A Room with a Roux

by Sarah Fox

  A nugget of uneasiness settled heavily in my stomach. “Maybe he forgot to charge his phone.”

  I was about to say more when a dog barked nearby. I stepped outside and smiled as a golden retriever bounded through the snow toward us. A woman on snowshoes followed behind the dog.

  A smile broke out across Harvey’s face as he crouched down. “Hey there, Scout.”

  The golden retriever ran right up to him and accepted a thorough rubdown of his fur, his brown eyes bright and happy. It was only once Scout had greeted Harvey that he turned his attention to me and Brett, sniffing our boots and wagging his tail.

  “Hi, buddy.” I gave him a pat on his head, and Brett did the same. I tried to ignore the sharp pang in my chest. Seeing Scout made me miss Bentley and Flapjack.

  I glanced up to see Harvey’s smile growing wider. This time his gaze was on the woman approaching us.

  “Morning, Evie,” he said as the woman unfastened her snowshoes and stood them upright in a snowbank.

  Leaving her snowshoes behind, she walked along the shoveled pathway to join us. “Morning.” She directed the greeting at all of us.

  She appeared to be about my age, or maybe a little bit older. Wisps of fair hair had come loose from her braid and her cheeks were pink. She wore a cable-knit sweater with her jeans, and she carried a canvas bag in one hand.

  She gave the bag a gentle pat. “I’ve brought fresh eggs for Rita.”

  “She’ll be glad to get them,” Harvey said. He introduced me and Brett. “Evie lives half a mile down the road,” he explained to us. By then, his smile had faded and a worry line had appeared across his forehead. “You haven’t seen or heard from Kevin today, have you?”

  Evie seemed surprised by the question. “No. Why do you ask?”

  Harvey brought her up to speed on Kevin’s mysterious absence.

  “Maybe he took off because he needed some time to himself.” Evie gave Harvey a pointed look.

  “You mean time to cool off?” I guessed, thinking I might know what they were saying to each other without words.

  I could tell by their expressions that I’d guessed right.

  “We overheard him arguing with Rita yesterday,” Brett said. “I take it that’s not an unusual occurrence?”

  Harvey cleared his throat and shifted his gaze to Scout, who was now sitting at Evie’s feet. “All couples have problems.”

  “But they’ve had more than their fair share lately,” Evie said. “They’re going through a rough patch. I think they can work through it, but things haven’t been easy for either of them lately.”

  “So maybe they argued again,” Brett said. “If that’s the case, Kevin will probably come back when he’s ready.”

  Harvey shook his head. “His truck’s still here. Same with the ATV and the snowmobiles. And I just checked the skis and snowshoes. They’re all accounted for. He wouldn’t have gone off on foot. Not at this time of year.”

  The uneasiness in my stomach grew heavier. “Could someone have picked him up? A friend or neighbor, maybe?”

  “Maybe.” Harvey clearly wasn’t convinced that was a real possibility.

  “He’ll probably turn up soon,” Evie said, with a note of determined cheeriness in her voice. “I’d better get these eggs inside to Rita. Can Scout hang out with you for a bit, Harvey?”

  “Of course.”

  Brett and I followed Evie in through the back door of the lodge. Once we reached the dining room, Evie disappeared into the kitchen in search of Rita while we poured ourselves glasses of ice water from a jug on the credenza. We both emptied our glasses quickly and decided to make ourselves mugs of hot chocolate next. As Brett was adding a healthy serving of mini marshmallows to each mug, I heard the front door of the lodge open. I hurried toward the lobby, hoping it was Kevin finally showing up.

  A draft of cold air hit me as I heard the door shut. I peeked around the corner. A young woman dressed in winter gear darted toward a door opposite the staircase, one marked private. I’d never seen her before. The right side of her head was shaved, and six-inch dreadlocks swept down the other side. She carried a full backpack over her shoulder and she had a shopping bag with the logo of a popular Seattle boutique in one hand. She glanced behind her as she used a key to unlock the door. Then she quickly slipped out of sight, shutting the door firmly behind her.

  “Not Kevin?” Brett had come up behind me, carrying both mugs.

  I accepted the one he offered me. “No. It was a woman. She had a key to the Mannings’ private quarters.”

  “A family member, maybe?”

  “Probably.”

  I led the way up the stairs to our room. After shedding our outerwear, we settled in front of the gas fireplace to enjoy our hot chocolate. I tried to relax and clear my mind, to focus only on the present moment, but I couldn’t stop the spinning of my thoughts. Kevin’s ongoing absence was unsettling and I worried that he might have come to some sort of harm. Then there was the woman I’d seen down in the lobby. She had a key to the private quarters, so most likely she was allowed to go in there, but there’d been a furtive quality to her actions that had left me with the distinct impression that she hadn’t wanted to be seen. If she was allowed to go into the private quarters and had the key legitimately, why did she need to be sneaky about it?

  “Thinking about Kevin?” Brett guessed. He could always tell when my mind was elsewhere.

  “Partly. Do you think something bad happened to him?”

  “Could be.” Brett set his mug on the coffee table and leaned back, settling an arm across my shoulders. “But if things aren’t great between him and Rita, maybe he did need to get away for a while and was too angry to bother to tell anyone. Like you said, a friend or neighbor could have given him a ride.”

  “I hope that’s all that’s happened.”

  I took a sip of my hot chocolate and then pulled out my phone. I hadn’t received any new text messages from my mom. Hopefully that meant all was well with the house and the animals. I did, however, have a message from my friend and neighbor Patricia Murray, asking for confirmation that I wanted to take part in Wildwood Cove’s Festival of Trees in December.

  The festival would run from early in the month right up until Christmas. The seniors’ center had offered up its small gymnasium for the event. Local businesses and organizations taking part in the festival would each decorate a tree. The plan was to create an indoor holiday forest, with walkways winding among the evergreens. Visitors would get to vote on their favorite trees, and the participant with the most votes at the end of the festival would win a thousand dollars to donate to a charity of their choice. The businesses taking part would also provide a gift basket or other prize, and visitors could purchase tickets to enter raffles, with the money earned from ticket sales going to charity as well. It was the first time Wildwood Cove had put on the festival, but the organizers, who included Patricia, were hoping it would become an annual event. The customers I’d talked to recently at the pancake house were looking forward to it, so I figured there was a good chance that it would be popular.

  I’d mentioned a couple of weeks earlier that I was interested in taking part on behalf of The Flip Side. That hadn’t changed, so I sent Patricia a quick message, letting her know the pancake house would participate. I’d already purchased some cute ornaments that were perfect for decorating a tree with a breakfast theme.

  I opened up my Internet browser and searched online for other suitable handcrafted ornaments while finishing off my hot chocolate. As I scrolled through an online store, I told Brett about the text message from Patricia.

  “Do you want a tree too?” I asked him.

  He stretched his arms over his head before reaching for his mug. “How about I help you with yours?”

  I smiled. “I’d like that.”

  “And if Patricia could use my help with setting
things up, I’m happy to lend a hand.”

  “I’ll let her know.”

  I gave up on my search for ornaments for the time being and sent Patricia another quick message. After that, I put my phone away, not wanting to spend too much time on it while I was on vacation.

  “Ready for some lunch?” Brett asked as he set his empty mug next to mine.

  “I could eat.” I wandered over to the window to take in the view of the lake again. The sky was a bolder shade of blue than it had been that morning, and the snow sparkled in the sunshine. The higher mountain peaks, all capped with snow, were fully visible now that the clouds had disappeared. The scene was beautiful enough to be featured on a postcard.

  “But first I want to take another picture of the lake,” I said. The sunny view was too gorgeous not to photograph.

  Brett got up from the loveseat and grabbed our empty mugs. “Do you want to take your coat?”

  “I don’t think so. The sun has warmed things up out there, and I’ll only be outside for a minute.”

  I tucked my phone in the pocket of my jeans and we left our room. As we descended the stairs, I heard voices in the lobby below us. We reached the ground floor in time to see Evie giving Rita a hug.

  “Let me know what happens, okay?” she requested.

  “I will,” Rita said. “Thanks for coming by.”

  Evie sent a smile our way and then disappeared into the lounge on her way to the back door.

  “No sign of Kevin yet?” I asked.

  “No,” Rita said with a frown. She drew in a deep breath and tried to smile. “Heading to the dining room for some lunch?”

  “Soon,” Brett said.

  I detected some delicious smells coming from the dining room and my stomach growled in response. The enticing aromas provided good motivation to be quick with my photography.

  I held up my phone. “We’re going to go out and get a picture of the lake first.”

  The door marked private opened, drawing our attention. The young woman I’d spotted earlier emerged into the lobby, without her bags and winter gear this time.

  Rita’s eyes widened. “Zahra! I didn’t know you were here!”

  The young woman smiled. “I just got here a few minutes ago.”

  Rita hurried over to hug her, holding on tightly for a moment before releasing her. She kept an arm around the younger woman’s shoulders as she addressed me and Brett. “This is my daughter, Zahra.”

  Now that I had a clear view of Zahra’s face, and with her standing next to Rita, I could see the family resemblance. Zahra had the same high cheekbones and tall stature as her mother. I guessed her to be in her early twenties, and she had a silver stud in her nose that I hadn’t noticed before.

  “Brett and Marley are guests,” Rita explained. She’d had a smile on her face, but now it slipped away. “You haven’t heard from Kevin today, have you, Zahra?”

  “No.” Her daughter seemed confused. “Should I have?”

  Rita’s shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh. “I’d better call the sheriff.”

  Zahra’s eyes widened with alarm. “The sheriff? What’s going on?”

  A phone chimed. Zahra pulled a smartphone from the pocket of her jeans and checked it.

  Brett and I skirted around her and passed through the lounge to the back door, leaving Rita to talk to her daughter privately.

  “This isn’t Ray’s jurisdiction, is it?” I asked Brett once we were out on the back deck. Ray Georgeson was the sheriff for Clallam County, where Wildwood Cove was located. He was also Brett’s uncle. I was pretty sure we were well out of Clallam County.

  “No,” Brett said, confirming my thoughts. “I don’t know the sheriff here.”

  “Whoever it is, I hope he or she can find Kevin safe and sound.”

  “I hope so too, but the sheriff might not be able to do much yet. Kevin’s only been missing for about twelve hours.”

  Maybe an official investigation wouldn’t start yet, but I couldn’t help but think that twelve hours was plenty of time for something to go terribly wrong.

  “Maybe we should organize a search party and start looking for Kevin,” I suggested.

  “It wouldn’t be safe for anyone without the right skills and knowledge to head out into the woods up here,” Brett said. “Especially at this time of year.”

  “True,” I conceded, knowing he was right.

  Brett gave me a quick hug. “We’ll see what the sheriff tells Rita.”

  I nodded and returned his hug. After releasing him, I crossed the deck and stood by the railing, trying to push my troubling thoughts aside. It was chilly outside, especially without a jacket, but the bright sunshine was melting the snow off the roof and the trees. A steady drip-drip-drip provided a background soundtrack to the beautiful scenery.

  I snapped a photo with my phone. “I’m going to go a bit closer to the lake.” I took care going down the steps. I was wearing sneakers rather than my winter boots, and I didn’t want to slip.

  Brett accompanied me along the path that led to the lake. I stopped halfway along it and took another couple of photos. With that done, I tucked my phone into my pocket. A chilly breeze cut through my clothes, making me shiver.

  “Ready to head in?” Brett guessed.

  “Definitely.”

  I slipped my hand into Brett’s and we made our way up the gentle hill toward the lodge. A few steps later, I drew to a sudden stop.

  “Brett…” My voice cracked as I said his name. I pointed at the snowbank off to one side of the steps leading to the deck.

  Brett swore and broke into a run. I raced after him, slipping but managing not to fall. A glove poked out from the middle of the pile of snow, along with a cuff of red and black fabric. Fabric that looked exactly like the jacket I’d seen Kevin wearing the day before.

  Brett reached the snowbank and started digging with his bare hands. I skidded to a stop next to him and joined in, frantically shifting the snow away. I hoped desperately it was just the jacket and glove under the snow, but within seconds I knew that wasn’t the case. I could feel an arm in the sleeve.

  I barely noticed the tears stinging my eyes or the fact that I was losing the feeling in my hands.

  “Did you lose something?” Harvey’s voice startled me.

  I kept digging as I glanced to the right. The groundskeeper strode towards us.

  “Help!” I yelled.

  The smile fell from Harvey’s face. He charged over our way just as Brett shoved aside another handful of snow to reveal Kevin’s face. His pale skin was tinged with blue and his eyes were closed. Brett brushed more snow away until he could place two fingers to Kevin’s neck.

  I already knew Kevin wasn’t breathing, that he hadn’t been for some time. One look at his face was enough to tell me that.

  Even so, Brett’s next words sent a terrible chill through my body.

  “He’s dead.”

  Chapter Five

  “No.” Harvey stared at Kevin’s partially buried body. He took off his hat and gripped it tightly with both hands. His face was almost as pale as Kevin’s, although without the tinge of death. “But how?”

  We all stared at each other for a moment. Brett and Harvey were probably thinking the same thing that I was—Kevin couldn’t have buried himself in the snowbank. There was too much snow on top of him for it to have accumulated naturally after his death. Someone must have shoveled it.

  I didn’t want to look at Kevin’s lifeless face again, but I couldn’t stop myself.

  I swallowed against a wave of nausea as I spotted something I hadn’t noticed before.

  “Look.” I pointed at the top of Kevin’s head. A spot of red marred the bright whiteness of the snow.

  Brett carefully brushed aside another handful of snow to reveal more red.

  Blood.

&n
bsp; Brett took a quick step back and put an arm around me. I leaned into his side and closed my eyes.

  He gave me a gentle squeeze. “We need to call the police. I don’t have my phone on me.”

  I forced my eyes open and dug my phone out of my pocket with numb fingers. Brett took it and that brought me a hint of relief. I could have made the call, but I was glad I didn’t have to.

  Harvey still had his hat gripped in his hands. “I’d better go tell Rita.”

  A combination of grief, shock, and grim resignation showed on his face. I didn’t envy him the job of breaking the news to Rita. Even though she and Kevin had their problems, his death would no doubt be a blow. And to learn that his death most likely wasn’t natural…

  It was no wonder that Harvey headed into the lodge with heavy steps.

  As Brett spoke with the emergency operator, I turned my back on Kevin’s body, unable to bear the sight of it any longer. I focused on the lake and the mountains instead, although I wasn’t able to appreciate their beauty like I had just a short time ago.

  Brett ended the phone call and wrapped his arms around me. “You should go inside. You’re freezing.”

  It was only once he said those words that I realized I was shivering. “You should go in too,” I said.

  “It’ll take a while for the sheriff to get here. I’ll stay out here to make sure no one gets too close to the body.”

  For the first time it truly hit me that we were standing at a crime scene. I pulled back from Brett and looked around.

  “He was probably killed hours ago,” Brett said, as if reading my thoughts.

  He was likely right about that. Whoever had killed Kevin probably wasn’t lurking behind the snowbank, but he or she could still be nearby. In the lodge, even.

  “I don’t want to leave you out here by yourself,” I said. Until I knew for sure that Kevin’s killer was no longer around, I didn’t want to take any risks.