Page 46 of Sentinel's Kiss
“Sure.” As long as no one shot at them. Ashley didn’t think to wear orange, but at least she was wearing comfortable shoes. Nothing says broken ankle like traipsing over game trails in high heels. As it was, she felt every branch and stone under her feet. But it would be a great background for the interview. After Harry had set up and Josh made himself comfortable out of the camera’s shot, Ashley went over any topic preferences Reynolds had.
“I can’t comment on the ongoing police investigation.”
She figured that. “Not a problem.” There were other ways to get the information she wanted besides the direct approach. When Harry gave the all-clear, she eased Reynolds into the interview by asking some warm-up questions about the hunting club. If she could make it seem that this would be a good promotional opportunity for him, he should be more receptive when the harder questions came.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent murder in New York,” she said after they talked a bit about the club’s safety rules.
He nodded. “We’ve been cooperating with the police investigation.”
“Over the past few years, there have been four murders tied to the Poconos Hunting Club. Sarah Stevens, a local. Kelly Yost in Atlantic City in 2015. Mira Donovan in New Haven, Connecticut, about eight months later, and then just recently Alison Jones in upstate New York. All of the victims’ spouses or significant others were members of this club.”
“It’s a tragic coincidence,” he said between his teeth, but his pleasant expression didn’t change.
“Do you know if the men knew each other?”
“I do not. However, I can confirm that none of the men were ever at this club at the same time period.”
“So Stan Stevens didn’t camp with Martin Yost?”
“Never. Neither did Craig Donovan or Bobby Jones.”
Well, shit.
“Were you close to these men?”
Reynolds puffed on his cigar. “I make it a point to find out about all of my members.”
“You have over five hundred. That must be hard to keep track of.”
He shrugged. “I keep very good notes. I feel it sets the Poconos Hunting Club above the rest when our staff knows the caliber of bullets they need and makes sure to stock the larders with favorite foods.”
“Were there any similarities between the men’s preferences?”
“I’m afraid I can’t comment any further about that.” He smiled sympathetically. “I’ve been asked to keep certain things confidential.”
So the big dummy had just confirmed that there was something there. Ashley wondered if Reynolds had been bothered that these members were going to start families. After all, a family man might not have enough chances to head into the woods, and that would be a potential loss in revenue. But that wasn’t a strong enough motive for murder, she thought. Reynolds wasn’t hurting for membership, with five hundred members. Still, it was a string she might be able to pull. Maybe they all used the same rifle or something that would attract the attention of a serial killer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Josh texting. So glad she was keeping him riveted.
“Did the men ever bring their wives or girlfriends here?”
Reynolds shook his head. “No, we don’t encourage that. This is a hunting retreat and unless the significant others are into that, they tend to be a distraction. There’s not a lot of creature comforts. Our main lodge is the only luxury we allow. The barracks in the deeper forest are very spartan.”
“So the victims never hunted here?” Because, Mr. Chauvinist, some women could like to hunt.
“No.”
Ashley was getting nowhere fast. “When was the last time you saw any of the victims’ husbands or boyfriends?”
“I don’t think they would like me violating their privacy. Here at the Poconos Hunting Club, we treat every member with the utmost consideration.”
Ashley held in her sigh. “Surely you can tell us a little bit about some of the fun activities they may have engaged in?”
“Hunting, of course. Fishing, camping, skeet shooting. We put in a new zipline, but that hasn’t been as popular as I thought it would be and the upkeep isn’t worth the interest. We may be taking that down next year. Snowmobile trails during the winter, but as we only have the main lodge for heated accommodations, we’re booked pretty solid into next year. Swimming when the weather permits. Sometimes when it doesn’t permit.” He gave a laugh.
She had been zoning out, but the last sentence caught her attention. “What do you mean?” She smiled at him and leaned forward conspiratorially.
“Well, some of our boys have taken to hazing our new members and tossing them into the lake, sleeping bag and all.” He guffawed and then realized that he might have said too much, because he immediately backtracked. “Of course, it’s all done in good fun and our lifeguards are on the scene in case of an emergency.”
“Has anyone ever been hurt?”