A Merry Murder at St Bernard Cabins

by Cindy Bell

  “It was you,” Sonia whispered.

  “Me?” Ken’s eyes snapped towards her. “What do you know about me?”

  “Nothing.” Sonia cleared her throat. “I don’t know anything, Ken. I wanted to know you. I thought you were a good man.”

  “I am.” Ken opened the wine, then gathered two wine glasses. “Some would say I’m a very good man. I’ve been very generous throughout my life. But I made one mistake.” He filled both glasses to the brim, then set the bottle of wine down. “I took some things.” He picked up the wine glasses and walked towards her. “And due to unfortunate circumstances, I had to kill someone to protect my identity, to keep from getting caught.” He paused in front of her, and offered her one of the glasses. “Things get out of hand so quickly.”

  “No, thank you.” Sonia drew back against the couch.

  “Don’t, don’t do that.” Ken squinted at her and thrust the glass towards her. A few drops of the liquid splashed over the brim of the glass and dropped down onto the white trousers he wore.

  “I’m sorry,” Sonia whispered, and took the glass from him.

  “That’s better. This doesn’t have to be any different than we planned. Remember? We were going to spend the afternoon together.” Ken sat down beside her. After a long swallow of his wine, he looked over at her. “You’re such a wonderful woman, Sonia.”

  “What have you done to Nikki?” Sonia shivered as he leaned closer to her.

  “What makes you think I’ve done anything to her?” Ken chuckled. “She was foolish enough to get herself in some bad circumstances. Nothing I can do about that.”

  “What circumstances?” Her heartbeat quickened, though it was already racing.

  “Never mind that. I need to work out what to do with you, now that you know I am on the run.”

  “On the run?” Sonia stared at him, stunned by the revelation. She realized that Ken thought she knew many secrets about him.

  * * *

  Nikki gazed down into the open box. Her heart pounded as she saw the stack of photographs and papers. She reached into the box and pulled them out.

  “This is what Ashley was hiding.” Nikki pulled off one of her gloves and began to sift through the photographs. Max was featured prominently in the first few. There was a photograph of him with his two dogs, as well as one of him with Gloria. The third one showed Max, Gloria, and Ken huddled around the desk in the lobby. Beneath those, were more pictures. These featured Ken. Ken on the snowmobile, Ken with a bottle of wine in his hand, Ken putting on a pair of ski goggles.

  “I don’t understand, why are there so many pictures of Ken?” Nikki frowned as she dug a little deeper into the stack.

  “Never mind that, give me the box.” Kyle snatched it from her hands, then began to dig at the snow that blocked the door of the cave.

  “Wait a minute.” Nikki’s eyes widened as she studied the pictures of Ken. One featured a birthmark on the back of his neck. Another depicted a scar on the back of his hand. “It’s almost as if she was trying to identify him.” She skimmed back over the other photographs. Suddenly her heart lurched. “It’s the same wine in the photograph on Ashley’s camera.” She searched further and found a folded-up piece of paper. She opened it to reveal what looked like an article printed out from an online newspaper. Wine Thief on the Run. Nikki read through the article that detailed how a wine maker that used to work at a winery in Ettowah had taken off with thousands of dollars from takings and many bottles of wine, including a dozen vintage bottles of wine worth thousands. The thief was still on the run.

  “Nikki, I don’t think you know how serious our situation is here.” Kyle shot her a stern look. “We need to get out of here.”

  “Yes, we do. Kyle, it was Ken. He’s the one that killed Ashley, I know it. She was blackmailing him, that’s why she wanted to meet him up here.” Nikki frowned. “It’s why he killed her. To keep his secret.”

  “Maybe, but if that’s the case, then his problem is already solved. No one else knows what he’s hiding.” Kyle hacked at the snow in front of him. “And there’s no way we are going to be able to tell them.”

  “Let me help.” Nikki pulled one of her boots off and used the tread on the bottom to dig at the snow. By the time she finally dropped it, her arm felt as if it might fall off. She gazed at the minimal progress she had made. Kyle had managed to get through a bit of the snow, but the news wasn’t good.

  “The snow is thicker than I’d hoped. It’s going to take some more time. We should rest for a few minutes.” Kyle looked at her. “Nikki, we need to conserve as much energy and heat as we can. You need to turn off your flashlight, we’ll just use mine.”

  As Nikki slid her finger across the screen to turn off her flashlight, she noticed the time. Stunned, she looked up at her brother.

  “Merry Christmas, Kyle!”

  “You’re not serious?” He stepped closer to her. “Has it been that long?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Her chest tightened as she realized what that meant. There was a good chance that they wouldn’t make it through the night, and just about zero chance that anyone was coming for them. It was so dark she shivered.

  “It’s Christmas.” Kyle sighed and closed his eyes. “And we’re stuck here. Mom and Dad are probably stranded at some airport. All because I had the good idea to invite you all here.”

  “Kyle, none of this is your fault.” Nikki wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.” She pulled him closer. “We just need to keep each other warm, and trust that someone will find us.”

  “It’s hard for me to trust in something that’s so unlikely.” He frowned.

  “What other choice do we have?” Nikki shivered as the cold seeped into her. The thought of the darkness that would surround them when they ran out of battery terrified her. But she needed to remain strong for Kyle. “We have to trust.”

  “You’re right.” Kyle rested his head back against the wall of the cave. “This is just some terrible set of circumstances. Maybe everything will turn around, maybe luck will be on our side. We need a miracle.”

  Nikki’s stomach twisted as it occurred to her that it might not have just been bad luck. If Ken was trying to hide something about himself, maybe he began to get suspicious of Sonia for asking questions. Maybe, he had decided that they were onto him. Maybe, he had followed them up the side of Fir Mountain.

  “Kyle, what if we weren’t alone up here?” Nikki tipped her head to the side to look at him. “What if someone trapped us in here?”

  “I told you, it’s dangerous up here. It’s just a coincidence, Nikki. There is no way anyone could have caused this to happen.” Kyle pulled away from her. “I’m going to see if I can dig a little more. You should try to get some rest.”

  “Kyle, you’ve barely sat down.” Nikki grabbed his hand. “You’re going to exhaust yourself.”

  “What does it matter?” Kyle glanced back at her. “If we don’t get out of here, we’re never going home, Nikki. Never.”

  Nikki realized that her brother had given up. She watched as he tore at the snow. Why wouldn’t he give up? Things were stacked against them. Sonia’s words carried through her mind. She’d encouraged her to stay optimistic. If that was the only tool she had left, then that was the tool she would use.

  “I’m not going to need rest in here. We’re going to get out of here soon.” Nikki grabbed her boot and began hacking at the snow again.

  “Easy Nikki, don’t hurt yourself.” Kyle ground the metal box into the snow. “I think we’re making some progress. But if you hear a crack or a creek, get back right away. Snow is extremely heavy, it can crush us if we get caught under it.”

  “I’ll be careful.” Nikki continued to dig right beside him. Maybe it wasn’t the way she had imagined spending Christmas morning, but she was glad that Kyle was with her. She’d prefer that he’d be somewhere far away and safe, but as it was, at least they had each other.

  Chapt
er 17

  Sonia looked over at the clock. It was almost midnight. She closed her eyes as Ken walked past her, then back towards the door.

  “I just want to spend some time with you before I go. The roads are clearing up and I have to leave before dawn.” He turned back to look at her.

  Coco whined at the front door. Princess nuzzled deeper into Sonia’s lap.

  “Please, let me take the dogs out. It’s been hours, they need to use the bathroom. Let me just get some fresh air, and then I’ll spend whatever time I can with you. Okay?” Sonia’s voice wavered as she spoke. She did her best to ignore the fear that bubbled up within her. She guessed that soon he would kill her. She wanted to buy some time. Her thoughts remained on Nikki. She knew now that there was no chance Nikki was somewhere safe. She would never be gone so long.

  “Fine, take the dogs out.” Ken crossed his arms as he stared at her. “I’ll be going with you. If you try to get anyone’s attention, if you try to run, your time will be up.” Ken locked his eyes to hers.

  “I won’t do any of that.” Sonia shook her head. “I promise.”

  “Good.” Ken smiled as he stroked her cheek. “I didn’t think that you would, but I thought it would be best to make things clear.”

  “Crystal clear.” Sonia managed a smile.

  “Excellent. Make sure you bundle up. It’s freezing out there.” Ken gestured to her coat on the coat rack near the door.

  “Sure.” Sonia grabbed her coat, slid on her boots, and even wrapped a scarf around her neck. However, at the last moment she pulled the scarf back off. Wasn’t that how Ashley had died? She didn’t want to give Ken any ideas. It made her feel sick to think that she hadn’t really suspected him. She was more eager to believe that the killer was Gloria, or Betsy, or Max, or Brent, than to even consider that it could be Ken. Now that she knew for sure, she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. How could a man as fascinating and eloquent as Ken turn out to be one of the worst kinds of people, a murderer? As she put on Princess’ leash, she felt her heart lurch. She needed to protect the dogs. She needed to keep them safe.

  Sonia stepped out into the brisk night air, and realized it was colder than she had ever felt it. Ice seemed to flow through her veins as she held tightly to the leashes. If Nikki was there, she would know exactly what to do to keep the dogs calm. Especially since she was sure that they could both tell just how frightened she was. But even though she was scared Sonia knew that she would do anything to keep Princess and Coco safe.

  Sonia was a few steps away from the door of the cabin, with Ken right behind her, when she heard sudden footsteps, and then a thump. She gasped and spun around in time to see a figure wrestling Ken to the ground.

  Coco began to bark, and soon Princess joined in. Both dogs created quite a commotion, at a time when most guests at the resort would have been sleeping. As the man on top of Ken finally subdued him, Sonia heard the sound of handcuffs clicking shut.

  “Quinn?” Sonia squinted through the darkness at the man who got to his feet.

  “Sonia.” Quinn met her eyes. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  “No, he didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.” She shook her head as she stared at him. “What are you doing here? How did you know to come?”

  “Where’s Nikki?” Quinn looked back towards the cabin. “I’ve been watching through the window for a chance to get to Ken, but I didn’t see her inside. I got your text earlier saying you weren’t sure where she was. Is she still missing?”

  “Yes, Quinn I’m sorry. It’s been hours.” Sonia gasped as Ken squirmed on the ground.

  “Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere.” Quinn gestured to Conner and Schwitz who had been hidden by the side of the cabin. “We know exactly who you are.” Quinn stared down at the man in handcuffs. “You’re not getting away.”

  “What do you mean, Quinn?” Sonia took a step towards him. “We have to do something. Explain to me what you’re talking about?”

  “What’s going on here?” Max jogged up to the scene.

  “This man, who you know as Ken, is on the run for theft. I was able to link together the date from the toll receipt and the date of the theft. He worked for the winery in Ettowah and took off with thousands of dollars, and thousands of dollars worth of wine. After Nikki sent me the name he was using, I ran it through the system. It popped up as a potential alias, and I began to sort through the information that she had given me. The pictures she sent matched the information that was on file about him. Where the money was stolen from, the direction he would have been coming from, and the blonde hair bleach.” He narrowed his eyes. “When I couldn’t get in contact with either you or Nikki, my instincts told me that you were stuck here with a murderer.”

  “Wait, the hair bleach?” Sonia frowned. “Ken has light brown hair, not blonde.”

  “Actually, he has dark hair. Black.” Quinn glanced over at Ken as he was escorted away. “In order to dye it light brown, he would have had to bleach it first, which explains the blonde hair bleach. I reached out to the local police department and found there had been a few tips called in about his possible presence in this area. That’s when I decided I needed to get here.” He shook his head as his gaze swept across the snow. “Luckily, the local police department was willing to assist me in getting through the roads. They’re now participating in the investigation. Officer Conner and Schwitz have been helping me.”

  “Good, because I have some information to report to them. Someone has stolen a snowmobile from the garage. It was taken by Kyle.” Max glared at Sonia. “But I can guess who he was with.”

  “Kyle is with her. I knew it.” Sonia sighed with relief. “At least she is not alone.”

  “Is there any record of where the snowmobile went?” Quinn took a step towards Max. His eyes narrowed as they locked on Max.

  “What are you going to do when you find them? I want to know that you are going to arrest them for theft.” Max crossed his arms.

  “Don’t give me any trouble.” Quinn crossed the small distance between them until he was nearly nose to nose with the man. “I know what you were doing. I know that you were trying to let Kyle take the fall to get the attention off you and your wife.”

  “All right, all right.” Max took a step back and held up his hands. “I just needed to protect what was mine. Besides, how was I supposed to know that Kyle was innocent?”

  “Just tell us where they went.” Sonia’s voice cut through the tension between the two men. “Tell us now, Max, that’s all we care about. Everything else will be forgotten.”

  Quinn shot her a brief look, but didn’t say anything to contradict her.

  “Here.” Max held out his phone to Sonia. “The GPS app is on and already set to the missing snowmobile. It shows their location earlier today. But the signal was lost a few hours ago. You can follow it up to the last place they were. It’s very dangerous in that area at the moment.” He lowered his voice. “If that’s where they went, then it’s probably already too late.”

  “What a terrible thing to say.” Sonia swatted at him.

  “Hey, watch it!” Max scowled as he backed away from her.

  “Sonia, don’t.” Quinn caught her hand. “The important thing right now is that we find Nikki and Kyle.”

  “Yes, let’s get going. Let me just get the dogs inside.” Sonia started towards the door.

  “No Sonia.” Quinn met her eyes. “You aren’t coming with me. You know that Nikki wouldn’t want you to. I need you to stay here in case she finds her way back.”

  “Quinn, I—”

  “The more you argue the longer they are sitting out there in the cold somewhere!” Quinn’s voice sharpened, then he frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to debate.” He looked at Max. “Can you bring your dogs to help look for them?”

  “No way.” Max shook his head. “There is no way I am going on that mountain, it is too dangerous.”

  “Can I take the dogs then?” Quinn narrowed hi
s eyes.

  “Sorry, but no, they won’t listen to you.”

  “Okay.” Quinn gritted his teeth, clearly furious. “I don’t have time to argue. I will have to take Coco then.” Quinn took Coco’s leash from Sonia. “I’m going to find them both, Sonia, I promise.”

  Sonia winced as she watched him take off across the snow, with Coco in tow. She wanted more than anything to be at his side. But she knew he was right. Nikki had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that she remained safe. As she carried Princess inside the cabin, her heart pounded. The killer had been caught, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t already claimed the lives of two more victims. Nikki and Kyle had gone up the mountain to find the truth, she just hoped that they would be able to come back down again. She closed her eyes and leaned against the cabin door.

  “Nikki, help is coming, sweetheart, just hang in there.”

  * * *

  Nikki’s eyes popped open. She shivered as she realized that she must have fallen asleep. She reached for her phone to check the time, and found that it wouldn’t turn on. The battery was dead.

  Kyle grunted as he slammed the box into the snow.

  “Kyle, you have to take a break. Come sit with me and warm up.” Nikki opened her arms to him as he slumped down to the ground beside her.

  “I’m sorry, Nikki, I can’t get through.”

  “It’s all right.” She patted his leg. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

  “We’re not getting out of here.” Kyle shuddered. “It’s impossible.”

  “We will. I know we will.” She tilted her head until she could look into his eyes. “It’s Christmas, Kyle. Later today, we’ll be sitting around a fire, with Mom and Dad, and all of this will be a memory.”

  “Are you kidding, Mom and Dad are going to kill us when they find out about this.” Kyle managed a short laugh.