Chapter Six

It had been two days since the theft of Blair's notebook and Jimmy kept waiting for something to happen. Willy Coeter was the number one suspect – there was no doubt in his mind that the maintenance man had been the one who'd previously gone through their footlockers – but he wasn't exhibiting any suspicious behavior.

"I watched him all during free rec," Blair said after dinner. "All he did was fix one of the ATVs."

"I still don't get why he'd take the notebook." Jimmy moved his rook. It was game night and they were playing chess.

"Yeah. I mean, Sentinels are a pretty obscure topic." Blair studied the chessboard. "Maybe Willy didn't take it. Checkmate."

Jimmy scowled, resetting the board. "If it was someone else, they'd have made a move by now. Unless they don't know what they have."

"Maybe…maybe they threw it away." The kid looked horrified at the idea.

"Well, unless someone does or says something, we won't know."

They both sighed.

Five minutes later Ben stopped by their table, smirking.

"Did you hear about the big excitement in Falcon?" he asked, tossing a pack of playing cards from one hand to the other.

"Found yourself a date to the camp dance?" Jimmy grinned.

"Hilarious, Ellison. No, Blair's ghost is back."

"What?"

Ben looked pleased at the kid's reaction. "Couple of girls saw it this time. Bunch of counselors are out in the woods right now."

"Oh, man! Jimmy, we gotta go!"

"Don't forget your proton pack," Ben called over his shoulder as he walked away.

"We'll find him this time!"

Jimmy put a restraining hand on Blair's shoulder. "If the counselors are looking, whoever's out there is long gone."

"They can't see what you can," the kid whispered.

"There probably won't be anything to find."

"Aw, come on. Aren't you even a little curious?"

Well, of course he was. But Jimmy didn't see much use of running out there now. For one thing, the counselors would just send them back to their cabin. And if they did find more evidence of Willy out there, what did it prove? There was no law against standing in the woods and smoking a cigar. He said as much to Blair.

"Fine." The kid pouted. "Can we at least look around in the morning? There might be a clue."

"Yeah. Okay."

"Great! Oh. Checkmate."

*o*o*o*

Jimmy woke up in the middle of the night, confused. Then he heard someone moving around in the dark, and could tell just by listening that it was his bunkmate. He opened up his vision and could make out Blair heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" he hissed, trying not to wake the others. The kid started and put a hand on his chest.

"Jeez, give a guy a heart attack!"

"Blair…"

"Bathroom, okay? Shhh." With that he slipped out the door.

Jimmy listened to the other guys breathing, and Hamburger snoring from the other room. He'd gotten too accustomed to using Blair's heartbeat to block out other sounds at night and knew he'd never get back to sleep until his friend returned.

He stretched out his hearing, impressed that he could pick out one heartbeat from so many. And then he frowned, because that heartbeat was nowhere near the bathroom. With a curse he got out of bed, pulling on a sweatshirt over his bare chest and jamming his feet into his sneakers without untying the laces first. He was wearing thin cotton sleep pants and hoped it wasn't too chilly out.

He snuck out of the cabin and took a moment to orient himself. He raised the volume on sight – no flashlight for Jimmy! – and tuned back into Blair. The kid was moving fast, right towards the woods.

Jimmy crossed the green at a run, going between two of the Falcon cabins. As he got closer to the treeline he could see someone moving, and hear the sounds of a second person crashing through the undergrowth. Now instead of just being annoyed he was anxious, and put on speed.

"Blair! Wait!" He whispered as loudly as he could. He didn't want to wake anyone up and get in trouble for being out so late. "Stop!"

The kid was in the woods now, his flashlight bobbing as he gave chase, when Jimmy finally caught up with him.

"What are you doing?" he gasped, out of breath. One hand was locked around the kid's wrist to keep him in place.

"Let go!" Blair twisted but he wasn't strong enough to pull free. "He's getting away!"

"Are you nuts? You can't go chasing people in the dark! In the woods! You wanna get lost or something?"

"I saw him, Jimmy. Watching us. We have to follow him!"

"No way." Jimmy shook his head. "This guy could be dangerous. And there's nothing we can do if he wants to spend his nights here staring at a bunch of cabins."

This time when Blair jerked his arm he was able to pull free. He looked furious.

"Willy took my notebook, I know he did. Let's track him! I bet he's got a hideout or something in there somewhere."

"He has his own cabin, why would he need a hideout? Could you be logical for a second, please?"

"Some cop you are." Blair scowled. "What about tailing a suspect? Following a lead?"

Jimmy clenched his fists, taking that crack personally. "Cops don't tail suspects without backup and a weapon, brainiac."

"Oh, so what? Now he's some kind of homicidal maniac?"

"We don't know what he is. Which is kind of the point. And we're not going to find out in the middle of the night." He couldn't believe the kid was giving him so much attitude about this. And he didn't like the feeling of anxiety that assailed him when he thought of Blair confronting Willy Coeter in the dark woods with only his flashlight for protection.

"Well, we've lost him now." Blair stomped off in the direction of the cabins. "I hope you're happy, Mr. By-the-book."

"Maybe you should've stayed in Falcon with the other little kids," Jimmy snapped back.

"You can be a real jerk, you know that?" The kid kept walking, his shoulders hunched. Jimmy watched him go, feeling both angry and guilty. He shouldn't have said that, but Blair was being unreasonable. It had been a mistake, playing at being detectives; he was taking it much too seriously.

With a sigh he got moving. Blair was already in the top bunk and pretending to be asleep by the time he got back. Jimmy wasn't fooled, but he didn't want to talk anymore tonight either. He yawned and rolled into bed, ignoring the waves of resentment he could feel from above. He automatically tuned into Blair's heartbeat, which blocked everything else out, and fell asleep almost immediately.

*o*o*o*

Feeling unsettled and still a bit angry the following day, Jimmy hurried through both breakfast and lunch and got to all his classes early so he wouldn't have to deal with Blair. He felt foolish doing it. The kid was his friend and he was sure they could work things out; just not right now.

Roddy was the first one in his group to get to CSI class, and he was all abuzz about the big ghost hunt.

"Not much of a ghost," he said. "Is that all it does, just stand around?"

"It's not a ghost, you idiot," Jared said, sliding into his seat. "Counselors don't do a search like that for a ghost."

"They do if they want a bunch of scared girls to go to sleep," Roddy replied.

"Did they find anything?" Jimmy asked.

"Like what? Ghostly footprints?"

"Be serious!" Jared admonished. "There could be some crazy pervert out there."

"Leatherface crazy? Or toothless inbred hillbilly crazy?" Roddy joked. "If I hear banjos, I'm outta here."

"Hey, guys." Penny ducked into class just ahead of Mr. Doyle.

"You're late," Roddy observed.

"Can't put anything over on you," Jared muttered.

"Okay, people, listen up!" Mr. Doyle clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "As I'm sure you're all aware, there was an incident last night out behind Falcon. I want to advise all of you to be careful. If there's someone watching the camp – and that hasn't been confirmed – you are to stay in groups at all times, especially after dark."

"What if it's a ghost?" someone called out. Everyone laughed.

"Find me proof and we'll talk," Mr. Doyle said. "And you'll have a chance to do just that. This is the perfect opportunity to test your skills in the field. Each group is to pack a kit. In five minutes we'll head over to the scene and see what we can discover."

"I'm on it," Jared said, heading for the shelves that contained the CSI kit equipment.

"This is so cool!" Penny ran a hand through her spiky hair. "My counselor gave us all a speech this morning about staying together. Since only girls have seen this guy…"

"Ghost!" Roddy interjected.

"…or whatever, they think he might be some kind of creepy stalker."

"You're way too excited about that," Jimmy said, shaking his head. "Shouldn't you be scared or worried or something?"

"Nope." Penny grinned. "Cause our super team is gonna find the clue that nails this guy."

"We need a better name that that," Roddy said thoughtfully. "Something like Team Alpha Super Awesome Cool Dynamite Wolf Squadron."

"You watch too much TV," Jared said, returning with the field kit.

"Yes I do," was the proud response.

"Okay, class." Mr. Doyle stood by the door. "Follow me and stay together. No side trips to the dining hall or chatting with friends in other classes. You're still on my time."

The class headed out, everyone talking excitedly. They followed the path around the amphitheater, then cut up past the Alpaca cabins to Falcon. Jimmy decided this field trip was good; he could use it to break the ice with Blair. After all, he had promised to go looking for clues. Only now he'd have some extra super senses to help him.

When they reached the area where Willy had been seen, Jimmy saw that crime scene tape had been put up, marking off an area of roughly fifty feet. Inside that area was more tape, creating smaller grids.

"I want each group to pick a grid and work it, using the items in your kit as well as your own senses. Document everything; you never know what's going to be important to an investigation."

Jimmy's group selected the farthest grid on the left, carefully examining the ground before stepping over the tape.

"We've got a camera," Jared said, pulling a little point and shoot from the bag. "Who wants to be the photographer?"

"I will," Roddy volunteered. "My super sense won't be much use."

Naturally, he started right in taking pictures of them. Jimmy rolled his eyes and got to work, dialing up sight to examine the area inside the grid. He also turned up hearing just in case one of the other groups found something.

"You guys smell anything?" Penny asked. Jared grimaced.

"Yeah. Skunk's gone through there recently."

"I'd rather run into Leatherface than a skunk," Roddy said. "I've heard that's a stink that stays with you."

"You got anything, Jimmy?"

He shook his head. "Half a candy wrapper and some ants."

"There should be a clue." Penny looked disappointed. "I was sure we'd find something."

"Like what?" Jared asked, sitting back on his heels. "A signed confession?"

Jimmy couldn't help but grin. He'd been through all this before. He knew there wouldn't be anything to find. Still, they had to be thorough.

A few minutes later, while they logged in several leaves and an earthworm, Hamburger came hurrying over to confer with Mr. Doyle.

"Jimmy!" Mr. Doyle called. "A minute, please?"

The others looked at him and he shrugged. He wiped his hands on his shorts and crossed back over the crime scene tape.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Blair today?" Hamburger asked without preamble. Jimmy immediately tensed. Something was wrong.

"No. I mean, he was still in bed when I went to breakfast. Why?"

"He hasn't shown up for any of his classes today," Hamburger said, looking worried. "I thought maybe he'd tell you if he was skipping."

"He wouldn't skip classes," Jimmy said tersely.

"Yeah. I know." Hamburger sighed and unclipped the portable radio from his belt. "He hasn't seen Blair."

"Copy that. Head back to Central."

"Let me come!" Jimmy could feel panic building up, making his skin flush. "I can help look for him."

Hamburger gave him a sympathetic look. "Let the counselors handle it. We're trained for this kind of thing."

Jimmy watched him leave, feeling helpless. Something had happened to Blair, and he'd been too busy avoiding him to even notice.

"Back to your group," Mr. Doyle said kindly. "They'll find him."

Jimmy just nodded, avoiding the curious stares of his classmates as he went back to his grid. Penny immediately gave him a hug.

"They'll find Blair, I know they will!"

He wasn't surprised that they knew. In Jared's position he'd have listened in too. He looked into the woods, certain that Blair had gone in there; searching for Willy Coeter by himself.

"Can I tell you guys something?" Jimmy asked. He needed help, and there was no-one else at camp he could trust. Not with something this important. In hushed tones he told them about how he and Blair had followed the clues to Willy. He told them about the stolen notebook, and how Blair had helped him with his senses. He told them about the fight, guilt eating away at him.

"So you think he went in the woods to track Willy to his hideout? Kid's got balls." Jared shook his head. "Do you think he just got lost?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Anything could have happened." His mind conjured up images of Blair lying at the bottom of a cliff, or being gnawed on by a bear.

"We'll have a better chance of finding him," Penny said. "You can really hear his heartbeat?"

"Yeah. It's how I found him last night. But he must be…I don't know. Out of range." Or something, but he didn't want to think about that.

"We all have free rec next, right?" Roddy asked. "That would be a good time to slip away."

"It's not gonna be that easy." Jared packed up the field kit. "If one camper is missing, they're going to crack down on all of us."

"Be easier for just me," Jimmy said.

"No way!" Penny glared at him, hands on her hips. "You need our help."

"They can't watch us all the time," Jared pointed out. "If we go after everyone else is asleep, we'll have more time to search on our own before we're missed."

Jimmy hated the idea of waiting, but he knew Jared was right. He needed their help, and the counselors would just turn them away. And it wasn't like he could go to Miss Miles and accuse Willy Coeter, not without explaining.

"One a.m. should do it, don't you think?" Penny looked at her watch. "I know everyone in my cabin will be asleep by then."

"I'll be asleep by then."

"Shut up, Roddy."

"Thanks," Jimmy said quietly. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to cultivate friendships with these guys and still they were helping him. It meant a lot.

"We'll find him," Jared promised. Jimmy hoped that was true.

*o*o*o*

Jimmy wanted to skip dinner, but all the campers had to stay together as Jared predicted. He picked at his chicken, ignoring his cabinmates as they discussed what had become of Blair. A quick check of the cabin had shown that the kid had taken only his canteen, leaving everything else behind. It had been hours and he was out there without any food or supplies.

On his way back from returning his mostly-untouched tray, Jimmy was waylaid by Miss Miles. Gone was the perky grin, replaced by a grim look of concern.

"Jimmy? Mr. Barnhardt would like to talk to you."

He could feel a headache starting behind his eyes. He followed Miss Miles out of Central and over to the Admin building, dialing down his senses as he went. This was the last thing he needed. His skin started to itch almost as soon as they entered Admin.

Xander Barnhardt's office occupied the whole second floor and was decorated in a tasteful woodsy style, complete with Adirondack chairs and a table made from a massive, oblong piece of polished tree trunk that still had a ring of bark around it.

The man himself rose from his seat behind the table and gestured for Jimmy to sit in one of the two plush chairs available for guests.

"Thank you, Miss Miles," Mr. Barnhardt said with a dismissive wave. Jimmy felt trapped as soon as the door closed.

"I appreciate you coming, James. I thought, in light of recent events, we should talk."

"Is this about Blair?" Jimmy asked, lowering his volume dials as far as they would go. Whatever it was about this guy that set his skin crawling was so much worse in closer proximity.

"I want you to know we're doing all we can to find him." Mr. Barnhardt leaned back in his chair, fingers tented. "Unfortunately, he's not the first camper to run away from here."

"He didn't run away!" Jimmy said hotly before remembering his manners. "Sir."

"It's not unusual for a boy like Blair, someone who doesn't fit in with his peers. It's especially difficult for the more gifted children, who can be so socially stunted. I understand you're his only friend here."

"Blair didn't run away. All of his things are still in the cabin. I checked."

"Of course you did." Mr. Barnhardt smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I hear you're doing very well in the Crime Scene class. Mr. Doyle says good things about you."

"Sir, about Blair…"

The camp administrator moved forward, putting his elbows on the glossy table top. "I hate to think of him out there on his own, such a young boy. If he told you…anything…it would be beneficial for you to share it with me, James."

Jimmy didn't like the way this conversation was going. There was something oddly menacing about Mr. Barnhardt, even though he'd done nothing overtly threatening. There was a tone to his voice that wasn't quite right, and his assertion that Blair ran away was incredibly frustrating.

"He didn't tell me anything because he didn't run away, Sir. I think he's lost in the woods."

"Oh? Why would young Mr. Sandburg be out in the woods? That's restricted to campers without counselor supervision." Mr. Barnhardt's gaze was piercing.

"I don't know," Jimmy lied. He was not even slightly encouraged to share what he knew with this man. Even with the volume dials turned way down it was all he could do to sit still and not try to crawl out of his own skin.

"Why the woods, James? It's just as likely that Blair went for a swim or took a boat out. I hear he has some skill at kayaking. Of course, that's why we insist that all water sports be done in pairs; things can happen to even the most adept swimmers. Drowning is a terrible way to die."

Jimmy was finding it suddenly hard to breathe. He knew Blair had gone into the woods after Willy Coeter, but now his mind gave him a terrible vision of the kid floating face down in the lake. He wished Mr. Barnhardt would stop talking, would let him go. It sounded like he wanted something bad to happen to Blair.

"If you're holding anything back, James, you could be putting your friend at risk."

"I don't know anything," Jimmy said again. "May I please go?"

Mr. Barnhardt waved his hand at the door. "Of course. Just remember, James. You're the only one who can help us help Blair."

"Yes, Sir." Jimmy made a quick exit and fairly ran for the stairs. When he got outside he took several deep, gasping breaths. He was even more afraid for Blair now. Did Mr. Barnhardt know something? He certainly thought Jimmy did. There was one thing he'd been absolutely correct about, though.

Jimmy was the only one who could help Blair now.

AN: I struggled a bit with that last scene. I wanted Xander Barnhardt to be menacing, but in a friendly sort of way. If that makes any sense, LOL! Special thanks to my hubby, who helped me with this. You rock!

Will Jimmy and his super-sense Scooby Gang be able to find Blair? Tune in next chapter to find out!