by A. Gardner
The doors leading outside slammed when Lila finally came inside looking calm and collected. The chill air was just what she needed because her cheeks weren't as fiery red and her expression wasn't one of a constipated debutante. She approached the table with a twisted smile – her demeanor now the opposite of what it had once been. As Taryn would sometimes say at the gym, it looked like Lila had “found her zen.”
"Ladies," she said calmly and pleasantly, "I have decided that we should go ahead and make our way to the spa without Donna. I don't know where she is or what she's doing, but if she decides to join us later then that's great. If not, then that's okay too."
Bebe and I looked at each other, unsure how to respond.
"Sounds great," I answered. I stood up and waited for Bebe to do the same. Clutching Lila's bridal shower gift in my hand, I glanced at the nearest exit. The door opened before I could lead us all out of the room. Franco came sputtering back in.
"I'm so sorry," he said while panting. "I can't find Donna. She's not in her room. She's not at the gym or in the dining area."
"Maybe she's out shopping?" I suggested.
"Yes, that must be it," Lila agreed.
Bebe smiled widely as she headed for the door. I followed her and glanced behind me to make sure that Lila followed us to the spa. If anyone needed a good massage right now it was her. Franco patted Lila on the back and helped her with her bag. He quickly handed her a small pill bottle that Lila slipped casually into her purse.
"Enjoy your time at the spa," he said to her. "Don't worry, I will take care of everything."
"Okay." Lila nodded and looked at me. The two of us stepped out into the hallway just as Bebe grabbed the next available elevator. Lila took her time instead of rushing to join her, glancing at every painting on the wall. The elevator doors closed slowly and Bebe looked relieved to finally have a moment to herself.
I stood next to Lila and waited for the next one.
"Oh." I reached into my bag and pulled out the gift box that Joy had given me. "This is for you."
"How sweet. You didn't have to do that." Lila accepted the package. She examined the wrapping and neatly tied bow. "Honesty, I'm just glad you turned up this morning. It's nice to meet an old friend of Patrick's. He doesn't talk much about his childhood."
"Hmm." I raised my eyebrows and anxiously watched the button above the elevator, hoping it would turn red soon. "I guess there's nothing worth mentioning."
"Personally, I don't know how he survived so long in a town like this. No offense."
"Right," I muttered.
"It's so small here. Everyone knows too much about everyone else's business. That would drive me crazy."
"Unless you are the person who knows it all."
"That's true," she responded. "But I have a hard time as it is with the people who don't know me."
The elevator door dinged and the two of us stepped inside.
"Small towns aren't so bad," I commented. "You just have to know how to act around the locals. For example, don't take phone calls when you're picking up groceries at the corner market because Stella Binsby is a horrible eavesdropper. And don't mention any of your past relationships to a man named Booney at the Grizzly. He works at the BC Gazette. He likes to dig."
"You must think I'm some kind of spoiled socialite." Lila shook her head and took a deep breath. When it was only the two of us in a confined space, she didn't seem as intimidating. She even slumped her shoulders for a brief three seconds like a normal person. "I promise, I'm not usually this uptight."
"You don't have to explain," I replied. "I imagine your life is very stressful. I get it."
"You don't know the half of it." She glanced down at her heels. "I started modeling when I was fourteen years old. Ever since then, I don't think I’ve taken a real break."
"Wow."
"My parents didn't have much," she went on. "After I lost them both in a car accident and fell into modeling, I guess I felt like my work was all I had. But all the pressure has taken its toll on me." She readjusted the grip on the handle of her purse. I looked down and caught a peek at her pinky nail. The portion that wasn't hidden beneath a Band-Aid had chipped polish. "I can't even get a decent night's sleep without a pill to help me relax. I saw you looking." She held up her purse.
"Oh, I . . . sorry, it's none of my business," I replied.
"It's okay. The pills are from my therapist. They help me sleep."
"Good sleep is hard to come by," I said. "Even for me."
"You know you're not at all how I imagined you would be." Lila waited as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "Most people I meet tend to start off name-dropping. Then comes the bragging. And then after that they start fishing for invitations to things. Patrick was right about you."
My chest felt like it was frozen when she mentioned the name of her fiancé. My mind burst with questions. I had trouble moving my legs fast enough to keep pace with Lila as we walked towards the spa doors. I was surprised Patrick had discussed me with his future bride.
"Patrick mentioned me?" I asked as casually as I could. "What did he say exactly?"
"Just that you used to be neighbors and that you're not like the rest of the townies. He told me I could trust you."
"He said all that?"
"He thinks very highly of you, you know." Lila lifted her chin and studied my expression. I wiped the smile from my face. I didn't want her to suspect that I had even the slightest crush on her man, even if it was all in the past. If she was the jealous type she might try to bring it up in front of Patrick to embarrass me. A lame attempt, but it would definitely work on me.
"There you two are," Bebe shouted from the spa entrance. "Come on. I'm itching for a facial."
A spa attendant named Misty greeted us. I'd seen her before but never talked to her. She was a quiet sort of girl who usually wore her hair pulled back. Today it hung past her shoulders in messy curls and she kept a wide smile on her face. Misty led us to a changing room where we would be changing into robes. She handed us each a list of spa treatments to choose from. We had the option of either relaxing around the heated pool with a cocktail or lining up various treatments for the evening. Or both.
I'd never used the pool in the spa before. I preferred the lap pool at the Bison Creek rec center. The spa pool was filled with healing mineral waters from nearby hot springs. It was supposed to hydrate your skin and cleanse your body of toxins. The spa was half the reason tourists stayed at the resort besides the skiing. So far I hadn't heard any complaints about it.
"Mind if I test the water before I change into a swimming suit?" Bebe asked. "I'm not sure if I want to get in right now. Maybe I'll just have a massage and a cocktail." She tugged at a layer of her hair and glanced at Lila.
"Of course." Misty gestured towards the door leading to the pool area. Bebe smiled and Lila and I followed her to see what the healing pool looked like before we chose our treatments.
I walked through the doors, immediately feeling the humidity from the room seep into my skin like warm mist. I took a step forward but ended up stepping onto the back of Bebe's heels. Lila slammed into my back. She cleared her throat before she took a deep breath.
"Bebe, what is wrong with you?" Lila asked. Her temper was back.
"I think I found Donna," Bebe answered in a low whisper. Her body blocked our way like a brick wall that wouldn't budge. I touched Bebe's arm and it was freezing cold. Bebe's immediately reached for her bracelets. She found the white band in the middle and yanked it. The band bounced, hitting the inner portion of her wrist. Bebe did it again. And again. And again. Her eyes were fixated in front of her.
"Is this some kind of joke because it isn't funny, Bebe." Lila pushed past me and forced Bebe to keep walking. The three of us stopped dead when we saw a body floating face down in the pool like a forgotten buoy. A draft blew through the room from a window in the corner that had been wedged open. Tiny snow flurries floated in the water. They were scattered around the bo
dy and a fresh blanket of powder sat on the back of the woman's head.
Taking in the entire sight made my blood run cold.
"No," Lila muttered. "No. No. No. That can't be her. She can't be dead. Donna!"
"She's definitely dead," Bebe said quietly. She glanced down, realizing she'd been snapping her bracelet hard enough to make her skin turn red. She gulped and looked at me with tears in her eyes. I reached out a hand to console her, but she ended up wrapping her arms around me instead. I hugged her - my eyes surveying the scene in front of me.
Donna's body floated along the surface of the pool. She was dressed as if she'd been planning on joining us for tea. She was even wearing a head band that matched the color of her heels. A half-eaten chocolate cupcake floated next to her, or at least soggy bits of it.
Her skin and clothes were intact. There were no cuts or bruises on her arms or legs that I could see. No trail of blood leading to the edge of the pool. It looked like she'd accidentally slipped and had possibly hit her head. But why did she come straight here instead of meeting us in the Aspen Room first? And where did she get the cupcake?
None of the chairs or tables surrounding the pool looked like they'd been moved. Nothing had been turned over. There were no abandoned robes near the water. No watery foot prints leading anywhere. The only thing that felt off was the open window. My eyes darted again to the half-eaten cupcake. It was floating alongside the body as if Donna had been eating it just moments before she'd drowned.
My gut told me this wasn't an accident.
"Misty!" I shouted. "Misty, call the police!"
"I can't believe it." Lila sniffled. "He actually did it this time, that scumbag."
"Excuse me?"
Lila's hand shook as she wiped away a tear, rubbing her wrinkle-free forehead. Her eyes darted around the room like she was expecting the killer to jump out of the shadows and drown her next.
"I receive threats all the time, but none of those psychos ever follow through," Lila gulped. "I know who did this. It had to be him." She covered her mouth and began to sob. Her cries grew louder and louder. Pretty soon she'd be wailing.
"Who?" I urged her to tell me before she became hysterical. "Who did this?"
"It was my stalker."
CHAPTER THREE
I waited in the Aspen Room for my turn to be questioned by the Bison Creek police department. The entire division consisted of Sheriff Williams and his son Murray. I imagined that both of their jaws dropped to the floor when they'd received the call about Donna, the dead bridesmaid. The majority of deaths in town were elderly residents who died peacefully in their homes. Occasionally, there were ski accidents or hikers who thought they could handle themselves. This had to be Bison Creek's first actual murder case in a very long time and it definitely showed.
After Misty called the sheriff, I had to keep her from reaching into the pool and tampering with any evidence. I almost screamed at her when she ran to the open window and tried to close it. The draft had blown through her messy hair as she'd yanked at it, anchoring her entire hand on the windowsill. Whatever fingerprints might've been there were now mixed in with Misty's. I had to take charge and basically lock down the crime scene by forcing everyone to leave. I wasn't an expert by any means, but I knew that there were procedures that needed to be followed. Even at the gym we had incident reports for injuries and health scares. Lila hadn't been too happy about that. She'd been seconds away from diving into the pool to pull out Donna's body so her skin didn't look like a giant raisin for the funeral.
Bebe was talking loudly in the room next door. Her voice carried through the walls as she spoke to Murray. She'd been distraught when she saw Donna floating in the pool, but now she was back to her old self and sparing no details of what she'd seen at the crime scene. Lila was in her room sleeping it off. Her assistant Franco thought it best to let her have some time to herself so she didn't say or do anything rash.
The door to the Aspen Room flung open, making my heart jolt. Joy rushed towards me so fast I thought one of the hotel's prized vases was going to fall to the floor and shatter. Joy clenched her jaw and sat next to me. She was breathing heavily and she took a moment to calm herself down.
"This is horrible," she whispered. "Just horrible."
"Relax, sis." I placed my hand on her shoulder and forced her to take a few more breaths. "I don't want you to fall over and have a heart attack."
"Essie," she muttered. "You have to help me. If word of this spreads too far, the resort will be finished. I will be finished." Her eyes looked glossy.
"Joy, I'm so sorry." I couldn't think of anything else to say to her because I knew she was right. Tourism in Bison Creek would take a hit if news of a wedding killer at Pinecliffe Mountain Resort reached the ears of anyone outside of town. And that was not the sort of news that could be hushed for long. Eventually, this place would be crawling with reporters. And unless the murderer was caught, who would want to chance a night in a town where a murderer roamed free?
"Luckily, Lila hasn't decided yet whether or not the wedding is cancelled."
"What?" I raised my eyebrows, knowing that if it were me I wouldn't hesitate to call the whole thing off. Even if I'd been about to marry Patrick, I would take the untimely death of one of my bridesmaids as a sign from above.
"If we can figure out what happened to that poor girl, I think I can convince Lila to move forward with the wedding. I can't lose this account. Mr. Kentworth promised me that he would consider promoting me if I pulled this one off." Her eyes beamed when she said the word wedding.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked. "I mean, have you spoken to Patrick? What did he say about the whole thing?"
"Oh no, he's in Denver on business. He won't be back until late tonight."
"Then someone should call him and tell him," I insisted.
"Leave that to his fiancée." Joy waved her hand as if that particular detail wasn't as important. "Essie, you have to help me clear the hotel's name of any foul play so we aren't destroyed by this. This can't be made to look like negligence on our part."
"Me? Why me?" I glanced at the wall, still able to hear Bebe's steady jabbering.
"Because you and I both know that this is way over Sheriff Williams' head. He couldn't even figure out who stole Mrs. Tankle's Siamese cat last summer."
"Pixie?" I replied. "Oh, she wasn't stolen. She ran away. Went off to brave greener and more mouse-ridden pastures."
"You see." Joy sat up straighter and smiled at me. "If anyone in this town can figure this out it's you. You notice everything that goes on, and most people in town actually like you. I can't say the same for Murray after last year's Christmas Market debacle."
"I warned him that the wassail was alcoholic," I murmured.
"Please Essie, I've worked my whole life to be Head Event Coordinator. I don't want to get fired. Or worse. Demoted. You have to help me." She stuck out her bottom lip as she pleaded.
I knew that I would eventually give in and agree. She was my sister and I would have been heartbroken if this whole mess were blamed on her. For all I knew, Donna had tripped and hit her head or something. I kept telling myself that even though I didn't believe it. Donna had no reason to be down there in the first place. Joy eagerly waited for my response.
"You know how I feel about butting into the gossipy crap that floats through this town," I said. "Once I start digging, who knows what I might find."
"I understand that but, this is life or death, Essie. And I will be forever in your debt."
"I thought you already were," I added.
She forced a hopeful smile.
"So you'll do it?"
"I'll do it," I gave in. "So long as you understand that we don't have much time to work with and . . ." I bit the corner of my lip, knowing that she wasn't going to like what I was about to say next. "I am going to have to pay a little visit to Wade."
"Absolutely not," she scolded me. "I don't care if the entire earth is about to burst into
flames. You promised me you would stay far away from that backstabbing piece of vermin!"
"Joy, if anyone knows of something fishy going on in this town it's him. I have to pay him a visit." I glared at her until she calmed herself down enough to give me her approval.
I don't think Wade is a completely terrible guy. He just makes terrible decisions. That and he is Joy's ex-husband. The two of them were high school sweethearts. They moved in together the second they turned eighteen and the rest was all downhill from there. For years, I never knew if they were separated or back together, but every time they split, Joy made me promise to shun him like an incurable disease. Wade makes my sister crazy. The kind of crazy that compels people to throw frying pans and butter knives.
"When you do, I don't want to hear about it." She stood up and firmly gripped the edge of her clipboard. "And if he asks, I'm thriving without him." She paused for a minute. "And tell him I'm seeing someone," she added. "Someone hot and completely wrong for me."
Her heels echoed on the wooden floors as she passed Murray in the hallway escorting Bebe out of his makeshift interrogation room. Murray was wearing his police uniform and he grinned when he saw me. I stood up and let him escort me to the next room for questioning, remembering the time in the fourth grade when he'd given me a Valentine's Day card that said “Will you marry me?” He still looked at me with googly eyes sometimes, the same way he had back then.
"Murray," I said as I sat down across from him.
"Officer Williams," he corrected me, pointing to his badge. "You see this, Essie."
"My mistake."
Murray dropped his pencil as he pulled out his notebook to jot something down. His reddish hair was parted to the side and his front teeth stuck out slightly when he smiled.
As soon as he'd finished high school, he followed in his father's footsteps by joining the police department. It was admirable, but unfortunately the Williams family wasn't cut out for police work. I don't even think they bothered to lock their front door until a couple of years ago.
