Death Checks Inn (Aspen Valley Inn Series Book 1)

by Sara Robbins

  She had spent almost a year pouring her money and time into transforming the abandoned property into this beautiful retreat.

  She had coaxed her sister, Charlotte to come and help her. Their parents were gone and their other sister, Vernie, visited whenever she could. She hadn’t had time to really meet and get to know her neighbors yet but had felt welcomed in the community. At least until she brought a murder into their midst, she added sharply.

  He smiled slightly at her sarcasm and asked, “What about a boyfriend?”

  Her face immediately closed up, and she couldn’t believe he was asking her something like that. She shut that line of questioning down with a curt, “There is no one.”

  He said, “Okay, okay, you are right. I shouldn’t have asked you that. Thank you for filling me in on your background. It’s very helpful. Now it’s my turn. I’ll tell you a little about myself.”

  Chapter 7

  Wyatt said, “I’m from Chicago. I served in the Major Crimes division for ten years right after getting my criminal justice degree. I’ve investigated more than my share of murders.”

  She did feel somewhat more confident knowing that he had a crime solving background but disappointed that he had added no personal details to his life story.

  “I think you are in a unique position to collect the insider information we will need to solve this case. Therefore, I’m going to share with you what I know so far. Can I count on your help in getting to the bottom of this? Okay?” he asked.

  She quickly agreed, saying, “Yes, whatever I can do.”

  She listened intently as he filled in some of the backgrounds he had gathered on each of her guests.

  The Braverman’s had just gotten married, and they had no criminal record.

  Joan Black and Susan Clark were students at the University of Colorado, Boulder and did not appear to have anything unsavory in their past.

  Heather Mason, however, was another story. Her mouth dropped open as he told her that while it was true Adam Mason had died in an apparent accident there was much more to the story. Police had found his partially submerged car abandoned in a lake near their home. The circumstances were very suspicious. The lake and nearby area were thoroughly searched, but they were unable to find his body.

  Wyatt expected that the identity of the body found here at the Inn would be that of Adam Mason. The Topeka police department had shared with him their unanswered questions about Adam’s apparent death and Heather’s lack of assistance in their investigation. Their conclusion was that something was not right in this case, but they had no evidence to prove their suspicions.

  After the mandatory wait of seven years, the court system had declared Adam as deceased, and Heather Mason had collected on a one million dollar insurance policy. The payout doubled because Adam’s death was ruled an accident. She had spent the last six months fulfilling the “bucket list” that she and her deceased husband had created together.

  Lacey was astounded. Heather Mason had seemed so ordinary. She had also seemed genuinely shocked at the discovery of the body at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Are you saying she is a murderer?” she questioned.

  “No, I’m saying some parts of her story just don’t add up and if indeed that body is Adam Mason we need some answers,” he responded.

  Her brain was reeling. He went on to tell her about some of the forensic reports. There had been no fingerprints found on the railroad spike that had been plunged into the victim’s heart. This implied someone had cleaned up after the crime because Lacey’s fingerprints should have been present on the display piece. The chest wound was almost certainly the cause of death. The estimated time of death was very close to the discovery of the body. There had been no evidence of forced entry. This meant that since she was sure the doors were locked then someone inside had let the victim in.

  He asked again if she was sure, she had never seen the victim before. Had she seen him hanging around either the Inn or Elkville? Had he attended her grand opening? She didn’t remember seeing him, but the evening had been so busy and there had been many people present. She was trying to remember every face, everyone she talked to, and that was impossible.

  His cell phone rang. He spoke briefly with the caller, his face looking grim at whatever the caller was saying.

  He hung up, looked at her and said, “Well, the preliminary identification of the body seems to be Adam Mason.”

  She groaned and put her head in her hands.

  He lightly stroked her back in a comforting gesture and said soothingly, “Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I will make sure you are safe. I promise.”

  She looked into his eyes and nodded. For some reason, she had no doubt that he would keep that promise.

  Chapter 8

  Lacey discovered that there was nothing like a murder to encourage people to drop by. Dan Smith, her general contractor, and handyman had been hanging around since ten this morning wanting to “help” her. Dan was pleasant and good looking in that messy curly blond hair, one gold earring kind of way. However, Lacey had absolutely no interest in being anything more as they worked together to keep the premises in top repair.

  Over the course of the morning and early afternoon, she had several visitors.

  Her first visitor, Lucinda Wright, lived around the corner from the Inn. She owned and operated Lucy’s Llama Ranch. She reminded Lacey of the stereotypical description of a hippy. She had long salt and pepper hair in a tight braid down her back and wore a peasant blouse with a long paisley broomstick skirt. In an effort to comfort Lacey during this trying time, she had brought a couple of skeins of Alpaca yarn combed from an animal named “Big Beau”. Drily Lacey thought, oh good, maybe when my Inn fails, I will have time to learn to knit. She thanked Lucy and assured her there was really nothing she needed.

  The next visitor was a handsome cowboy, named Cody Westerfield. He was tall, rangy and complete with a Stetson held in his hands as he greeted her on the front deck. Brown longish hair and deeply tanned, his brilliant green eyes conveyed his sympathy over the terrible events of last night. She sat down on one of the benches as he explained that his spread was about a mile down the road. He raised free-range bison and a small herd of cattle. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties and the admiring glances he gave her made her think he was unattached. She thanked him for coming and stood watching as his lanky form climbed into a newish bright red pickup truck.

  Charlotte came out and joined her on the deck. “Mmmm, mmmm, mmm, that was a tall drink of water,” was all she said. Then she went back inside to answer the ringing phone.

  Her last visitor arrived about one in the afternoon. A sweet young woman, who introduced herself as Mandy Grainger stood breathlessly at her front door. She seemed to be struggling with the weight of a large cloth shopping bag on each arm. Declining to come in she pointed to the SUV in the driveway and said she had her twins in the car and needed to pick up her other child at school.

  She dropped off the bags and said, “My phone number is in there, call if you need anything. I’m so sorry about what happened.”

  She was gone almost as quickly as she had come. Lacey carried the heavy bags into the reception area.

  Charlotte came out of the kitchen and took one bag as they both headed back to the kitchen to see what they contained. They exclaimed over the treasures they unpacked. A huge chicken and pasta casserole, fluffy, soft homemade yeast rolls and what appeared to be a still warm berry cobbler.

  This reminded Lacey that she had not planned anything to feed everyone tonight. Well, thank goodness for nice people like Mandy, who had made sure that she and her guests would not starve.

  Speaking of her guests, she had not seen anyone since she had sent them upstairs to rest several hours ago. She started to head upstairs to check on them when a knock at the front doors diverted her.

  As she opened the door to both Wyatt and his deputy, she noticed they looked gr
im and business like. Wyatt bluntly stated that they needed to see Heather Mason.

  As she led them both upstairs, she didn’t bother with making small talk. She knocked at Heather’s door, softly at first and then more boldly as there was no answer. Wyatt stepped forward, turned the unlocked doorknob, and proceeded to enter the room. They checked the room and the adjoining bathroom to no avail. Her belongings were still scattered around the room, but Heather was gone. The three of them looked at each other with puzzled faces. Where could she have gone?

  Chapter 9

  The other guests had noticed the commotion at Heather’s door. Both the sleepy looking newlyweds and the irritated college girls opened their doors.

  After being told that Heather Mason seemed to be missing, Joan whined, “I thought we couldn’t go anywhere. If we were allowed to leave why didn’t you tell us?”

  Wyatt informed them that today’s investigation was completed, and they could leave the Inn if they stayed in the area. The guests were relieved that they did not have to remain confined to the Inn.

  Since they were on their honeymoon, the Braverman’s did not seem to have been nearly as bothered by the restrictions as the college girls. Of course, Joan and Suzy had come to the Inn specifically to enjoy outdoor activities.

  As she and the officers went downstairs, Wyatt told her that due to their findings, Heather Mason was now a person of interest. They had come to take her to the sheriff’s station for questioning. He wanted to search the grounds for the missing woman.

  Lacey told Charlotte and Dan what had happened, and they all fanned out and began searching the property in case Heather had merely taken a walk to get some fresh air.

  Dan, in particular, seemed pleased to be given something to do. He had waited all day to be useful.

  They checked all of the outbuildings. They shouted Heather’s name as they searched. After several minutes, it was clear she was not on the Inn grounds.

  They all gathered in the spacious kitchen to discuss their next steps. Suddenly, Lacey realized where she might be. She told them about Heather’s plan to hike up to Pike’s Peak.

  Wyatt listened carefully and then patted Lacey on the back and said, “Good, that’s really helpful. How do you think she got there?”

  “Well, everyone’s welcome packet contained several pamphlets for various sightseeing and shuttle services,” she offered.

  Wyatt and the deputy both got on their phones checking with the companies that she had written down. After two phone calls, they had confirmation that Pike’s Peak Tours had picked up a middle-aged woman that afternoon just down the road from the Inn. The driver had delivered his passenger to Manitou Springs near the base of Barr Trail.

  This was the most common hiking trail used to reach Pike’s Peak. Lacey wondered how Heather had gotten out of the Inn without anyone seeing her. Each one of them went to the library for questioning. She had also been very busy with all the comings and goings the day had brought. According to the driver, Heather had left over three hours ago. That was a huge head start.

  She heard Wyatt arranging backup personnel to help search the trail and grabbed her jacket from the hall closet.

  He disconnected his cell phone and looked at her shaking his head, “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

  She told him that she wanted to help with the search. He squeezed her shoulder and told her that she would be more help by staying here at the Inn.

  She supposed he was right. Heather could come back or even call to let them know where she was. Charlotte nodded her head in agreement and Lacey resigned herself to stay where she was.

  Wyatt and his deputy left quickly through the front door. After so much commotion, the Inn seemed suddenly deserted and quiet.

  She and Charlotte busied themselves with putting together a simple dinner with the food that Mandy Grainger had brought.

  While the sun had not gone down yet, it had been a long time since serving the mostly uneaten breakfast earlier today.

  Lacey went upstairs to let the four guests know that they would be serving dinner in the dining room.

  Miranda and John Braverman were the first to appear downstairs. They looked concerned but not overwrought. Lacey thought to herself that being so much in love must shield you from some of the awfulness life could deliver.

  Shortly thereafter, Suzy and Joan came into the dining room just as Lacey was adding a basket of freshly warmed rolls to the attractively set table. She encouraged them to sit down. She and Charlotte joined the subdued group. As she passed around filled plates of the steaming casserole and rolls, she thought this would be a good chance to get to know her guests and serve as an actual innkeeper.

  Chapter 10

  Everyone seemed to have more of an appetite than this morning. For a few minutes, no one spoke as everyone tried the food on his or her plate. This is good, Lacey thought to herself. She promised herself that she would call tomorrow to thank Mandy Grainger for this thoughtful gesture. In addition, the chicken tetrazzini type casserole was a recipe she definitely wanted.

  Suzy was the first to break the silence, “Do you think we can go explore tomorrow? We only have two more days before we have to get back to Boulder.”

  Lacey answered that she thought that was a good idea. She reminded them that even the sheriff had said they could leave the Inn.

  This prompted a lively discussion around the table about the best attractions to visit near the Inn. After all, this was Colorado; you had to work hard for it not to be scenic.

  The Braverman’s decided they would stroll around old Colorado City and then stop in at one of the unique restaurants for a nice dinner.

  Suzy and Joan wanted to do some hiking, and after much discussion, they decided on Barr Trail and Pikes Peak.

  Lacey assured them all that she would arrange for the shuttle and tour services they would need. She had arranged a barter agreement with the most popular sights and services. She would do her best to send them business if they would do the same for her and the Inn. As a former vice president of a bank, she had learned the power of networking.

  She decided to use one of her favors to surprise the Braverman’s with a romantic dinner for two at the Mona Lisa fondue restaurant in Manitou Springs for their last night. She felt badly that they had not had the kind of honeymoon they had planned. The elegant and super popular restaurant would be just the place to start their married lives together. The Mona Lisa had hosted more marriage proposals than any other restaurant in the area. A true testament to the romantic surroundings they created.

  After verifying start times, since the Braverman’s wanted to sleep in, she went to her office to make arrangements. As she sat at her desk, she wondered what was happening in the search for Heather. Should she call the Sherriff’s office and ask? They would probably not be able to tell her anything. How she wished, she had asked for Wyatt’s cell phone number. She thought he would have gladly given it to her. She sighed as she thought of those clear blue eyes and the gentleness he had shown her during this ordeal. His wife was a lucky woman.

  She finished the arrangements for tomorrow and started to leave the office. As she was turning off the light, the desk phone rang.

  It was Wyatt and his voice sounded grim.

  “What happened?” she asked breathlessly.

  “I know it’s late,” he said, “but I really want to talk to you about it in person. Is it too much of an imposition to ask you to wait up until I can get there? It will be another hour or so.”

  “Of course,” she answered without hesitation. After all, she was very curious about what he wanted to tell her.

  She quickly admonished herself not to feel so much excitement to meet with a married man about a missing person. What was wrong with her?

  She resisted the urge to run upstairs to fluff her hair and reapply her makeup.

  Charlotte tried hard to hide her smile as Lacey to
ld her that Wyatt would be here soon. With the dinner dishes now done and the kitchen cleaned up, she thought it would be best if she went home so that Lacey and Wyatt could talk freely.

  The sisters hugged at the doorway and said goodnight. It had been a long and trying day. Both sisters agreed they did not want to have this kind of excitement ever again.

  After Charlotte had left, Lacey settled into the library. She chose a book from the collection even though she wasn’t interested in reading. Reading would help her pass the time until Wyatt arrived.

  Chapter 11

  The next thing she knew, Wyatt was shaking her shoulder and calling her name softly in the empty room. She had fallen asleep with the book abandoned on the floor. How long had he been there, she wondered.

  She sat up straight and asked, “Did you find her?”

  After chastising her for leaving the front door unlocked, he shook his head and filled her in on the search. They had called in a volunteer mountain search team. Since they believed her destination to be the top of Pike’s Peak, they had started there. They did not find any evidence that she had been there, nor had anyone seen her at the summit or on the Cog Railway. This meant that she must have hiked in from one of the side trails.

  The shuttle driver had said she did not want to drive up to the peak, so he had dropped her off at a trailhead. There were many routes both well marked and mapped out on the internet. They would have to search each possibility, and that could take another twenty-four hours.

  Lacey studied his tired face and suddenly felt the urge to take care of him, “Let me get you a warm meal and maybe a glass of wine,” she offered.

  He smiled wearily and said, “Food sounds great, but I’ll have to turn down the wine. I would like to take a rain check on sharing wine with you though.”

  Lacey couldn’t help feeling a frisson of pleasure at the huskiness in his voice. As she headed to the kitchen to reheat some of the casserole and rolls from dinner, she shook herself. Again, she reminded herself that he was married. Somehow, she was going to have to bring up his wife. Talking about his wife would end any undercurrent in their conversations. Just thinking about that made her feel disappointment but she was not going to think about anything more than a friendship with him.