by Cindy Bell
Chapter 12
Nikki unzipped her coat as she began to sweat. She wondered if she had gotten herself in over her head.
“Here are some glasses.” Gloria set them down on the coffee table along with a cheese platter. “I just love cheese platters. I share them with my kitties. Well, the crackers, not the cheese.”
Nikki didn’t see any evidence of cats in the cabin. She stared at Gloria for a moment and wondered if she might have imaginary cats.
“Your home is beautiful. Impeccable.” Nikki smiled.
“Oh please.” Gloria waved her hand. “Ever since Ashley passed away it’s been a wreck. She used to come in twice a day. Another staff member has been doing the housekeeping, but they aren’t very good. I’ve been trying to get someone else, but the roads are all blocked, so there’s not much chance of that in the next few days. The fur is absolutely everywhere.” She scrunched up her nose in disgust.
Nikki eased herself down on the edge of a couch that appeared to be upholstered in pure silk, then looked back at Gloria.
“I don’t see any fur.”
“My kitties don’t shed too much, but when I see it, it drives me crazy.” Gloria cleared her throat, then called out in a high-pitched tone, “Tut, tut, tut, tut, babies!”
Nikki raised an eyebrow at the call, and at the face that Gloria made as she called to her cats. An instant later she heard a rush of paws. She gasped as cats bolted out from under the couch, and from the corners of the cabin. She lifted her feet up just as one buzzed past her. They were all short hair cats, their fur all different shades, and colors. Some of the cats were small, while others were large enough to be of a unique breed. All seemed intent on getting into Gloria’s lap before any of the others could. As the cats struggled to gain affection from their owner, Nikki admired their beauty.
“They are wonderful. They all look so healthy.”
“They are. I spend quite a bit on the vet.” Gloria grinned as one of the cats dragged its tail across her face. “They’re so loving.”
“I see that.” Nikki smiled. “Thanks for introducing them to me.” She opened the wine bottle and poured them each a big glass. “It must be tough starting out new here.”
“It hasn’t been too bad. At least, not until now. Max and I just wanted a place we could call our own. But there have been struggles.” Gloria sighed, then took a big swallow of her wine.
“I bet. I know that Ashley had her own way of doing things.” Nikki watched Gloria’s reaction closely.
“That’s putting it lightly. I have never met a more difficult woman.” Gloria gulped down more wine.
“That must have been so frustrating for you. Here you are, starting a new chapter, a fresh opportunity to succeed, and she wanted to fight you every step of the way.” Nikki lowered her voice. “It would have driven me crazy, to be honest. I can have quite a temper when someone stands in my way.”
“Oh, me too, me too.” Gloria held up her glass and clinked it against Nikki’s. “Nothing stops me once I lose it. Whoever is in my way has hell to pay.” She grinned, then drank the remainder of the wine in her glass.
Nikki was quick to fill it. “Who could blame you? She stood between you and a peaceful life. At least, until now, right?”
“Right.” Gloria giggled as she picked up her glass again. “She’s not a problem anymore. Bye-bye, Ashley.” She wiggled her fingers in the air.
The front door swung open, and the cats scattered so fast that Nikki gasped and drew her feet up off the floor. She’d barely had a chance to look in his direction before Max’s sharp tone reached her ears.
“Gloria! What have I told you about having company?”
“Oh hush.” Gloria rolled her eyes. “You’re always with those dogs, I need someone to talk to.”
“What’s going on here?” Max snatched the empty bottle of wine up. “Did you drink all this?” He frowned and slammed the bottle back down on the coffee table.
“No, no, of course not. Nikki had some, too. Right Nikki?” Gloria hiccoughed.
“Yes, I did.” Nikki twisted the stem of her wine glass. She’d only drank a few sips of wine, but Gloria didn’t know that. Her eyes remained glued to Max as his anger continued to grow. “We were just having a nice evening, Max, that’s all.”
“How could you be so stupid, Gloria?” Max glared at her. “She got you drunk on purpose. What did you tell her?”
“She wouldn’t do that.” Gloria waved her hand and laughed. “Would you, Nikki?” She stared at Nikki as she swayed back and forth on the couch.
“Of course not.” Nikki stood up and started for the door. “I should go.”
“Wait a minute.” Max stepped in front of her. “Whatever she said to you, I’d better not hear it repeated, understand?”
Nikki stared into Max’s eyes as her heart pounded. This man wasn’t the timid man she had seen before.
“I understand, but she didn’t say anything.” Nikki shivered. The fury in his eyes was so potent that it darkened their color. She sensed that if he’d had the freedom to do so, he would have picked her up and thrown her right out of the cabin. At her size, he could easily do it.
“You need to leave.” Max snapped his hand towards the door.
“Okay.” Nikki swallowed back a few sharp words as she hurried to the door. Yes, she’d like to tell him exactly what she thought of him, but she wasn’t going to tempt a man who was likely a murderer.
As soon as Nikki was outside in the freezing cold, she realized her mistake. As long as Max and Gloria thought that she suspected them, they would be even more determined to make sure that the murder was blamed on Kyle. She turned back to the door and took a breath. Then she knocked firmly on it.
Max ripped the door open.
“What is it?”
“Please tell Gloria I had a nice time. I’m not sure what’s upset you, Max, if I’ve offended you somehow, I’m sorry about that. I just wanted to apologize.” Nikki looked straight into his eyes. “I just wanted to spend some time with Gloria. We had a nice time.”
“You came to apologize?” Max smiled at her, though his eyes remained darkened by the tension in his gaze. “How nice.” He closed the door again. She heard the lock slide into place. As she stared at the door a moment longer, she felt a sense of doom rise within her. What if Max decided that she was a problem, too?
* * *
Not long after Nikki left, Sonia settled on the couch with Princess in her lap. Not to be ignored, Coco crawled up onto the couch beside her and set his head on her knee.
“Aw, you’re just a charmer.” Sonia smiled as she gave him a light pet. “Hopefully, this doesn’t get you in trouble when you go back home. I’ll never understand why people don’t want their pets on their furniture.” She scratched under his chin.
Abruptly, Coco launched towards the door. His sharp barks made Sonia’s heart skip a beat. Princess jumped down next, her yaps barely audible as Coco continued to bark.
Between the two of them, they almost drowned out the sound of a knock on the door.
“Sonia, are you in there?”
“Just a minute, Ken.” Sonia shooed the dogs away from the door, then pulled it open.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause so much chaos.” Ken offered her a sheepish smile that softened his eyes.
“Don’t worry, they just compete to see who has the louder bark. Don’t tell Princess, but Coco wins. Of course, Princess just keeps trying.” Sonia laughed as she scooped the dog up into her arms.
“Maybe one day, Princess.” Ken winked at her. “Do you mind if I come in? It’s freezing out here.”
“Of course.” Sonia stepped aside to let him in, then closed the door behind him. “What are you doing out and about in the cold?”
“I felt a little restless. I thought maybe you’d like some company.” Ken shrugged, then looked into her eyes. “Would you?”
“Absolutely.” Sonia smiled and led him towards the couch. “You get comfortable, and I’ll get
us some wine.”
“Oh, that sounds great.” He pulled off his scarf, then his coat. “Something to warm me up.”
“Absolutely.” Sonia returned with two glasses and a bottle of wine. “At least it stopped snowing, hmm?”
“We’re supposed to get more tonight.” Ken winced. “Hopefully not. I heard the roads might be clear by tomorrow.”
“What will you do then?” Sonia poured them both a glass of wine. “Are you going to move on?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll probably wait out the holiday traffic here.” Ken shrugged as he held out his hands to the fire. “It’s as good a place as any.”
Ken took his glass of wine from Sonia. He held the glass by the stem, held it up to the light and examined it, then swirled the wine, sniffed the aroma, and took a sip. He swished the wine in his mouth then swallowed.
“Is it okay?” Sonia raised an eyebrow.
“Sure is.” Ken stretched his legs out until his boots were propped up against the brick of the fireplace. “Thanks for sharing it with me.”
“Thanks for the company.” Sonia set the bottle down. “What are you doing out here all alone, Ken?”
He took a slow sip of his wine, stared at the flames, then shrugged.
“Nowhere else to be I suppose. I was down south, and I just had the urge to be in the cold for Christmas. I had no one to spend it with, so I figured why not go somewhere new?” Ken shook his head as he looked towards the window where fresh snow fell. “Guess I didn’t think about getting snowed in.”
“Neither did we.” Sonia laughed. “I wasn’t even supposed to be here, you know. I was supposed to be with my niece. But the roads were blocked, so Nikki was kind enough to let me stay with her.”
“What’s the deal with you two?” Ken looked over at her. “Is she your granddaughter?”
“No.” Sonia blushed as she recalled just how old she was. Of course, this fine-looking gentleman couldn’t be flirting with her. Could he? “She’s a friend of mine. My dog walker and pet sitter, actually, but we’ve become quite close.”
“That’s nice.” Ken gazed at her. “It’s good to have someone that you can trust. I suppose she tells you everything?”
“We’re close.” Sonia nodded. “What about your friends? Do you have any that are missing you for the holidays?”
“No, no one.” Ken stretched his arms above his head. When he relaxed them again, one sprawled along the length of the couch cushion just behind her. “I lost touch with everyone over the years. One of the drawbacks of always traveling for work. Now that I’m retired, I still can’t stay in one place long enough to make many connections.”
“I’m sorry.” Sonia studied the lines of his face, and the droop of his lips. She sensed sadness hidden behind his tough facade. “That must be a difficult way to live.”
“Most of the time it’s not. When you don’t have anyone, you can’t miss anyone, which is actually very liberating. It’s when I meet someone spectacular, that’s when it’s difficult to move on.” Ken’s arm slid forward until his fingertips curled around her shoulder.
Sonia’s heartbeat quickened in response to the touch. She met his eyes as he turned towards her.
“Ken?”
“Someone like you, Sonia.” He looked into her eyes. “Someone so remarkable.”
“Oh, I’m not very remarkable.” Sonia laughed as her heart raced.
“Yes, you are. The way the fire dances in your eyes, you look so beautiful.” Ken sat back against the couch again. “I’m a little rusty when it comes to romance.”
“You don’t seem very rusty.” Sonia smiled. “But I think I’ve had enough wine.”
“Sonia, I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable.” Ken closed his hand over hers. “It’s been so long since I got to share the company of a beautiful woman. I forgot my manners.”
“I think maybe you should go.” Sonia stood up from the couch. She could hear Princess scratching at the door. She glanced at her watch and realized that almost two hours had passed. She checked her phone to be sure she hadn’t missed a call or text from Nikki. Relieved that she hadn’t, she looked back up to find Ken’s eyes locked on her.
“Sonia, please don’t be upset with me.” Ken stood up as well.
“I’m not.” Sonia smiled as she walked with him to the door. “Not at all.” She ignored a subtle flutter in her chest. It had been some time since she’d had her last romantic encounter. “You’ve brightened my holidays, Ken. I hope you have a good evening.”
“You, as well.” Ken gazed into her eyes a moment longer before he stepped out through the door.
Chapter 13
Nikki shivered as an icy wind threatened to cut through her jacket. It was easy for her to assume that it was Max who was the killer. She didn’t like the way he looked at her, or spoke to her. She didn’t like the way he spoke to his wife. But none of those things were evidence, or any kind of proof that he was the killer. She reviewed in her mind the evidence found at the crime scene, again. Yes, he had the same sized boot. But so did Kyle. There was an explanation for the boot print, and the scarf. But what about the broken plastic in the snow? What could it be? She racked her mind for anything that would be similar in color and density that Ashley had on her body. She couldn’t place anything. What about Max? Nothing came to mind, either. Suddenly she recalled Brent’s purchase at the gas station. Who needed sunglasses in a snowstorm?
“What if it wasn’t Max?” Nikki’s heart skipped a beat as she neared the cabin. What if it was Brent? A scenario played through her mind. Brent, enraged at Ashley’s invasion of his space, confronts her. She, with her spirited attitude, fought back. In the struggle, his sunglasses fell out of his pocket, his boot crushed them. Maybe that was what the argument was about, but this time it got out of hand. She bit into her bottom lip as she shivered against the cold weather. The shiver reminded her of the way she felt the first time she saw Brent. Uneasy. But another person came to mind, Ken. What if what Brent said was true and Ashley really did go into Ken’s cabin against his wishes? Maybe it was Ken’s goggles that were crushed in the snow? He had mentioned that he needed to buy a new pair.
The door of the cabin swung open, and Nikki nearly walked right into Ken as he stepped out.
“Oh, excuse me!” Ken stepped to the side before he could collide with her. “We just keep running into each other.” He chuckled.
“What are you doing here?” Nikki asked.
“Ken was just keeping me company for a little while.” Sonia smiled.
“He was?” Nikki cleared her throat as she realized she was being a bit rude. She was so surprised to see him, right after she’d been entertaining the idea that he might be a murderer. “I’m sorry, Ken. I’d just like to get inside, it’s so cold out here.”
“You’re right, it is.” He zipped up his coat and pulled the hood low.
“Where did you say you were from?” Nikki locked her eyes to his.
“I didn’t.” He looked away, towards the mountains.
“Ken is a traveler.” Sonia volunteered, and gave his arm a light pat. “Good night, Ken.”
“Good night, Sonia.” He bowed his head to her, then walked off into the snow.
“Get in here before you freeze.” Sonia grabbed Nikki’s hand and pulled her through the door of the cabin.
“It is so cold!” Nikki shivered and after greeting Coco and Princess she headed straight for the fireplace with the dogs behind her. As she passed the coffee table, she noticed two wine glasses, and a half-empty bottle of wine. “Sonia, did you have wine with him?”
“I sure did.” Sonia grinned and joined Nikki by the fireplace.
“And?
“And it was nice.” Sonia wiggled her eyebrows. “How did you go with Gloria?”
“It left me feeling a bit frazzled. Max came home while I was with Gloria and things got pretty heated.” She recounted her confrontation with him. “He was so different to the person we originally met.”
“No, he didn’t, but I think he might have liked to.” Nikki knelt down in front of the fireplace and held out her hands to warm them. The flicker of the flames reflected on something that caught her eye. “What’s this?” She leaned closer to the bricks that surrounded the fireplace. As she peered down at the rough surface, she caught sight of tiny shards of black plastic.
“What is it, Nikki? What do you see?” Sonia leaned closer and tried to see over her shoulder.
“It’s plastic.” Nikki picked up a piece between her fingernails. “Just like the plastic that was found out in the snow the night that Ashley was killed.”
“Are you sure? It’s such tiny fragments, it could be from anything.” Sonia took a slight step back.
“It could be. But it’s quite a coincidence to find the same color plastic here. Where do you think it came from?” Nikki looked up at her. “Do you remember Kyle putting his boots up here?”
“No.” Sonia cleared her throat and glanced away.
“We haven’t either. We always leave ours by the door. Maybe one of the dogs tracked it in?” Nikki grabbed a piece of paper and began to gather the other pieces of plastic onto it.
“No, I don’t think it was one of the dogs.” Sonia sank down onto the edge of the couch and sighed.
“Sonia?” Nikki turned towards her. “Are you okay?”
“Ken had his boots propped up there, the whole time he was here.” Sonia closed her eyes. “It must have come off his boots. I hate to think it, but I don’t know how else it would have gotten there.”
“There are a few ways I’m sure.” Nikki frowned as she sat down beside her. “I don’t want to think it either, but I suspected the plastic at the crime scene might be from sunglasses or ski goggles. I thought about it because I saw Brent buy sunglasses at the gas station we stopped at on our way here. I thought it was strange, because who needs sunglasses in the middle of a snowstorm?”