Grandfather Crypto by Anthony W. Eichenlaub

Author:Anthony W. Eichenlaub [Anthony W. Eichenlaub]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Anthony W. Eichenlaub
Published: 2023-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Kylie stared at Kate as if her glare alone might cause the woman to spill all her secrets.

It didn’t work.

Not that it mattered. Kylie knew not to trust the older woman. She’d even sent a warning to Papa so that he would know not to trust her. Not that he behaved any differently. She was a little surprised that he didn’t confront her in the camper, but he probably understood enough of their situation that he knew not to shake things up too much.

But what if Kate was working for their enemies? That would be worth shaking things up a little, wouldn’t it?

With a growl of frustration, Kylie set out toward the camp helper. Distraction. If that’s all Kate thought she was good for, then she would do it well. She stepped up to the entrance of the helper’s homey campground.

Kylie wrung her hands to show a lack of confidence. “Um, my grandfather…” She let her words trail off.

The helper set down her coffee. Now that she was up close, Kylie could see the features of the woman’s face. She was older—fifties, maybe sixties. The scarf that covered her neck bunched up oddly under her chin. Kylie hadn’t had a good look at the woman the previous night, but she thought she had been much younger. Maybe Kate wasn’t lying about this being an impostor. The truth of it stunned Kylie. What if everyone here was an impostor?

“I promised him firewood,” said the helper. “Didn’t I?”

Kylie swallowed. She knew how to act meek and helpless, even if she rarely felt that way. “Well, I’d like to keep the fire going.”

The helper let out an annoyed sigh and pointed at the shed, which was nearly overflowing with firewood. Kylie tentatively stepped into the camp, as if she were walking uninvited into another person’s home. She touched a bundle of firewood.

“Ow!” She sucked her finger.

“Sliver?” asked the woman.

Kylie nodded. “I’m not supposed to carry them.”

“Really,” the woman drolled.

Kylie chewed her lower lip until she thought she might bite clean through it.

“Fine.” The woman pressed herself up from her folding chair. She grabbed a bundle of wood in her calloused hand and started walking.

Kylie fell into step beside her. They passed Kate on the way back to Papa’s campground, and Kylie gave her a slight nod. Kylie only hoped she had picked the right side.

“How does a person get to be a camp helper?” Kylie asked.

At first, the woman didn’t answer, and Kylie thought she might simply dump the firewood and head straight back for the campsite. Finally, the woman said, “You have to practice.”

“Practice? What do you practice?”

“The job is sitting around doing nothing. Practice that for twenty years, and maybe you’ll someday land this prestigious job.”

Kylie laughed as if the woman were joking, even though she probably wasn’t. “I’m Kylie.”

“Call me Anika,” said the woman. “But tell your grandpa he can haul his own wood from now on.”

“I’ll tell him,” said Kylie. “But he’s not much of a listener.”

“What about the big guy?” asked Anika.

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