by Jo Gibson
Uncle Bob came through the door just in time to hear Julie’s comment. He seemed just as shocked as Aunt Caroline, but he recovered much more quickly.
“You do look a lot like Vicki.” Uncle Bob walked over to shake Julie’s hand. “I’m glad to meet you, Julie. Welcome to Saddlepeak Lodge.”
Aunt Caroline’s face was still white, but she hugged Julie and managed to smile. “We’re very glad you’re here, Julie.”
The moment was awkward, and Julie took a deep breath. It was time to set her aunt at ease. “I can understand why you’re upset, Aunt Caroline. I’d be upset, too, if I hadn’t seen a picture of you. You look just like my mother.”
“Oh, dear!” Aunt Caroline hugged Julie again, and when she stepped back, there were tears in her eyes. But the color was beginning to come back to her face.
Julie crossed her fingers, and hoped her aunt had a sense of humor. “What do you think we should do, Aunt Caroline? Dye our hair so we don’t walk around shocking each other?”
It took Aunt Caroline a moment to realize that Julie was joking, but then she smiled. “What a wonderful idea! I’ve always wanted to be a redhead.”
“Hey . . . wait a minute.” Uncle Bob frowned as he turned to his wife. “You’re not serious, are you?”
Donna laughed. “Relax, Mr. Hudson. They’re just putting you on. It’s a joke.”
“That’s a relief. I’ve got enough troubles with our new guests. Somebody in 204 wants an extra Decke, and I don’t have any idea what that is.”
Julie turned to her uncle. “It’s an extra blanket. I speak German, Uncle Bob—I’ll be happy to help you translate.”
“Good!” He looked relieved as he nodded. “I’ll start you off at the front desk. You can handle the calls from the rooms, and translate for the staff. And then, during dinner . . .”
Aunt Caroline put her hand on her husband’s arm to interrupt him. “Perhaps Julie’s tired, Bob. Most people start yawning when they come up to this altitude for the first time.”
“It’s all right, Aunt Caroline.” Julie smiled at her aunt. “My school was in the Alps, and I’m used to high altitudes.”
“But, Julie . . .” Aunt Caroline looked distressed. “You just got here. It wouldn’t be fair to put you to work so soon.”
“Of course it would! I’d be happy to help you and Uncle Bob.”
“Well?” Uncle Bob turned to his wife. “I think we’d be foolish to turn down an offer like that.”
Aunt Caroline hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. As usual. I’ll get Julie started. Will you go out to the kitchen and tell Mrs. Robinson to start frosting that cake?”
“Whatever you say, Caro. You’re the boss.” Uncle Bob glared at his wife for a moment, turned abruptly, and walked toward the door. Then he seemed to remember his manners, and he turned back to smile at Julie. “Thanks, Julie. You came at just the right time. See you at dinner.”
Aunt Caroline watched him go with a frown on her face. Then she sighed. “Sorry, Julie. He’s been a regular bear today, but it has nothing to do with you. Right, Donna?”
“Right.” Donna nodded. “Tell us what you want us to do, Mrs. Hudson. We’re your willing slaves.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had in years.” Aunt Caroline laughed, and Julie drew in her breath sharply. It was an exact duplicate of her mother’s laugh. “I’ll show you how to operate the intercom, Julie. We need to tell our guests that dinner will be served from seven to nine in the restaurant.”
“I’ll be glad to do that, Aunt Caroline. Is there anything else you want me to tell them?”
“Well . . . you could welcome them to the Saddlepeak Lodge and tell them some of the activities we have planned for them. Donna can brief you on that. And if you’re not too tired, you could table-hop a bit during dinner.”
Julie looked confused, and Donna explained. “Mrs. Hudson wants you to go from table to table to help them order. The menu’s in English.”
“I’ll be glad to table-hop. But are my clothes suitable for dinner? My luggage won’t be delivered until tomorrow, and the only other things I have with me are jeans and a sweatshirt.”
Aunt Caroline raised her eyebrows as she considered Julie’s outfit. “You look lovely, Julie. And very sophisticated. What do you think, Donna?”
“Me?” Donna grinned. “Personally, I’d kill to be able to wear an outfit like that. But you have to be tall and thin, and I strike out on both counts. It’s pretty fancy, though . . . especially when the rest of us’ll be dressed in sweaters and skirts. Do you want me to see what I can scrounge up, Mrs. Hudson?”
Aunt Caroline hesitated, then shook her head. “Never mind, Donna. I just remembered that I’ve got the perfect thing for Julie to wear. I did my Christmas shopping early last year, and I bought some sweaters and skirts for Vicki. You’re welcome to them, Julie.”
Donna nodded. She was obviously pleased. But Julie turned to her aunt with concern. “Won’t it bother you if I wear them?”
“No.” Aunt Caroline smiled at her. “You’ll be doing me a favor, honey. Bob’ll be terribly upset if he sees them in my closet and finds out I never got around to returning them.”
It was after ten by the time the last of the guests had left the dining room. Julie sighed and pushed her hair back from her forehead. It had been a long evening, but luckily, Ross had arrived, halfway through dinner, with two German-speaking language students in tow.
“Nice job, Julie.” Donna patted her on the back. “And everybody enjoyed the cake Mrs. Hudson made for you.”
“It was delicious. And it was also very nice of her. I had no idea she was planning a surprise party for me.”
“I did.” Donna looked smug. “And the German guests loved it, after you explained it to them. Cake is Kuchen, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I learned a lot just listening to you. Chicken is Hahnchen, ham is Schinken, and roast pork is Schweinebraten.”
Julie smiled at her. Even though she’d just met Donna this afternoon, it was clear that she would be a good friend. “That’s very good, Donna. And I’m sure you know how to say ‘roast beef’ in German.”
“But I don’t. Mrs. Hudson didn’t have roast beef on the menu tonight. How do you say it?”
“Roastbeef.”
Donna nodded “That’s right. I want to know how to say ‘roast beef’ in German.”
“I just told you: Roastbeef. Most of the fine restaurants in Germany use the English word now.”
Donna laughed. “Okay. I guess that’s what I’ll order if I ever go to Germany. Of course, I could always have Wienerschnitzel. I just love hot dogs.”
“But you won’t be served hot dogs. Wienerschnitzel is a breaded veal cutlet prepared in the Viennese style.”
Donna sighed. “Maybe I should’ve taken German for my foreign language this year. What’s your schedule like, Julie?”
“I’m not sure. I’m enrolling on Monday, but I don’t have my classes yet. Do you think I’ll have any trouble? I’m over three weeks late.”
Donna shook her head. “I’ll help you catch up. Ask Mr. Zimmerman if he’ll put you in my classes and I’ll introduce you to everybody. Tell him you’ve simply got to have first period algebra.”
“Thank you, Donna. I’m glad you want me in your classes.”
Donna grinned. “Well . . . I do have an ulterior motive. You see, your aunt told me you were at the top of your class, and I’m a total airhead when it comes to math.”
Aunt Caroline and Julie were about to step into the elevator when a rugged man with a full reddish-blond beard rushed up. He was in his early thirties, and he was wearing a green-and-black checked shirt, blue jeans, and a soft deerskin vest. He smiled at Aunt Caroline, and Julie’s eyes widened. She’d seen a lot of American movies in Europe, and this man looked just like Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise.
But the moment he turned to look at Julie, his face turned pale. He blinked, put his hand on the elevato
r door to steady himself, and blinked again.
“Easy, Red.” Aunt Caroline reached out to take his arm. “This is my niece, Julie Forrester. Julie? Meet Red Dawson. He’s one of our hunting and fishing guides, and he runs the taxidermy shop in the basement.”
Red Dawson began to recover, and a little color came back to his face. “Sorry. For a second there, I . . . I thought . . .”
He seemed to be searching for the right thing to say, and Julie felt sorry for him. He was obviously upset by her resemblance to Vicki. “It’s all right, Mr. Dawson. I know I look like Vicki, and you must have been startled.”
“Yes.” Red nodded, but he didn’t smile at her. “Mrs. Hudson? I just wanted to tell you now that I finished that trophy buck tonight. They can pick it up in the morning before they leave.”
Aunt Caroline nodded. “Thank you, Red. That’ll save us the shipping costs. How’s the bearskin rug coming along?”
“It’s a tough job. The hunter panicked, and there’s a whole lot of holes in that skin. The head’s okay, though, and I think I can pull it out.”
“If anybody can do it, you can.” Aunt Caroline patted him on the shoulder. “Keep at it, Red. It’s his first bear.”
“And it’ll be his last, if I have anything to say about it! That man’s a menace with a rifle, and he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. He’s just lucky that Bob’s shot went through the eye. If your husband hadn’t bailed him out, that bear would’ve got him, instead of the other way around.”
“I know. Bob told me.” Aunt Caroline chuckled. “That’s why I talked him into a fishing trip for next year.”
Red laughed. “Good for you, Mrs. Hudson! We might have to take a couple of hooks out of him, but it’ll be a lot safer.”
“Will you give Julie a tour of your shop? She’ll be helping out on the switchboard and she should be familiar with all the services we offer.”
Red didn’t look delighted, but he nodded. “Anytime, Mrs. Hudson. Is there anything left in the kitchen? I didn’t have time for dinner.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Robinson saved a plate for you.” Aunt Caroline smiled. “Go ahead, Red. And I’ll send Julie down to see you sometime tomorrow.”
Red Dawson nodded and headed for the kitchen. Then he seemed to remember his manners, because he turned to wave at Julie. “Nice meeting you.”
Aunt Caroline smiled as they got into the elevator. “Red’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s got a good heart. He’s a little skittish around women, though, and I’m afraid we have Vicki to thank for that.”
“What do you mean?” Julie turned to stare at her aunt as the elevator doors closed and they began to rise.
“Red thought the sun rose and set in Vicki. Whenever she came into his shop, he used to follow her around with those sad, puppy dog eyes.”
Julie was curious. “Did Vicki ever date him?”
“No, but poor Red was so preoccupied with her, I had to have a little talk with Vicki and ask her to stop flirting with him. Bob and I were afraid he’d start thinking about her out on the trail, and have an accident.”
Julie nodded, but she didn’t ask any more questions. Aunt Caroline looked distressed. Instead, she changed the subject. “Is there a lot of game in the mountains, Aunt Caroline?”
As Aunt Caroline began to tell her about the hunting trips they offered, Julie thought about Red Dawson. She’d have to be very careful around him. She looked like Vicki, and if she gave Red any encouragement at all, he might think she was flirting with him, too.
It was almost midnight, but Julie was too excited to sleep. Her room was beautiful, and it was decorated in her favorite color, delft blue. The furniture was white and it looked lovely against the soft, smoky blue walls. There was a canopied bed, a white vanity with an oval mirror, and a desk where she could study. There was even a white wicker chaise lounge with delft blue cushions where she could stretch out to watch the color television set which was perched on a shelf in the white entertainment center.
Julie walked over to the entertainment center and turned on the stereo. It was tuned to a classical music station, and she wondered if Vicki had preferred classical music. She hadn’t wanted to ask her aunt, but she assumed that the contents of the entertainment center had belonged to Vicki.
It was the perfect room for a teenage girl, and Julie wondered if her cousin had been happy here. Obviously not, or she certainly wouldn’t have committed suicide! But why had Vicki killed herself? It was a mystery, and Julie shivered a bit as she imagined her cousin pacing the floor of this lovely room, attempting to exorcise the demons that had driven her to her death.
It was useless to dwell on a mystery she couldn’t solve. She might never know why her cousin had committed suicide, but perhaps she could learn more about Vicki’s life. Julie found a jazz station on the radio and set out to explore her new surroundings. The desk was first, and she pulled out each drawer. But there was nothing inside, no trace of her cousin or the life she’d lived within these walls.
The closet was next. Julie found a soft velour robe in a beautiful shade of forest green, but it was brand new. And the matching slippers were still in the box from the store, wrapped in tissue paper. The only thing that might have belonged to Vicki while she was alive was a lavender windbreaker jacket tucked up into the corner of the top shelf.
Julie’s heart beat faster as she stood on tiptoe and pulled the jacket down. It smelled faintly of perfume, and she tried to imagine her cousin wearing it. There was a handkerchief in one pocket, a plain white square of linen with nothing to identify it as Vicki’s. But when she reached into the other pocket, she found a small piece of colored cardboard.
“Saddlepeak Lodge—Fifth Annual Turkey Trap Shoot.” Julie read the words aloud. It was a ticket of some sort. There was a date stamp on the ticket, and Julie gasped as she noticed it was December eighteenth. Donna had told her that Vicki had committed suicide on the night of December eighteenth!
Julie’s hands were trembling as she turned the ticket over and saw the message that someone had scrawled on the back. Vicki—Meet me tonight—R.
The handwriting was bold, and Julie was almost sure that “R” was a man. But who? And did he have something to do with her cousin’s death? Perhaps there was another clue, somewhere in this room.
All thoughts of sleep left Julie’s mind as she examined the rest of the room. The vanity yielded nothing of importance, just a perfume sample from a department store, and several hair clips. There was nothing under the cushions of the chaise longue, and the drawers in the bathroom looked as if they’d been recently cleaned. There was a small bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet, but the seal on the cover was still intact. And the miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and hand cream all bore the Saddlepeak Lodge logo. It was clear that someone had removed all of Vicki’s belongings. The room was bare, except for the entertainment center.
Julie stared at the collection of records and tapes and CDs for a moment, and then she shook her head. She didn’t feel like searching through every record cover, tape box, and CD carrier for something that might not be there. She’d save that task for the morning, when there was more light.
Although she still wasn’t sleepy, Julie decided to get ready for bed. Then she could watch television, or listen to music until she fell asleep. She hung her clothes on hangers, and put on the warm flannel nightgown that Aunt Caroline had given her. Then she slipped into the green velour robe and sat down on the bed to pull on the green fuzzy slippers.
Suddenly a thought struck Julie, and she smiled. If Aunt Caroline and Uncle Bob had kept Vicki’s things, they might have packed them up and moved them to the fifth floor. Aunt Caroline had mentioned that they used the fifth floor for storage. And she’d told Julie that when her parents’ trunks had arrived, they’d stored them there. She could always tell her aunt that she wanted to go through some of her parents’ things, and that would give her a perfect excuse to explore the attic.
But pe
rhaps it wouldn’t be an excuse. She might be able to use some of her parents’ things to decorate her room. Julie tried to recall all the things she’d packed, and she smiled as she thought of their elephant collection. Ever since she’d been old enough to go on shopping trips with her parents, they’d looked for elephants in every corner of the world. There was a beautiful carved wooden elephant from Africa, one made of fine Czechoslovakian glass, a hand-sewn patchwork elephant they’d bought in India, and a delicate bone china miniature from France. There was even one she’d found in Zurich and shipped to her parents, a comical little creature made out of stuffed leather. There were so many, Julie couldn’t remember them all. But she did remember all the fun they’d had shopping for new elephants to add to their collection.
But where would she put them? Julie smiled as she saw that the top shelf of the entertainment center was bare. The elephant collection would add character to her room, and it would be a reminder of all the places they’d lived and visited when her parents were alive.
Moonlight streamed in from the balcony windows, and Julie walked over to the double French doors to look out at the mountains. Since her room was on the fourth floor, she had an unobstructed view of the slopes. Aunt Caroline had told her that every room at Saddlepeak Lodge had a balcony with a mountain view.
Julie had been impressed when Aunt Caroline had shown her their quarters. Heavy antique wooden doors separated their section from the rest of the lodge, and inside was a lovely, spacious apartment with a living room, dining room, kitchen, den, and two bedrooms, each with its own bath.
The view from the balcony windows was too compelling to resist, but when Julie attempted to open the French doors, she found they were stuck. On closer examination, she realized that two long pieces of metal had been installed on the frame, one at the top and one at the bottom, held in place by thumb screws. It wasn’t a pretty lock, but it was very effective. With the thumb screws in place, no one could open the doors from the outside.