Murder in Mountain Springs

by Alene Anderson

  She went back to the window and watched as he climbed out of the Jeep and headed into his cabin. She had to know if he had gotten into the Geisha House and there was only one way to find out.

  She untied the apron and hung it on a hook as she walked out of the kitchen. As she climbed the hill she knew she was out of her mind. She had no right to do this. Had she not told herself just that morning she should be resistant to Jake’s charms? What was she doing putting herself in temptation’s way? But she kept going.

  She walked up the steps and knocked on the door. She could hear music playing and it took a minute before the door opened and Jake’s tall figure stood there blocking out the light from the room beyond.

  He didn’t ask her to come in. He just stood and stared at her.

  The beat of the music and the way he was looking at her, started a strange tingle throughout her body. When Bob Seger started crooning in his hoarse, husky voice, Jake leaned against the door frame and put his arm out, barring her way.

  With half-shut eyes, he sang along with the music in a soft baritone. Then he reached out and grabbed her arm, slowly pulling her into the cabin.

  “Please, let me go,” she said.

  Why had she come? She didn’t trust herself with this man.

  Jake released her arm and reached to tip her chin up with one finger. “You know you want to come in. Why else did you come?”

  She was silent. His hand dropped from her face to her arm and he tugged her gently toward him, kicking the door shut with one booted foot.

  Chapter 7

  Kate knew Jake had wanted her to spend the night with him, but somewhere she found the strength to refuse. Early the following morning she heard his Jeep start up and a few minutes later it drove past the lodge. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window. Lights were headed toward the highway leading toward Lava Cove.

  Had he decided to leave without telling her? She knew he had a few more days before he was due to either check out or pay for another week. Was he upset because she had refused to spend the night with him? She glanced at the clock and saw from the time displayed Hank would be down in the kitchen starting on the pies needing to be baked for the day.

  Not bothering to shower, she slipped into a blouse and then put on a denim jumper. She ran a brush over her hair and ran downstairs and into the kitchen.

  “Where is Jake off to this early?” she asked, trying to sound casual, not wanting to believe he had actually checked out without telling her.

  “Off to Salt Lake,” Hank said. “Said he might be gone for a coupla days.”

  Why hadn’t he told her last night? Although she found it a little upsetting that he hadn’t mentioned it, she didn’t try to analyze her feeling of relief. At least she knew she might have a little more time with him before he decided to leave the area. What was that going to accomplish? They had nothing in common. Besides she knew she didn’t want him around Jennifer with his smoking and beer drinking.

  She ate the breakfast Hank prepared for her and then went up to her apartment and sat down at her computer. She brought up the accounting program she used to post the financial information from the lodge. By the time she had finished, she knew it was late enough in the morning to clean the cabins. All the men had left early to pursue their day’s activities.

  She went to Jake’s cabin first. She wanted to reassure herself he was indeed coming back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she opened the closet door and saw shirts, a suit, and his faded blue jean jacket hanging on the rod.

  After Jake reached Interstate 15 and headed north toward Salt Lake, he pushed in his favorite CD. When Bob Seger started to sing “Trying to Live My Life Without You,” he tapped his left foot on the floorboard in time with the music.

  He pulled a crumpled wrapper out of his shirt pocket and took out the one cigarette left and put it in his mouth, but didn’t light it. How many days had it been since he had had a cigarette? It had been easier to quit smoking than it was going to be to leave Mountain Springs and Kate.

  His outlook on life had certainly changed since he had met Kate. When she had come to his room the previous night after he returned from the spa, he was sure he was going to talk her into bed. He couldn’t believe how disappointed he had been when she had refused.

  He had a feeling the only way he would ever get Kate into bed was to marry her. He thought of how many one night stands he had in D.C. after he returned from Afghanistan and found his wife had taken off with one of his friends. Was he ready to give up the life style he had been living in D.C.? He had a feeling he was already halfway there or was it two thirds of the way? He had quit smoking and he seemed to have lost his taste for drinking. Was it because he knew Kate didn’t approve of either one of those vices?

  If she ever realized how many women there had been, he was afraid he would lose any attraction he might have for her. But unfortunately there was no easy fix like there was for the smoking and drinking.

  He had a job to do and he had better concentrate on it and forget about Kate. If he could. He couldn’t remember when his thoughts had ever been so totally occupied with a woman. What was there about her? She wasn’t at all the type he had always gone for. In fact, he would say she was the exact opposite.

  It was a five-hour drive to Salt Lake, but as he recalled all the memories he had of Kate and Hank just in the short time since he had arrived in Mountain Springs, the miles flew by. Jake soon reached the outskirts of the city and off in the distance he saw the spires of the Mormon Temple and the round dome of the capitol building. He took a hand-drawn map out of the glove box and looked for the exit number for the street address the banker had given him for Brad Jenner.

  Jake took the exit off the freeway and made a right turn. It wasn’t long until he saw the building with the number on it, indicating it was the one.

  He slowed down but didn’t stop. It was a conservative looking office building all on one level with a small parking lot beside it. He drove a few more blocks until he found the hotel where he had reservations.

  He swung the Jeep into valet parking and climbed out. As he handed the keys to the young man who ran up, he reached into the back seat and lifted out his bag. Walking into the Hilton and looking around he couldn’t help but wish he could have brought Kate with him.

  He knew she would have enjoyed the amenities of the hotel. He planned on using the pool and the exercise room. He knew after all the exercise he had been getting in Mountain Springs, he couldn’t relax or he would begin to lose it. He knew how important it could be to remain in top physical condition. With his job, he never knew when he might need to take someone down or defend himself from an unexpected attack.

  As he walked into his assigned room, his eyes fell on the telephone. He should have told Kate he had to make the trip to Salt Lake, but when she had refused to spend the night with him, he couldn’t think of anything else, let alone the trip he had planned to Salt Lake the next day.

  He had told Hank, but he should have told Kate, too. He would call her as soon as he unpacked the few items he had brought. He couldn’t help but wonder why he felt it was important to let her know where he was, but he knew for his own peace of mind, he needed to let her know that he cared enough to tell her personally. Not leave it for Hank to tell her.

  A few minutes later, he dialed the number for the lodge and when he heard Kate’s voice, he couldn’t believe the emotion sweeping over him. He didn’t want to analyze it.

  “Kate, just wanted to let you know I got to Salt Lake. I’m staying at the Hilton if you would like the number.”

  He had to smile when she answered in a cross voice. “Why would I want the number?”

  She had certainly become feisty since he had first arrived in Mountain Springs. He couldn’t decide which Kate he liked best, the naïve one who was easily embarrassed or the feisty o
ne she appeared to have metamorphosed into. In a split second, he decided he loved them both. Wow, wait a minute. Where did that come from? Had he forgotten he didn’t do love?

  It took him a second before he said, “You might need me.”

  “I won’t need you. Besides what good would it do?” She still sounded cross. “You’re five hours away. That is, if you really are in Salt Lake.”

  “If I’m not in Salt Lake, where do you think I am?” He was curious as to what was going on in her head.

  “For all I know you might be right here in town at the Mountain Springs Health Spa. When you have a cell phone, you could tell me you’re anywhere and I wouldn’t know the difference.”

  He wondered why the idea of the Geisha House bothered her. But he knew it did and one of these days he was going to find out why.

  “I’m going to hang up and you call me back at the hotel, Room 524.”

  “I’m not going to call you back,” she said. “I can’t afford a long-distance call on my telephone bill.”

  “If you hang up as soon as you hear my voice, it won’t even cost you twenty-five cents,” he suggested.

  “You’re right about one thing, I am hanging up, but I’m not calling you back. I have more important things to do then check up on you.”

  With those words, she did hang up and Jake grinned to himself as he heard the dial tone. He could tell he had gotten to her. As he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt, he started whistling, “Trying to Live My Life Without You, Babe.” The more he was around Kate, the more he hoped he wouldn’t have to.

  After slipping into tennis shoes he left the room and headed down to the fitness center for a workout. When he was finished, he would swim a few laps in the pool and then sit and relax in the Jacuzzi. Tomorrow he hoped to locate Brad Jenner.

  As Kate hung up the phone, she couldn’t help but feel happy Jake had called her. She knew for some reason he loved to tease her, but she was sure he wasn’t teasing when he told her he was at the Hilton in Salt Lake. She wondered once again why he had gone to Salt Lake. It could be on some legal business for his law firm. She had noticed a few days ago the mailman had put a letter in Jake’s mailbox in the office with the return address of the law firm in Los Angeles.

  Humming happily to herself, she went into the kitchen where Hank was rolling out pie crust for his daily ration of pies.

  “What ya so happy about?” he asked. “Git another reservation?”

  “No, Jake was calling to say he had arrived in Salt Lake,” she said.

  “Hmm,” he said, making no further comment. He rolled out the pie crust a little thinner and then after a few minutes said, “Wonder why he did that.”

  “Guess he just wanted us to know where he was in case we needed him. He’s staying at the Hilton,” she added as an afterthought.

  “And what could he do for us here in Mountain Springs when he’s up in Salt Lake?”

  “I asked him the exact same question.” She smiled.

  “What did he say?”

  “Actually, he didn’t say because I suggested with a cell phone he could be anywhere and I wouldn’t know the difference.”

  “Bet that ticked him off,” Hank said with a chuckle.

  “He gave me the number of the Hilton Hotel along with his room number and told me to call him back. I told him I had more important things to do and I hung up on him.”

  Hank had nothing more to say. He began rattling around in the cupboard, pulling out pie tins and Kate went outside to water the plants. She was proud she hadn’t killed them, thanks to a few pointers from Jake.

  As she walked around the lodge with a hose sending a fine spray of water on the plants Jake had planted, she couldn’t help but think about him. She missed him, knowing he was out of town, and she wondered what she was going to do when he left for good. When she finished with the watering, she went back inside to her office. A minute later, the phone rang and she hurried to pick it up.

  “Miss me?” The deep voice had her heart doing double-time.

  “What do you want now?” she asked, trying to sound cross.

  “Just checking to see if you miss me,” Jake said, his voice low and husky.

  “I’m too busy to miss you. Now would you quit calling? You’re tying up the line and I’m expecting an important phone call.”

  “And who would that be?” he asked.

  Not bothering to answer, she hung up the telephone. He knew her daughter, Jennifer, called her every day about this time. When the phone rang again, Kate decided it was no longer funny. He was going to make her miss her daily phone call from Jennifer.

  Scowling, she picked up the phone. “If you make me miss Jennifer’s call, I will never speak to you again.”

  “Excuse me,” a feminine voice said into her ear. “Is this Mountain Springs Lodge?”

  “I’m sorry,” Kate said. “This is Mountain Springs Lodge, can I help you?”

  “I must say, that wasn’t a very professional way to answer a business phone.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  “I’m calling for Jake Soubrette. Could you ring his room, please?” The woman sounded somewhat placated.

  “He isn’t here,” Kate said. “Can I take a message for him?”

  “Where could he be in a podunk town like Mountain Springs if he’s not there?”

  “I really can’t give out that information,” Kate replied firmly.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “Would you care to leave your name and number?” Kate asked, ignoring the comment.

  “No, I’m sure he remembers my number,” the woman on the other end of the line assured her. “He slept over enough times, there is no way he would have forgotten it. Just tell him Felicia called.”

  Hearing the click as the caller disconnected, Kate slowly replaced the telephone. Why had she ever been attracted to Jake? She should have known she was headed for heartbreak. A man like Jake probably knew lots of girls.

  That was only the beginning of the calls for Jake. There were two more calls in the next two days, each from a woman, each hinting at some kind of relationship with Jake. The last one was from a woman who said her name was Megan.

  When Kate told her he wasn’t there, she gave a big sigh.

  “Wouldn’t you know it?” Megan asked. “Before he left D.C. he asked me to marry him. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He has such a reputation for being a playboy, but since he’s been gone, I have really missed him. I have decided I am ready to make a commitment. And now he’s not available.”

  “Do you want to leave a message?” Kate asked, fighting off the devastation she was beginning to feel with this last call.

  “Just tell him I called. He has my number,” Megan said. “But don’t tell him why I’m calling. I want to be the one to tell him.”

  Kate assured her she wouldn’t say a word and hung up the telephone. Walking over to the window, she stared at Jake’s cabin. She should have known better than to be attracted to Jake. She had known right from the first. The way he called her ‘Doll.’ She should have known he was some kind of a playboy.

  She picked up a slip of paper and wrote down Megan’s name with the date and time she had called and stuck it in his mailbox along with the other two messages he had already received.

  What had she been thinking of? How could she have been so stupid?

  She berated herself over and over again. She no longer looked forward to Jake’s return from Salt Lake. In fact, if she were honest, she totally dreaded seeing him again. He must be laughing to himself at what a fool she was. With his experience, he must have known how she was starting to feel about him. In addition, he had obviously lied to her. All three women had mentioned they were calling from Washington, D.C. and he said he was
an attorney from Los Angeles.

  For a moment she perked up. Maybe they had the wrong man. But she knew that theory was too farfetched. There couldn’t possibly be two Jake Soubrettes.

  Jake returned from Salt Lake knowing no more about the owner of the Mountain Springs Health Spa than when he had left Pine Mountain. He had gone to the address he had received from the banker. They had claimed not to know of a Brad Jenner, nor had they ever heard of Rocky Mountain Enterprises. That didn’t make sense. Just to be sure he had the right address, he called the bank in Lava Cove. They assured him he had the correct address.

  Although he was frustrated with his inability to find out who really owned the spa, he was happy to be back at the lodge and couldn’t seem to drum up the feeling of failure that usually hit him when he ran into a snag on one of his assignments.

  All his research told him Brad Jenner was non-existent. Maybe he was, but he had a murder on his hands. More than ever, he was anxious to solve this case, give up his job with the USCIS, and begin a life with Kate. He better not get his heart set on that, he cautioned himself. Kate had several problems with his life style, his former life style, he corrected himself. He had totally given up the two vices she had frowned upon, smoking and drinking. Hopefully she would never find out about all the women he had slept with before coming to Mountain Springs.

  As soon as he entered the lodge and saw the slips of paper in his mailbox, he knew that hope was doomed. How had those women gotten this phone number? Not even his boss called him here.

  Angrily he turned around and stomped out of the office without going into the kitchen as he usually did. He headed up the hill toward his Jeep. A few minutes later he was on the pay phone in Mountain Springs.