Murder, She Slopes

by Rachael Stapleton

  “I’m an excellent listener.”

  Felix glanced around impatiently. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I’ll keep it to myself.” He jumped to his feet.

  I rose with him, not finished yet.

  “Felix,” I called after him. “Do you know what happened to Holly?”

  Ten

  _____________

  “W

  ait, Felix—” I shouted. But he kept moving. I was sure I had glimpsed a shimmer of tears in his eyes as he looked at me one final time. Then he picked up speed.

  I tensed to run after him without thinking.

  “I’d let the boy go if I were you,” said someone at my side.

  I jerked my head around and saw Mateo staring up at me from beneath his trapper hat. I had been so involved in Felix that I hadn’t heard him approach. I turned back in time to see Felix disappear into the woods.

  Defeated, I dropped to a sitting position on the picnic table. It was too late to chase Felix now.

  “Why should I let him go?” I asked Mateo angrily.

  “He’s not a killer,” he assured me calmly, as if I had asked the question aloud.

  “What makes you so sure?” I asked, my anger returning. Would it change his assessment if I told him how Felix had snuck up on me?

  “He is just a troubled kid,” he answered, still calm. “He’s got some daddy issues but those don’t translate to murder.”

  “I doubt he’d have the strength anyway,” I muttered, thinking of Detective Bumble’s description of Holly’s death.

  “It’s bravado,” Mateo said. “Felix is a very frightened boy. Maybe it’s his parents’ fault for ignoring him. Maybe it’s not. I don’t know.” He paused and shook his head. “I never got that far with my own son.”

  I jerked my eyes up to look into his. But his eyes were unfocused, lost somewhere. His son. The one who had killed himself in the mental institution. I shivered. Any death is sad, but to lose a child is so unjust, so out of order.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “I am, too,” Mateo agreed with a grim smile. He knocked his cane against a rock, turning around to leave. “Nice to see you again, Miss Trubble.”

  I waved goodbye as he limped away.

  I trudged unhappily back to my room and threw myself on the bed to stare at the wood ceiling. I thought of the tragedy and suffering that surrounded these people.

  I jerked myself up off the bed, trying to shake the feeling of depression that Sleighs & Slopes Adventure Resort itself seemed to exude. It was then that I remembered Cody. My confrontation with Felix had driven him from my mind. But now I remembered dropping the phone on Cody’s sputters. Damn. I began my apologies mentally as I hurriedly dialed his number. I stared at the flames as they licked the glass of my fireplace.

  Then the receiver was picked up again. “Everything okay?” demanded Cody peevishly. I assumed this was his way of asking why I hung up on him.

  “I saw someone I needed to talk to,” I explained lamely. I looked out the window across the treetops and down to the picnic table again. But Felix was gone. The woods were empty.

  “Who?” asked Cody.

  “The Tremblé’s son was watching me from the trees,” I said. There was silence on the other end of the line. “I thought he might have seen something that he wanted to share privately,” I explained. “He approached me once before, too, in the hot tub but took off.”

  “Sounds like a crush or a stalker,” said Cody. But his voice was friendlier. “So did he see anything?”

  “Umm, it seems like he knows something but he wouldn’t share,” I answered.

  “Are you telling me everything?” he asked. “My spidey senses are telling me you might be putting yourself in danger.”

  I took off my shoes and curled up under a fleece blanket in the chair. “Cody, I’ll be fine. I just need to figure out who killed Holly,” I said. “So, did you come across anything else in your research?” I asked, to change the subject.

  “Not yet,” he said.

  The conversation turned mushy from that point on. By the time Cody had hung up, I was reduced to hugging my pillow ‘cause I missed him so much.

  A thudding on my door punctuated my last thought just as I hung up.

  “Who is it?” I called out.

  “Not Jason,” came Lucas’ voice. “I repeat. This is not Jason from Friday the 13th.”

  I opened the door to him with a chuckle.

  “Anyone for mountain climbing?” asked Lucas, pretending to scale an invisible wall. His tone was light, but the stiff smile on his gaunt face hadn’t erased the ravages of recent events. “Seriously,” he said, letting the smile go. “How about a soak in the hot tub? I could use one. And I could use some company, too.”

  I nodded.

  Lucas’ face brightened. That felt good to me.

  Lucas sat on the couch while I searched for my suit and towel. He told me about the movie scheduled for the evening. I was hoping for anything but murder this time.

  Lucas and I made chitchat as he led me through the grounds of the resort toward the spa area. Unfortunately the snowy path led past the tree where Holly had been face planted in the snow. My stomach tightened as the yellow tape came into view. Then I heard footsteps behind us.

  I turned quickly in the direction of the footsteps and found myself looking into the startled faces of Denise and Gloria.

  “Hey,” I shouted. “What…?”

  Before I could say more, the two older women bolted down a branching path. Lucas put a restraining hand on my arm just as I had decided to give chase.

  “Wait,” he said. “You’ll give them heart attacks.”

  I pushed his arm away. “Why do people keep spying—” I shouted. Mid-sentence, I realized that Lucas had no idea of my earlier run-in with Felix.

  He stepped back, shocked. “Who is spying on you? Those old ladies? What could they have to do with anything?”

  I pondered that question silently as we continued on to the hot tub. Could they have murdered Holly for some unknown motive? Denise looked strong enough, but she had no record. I shook the thoughts away.

  The spa area was a collection of hot and cold, the water was empty and sparkling blue in the sunlight—inviting yet sinister given the circumstances.

  I pulled off my clothes revealing a navy blue and white striped bikini. As I noticed Lucas’ eyes light up, I wondered what Cody would think of me being here.

  I stepped into the tub, sinking into the shock of heat and delicious isolation, grateful for the silence. After a few minutes I began to feel guilty despite Lucas’ mundane chatter about one of the resorts he frequented in the summer. I let my thoughts float to Cody. The water’s friendly nudging made me think of Cody’s touch. I could feel my body overheating so I pulled myself up and onto the edge of the tub.

  “Where are you going?” Lucas asked.

  “Back to my room,” I answered.

  “Come on, Penelope,” he cajoled. “We just got here. What’s wrong?”

  “It just doesn’t feel right,” I said.

  “Suit yourself,” he retorted peevishly.

  I sighed as I went to change my clothes. I was pondering Holly’s last steps as I walked back to Candy Cane Lane from the spa area when I heard footsteps crunching through the snow. I paused to gather myself. I wasn’t going to run. I was going to walk steadily. My gloved hand felt for my room key deep in my pocket, and I placed it between my knuckles. I could hear the footsteps coming closer, someone’s breath matching my own, boots crunching on the layers of ice frosting the path. Forty feet in front of me, I could see the bend that led to my tree house. I whirled around.

  Eleven

  _____________

  “H

  ello again, ladies,” I said.

  “Doh! How did you hear us?” Eve replied.

  “Oh, dear,” chirped Gloria to Eve. “You don’t really think those elephant stomps of yours are quiet, do you?”

  “Elephant stomps? Hardly
, besides I can’t help it. These new boots are really heavy.”

  I looked down to take in Eve’s new footwear and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I shook my head. “Wherever did you get those?”

  “Mabel’s granddaughter sold them to me. She overheard me in Cookies & Corsets telling Pike that I was coming here and that my old boots had a hole. She said she’d give me a great deal, although between you and me, the kid ripped me off. But oh well, she’s only thirteen and they look cool, right? I love the stripes—so hip and retro.”

  “They’re Burtons. Did you by chance say that you were coming to a ski resort?”

  “Of course.”

  “And it didn’t occur to you that those could be snowboarding boots?”

  “Snow-in-the-who-and-the-what-now?”

  “Nevermind. You’ll be good if you decide to hit the slopes. Maybe Felix will take you out. So, what’s with the stalker thing?”

  “Right, sorry. We wanted to make sure you were alone,” Denise informed me. “We have intel.”

  “You do?” I couldn’t believe it.

  Gloria nodded enthusiastically. Her thick glasses bobbled on the bridge of her nose.

  “Gloria has a friend in the police department.”

  I smiled, kind of happy that Detective Bumble had a mole. This game could go two ways.

  “You know you could get in trouble for meddling, right?” I asked.

  “Oh, dear,” said Gloria, shaking her head. “I don’t want to get my friend into trouble. You’re not going to tell Detective Bumble on us, are you? We’re only trying to help.”

  “We can’t get into trouble,” Eve growled bitterly. “We’re just a bunch of old ladies and that’s how we’ll play it if you try anything.”

  Gloria lived in Mont-Tremblant. And Mont-Tremblant was a small town. She probably knew the Tremblés. If not well, at least better than I did. Wasn’t it Gloria who was the librarian? She might be friendly with Felix’s teacher or his school friends or Felix himself. Or was she the retired nurse? She might fraternize with Justin’s doctor, or a fellow nurse from the doctor’s office. She might even be able to find out Justin’s clinical diagnosis.

  And there was still the possibility that the murderer had come from outside the resort, perhaps from the town of Mont-Tremblant. If there was a local psychopath in town, they probably knew about him too. Or her.

  I squirmed guiltily. “Okay, fine. Tell me what you know.”

  “Well, I called the coroner’s office,” chuckled Gloria. Her face stretched into a grin. “Told them I was calling for Detective Bumble. The coroner said her leg was busted, and she had strange marks on her neck.”

  “What kind of marks?” I asked eagerly.

  “Like she was strangled with a braided cord or a rope of some kind, I guess. The coroner thought maybe she was tripped or hit with something hard enough to break her leg. Then, when she went down…” Gloria paused. “She was hit in the back of the head, probably with a rock. And then she was strangled while unconscious.” Gloria smiled. “Maybe there was more than one murderer.” She turned to me, bursting with enthusiasm. “What do you think, Ms. Trubble?”

  “Call me Penelope,” I said absently. I was busy running her scenario in my head.

  “Penelope?” prodded Gloria. “Are you still with us?” She waved her tiny hand in front of my face.

  “Shhh!” whispered Eve. “She’s solving the mystery.”

  “Hmph,” Gloria grunted.

  “Listen, Gloria,” I said. “I don’t know what Eve has been telling you but I’m not really a detective anymore.”

  “Don’t worry, dear,” trilled Gloria. “You don’t have to explain.” She reached out and patted my hand, then whispered, “I wouldn’t dream of blowing your cover.”

  “But really, I—”

  She put her finger to her lips. “Not another word,” she said, “Just remember, we’ll be nearby if you need any assistance.” She exchanged a meaningful look with Eve and Denise. Then they turned and left, Gloria and Eve taking two steps to Denise’s one.

  “Uh, thanks,” I said to their retreating backs.

  Gloria threw me a two-fingered wave over her shoulder, or maybe it was a gang sign. Who knew with this crew?

  I hurried back to my tree house and opened my notebook. I took this to my bed, along with the tray the water glasses had sat on. I used the tray as a writing table, propped myself up on pillows and began my list of questions.

  By six o’clock I had filled both sides of two sheets of writing paper with questions. I had done a little work on my suspect list too, adding the hypothetical Mont-Tremblant psychopath and Gloria to the ranks. I hadn’t reached any logical conclusions as to whodunit, however. All my intuition had to tell me was that I was hungry. And afraid.

  I waited a little while longer before setting out for dinner, expecting Eve or Lucas to knock on the door. Finally, I got dressed and headed outside, listening for footsteps all the way along the old snowy path. Shadows loomed behind every tree and more than once I dropped into a defensive, pose ready to stave off my imaginary attacker. By the time I reached the chalet I was practically in need of resuscitation. Curse this overactive imagination.

  The hall was filled with people. Some were recognizable to me. Others were newcomers. I saw Eve and Gloria seated at a corner table across the room. I smiled in their direction, but they ignored me. Protecting my cover, no doubt. Denise was topping off her plate at the buffet. Once she had finished, she went to the table where Mateo and Noel sat in silence.

  “Mind if I join you boys?” I heard Denise ask.

  Mateo shook his head and grunted an invitation to sit down. There was no accompanying warmth in his voice or his eyes, however.

  Denise sat, then nodded at Mateo’s cane. “Afghanistan or Kosovo?” she asked.

  “Neither.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You’re from Argentina. Horseback riding accident, then?”

  “No,” responded Mateo curtly.

  So much for conversation at that table. I averted my eyes and ears, and concentrated on filling my own plate high with jasmine rice, edamame and a healthy serving of sashimi. It was not exactly your typical holiday fare but I appreciated the change-up.

  I sat down alone at one of the smaller tables and dipped into the edamame. Delicious. As I maneuvered a bite of raw fish and wasabi with my chop sticks, I looked up and saw Lucas’ smiling face. He looked more relaxed now. Maybe the hot tub had done him good. I smiled back.

  He bent down and whispered. “Do you know you’re being watched?” He tipped his head to point across the room.

  I turned to look, just in time to see Gloria studiously avoiding my glance. I turned back to Lucas. “Get some food and I’ll tell you about Eve and her latest spy network,” I whispered back. “But you’ve got to keep what I tell you under your slouchy beanie, or whatever it is you hipsters call that hat that you’re wearing.”

  Two tables over, Noel got up from his seat across from Mateo rather abruptly and the legs scraped the floor. Heads turned toward him. He didn’t seem to notice.

  Denise lifted her head and spoke to Mateo but I missed his words. Just as she opened her mouth, Amélie swept into the room shouting, “I’ve officially been cleared!”

  In Amélie’s rush to our table she blocked my view of Mateo and Denise.

  “I never thought I’d be so excited to leave a resort,” she said. She bent over to hug me. I threw a glance over her shoulder at Marie-Angelique as Amélie engulfed me. She didn’t look offended, so that was good news.

  “The detective says I’m free to go. I have patients waiting at the institute—stuck in limbo until I get back —so this is perfect timing.” She clapped her hands together in delight. “One of my patients actually attempted suicide last night—he’s blaming my absence. Good lord—the work I must do.”

  “Wow. That’s wonderful,” I said, not really knowing how to respond to any of her statements.

&
nbsp; “It is wonderful.” She sighed dreamily. Then she scanned the dining hall until she spotted Denise.

  “Denise,” she shouted. “Did you hear?”

  “How could I not?” Denise answered as she walked toward us. “You’re ready to go home so you can drive your patients mental instead of us. We’re all relieved.” Her smile took the sting from the words.

  Amélie chuckled. “Now all I have to do is pack.”

  Damn. Now where did Noel go? I’d lost track of him. I turned back to Lucas. There was a hint of amusement on his face.

  “Looking for someone?”

  “That obvious?” I asked.

  “Only to me. You should have been watching the spy network—”

  “Eve or Gloria,”

  “Both,” he agreed. “Mateo’s eyes almost popped out over something one of them said. Either that, or it was about Amélie’s mention of attempted suicide.” He glanced across the room in their direction. “Don’t look now, but I think they’re at work.”

  I turned back to Lucas. “Let’s hear it for the detective’s assistants,” I proposed, and raised my glass.

  The after-dinner movie was not a slasher film, but sappy Christmas romance really wasn’t my style either. I told myself I’d stick with a book as I walked back to the treetops from the main lodge. I was alone on the snowy path. Lucas had offered to escort me, but the longing look in his brown puppy-eyes had signaled danger to me. I didn’t want to reject any more romantic proposals. I didn’t want to witness any more hurt in those eyes. So I rejected his offer to walk me home. Now, I listened to my unnaturally loud footsteps echo in the dark and wished I had taken him up on his offer. I stepped up my pace to a near-jog.

  By the time I reached the treetops, my pulse was stampeding, and I was out of breath, unfortunately for me, there was a dark figure silhouetted in the doorway and this time I knew from the height and size that it wasn’t Eve, Denise or Gloria.

  Twelve

  _____________

  S hould I turn around? Even in the dark I could tell the shadow in front of the tree house was menacingly tall and muscular.