by Lynn Cahoon
“I thought you all wouldn’t be back until late.” Shauna glanced at the clock. “I guess I can make something. Maybe I have something frozen I can heat up.”
“Let’s do that.” Cat watched as the group moved into the living room. “I’m going to go check in with the group and see what their plans are. Sunday’s are a free night so I don’t want them to think they have to hang around.”
“Brodie went back to his dorm before I left. He said he’d be here about nine but not to wait up for him.” Shauna shook her head. “He really needs to be here to bond with the other participants. I tried to tell him, but he insisted he had things to do. I believe he wasn’t totally honest with me. And I think he’s lonely.”
“There’s probably a good reason for that. I’ll be right back in. I want to hear about your day after I tell you about our crazy outing.” Cat waved and then moved into the hallway. She paused at the door to the living room. The two couples were sitting on the couches, talking. At least these guys had bonded. Even if it had been over finding a dead body.
“Hey, Cat, come on in.” Sydney waved at her. “We’re just talking about lovely Aspen Hills. We’re thinking about taking a short walk around town since . . .”
She paused and Cat filled in the rest in her head, since the hike had been called off short. “That’s a great idea. I was just coming in to tell you that Sunday afternoons are a free time so you’re welcome to do anything. I’m going to talk to Seth and see if we could reschedule the hike for Thursday, if you want.”
“That sounds great.” Tristin nodded. “I still want to get some video of the area for our travel blog. I looked at The Weather Channel and it’s supposed to be warm all week.”
Archer narrowed his eyes. “What exactly are you calling warm?”
“Fifty-two during the day. We won’t be out at night when it goes below freezing.” Tristin slapped Archer on the arm. “Weren’t you saying you wanted to be more active? This is what ‘being active’ looks like.”
“Me and my big mouth,” Archer grumbled.
Jocelyn laughed. “I guess we’re all in then. I’m so glad you were able to reschedule. I enjoyed the hike right up until the end.”
“Yeah, that was a surprise,” Cat admitted as she moved into the room.
“Did they find out who the guy was?” Archer watched her as she leaned against one of the wing-back chairs.
“They did, but they aren’t releasing the name yet. Next of kin notification, I guess.” Cat tried to play dumb on the subject.
“It would be so cool if any of us actually wrote mysteries,” Jocelyn added, then seemed to dismiss the topic. “We walked through the campus on the way to lunch and the library is so beautiful. I can’t wait to get busy in there tomorrow. I don’t think you’ll be able to pull me away from all the research sources I’ve read that the library owns.”
“We’ll go over just before nine. Our librarian has a little orientation for you before you use the library and then you’re free until Tuesday morning when Professor Turner will be here to discuss Hemingway and short stories.” She realized she hadn’t updated the professor yet, so that needed to be on her list today if not right when she walked out of the room so she wouldn’t forget. “We’ll meet on Wednesday morning to talk about the business, Thursday will be the hike, and Friday is packed with a visit from the local bookstore owner, planned word sprints, and a wrap-up of the retreat. Then we celebrate Saturday night with a dinner at one of the local restaurants, my treat.”
“It sounds like it’s going to go so fast.” Jocelyn sighed. “I guess I better be on my game and working when we’re not in sessions.”
“I would hope so. I want to start living the high life off your royalties.” Archer leaned over and gave his wife a kiss. “Kidding, not kidding. I’m sure she’s going to be the one who gets published first. My books are a little history-dense to make it with a wide audience.”
“Well, it looks like if we’re going to see the sights, we better get going.” Tristin stood and pulled his wife up off the couch. “Do you want to come along and be our tour guide?”
Typically, that had been the Covington student’s unofficial job, but Brodie had made himself scarce. “I think you’ll be fine. Take a picture of anything you don’t understand and any of the three of us can explain or give you history on the house or building. I’ve got some things to take care of before we start tomorrow.”
Cat waited for the group to leave and then went into the study on the other side of the stairwell. It had been her ex-husband’s den, but she thought, with a little pride, she’d made it a part of the retreat and a more generalized area since she’d moved back. Michael’s desk still sat in the middle of the room, but now, it held her stuff. She took a laptop out of the side drawer and booted it up. She then signed into her e-mail and composed a quick note to Professor Turner, asking him to change at least a little of his talk on Hemingway to add writing the short story. She layered on thick the part about him being such an expert and how one of the writers wanted to expand his studies in the genre. Being appreciative of someone’s skills wasn’t totally sucking up, right?
After she was done with that chore, she scanned the rest of her e-mails. Nothing from her agent. Nothing from her publisher. But a lot of spam asking if she wanted to learn how to write or if she needed some extra inches in the bedroom. Cat wondered if a human was even behind scanning the e-mail addresses since she didn’t think many Catherines would be interested in that kind of marketing.
Closing the laptop, she tucked it away and headed back to the kitchen to fill Shauna in. By the time she got there, she was too late. Seth sat at the table, talking about Chance and his second death.
Shauna’s eyes widened as Cat walked into the room. “Wow, I can’t let the two of you go anywhere without getting involved in a murder. What did Pete say? How did Seth’s friend die?”
“He didn’t say.” Cat went over and poured herself a cup of coffee. “In fact, he didn’t even mention that part. It was more a notification to Seth. Uncle Pete kept everything else really close to his chest.”
“Come to think of it, he didn’t even say if it was murder or an accident. If Chance’s death was an accident, wouldn’t he have said that?” Seth stood and paced the kitchen. Then he sank into a chair. “Man, I just realized, I’m going to have to tell the guys about Chance.”
“I think they’ll just be confused. I mean, they all thought the guy was dead anyway.” Cat sat at the table next to Seth.
“You’re kidding, right? People are going to be mad. They’ll question why we were told he was dead. And in the end, they’re going to blame the government. Just another secret that ‘they’ kept from us.” Seth made the air quote marks in the air. “Which means the reunion will turn into a conspiracy theory discussion and not a true reunion. Maybe I’ll just wait until they leave and send a group message. That way I don’t have to hear about how everything in the freaking world is a lie.”
“Does the entire group feel this way?” Cat stared at Seth as he sank his head into his hands.
“Enough of them do. And fear breeds fear, so the discussion will always run back to this.” He looked at Cat, hopeful. “What’s the chance that Pete will solve the case and find the killer by Wednesday evening? At least if they have someone to blame, it might slow down the chants.”
Cat shrugged. “Undetermined. I know he wants to solve it quickly because Shirley’s coming in tomorrow. You have on your plan to pick her up at the airport, right?”
Seth nodded. “I might have to do some airport runs on Thursday too, in case some of the guys don’t have transportation.”
“Ugh, I told the writers that you’d take them hiking on Thursday. Do I need to move that to Saturday?”
He stood and started pacing again. “No, leave it. I’m not the official driver for the group just because I moved back here. They should be able to find a driver.”
“Are you sure? Because I can just move it to Saturday.”
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“I said it was fine!” His voice echoed in the kitchen.
Cat glanced at Shauna, who met her gaze. She didn’t remember the last time Seth had raised his voice. Even when they fought, it was more of a discussion. This was a side of him she’d never seen. “Okaaaaay then. Sorry for pushing.”
He walked over and rubbed her shoulders. “I’m the one who should apologize. I’m letting this whole thing get to me.”
The kitchen door opened and Uncle Pete walked inside. Feeling the tension, he paused in the middle. “Is this a bad time? Should I come back later?”
“No, we’re just talking.” Seth left Cat’s side and plopped into a chair at the table. “I’ve got Shirley’s ride scheduled in my book for tomorrow. So don’t worry about that.”
“Actually, that wasn’t want I came to talk about.” He poured a cup of coffee. “Do you have some time? I hate to ask, but I’d like your opinion on a few things.”
“Like?”
Cat didn’t like where the conversation was going. Seth’s name had come up as a possible murder suspect before. She didn’t want him put through that again. “Maybe he should just sit this one out?”
“You’re not the boss of me.” Seth’s smile told her he was kidding with her. At least a little. “What do you need, Pete?”
“Come up to Chance’s cabin with me. The guy’s place looks more like he’s the perpetrator rather than the victim.” Uncle Pete glanced at Cat. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like you to come as well.”
“Why?” Now Cat felt shock running through her system, as well as being nervous about Seth. “You’re always telling me to keep my nose out of things.”
“I need a layman’s viewpoint. To me, the cabin looks just like it should for a bachelor living off the grid. Except for one area. That’s where I need your help because you’re good at these puzzle things. Maybe you can figure out what he was watching.” He shook a finger at her. “Now, don’t you be thinking I’m going to invite you on these types of investigations all the time. This is a special circumstance, so I hope I’m not going to regret it.”
Cat smiled but instead of responding, turned to Shauna. “The group is out touring the town and you know where Brodie is, so you should be guest-free until we get back.”
“I’ve got to stock the dining room with treats and then finish dinner. Should I expect you back by six? Or later?”
“Better make it seven. I suppose you’re not making your Sunday fried chicken.” Uncle Pete looked like a puppy who was begging for a treat.
“Sorry, no, it’s shepherd’s pie. I can put one in for you, though, if you want.” Shauna tapped her laptop. “I’ve been a little drawn into these edits today. Next Sunday, I promise I’ll make you your favorite dinner.”
“That would be great. Shirley’s staying over to next Wednesday so she’ll be here as well. I’ve been bragging on your chicken for a while, I think she’ll feel left out if she doesn’t get to try it before she leaves for home.”
Cat started to say that dinners weren’t included in the bed-and-breakfast rate they’d charged Shirley, but she swallowed the words. She was going to have to get used to the fact that her uncle had a new woman in his life and, therefore, in her world as well. And all things considered, she liked Shirley. “Let me grab my notebook and a backpack. I’ll be right down.”
“We’re not doing an overnight,” her uncle called after her. But Cat didn’t even pause. She ran upstairs, grabbed some tennis shoes and a jacket, then went to her office for supplies. She pulled out a fresh notebook and a couple of pens. Then she tucked her phone in her pants pocket so she could take several pictures. Sometimes you could miss the important thing just because your attention was drawn to something else. Having the pictures to look at later would give her a better understanding of the victim and of the scene of the crime. Uncle Pete didn’t like to share the official photos.
Seth and Uncle Pete were ready by the time she got downstairs. They continued their conversation about some football team as they got into Uncle Pete’s Charger and headed out of town. Cat rode shotgun and she wanted to change the music, but he had so many attachments around the radio, she didn’t want to touch anything.
Finally, Uncle Pete pulled the car over and they were at a trailhead. “We have to walk from here. I need to get this closed before the snow falls, or I won’t know what’s in the cabin until spring thaw.”
Glad she’d grabbed a heavier jacket, Cat pulled it on as she got out of the car. The air smelled like snow. Cold, icy, and heavy. Seth always laughed when she told him this, but she’d been right every time she’d declared that snow was on its way. She didn’t know if she had a special sense about these things, but in high school, she’d been called the weather girl by Seth’s friends. “We better hurry then,” she mumbled.
Seth glanced her way and smiled. He’d remembered her special power, even if he hadn’t believed in it. They’d been hiking for ten minutes when they’d turned the corner and came out on a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, a small cabin stood. No electric lines ran to the house, and Cat wondered if they could even get cell service since they were on the opposite side of the mountain from town.
“He had an old hound that we’d found on the porch. He’d helped himself to his bag of dog food in the barn, but it was almost empty when we got here.” Uncle Pete glanced around the cabin, which had an abandoned feeling. “Poor dog, if you all hadn’t found Chance, he probably would have starved to death up here.”
“Where is he now?” Cat asked as she snapped pictures of the area.
“We took him down to the shelter.” Uncle Pete shook his head. “Tom, who runs the place, wasn’t too hopeful that they’d be able to find a home for him before his time ran out. Senior dogs are really hard to place.”
Seth stood near the step to the cabin. Cat could tell he was hesitating and reached out her hand to him. He grabbed it like a lifeline and they went to the front door, where Uncle Pete had just cut the police tape and unlocked the door.
He handed each of them a flashlight that he’d grabbed out of his backpack. “It’s kind of dark in there.”
Cat walked through the door, shining her light over the well-kept rooms. There weren’t even any dishes in the sink. Chance had kept his place neat and clean. Cat wondered if it was the military training. Seth was that way too. For a bachelor, his apartment was cleaner than Cat’s room ever was. She opened a door and shined her light on the walls. They were covered with paper and lines made of yarn. “I think I just found the party room.”
“Seth, come see this. This is what I wanted to show you.” Uncle Pete squeezed Cat’s shoulder. “Leave it to you to find the needle in the haystack.”
“All I did was open a door.” Cat handed her flashlight to her uncle. “Shine that over on the first wall, please.”
She started taking pictures and by the time she was done, Seth stood looking at the papers that Chance had taped on the walls.
“This doesn’t make any sense. Some of it is from the little town in Germany where we were stationed. But there weren’t any terrorists or radical groups there then.” He pointed to a page a few feet away. “And this is a list of the professors at Covington. Michael’s name is circled, but then again, so is Jessica Blair’s.”
Cat frowned. Why had Chance been interested in her ex-husband and one of her former friends? It didn’t make any sense at all. She left the crazy paper room, as she now thought of it, and wandered through the rest of the house. She snapped pictures, one after another, until she heard her uncle call her name. “I’m coming.”
She met them at the doorway to outside. “It’s just so sad. One day you’re living life and the next, you’ve fallen off the edge of the world and no one is there to feed your dog.”
“The medical examiner hasn’t told me this officially, but I’m thinking cause of death wasn’t an accident. Chance McAllister was murdered.”
Chapter 5
Cat spent the evenin
g going through her pictures, trying to make sense of the room of pages. If she hadn’t known Chance had been murdered, she would have put this all aside as the ramblings of a crazy man. But Seth didn’t think his friend was crazy. He hadn’t said much on the way home, but she could see it in his eyes. Seth thought someone had targeted Chance for something specific. Which could be on the walls. Or could be the money in his pocket. Finally, she pushed the laptop away and went to bed.
Her sleep had been disturbed with vivid dreams of an old hound dog standing at the door to her house. A handwritten sign was on the dog: PLEASE FEED AND LOVE ME. Cat knew one thing, she didn’t need any more pets. They already had five barn cats and a horse. A big dog like the one that had visited her dreams wouldn’t fit in the house. Not with monthly paying guests.
She pulled herself out of bed and into the shower before the dream dog could look at her again with those big, sad eyes. She was a sucker for the underdog. And this dog certainly fit the bill. Someone would adopt him, she knew they would.
Dragging herself downstairs, she found Shauna already up and baking. If she hadn’t met her friend in her prior job, bartending, she would have thought Shauna was some type of house fairy who lived in the kitchen. The truth was that Shauna had found her passion.
“Good morning. I swear, when the retreat isn’t in session, you’re always so bright and chipper in the morning. What is it about running the writers’ group that gets you so down?” Shauna handed her a cup of coffee.
Cat sank into a chair and sipped the warm, lovely liquid. “I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact we keep running into dead bodies? What’s going on with that? You know the Covington kids have started calling this place the Dead Body Retreat?”
“Hasn’t seemed to stop them from applying to attend. Last month the dean told me we had more applications come in than any other month since we opened.” Shauna nodded toward the ceiling. “Speaking of Covington, our favorite student is back in the house. He came in about nine when I was in the dining room cleaning up for the evening.”
