by Jessica Beck
“I’m not ready to stop planning,” Jake said. “We might need to set more than one trap while we’re here. By the way, did you call Vince Dade again yet?”
Blast it all, I’d forgotten all about approaching the one suspect who had refused the trip. “No. If you two can be quiet, I’ll do it right now.”
Grace got out her cell phone, dialed a number, and then held it up so I could talk.
Vince picked up on the first ring.
“Vince, this is Suzanne Hart,” I said.
Before I could continue, he broke in. “If this is Suzanne, then why are you calling on Grace Gauge’s phone?”
Sometimes I hated caller ID, though to be fair, there were other times that I absolutely loved it. “I’m driving, so she made the call for me. I was just wondering if you’d changed your mind about coming to the lodge.”
There was a slight pause, and then Vince said, “I’m still not thrilled with the idea, but yeah, I’m coming. It’s the only way I can think of to keep my name from being dragged through the mud. Is your boyfriend going to be there?” he asked after a slight pause.
I was about to tell him that Jake was with me even as we spoke when I felt a nudge coming from behind. I looked into the mirror and saw Jake put a finger to his lips as he shook his head. Did that mean lie to Vince? What good would that do? He’d see Jake soon enough. Instead of answering, I decided to ad lib a little. “I’m in the mountains, and this call isn’t very clear. Vince, can you hear me? You’re breaking up. I’ll see you at the—”
Grace chose that moment to hang up. “Why didn’t you let me finish?”
“Suzanne, nobody hangs up on themselves. It’s more convincing that you were having reception trouble this way.”
“I get it, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”
I glanced back at Jake. “Why did you shush me just then?”
“I didn’t want him to know that I was in the Jeep with you,” Jake explained.
“But you don’t mind him knowing that you are going to be there, too?”
“Of course not. Why should I try to hide that fact, when he’ll learn about my presence there soon enough?”
“That’s exactly what I was wondering,” I said. “That begs the question as to why you didn’t want him to know that you were in the Jeep with us.”
“I was hoping that he might let his guard down and something would slip out,” Jake admitted.
“Well, that was certainly all in vain,” Grace said.
“You never know unless you try,” Jake replied with a shrug.
“True enough. Well, Shelly’s certainly going to have a full house now, isn’t she?”
“She was actually worried about being lonely this weekend,” I said. “That’s not about to happen now, is it?”
“Are you kidding?” Grace asked. “The place is going to be so full of white hats and black ones that there won’t be much room left over for anyone else.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “That’s all that we need. I for one am glad that we’ve got so many good guys coming with us this weekend to balance out the potential villains.”
“Even though it means putting your mother at possible risk?” Jake asked me.
“Between you, her new husband, and the mayor, I think she’s probably going to be safe enough.”
“What about me?” Grace asked playfully. “Who’s going to be looking after me?”
“Any man with the least sense at all will be doing that,” he said.
Grace laughed. “Why, Jake, aren’t you the charmer.”
“Yes, Jake, you really are,” I echoed.
He looked distinctly embarrassed by the exchange, so I decided to take it easy on him. After all, he’d gone out on limb agreeing to come with us this weekend, and I didn’t want him to regret it. “Okay,” I said, “we’ve got one way to stir up trouble. What else can we come up with?”
“We have a little more time. Why don’t we talk about our suspects and go around the car and say why we think each one of them might have done it?” Grace asked.
I thought that was a great idea, and I was about to start when Jake said, “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” I asked him.
“You two can talk all you want to, but I can’t just share the information that I’ve gathered in my official capacity with civilians.”
“We won’t tell anyone you said anything,” Grace said encouragingly.
Jake laughed. “Sorry. We can talk about anything else in the world, but I’m not willing to exchange what I’ve learned so far just yet.”
“If you won’t talk, then we won’t, either,” Grace said, and then she turned to me. “Right, Suzanne?”
“The rain is really starting to pound down,” I said as I glanced out the front windshield. It had been coming down the entire trip up the mountain, but it was really picking up steam now.
“Are you just trying to change the subject?” Jake asked me.
“That, too, but it’s really pouring up ahead.” I peered through the windshield again, and I could see a wave of rain hurtling toward us. My headlights were already on, but I kicked my wiper blades up to their fastest speed and prepared myself for the coming deluge. The Jeep did well in most inclement weather, but I still wanted to be ready for the wall of rain when it hit us.
Thirty seconds later, having a conversation was nearly impossible anyway, as the interior of my car was filled with the sound of rain slamming down on it. I had to focus everything I had to keep us on the road, and thankfully, my passengers didn’t even try to engage me in conversation. I was happy that we’d brought my Jeep. I wasn’t at all sure that we would have made it in Grace’s company car.
The downpour finally eased up a little, and I let out a deep sigh as my grip loosened on the steering wheel. “That was pretty intense.”
“We’re supposed to get rain all weekend,” Jake said.
“How do you know that?”
“I heard it on the news.” Jake paused, and then he added, “You know, even if I can’t talk about the case, maybe we can brainstorm about some ideas about how we might trap the killer.”
“That sounds like fun,” Grace said, and she started throwing out some pretty outlandish ideas.
“Within reason,” Jake corrected her with a laugh.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were going to limit me. That might take a little more thought.”
By the time we got to the lodge, an imposing old log building aptly named Storm Cloud, we had a few other tricks up our sleeves. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to use them all, but it was nice knowing that we were ready to step in and cause a little trouble for our suspects if the need arose.
Chapter 14
“Welcome to Storm Cloud,” Shelly said quickly, meeting us as we piled out of the Jeep. In a rush, we started grabbing our overnight bags and running under the cover of the expansive front porch before we got too soaked in the cold rain. Once we were under the safety of the roof, she added, “I’d have had some of my bellboys take those for you, but unfortunately, we’re all alone up here.”
“Who’s going to cook?” Jake asked.
“Oh, I’m quite the little chef, even if I say so myself,” she said as she ran a hand through her wet hair. “The pantry’s well stocked, so we won’t go wanting for food. You might have to pitch in and make a bed or two or even help wash the dishes, though.”
“I believe that I can do both of those things with a modicum of skill,” he answered.
“Don’t worry about it,” Shelly said with a hint of a smile. “The dishwasher is automatic, and everybody can make their own beds, as far as I’m concerned. I don’t mind pampering my guests, but all four of us know that it’s likely that a killer is going to be among us this weekend.”
“No one else has beat us here yet, have they?” I asked Shelly as I looked out onto the empty parking lot. There were puddles everywhere, and more were forming by the minute. We were really in the middle of a genuine de
luge.
“Not so far. Have you had any late additions to our slate of visitors?”
“Just one,” I answered. “Vince Dade decided to come after all. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, the room’s already set. You know what’s so ironic?”
“What’s that?” I asked her.
“Chester would have loved this,” she said with a sigh.
“I don’t understand,” Grace said.
“Oh, I don’t mean the murder investigation. I’m talking about having so many folks from April Springs coming up here. For some reason, he really loved that town of yours.”
“I can testify that there’s a lot to be said for the place myself,” Jake said softly. I hoped someday that he’d settle there, maybe even sooner rather than later, but it wasn’t anything that I would ever ask him about. If he didn’t know that he was welcome, in my cottage as well as my town, then I wasn’t exactly sure how else I could show it.
“Is that safe?” I asked as I looked at the stream running beside the road. It was clearly beginning to expand its way toward us, and it didn’t look as though it would take a lot more precipitation to push it over its banks.
“Don’t worry. It’s flooded a few times in the past, but we’ll have to get a lot more rain for it to do that again.”
“That’s exactly what we’re supposed to be getting,” Jake said ominously.
Grace broke in, holding her cell phone in the air and waving it around. “I can’t get a signal.”
“And you’re probably not going to, either,” Shelly said. “This place is pretty remote, but don’t worry, we have a landline if you need it.”
“Does that mean that there’s no Internet?” she asked in obvious distress.
“We’re a mountain getaway, after all,” Shelly said. “It’s a place where you’re meant to get in touch with yourself, not the rest of the world.”
“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “If you say so.” Grace tucked her phone back into her purse, and I could see that she was having second thoughts about my idea. I wasn’t all that dependent on the Internet myself, but even I liked to touch base with the outside world every now and then. Maybe it would give us the opportunity to focus more on our suspects than anything else.
“So, where are we staying?” I asked as we walked into the lobby, a large expanse enclosed by thick honey-stained logs. A massive stone fireplace occupied the center of the room, and the check-in desk was off to one side. A fire was blazing in the hearth, and I could feel some of the heat coming off it. That was how it should be, in my opinion.
“Let me grab you all some keys,” Shelly said. As she handed them out, she explained, “Grace, you’re in #10.” After she handed the key to my best friend, she said, “I put the Hoffs in #1, Kevin Leeds in #2, and I left #3 open for Vince Dade. Then #4 is for Chief Martin and Dot, while #5 is for the mayor. That leaves 6, 7, 8, and 9. Would the two of you be needing one room, or two?”
It was so discreet a way to ask if Jake and I would be sharing a room that it was all I could do not to laugh. Instead of answering her directly, I turned to my boyfriend and looked at him expectantly. He took the hint, and then he answered for himself. “Better give me #6 and put Suzanne in #9.”
“Are you trying to shield me from the killer?” I asked Jake, amused that he’d put himself as far away from me as he could with the rooms that Shelly had left. Was he honestly afraid of what my mother might think? I was a grown woman, divorced and living on my own again, but even if none of that were true, there was nothing that said I had to stay in the room that had been assigned to me.
“No, but I’m probably going to be keeping some strange hours while we’re here, so it’s probably best this way. Is that all right with you?”
“Hey, if she gets lonely, she can always come bunk with me,” Grace said with a laugh.
“Be careful. I might just take you up on that,” I said.
“My door’s always open, especially since my boyfriend is back in April Springs keeping the town safe from armed desperados.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jake said, “but he does have a lot on his plate at the moment, even without the murder investigation. It’s not easy overseeing an entire town, something that he’s about to find out for himself.”
“Are you saying that I’d just be a distraction if I were back there with him?” Grace asked, clearly enjoying baiting my boyfriend a little.
I would have stepped in and stopped it, but Jake was perfectly capable of handling things himself. All I did was step back and enjoy the show. “Grace, you know as well as I do that you can be a distraction wherever you are.”
My best friend turned to me and asked with a wink, “Suzanne, is your boyfriend actually flirting with me?”
“Not that I could tell,” I said with a smile. “He’s just telling the truth. You do seem to get more than your share of attention.”
“Can I help it if I’m interesting?” she asked with a smile.
“Sure, let’s call it interesting,” I said as I laughed.
Shelly was clearly uncertain about what to make of our playful sparring. “May I show you to your rooms?”
“Don’t worry. We can find them ourselves,” I said as I grabbed my key. “After all, you’ve got to get ready for your other guests.”
“I’ve got plenty of time,” Shelly said. “After all, they aren’t due to arrive for another hour.”
That’s when we heard a car horn outside in the parking lot.
Evidently someone had decided to get there early.
That meant that the show was about to start.
I just hoped that my plan worked. At its best, we’d catch a murderer, but at its worst, someone who was innocent might die.
The odds weren’t bad, but the stakes were high. But in the end, I knew that it was the only game in town, and I honestly believed that we didn’t have any other choice.
One way or the other, we were committed now.
Chapter 15
“Do you honestly expect us to carry our own bags?” Maggie Hoff asked as she burst in through the front door of the lodge. She was soaked from the brief dash to cover, and the woman looked perfectly miserable. “I should have known that this ‘free’ trip was going to be worth every penny that it’s costing us.”
“We’re shorthanded, it’s true,” Shelly said evenly, “but that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your stay with us.”
“Enjoyment was never offered to us as part of the deal,” Maggie said as she glanced over at me. “What on earth is keeping my husband?”
Nathan came in a little less animated than his wife had been, but that was perfectly understandable, given the fact that he was weighed down by five pieces of not-insubstantial luggage. “Where should I put these?” he asked as he started to set the bags down on the lobby floor.
“I’ll be glad to show you to your room,” Shelly said as she grabbed their key.
Maggie didn’t look very pleased about that, and I had to wonder if she’d been hoping for a room by herself. We could have easily accommodated her, but that wouldn’t have allowed us to add the extra pressure of having her in such close proximity to her husband. That probably wouldn’t be that big an issue for most couples, but we knew that Maggie had been cheating on Nathan with Chester for quite some time. I had to wonder if they shared a bedroom at home, but they weren’t going to have any choice here. I knew lots of married couples that enjoyed their own private spaces when it came to sleep, and I had to wonder how it would impact these two being jammed together in a single room.
As Shelly led them to their accommodations, I asked Jake, “Is the fact that they showed up early going to influence our plans any?”
“Well, I was hoping to get a better idea of the hotel layout before our first suspects arrived, but we’ll find a way to deal with it,” Jake acknowledged.
Grace chimed in. “There are guest rooms, a dining room, a kitchen, and this lobby. What else do you need to know?�
��
“You just mentioned the main rooms,” Jake said, “but I’ve seen at least five other doors that I don’t know what they’re hiding. Let’s not forget that a killer is going to be staying here with us this weekend. The more information I have about this place, the better I can prepare myself.”
“Don’t worry,” I said as I patted his arm. “We’ll get a tour from Shelly as soon as the Hoffs are in their room. I’m sure that they’re going to at least want to change into dry clothes, so that should give us some time to scope out the lay of the land.”
“Okay, I can live with that,” Jake said as we both spotted Grace waving her cellphone around as though it were a flag in a Fourth of July parade. “Shelly already told you that there was no signal up here.”
“She could be wrong, couldn’t she?” Grace asked as she continued to search for a signal. “This phone is the latest thing in personal communication devices, and the guy who sold it to me said that I could pick up a tower practically anywhere.” After trying in vain for another few seconds, she put it back in her purse and added, “Apparently not here, though.”
“It’s okay,” I said calmly, trying to reassure her. “The world will keep on spinning, even if we’re a bit out of touch with it at the moment.”
“That remains to be seen,” Grace said.
Shelly rejoined us with the hint of a smile on her lips.
“What’s so funny?” I asked her.
“Not funny, really, just amusing. Apparently the missus isn’t pleased with her accommodations.”
“What did she expect?” I asked.
“I’m guessing five-star treatment and a wing to herself at a minimum,” Shelly said. “Not to worry. I’ve dealt with her type before. I can handle her.”
“You never finished your tour,” Jake reminded her.
“Okay, but we’ll have to make it quick. Nathan warned me that the rest of our suspects would probably show up early as well.”
“How could he possibly know that?” Grace asked her.
“Evidently the Hoffs saw Vince Dade and Kevin Leeds both filling up at the gas station at the bottom of the hill.”
