“What exactlyisyour objection, Leonie?” Conleth asked. “If Shifter Affairs is happy to send an agent to spend a few days poking around the camp to ensure all is well, I don’t see how it can hurt. It’s not like we’re paying for it, after all.”
The issue seemed perfectly obvious to her. Then again, she spent a lot more time interacting with the campers than either Zephyr or Conleth. Leonie respected them both—at least, when she wasn’t fantasizing about burying them in compost up to their necks—but their roles meant they focused more on the big picture than the smaller day-to-day issues that came with looking after a large group of kids. That washerjob.
“The rest of the campers get here in just a few days,” she said patiently. “And nobody can spread gossip like a bunch of kids. You can bet rumors about this so-called ghost sighting will be flying around the cabins before the end of the first day. If they discover a Shifter Affairs agent came to camp to investigate, they’ll take it as proof that there reallyisa ghost in the woods.”
From the way Zephyr’s forehead furrowed, he hadn’t thought of that. “I’m sure the agent will come to the conclusion that there’s no need for concern. I could make a camp-wide announcement to that effect.”
“That won’t help in the slightest. The more we insist there isn’t a ghost, the more the kids will believe in it. We’ll have half the campers jumping at every shadow, and the other half trying to sneak out at night with butterfly nets and home-made ghost detectors. It’ll be utter pandemonium.”
Conleth had stopped typing, which at least showed hewas taking the problem seriously enough to give it his full attention. “We could insist the agent finishes the investigation before the campers arrive.”
“But most of the counselors are already here. If a stranger turns up and starts asking a lot of odd questions, they’re going to talk about it. Sooner or later, it’ll get back to the campers. If anyone outside this room learns about all this, we’ll be fighting wild rumors all summer.”
“Then we’ll have to ensure the agent’s true identity and purpose here stay secret,” Zephyr said with a note of finality. He put a protective hand across his daughter’s back. “I appreciate your concerns, Leonie. But we have to put the safety of the children above every other consideration. No matter how slight the risk may seem, we can’t take any chances.”
Conleth nodded, expression unusually somber. “Especially not this year.”
He must be thinking of his own unborn child, still no more than a slight swell in his mate’s belly. Which explained why they were both taking this nonsense so seriously. Shifter men had powerful protective instincts about their mates. Throw in a baby, and they tended to become entirely unhinged.
She reallywasthe only person in the room with a fully functional brain at the moment. Leonie sighed, giving up. At least they weren’t digging a moat around the camp with their bare hands.
“Let’s hope this special agent can be discreet,” she said in resignation. “Did Shifter Affairs say who they’re sending?”
The two men exchanged somewhat furtive glances.
Zephyr cleared his throat. “Ah…I believe they’ve assigned the case to the same agent who was here a few weeks ago. Special Agent Shan Zhao.”
“Thatguy?” She’d only met the man briefly, but he was hard to forget. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“He’s an experienced operative,” Zephyr said mildly. “I’m sure he’ll be able to blend in.”
“Zephyr, in one form, he’s a fifteen-foot-long flying tiger, and in the other, he has biceps bigger than my thigh.”
“You were looking at his biceps?” Conleth murmured.
“They were hard to miss,” Leonie snapped. “Zephyr, that man would not blend in if I smeared him with camouflage paint. Can you call Shifter Affairs and ask them to send someone else?Anyoneelse?”
“Not at this point, I’m afraid. He’s due to arrive this morning.” Zephyr glanced at the wall clock. “In fact, he should be here any minute. Leonie, I’m sorry to dump this on you without warning, but Conleth and I are fully booked today. You’re right, we need to keep this between ourselves as much as possible. Could you meet Agent Zhao when he arrives and help him with his investigation?”
Leonie looked down at her clipboard. She still had to finish running the new hires through basic orientation, meet up with Moira for waterfront safety checks, finalize the pack activity rosters for the first week of camp, and personally inspect the cabins. Not to mention update the cooks on the campers with special dietary requirements this year, come up with fun new icebreaker games for the staff mixer party, and sort out six complaints from counselors about cabin assignments. And that only took her up to lunch.
But theydidneed to keep the agent’s true purpose at camp a secret. She’d just have to figure out how to get everything done. Like always.
“Of course.” She gave Zephyr a reassuring smile, inwardly bidding a wistful farewell to the last of her limited free time. “Leave Agent Zhao to me. I’ll take care of him.”
As usual, the moment Leonie stepped out of the office, a couple of counselors hurried up with urgent issues requiring her personal attention. No sooner had she dealt with one person than two more appeared, like wasps converging on an open beer bottle. By the time she’d made it across the central square, she’d defused three arguments, her to-do list had acquired seven new items, and she was holding onto her calm by her fingernails.
“Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out,” she repeated for the third time in five minutes, in exactly the same warm, soothing tones. “Come to my cabin after dinner, and we’ll talk about this further, okay? My door is always open.”
The latest anxious staff member trotted off, looking much happier. Finding herself briefly without a line of counselors waiting for her attention, Leonie ducked around a corner, taking refuge behind the storeroom. Safely out of sight, she slumped against a dumpster, letting her sympathetic smile drop at last.
She loved Camp Thunderbird. She loved seeing people bloom here; not just the campers, but the counselors as well. Many of them were college age, still uncertain of their path in life. It was a privilege to help them gain confidence and discover their own talents, becoming true leaders and mentors for the kids in their care. As far as Leonie was concerned, she had the best job in the world.
It was just that sometimes, there was so verymuchof it.
With a sigh, she tilted her head back, gazing up. Past the overhanging roof of the storeroom, the sky was a clean, crisp blue. Fluffy, flat-bottomed cumulus clouds drifted above the camp like mounds of marshmallow. A distant hawk turned in wide, lazy circles, balancing on the sun-warmed air.
It was a perfect day for flying.
