Murder in Mountain Springs

by Alene Anderson

  Connie smiled in sympathy and Kate knew it wasn’t necessary for the other woman to ask what she meant by that statement.

  “Am I allowed to ask if something is going on between you and Jake?”

  “He would like it, but I have to be sure about Jennifer and how she feels first. It has been hard on her knowing her father is in prison. But Jake has made that much easier for her by taking us up to visit Walt. He talked to Jennifer about mistakes people make and how we must learn to forgive them.”

  “I would never have thought that of Jake,” Connie said. “He seems like he comes from a different world.”

  “He has changed a lot since he’s been here,” Kate replied. “I have to admire him for giving up the smoking and the beer drinking. My step-father said he had tried to give up smoking many times, and he became so disoriented, he was actually walking into walls. He said one time, his driving became quite erratic from the need for nicotine, and he was stopped by the police. They thought he had been drinking.”

  “Thank goodness, I never tried smoking when I was growing up,” Connie said.

  “Me, neither. I always thought it was such a dirty habit.”

  Connie changed the subject. “What can I get for you today? Is it your usual? Fruits and vegetables?”

  “That will do it.”

  Kate was disappointed when she arrived back at the lodge and Jake had not returned or called. She didn’t know if she should be worried or upset that he hadn’t been in touch with them.

  Jennifer assured her she had her chores done and had helped Hank pack a lunch for them. “Come on, Mom,” she said, anxious to be off.

  “I’m coming, Sweetie. Just let me finish carrying my bags in from the car. In fact, why don’t you help me and we can leave that much sooner.”

  It took them only a few minutes to unload the car and then picking up the packets of lunch and drinks Hank had prepared for them to put in their saddlebags, they headed out to the SUV.

  A few minutes later they were turning into Reynold’s Stable and Kate couldn’t help remembering the first time she had gone riding with Jake. The day they had seen Dave Wilson with the Asian girl by the waterfall.

  Thinking of Jake made her wonder again where he might be. Then a thought entered her mind. A very upsetting thought. Had she become too trusting of Jake? Had he gone up to the Geisha House after they had returned from Lava Cove the evening before? Had he spent the night there?

  Chapter 11

  Jake realized he was thinking constantly about Kate. He smiled to himself as he remembered she admitted he was attractive when he lit up a cigarette, yet she still wanted him to quit smoking. Thankfully, he was there. He had even thrown away the one cigarette in the crushed wrapper he had carried for days in case the desire for nicotine became too much for him.

  He had worked hard to kick the habit and even now he was reminded of the Bob Seger song “Trying to Live My Life Without You.” He certainly agreed with the sentiment that while giving up smoking had been hard, it would have been harder to give up a future with Kate.

  He had waited all his life for someone like her, and he couldn’t believe he had finally found her. He wanted to hear her voice, but he knew it would be a bad idea to call. Knowing Kate, she was going to be upset because he had disappeared without a word to either her or Hank.

  He was impatient for this assignment to be over and hoped he hadn’t ruined his chances by not confiding in her. But he knew it was one of the cardinal rules of the USCIS not to reveal any operation they took part in. Rather than lie to her about his reason for the trip to Salt Lake, it was better he said nothing and hoped for understanding when he was able to tell her the truth about his reason for being in Mountain Springs.

  He laid out his suit on the bed and went through his brief case to find the press ID in preparation for making a call on the four businessmen. Mike had had his receptionist in D.C. call and make appointments for Jake. Everything was lined up. He glanced at his watch. His first interview was in one hour. He had enough time to shower and drive to the address.

  His interviews were scheduled over the next two days. On the morning of Jake’s third day in Salt Lake, Mike was flying in from D.C. They would finalize their plans for the raid. They were going to leave from the airport and drive back to Mountain Springs together. He would register Mike at the lodge as one of his partner’s in the law firm in Los Angeles.

  Jake was pleased with the way the four interviews had gone. He was sure none of the men had suspected he was with the USCIS, not the New York Times. When he had mentioned to each one of them that he had found information which showed they were owners in the Health Spa in Mountain Springs, each one had told the same story. It was an exclusive club where men went to relax, sit in a steam room, hot tub, etcetera. Each one had claimed to be involved in the day to day operation.

  As he drove to the airport to pick up Mike, he wondered if he should keep the rental car to drive his boss to Mountain Springs. He smiled at the idea of Mike riding five hours in his Jeep. He decided to leave the decision to Mike.

  When approached about the subject of a car, Mike agreed it might be easier to discuss plans for the raid if they had a car which allowed them to talk. Jake had to agree the wind factor was somewhat prohibitive to conversation even though he did get a kick out of driving his Jeep. It somehow gave him a sense of freedom, feeling the wind blowing around him.

  Jake could bring Mike back to Salt Lake to catch a flight to D.C. At that time, Jake could pick up his Jeep. They made arrangements to leave the Jeep with the rental company and drove away, with the promise of being back in a couple of days.

  “How did the interviews go?” Mike asked as they left the airport.

  “They went well,” Jake replied. “I don’t think any of the men had a clue that I wasn’t who I said I was.”

  “I have to admit, you would make a good reporter,” Mike said with a smile.

  “I do feel bad about one thing,” Jake said. Aware of the look Mike gave him, he continued. “All four of those men are family men. What is going to happen when we blow the cover off the spa?”

  “That’s not our problem. We’re here to enforce the law and these men need to suffer the consequences of their actions.”

  “But there’s going to be a bad fallout,” Jake said, thinking of Kate and Jennifer and how their life had been affected by Walt’s actions. “Their reputations are going to be ruined and their families will be torn apart.”

  “As I said, that’s not our responsibility. We are here to put a stop to this slave trade. Don’t tell me you have more sympathy for the families of the owners of the spa who are living off those poor Asian girls than you do for the girls themselves.”

  “Of course, I don’t. Not when it’s put that way.”

  They drove in silence for the next few miles.

  “Have the other agents checked into the lodge yet?” Jake broke the silence to ask. “I haven’t wanted to be in touch with Kate Harrington.”

  If Mike thought that statement was strange, he didn’t ask the reason for it. “Six agents flew into the Lava Cove airport disguised as tourists who are looking for some good fishing. They checked into the lodge yesterday. They’re waiting for us to arrive in order for me to go over their orders with them. In the meantime, they’re using their time to actually do a little fishing.”

  “I understand the local USCIS in Salt Lake will be handling the arrest of the four men.”

  “That’s right,” Mike agreed. “It will happen almost simultaneously with the raid we have planned for the spa.”

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to double-up on the occupancy of the cabins,” Kate said apologetically as she looked at the six men standing in front of her. “But I can give you each a twin bed.”

  “No problem,” one said, who appeared to be
their spokesman. “We’re use to that. In fact, we often camp out in a tent. A bed is going to be a luxury for us. Right, guys?”

  “Right,” they answered in unison.

  “You may not have heard, but you have a real bonus in store for you,” she said.

  At their looks of interest, she said, “My cook, Hank, is famous in this area for his pies. People drive for miles to buy them.” She reached into a drawer, took out a menu, and slid it across the counter. “Here are the list of pies. Why don’t you have a look while I get you checked in?”

  Kate was pleased. All her cabins were now filled except one and that would be filled tomorrow. A man by the name of Mike Barton was supposed to arrive tomorrow. His secretary had called and made a two-day reservation. Her only concern now was why Jake had disappeared.

  It was hard to believe after their talks and his professed feelings for her and Jennifer he would leave without telling her. He had already been gone two days. She didn’t know whether to be worried or angry. If he really did care about her, wouldn’t he know it was important to let her know where he was?

  Unless, of course, he was somewhere he didn’t want her to know about. Like the spa, for example. Maybe he hadn’t changed at all. Maybe he had just been trying to get her into bed. The more she thought about it, the more determined she became to find out where he was. She knew she was through with him if she discovered he was at the spa.

  There was only one way to find out.

  As Kate drove up the road to the spa, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get in. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was the time the limousine usually showed up from Salt Lake to pick up clients from the spa. Maybe she could park her car down the road on a side street and hide in the bushes. Then she would try to slip through the gate at the same time the limousine drove through. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be seen.

  She knew she was being a little crazy, but she had to know about Jake. He would probably never tell her if he paid a visit there, and she had to know. If he was at the spa, she knew she could never marry him. It would be proof he hadn’t changed at all. He would not be a good father image for Jennifer. It would break not only her heart, but Jennifer’s as well.

  She parked her car in front of a house down the road from the spa. Glancing down the road to ascertain the limousine was not headed in her direction. It wouldn’t do for the driver to see her walking. He might recognize her and wonder what she was doing. She was out of breath when she reached the bushes by the gate and she was happy to sit down behind them and take a breather.

  Before long, she heard the sound of a motor in the distance and she peered around the leaf-laden limbs. It was the limousine, and she quickly positioned herself by the side of the gate where she couldn’t be seen. As the gate slid open, the limousine glided through. Before the gate could begin its slide back, she slipped inside.

  If she were lucky, no one would see her. If she got caught, she had better have an excuse as to why she was there. Maybe she could say she was looking for the limousine driver to let him know about a new kind of pie Hank had baked. That wouldn’t be altogether a lie. Hank was always coming up with new flavors.

  She stood behind a tree for a few minutes, but no one appeared to have seen her. She continued to stand where she was and soon a group of men exited the building. They were laughing and talking loudly as they climbed into the limousine. The driver followed them out and making sure all the car doors were closed, he climbed behind the wheel. The vehicle moved slowly around the circle drive and headed down the slight incline to the gate.

  There were no cars parked in front of the spa, but that didn’t mean that Jake’s Jeep wasn’t around in back. She had scrutinized each man in the group. Not one was familiar. If Jake was here, his Jeep had to be around in the back and he was still inside. She hated herself for not trusting Jake, but she had trusted Walt and look what he had done. Would she always have a problem trusting men?

  Time to get a move on.

  She had told Hank and Jennifer she would only be gone ten minutes. She had already used up the allotted time, plus some, and she hadn’t even stopped at the nursery for the vegetables for dinner.

  Carefully, she picked her way through the tall grass, moving as quietly as she could, from one tree to another. She was relieved when she hit the lawn and it was easier walking. Unfortunately there was a clearing between the grove of trees she was cowering in and the old log building, which contained the spa. She had to get across it and work her way around the house to be sure there were no other parked cars.

  Watching and listening carefully, she stood for a few minutes and then certain no one was outside, she ran as hard as she could across the clearing. She was out of breath when she reached one side of the lodge. Leaning against the rough, wooden wall she waited until her breathing slowed, before she began to edge along the logs. There were only three walls to cover, since she had had a full view of the front of the lodge where the limousine had parked.

  She turned the corner to skulk down the third wall when it registered on her there was no sign of Jake’s Jeep. She had been mistaken about him, after all. She couldn’t help but feel foolish. How could she ever have doubted him? Now she would have to worry about getting back across the clearing and down to the gate.

  The gate!

  She hadn’t even stopped to think how she would get back out through the gate. There was no way she could climb the fence. There were a couple of strands of barbwire and a filament of electrical wire above that.

  Her brain began to work frantically. She had to find a way out of the property. Jennifer and Hank would begin to worry about her. Perhaps, they would think she had car trouble. Maybe she should just walk up to the front door, knock, and ask for someone to open the gate for her.

  Suddenly she heard a noise behind her and turning she saw a large Asian woman. Before she could make a move, she had grabbed Kate by the arm. Realizing how strong the other woman was, Kate stood still waiting to see what would happen next.

  “What you doing here?” the woman asked in broken English.

  Deciding to be truthful, Kate replied, “I’m looking for a friend.”

  “Who that be?”

  “Jake Soubrette.”

  “No heard of him.”

  “You must be Kuri,” Kate said. “I hear you do a great job of running the spa.”

  Kuri stared at her suspiciously.

  “You want work here?”

  “No, I own the Mountain Springs Lodge,” Kate said. “I’m very busy with that and wouldn’t have time for a second job.”

  “You come,” Kuri motioned toward a back door.

  “I’m sorry,” Kate said. “I really can’t come in. I was looking for Jake and since you say he’s not here, I really must go. Could you open the gate for me?”

  “Come,” Kuri ordered, and gave her arm a painful jerk.

  Maybe she’s going to unlock the gate, Kate thought.

  Kuri took by the arm and when they reached the door, she gave her a shove, almost causing Kate to fall across the threshold. Flinging out a hand, she steadied herself on the wall.

  They were in a small hallway, which appeared to end in a large kitchen. Off to the left was an open door, which was the entrance to a small store room. Before she could observe anything further, Kuri shoved her into the room and slammed the door.

  When Kate heard a bolt sliding on the other side of the door, she was suddenly frightened. The room was totally dark. There were no windows to give the least bit of light. She fumbled on the wall by the door and finally found a light switch. She tried the doorknob, but even though it turned, she couldn’t open the door. In a panic, she began pounding on the door.

  “Kuri, let me out of here,” she shouted.

  She was quiet for a moment, waiting to see if the Asian woman would return a
nd let her out. Hearing nothing, she began to pound again.

  “Kuri, let me out,” she shouted. “People will come looking for me if I don’t show up at the lodge soon.”

  Getting angrier by the minute, she continued to pound and yell. When she heard the bolt slide back on the door, she stopped and glared at Kuri as she came in with a length of rope and duct tape.

  “Wh-What are you doing?” Kate stuttered as the woman grabbed her and jerked an arm behind her back.

  Kuri didn’t reply. She had make a slip knot in one end of the rope and she grabbed Kate’s hand and pulled it through the loop. Knowing she was about to be tied up, Kate began to struggle but the Asian woman was too strong for her. It didn’t take her long to tie both of Kate’s hands behind her back and draw the rope tight, cutting into her wrists.

  When she was satisfied with the rope knotted around Kate’s wrist, she took a knife from a pocket in her apron and cut off the end of the rope. There was enough to tie around Kate’s ankles and she proceeded to do so.

  When she was finished, Kuri cut off a piece of the duct tape. Kate tried to move her head back and forth to keep Kuri from putting the tape over her mouth. The Asian woman grabbed her by the hair and holding Kate’s head still, she slapped the piece of tape across her mouth, smoothing it out with her stubby fingers.

  “That fix you, Missy,” Kuri said and flipped off the light switch by the door.

  When Kate heard the metal bolt slide into place, she slid to the floor and leaned back against the wall, struggling to keep the tears from falling. As she thought about the girl Kioko and her slashed throat, Kate grew frightened. More frightened than she had even been in her life. Would Kuri end up killing her?

  Jake and Mike arrived at the lodge right at noon. Kate’s SUV wasn’t sitting at the side of the lodge where she usually parked it.