“It’s a campground. I’m pretty sure asking for people’s fingerprints before they can pitch a tent will be bad for business,” Rob said. “Also, it’s really unlikely she’s running from the law.”
“Why?” Joey held up his hands. “How do you know? Have you ever scrolled through the true crime category on the streaming apps? Based on how many documentaries there are, if this campground was full, probably like five of the campers would have committed murder.”
“Okay, maybe not fingerprinting people who are just here for the weekend,” Danny said, obviously still stuck on background checks. “But for the seasonals? I mean, serial killers can buy campers. They do stuff like fishing and hiking and riding four-wheelers, right?”
“Sure. Four-wheelers would be a great way to scope out places to bury bodies.”
Danny nodded. “I’m going to do some research.”
“On burying bodies? If you couldnotdo that on the shared computer in the office, that would be great.”
“No, dumbass. On doing background checks. Maybe we ask the local police.”
“Thereareno local police.” The town really was that small.
“The state police, then.”
“We’re not running background checks on campers,” Brian said. “And we’re off topic. We were talking about twenty-nine.”
“Her name is Hannah,” Rob snapped.
When all three of his brothers stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him, he realized he probably should have kept his mouth shut. He knew from spending so much time at this campground growing up, and from visiting others, that it wasn’t unusual for the owners to refer to site numbers rather than trying to remember names when those names usually changed every weekend.
But Hannah Shelby was a seasonal camper. She’d be here for half the summer, and when it came to long-term guests, he didn’t think using their names was unreasonable.
“Do we need to actually write the rule about fraternization with the campers in Sharpie on the wall?” Danny asked, giving Rob that big-brother look he’d gotten so many times it didn’t even faze him anymore.
Joey snorted. “I thought it would be Brian who broke it first.”
Brian shook his head. “Then you haven’t been paying attention. I’m not a big fan of relationships.”
“The divorce was a couple of years ago,” Joey pointed out. “What are you waiting for?”
Rob kicked his brother’s leg under the table, hoping he’d take the hint and back off of Brian. Maybe the divorce had been final for a couple of years, but their brother wasn’t over Kelly, or the way she’d told him there was somebody else and divorced him out of the blue. The fact some paperwork had severed their marriage didn’t help heal the anger and lack of trust that had been Brian’s vibe since then.
Joey kicked him back and Rob almost choked on his coffee. That was going to leave a mark.
“You need to get over her,” Joey insisted. “You can’t be alone because Kelly—”
“Enough,” Brian said in a low voice that made Stella get up and put her head on his knee to make sure he was okay. He put down his mug to rub her head. “Stay out of my business.”
“Back to the running-from-the-law thing, I’d like to go on the record now,” Rob said to distract them, and it worked. They all looked at him. “Danny, if you do decide to write a book about a serial killer hiding out in a campground, you better use a pseudonym.”
“I should ask my accountant if I could write off my investment in this place as research.” Danny pulled out his phone, presumably to make a note. “You know, if I did write a book like that.”
“I mean it about using a pen name,” Rob insisted. “I don’t think one of the owners of a campground writing about murders in said campground is good for business.”
“Or maybe it’s great cross-promo,” Brian said. “You know, as long as the part about it being a work of fiction and not based on real people is written in a really big, bold font.”
“Maybe it’ll be about a guy who buys the campground with his brothers and then murders them one by one because they’re annoying,” Rob said, resisting the urge to reach down and rub the sore spot where Joey had kicked him. “And then he gets to own the campground all by himself.”
Brian nodded. “Make it about Bobby here and it can be a comedy. The guy tries to off his brothers but keeps falling in the pool and tripping over firewood and screws it all up.”
“But he still wins in the end because their mom rushes in to help him,” Danny added.
Rob snorted. “Or maybe it’s based on Danny and he plots out how to kill off his brothers, but never gets around to actually killing them.”
“Ouch,” Joey said, and they all laughed. Danny’s was a little forced, but at least the tension was broken. For now.
