by Sarah Fox
Chapter Three
By the time Brett and I finished our dinner, we were alone in the dining room. I didn’t mind at all. It was romantic to be eating by candlelight, just the two of us, with the snow falling heavily outside the windows.
We decided to pass on dessert and instead fixed ourselves mugs of hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows. There were two flavors of cocoa to choose from—double chocolate and mint. I chose the mint while Brett went with double chocolate. We were about to carry our hot drinks through the lobby to the lounge, when the sound of voices up ahead made us hesitate.
“I’m afraid I can’t agree to that,” Kevin was saying to someone. It sounded like he was near the reception desk.
“But it could be such great publicity for Holly Lodge,” Lily said.
“It would be negative publicity,” Kevin countered. “And contrary to what some people say, there is such a thing as bad publicity, especially when you want people to come and stay at your lodge.”
I exchanged a glance with Brett. He shrugged, and we continued on our way into the lobby. Lily was about to say something more as Brett and I drew closer, but as soon as she saw us, she snapped her mouth shut.
Kevin noticed us too, and the annoyance on his face quickly cleared away. “Got everything you need?” he asked me and Brett.
“Yes, thanks,” I said, still heading across the lobby.
“We’re going to enjoy the fire for a while,” Brett added.
“Feel free to add more wood if it needs it,” Kevin said just before we left the lobby for the lounge.
If he and Lily continued their conversation, we didn’t hear any more of it. I was glad of that. Although curious by nature—sometimes to a fault—I didn’t want any part of anyone else’s drama while Brett and I were on vacation.
The fire was burning low, so Brett set his mug on a side table and added a log to the dwindling flames. When the log caught and the flames danced higher, Brett retrieved his mug and joined me on the couch that faced the fireplace.
I snuggled closer to him and he rested an arm across my shoulders. No one else came into the lounge while we were enjoying our hot chocolate. Silence had settled over the lodge, and I figured all the other guests had retired to their rooms. Once our mugs had been empty for a while and the fire was dying again, Brett and I decided to do the same.
Up in our room, Brett switched on the gas fireplace for some added coziness. As soon as I’d changed into my pajamas and had brushed my teeth, I climbed onto the big bed and slipped beneath the covers. I picked up the paperback mystery I’d left on the nightstand and read a few pages while Brett got ready for bed. When he switched off the fireplace and the overhead light, my eyes were drooping. I marked my place with a bookmark and returned the novel to the nightstand as Brett got into bed beside me.
“Enjoying our vacation so far?” he asked as he switched off the lamp on his side of the bed.
“Very much.” I’d texted my mom when we’d returned to our room, and she’d replied soon after, assuring me that Flapjack and Bentley were happy and healthy. Knowing that had allowed me to banish my niggling concerns and relax completely.
I turned off the lamp on my nightstand, plunging the room into darkness. Brett gave me a kiss and then tucked an arm around me.
“Sleepy?” he asked.
“Mmm.” I turned over to face him. “But not too sleepy.”
Even in the darkness, I could see his grin.
“Glad to hear it,” he said, before his lips met mine.
* * * *
I woke up to complete darkness. I didn’t know where I was. Fear set my heart pumping, until I heard Brett breathing next to me. My fear dissipated in an instant, and almost at the same moment, I remembered that we were in our room at Holly Lodge. As my heart rate slowed, I rolled over, planning to go back to sleep, but then I realized I needed to make a trip to the washroom.
On my way back to bed, I moved slowly and quietly, making my way through the darkness, not wanting to wake Brett or stub a toe. I was halfway across the room when I heard a steady crunch-crunch coming from outside the window. I strayed off my intended path and parted the curtains. Outside, the world glowed with a faint bluish light. The snow had stopped falling and the clouds had parted to let some moonlight through.
It was a winter wonderland of a different sort than it was during the day, but it was no less magical. I thought maybe the view was even more beautiful by moonlight.
The crunching sound drew my gaze downward. A man in a winter coat and a hat with earflaps was making his way up from the direction of the lake, heading toward the lodge, snowshoes strapped to his feet. As he drew closer, he veered off to my left, around the side of the building. The crunching of his footsteps grew quieter as he disappeared from sight. I stayed by the window a moment longer, but the world outside was now completely still.
I let the curtains fall back into place and carefully made my way over to the bed. The digital clock on the nightstand told me that it was shortly after two o’clock. An odd time to be out snowshoeing. I’d caught a brief glimpse of the man’s face, and hadn’t recognized him. He definitely wasn’t Kevin, Ambrose, or Wilson.
I pulled the covers up to my chin, but then sat up again. A door closed somewhere down the hall, not loudly, but I heard it nonetheless. Floorboards creaked as someone passed by our door out in the corridor. Apparently, the snowshoeing man wasn’t the only one up and about at this hour.
Beside me, Brett stirred. “Marley?” he said sleepily. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.”
I lay down again and shifted closer to Brett, grateful for the warmth of his body after my brief spell out of bed. His arm went around me and I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep as he did the same beside me.
* * * *
I slept later than I normally did, though Brett and I were still down in the dining room by seven o’clock. I was used to getting up around five so I could be at the pancake house no later than six. Brett was a morning person too, although he didn’t usually start work quite as early as I did. He had his own lawn and garden business that operated from early spring into the fall each year. He’d used to spend the winters working with his dad’s company, doing home renovations for clients. But after suffering a heart attack last winter, Brett’s dad had retired and his former foreman, Pedro, had taken over the business. Brett was working for Pedro this winter, but he’d cut back on his hours so he could spend some time doing renovations on our own home.
We’d been updating our beachfront Victorian bit by bit, transforming it to suit our needs better while maintaining as much of its charm as possible. The kitchen was already done and looked amazing. Now Brett was converting a spacious storage closet into a bathroom and attaching it to our master bedroom.
At the moment, however, work and renovations had been firmly pushed to the back of our minds. We’d planned to go out snowshoeing in the morning, and I was looking forward to that. Living down on the coast, we didn’t often get a chance to enjoy winter sports and activities. Sometimes it snowed in Wildwood Cove, but even if the flakes managed to stick to the ground and accumulate, the snow rarely lasted for more than a day or two. Up here in the mountains, it was a completely different story, and I wanted to enjoy the winter weather as much as possible.
Before heading out into the cold, Brett and I settled in the dining room to enjoy a hearty breakfast. We both ordered eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. After the previous night’s dinner, I was expecting the food to be good, and it didn’t disappoint. The only time I’d had eggs Benedict that tasted better was when The Flip Side’s chef, Ivan Kaminski, had made them for me. The hollandaise sauce was heavenly and perfectly complemented the eggs and fish.
We were finishing up our meals when Lily arrived in the dining room. She sent a distracted smile our way, but I didn’t fail to notice how her gaze skittered over the tab
les before her mouth turned down in a disappointed frown. Wilson sat across the room from us, reading a newspaper while he ate pancakes and sausages, but Ambrose had yet to appear. I wondered if that was the reason for Lily’s frown.
“Is Kevin around?” Lily asked when Rita appeared, carrying a coffee pot in one hand.
“Not at the moment.” She stopped at Wilson’s table and held up the coffee pot. When he nodded and nudged his mug her way, she refilled it.
Lily fingered the hem of her purple sweater. “Do you know when he’ll be back? There’s something I wanted to talk to him about.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know.” Rita’s mouth set in a firm line and annoyance made her words tense. “I’m not sure where he’s gone.”
Lily didn’t seem too bothered by that response. She sat at a free table and ordered toast and fruit salad without looking at the menu. When Ambrose appeared a moment later, Lily’s face brightened and she beckoned him over to join her.
Brett finished off his last sip of coffee and we left the dining room, making a quick stop up in our room to get ready for time spent outdoors. According to the weather app on my phone, it wasn’t as cold outside as it had been the day before, but we still needed our winter gear.
When we came back downstairs, Rita was behind the reception desk, holding the phone to her ear.
“Would you pick up?” she grumbled as she drummed her fingers against the desk, her bright red nails tapping against the wood.
She slammed down the receiver. As Brett and I drew closer, her head snapped up and she quickly pasted a smile on her face.
“Heading out?” she asked when she took in the sight of us in our coats, hats, and boots.
I decided to pretend we hadn’t noticed her frustration. “We thought we’d try some snowshoeing.”
“You mentioned there was equipment we could use,” Brett said.
“Yes, of course.” Rita pointed to the front door. If you head out that way, you’ll find a path that goes off to the right. It leads to an outbuilding where we have skis and snowshoes. Help yourself to the equipment. If you need help with anything, our groundskeeper, Harvey, should be around. If you can’t find him, let me know and I’ll try to reach him on his cell phone.”
We thanked her and left the lodge through the front door. The path Rita had mentioned had been shoveled since last night’s snowfall, making the trip to the outbuilding an easy one. Brett opened the door and I stepped into the dim interior. Some daylight seeped in through the two windows, but it was still much darker than outside, where the sun shone brightly down, reflecting off the fresh snow.
“Maybe there’s a light switch somewhere,” Brett said, feeling along the wall next to the door.
A second later he flicked a switch and a bank of overhead lights blinked on. I barely had a chance to take in the sight of numerous pairs of skis and snowshoes leaning against the walls before a voice startled me.
“Looking for skis?”
I spun around to find a man standing in the doorway, nearly filling the frame. He stood over six feet tall and had a muscular build that even his thick coat couldn’t hide. I recognized the hat with earflaps, and realized he was the man I’d seen out and about in the middle of the night.
“Snowshoes,” Brett said while I was still recovering from my surprise.
The man came into the building. “I can help you out.” He offered his hand to Brett, who was closest to him. “I’m Harvey, the groundskeeper.”
Brett shook his hand and introduced us both.
Harvey took a look at my feet and grabbed a pair of snowshoes, passing them to me. Then he did the same for Brett.
“Those should work for you,” he said. “Do you want poles? Some people need them to help keep their balance.”
“We should be okay without, thanks,” I said.
Brett nodded his agreement with my decision.
“Where are you heading?” Harvey asked as we emerged from the building.
I set my snowshoes on the ground. “We were thinking of going around the lake.”
“You shouldn’t have any problems with that.” Harvey removed his hat to reveal brown hair sticking up at odd angles. He gave his head a scratch and then pulled his hat on again. “The lakeshore trail goes through the trees in some places, but it’s always within view of the lake. Some of the guests like to stray deeper into the woods, which I’d advise against. It’s easy to get lost. If you want to go on a forest trek, let me know and we can arrange a time when I can go with you. I know these woods like the back of my hand.”
“Thanks. We’ll keep that in mind,” Brett said.
Harvey nodded at us and then set off around the lodge. I picked up my gear and Brett and I followed the shoveled pathway down to the lake. We stopped there to put on our snowshoes. It didn’t take long to get them strapped to our feet. When we were ready, we set off along the shore. The snowshoe tracks I’d noticed the day before had been covered by the fresh snow, so we made a new trail.
Along the way, we stopped a few times to snap pictures with our phones. We didn’t see any wildlife other than a few birds, but the scenery was stunning, the snow glistening in the sunlight. By the time we got about a third of the way around the lake, we had to unzip our jackets part way. We ended up removing our hats and stuffing them in our jacket pockets not long after. The bright sunshine was pushing the temperature up and up.
An hour or so after we’d left the lodge, we brushed snow off a fallen tree and sat down to rest, facing the frozen, snow-covered lake. Brett and I were both in fairly good shape—Brett more so than me—but cutting a path through the fresh snow took a lot of effort and we were both ready for a short break.
“Next time we should bring a bottle of water with us,” I said. “Snowshoeing is thirsty work.”
Brett pulled off his gloves and ran a hand through his blond hair. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
To what I thought was the south, straight across the lake from us, stood Holly Lodge. It probably wouldn’t have taken as long to get back there if we could have cut across the lake. I didn’t know if the ice was strong enough to withstand our weight, though, and I wasn’t about to risk it. Besides, I knew I’d enjoy the rest of the journey around the lake once I’d had a bit more time to rest.
“Looks like someone else is out on the lakeshore trail,” Brett said a moment later.
I followed his gaze with my own, squinting in the bright sunlight. I caught a brief glimpse of a woman with long red hair on the path we’d taken from the lodge to where we now sat. A second later, she darted into the woods and out of sight.
“Was she wearing a dress?” I could have sworn the woman was in a green gown.
“Looked like it,” Brett said.
“Strange thing to wear out in the snow.” I stared at the trees lining the shore, but the woman didn’t reappear.
“Maybe she’s on her way to a party,” Brett suggested.
I looked around us. The three homes on this side of the lake were all quiet, with no signs of life. The only other building in sight was Holly Lodge.
Brett laughed when he saw me looking around. “Okay, not likely. She’s probably just eccentric.”
“Could be,” I agreed.
I wasn’t even positive that we were right about how she was dressed. She’d been too far away to see clearly.
Brett got up and offered me a hand, pulling me to my feet. Well rested now, we continued on our way, taking our time. The lake was larger than I’d realized. It wasn’t all visible from the lodge. After a couple of hours, we spotted what looked like our starting point off in the distance. As much as I’d enjoyed the journey, I was thirsty and ready to get out of my jacket. The fresh snow was starting to melt from the trees, water dripping from the ends of icicles. A few minutes later, we met up with the beginning of our trail and unfastened our snowshoes.
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Brett wiped a gloved hand across his forehead. “I’m ready for a cold drink after that. And lunch.”
“Me too,” I said, even though it was probably still a bit early for lunch. My stomach grumbled, not caring about the time.
We carried our snowshoes up the path. Before we reached the outbuilding, Harvey approached.
“Did you have a good time?” he asked.
“It was great,” Brett said.
“This is such a beautiful place.” I zipped up my jacket again. Now that we’d stopped moving, I wasn’t quite so warm.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I can take those for you.” Harvey relieved us of our snowshoes. “Did you happen to see Kevin while you were out there?”
“No,” Brett replied. “The only person we saw was a red-haired woman.”
Harvey scratched his jaw. “I don’t know of any redheads around here. Except…” He shook his head. “No sign of Kevin then. I’ll have to tell Rita.”
“Why? Is something wrong?” I asked, noting the grim expression on Harvey’s face.
“We’re not entirely sure yet,” he said. “But it seems Kevin’s gone missing.”
Chapter Four
“When’s the last time someone saw Kevin?” I asked as I followed Harvey into the equipment building.
“Last night around eleven.” Harvey set the snowshoes we’d used against the wall. “That’s when Rita went to bed. Kevin was still up at that point, and when Rita got up in the morning, he was nowhere to be found.”
“Is it unusual for him to disappear like this?” Brett asked.
Harvey rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s unusual, all right. He usually tells me or Rita if he’s heading out somewhere, and he’s pretty good about answering texts and returning phone calls, but he’s not doing either today.”