by Nicole Ellis
“I’m sure things will work out.” I wandered over to the window. “Which of the cabins are we going to be in? Will my sister-in-law’s cabin be close to ours?”
She snapped her fingers and laughed. “In my excitement about seeing you again, I almost forgot you are a guest here.” She motioned for me to come to the counter and she went behind it and tapped away at the computer. “I’ve got you in cabins next to each other along the lake. Does that work for you? It’s a little further away from the café and recreation areas, but most people think being right on the lake completely makes up for the slightly longer walk.”
“That’s perfect.” I could already see myself sipping coffee out on the deck. Maybe I could even convince Adam to take the kids for a while, and I could take a nap on the nylon rope hammock that I had spied hanging off to one side of the decks.
Leah registered us and held out two keys for the cabin and a pamphlet detailing the activities at the resort. “We have s’mores out at the campfire at eight o’clock every night, and then a pancake breakfast in the morning. Of course, if you want espresso, the café opens at six a.m. It’s in the Great Hall, directly behind the office.” She laughed. “I seem to remember you having a raging caffeine addiction.”
I smiled. “I still do. It may even be worse now with having two kids who don’t often sleep through the night.” I took the keys from her and she led me outside.
“I’m going to be pretty busy tonight checking people in, but stop by and see me tomorrow. If I’m not here, that’s my house up there.” She pointed to a two-story log cabin at the edge of the woods. “Feel free to come see me when you can. I’d love to catch up on everything.” She shook her head. “It’s hard to believe you have two kids already. It seems like yesterday that we were hanging out after work.”
“It’s hard for me to believe sometimes too.” Going back to work at the Boathouse had been good for me, but I was still trying to figure out who I was again after having my kids.
“Anyway, you’re in cabin six. It’s right over there.” She nodded at the lakefront cabins I’d seen before. “Your sister-in-law will be in cabin five. Do you know when she’ll be checking in?”
“I don’t think she’ll be here until nine or ten tonight. Is that ok? Will there be someone to check her in?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure everything is arranged.” Leah rested her hand on my arm. “I’ve got to get back to work, but don’t forget to come catch up with me later.”
“I will,” I called over my shoulder. I walked quickly to the car, dangling the keys in front of me. When I opened the car door, Adam was still snoozing in the front seat, but Mikey looked excited to see me. I sat down and turned around in the front passenger seat to see him better.
“Can we go out canoeing now? Or maybe exploring in the woods? I hope there are bears here. I want to see a bear. Anthony will want to go too.”
Bears? I hoped there weren’t any around the resort. I glanced at the thick woods on the outskirts of the property. There probably were a plethora of forest creatures living in them. I shuddered. Probably mice and other little rodents. Maybe I’d send Adam out alone with Mikey on a hike.
I put my hand on Adam’s shoulder and shook it. “Wake up.”
“Huh, what?” His eyes flashed open and he put his hands on the steering wheel. “Where are we?”
I sighed. Adam had always been a deep sleeper, and it often took him a few minutes and a gallon of coffee to wake up.
“We’re at the Thunder Lake Resort. I talked to Leah and I’ve got our cabin assignment. It’s right over there—cabin six.” I nodded my head toward the cabins.
“Oh.” He focused his attention on the cabins. “Great.” He inserted the key in the ignition and started the car, then slowly drove over to cabin six. We parked in one of the two spots in front of the cabin, our tires stopping softly on a bed of dried pine needles.
Ella had awoken, and Adam removed her from her carrier and held her against his chest as I unbuckled Mikey. As soon as he was free, our son bounded from the car and up the steps to the cabin. He raced around the covered deck to the water side.
“Hey, wait up.” I jogged after him. We’d been trying to teach him how to swim, but he hadn’t mastered the skill yet and I didn’t want him falling in. When I got to him, he was clutching the railing and staring out at the water.
“This is going to be so cool!”
“Yep.” I took his hand and led him over to the door. The key turned easily and we were in the cabin. The inside was rustic, but nicely kept up, with a couch out in the living room, one bedroom with a queen-size bed, and a smaller room with twin-sized bunk beds. An even smaller bathroom was tucked away behind a galley kitchen. The living room contained a fireplace with a huge rag rug in front of it. I didn’t think we’d have much need for the fireplace on our trip, but it would be nice for a winter visit.
It wasn’t glamorous, but it was one hundred times nicer than roughing it in the woods like Adam had wanted to do. I planned to put Ella in the Pack ‘n Play we’d brought with us for her to sleep in, and Mikey would sleep in the bottom bunk.
Adam came in and handed Ella to me. “I’ll bring our bags in.”
Mikey explored the cabin. “Hey, where’s the TV?” He opened a cabinet under the kitchen sink, as if hoping it would be there.
“There isn’t one.” I smiled sweetly at him, taking secret pleasure in his disappointment. “We’re not here to watch TV. We do enough of that at home.”
“I guess.” He didn’t look convinced.
I checked my cell phone, but there was no signal. If Danielle had called back, I wouldn’t be getting her message anytime soon. I guess Mommy was off of her electronics for the week too. It would be refreshing to let go of things in the outside world for a while, right?
Adam reappeared with our two bags, then went back for the rest of our stuff. Ella’s bouncer came in followed by the bin I’d used to corral the sippy cups, bottles, and other baby supplies we’d require for a week’s stay. Back in the days of being a dual-income childless couple, we’d been able to hop on a plane with only our carry-ons. Those days were long gone.
Mikey tugged on my arm. “Can I go outside now?”
“Uh.” I looked at Adam. Ella squirmed in my arms and wailed loudly. “Sorry, Mikey, I think I need to feed your sister.”
“She’s always eating.” He pouted and glared at Ella.
“Why don’t you and Daddy go for a walk or something? Oh, and I saw a playground on the way over here.”
“Yeah!” Mikey turned to Adam. “I want to go to a playground!”
Adam grinned and ruffled his hair. “Let’s go.”
4
After they left, I brought Ella into the back bedroom of the cabin to give her a bottle and enjoy the temporary quiet. I sat down with her on the cheery flowered comforter, the mattress springs squeaking under my weight. She hungrily sucked down the bottle and then her eyes drooped. After she fell asleep, I propped her up in the middle of the queen-sized bed on her Boppy and crossed the room to grab a book out of my suitcase. Before I reached the other side of the room, angry voices floated into the room through the open window. One of them sounded like Leah.
The curtain danced in the soft breeze, enticing me to see what was going on. I pulled back the soft cotton fabric and peered out the small screened window.
I’d been right. Leah and a man I recognized as Del were standing next to an oak tree about twenty feet away from our cabin.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Someone broke all of the bows and arrows at the archery range?” Leah gestured wildly with her hands. “We can’t afford to replace all of those.”
“I know. We’ve got to find out who’s doing this.” Del ran his fingers through his short brown hair.
“I just don’t understand why someone is doing this to the resort. I thought at first that it was a malicious guest or something, but it’s gone on for too long. It has to be someone from the area—or someo
ne who works here.”
Del sighed. “I know, but even if it is, I don’t know what you want me to do about it. We reported the other incidents to the police, but they just don’t have the manpower to investigate petty crimes like this.”
“Well, they should.” Leah jutted out her chin. “This is costing us money. And you’re in charge of the grounds. If you can’t get the police to do their job, it’s your responsibility to figure out who is vandalizing our property.”
“You’re the one who wants to keep this resort. You need to take some responsibility too.” He stared defiantly at her.
“I feel like you don’t understand how severe this could be. When someone sawed partially through the leg of that bench and it collapsed under a guest, they could have been badly hurt. We were lucky they only had some cuts and bruises. If they’d sued us, that would be the end of the resort.” She turned to look past the row of cabins to the lake.
I ducked down, then inched my way back up and peered at them through a crack in the curtains.
Leah uttered a harsh laugh. “And if the vandalism wasn’t enough, your cousin hasn’t fixed the railing on the end of the dock yet. That thing is coming loose and we’re going to have some kid fall in the lake when it goes.”
“The railing isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be, and it’s on his list,” Del said in a tight voice. “Jed gets his work done.”
“I don’t see how, he’s a lazy bum who disappears during the middle of the day.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I can never find him when I need something fixed. Isn’t that why we let him come here?”
“I’m not talking about this anymore.” Del turned on his heels and stalked away, leaving Leah standing there just watching him.
She swiped at her face with the back of her hands. I was too far away to see the tears, but I could tell from her expression that she was crying.
My heart hurt for my old friends. Something was obviously amiss with their relationship. Was this the cause of Leah’s brief moment of sadness earlier? When I’d known them years ago, they’d been so in love. Before I’d met Adam, I’d wished for what they had. When they’d moved to the lake, they’d been so full of hopes and dreams for their future together. How had things gone so wrong?
Whatever what going on between them, I needed to remember that my main focus was my family. I wasn’t going to let anything ruin our vacation together.
The screen door to our cabin squeaked and Mikey’s eager voice bubbled into the bedroom. I cast a glance at Ella, who was still asleep on the bed, and joined Mikey and Adam in the main room of our cabin.
When he was finished setting up Ella’s bed, Adam looked at me. “Now what?”
I found the pamphlet Leah had given me. “We could go canoeing, hiking, play horseshoes, or even go fishing. I think they sell fishing licenses here.”
He brightened. “It’s been a while since I’ve been lake fishing. I bet Tomàs would love to go too when they get here.”
“Probably.” This would be good for the two guys to bond a little. With Adam’s busy work schedule as a lawyer and Tomàs’s as a police officer, they hadn’t spent much time together, even though Desi and Tomàs had been married for close to ten years. We saw each other at family events, and Desi and I were best friends now, but our families hadn’t ever spent significant amounts of time together. With any luck, we wouldn’t want to kill each other by the time the week was over.
Adam and I finally agreed on a rousing game of horseshoes, followed by dinner at the café. Stuffed with lake trout, we relaxed on the deck until it was time for s’mores. We left Goldie behind in the cabin and dressed the kids in their jackets for an evening outside. I didn’t think Mikey had ever eaten a s’more, so I wondered if he’d like it or not. Then I realized how stupid that was. Of course he would like it, it was a sugar sandwich.
The sky had darkened, but we could see the glow of the communal fire pit behind our row of cabins. Other vacationers had gathered around its warmth, their faces illuminated by the flames. I held Ella tight against me and searched for a log to sit on. A teenager offered me their seat after being nudged to do so by their parents. I gratefully accepted. Might as well take advantage of one of the perks that came along with parenthood.
Adam took Mikey over to the opposite side of the giant fire pit and handed him a long wooden roasting stick topped by a fresh marshmallow. Mikey proceeded to stick it into the coals. When he pulled it out, it resembled a tiki torch. Adam blew out the flames and threw the charcoaled marshmallow into the fire. This time, he helped Mikey hold it over the cooler coals near the edge. I laughed, remembering my own marshmallow mishaps and the sticks my father had carved for us when we’d go on camping trips. This time though, I didn’t eat any s’mores myself, choosing instead to simply enjoy the warmth of the fire on my face. On my lap, Ella looked on with interest as strangers chatted around her.
After enjoying a s’more, Mikey and Adam came back over to us. The crowd had thinned and they were able to sit next to me on the log. Mikey waved the sharp stick around and I winced. The wooden stick didn’t look quite as lethal as the metal ones some people had, but I still worried about the safety of it.
“Honey, put that down. You could poke someone’s eye out with it.”
“No I won’t, Mom!” He waved it around some more. A terrifying image of someone being impaled on one of the sticks floated into my mind. Being a mom, I had a tendency to imagine the worst possible scenario in every situation.
Adam sighed. “He’s fine.” However, I noticed that he removed it from Mikey’s hands and placed it with the others on top of a large rock.
Mikey yawned and his eyes drooped.
“I think it’s time for bed,” Adam observed. Mikey started to lean over on the log, and Adam caught him before he toppled to the ground. Mikey snuggled against Adam, who picked him up to walk the short distance back to our cabin. I followed close behind with Ella.
When the kids were snugly tucked in their beds, I opened the window in the bedroom a crack to allow fresh air to enter, then crept under the covers of the bigger bed I shared with Adam. He was already snoring away next to me, but I lay there for a few minutes, smelling the scent of pine trees and the faint odor of campfire smoke. It reminded me of camping with my parents when I was a kid.
Growing up nearby in Idaho, we’d often camp in this part of Washington, usually near a lake or river where my dad would take us fishing. I swallowed a lump in my throat, thinking about my parents. They’d separated in early summer, but neither of them had moved out of their house, so I maintained a child-like fantasy that they’d eventually reconcile. Whatever happened between them, I’d always have the wonderful memories of times we spent together as a family. I hoped Mikey would have many happy memories of this trip with his family, just as I had of mine.
The next morning, I awoke to things much like they’d been the night before. The kids and Adam were sleeping soundly, but my mind was wide awake. The sun shone through a gap in the curtains and I eased out of bed, careful not to wake anyone up. I didn’t feel like fiddling around with the boxes of food we’d brought to find the ground coffee. I glanced down at the yoga pants and tank top that I’d slept in. Probably fine for a quick trip to the café for a morning espresso.
I stretched and moved toward the front door, apparently signaling to Goldie that it was time for a walk. He appeared next to me, ready to go and not taking no for an answer. I sighed and clipped a leash onto his harness to take him with me, then opened the door.
Immediately, the rays of the early morning sun and the scent of the fresh outdoor air embraced me. There still wasn’t any sign that the weather was about to change, and I crossed my fingers that it would stay sunny for our entire vacation. I eyed the cute wrought iron bistro table in one corner of the deck. It was calling my name—all I needed was a nice cup of coffee.
Next door, Desi’s minivan was parked in front of cabin number five. They must have arrived after we’d gone
to bed, admittedly earlier than we usually retired for the evening. If they were awake, maybe she and Tomàs would like coffee too.
I listened for a moment to see if they were up but didn’t hear anything, so I hiked up the hill away from the lake, toward the campfire pit above our line of cabins. In the light of day, the fire pit looked even bigger than it had last night, full of the charcoaled remains of the giant logs that had been burned the night before.
I rounded the corner, near the fake stone cabinet the resort must use for storage, and stopped in my tracks. Goldie barked loudly, and I pulled him closer while I focused on the sight in front of me. Behind the cabinet, partially concealed by the log I’d sat on last night, was a person, lying on the ground.
My heart almost stopped and I froze for a moment. This was too close to the time I’d found Mr. Westen’s body next to a beach log last spring. He’d clearly been dead, but that didn’t mean this person was too.
Get a grip, Jill. It’s probably someone taking a nap out in the great outdoors.
The thought struck me as ridiculous. Why would someone be sleeping out here on the gravel surrounding a campfire pit when they could have stretched out in the grass nearby? Even so, I approached the man, hoping against hope that this time the person in question was still alive.
“Hey, are you ok?” I asked.
The closer I got, the more certain I was that this man was definitely not ok. As I’d imagined in my silly fears last night, he’d been impaled by one of the metal roasting sticks that were piled into the half-open cabinet. His face was white and lifeless, his hands outstretched toward the grass surrounding the pit.
5
I shrieked and stared wide-eyed at the body. After further examination of his face, I sighed in relief. I didn’t recognize the man, but as we’d only arrived yesterday evening, that didn’t mean much.
“What’s going on?” Desi called out from behind me. “I heard Goldie barking and then you screamed. Are you ok?”
