Dead Frenzy by Victoria Houston Page B

who had followed him down.
    “Lewellyn Ferris,” she said as he pumped her hand. She glanced at her watch, then started toward the path again. “Tight lines, boys.” She waved.
    “Say, you two,” said Harold, “we got a nice rig parked back there. Feel free to take a look if you want. Cold beers in the fridge, help yourself.”
    Lew and Osborne marched through the darkening forest in silence. The float tube was rigged higher this time and bounced much less, so Osborne kept up with Lew’s pace easily. What a day this had been. His heart was so full, he didn’t know what to say, much less where to begin. He opted for silence. They both did. It wasn’t until they’d reached the bend that took them into the birch and maple woods that Lew paused for a moment.
    “Goddam worm fishermen,” she said, looking back down the path toward their new friends. “They’re gonna catch a couple big trout and eat ‘em, goddamit.”
    Osborne shifted his pack slightly. “You think so, huh.” It was a rhetorical question.
    “I know so. I checked out their equipment—all they got are lures with barbed hooks. I can guarantee old Bert and Harold are not into catch-and-release, that’s for sure.”
    It was nearly pitch black when they reached the parking area. Lew’s truck was still the only vehicle in the small clearing.
    “What the—I wonder where those two parked?” she said as she unlocked the truck. Working fast with the help of a flashlight, they stowed the float tubes first, then loaded the rest of their gear. Once inside, they hadn’t driven fifty yards down the rutted narrow lane when they discovered why the two men had been so surprised to see them.
    The latecomers had parked before reaching the end of the lane in a wider clearing and for good reason—they were driving a huge brand-spanking-new RV.
    Osborne whistled. “That bus must cost at least a hundred thousand dollars.”
    “How the hell can those two cheese balls afford a rig like this?” said Lew.
    She turned off the ignition, but left the headlights on as she reached for the flashlight. Osborne followed her out of the truck and around the RV. Lew ran the flashlight across the clearing where the RV was parked. Sure enough, a path led off in the direction of the lake. Not only that, but the beam picked up signs of other vehicles having parked there previously as well.
    “Looks like that fishing guide from Marquette is taking over the place.” Lew was not happy. “I’m going to ask Ralph to give him a call—tell him to back off with the worm fishermen.”
    “Good luck.”
    “No, Doc, if he gets a call from someone like Ralph, someone who owns a sporting goods store and could potentially send clients his way—maybe he’ll listen. Worth a try anyway. This
was
a good place to fish. Jeez, this thing is at least forty feet long!” She walked around the front of the RV.
    “What’d I tell you?” She pointed to a deluxe gas grill set up on the grass outside the door leading into the RV. “Dammit!”
    A metal canopy had been pulled forward from above the door to the RV. Alongside the door, it appeared that a section of the humongous vehicle had been pushed out from the inside to expand the interior space. An inner door stood open behind the closed screen door. Lew tried the handle—it was unlocked.
    “Harold invited us …” she said, opening the door and stepping back for him to go first. “After you, Doctor…. ”
    “Would you leave a vehicle like this unlocked? I sure wouldn’t,” said Osborne, hesitating on the top step. He felt uneasy entering but Lew was determined to see the inside of the RV.
    “Keep going, Doc, and don’t worry. I would break the lock if I had to—hard to believe this belongs to those two jokers. I have to wonder if it’s stolen…. ”
    “I doubt it. I mean they introduced themselves. Would they do that if they had a stolen vehicle sitting here?”
    “Doc, you need to spend more time in my line of work—you won’t