Off Season

by B. Allison Miller

  “Yes, as I said, Paolo was very upset when he got home. I think he believes he was being profiled—as a brown man who has access to knives. I tried to make him feel better—Paolo knows the agent spoke to me too.”

  “Oh, no. That’s awful. I am so sorry, Annie. Will you tell Paolo that I said so? And for what it’s worth, Agent Riley is speaking to everyone.”

  “I’ll tell Paolo what you said. We appreciate your support, Mandy. Anyway, we both had an alibi for our whereabouts on Friday and Saturday. Paolo worked late Friday and had several witnesses that could verify it, and I was with you until around eleven-thirty. I stayed in the rest of the night. I went right to bed. Paolo said he got home just after midnight. I woke up to find him in bed with me. Anyway, the whole thing was completely stressful. Please, tell me some good news. What are you up to tonight?”

  “I’m not up to anything interesting, I’m afraid. I’m just making myself some dinner. I spoke to Jed tonight about the case, and he was very upfront about what he knew, which wasn’t much more than I know, to be honest.”

  “What does Jed think happened to Crater?”

  “He’s not sure, but he did background checks on Crater and his crew, and everyone except Crater was squeaky clean. Jed isn’t buying it. He thinks their records were scrubbed, but he doesn’t know why.” I pulled my sandwich out of the skillet and put it on a plate, grabbed a napkin, and carried everything to my living room sofa. I already had a glass of wine waiting for me on my coffee table. “Jed is planning to see if he can get Agent Riley to share case information with him.”

  “Really? Good luck to Jed. She seems like a real ball-buster to me.”

  “I know. Jed and I even have a little bet over it.” I smiled at the memory.

  “Interesting. What is the wager?”

  I explained to Annie about the bet I’d made with Jed, and how if I won, he had to attend the horror movie with me, and if he won, I had to let him take me out to dinner.

  “That’s a little cruel, Mandy, don’t you think?”

  “Why? What’s cruel about it?”

  “Because, Mandy, from what you told me, it sounds like Jed might be suffering from PTSD or something. Who knows what he saw when he served overseas? Some of the things I’ve read about soldiers coming back from places like Afghanistan are nightmarish. And you know Jed was already a bit freaked out by the sight of blood to begin with. It just seems like cruel and unusual punishment to drag him to a horror movie if he is traumatized.” Suddenly, I remembered that Jed said that he didn’t like fireworks. It stood to reason that some veterans might hate fireworks. The loud sounds from fireworks could trigger memories of explosions. Oh, man. I was too busy messing with Jed to realize that I was being insensitive and ignorant.

  “But what do you think Jed meant when he told me that his therapist said I had something to do with his hemophobia? I mean, what the heck? It was a hurtful thing to say. We were friends. I didn’t do anything to him. I would never do that.”

  “I don’t know why he said that, but maybe Jed will tell you someday. It really sounds like he wants to make amends with you—I mean—if he wins the bet, he gets to take you out? And if he loses, he still gets to take you out? In both scenarios, he gets to spend time alone with you. Do you think he’s interested in you? Or does he want to rekindle your friendship?”

  I took the last bite of my sandwich and wiped my hands on my napkin. I swallowed my food and said, “I don’t know. Jed always acts like I make him angry—that’s on the rare occasions that I actually see him. How does he even manage to avoid me in the village?”

  “I don’t know. Something is definitely up.”

  I’ve never told Annie the reason why Jed and I went our separate ways in high school. I wasn’t sure Annie would understand it. I wasn’t sure that I understood it.

  “Maybe when Jed loses our bet, I’ll change my plans and we’ll skip the movie. We can do something benign like play miniature golf. Maybe. Jed has a lot to atone for with me too, Annie. He completely ghosted me in our senior year of high school. He was my best friend, and he just left me high and dry. It really hurt me.”

  “Yeah, and you never told me why.”

  “It’s complicated, Annie. I think it’s something that I need to talk to Jed about.”

  “Okay, but back to Jed and Agent Riley. Are you sure telling Jed to ask out Agent Riley was a smart idea? I mean, have you considered that Agent Riley might actually be interested in Jed? She might say yes.”

  The possibility of Agent Riley accepting Jed’s offer had occurred to me, but then I dismissed it because let’s face it, Agent Susanne Riley is cold with a capital cucumber. It seemed unlikely that the agent would accept a date with Jed or anyone else involved in the case.

  “I don’t see it, but either way, good luck to Jed.” I was almost sure that I meant what I said.

  “And how was your date with Tate on Sunday?”

  “It was so not a date, Annie. We spent the entire afternoon watching Skye. She’s actually pretty good with the skateboard.”

  “Still, the man adores his daughter, and he brought you along with them even though he rarely sees her. It sounds like a date to me.”

  “Truthfully Annie, I got a good look at what life might be like if I dated a man with a child not to mention a complicated relationship with his ex. I don’t know if I am emotionally prepared for it. I think any romantic interest I might have had in Tate is gone.”

  “Was it that bad?”

  “It wasn’t bad per se, but it felt like work. I understand that relationships take work, but should a date feel like work? I don’t know. I just didn’t get the warm fuzzies when we parted ways Sunday afternoon. I think Tate and I are better off as friends.” I took a sip of my wine.

  “Well, at least you know that now. Did Tate talk about his relationship with Shannon?”

  “Yes, a bit. I guess he and Shannon never got married, and she’s been fairly manipulative with Tate over the years when it comes to Skye. Their custody arrangement seems to favor Shannon. It sounds like Shannon uses Skye to manipulate Tate.”

  “That’s too bad. The poor kid.”

  “Did you know that Tate is a suspect?”

  “In Crater McMurphy’s murder? No. Why would Tate be a suspect?”

  I shook my head even though we were talking on the phone. “That’s one of the things that Jed won’t talk to me about. Jed knows that Tate and I are friends, so he isn’t sharing what he knows with me. All Jed said was that Tate’s recollection of the events on Saturday morning was different than the other three guys’ stories. Also, and this is just between you and me, Tate told me that he and Crater had ‘unfinished business’ but he didn’t go into details.”

  “But it’s not possible, is it? Tate would never hurt anyone.”

  “I can’t see it, Annie, but I know Tate was in the same military unit as Crater and the other three men. Tate didn’t say much about it though. I got the feeling that he doesn’t like to rehash his days in the military. I do know that those guys don’t mess around. They do whatever it takes when called upon. I don’t suppose killing someone is out of the question.”

  “I still can’t see it. Besides, why would Tate kill Crater at the Chalet? He works there. It’s too obvious.”

  “That’s a good question, actually.” A nagging thought ran through my mind, what’s the old saying? Hide in plain sight. If Tate did kill Crater, doing it at the Chalet while he was supposed to be in the woods playing survival games would be a good cover story. No one saw Tate between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Tate could have found his way out of the woods. He definitely had the training, right? He could have killed Crater. But why would he do that? Suddenly, I felt guilty because I was trying to piece together how Tate could have killed Crater. I didn’t want to believe Tate killed him.

  Thankfully, Annie pulled me from my dark thoughts. “I meant to ask you, what was Shannon like? Did you meet her when she dropped off Skye on Saturday? I heard that she left Skye i
n your care.”

  “No, apparently Shannon dropped Skye off in the parking lot and drove off. She left her all alone. Who does that with an eight-year-old?”

  “I don’t know. I guess Shannon’s reputation as the blonde ice queen is spot on.”

  Shannon was known as the blonde ice queen? That was news to me. I felt sorry for Skye.

  “Well, she’s picking up Skye tomorrow. I suppose I might see what she’s like then. Listen, I should let you go.” We said ‘goodbye’ and disconnected our call.

  ELEVEN

  “Envy wounds with false accusations, that is with detraction, a thing that scares virtue.” – Leonardo da Vinci

  WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY office Tuesday morning, I was surprised to find Agent Riley and a striking brunette waiting for me. I walked to the closed office, greeted them, and unlocked the door.

  “Mandy Swift is the day manager of the Chalet,” Agent Riley said to the brunette. “Mandy, this is Rebecca McMurphy, she is Jonah McMurphy’s wife.”

  I sucked in a deep breath. I knew they were coming, but I guess I’d blocked it out. I turned to the woman. Rebecca McMurphy was tall, dark, muscular, very pretty, and dressed to the nines. “I’m sorry for your loss.” I managed as I opened the door to my office intending to ask the two women if they would like to have a seat.

  “We’ll need your assistance, Mandy,” the agent said, “Mrs. McMurphy has requested to see her husband’s rooms.”

  I turned my eyes towards the tall, fit, brunette. She was wearing full make-up, red lipstick, thick black mascara, eyeliner that flicked out at the sides like a cool cat—a look that I never perfected. I couldn’t imagine wearing that level of makeup if I’d lost a loved one so recently—I’d be prone to bouts of tears—my face would be a mess of runny makeup.

  “I’m sorry, but isn’t that a bit of an unusual request? I don’t mean to sound uncaring, but the suite was only recently released back to us, and it hasn’t been professionally cleaned yet.”

  Rebecca McMurphy sighed and frowned. She shifted and rested her hands on her hips. I got the sense that she was growing annoyed.

  “Mrs. McMurphy is aware of the suite’s condition.”

  “I want to see the room,” Rebecca finally said in a husky voice, “I need closure. My husband’s body has not been released to me. I don’t know when it will be. If you were a former military nurse and married to someone like Jonah, you would understand that I’ve seen a lot of blood before. I’m not likely to faint.” Huh, it hadn’t occurred to me that Crater McMurphy’s wife was in the military too.

  I set my things down in my office and reached for my passkey. I decided not to fight her. If Agent Riley was okay with Mrs. McMurphy seeing the suite, then so was I. “Well then, if you would like to follow me to suite ten.”

  We exited my office, and I closed the door behind us. The three of us walked in silence to Crater McMurphy’s suite with me leading the way. When we arrived at the suite, I unlocked the door and turned on the lights. I turned towards Mrs. McMurphy and Agent Riley again. “I can wait out here if you would prefer that.”

  Agent Riley nodded and stepped aside for Mrs. McMurphy to enter the suite. It surprised me to see the agent wait for Mrs. McMurphy outside of the room.

  “Do you think that is a good idea?” I whispered to Agent Riley and nodded towards the room. I thought it was odd that the agent allowed Rebecca McMurphy to enter the suite alone. At the very least, I would imagine that Mrs. McMurphy would need emotional support. Furthermore, I wondered if there was any reason that I shouldn’t trust the thrill-seeker’s widow alone in the crime scene.

  As if the agent was reading my mind she replied, “We’ve collected what we need from the crime scene. I was asked by my superiors to allow Mrs. McMurphy into the room.”

  “And you don’t think that is strange?” I peered into the doorway for a second, but turned back to the agent, “Does Mrs. McMurphy know anything about what happened here?”

  “Such as?” Agent Riley’s face grew stern, and she crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant pose.

  “Such as you believe Crater was with a woman before or when he died.”

  “I did not reveal that to Mrs. McMurphy,” said the agent, “and I would appreciate it if you don’t mention it to her either. I plan to question her later today.”

  I nodded. Something seemed off. I’m not a detective, but why on earth would Mrs. McMurphy be allowed to visit the crime scene? Did Agent Riley have an ulterior motive in allowing the widow into the suite?

  “I suppose Mrs. McMurphy flew in last night so that she could be here?” I asked, trying to draw any information I could from the agent.

  “Flew in from where?” Agent Riley asked.

  “From wherever she and her husband lived, I suppose. California maybe?” Isn’t California where all the celebs live these days?

  “No, I believe that Mrs. McMurphy was in Wyoming. She drove here.”

  I nodded. Depending on where in Wyoming Mrs. McMurphy had been, it may have been an easy car ride to the resort. The village wasn’t far from the Colorado/Wyoming border.

  “How well do you know Jed Link?” Agent Riley caught me by surprise again. Man, she was good.

  My eyebrows rose. Was Jed a suspect now too? “Pretty well, or at least I used to know him pretty well. We grew up together and were best friends when we were kids. We went our separate ways after high school. We haven’t spent much time together since then. Jed hasn’t been back in the village long.” I decided to spare the agent the complete history of my friendship with Jed.

  Agent Riley nodded.

  “Jed’s not a suspect, is he?”

  Agent Riley cocked an eyebrow. “Not unless you can give me a good reason to suspect him.”

  “Oh, good, and no, I don’t have any reasons.”

  Agent Riley tilted her head. She looked like she was trying to decipher why I seemed relieved to hear that my former best friend wasn’t on her list of suspects. The shrewd agent astonished me with her next question. “I take it that you two dated?”

  “Ha-ha, no. We were just friends,” I protested. “Our dads were close, so we sort of grew up together.”

  “Oh. I see. He asked me out to dinner, your friend.” Agent Riley still had her arms crossed over her chest but her eyes appeared softer, or at least softer than they normally did. It looked like Agent Riley was considering the possibility of dating Jed. That made me feel... I don’t know.

  “Oh. Did he?” The possibility of the agent dating Jed surprised me a bit. She remained quiet for a moment which gave me time to process my feelings. I felt a bit like I was riding goofy-footed when I should have been riding regular—like I put the wrong foot forward.

  “I told him ‘no.’ It would be a conflict of interest to accept a date from him, obviously,” said the agent. “I can’t help but wonder if Jed Link had an ulterior motive in asking me out. What do you think?” Man, she was astute.

  “No, that doesn’t sound like Jed to me,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell the agent that Jed and I hatched the plan together. “Well, maybe after the case is finished, you’ll get to know him better. You’ll see. He’s a good guy.” I kept my voice neutral, but I hoped that once the case was over, I would never have to see Agent Riley again.

  Agent Riley thought about this for a second before she said, “No. Honestly, I can’t wait to get back to Denver.” Then she recrossed her arms and leaned against the doorway. Yep, Agent Riley was as cool as a cucumber. A few minutes later, when Rebecca McMurphy emerged from her late husband’s suite, her makeup was just as flawless as it had been when I met her earlier. So much for the helpful FBI agent and the grieving widow.

  “I’m ready to go now, Agent,” was all Rebecca McMurphy said before the two sauntered off together.

  My cell phone buzzed, and I took a quick look at the caller ID. It was my dad. I took a deep breath and answered. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Mandy, I know I shouldn’t call you at work, but I was alarme
d Sunday when you left so quickly. Are you okay?” Honestly, I was the last person my dad should worry about. My problems seemed infinitesimal compared to what he and Mom were going through.

  “I’m all right, Dad, really. It’s just been a bit crazy here ever since the weekend. I promise I’ll check in with you again this week. Maybe we can have that grill out.”

  “That sounds good,” my dad replied. He sounded preoccupied. “I know you don’t want to hear this, Mandy, but she won’t be here forever. We need to embrace the good days when they come.”

  I wondered in what universe my mom’s current condition could ever be considered ‘good.’ “I know, Dad, and I will visit you more often.”

  TWELVE

  “Anger is one letter short of danger.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

  “HEY GUYS, I’M SURPRISED to see you here,” I said addressing Crater’s three friends, Abe, Mike, and Tony. They sat at the bar at Slopes and stopped chatting when I approached them. I’d actually gone into Slopes in search of Tate because he was working that afternoon and I wanted to speak to him. My meeting with Agent Riley and Crater McMurphy’s widow was disturbing, to say the least. I decided we needed to clear up the question of where Tate was during the time of Crater’s murder. Tate wasn’t behind the bar or in the dining area, so I guessed that he was in his office.

  “Just having one of your fine local beers,” said the redhead replying to my greeting. “I’m Mike, by the way.” He held out his hand for me to shake.

  “I take it that you’ve been interviewed by the police?” I asked as I shook Mike’s hand.

  The bald guy, Abe, leveled his eyes at me, “Not just the police. The FBI. I don’t know what kind of pull you have around here, but a federal investigation? That’s a bit surprising.”

  I leaned against the counter. “Why do you find that odd?”

  “It’s not like Crater’s murder was a federal offense or something,” Abe nodded and took a sip of his porter.