you for the information. Will you be attending the retreat?”

  The woman shook her head. “I organize transportation. Only the goddesses and cooking staff will be present during the event.”

  “Goddesses?” I asked.

  “The administrator and her counselors. They are referred to as goddesses.” The woman shot me a look of derision. “Why did you even sign up for the camp if you don’t know anything about it?”

  That, I decided, was a good question. I nodded at Ellie, and we walked back toward where the girls were waiting. “So what do you think?”

  Ellie looked uncertain. “I have to say that I still feel somewhat uncomfortable about the whole thing, but it is only for a week. I’m sure it will be fine and I hate to ruin everyone’s fun.”

  “Okay. I’m going to call Zak back to let him know we are going. Maybe being cut off from Zak and Catherine for a week really will be good for me. Maybe it will force me to relax and let him handle things without my coaching.”

  Ellie smiled. “Yeah, we both do tend to overhelp when the guys are in charge. I called Levi ten times a day when I was gone for the weekend in May when my aunt died. Maybe this will be good for all of us.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I agreed, although I wasn’t convinced in the least.

  By the time I got off the phone with Zak, the shuttle that would take us to the helicopter arrived. The girls told us we’d be flying on a large bird with room for twelve passengers. We drove off to meet it on our own shuttle. I noticed another group gathering in the lounge as we left the area. I supposed they would take the next chopper up.

  “I’ve never ridden in a helicopter before,” Ellie said after we boarded and strapped ourselves in. “I’m kinda nervous.”

  “It isn’t that much different from a plane,” I said. “Well, I guess it is different. The takeoff and landing part aren’t the same at all, and there is all the rocking and the sharp dips.”

  Ellie dug her nails into my leg. “Not helping.”

  “I’m sorry. It will be fine. Did you take your motion sickness pills just in case?”

  Ellie nodded. “I took them after we were informed that it would be a helicopter that would deliver us to the camp.”

  “Then you should be fine. Try to relax and enjoy the ride.”

  The ride up the mountain in the chopper was harrowing, but the camp nestled at the top of the mountain was lovely. After I’d learned about the no-electronics rule, I guess I began to imagine that our week would be spent in a wilderness camp with outhouses and campfire meals, but the compound turned out to be really upscale. Ellie and I were shown to the cabin we would share. While there weren’t any electronic devices like televisions or radios, the cabin was equipped with both hot and cold running water, two large bedrooms with king-size beds, a seating area with sofas, tables, and chairs, and a large private deck overlooking the crystal-clear lake. The eight teenagers who had come with us shared two similar cabins with two beds per bedroom. When we checked out their cabins, we found them a bit more crowded but just as nice.

  In all, the camp accommodated thirty-two girls, up to eight chaperones, and at least ten staff members. During the tour, I learned that staff were assigned two to a cabin with the exception of Adira, the head goddess, who had her own three-bedroom home set well away from the other structures. I supposed it made sense that the woman in charge of the camp would want her privacy.

  There were also log buildings that accommodated a large dining hall, a lecture and indoor activities center complete with a library and a huge seating area. I pictured myself whiling away a lazy afternoon in the latter, which had been laid out to take advantage of a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and huge picture windows. There was also an area with a sauna, hot tubs, and a pool. The gym was reportedly state of the art, and there was a gorgeous outdoor patio and seating and dining area for warm summer evenings.

  “We seem to have unlimited hot and cold running water, so I guess they must pump the water in from the lake,” Ellie said as we explored our cabin.

  I nodded. “I did notice a building that looks like it could be a pump house when we flew overhead. Given the fact that there are flush toilets in the cabins, they must have a sewage system as well, probably a septic tank.” I took my suitcase into my bedroom and opened it on the bed with the idea of unpacking later, and then went back into the common area. “I wonder what the food is going to be like. I feel a lot better about things now that I have had a chance to get a look at the place. For a while there, I was imaging that this would be little more than a glorified campground. I’m happy to see that we’ll be sleeping in real beds in nice cabins, not on cots in a tent.”

  Ellie picked up a pamphlet that had been left on the coffee table. “It looks like a schedule for our first few days. There are maps to the various venues, as well as an explanation of everything that is going on during the day.”

  “I’m guessing there will be some sort of an orientation this afternoon.”

  Ellie nodded as she nibbled on a peach she took from the basket of fruit that had been provided. “The welcome reception and orientation is at five o’clock and dinner is at seven. After that, it looks like everyone has free time until tomorrow morning. It appears that curfew is at ten p.m., which is fifteen minutes later than the pool and recreation rooms close. Breakfast is served at eight o’clock and the first empowerment exercise is at ten. It looks like the girls will be participating in either a hike and a zip line activity or a hike and rock-climbing experience.” Ellie looked up. “The girls have been divided into eight teams of four and four teams will participate in each activity. They will switch the following day.”

  I grinned. “It sounds awesome.”

  Ellie continued. “It looks like lunch will be a boxed affair served during the activity and then there will be a rally in the conference area at four o’clock, followed by dinner again at seven.” Ellie looked at me. “Do you know if we are expected to participate in the empowerment activities during the day? I like to think that I am in decent shape, but I honestly don’t think I am up to rock climbing.” She paused. “Come to think of it, I know I am not up to rock climbing.”
r />   I frowned. “I’m not sure if chaperones are included in the daily events, but I hope we are given the option. I think the zip line sounds like a blast and I’ve always enjoyed rock climbing. Still, I doubt that participation by the chaperones is required. If they do require us to help out in some way, I’m sure there are other things you can do.”

  Ellie handed me the flyer. “I would prefer hanging with the girls when I can rather than staying here by myself, but I know my limitations. I think I’ll skip the climbing, but after studying this in more depth, it looks like our girls have been assigned to the group doing the zip line tomorrow. I suppose I could go along for the hike part of it if asked to do so.” Ellie continued to study the schedule. “There is an indoor session each afternoon before dinner.”

  “It sounds like the days are going to be full.”

  Ellie set the schedule on the table. “I guess I was hoping for some down time. This schedule looks packed.”

  “I’m sure we aren’t required to participate in every activity every day. I’ll check with the director to see exactly what she has in mind for the chaperones.” I tapped my chin. “What was her name again? Alice?”

  “Adira,” Ellie answered. “Goddess Adira. I imagine we’ll meet her at the welcome reception and orientation. We can talk to her then.”

  “Don’t you think the whole goddess thing is sort of hokey?” I asked.

  Ellie shrugged. “I suppose it is kind of lame, but the retreat is all about female empowerment, so I guess I sort of get the goddess tie-in. It looks like the administrator and the eight women who serve as some sort of counselors all have goddess names. Alex told me that each goddess chooses her own name after they pass some sort of test.”

  “Test? What sort of test?”

  “I’m not sure. Alex didn’t seem to have a lot of detail.”

  I shrugged and pulled out a new swimsuit I had bought for the trip. It was modest as bathing suits went, but it was the most amazing shade of blue and I couldn’t wait to try it out. “I won’t claim to really get the whole goddess thing, but I’m assuming that everything will be explained at the orientation. In the meantime, let’s check out the pool. It’s such a nice day. Warm and sunny. Still, I hope it is heated.”