Criminal Crumbs

by Jessica Beck

  I appreciated the sentiment, but I knew that if we couldn’t get off that mountain, every last one of us but one would be stuck there with a killer.

  Chapter 10

  Adding insult to injury, as the storm finally began to let up, there was one last lightning strike close to home. We all heard the explosion and, almost instantaneously, the following deafening clap of thunder. At that instant, every single light went out in the lodge, and everywhere else in the resort, for that matter.

  We’d lost power, and at the worst possible moment as the temperature really started to drop. Could we get all snow after all? I hoped not. We had enough obstacles without the burden of dealing with a winter wonderland on the mountaintop.

  It felt as though the heavy precipitation had lasted forever, but with the last burst of lightning and thunder, it suddenly began to let up, petering out into the distance as the storm moved away, assaulting the next area along the line.

  Once I finally felt it was safe to leave, I headed off the porch as Grace asked me, “Where are you going?”

  “I have to see how bad the road is,” I said. “Like I said before, it’s urgent that someone drives to the nearest town and gets help.”

  “I’m coming with you, then,” Grace said.

  “We all will,” Nicole answered.

  “I’m not going out there in the dark,” Celia complained. “Who knows what’s out there?”

  “You’re coming with us, Celia,” her sister said firmly, and then she turned to the rest of our little group. “And so are you all. The only way that any of us can be absolutely sure that we’re safe is to stick together from here on out.”

  Nicole was clearly the boss, and she was acting like it. Though she had no real control over Celia or Dina or even me, for that matter, they agreed as well. Most likely they didn’t want to be left alone with a possible killer, or perhaps they were just taking the path of least resistance. Either way, I was eager to see what that tree had done to our chances of escape.

  By dying in such a spectacular fashion, the old oak had effectively blockaded us from the outside world. I couldn’t imagine cutting through it with a normal-sized chainsaw, even if I knew how to operate one, which I didn’t. I was guessing that it would take a full crew to cut it up and move it out of the way, and I had a feeling that it would have to be done from the other side of the road. When the tree had fallen, it had also loosened a portion of the road beneath it, which had then been subject to the pouring precip we’d experienced after the initial lightning strike. There was a chasm where the road used to be, ten feet of gravel that had simply dropped down into the abyss without a trace.

  No one would be leaving the Shadow Mountain Resort any time soon, at least not in a vehicle.

  “Some of us could probably walk it,” Janelle suggested as we all played our beams over the gaping expanse.

  “Seven miles? With who knows what we could encounter on the way down the mountain? Use your head, Janelle,” Georgia snapped.

  “It was just a thought,” she said.

  Celia surprised me by patting her arm. “Don’t feel bad. I was thinking the exact same thing.”

  “Clearly, none of us are going anywhere,” I responded. “We’re just going to have to all make the best of it until someone comes for us.”

  “I’m cold,” Dina said. “Shouldn’t we go back to our rooms? I’m going to hate staying at that lodge all by myself, since you are all in cottages.”

  “You’re not going to have to,” I spoke up. “When I said that we needed to stick together, I meant it. I don’t know about the rest of you, but Grace and I are moving our things up to the lodge immediately. We’ll all sleep in the main reception area, since there enough couches for all of us. After all, we’ve got a fireplace there, and there’s plenty of room. It might not be the most comfortable sleep of your life, but at least we should all make it through the night.”

  “That sounds like a solid plan to me,” Nicole said, defying anyone to contradict her. I was happy to have both Grace and her on my side. “We’re all going to do exactly as Suzanne has suggested. We’ll stop at the cottages and collect our things, and then we’re all heading to the lodge, together.”

  That’s what we did, stopping just long enough at Pine, Spruce, Fir, and Hemlock to collect our things before we made our way back to the lodge, our bags in tow.

  As we walked into the main reception area, Georgia said, “There has to be a generator here, given how secluded this place is. Shouldn’t we try to find it?”

  “Would you know how to operate it even if we did?” Dina asked her.

  “It can’t be that difficult,” she said. “What do you think, Nicole?”

  “While I like the idea of having power, maybe it should wait until morning. There are plenty of blankets here, and we’ve got a massive fireplace to keep us warm and toasty. Why don’t we deal with that tomorrow? The last thing we need is someone stumbling around in the dark and getting hurt, too.”

  “Someone else, you mean,” I added under my breath, just loud enough for Grace to hear it.

  She nodded, and I could see the dire expression on her face in the firelight.

  “Tell you what. Let’s break up into pairs and gather what we can from the rooms,” Nicole said. “Celia, you come with me. Grace, why don’t you and Suzanne stick together? Janelle, you and Georgia should team up, and why don’t you take Dina with you, while you’re at it?”

  “I’d rather go with you and Celia, if you don’t mind,” Dina said.

  “If you must. Remember, this is going to be a quick scouting mission. Find what you think we can use, and then hurry back here.”

  We had all started to leave when Nicole motioned to me. “Suzanne, do you and Grace have a second?”

  “Sure,” I said, as Grace and I joined her by the fire. “What’s up?”

  “Keep your eyes open. Whoever tried to kill me might take another shot at it, given how helpless we all are right now.”

  “There’s safety in numbers,” I said. “Honestly, I’m glad that Dina’s going with you and Celia.”

  “Do you still think my sister might have done it?” Nicole asked me.

  “I don’t know, but if there are two other people with you, there’s less chance that someone’s going to try something. It probably wouldn’t hurt if Grace and I went with you, too.”

  “Thanks, but we need to stick with the original plan. Don’t worry. It will be fine.”

  I had to wonder if Hank had thought the same thing just before he’d been shoved over the edge of the path, tumbling far below to his probable death, but I decided not to bring that up. I was fairly certain that it was in the forefront of Nicole’s thoughts anyway. “See you soon, then,” I said.

  The moment Grace and I were away from the others, she asked me softly, “Do you honestly think this is such a good idea?”

  “Maybe not, but it will take forever if we don’t break up at least a little. Hey, where are you going?”

  “I’m looking for the supply closet,” Grace said as she began opening doors near the front desk. “This resort offers hikes and even overnight camping, so they have to have supplies. Sleeping bags and air mattresses might be nice to have tonight. Did you feel the way the temperature was falling when we were outside? Even with the fireplace going full blast, we still might be in for a chilly night.”

  We found the supply closet after three tries, and it was a veritable gold mine. Not only were there enough sleeping bags for all of us, but there were tiny lanterns as well, all solar and crank charged, I was happy to see. Grace and I moved them out into the main area by the fireplace, rearranged some of the furniture so we could all be close to the fire, and then we waited for the others. I decided that the fire needed a little more fuel, so I threw a pair of logs onto it, watching the sparks fly as the wood landed. “There, that should help a little.”<
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  “At least we have enough wood,” Grace said. “Did you see how much was stacked out front on the porch?”

  “We’ll never burn through that, but even if we do, there’s some extra at each cottage, too.” I looked around, but no one had rejoined us yet. “Speaking of firewood, someone used a piece to try to give Nicole a very bad headache tonight.”

  “What happened?”

  After I told her about the booby-trapped door, Grace said, “Somebody wants that woman dead, don’t they?”

  “I wouldn’t trade places with her on a bet, myself,” I said. “The question is, who’s behind all of these attempts, and who killed Hank?”

  “From the way Nicole told the story, Hank’s fall wasn’t planned. He got shoved out of the way; nobody pushed him on purpose.”

  “Maybe that’s so, but he was trying to keep Nicole from suffering the same fate that he did, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s just as much a murder as though whoever had done that had shoved Hank over that cliff herself.”

  “I can’t believe how well Nicole is holding it together,” Grace said. “If I were in her position, I’d be hiding in the corner somewhere crying my eyes out.”

  “I doubt it. Knowing you, you’d arm yourself with something lethal and dare the killer to try again,” I said as I patted her shoulder.

  “I can’t stop thinking about poor Hank. He could be a real jerk sometimes, but at least he died saving someone else. I suppose in a way, that makes him a hero.”

  “What people say matters, but what they do matters even more,” I said in agreement.

  “What should we do about Nicole?” Grace asked me.

  “The only thing we can do. We need to keep an eye on her, and that includes all night tonight.”

  “Are you saying that we should stay awake and guard her around the clock?”

  “Yes, but not so overtly. Tell you what. If you can stay awake until one, I can handle the rest of the night. After all, I’m used to those hours anyway.”

  “Are you sure?” Grace asked me.

  “Positive. As soon as the others come back, I’m bedding down over there,” I said as I pointed to one of the couches away from the fire. I’d already put one of the sleeping bags on it.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have one of the couches closer to the fire?” Grace asked me.

  “No, let everyone else fight over those spots. I’ll be fine over there.”

  Georgia and Janelle came back with pillows and blankets, while Nicole, Celia, and Dina brought bottled waters and a few snacks from the kitchen.

  Once everyone was settled in, I said, “If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to get a little rest.”

  “How can you sleep after all that’s happened?” Georgia asked me.

  “It’s easy. I just close my eyes and count jumping donuts,” I said.

  It might have helped if everyone there had known that I was a donutmaker by trade, but I didn’t care enough to explain myself. Instead, I crawled into the sleeping bag I’d claimed earlier, keeping my clothes on to stay warm, and then I nodded off to sleep.

  The next thing I knew, Grace was shaking my shoulder. Had I overslept? No, my internal clock told me that I still had a few more minutes of rest. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I need to pee, though,” she said. “I held it as long as I could, but I’ve really got to go.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?” I asked her groggily.

  “No thanks, I’ve been doing it by myself since kindergarten,” she said.

  “I meant to be safe,” I said as I stood and stretched. I’d slept surprisingly well, given the circumstances and the conditions.

  “What do I have to be afraid of?” She gestured around us. “Everyone else is fast asleep.”

  “Go on, then,” I said.

  I could see that it was true. The rest of our party was still soundly sleeping, and a few of the ladies were even snoring. It amused me when I saw that Georgia and Dina had taken the two couches closest to the fire. Did that make them the alpha females, or was Nicole stronger by giving up a comfy spot to one of the others? I wasn’t sure, but I knew that I’d have a little time to consider the possibilities while I was playing guard dog. I added another log to the fire and felt the heat on my hands and cheeks. I wasn’t sure what we would have done without the fireplace, and I was glad to have it. In a way, it reminded me of the cottage that I shared back in April Springs with my husband, and I wondered what Jake was doing at that very moment. Sound asleep, no doubt, unaware of the trouble his wife was currently in. If he’d had any idea, I knew without question that he’d be fighting his way up that mountain, no matter the danger or the cost, to get to me. But with the lack of a cellphone signal and no outside lines, there was no way that he’d know that I wasn’t up here having the time of my life.

  Grace came back a minute later, and I was glad for her presence. “Thinking about Jake?” she asked me as she joined me by the fire.

  “As a matter of fact, I was. How did you know?”

  “It’s not hard. You get this goofy smile on your face whenever you think about him.”

  I laughed softly. “I didn’t realize I was that transparent.”

  “It’s not a bad thing, Suzanne.” She yawned once, and then she asked, “Would you like some company?”

  “Go to bed, Grace. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Good night,” she said, and soon enough, I heard her soft snores, blending in with the others as though they were members of some slumbering choir.

  I pulled one of the overstuffed chairs closer to the fire and found a place where I could watch both the flames and everyone else while I was at it. I knew that most children looked like little angels when they slept, but I wasn’t sure I could say that about this crew. That might have been more from the weird flickering shadows the firelight threw out or the ages of my group, but none of them looked particularly innocent at the moment, even Grace. They weren’t even all that peaceful, either, if their expressions were any indication. Most of them appeared to be battling their own personal demons, and I was glad that I couldn’t see into any of their dreams.

  No matter how I considered it, I knew that I was in for a long night.

  Chapter 11

  When the sun finally came up, it seemed brighter than it should have been to me. Had my eyes been that sensitized to the lack of light? Puzzled, I stood, stretched, and then I moved over to one of the windows. Peering outside, I suddenly realized why we were being bathed in so much light.

  Sometime when the rest of the world had been sleeping, we’d been visited by a silent snowstorm.

  From the look of things outside, we had a new problem to contend with, as if having a killer among us wasn’t enough.

  “Is that really snow?” Celia asked me over my shoulder. “Seriously?”

  “It looks serious enough to me,” I said softly. “We need to keep it down. The rest of them are all sleeping.” I glanced over at Grace and saw that she was awake, but she clearly didn’t want Nicole’s sister to know that.

  “I’m hungry,” she said plaintively.

  “Then why don’t we go in the kitchen and see about getting us all something to eat?” It was the perfect opportunity to get her alone. I still had a hard time believing that Celia would try to kill her sister, but what did I know?

  “Fine by me,” she said.

  I headed off for the connecting door between the dining room and the kitchen, with Celia just behind me. Grace frowned at me, looked at Celia, and then at Nicole. I shrugged, because what else could I do? My plan the night before for all of us to stay together was not going to be tenable today. Bathroom breaks alone would be a nightmare, but I stood by my buddy-system idea. If the whole crew knew which teams were coupled, then if Nicole ended up dead, we’d be able to pinpoint the killer, barring the off
chance that two of them were trying to get rid of her and were conspiring to commit the murder together. Frankly, I didn’t think that was possible, given the level of disharmony they were all showing. In my mind, there was no way that any of them was that good at acting.

  Celia and I went from the dining room into the kitchen, and the first thing I did was check the stovetop. If it was electric, we were going to be eating cold food until someone was able to dig us out of there. I was relieved to find that the stovetop was hooked up to propane, though, because I got an instant blue flame when I turned it on. Finally, at least something was going our way.

  “What are we having?” Celia asked me.

  “If you can wait, how about some donuts?”

  “Do you know how to make them?” she asked me.

  “I guess you haven’t heard. That’s what I do for a living.”

  “Seriously?” she asked me, and for the first time since we’d met, I saw a little spark of light in her eyes. “That is really cool.”

  “I don’t know about that. The hours are dreadful, the pay works out to be less than minimum wage, but on the plus side, I’m my own boss, and I make people happy with what I provide them. All in all, it’s a pretty sweet deal.”

  “I’ll bet it is,” Celia said. “Was it hard to learn how to do?”

  “Maybe at first, but it’s like anything else. After a while, I managed to get the hang of it.” There was a great deal more to it than that, but it was all the explanation Celia needed.

  “I think it sounds like a blast.” She hesitated a moment, and then she asked, “Suzanne, could you teach me how to do it?”

  “Why not?” What could it hurt? If it helped to let her guard down, maybe she’d tell me something inadvertently.

  “Excellent. What should we do first?” Celia asked me. The change in her was so dramatic I almost had a hard time believing that she wasn’t putting me on, but one glance at her face told me that she was genuinely interested.