Page 22 of The Catcher
“And why would they take it?” Noah asked.
Sam shrugged. “Why does anyone do anything? Maybe it’s to piss people off. Maybe they think it’s junk. It’s cluttering up God’s earth. You name it; I’m sure there are reasons.”
McKenzie threw his arms up. “Aye, that’s just great! I just nearly killed myself ascending this hill to find it’s gone?” McKenzie grumbled, taking a seat on a nearby bench and exhaling heavily.
“Perhaps one of the staff removed it,” Noah suggested, scanning the area for any signs of maintenance personnel.
“And why would they do that?” McKenzie retorted.
Sam was quick to answer that. “Well, some have tried to dispute that the observatory at Whiteface Mountain is private property and you’re not supposed to have geocaches on private property without permission. However, this isn’t private property,” Sam explained. “It’s not privately owned, and it’s accessible to the public by a paved controlled highway. But that’s not to say you don’t have some dipshits who think it is and will argue until they are blue in the face.”
Noah nodded, absorbing the information. The kid was valuable. Sure, they could get up to speed on this geocaching stuff, but it was easier to lean on someone else’s experience, and clearly, this kid knew it inside out. The only trouble was he was the first to find the body. If he had anything to do with it, it would only make sense that he would want to throw them off the scent. But Noah didn’t get that sense. Still, nothing could be ruled out.
“Stay here, catch your breath, take in the views. I’ll go ask the staff,” Noah said, making a decision.
“I’ll come with you,” Sam offered, eager to be involved.
“No, you stay here. Keep searching. Besides, McKenzie has been just biting at the bit to learn about geocaching, haven’t you?” Noah said, shooting a wink at McKenzie.
McKenzie pursed his lips as if he was about to protest, but then a look of curiosity flickered across his face, and he nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, sure, I suppose I could learn a thing or two.”
Noah flashed a quick grin before turning and heading towards the observatory building. He left McKenzie, the officers, Sam, and Isabella behind to search for the missing geocache.
Noah entered the gift shop on the top floor of Whiteface Castle. The interior was cozy yet quaint, with wooden beams crisscrossing the ceiling and rustic stone walls adorned with shelves of souvenirs. The assortment of trinkets and memorabilia ranged from keychains and postcards to plush toys and locally made crafts.
At the center of the room stood a large counter, behind which a woman in her forties was assisting a customer with a purchase. The woman wore a friendly smile as she engaged in conversation, her demeanor warm and welcoming.
Once the customer left, Noah approached the counter and flashed his badge. “Would you happen to know who is in charge of the observatory up on the summit?” he inquired.
The woman nodded, her expression turning serious. “That would be Doug Stevens. Let me get him for you,” she replied, disappearing momentarily to fetch the man in question.
As Noah waited, his gaze wandered to the racks of clothing lining the walls. His eyes scanned the assortment of jackets and sweatshirts, but his attention was drawn to the cameras mounted discreetly in the room’s corners. Despite feeling like he was on the right track in the investigation, a nagging doubt lingered in his mind.
Perhaps the lock of hair found at the crime scene wassimply a red herring, a cruel taunt from the perpetrator meant to throw the police off the trail. And the instructions for the geocache could have been nothing more than a clever ruse, sending them on a wild goose chase that ultimately led to nothing. Noah couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty as he pondered the possibilities, his mind racing with questions and doubts.
“I’m Doug Stevens. How can I help?” a tall gentleman greeted Noah, his balding head and casual attire giving him a relaxed air.
“Well, that’s the thing, I’m not sure if you can,” Noah replied, his tone guarded as he brought Doug up to speed on why they were there, careful not to divulge any sensitive information regarding the case.
As Noah explained their situation, Doug listened attentively, nodding in understanding. “Now that you mention it, yeah, we had one of our staff members bring it in,” Doug admitted.
“You did?” This revelation piqued Noah’s interest.
“Between you and me, I have no problem with people playing these games. It’s harmless fun. But the county doesn’t like it. They see it as littering. We have to preserve this place. If we let one person do it, more people will follow suit, even if it does bring more people up to the summit,” Doug explained.
“Do you have it?” Noah asked, hoping for a breakthrough in their investigation.
“You’re a day late. It was thrown out yesterday. The garbage truck came by. Probably in the landfill by now,” Doug replied.
Noah nodded, disappointment weighing heavily in his chest. “The staff member who found it. Did they look at it?”
“You’d have to ask them. I just told them to throw it in the trash,” Doug admitted.
Noah stood there, silently urging Doug to provide the name of the staff member. It took Doug a moment to catch on.
“Oh, it’s Barry Carlise. It’s his day off. I can give you his phone number,” Doug offered, pulling out a notepad and pen.
“I’d appreciate that,” Noah said gratefully, taking down the information before bidding Doug farewell and heading out to find the others.
