Fatal Edge: A Jess Kimball Thriller (The Jess Kimball Thrillers Series Book 6)

by Diane Capri

  Because of her relationship with Mandy, he’d spent the past few months trying his best to make a good impression on Jess. Now he wondered if he should’ve kept the details to himself and simply asked Mandy to request a week of vacation.

  “Believe me, if you were on her list, you’d know it. Your coffee would be frozen solid, it would be so cold in here.” Mandy chuckled. “She’s right at the end of another project, and things are always tense at that point. She just needs a little while to let the situation settle in, is all. As for me, I’m really glad you invited me along.”

  A trip together was a big step. One he hadn’t intended to take for another few months, but when this job fell into his lap, it seemed like a sign. Mandy had spent the night at his house a bunch of times and things were good between them. Time to see if they could take their relationship to the next level.

  If they could solve this missing person case favorably for his client while they were at it, even better.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Are you all right?” Trent eyed Mandy as she hugged her winter coat tighter around her Thursday afternoon. She adjusted her scarf for the fourth time since they’d collected the luggage and stood to wait for the shuttle from the lodge.

  Not that he could blame her. He was thinking about building a fire right then and there.

  Denver had been cold when they’d left, but Wyoming was downright frigid. The air was crisp and dry, punctuated by the kind of freeze that settled in the bones and made your lungs sting with every breath. Based on the dim, gray hue of the clouds, the weather would get a whole lot worse before it got better.

  “Oh good, the shuttle is here!” Mandy rubbed her gloved hands together and then dragged her suitcase across the snowy ground until she reached the back of a dark blue Jeep. Trent followed, hoping to grab her bag and haul it into the trunk for her, but the shuttle driver did the job.

  Mandy folded her long legs into the back seat and settled in. After depositing his gear, Trent joined her just as the wind screamed and a fresh wave of snow blew off the drift-laden trees surrounding the airport parking lot.

  “Welcome. Looks like we made good time.” The driver was a sweet-faced kid who looked too young for a driver’s license. He pulled out into minimal traffic, tires crunching on the snow-covered road. “I’m Kyle.”

  “Yeah, we only just got in. We weren’t waiting long.” Mandy brushed snow from her hair and her jacket.

  “I meant because we’ll beat the weather.” He shifted gears and started up the mountain road. “Weatherman says it’ll be a rough one tonight. Again. We haven’t had a winter this bad since I was a kid.” Kyle shook his head, and Trent fought the urge to laugh. Kyle couldn’t be more than eighteen years old. To Trent, he was still a kid.

  “We’re lucky, then.” Mandy nodded. “I didn’t realize.”

  “Oh yeah, when the sky gets dark this early in the day, that’s how you know. Plus, of course, you can smell it.” He gave them another sage nod as the jeep lurched up the mountainside. “So what brings you to Black Pines?”

  Before Mandy could answer, Trent said, “I’m here to see if I can find out what happened to Rebecca Anderson. And, since the lodge is the last place she was seen alive, it seemed prudent to start there.”

  He hadn’t planned on coming out of the gate at a canter, but the local gossip mill in this hamlet had to be running as efficiently as a fine-tuned engine. It would only be a day or two at best before everyone knew why he and Mandy were here anyway. Better to be honest from the get-go and build a little trust.

  “Yeah, man. That was really sad. She seemed nice,” Kyle murmured, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

  “And what about him?” Trent asked. “Alex? Was he nice too?”

  “Not exactly. He wasn’t mean. He just…”

  “Just what?” Mandy asked, effortlessly encouraging him. Which usually worked. People often opened up to her. It was a character trait that was destined to make her a star reporter one day.

  “Alex didn’t see me at all. It was like I was invisible to him, you know? So he never said hi or anything.” Kyle glanced into the rear-view mirror to look at Mandy and shrugged. “But he didn’t say anything mean around me either.”

  “So how many times did you see her before she went missing?” Mandy probed much more gently than Trent had. She’d probably learned a lot about interviewing witnesses from Jess, he figured.

  “Only a couple of times. Her boyfriend drove them here from the airport in a Lambo. Nearly got them killed on the way.” Kyle glanced into the mirror again. “Once the snow started really coming down, they couldn’t take that thing anywhere, so I gave her a ride to the pharmacy in town one day.”

  Trent waited a beat to make sure Kyle was done talking before he asked, “Was she sick or something?”

  “I don’t think so. At least, not that she told me about. I didn’t ask.”

  Trent sat back and chewed on that info for a while. The next half hour was a harrowing drive along roads almost snowed in during the last few storms. By the time they pulled off and headed toward a huge log cabin surrounded by trees, Mandy’s cheeks were chalky. Trent was feeling slightly nauseated himself.

  Kyle said, “Should be good skiing once it clears up, though. Nothing like fresh powder.” He pulled to the front of the building and popped the vehicle into park. He climbed out and unloaded their bags.

  When they stood beside the Jeep and looked around, Mandy said quietly, “Maybe it’s just the color of the sky, but the place feels creepier than I expected.”

  Trent had to agree. Sharp cold air combined with ominous clouds sent a sense of foreboding through him so strong he almost told Kyle to take them back to the airport.

  But he’d come to do a job for one of his best law firm clients, one that could send a lot more business his way, too. He couldn’t afford to leave until he’d finished. “Might as well get to work.”

  Mandy offered him a weak smile as they followed Kyle—now laden with their bags—through the wide, log doors. “I’m just glad to be off that road. A few times, I thought we were going to slide right over the edge and tumble down the mountain, didn’t you?”

  Behind the reception desk, a short, bald man waited, room key already in hand. Moving his small reading glasses to the tip of his nose, he surveyed the ledger. The waxed mustache was a little much, but he turned on a beaming, interested smile, so Trent let it pass.

  “Welcome to the lodge.” He handed the key to their driver. “To room 21B, please.”

  The kid nodded and headed up the wide, swooping stairs behind the desk with their bags.

  “Kyle will take care of your things. Now, let’s get you checked in, shall we?” He reached out a hand toward Mandy. “I’m Carl Asher, the manager here at Black Pines Lodge. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Mandy grinned. “Mandy Donovan. My pleasure. And this is Trent Brennan.” She nodded toward him, and Trent offered his hand to the man who gave him a firm hand pump.

  The check-in process went smoothly and, a few minutes later, Asher was stepping out from behind the desk.

  “I’ll show you to your room,” Asher said, straightening his argyle sweater before guiding them toward the elevator. “So, what brings you to town? I hope you don’t have gobs of exciting plans—looks like tonight’s storm will be a doozy.”

  Trent cleared his throat. “So we’ve heard. No, we’re mostly planning on getting some work done and relaxing a while. We might hit the slopes if the weather is good for it.”

  “This place is perfect for all of those things.” The elevator dinged open, and Asher guided them down a long hall of gleaming hardwood and tasteful gold sconces. “What sort of work are you folks in?”

  Mandy gave Trent the side-eye, probably wondering if he was going to tell everyone at the lodge exactly why they’d come since he’d already blabbed to Kyle.

  “Investigative work on the Anderson case. Routine and not all that interesting. Rechecking some timelines and retr
acing some steps. On behalf of the family.”

  He didn’t mention which family. He worried that people here at Black Pines had pre-judged Alex the way Kyle did, without having spoken a word to the guy. He wanted to avoid those roadblocks if possible.

  Asher raised his eyebrows. “On the contrary, how fascinating.” He slid the key into the silver card reader on the door and then swung it open for them. “Well, I won’t keep you. If you need anything, all the numbers are beside the phone, and the reception desk is manned twenty-four hours a day. I don’t expect to be busy with the storm coming, so you’ll likely have my undivided attention.”

  Trent palmed him a ten-dollar bill. Asher tipped his head in thanks and added, “Hopefully I’ll see you both later this evening. The bar is having a lovely happy hour special including two-for-one martinis and a brand new tapas selection.”

  Mandy smiled. “With any luck, we’ll be there.”

  They closed the door and walked inside to find their bags waiting for them near the closet.

  Mandy settled her hands on her hips sighed. “Well, we ought to get set up then, huh? Jess is on her way, and we’ve got a call in an hour so I can bring her up to speed. I have to read through the rest of the file, and I’d like to get a look at the area map again too. Or would you rather go out and explore the grounds a little?”

  Trent pushed the thick, emerald curtains open to find a sky so dark it was almost menacing. “Looks like they weren’t kidding about this storm. It’s already started to snow.”

  The wind howled against the windows, doing the rest of the talking for him.

  Mandy nodded. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m stir-crazy and sick of being cooped up.”

  He nodded. “Okay, let’s not hole up in here, then. Let’s go mingle and see if we can get the gossip about Rebecca and Alex.”

  “Good plan.” Mandy refreshed her make-up and changed her shirt. They headed down to the bar, the file secured firmly in her purse.

  From the second they walked into the bar, their plans were thwarted. The place was practically deserted. A young couple was snuggled up in the corner who clearly did not want to be interrupted. The bartender was chatting away on the phone with his back to the room.

  The place was cozy, though. Exactly the kind of ski lodge bar a tourist would expect, complete with crackling fireplaces and a mounted taxidermy moose head.

  Mandy glanced at him, an unspoken question in her eyes, and he led her toward the bar with his hand on the small of her back.

  “Bartenders tend to hear everything, even when people think they’re not listening,” Trent whispered.

  She slid onto a stool beside him and shot her thousand-watt grin at the male bartender. It didn’t take long for him to notice her.

  “How can I help you guys?” He had Irish eyes and a quick and ready smile.

  Trent cleared his throat. “She’ll have a dirty Grey Goose martini, three olives and I’ll have a Jack on the rocks, please.”

  “Coming up.” The guy nodded, then set to work pouring and shaking and garnishing.

  “Worked here long, Sean?” Trent asked, after reading the man’s nametag.

  Sean shrugged. “A couple years.”

  “So then, you heard about that missing girl, huh? Rebecca Anderson?” Trent asked, and Mandy shot him a look. He ignored her. He’d been a detective for a couple of years before he’d left Denver PD. The direct approach was often best. Might as well see if straightforward did the job here before overcomplicating things.

  The bartender set two drinks in front of them. “Even if I knew anything about that, we’re not permitted to discuss the matter with guests. I’m sorry.” He frowned.

  Trent took a sip of his drink. “I can understand that. But what if I told you we’re not really guests?”

  Mandy frowned and gave him the side-eye again.

  “I don’t think I follow.” The bartender picked up a rag and started wiping down the bar, but Trent kept at him.

  “I’m a private investigator here to look into what exactly happened to Rebecca, the missing girl. So, if there’s anything you can share, it would really help us out.”

  The bartender’s frown deepened, but he glanced around the bar furtively before leaning in close. “Look, I talked to the police. Can’t they give that to you or something? I just don’t want to get in trouble. They’re real touchy about that whole thing. You can see this place is already a ghost town and it’s not just because of the weather.”

  “There’s nothing you can tell us that might help? There is a young woman missing who may still be alive out there somewhere and a lot of people would love to have her found safe.” Mandy blinked up at him, and he let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Okay, look.” Sean glanced around again and then dropped his voice to little more than a whisper. “They—the couple I mean—came in for a nightcap late that evening. All I can say is, based on what I saw, she was furious with him. He kept trying to grab her hand and talk to her, but she wasn’t having it. They argued, but I couldn’t really hear what they were saying. After about twenty minutes, she got up and walked out. Said she was going back to the room and left him behind.”

  That wasn’t news to either Mandy or Trent. The police report said as much. But as Mandy opened her mouth to ask a question, Trent reached for her hand and squeezed. Sean wasn’t done talking yet. Trent could see it in his eyes.

  “Look,” he murmured conspiratorially. “I didn’t mention this part to the police because it wasn’t something I can say for sure…just a feeling, but he didn’t seem bothered at all that she was crying. In fact, he was like…smirking when she left.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t want that on the record. I’m just saying that was my feeling. He started tapping away on his phone and then, a few minutes later, he went upstairs.”

  Mandy gave Trent a significant look.

  “Is that everything you know?” Trent asked.

  The bartender nodded. “Like I say, I don’t know anything. Only what I saw, and even that could mean nothing at all, right? But the girl was nice. I hope it helps.”

  Trent opened his mouth to thank him, but just as he was about to speak, another gust of wind battered the windows and made the whole place creak and moan. A second later, the soft music streaming from the speakers went quiet, and the lights flickered once.

  Then, everything went dark.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Another whoosh of wind battered the windows and made the storm shutters whine as they sat in stunned silence.

  Mandy reached for Trent, and though he gave her palm a reassuring squeeze, he knew it would do nothing to stop her hand from trembling in his. It was chilling as hell to be talking about a missing woman and have the lights die mid-conversation. The moon skittering off the snow provided some ambient light, but not near enough for his comfort level. He again found himself second-guessing his decision to take this job.

  “Nothing to worry about,” Sean said. “It’ll take a minute, but the backup generator has never failed us yet.”

  Mandy let out a nervous chuckle and lifted her drink to her lips. The couple in the corner of the room fell silent. The only sound Trent heard was the continual moaning of the wind.

  Finally, the slow, steady whining of the generator coming online filled the air as the lights came up and the drowsy jazz music poured from the speakers again.

  “Just like I said.” The bartender winked at Mandy.

  “Great.” Mandy turned to face Trent right as the wind cracked against the building so hard that the mounted moose head shifted on the wall and the room went dark and silent once more.

  “Well, I suppose there’s a first time for everything,” Mandy said. Her usual good humor hadn’t failed her yet, but Trent could hear it fraying around the edges, and he didn’t blame her one bit. The place was creepy, just like she said. Even more so in the dark.

  “Don’t worry folks. I’m sure everything is under control, and it’ll be handled right away. In the m
eantime, though,” Sean reached beneath the bar and pulled out a long, thin flashlight. Flipping the switch, he placed the light just beneath his chin like he was going to tell a ghost story. “We can keep each other company. And, of course, drinks are complimentary for the duration of the outage.”

  Suddenly social, the couple in the corner sprang to their feet and ordered a fresh round from halfway across the room. Mandy glanced at them as they pulled up seats beside her, and though her face looked impassive, Trent felt her palm sweaty and shaky in his.

  “You’re not going to order another drink?” He raised his eyebrows at her as Sean swept by to light a candle on the bar-top.

  “I don’t want this one to get jealous,” Mandy nodded to her half-full martini glass.

  “You should have started worrying about making people jealous back when you were flirting with the bartender,” Trent teased.

  She rolled her eyes. “So you’re the jealous type now?”

  “Of course, I am. You never noticed?” But his teasing had dulled the shrill edge of fear in her voice. He tossed some money onto the bar and then helped her from her stool. “Probably better we keep our heads clear, anyway. Let’s check the front desk and see what’s going on.”

  Mandy nodded. “Okay, if that’s the excuse you’re going with.”

  When they reached the edge of the room, he opened the door for her and followed her into the hall. “Excuse?”

  She shrugged. “All of a sudden you want to talk to the front desk? It has nothing to do with Sean the gallant bartender and your quest to protect my honor?”

  Her blue eyes glanced at him from beneath a curtain of sun-kissed hair, and he squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Should I challenge him to a duel?”

  “Maybe.” In the dim moonlight skittering through the windows off the snow, he thought he saw her grin.

  Just as he moved to pull her in for a quick kiss, another blast of wind crashed against the building, and she jumped. Leave it to Mandy to try to distract them from the reality of their situation. Her hand was trembling again, and he pulled her close, willing the power outage to end before they reached the lobby. Things had been strange enough with the ominous weather. Being stuck in the dark in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard gave new meaning the to the phrase “bad date.”