Conleth staggered over to the head counselor, bracing a hand against the nearest wall. “What’s going on?”
Leonie lowered the megaphone from her mouth, revealing a worried expression. “The sheriff’s at the camp gates. Says he needs to speak to whoever’s in charge. In person.”
The din from the bell wasn’t helping his migraine. “Where’s Zephyr?”
“Not on site.” Leonie gave him a funny look, like he should have known that already. “It’s his day off, remember?”
“Right. Right.” He winced as a fresh bolt of pain lanced through his skull. “For the love of little red apples, can whoever’s ringing the bell kindly cease? I think we’ve all got the message.”
“Ragvald, you can stop now!” Leonie called across the square. “Conleth, what are we going to do?”
He tried to force his sluggish brain to work. “We can’t turn the sheriff away. Get on the intercom. Tell him we’re opening the gate, and he should drive on up. I’ll meet him here.”
Leonie looked him up and down, the concerned line between her brows deepening. “Are you sure you’re in a fit state to handle this?”
“We don’t have much choice.” Steeling himself, he pushed away from the wall, locking his knees to stop them from buckling. “Do a sweep of the camp to make sure there aren’t any stray kids wandering around, and keep everyone out of sight. I’ll get rid of the sheriff as fast as I can. Go!”
Leonie nodded and dashed away. Conleth tugged at his damp t-shirt, then ran a hand through his hair. He wished he had time to check his appearance in a mirror. Then again, maybe he was happiest not knowing.
Focus. He headed for the camp entrance, calling on years of practice to project a confidence he didn’t feel.Stay in control.Don’t do anything stupid.
A patrol car rumbled up the long approach to the camp, coming to a stop in front of the main buildings. A heavyset man got out, wearing both a uniform, and a distinctly irritated expression. Setting his shoulders, Conleth strode out to meet him.
“Good afternoon, officer.” He offered the sheriff a practiced smile. “I must say, this is something of a surprise.”
The sheriff treated him to a professionally unimpressed stare. At least, Conleth suspected that was what he’d intended to do. The man’s stony gaze got somewhat stuck on his hair.
Well, if his bizarre appearance could keep the sheriff off-guard, so much the better. “I’m afraid we’re rather busy right now, so I’d very much appreciate it if we could keep this brief. How can I help you?”
The sheriff finally managed to focus on his face. “You jerk butts?”
Maybe he was hallucinating this whole day. “Excuse me?”
“I’m here in response to a call. Said I should ask to talk to jerk butts.” The sheriff consulted a small notebook. “A mister…Conleth Jerk-Butts?”
“Ah,” Conleth said, as things abruptly became clear. “Yes. That would be me.”
“Huh. Thought this was going to be a prank call.” The sheriff closed his notebook. “You in charge of this place?”
“Technically, no. But I’m the camp’s business--” Wait, no he wasn’t. His mouth followed his mind, switching tracks before he could stop himself. “Counselor.”
The sheriff’s forehead wrinkled. “What the hell is a business counselor?”
“At Camp Thunderbird, we pride ourselves on supplying a diverse curriculum of enriching activities well beyond those found at traditional summer camps.”Focus, idiot.“In any case, I’m currently the most senior member of staff on site. Though I’m afraid thiswasa prank call. My sincere apologies for wasting your time.”
The sheriff drew his breath to speak—then paused. He sniffed again, his expression sliding from skepticism to disgust. “What is that godawful smell?”
“That would also be me.” Conleth took a few prudent steps downwind. “A small incident with a skunk. You’ve caught us at something of a bad moment.”
“So I can smell,” the sheriff muttered. “Look, Mr. Jerk-Butts?—”
“It’s Tiernach-West, actually,” Conleth interrupted. “It seems we’re both the victims of a somewhat juvenile prank.”
His pegasus nudged him. Over the sheriff’s shoulder, he saw Paige hurrying up from the direction of cabins. A sullen Archie trailed behind her, shoulders hunched.
“Well, now that I’m here, got to follow procedure,” the sheriff was saying. He opened his notebook again, taking out a pen. “We got an emergency call requesting immediate assistance. Claimed there was a dangerous grizzly hanging around the camp.”
Archie picked that moment to look up and see the sheriff. He froze, as if the full consequences of what he’d done had only just caught up with him.
