As she worked through her series of stretches, she felt the muscles in her legs and lower back and even her stomach begin to loosen up. There was a dull ache in her left calf, though, that threatened to be problematic. She hoped a good night’s rest would do the trick. She rubbed it down for a few minutes.
The cabin door opened behind her, and out trailed Anastasia. Gone was the despair and replacing it was stoic determination.
“Missy, please join us in five minutes in the main hall.” Anastasia walked on with a serious-looking Jeremy in tow.
Missy wasn’t done stretching yet and didn’t want to skimp on the routine because it really could make a huge difference on how she would feel tomorrow. While she finished up, the rest of the women filed out of the cabin. Marie was the last one out.
“You’re still here,” Missy said.
Marie nodded. “For now.”
Missy put her arm around the other woman. “I’m glad, even if it is just for now.”
Marie offered a weak smile and together they walked to the main hall that connected the two cabins.
They were the last ones to join the group. Anastasia and Jeremy stood in the front of the room while everybody else sat at the long folding tables and settled in. It was after midnight now, which was two (okay, more like two-and-a-half) hours past Missy’s bedtime these days, but she wasn’t sleepy yet. The adrenaline was still going. She expected everybody’s internal clocks were out of whack right now.
Anastasia nodded at her as she and Marie sat, then the trainer called for attention. Everyone quieted down.
“It’s terrible what happened. I still don’t believe it. I keep thinking that any minute now, Eliana is going to walk through those doors …” She nearly lost her composure. “ … Her death has not sunk in yet obviously, but I’ve spent the last few hours thinking about what we should do. And—” She turned to Jeremy. “—I got some great advice from a good friend. I’m going to let Jeremy have the floor.”
Jeremy put his arm around Anastasia. She leaned into him for support. They were both in tears, but Jeremy was able to speak through them.
“Eliana would have wanted us to go on,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. She didn’t ever want to be the center of attention, didn’t care about playing nice, didn’t take crap from anyone, and she wouldn’t want us sitting around and moping about her. If we were to cancel the weekend, she would consider it a wasted opportunity. We’re all here. We’re all serious about training. Let’s not let this tragedy knock us down. Let’s look it right in the face and say, you’re not going to stop me.”
Jeremy wiped under his eyes.
“That’s how Eliana would have wanted it.” He was close to breaking down again. “That’s how she would have done things. I think we should respect her wishes in death.”
At first, nobody said a word. But then, very slowly, the applause began. Missy found herself getting caught up in the excitement, and even Marie looked a little better too.
Chapter Seven
Missy was fully aware she was dreaming, but still everything felt incredibly real. She was back on that dark trail while the rain hammered her and now there was thunder and lightning to boot. In the darkness, she could barely make out the body on the muddy ground below. Missy thought of trying to climb down but knew already that Eliana was dead even though she felt like she was experiencing the moment for the first time. But also knowing Eliana had already passed and there was nothing she could do to help the woman. Instead, she needed to stay up top.
But why?
There was something she’d missed. Had to be. Her mind was trying to tell her something … or it was just her brain trying to process the scene and move on.
She checked the ground again by the edge. It seemed more churned up than what she remembered, but that was probably just her mind adjusting the landscape to match the horrifying scene. Looking ahead on the path, she saw the two sets of footprints again only this time they were even more quickly disappearing as the rain pelted the ground and began to wash out the area.
She woke with a start, early. Missy checked her phone. 6:00 AM. There was no way she was getting through this day with only five hours of sleep. Missy was about to try to go back to sleep, but noticed that one of the cots was empty. Gabrielle had been sleeping there, she thought.
Why couldn’t she sleep?
Stop it, she told herself again. You are not getting involved. You are not.
But ten minutes later she was wide awake and since she had nothing better to do, Missy pulled on today’s exercise gear and sneakers and tiptoed out of the cabin so she didn’t wake anybody else.
Out on the porch, Missy looked right and saw the early part of dawn lighting up the horizon through the trees. There was a breeze but no chill in it. She was hoping for good weather, knowing they would be outside a lot and she would be doing a lot of work.
The police cars and ambulance were gone. They must have taken Eliana’s body last night. Missy shuddered at the mental image of a cold morgue. Yesterday the woman had been alive and well. Today she was on a slab somewhere.
She didn’t want that thought to occupy her mind too much, so she stepped off the porch to walk around. A woodpecker hammered a tree nearby, and Missy heard the early morning symphony of insect and bird life.
Her legs were stiff, so she warmed up by walking and was about to stretch out again, when she saw Gabrielle emerging from the trail leading to where Eliana had died.
“Hi, Missy.”
“Hey, Gabby.” She liked Gabrielle a lot, though they had recently gotten on different schedules so she didn’t see her as much as she wanted. Gabby was an accountant and worked for herself. She had a husband and two kids that she just adored. When Missy had joined WiredFit, Gabby had been one of the first people other than Marie to go out of her way to help. Many of the movements they executed during the routines were complex and demanded excellent form, and Gabby had shown her how to squat when she was struggling.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Gabby said. She hugged herself as if she was cold.
“Me either.”
“I just went … I know it’s weird, but I wanted to see where it happened. I don’t know why.”
Missy nodded. “It’s not weird. It’s just curiosity.”
“Did you know her?”
“Just met her yesterday.”
Gabby nodded. “She hated me.”
Missy was stunned. Gabby was such a nice, outgoing woman. “Why?”
“Long story.” Gabby looked away, unwilling to go into it. “And water under the bridge, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Oh.” Gabby paused. “I mean, what does it matter now that she hated me? She’s gone.”
Missy pursed her lips. Gabby was acting funny, though perhaps that was because Eliana had just died. They would all probably act funny today and tomorrow.
“Gabby, I don’t understand how anyone could hate you,” Missy said.
“Oh I’m sure there are plenty.” She chewed on her lip. “Eliana might have been the only one who was so vocal about it.”
“What happened?” Missy was close enough to her that it didn’t feel like she was prying.
Gabby waved a hand. “I don’t want to talk about it. Like I said, it was over a year ago and it seems so unimportant now.”
Missy wanted to ask more questions, but now Gabby had made it clear twice she didn’t want to discuss it. She made a mental note to follow-up later.
“What do you think happened?” Gabby asked.
So there was history between Gabby and Eliana, Gabby couldn’t sleep, and this morning she went to the scene of the crime. Missy had read probably over a thousand mystery novels in her day and in many of them the criminal always returned to the scene—
Stop playing detective, she told herself.
“Gabby, I really don’t know and I’m trying not to get involved.” Missy smiled. “For a change.”
Gabby laughed. “Oh come on, you’re going
to cheat me out of an opportunity of seeing Missy DeMeanor in her crime-solving glory?”
Cheat. The word hit her like a sledgehammer. Missy thought back to last night. Gabby did kind of sound like the woman that—
“Cheat?” Missy said.
“Yeah,” Gabby stopped smiling. “Cheat. As in, rob me of the experience of seeing you—”
“Oh.” Missy faked a smile. “Sorry. I’m a little dense at six o’clock in the morning, especially when I’m running on five hours of sleep.”
Gabby watched her a moment longer. “Yeah, me too for sure.” She looked around. “Between you and me, I don’t know if we should really be here.”
“You mean …”
“I was literally packing my things when Anastasia called the meeting last night. After the initial shock wore off, I was ready to go home. It seems a bit weird sticking around to exercise after what happened.”
“Did you get a chance to speak with Eliana yesterday?”
Gabby looked away for a moment. “Briefly.”
There was a whole lot more to that story, but Gabby didn’t want to share and Missy knew better than to press.
“I only met her yesterday,” Missy said. “And, uh, how do I say this …”
“You don’t have to.” Gabby smiled. “I know what you mean.”
“Good morning, ladies.”
They both turned to find Anastasia in a sports bra and spandex shorts stepping off the porch of the women’s cabin.
“Just the person I wanted to see.” Anastasia smiled at them both, but turned to Gabby. “Do you have a minute?”
“Sure.”
“Missy.” Anastasia looked her up and down. “I really can’t get over how great you’re looking. Keep it up, girl.”
Anastasia put her arm around Gabby’s shoulders, spun her around, and marched her off. Something was up.
So Eliana had hated Gabby for some reason. Missy got the impression that Gabby didn’t care for her, but that hatred would have been too strong a word. So Gabby had done something that had ticked Eliana off, and it happened long enough ago that it was water under the bridge now. But not enough under the bridge that Gabby felt comfortable sharing with Missy.
The more people she talked to, the more she found that took issue with something Eliana had done or said. That wasn’t surprising.
Missy went back into the cabin and tried to catch another hour of sleep.
She didn’t.
Chapter Eight
“Missy.” Marie pulled her aside. “Can we talk?”
They had another fifteen minutes till they did their morning course. Anastasia had been vague on the details, promising them it would be punishing and cruel but that they’d come out the other side amazed by what they could do.
“Sure.”
Marie led her away from the group and around the back of the cabin. It was early but the sun was hot today. Missy had settled on a t-shirt and shorts.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Marie began.
Missy put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
Marie shook her head. “You know what’s bothering me?”
Missy smiled. “We found a dead body last night.”
“I’m serious, Miss.”
“Sorry.” Missy chewed her lip. “I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Okay.” Marie looked away and folded her arms. “You know what’s bothering me? I wanted her dead.”
Missy couldn’t hide her shock. “What?”
“Not last night, but one time, a few years ago.” Marie unfolded her arms and paced a few steps. “It was a few years ago.”
“What happened?”
Marie turned around and put her hands on the top of her head, like she was being held up. Missy gave her a moment to put the words together.
Marie turned back around. “I had just started at WiredFit. Fifty pounds heavier than I am today.”
“Marie, I had no idea you lost that much weight.”
“Because I don’t gloat about it and tell everybody and presume to know what someone else is feeling just because I’ve been in their shoes.”
Missy understood. She knew how hard the world made it to be overweight sometimes.
Marie continued. “I’d been there only a few weeks, and when I couldn’t do more than ten minutes on the treadmill …” She shook her head. “ …you’re going to hear this same story from everybody else. This was just how Eliana was. She thought tough love motivated everyone.”
Missy nodded. “Adrienne shared a similar story last night.”
“So you know about that too?” Marie blew out a big breath. “Anyway, the details aren’t important. I was really struggling and ready to quit WiredFit because I didn’t think I could make it. And when I washed out on the treadmill one day, she told me I was weak and to quit if that was my attitude, it’d be better for everyone.”
Dear Lord, Missy thought. This woman sure knew how to win friends and influence people.
“If it were me, I would have walked right out probably.”
“I did,” Marie said. “She had no idea how hurtful that was because I’d been overweight my whole life and had tried so many different diets and workouts and was really desperate for something to work.”
“I don’t blame you.” Missy shook her head. “Nobody wants to be around that kind of negativity.”
“Exactly.” Marie looked away again. “I went home and I thought to myself, I wish she were dead. I really, literally had that thought. It was the only time in my life that I ever wanted somebody to die.”
“We all have bad thoughts sometimes, but it doesn’t make us bad people.”
“I’d never thought that before about anybody. But I was in a rage.” Marie smiled humorlessly. “Anastasia found out what happened and called me. She begged me to come back and not give up. She kind of stuck up for Eliana, in a way. She said Eliana was only trying to help but didn’t really know any better.”
“Eliana was a grown woman. She should have known better.”
“Anastasia convinced me to come back. I think she had some words with Eliana, because after that the woman never spoke to me again. Pretended like I wasn’t there.”
“That seems actually worse to me.”
“Whenever I thought back to that day, I’d get really angry. You know?” Marie had started pacing again. “Like, who was she to talk down to me like that? Who was she?”
Missy knew Marie had to get this out, so she didn’t say anything.
“And every time I thought about it, I was in a rage. And then we found her. Last night.”
Missy nodded.
“And she was dead. The woman I had wished death upon, she was dead.” Marie closed her eyes. “I felt this tremendous guilt, Miss.” She opened her eyes. “Like I had done it, just by wishing it. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yes.”
“I felt like, even though I hadn’t killed her, I had wished for it a few times and that made me responsible in a way. You know?”
“I understand.”
Marie nodded. “I knew you’d understand. And that’s why I wanted to get out of here last night. I couldn’t be around this because … I had gotten what I wished for and it was terrible. It made me feel like a horrible person. How could I have hated her that much over a few words?”
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Missy said. “Words hurt. Words hurt more than broken bones, I think.”
“Yeah, but … dead is forever. And … it just made me feel lousy.”
“Wishing something in the heat of a moment is one thing, Marie.” Missy gave her a hug. “Actually carrying out the thought is something else entirely.”
“Thanks, Miss.” Marie hugged her back. “I’ll bet you hear this a lot this weekend. Eliana wasn’t just not liked. There were a few people that really hated her.”
“Like who?” Missy asked.
***
Anastasia urged them on during the warm-up jog. Missy didn’t know w
arm-up jogs could last more than a couple minutes, but apparently they could take nearly a mile. They ran slowly enough she wasn’t out of breath, but by the time they reached the field Missy’s legs were already starting to feel tired again.
“Okay, everybody!” Anastasia stood in front of the group. “As you can see, I set up a circuit of eleven exercises.”
There were a few cheers. Missy wanted to groan.
“MRT! Metabolic resistance training!” Anastasia said. “You’ll go around the horn three times. Thirty seconds at each station, no rest period in between. I repeat, no rest period in between. We rest at the end of each set for two minutes. You got it?”
More cheers. Missy was in a panic.
“First station is right here.” Anastasia dropped down into plank position right where she was. “Mountain climbers. Get those knees up to your chest.”
She demonstrated and moved through the rest of the stations. Missy didn’t think she’d get through all eleven, let alone repeat the circuit an additional two times.
“Metabolic resistance training,” Anastasia repeated. “This isn’t aerobic exercise, this is all anaerobic. You won’t be able to get enough oxygen to fuel yourself because you’ll be working so hard. It’s going to feel like sprinting for five and a half minutes straight.”
Missy felt sick to her stomach.
“Yeah!” Jeremy clapped his hands and encouraged everyone else to sound off. “This is what Eliana would have wanted. Let’s go!”
It had been heartfelt for Jeremy to mention what Eliana would have wanted last night. His repeating it this morning, though, seemed a little creepy. Would this have been Eliana’s dying wish: for people who hardly knew her, or didn’t really like her, to proceed with the weekend’s exercise itinerary? It seemed a little ridiculous to think so. Probably Eliana wouldn’t have given anybody else a second thought.
Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries Boxset Page 73