Blizzard Mystery

by Linnea West

  "Excuse me," I said, standing up from my chair. "Could I have your attention? Unfortunately, the police are still not here and we need to move on with the investigation. Mandy and I will be doing a quick walk-through of each guest room just to check for anything that might point to a suspect. We will be very careful with your personal items."

  A murmur started going around the table and as I glanced around, I saw that Lyle's face was once again turning from pink to red. I was getting the idea that he had a bit of an anger problem and maybe that was part of his estrangement from Jake.

  "We ask that you all stay here while we investigate so that we know that nothing has been moved or hidden," I said. "Tank will be here to make sure everyone stays here. We will go quickly, but until we are back, I'm sure my parents will provide you with refills on coffee and orange juice and perhaps some trays of cookies or some other goodies."

  Lyle stood up so violently that his chair tipped over backwards. He slammed the palms of his hands onto the table as his anger almost seemed to shoot out of his ears. Everyone jumped and turned to face him.

  "How dare you trap us here," Lyle shouted. "You are not the police and you have no right to do this."

  I tried my hardest to remain calm and to keep my face in an even expression. As I tried to decide how to respond, Dave stood up from his spot across the table from Lyle and leaned forward towards Lyle.

  "Do you have something to hide?" Dave asked. "If you don't, you wouldn't be so angry I suppose. I would assume that anyone who didn't kill Jake would be eager to have their own name cleared and to figure out who actually did it. I think you need to sit back down and let these women try to solve this mystery."

  For a moment, the two men stood and stared at each other. Lyle's face slowly drained until it was back to being a very annoyed shade of pink. He slowly sat down and once he was in his chair, Dave sat back down and nodded at me.

  "I promise we will be fast," I said. "Thank you for your cooperation."

  Mandy and I quickly slid past Tank and dashed up the stairs, not wanting to stay in the dining room longer than we had to. I took the lead and together we walked to the end of the hallway. We decided to start on the end with Candy's room because she wasn't a suspect.

  We did a quick walk-through of Candy's room, finding nothing of interest. I was actually a little disappointed that I didn't find anything embarrassing to use against her, but that was just my pettiness flaring up.

  The next two rooms belonged to Linda and Dave, and Cheryl and Joe. We did a quick walk-through of each one and as expected, found nothing of interest. As we moved on, I started to feel a little sick to my stomach. What if we didn't find anything and we were back where we started except now we have invaded everyone's privacy? Even worse, what if we did find something? I suppose we would just have to deal with whatever happened and move on from there.

  Dawn's room was next and as we walked in, I noticed how neat and tidy everything was. Normally, people on vacation were a bit cluttered. They would leave their suitcases open with clothes spilling out or pile up the little coffee table with magazines and snacks. One of the best parts of going on vacation was being able to be a bit untidy because other people would take care of it.

  But this room was spotless. Either Dawn was hiding something or she was a neat freak. Mandy opened up the lid of her suitcase to find it empty. I opened the dresser drawers to find them lovingly stacked with piles of neatly folded clothing. One drawer had underthings while another held shirts and the last one held pants. Mandy opened the nightstand drawer and turned to shrug at me, apparently finding nothing of note.

  Together we walked into the little bathroom and marveled at how neat it all was. A toothbrush and a hairbrush sat next to the sink alongside a little toiletry bag. We poked the bag open to find everything neatly arranged inside. Even the shower was neatly stocked with travel bottles of shampoo and conditioner and a washcloth.

  Mandy and I walked out of the bathroom and stood in the bedroom together. I slowly turned around, looking for something, anything out of place.

  "Don't you think it's all a bit too neat?" Mandy asked quietly.

  "Yes, I really do," I said. "I don't think I've ever seen a guest room so neat unless there isn't actually anyone staying in it."

  "Do you think she is hiding something?" Mandy asked.

  "I'm really not sure," I said. "If she is, she has hidden it quite well."

  "We should go to the next room," Mandy said. "We said we would be quick so we need to keep moving."

  As she started towards the door, I turned around slowly once more time, looking for anything that stuck out to me, but nothing jumped. Reluctantly, I followed Mandy out and locked the door behind us.

  The next room was the honeymoon suite. We called it that, but only about two nights a month was it actually used by a honeymooning couple. Having a newlywed couple staying here for a week was different. This room was the biggest room and had a large bathroom with a big, whirlpool tub.

  As we walked in, an air of sadness settled over me. One glance at the bed made tears spring to my eyes. The bed was rumpled but on one side was a pile of clothing. Anna had taken Jake's clothing and piled it onto the bed to sleep next to. I assumed that it was something to trick her in the middle of the night and convince her that maybe he was still right there next to her.

  After Peter died, I had saved all of his dirty clothing from the laundry basket and one by one, I would sleep with a piece next to me in the bed. Once it didn't smell like him anymore, I would get another piece. I was able to fool myself with the smell of him for a while. A few months later I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I couldn't smell him anymore and there weren't any more pieces of dirty clothing left. I cried for hours until I was all out of tears and I had cried myself into a headache.

  As I stood in the middle of the room and cried, Mandy took the initiative to search the room. The realization hit me that I couldn't remember what Peter smelled like. I could remember his cologne, but not his natural smell and now I would never be able to smell it again.

  I grabbed a tissue off of the nightstand and tried my hardest to pull myself together. Once I was able to gulp back the rest of my tears, Mandy took me by the elbow and moved me gently towards the door. She brought me into the hallway and took my keys to lock the door behind me. Then she wrapped me in a large hug.

  "Let me know if you need to talk," she said.

  "You didn't find anything?" I asked with a sniffle.

  "Nothing out of the ordinary," Mandy said. "I'm sorry I didn't have you wait in the hallway to save you from that."

  "Mandy, I hope you never have to experience grief like this," I said as I grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Sometimes it will hit no matter what and you just have to work through it. There was nothing you could do about it. This episode of grief has been coming on for a while now."

  "We only have one more room," Mandy said. "Are you up for it?"

  I nodded and together we walked to Lyle and Claudia's door. If we didn't find anything in here, we would still have no idea who had killed Jake and we would still be stuck in the B&B with a dead body and a killer until the storm subsided and the police were able to make it here.

  Mandy pushed the door open and with a glance back at me, she stepped through the doorway. That glance told me that she was thinking the same thing. It wasn't that we wanted to find something in this specific room, but we wanted to find something, somewhere.

  The room was quite tidy and I had a feeling that Lyle was a bit fussy about things like that. Mandy headed to the bedroom while I started with the nightstands. There were phone chargers and a paperback book; nothing out of the ordinary.

  I moved over to the small sitting area and searched around for anything that didn't belong in the room. As far as I could see, everything was in place. Mandy walked out of the bathroom, shaking her head.

  "I don't see anything in there," she said.

  I sighed as I plopped myself down
on to the love seat. This was the last guest room and had been the last hope to find a clue to solve this murder. I wasn't really sure where we should go from here. My worst fear at the moment was that this blizzard would and everyone would leave, never knowing who had murdered Jake.

  Leaning back, something behind a pillow stuck into my back. What in the world was hiding in this couch? I leaned forward and pulled the pillow off of the couch, tossing it onto the ground.

  Sitting wedged halfway into seam of the couch was a small bottle. Something clicked inside of me and a small ray of hope started to shine inside of me. I grabbed a tissue out of a box on the table and used it to pick up the bottle.

  In large letters on the front of the small bottle, it said FISH SAUCE. I turned slowly to look at Mandy, holding out the bottle for her to read. As her eyes slowly grew to the size of dinner plates, I could feel a smile growing on my face. We finally had something to help us solve this murder.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "That isn't mine," Lyle insisted, pounding his fists on the dining room table. "I have no idea how that made it's way into our room, but I didn't put it there."

  Tank rolled his eyes from where he stood cross-armed next to the door. It was our way of putting Lyle into a citizen's arrest until the police came to get him.

  "Well it either came from you or Claudia," I said. "And I don't think Claudia even knows about Jake, right? You were hoping to mend your relationship with Jake before telling Claudia that you had not only a son, but a famous son."

  Lyle's face was red and I was slightly afraid he was going to have a heart attack as he glared at us from the table. Instead, he stood up from his chair and pointed his finger at me.

  "Claudia doesn't know and you better not tell her," he said.

  "Or what, you'll poison me too?" I asked. "Unfortunately, I don't have any allergies for you to take advantage of Lyle."

  For a moment, I thought for sure that Lyle was going to explode. His chest puffed up and his rage seemed to fill him up. Tank took a few steps towards Lyle and stared at Lyle until their eyes met.

  "If I were you, I'd sit back down," Tank growled.

  Lyle looked Tank up and down before he realized that even though he was a big man, Tank was bigger. Wisely, he chose to sit back down in his chair. He deflated, looking like a much smaller man suddenly.

  "I would never use Jake's allergy like that," Lyle said. "We spent so long when he was a child protecting him and making sure he never had to worry about having a reaction like that. What I watched play out in the dining room last night was my worst nightmare come true."

  Tears were shining in Lyle's eyes and I wondered briefly if we were wrong. Maybe Claudia had done it? That was the only other way I could think of that the bottle of fish sauce had ended up hidden in their room, stuffed behind a couch cushion.

  "I think we need to all take a moment to breathe," I said. "I'm going to get us some coffee and treats. Lyle, please stay here and let Mandy know if you need anything. Tank will stay just to make sure everyone is safe."

  I pushed my way through the swinging door and took a deep breath. With both hands on the counter, I let myself collapse down a little bit. Between my restless night and trying to figure this murder out, I could feel myself wearing down fast.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, a little bit proud that I actually felt the vibration. For a phone with such a prominent 'mute ringer' button, it sure did a poor job of using the vibrate mode to make up for all of the accidental phone muting. I flipped it open, seeing a message from Max.

  Good news, there is a break in the storm. The police should be on their way. I am trying to find a way over also. Stay safe Sweet Thing :) Love you

  Max knew just what to say to make me smile. My heart felt like it was melting a bit, even through the fog of exhaustion. And he had good news because the arrival of the police meant we no longer had to deal with a murder suspect and a dead body. I realized I hadn't told him about my discovery, so I typed a quick message back to him.

  We are staying safe. We searched the guest rooms and I found a bottle of fish sauce in one room. We are currently detaining the suspect. I hope the police get here fast so that we don't have to deal with it anymore. Love you too :)

  The message was delivered, but just after that my phone died. Shoot, I really should get better at plugging my phone in more often. Even though the battery on this phone could last for about five days straight, I realized I hadn't plugged it in for almost a week. And now the power was out, so I couldn't plug it in. Oops.

  I piled a plate with some cookies and grabbed mugs and a carafe of coffee. Pushing my way through the door, I set everything with a clunk onto the table in front of Lyle. Before anyone else could serve themselves, I poured a cup of coffee for myself. I was in such a rush for that sweet caffeine that I spilled droplets all over the table. Mandy scowled and walked into the kitchen, reappearing with a rag to wipe up my mishap. I gave her a guilty smile and she rolled her eyes at me with a grin.

  "I do have one thing I'd like," Lyle said. "Can you please bring Claudia in here so I can explain what is going on? I mean, I don't know about the bottle of fish sauce, but I want her to hear about Jake from me."

  "Sure, I will go to get her," I said.

  I strolled out and down the hallway to the living room where everyone was trying to busy themselves. I avoided looking at Clark, who was reading a book on the sofa. Candy was sitting next to him, looking like she was trying her hardest to cuddle up him as much as she possibly could. When she saw me, she practically jumped into his lap, but Clark shifted himself so that she was forced to retreat.

  Claudia was sitting in an armchair with my mother next to her, trying to make polite conversation to distract her from the fact that Lyle had been forced to leave the living room. When Claudia noticed that I had walked in, she stood up, letting the blanket in her lap slip down to the floor. She stared at me for a moment before I beckoned her to follow me. Slowly, she walked into the hallway behind me.

  "What is going on Tessa?" she asked.

  "Lyle said he would like to explain things to you," I said, turning and leading her into the dining room.

  The room was bathed in candlelight and the soft glow of the camping lantern. When Lyle saw Claudia, he stood up and she rushed towards him, collapsing into his arms with a quiet cry. For a moment, they both seemed to lean on each other for support. It was such an intimate moment that I actually looked away, feeling like a creep for watching them in their time of need.

  "Lyle, what is going on?" Claudia finally asked as she pulled back from his embrace.

  Lyle helped Claudia into a chair before he sat back down in his spot before telling her everything about Jake. Claudia's face grew from confusion to horror as she realized the weight of what Lyle was saying. Not only did he have a son that he hadn't told her about, but the weekend he was going to introduce them, his son had died.

  "So Jake was your son," Claudia said slowly. "I understand that, but why are they making you stay here in the dining room?"

  "Well that is the part I can't really explain," Lyle said. A few tears were falling down his face now and Claudia reached forward and gently brushed them away.

  "Claudia, I can explain that part," I said, feeling a little sorry for Lyle before I remembered that he was a murderer. "When we searched the guest rooms, your room was the only room where we found a clue. We found a bottle of fish sauce in the couch cushions. Unfortunately, between that and the fact that Jake and Lyle were estranged, everything is pointing to the fact that Lyle was the one who did it."

  A gut-wrenching wail escaped Claudia's lips and she collapsed back into her chair, covering her face with her hands. Lyle leaned forward to comfort her before pulling back, unsure if that was what she wanted. After a moment, he put his hand lightly on her knee.

  "That can't be right," Claudia said as she lowered her hands. "Lyle couldn't have done it. I know how it looks, but it just can't be right. My Lyle would
never do that to someone, especially someone he loved like Jake."

  "But why were they estranged then?" I asked. I felt like a terrible human being for questioning someone's love for their own child, but someone had to ask.

  "We were estranged because I made some dumb decisions once," Lyle said. "When Jake was just starting out in show business, we still had a good relationship. That was over a decade ago and I moved to California to help give him some guidance. But then I got greedy."

  Lyle was fidgeting with his wedding ring as he talked, spinning it around and around his finger. He stared at his hands and avoided eye contact with any of us, especially Claudia. We all stayed quiet waiting for him to continue talking.

  "Instead of giving him paternal advice, I started to only focus on the money," Lyle said, his voice catching in his throat slightly. A tear trickled down his cheek as he talked. "We were living the good life and I was pushing him to work harder, take on more work, do more commercials even though he hated them. All I saw were dollar signs."

  Claudia sniffled and Mandy handed her a tissue. Even Tank's angrily crossed arms had relaxed a bit as he listened.

  "And then one day, Jake had had enough," Lyle continued. "He went out and found a real agent and asked me to leave. I fought against it, even bringing him to court over money I thought he owed me. But eventually I listened and moved back to Minnesota even though I still thought he was a terrible son for cutting off his own father. But then I met Claudia."

  Lyle leaned forward and gently took both of Claudia's hands in his own. She stared at her lap for a moment before raising her eyes to meet his.

  "Claudia is the love of my life," he said, gazing into her eyes. "She loves me no matter how much of a jerk I am and she helped me change. She made me see my shortcomings and work on them. And here I am a better man."

  Claudia raised their hands to her lips and kissed Lyle's hands gently. He smiled, a look of relief passing through his face. The rest of us sat spellbound, listening for Lyle to finish his story.