Page 41 of Only One More Lie
“Why would we talk about that?” Andi kept her voice even and calm.
“Because itshouldbe shut down,” he stated. “It’s nothing but a tourist trap.”
“You came here,” Tim barked. “You obviously thought this place had appeal.”
“My kids begged me to come, and we were all sorely disappointed. Now, I want the world to know to stay away. It’s been my mission ever since I was asked to leave.” His nostrils flared again. “Nobodyeverasks me to leave. Nobody.”
CHAPTER 18
Andi couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy. Did he think the world revolved around him?
Was Bert a killer? She couldn’t say that for sure. Not every guy with a temper was also a murderer.
But he’d shown up quickly, and he really did seem to hate this camp.
She’d already texted Ranger, asking for his assistance. He was on his way.
“This place set off a whole train of bad events in my life.” An undertone of a growl rumbled in Bert’s voice. “My wife said she didn’t like how I acted. Then she left me. She leftme! Vacation was supposed to bring us closer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” But Andi could see his wife’s side of it also. The guy was a hothead. She could only imagine what it would be like to be married to someone like him.
“I’m a bit of an influencer,” Bert continued. “People usually go out of their way to get my stamp of approval on things. But not Calvin and Mary. No, money was the most important thing to them.”
Andi had a hard time seeing this guy as having a strong following. He was too gruff and unpolished. Plus, he didn’t have a face for the position. It was too uneven and gawky.
She kept those thoughts silent.
“You’re saying all this because Calvin and Mary didn’t give you a refund?” Duke clarified, a touch of disbelief to his voice.
Bert’s eyes narrowed. “I was entitled to one. They didn’t live up to their guarantees.”
This guy really was too much, and Andi couldn’t wait to get him out of here. He only appeared to be slowing down their investigation.
He’d come here to rant. To let everybody know he was unhappy.
She could be wrong, but she didn’t get the sense he was a killer.
Ranger successfully took Bert off their hands.
Then it was the three of them again—Duke, Andi, and Tim.
Tim had been about to say something before Bert showed up.
They all took their seats in the living room again, and Duke reminded them where they’d left the conversation—Tim was about to say something about Caleb.
“That’s right. I think you should look at Caleb Brinley.” Tim’s jaw and eyes hardened at the mention of Caleb’s name.
Duke wasn’t surprised. Caleb had already shot to the top of his list of suspects.
But he was interested in hearing Tim’s take on it.
“Why do you think we should look at Caleb?” Duke asked.
“My brother didn’t like him. In fact, I heard Calvin saying something that indicated to me they were considering firing the guy.”
“Why would they want to fire Caleb?” Andi tilted her head as she waited for his response.
“At first, I thought it was because he was interested in Juniper,” Tim said. “My brother was protective of his little girl. Then I overheard Calvin saying something about some missing money.”