Camp Pleasant by Richard Matheson Page A

blank look of shock crossed Merv’s spotlighted face. His voice became almost inaudible.
    “Through?”
    “You heard me,” Ed said.
    Then I noticed another shadow which, up till then, had been hidden behind the bulk of Ed Nolan. I couldn’t make out who it was though.
    “Now, one
moment,”
Merv said, his voice rising nervously, “I told you I left my bathrobe here on the dock. I did
not
come walking down here like this.”
    “Where is it then?” asked Ed Nolan. “Did it fly away?”
    “Maybe it was
taken
away,” Merv said tensely.
    “Oh, don’t give me that,” said Ed.
    “Listen, I’m telling you that—”
    “I’m not interested in what you got to tell me, Loomis,” Ed interrupted. He pointed the flash beam toward shore, then back. “Come on. Get off this dock. You got fifteen minutes to clear outta my camp.”
    “Fifteen—!”
    “You heard me!”
    “Now, wait a
moment
,” Merv insisted. “You can’t—”
    Ed grabbed Merv’s arm and shoved him toward shore. “Get
movin’
, boy,” he said, his voice thick with menace. “You haven’t a leg t’stand on. Goldberg and I both saw you.”
    I heard Sid say, “But, Ed, I—”
    “No buts about it,” Ed cut in. “I’m not havin’ no pervert in
my
camp.”
    “Listen, I don’t have to take this—” Merv started.
    “I said fifteen minutes!” Ed snapped. “If you’re not out by then, I’ll
throw
you out!”
    “Are you actually—”
    “Get!”
Ed shoved at Merv’s back and Merv went stumbling forward, slipping to one knee on the wet boards.
“Get up!”
Ed roared.
    “Take it easy, Ed,” Sid tried to calm him.
    I felt my stomach muscles tightening as they started off the dock. I saw Ed flash the light beam at Merv’s buttocks.
    “Now ain’t he
cute,”
he said, his voice low and vicious.
    Merv’s head snapped around suddenly as he glared at Ed, the bright light splashing up his rigid features.
    “That’s enough of that,” he said in a voice that trembled with anger.
    “Oh, that’s enough, is it?” Ed started forward until Sid grabbed his arm.
    “Take it
easy
, Ed,” he cautioned.
    “No damn pervert’s gonna talk to
me
like that,” Ed answered.
    Now the tall gauntness of Merv Loomis came walking past a few yards away from us and Bob and I held our breath, standing very still. I was thinking about the disappearance of Merv’s bathrobe. It bothered me; almost as much as it bothered me that Ed should just happen to be on the dock with a flashlight as the bathrobe disappeared. Ed and Sid walked by next and we heard Sid trying to talk Ed out of throwing Merv out of camp and Ed’s stubbornly angry reply—more than loud enough for Merv to hear—
    “Naw. Naw. I’m not havin’ any damn pervert in
my
camp. Use your brains, Goldberg. With all these kids, I’m s’posed to let someone like
him
loose? Takin’ ‘em on hikes? Bein’ alone in the
woods
with ‘em? What kind o’ thinkin’ is
that
, Goldberg?” The light flashed up. “Keep movin’, Loomis!”
    “Ed, he’s been here for five years,” Sid argued. “If anything was going to happen, don’t you think it would have—”
    “There’s always a first time,” said Ed Nolan sternly. “Always a first time. No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I don’t like to fire nobody any more than you would. But my job is takin’ care of these kids and if I let this jaybird stay, I wouldn’t be doin’ my job. You saw it, Goldberg, you saw him swimmin’ naked and no clothes around at all.”
    The three of them moved into the night.
    “Jesus Christ,” I heard Bob mutter slowly.
    “Well …” I swallowed. “He’s got him. Right where he wants him.”
    We stood in silence a moment.
    “What’ll we do?” Bob asked then. “Go back to our—”
    “No,” I broke in. “I want to see it. I want to remember.”
    Without a word, Bob followed me along the shore and up toward the edge of the clearing where the cabin was that slept the craft shop counselors, the kitchen help