by Nicole Ellis
“I know. And those roads weren’t fun in good conditions. I don’t want to try to navigate them in the rain and worry about trees crashing down on my car.”
“So, what are you going to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Hopefully, this storm will clear up and if the phone lines are still out, I can drive into town tomorrow before Tomàs leaves our house. I’d hate for him to drive all the way out here and then have to turn right back around.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”
“What do we do now though?” Desi waved her hands around in a wide half circle. “Swimming’s out and so is hiking. I can’t imagine being stuck in a cabin with the boys for the rest of the day.”
“Well, obviously we won’t be roasting s’mores tonight.”
She slugged me in the arm. “Too soon.”
“Ow. I just meant because of the rain,” I said lamely, rubbing the sore spot. “What do you think about dinner at the café? I’ve heard the fish and chips there are good. The trout we had last night was amazing.”
She shrugged. “I guess so. Beats the cans of veggie beef stew I brought.”
We gathered the rest of our family and ran with the stroller through the rainstorm to the small café located in the Great Hall. On the covered deck, we shook the rain off of our jackets and the hood of Lina’s stroller and pushed open the door to the large hall. Apple-cinnamon aromas filled the air and a glass baked goods shelf displayed the pies available for the night. I wasn’t sure we’d have a chance to get any of the delicious smelling Dutch apple pie though, because apparently, we hadn’t been the only family with the idea to eat out for dinner. A line had formed all the way out to the recreation hall.
“I’ll stand in line here if you want to take the kids to play in there.” Adam nodded at the game room.
Desi and I looked at each other. “Sure,” I said.
We entered an impressive recreation hall. Teenagers were playing pool at a table in the corner and a sectional couch had been set up in front of a large flat screen TV. A tall bookshelf held a myriad of books and board games. The remainder of the room contained a Ping-Pong table and other table games.
“Thank goodness,” Desi said. “This should keep them busy for a while. I wasn’t looking forward to being cooped up with the kids in the cabin if this rain continues.”
“No kidding.” I scanned the room. “I wonder if they play movies for the kids on rainy evenings?”
Before she could answer me, Anthony tugged on his mom’s arm. “Can we play with the soccer game?”
Desi knelt down to his level and put her arm around him. “What soccer game?”
He pointed to the foosball table. “That one.”
She glanced at it. “Sure, honey.”
The boys ran off to play, leaving Desi and I alone with the two babies.
“So, this isn’t exactly what we’d planned for our dream family vacation.” I made a face.
“Nope. I kind of thought we’d leave finding dead bodies at home, but it seems to have followed us out here. Soon they won’t let you go anywhere.”
“Desi! It’s not my fault. These things just happen.”
“To you more than others.” She picked up Lina, who’d had woken up with her carrier in a strange place and was crying.
“Seriously though. I really thought we’d have a good time here. We’ve been looking forward to it for so long.”
She sighed and bounced in place with Lina against her chest. “I know. I wish Tomàs was here.” She glanced out the window as if he might suddenly appear.
“You’ll get to talk to him soon.” I checked on the boys. They hadn’t yet managed to knock each other out with the foosball handles, although the handles were clanking hard against the wooden table. “I’m worried about Leah though. She and Del seemed devastated by Jed’s death.”
“I know. This has to be horrible for them.”
“Yeah. I just wish there was something I could do for her.”
Desi patted my arm. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She jutted out her chin to a point behind me. “Speaking of Leah …”
I turned around and smiled as Leah approached us.
“Your table is ready.” She glanced at the boys and grinned. “They seem to be enjoying the foosball table.”
“They really are,” Desi agreed. “It’s nice you have such a large indoor recreation area for the kids.” She stood and called out to the boys that it was time to eat.
“It’s one of the first changes we made to the resort when we bought it.” Leah looked around the room with pride. “This used to be a storage area, but we knew having an indoor game area would be a big draw for potential guests.”
“Well, I think it’s great,” Desi said.
Mikey ran past me and I caught him by his sleeve. “I’d better get going before he’s halfway across the camp.”
She smiled. “Have a nice dinner. Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind, could you stop by my house tonight? Maybe around eight? I’d love to catch up with you.”
I hesitated before answering. On one hand, it had been a while since I’d last had a real conversation with Leah and I missed hanging out with her. On the other hand, I was here with my family and I didn’t want to do too much that would take me away from them. But Leah had just been through a traumatic event with Jed’s murder, and judging by the interaction I’d witnessed between her and Del, she could probably use a friendly ear. Besides, the kids would already be asleep by eight.
“Sure, I’d love to too. See you later.” I let Mikey pull me away and we joined Adam at the table for dinner.
7
Once the kids were asleep for the night, I managed to slip out to see Leah at her house. The rain had stopped for a bit, but the ground underneath my feet squished out water with every step. At eight o’clock, the resort was dark and I let my fears take over, quickening my pace whenever I neared any large bushes or trees that someone could hide behind. By the time I reached her house, I had to caution myself not to run up the steps and bang on the door like a girl in a campy horror movie.
I’d only seen Leah’s house from a distance before, but now that I was closer, I could appreciate how carefully she maintained the house. Although the flower beds were soggy and the petunias hung limply on their stems from the weight of the recent rain, the colors were still cheery. The two-story log cabin had been recently stained and a swing hung from the roof of the small porch.
I knocked on the door and Leah answered right away.
“Jill, I’m so happy to see you. Come in.” She gestured to the small living room right inside the door. “Do you want anything to drink? I have coffee, tea, or wine.” She picked up a glass of wine from a round end table. “I’m having some Merlot.”
It was definitely that kind of day. “I’ll have a glass too. Thanks.”
While she fetched my wine, I looked around the living room. A leather couch had been pushed up against one wall, facing the television, and an armchair was situated at a ninety-degree angle from the couch. An incongruously small picture hung crookedly over the fireplace. A few photos of Leah and an older couple who I presumed were her parents hung on the wall. I didn’t see any pictures of Del.
Leah returned, handing me my glass. She perched on the edge of the armchair while I sat down on the couch.
“Is Del home?” I hadn’t heard anyone else in the house, but I didn’t want to be too noisy if he was trying to sleep or something.
She bit her lip and averted her eyes. “Del and I have separated.”
“Oh, Leah. I’m so sorry to hear that.” My heart hurt for my friend, but it did explain a few things I’d noticed between her and Del.
“Me too.” She twisted her wedding ring around her finger. “I thought we’d be the couple that would make it.”
“Have you been separated for a while?”
“For a couple of months.”
I leaned forward and put my hand on hers. “I really am sorry.”
/>
“Thanks.”
“So how is everything else? The resort is beautiful.”
“It’s going pretty good, but this wasn’t how I pictured your visit.” She frowned. “I wanted you to see it at its best. But now it’s stormy and with Jed’s death, I can’t imagine seeing it at a worse time.” A tear came to her eye. “I still can’t believe he’s gone. He was involved with some shady characters in the short time he’s been in Washington, but I didn’t think it was anything bad enough to get him killed. Del is just torn up.”
I nodded sympathetically. “He must be so upset to lose his only family member.” I sipped my wine and then set it down on the end table. I was itching to ask her more about Jed’s past, but now didn’t seem like a good time. Besides, it wasn’t really any of my business. “With the two of you being separated it must be doubly difficult for both of you. You know, you always seemed so perfect together. I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
“Yeah, well, I thought things were great too.” She wiped her eyes. “And then he hit me with the bombshell that he wanted a separation. He said we’d grown apart over the years and that I’d become obsessed with this place.” She peered at me through a haze of tears. “He may have been right, but the resort is important to me. We sunk everything into it. He doesn’t seem to understand that.”
I scooted toward her and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, Leah. It must be difficult to manage this place. Does Del help with things around here still?”
She nodded. “Yes. We’re going to continue to jointly own the resort after the divorce is finalized. Whatever is left of the resort at least.” She uttered a hard laugh.
I narrowed my eyes at my friend. “What do you mean ‘if anything is left’?”
Leah hung her head and then looked up at me, tears in her eyes. “I’ve put everything I have into the business. We were fully booked through September and I’d counted on that money. Now, my e-mail inbox is full of cancellations from people who’ve heard about Jed’s death on the news. Heck, a quarter of the people that were already here for this week left as soon as they found out about what happened to him.”
My stomach churned. I hadn’t said anything to Leah about the possibility of us leaving, and now I felt bad even considering it. She didn’t deserve any of this. When we’d found a client’s body at the Boathouse, it had temporarily decimated our business. I didn’t want to hurt Leah by cancelling our reservation too. I crossed my fingers, hoping that Tomàs would be ok with us staying for the rest of the week.
“But it’s the week before Labor Day. Maybe you can get other people to stay here instead? I’d think all the campgrounds in the area are fully booked for the weekend.”
Hope crossed her face, but then left just as quickly. “We were supposed to host ‘Labor Day at the Lake’ here this weekend. Now, what if people don’t show up?” Tears were falling freely down her cheeks now. “Jill, what if people don’t come? This is our big event of the year.”
I hugged her. “I’m sure it will be fine. What do you have planned?” I didn’t know whether having a big event at the resort so soon after a man was murdered there would be good or bad for business. Either it would bring additional people to the resort, or everyone would stay away due to the stigma of a recent murder on the grounds.
“Um, a canoe race, some field games, and a barbecue.”
“Well, that all sounds like fun. I’m sure Adam and Mikey will be excited to participate.” I crossed my fingers that Tomàs wouldn’t want us to leave and we’d still be there this weekend.
“It would have been, but I think it’s going to fall apart. Jed was in charge of the barbecue and some of the games, and I don’t have time to figure out what he’d planned.”
She peered up at me. “You have experience planning events now, right? Isn’t that what you do?”
I groaned inwardly. I could see where this was going. I forced a smile for my friend. “Yes, I manage events at the Boathouse now.”
“Do you think you could help me with the celebration? I’d really appreciate it.” She quickly added, “I can’t afford to pay you, but I could comp your cabin for a few nights. Would that work?”
I sighed. I couldn’t let Leah lose money. She’d always been a good friend to me and had saved my bacon several times when we’d worked together. “Of course I’ll help you.”
She threw her arms around me. “Oh, thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
I smiled. “What are friends for?”
“Yeah, but most friends wouldn’t take the time to help with something like this. And don’t worry, you should still have plenty of time to spend with your family. I know this is your vacation.”
I patted her shoulder. “I’m sure it will all work out. Do you know what Jed had planned for the barbecue? Had he ordered the food already, or were you planning on picking food up at the grocery store in town?”
“Have you seen the size of that store?” She laughed. “No, he placed an order with the barbecue place in town about a month ago. They do catering as well as service in their own restaurant. We’re expecting about two hundred people, both guests of the resort and folks from town. I can get you the information tomorrow about the catering. Does that work?”
My mind was spinning. I had an event to plan that may or may not have already been planned, and it was happening in a week.
I took a deep breath. “Sure, that will work.”
A look of relief passed across her face. “That’s a big stressor off my plate.” She scrunched up her face. “Now if I can figure out how to get people to stop cancelling the bookings, we’d be doing great.”
“Can Del help more?”
“No,” she said tightly, “this event isn’t something he wanted to do.”
I sat back. “Del doesn’t want the celebration? Isn’t it a good thing for the resort? I would imagine it will be great publicity.”
“Yes, but it is also costly. Last year we barely broke even. He was worried before that we wouldn’t make our money back on it, and now even more so this year because of Jed’s death. I keep telling him that it’s an investment in our future.
“Anyway, enough with all these depressing details. How are things going with you? How is working for your in-laws at the event center?”
“It can be stressful, but all in all, it’s going great. I’ve had a little bit of an adjustment period after being home with the kids for a few years, but I think it will work out well. Adam is in the process of setting up his practice in downtown Ericksville, so the money is nice too.”
She nodded. “I know it was difficult for Del and me to go from earning high salaries in our corporate careers to buying this place. Instead of taking trips to Hawaii, now we’re taking fishing trips out on the lake.” She glanced out the window and looked back at me fiercely. “But I don’t regret it. Sometimes I feel like I was meant to be out here. There’s just something about being out in nature and getting to share it with all of the resort guests. Most of them are refugees from the city and this is a whole new experience for them.” She laughed. “I know it was for me.”
“So, you like it here though? No thoughts of selling and moving back to Seattle?”
“Nope. None at all for me.”
I noticed she hadn’t mentioned Del, but I didn’t want to pry into it. The situation between them seemed precarious and I didn’t want to further rock the boat.
I checked my watch. “Thanks for the glass of wine, but I’d better get back to the cabin soon. Ella still wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night and I don’t think Adam will hear her.” I shook my head. “That man could sleep through anything.”
“Del is like that too,” she said. “I used to joke that he wouldn’t notice a fire alarm going off next to his head. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t have any kids together.” Her voice had a wistful note.
I pressed my lips together and then said, “I’m sorry. This must be so hard for you. I really thought yo
u two would make it.”
“Well, I suppose there’s always hope.” She waved me toward the door. “You’d better get going then. Don’t let me keep you.”
She walked me to the door, standing on the threshold as I walked down the porch steps. After I was about twenty feet away, I turned and saw her still standing there, staring out at the lake with a vacant expression on her face. What had happened to the happy-go-lucky woman I’d known back in Seattle? She’d told me how much she loved being out here, so it must be the separation from Del and her worries about the resort that were making her so sad. I hated to see her like this and I was determined to help her in any way I could during our short stay at the resort. I owed her that much.
8
To my amazement, the sky the next morning was a beautiful shade of blue, much as it had been when we’d arrived. My spirits lifted immediately. Adam and I made a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and we sat with Desi and the kids out on the deck overlooking the water to enjoy the food and view.
“You can almost forget how horrible yesterday was when seeing this,” Desi said as she looked out over the glass-smooth lake.
A canoe slid across the water and a bird flitted down near the shore in front of our deck, breaking the peace but somehow adding to the enchantment of the scene.
I shuddered. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.” My eyes slid over to the boys, who were now playing a game involving a bouncy ball and a pile of sticks. We’d managed to keep them away from the ugliness that had happened yesterday, and I intended to keep it that way.
“Tomàs should be here after lunchtime. He’d planned to leave our house around seven. At this point, even if I could call him, he’d be halfway here already.” Desi took a bite of eggs and then pushed her almost empty plate away.
“Oh.” I’d almost forgotten that we’d agreed to let Tomàs decide whether it was safe for us to stay at the resort. “Desi, Adam, I need to talk to you about something.”
“What?” Adam said, turning to face me from his seat by the railing. “Is something wrong?”
