Deadly Getaway

by Laura Bradford

  She stared at the muscular animals as they drew closer, their warm breath mingling with the cold afternoon air in tiny cloud-like puffs. A man dressed in a thick overcoat sat on a berth just behind the horses, a tan derby hat atop his bushy brown hair.

  “Whoa there, fellas.” The young man pulled back on the reins gently, the horses exhaling loudly as they slowed to a stop. “Are you Mitch Burns and Elise Jenkins?”

  Mitch stepped forward. “Yes?”

  “Your pilot called as you were leaving the mainland and told me you were on your way. I’m here to take you to your hotel.”

  Elise suddenly felt like a little girl on Christmas morning, thrilled at the sight of brightly wrapped packages, yet eager to see what was inside. The small bits and pieces she remembered from her childhood vacation to the island were happy ones. Her aunt and uncle had looked so in love on that trip, so full of plans for their future. It was that memory of them that she wanted to hold on to forever.

  The driver jumped down from his seat and picked up their suitcases. “Hop in and we’ll be on our way in just a minute. There’s a couple of blankets under my seat. You might want to grab some for the drive into town. But be careful you don’t burn yourselves on the warmer.”

  Elise happily took hold of Mitch’s outstretched hand and allowed him to help her onto the sled. Her Christmas vision faded into every woman’s dream of being Cinderella for a day. Prince Charming and all.

  She settled onto the narrow yet comfortable bench and reached for the lone red blanket beneath the driver’s empty seat. The soft wool warmed her cold hands as she carefully unfolded the material.

  The driver took his place behind the reins and turned to look at them, his brows furrowing. “You might want to grab the blue one too, it’s gonna be a cold ride.”

  “Blue one?”

  “The blue blank—” He broke off abruptly. “Ah, I’m sorry. I gave that one away a few hours ago, to a kid who was on the noon flight. I tried to give him a ride with the other guy from that plane, but he said he didn’t have far to go. I gave him the blanket ’cause his coat wasn’t meant for the temps we get here.”

  “Don’t worry about it. This red one should be fine.” Elise spread the blanket across Mitch’s lap and snuggled closer to him. “See, it works great.”

  “Good. Now let’s get you folks to your hotel before that blanket cools off too much.” The driver turned toward the horses and stopped. “Wait. Where to?”

  “The Island Inn,” she answered softly.

  The young man clicked his tongue, urged the horses forward, their sleigh bells jingling once again.

  “You warm enough?” Mitch asked her, his breath forming small white clouds as he spoke.

  “Oh, yes.”

  She inhaled slowly, relishing the clean cool air that filled her lungs. If there was any place on earth that could help her forget the terror of last summer, this was surely it. A place this remote, this breathtaking, was the kind of haven she had been craving for months.

  “My name’s Joe. If I can answer any questions for you during the ride, please ask.”

  Mitch scooted closer to her, taking her hand in his before turning his attention to the driver. “Do you live here year-round?”

  “I sure do. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” The young man reached up and repositioned the cap on his bushy brown hair. “As a matter of fact, our quiet life has attracted a decent number of people over the years. Retirees, writers, artists. The kind of folks who crave beauty. And privacy.”

  “How big is the island?” Mitch asked.

  “The perimeter road around the entire island is eight-point-three miles. No motorized vehicles are allowed anywhere on the island except for our one fire truck. And that ain’t been used in over ten years. But in the winter we’re allowed to use snowmobiles to get around.”

  “Is a plane the only access off during the winter?”

  “This time of year, yeah. One of the ferryboat lines runs a limited schedule until about New Year’s, but then we’re down to the plane that brought you here. And even that’s dependent on the weather.”

  “The pilot said we’re in for quite a storm tonight.” Mitch pulled the blanket higher on Elise’s lap. “That could really shut this place down, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah. If we get even close to what they’re predicting, it won’t matter what kind of transportation we do or don’t have. Because nothing will be running.”

  “What about cell phone coverage?” Mitch asked, looking around. “I don’t notice any towers.”

  “There aren’t any.” Joe shifted in his seat and jostled the reins ever so gently. “If you’re real lucky you might get spotty service but it’s generally more trouble than it’s worth.”

  Elise listened carefully, soaking up every word the driver spoke. “Do you ever feel isolated out here?” she asked suddenly.

  “Most of us locals like the peace and quiet. We get our dose of the outside world when the fudgies come to town in the summer.”

  She laughed. “What’s a fudgie?”

  “That’s what we call the uh, um, tourists.” Joe’s voice grew quiet, uncomfortable. “But don’t get me wrong. We’d be hard-pressed to survive out here if it weren’t for visitors like yourselves.”

  “Don’t worry, Joe. We’re not offended. We come from a tourist town too.” She leaned her head against Mitch’s shoulder and sighed happily. “But why do you call them fudgies?”

  “Once you get down to Main Street and you see all the fudge shops that exist because of the summer crowd, you’ll understand.”

  “Oh, we understand, don’t we, Mitch? Except where we come from it’s saltwater taffy the tourists crave.”

  Mitch’s laugh, deep and hearty, echoed through the tree-lined pathway. “Can you just imagine the guys in the department referring to our tourists as taffies?” He straightened in his seat, sucked in his chest, and deepened his voice as he spoke. “I just clocked a taffy goin’ twenty over.”

  Instantly, Elise ducked her head into Mitch’s chest, the image he created sending her into a fit of giggles. Giggles that only multiplied as she envisioned her own coworkers at the paper talking about “taffies” at their weekly staff meeting.

  “Are you a police officer, sir?” Joe asked from his seat as their laughter finally died down.

  “Call me Mitch. And yeah, I’m a detective.”

  “I guess you guys like to get away from the real world, huh?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “The last guy I brought into town was a cop too.” Joe pulled in the reins as they approached a small hill. “He didn’t seem to want to talk much, so I let him be. I imagine you guys have pretty stressful jobs. Especially nowadays.”

  Elise fell silent as Mitch and the driver continued to talk. There was something hypnotic about the sound of the sleigh bells and the gait of the horses. It was almost as if the quiet snow-covered path led to a place where all sense of time and worry was wiped away. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she would think she was on a totally deserted island. They hadn’t passed a single soul or seen a house since they left the airport.

  A low soft whistle broke through her thoughts and she looked up at Mitch.

  “Whoa. Would you look at that place. Wouldn’t that be an awesome vacation home? Tucked away behind those big trees you almost wouldn’t know it was there. Now that’s leaving the world behind.”

  She looked in the direction Mitch was pointing, the corner of the familiar log cabin just visible through the lowest branches of a tall evergreen. The years that had come and gone since she’d last seen it evaporated into thin air. It hadn’t changed one bit. She swiped quickly at the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks, fearful that Mitch would see them, desperate to keep that aspect of her life a secret.

  She was a fool for thinking she could come here and forget.

  Chapter Two

  4:00 p.m.

  Elise peered at her reflection in the antique ov
al mirror above the mahogany dresser. The sleigh ride to the inn had brought a healthy glow to her cheeks, and her blue eyes sparkled despite the unexpected trip down memory lane.

  She breathed in deeply, willed herself to focus on today. She was in the middle of a winter wonderland with a man she’d fallen in love with. Lord knew she had done her best to change the past—but it hadn’t been enough. It was time to move on. Unfortunately, her heart wasn’t always in sync with her head.

  Her hand instinctively reached for the tiny heart-shaped locket that hung from the delicate gold chain around her neck. Mitch’s Christmas gift was so much more than a pretty necklace. It was a pledge of sorts. A promise.

  “You have my heart, Elise.”

  Those words, that moment, would be etched in her mind for the rest of her life.

  Muted voices from the hallway forced her attention back to the present. She studied herself in the mirror, pleased at the way the turquoise-colored sweater set off her eyes and complemented the gold locket. A quick scrunching motion of her hands proved to be just what was needed to revive her curly brown locks.

  With a final glance at her image, Elise turned and walked to the door that connected her room with Mitch’s. She raised her fist and knocked softly.

  “C’mon in, Elise.”

  She gently turned the doorknob and pushed. The butterflies that took flight in her stomach whenever she knew she was going to see Mitch scrambled into action.

  He was there, waiting, sitting on the edge of his bed. He grinned and patted the spot next to him. “How’s your room?”

  “It’s perfect. This whole place is perfect.” She sat down beside him. “Do you like it?”

  She felt his arm slip around her waist, smiled as he gave her a gentle squeeze.

  “What’s not to like?”

  She looked up at his face, felt her body tingle as he flashed his gorgeous smile at her. “And you’re really okay with the separate room thing?”

  “Am I thrilled? No. But I understand. It’s important to you, so it’s important to me.” He kissed her temple lightly. “But I’d be lying if I said it was easy.”

  “Thank you.” She squeezed his hand gently. “So, what’ve you been doing while I was in my room just now?”

  “I was looking at this.” He picked up a leaflet from the nightstand and ran his finger down the page, stopping midway. “It lists the different services on the island.”

  “Anything interesting?”

  “Actually, yeah. Small-world stuff. I know one of the island’s two police officers. Brad Matthews and I went to college together.”

  “Were you friends?”

  “Yeah, we hung out quite a bit. He played on the baseball team with me for a year or so.”

  “You lost touch?”

  “You know how guys are. Anyways, I was wondering if you’d mind stopping by the police station after dinner tonight?”

  Elise tilted her head up slightly and met Mitch’s questioning eyes with a smile. “Sounds great. I’d love to meet one of your college buddies—find out some of your secrets.”

  “I don’t have any secrets. What you see is what you get.”

  Chapter Three

  4:55 p.m.

  Snow pelted his face as he stared at the block-lettered sign, waiting for some sort of emotion to take hold.

  It was inconceivable to him why anyone would want to live in a place like this. Certainly not someone whose livelihood was based on others.

  But he’d vowed from the beginning that he wouldn’t try to get in their heads. There was no reason to. They were wrong. All of them.

  And it was up to him to see that they paid. Especially this one.

  “All in good time.” The words were whipped from his lips, lost in the biting wind. This was the part he loved. The planning. The plotting.

  He took one last look at the building, at the lamplight streaming from the corner window. A light that would be snuffed out soon. Very soon.

  Smiling, he turned and headed toward the restaurant at the end of the snow-covered lane.

  Chapter Four

  5:00 p.m.

  The countless Polaroid pictures taped to the walls of the small restaurant filled the room with a sense of warmth, a stark irony to the deepening cold and mounting snow outside. Elise studied the pictures above their table, soaking up the myriad faces.

  “What can I get you folks?”

  She turned and saw the fifty-something waitress standing beside their table with a pen poised above a small order pad. Elise looked quickly at Mitch and shrugged her shoulders slightly. “I’m sorry, Mitch. I haven’t even looked at the menu yet. I was so busy looking at all these pictures that I kind of forgot where I was.”

  “No problem, kids. I’ll give you a few more moments to make up your mind.” The woman put her pad and pen into her apron pocket. “I take pictures of every new face that comes into my restaurant during a particular season. The pictures above your table are the start of this year’s winter season.”

  Elise looked again at the photographs on the wall beside their table. “That’s a really neat idea. I bet you get quite a few repeat customers that way. People like to see themselves and it probably makes them feel more connected to this restaurant than one that doesn’t do this.”

  “You got it exactly,” the woman said, a smile of appreciation creeping across her face as she met Elise’s eye. She pointed to the various groupings around the dining area. “I started this about fifteen years ago—just because I love taking pictures and meeting new people. Back then, I’d leave them in a basket by the register and people would shuffle through them out of curiosity. After a while someone suggested I put them on the wall, and so I gave it a shot. Before long I noticed my business increasing. I attributed it to the picture wall. The rest is history, as you can see.”

  Mitch motioned toward a picture with a group of men raising beer mugs and making finger gestures over each other’s heads. “I bet they were a fun group.”

  The woman laughed. “They are. Most of them anyway. Those guys arrived a few days ago for a competition they’re holding today. Something about maps and points and a four-thousand-dollar prize.”

  “Orienteering?” Mitch asked.

  “Yes, that’s it. Do you know what that is?”

  “Sure. You’re given a map, a compass, and a set of coordinates. You race each other to see who can find their points in the quickest time. It’s fun. I used to do it with a group of buddies in college once in a while.” Mitch turned and looked at the group of men in the photograph, his brows furrowed. “But it’s not usually something you do in the snow.”

  “They’re doing it on cross-country skis.” The woman reached across the table and straightened a cockeyed picture.

  “Man, that sounds awesome. Wish I knew how to ski already.”

  “I suspect, with the storm we’ve got comin’, that you’ll have lots of opportunity to practice over the next few days.” The woman stopped talking for a moment as she focused on the front door. “Seems I have another brave soul searching for a warm dinner. Why don’t you look over those menus and I’ll be back in a few moments. My name’s Sophie.”

  Elise glanced at the man waiting to be seated. Every inch of his parka was covered with snow. Ice crystals clung to his thick beard, snow matted the tiny scrap of brown hair that escaped from beneath the tightly drawn hood. And although she couldn’t see his face, an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.

  “You okay, Elise?”

  She pulled her gaze from the stranger and focused on Mitch. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little chilled all of a sudden.”

  “What looks good to you?” Mitch gestured toward the menu in his hand.

  Elise scanned the choices printed on the tri-fold paper. “I think I’m just gonna have a bowl of soup. Maybe it’ll help warm me up a little bit.” She pulled her sweater closer to her body and shivered again.

  Sophie reappeared beside their table and looked at Elise with motherly
eyes. “Are you cold, honey?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Elise answered softly. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting the island to be this cold.”

  “I think it’s a shock to many folks, but at least you came in wearing a warm coat. I had a young man in here earlier with just a blanket wrapped around him, if you can believe it.” The woman shook her head slowly and reached into her apron, pulled the pad and pen from its pocket. “So what did you two kids decide on?”

  Elise ordered chicken soup and a cup of hot chocolate; Mitch ordered a bowl of chili.

  “I’ll get that right out to you.”

  Within moments the woman was at their table again, this time with warm cups of chocolate for both of them. “Where you kids staying?”

  Mitch took a quick sip of his drink and set it back on the table. “The Island Inn. We just got here a few hours ago.”

  “Nice hotel, you’ll like it. And if the snow keeps at the pace it’s falling right now, you’ll be spending a lot of time there.”

  Elise looked at the mounting snow outside the restaurant window. In just the short time she and Mitch had been inside, the roadway was completely covered.

  “How much snow are they talking about?” Mitch asked.

  “Last I heard they were predicting up to two feet of snow with a second wave expected less than twenty-four hours after the first blast.” Sophie looked at the snow and shrugged. “If the storm is even half of what they’re saying, you kids will be spending a lot more time with us than you originally planned.”

  The lights in the restaurant flickered.

  “What’s the power situation over here when a storm like this hits?”

  It was as if Mitch had read her mind. Elise watched Sophie’s face as the woman considered the question.

  “The last time we had a storm like this was about eight years ago. The entire island lost power and phone lines for a good three or four days.”

  “But you’ve got backup generators, don’t you?” Mitch asked.

  “Oh, no. Nobody does. People out here prefer things to stay as simple and rustic as possible. That’s why most of the hotel rooms have fireplaces and everyone has a kerosene heater.”