The Inn at Holiday Bay: Clue in the Clam, Kathi Daley [early reader chapter books TXT] 📗

to join Kurt and Don. By the time I got there, Kurt was already smashed. I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with a drunken Kurt, so I went to my room.”

“And then?” I asked.

“And then I read for a while and went to bed. By the following morning, Lance had emerged and joined Don and me for breakfast. Don told us that Oliver, Henry, Stan, and Kurt were all at the other conference building, and he doubted we’d see them again. Lance joined Don and me at the first group meeting and then headed back to his room. Don was with me until lunch, but then one of the other men mentioned the food was much better in the party building, so he left as well. I attended the three remaining sessions that day.”

“Were there other men in attendance?” I asked.

“Sure. I would say there were a hundred men overall. In the beginning, most were with the main group; however, slowly but surely, we started losing people. By Sunday, there were hardly any of us left in the power building sessions.”

“So all the men from your group ended up in the party building?” I verified.

“All but Lance. He really was there to sleep. He joined me for a session every now and then, but most of the week was spent in his room.”

“Did you go over to the party building at all?” I asked.

“I poked my head in a few times. Oliver started gambling and couldn’t stop. I seriously feared that he’d end up bankrupting himself by the end of the trip. I tried to distract him by suggesting other options, but he was hooked, and there was no way anyone was getting him out of there until he either won all his money back or lost what was left.”

“And Stan?”

“It was all about sex for him. The guy seemed to have a different girl on his arm each day and in his bed each night. I think Stan had been to a similar retreat the company had thrown at another location. He was the one pushing us all to go with him, and he was the first one to head to the party building.”

Noah spoke for the first time in a while. “I can’t believe I let Stan hand out fliers to a middle-aged frat party.”

“You couldn’t know. And there were sessions offered like the sort advertised for those who wanted to attend. What hadn’t been advertised were the recreational opportunities that would also be offered. And it did seem like there was something for everyone. Kurt got blind stinking drunk his first night there and never sobered up until it was time to go home. He got in touch with his violent side and spent most of his time either fighting with other drunks with anger issues or sleeping it off as his body prepared for the next round. Don was more into the food. There was a twenty-four-hour buffet with all the greasy, fatty sugar-coated food you could eat. I think Don must have gained fifty pounds that week.”

“And Lance?”

“Lance never did join in. At least not that I saw. Like I said before, he was sleeping most of the time. I was the only one who even attempted to attend the regular sessions, but by Sunday afternoon, I’d settled into a funk.”

“Funk?” I asked.

“I guess I was conflicted. I’m not the sort to do the whole party thing, but I have to admit that the other guys were having a lot of fun. Oh, I was tempted to give in and join them, but I guess deep down, I knew that would make me miserable as well. I found myself unhappy with the decision to stay the course and attend the planned seminars, and I also found myself unhappy with thoughts of giving in and having some fun. I’m glad that I didn’t cheat on my wife or gamble my life savings away, but I have to say that after having attended that week, I’m having a harder time being happy with my life the way it is.” He looked directly at me. “Do you think the guys who died were killed because they chose to party rather than attend the seminars?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I’m not sure that week is even part of what’s going on. We’re just trying to cover all our bases.”

“I get it, and I’m grateful for the heads up. I think I’m going to call my wife about the change in travel plans.” Before he wandered back inside, he assured Noah and me that he wouldn’t allow himself to be alone and promised that he wouldn’t arrange to meet up with anyone other than his wife, even if the Pope himself called for a meeting. Noah and I felt we’d done what we could to warn the guy, who may or may not even be in any danger, so we said our goodbyes and headed toward Don Perry’s insurance office.

“What do you think the men’s retreat with the sinner’s option is really all about?” Noah asked as we drove across town.

“I’m not sure. At first, I thought the idea of a men’s retreat was simply a cover that men could feed to their wives and significant others so they would be able to have a wild guy’s week without getting any flack for it. But it sounded like even the guys don’t know the real deal until after they get there. Travis did say that Stan seemed to know what was going on from the beginning, and he is the one who recruited the other six, so maybe it’s one of those types of deals where once you’re initiated, in order to return, you have to bring six other men.”

“Maybe, but why? What does Evagrius Industries get out of it? If they simply want to provide