Bram picked up the pitcher, held it to the light, then sniffed. It did smell like a stagnant pond. He turned to Angie. “Do you have a sterile jar or container of some kind?”

She nodded and left the room, returning with a jar and lid. “Will this work?”

Bram grimly nodded, then poured some water into the jar. “I’ll take this with me for testing. I’d like to speak with each of you individually, starting with you, Angie. The rest of you should remain here.”

Darby caught his gaze and mouthed, Twine?

He shook his head, then turned toward Dee Dee. “Did you drink the water?”

She nodded.

“The good news is giardia is pretty easy to treat. Did any of the rest of you take a drink?”

No one spoke.

“Okay. I’ll find Roy, update him, and see if I can borrow his office.”

A search of the lodge turned up cleaning staff at work and Cookie. He debated telling her but decided to wait until he’d spoken to Roy. He finally found Roy standing next to Wyatt at the fenced field.

Roy’s face was pinched and he was compulsively opening and closing his hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“Looks like the helicopters must have spooked the horses. They pushed through the gate. A couple of us are going to go after them.”

“Including the Belgian that pulls the supply wagon?”

“No. He was in the barn. I thought you were leaving with the second copter.”

“Something came up.”

Roy turned to leave, then stopped. “What do you mean, ‘something came up’? What now?”

Chapter 11

As soon as Bram left to find Roy, Angie began pacing and gnawing on a fingernail.

“Please sit down, Angie,” I said.

“I can’t sit. First my art room is trashed, then the bear, now this! Someone is out to get me.”

I wanted to point out that the bear was out to get me, but she didn’t look in any mood to be corrected. Her agitated movements were upsetting the others even more. Dee Dee seemed loath to leave the sink, Grace still hadn’t moved from where she’d dropped the glass, and Stacy had buried her head in her husband’s shoulder.

I wasn’t here as a first responder, but if I didn’t calm them down, I’d never be able to get any evidence or information from them. Address their needs. They needed to feel safe, to express their emotions, and to know what would come next.

Angie stopped pacing for a moment. A fat tear ran down her face.

“As Bram said,” I began in a low, soft voice, “even if you did take a sip, you’ll be fine. It’s normal to be upset and frightened, but Bram will find out how it happened. For now, let’s take a few deep breaths.” I demonstrated.

Everyone followed suit.