by Dale Mayer
She sat down in the living room on the couch where she usually sat; he took up the spot beside her.
“So who’s already up?”
She looked down the hallway. “No idea. The fire was lit and the coffee on when I came down. I presume that person is packing up right now to leave.”
That made sense. “I’m packed. I put my bag beside yours.”
She nodded. “Okay, after this cup, I’ll go and collect my stuff, and both bags can go into the vehicle right away. Then we have to sort out the winter gear.”
“I’ll do that. I’m more concerned with how much work there will be to dig the vehicles out.”
“I’ve already been out shoveling,” George said, walking down the hallway carrying his and Kathleen’s bags. “And Kathleen is responding well. The doctors are optimistic. They also suspect she might have drugs in her system. The tox screen is pending.”
Royce stared. “What?”
George nodded. “That’s actually good news, as some of her symptoms were due to drugs and not the severity of her condition.”
Stacy leaned forward, her gaze intent. “Really? But that changes everything.”
Royce stared at her. “How? Nothing has changed. Someone drugged her. And attacked her and left her for dead.”
Stacy was shaking her head at them, her hair sliding from side to side. “No. He likely drugged her, she was realizing something was wrong, fought to get away, and was struck from behind. Left there because Mother Nature would finish the job after the drugs and the blow to the head.”
*
He listened to the three of them talk. Shit. Shit. Shit. He shouldn’t have waited. Shouldn’t have let events develop to this point.
Who could have foreseen that she’d be found in time to be saved? Or that the damn doctors would consider checking for drugs? Shit. When they realized the drugs were the same as in the wine, they’d connect her attack to this group.
Their lives would be torn apart by the cops at that point.
His mind raced. What options did he have? He considered saving his ass and giving up on his plan, only to realize that the plan dominated. His matched set had to be complete. That was his goal. His purpose. If he got to continue his life as before with that goal complete, then it would be a perfect finish.
So how could he get Stacy away from the others?
Chapter 41
Stacy packed up the kitchen. She’d done it many times before, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever done it alone. There were mostly empty coolers, lots of opened packages, and a shortage of tie clips to keep them closed. Breakfast had been a hodgepodge of leftovers that needed to be eaten. She’d had leftover Hungarian stew herself. A hot meal, although spicy, had seemed to fit the bill for the long drive ahead. She washed up the dishes, hearing sounds of the others packing and putting the cabin back to the way it was. It was a process they’d all done many times over.
“Okay, that’s our bags in the boot room with our gear.” Royce walked to where she was stacking up the last of the dishes. She’d have to rinse any coffee cups once they were done packing up. Usually everyone sat, had a last mug of coffee, and ran through the checklist a final time.
“Are you sure you don’t want to do a few runs before we head out?” Royce asked.
She turned to look at him, surprise lighting her face. “I actually hadn’t considered that. Is someone staying here?”
“Both Stevie and Mark are going to. We could go back with them.”
She frowned, thinking about it. She wanted to go home but – and she knew he’d be frustrated at this – she also kind of wanted to go back to where they’d found Kathleen. She couldn’t get it out of her mind that she’d been in that location for a reason. Besides, it would be completely safe now with all the mountain crews out posting warning signs and the officials involved.
George walked in. “Stacy, you two do what you want to do. I’m going straight to the hospital to see Kathleen.”
She nodded. “Understood. I presume you’ll be staying there with her for awhile.”
He nodded. “I won’t stay all day, but it could be a good couple of hours.”
She’d expected no less. She pulled the plug, letting the soapy water drain. “Royce, as we don’t have our own wheels, we have three choices I presume.”
“Right. Ride home with George and stay at the hospital until he’s ready to go home.” He ticked off his fingers. “Stay with Stevie and Mark and either board with them for a couple of hours, or go into the town and just walk the town and have coffee.”
“That’s possible.” She was here and as much as she wanted to go straight home, that wasn’t an option. She had a few hours to kill no matter what.
“And third is to go with Geoffrey and Kevin.”
“I don’t see them here. Do we know what their plans are?” she asked, hoping that maybe they’d be heading straight back and wishing she’d brought her own transportation. “And did Kevin hear from Christine?”
“Geoffrey is getting a few runs in while Kevin is heading to the search and rescue office first to find out more about Christine. I doubt he’ll leave without knowing something.” George’s grin slid out sideways and he shrugged. “If he gets answers, he’s likely to meet up with Geoffrey for a run or two. After all, our passes are still good for today.”
She nodded in understanding. And these guys lived for this. “Okay, so a few hours to kill no matter what. Sit at a hospital, ski, or walk the town.”
“If you’re coming with me, you need to be ready to leave in a few minutes.” George said, filling his travel mug. “I’ve got the SUV dug out and warming up.”
Stacy looked over at Royce. He gazed back at her. She dropped her gaze. She knew what she wanted to do but hell, it’s not likely that it would happen. But she’d always wonder. And that part of her that was so good at her job was rearing its ugly head.
“I guess another choice is to stay in the cabin, or grab my camera and wait for the first group to come back and leave with them,” she said, raising an eyebrow at Royce.
He nodded in surprise. “That can happen, too.”
She turned to her brother. “Go. I know you’re rushing to get away. Please drive carefully and let me know when you get there.”
He grabbed her up in a big hug. “Will do.”
He turned to Royce, slapped him on the back, and said, “Keep her safe.”
“You know it,” Royce said quietly.
And with that, George was gone.
*
Royce watched George leave with misgivings. He couldn’t help feel that Stacy should have gone with him. She’d be out of this mess then. Safe. She, for some reason, hadn’t chosen that option.
Likely it was knowing that the trip would stall at the hospital – possibly for the rest of the day or even overnight. That did not hold any appeal for him either.
What was it about the bright light of day that made everything seem less sinister and more positive? Then he glanced at her staring down at the floor and realized she had something else on her mind. His stomach sank. Damn that woman. He had a bad feeling that she was going to want to go back to the cave where they’d found Kathleen.
Even though the search and rescue people were doing their jobs, it wouldn’t likely be enough for her. Although with so many people around the area, it should be safe enough.
He sighed.
As the others got ready to put on their outdoor gear, he leaned against the kitchen counter and said in a low voice so the others couldn’t hear, “You want to go back up there and look around, don’t you?”
She glanced under her lashes at him, as if trying to gauge his reaction, but she made no attempt to not understand his meaning. “I can’t rid of the feeling that there is something more to this. Why would Kathleen have been there in the first place? It makes no sense. And Christine hasn’t checked in. Maybe she’s avoiding us and maybe she truly is missing. Kathleen either walked in there on her own or had been carried. And yes,” s
he held up a hand to forestall his response. “Maybe that was just to keep her out of sight.”
He nodded and stayed quiet, waiting.
She returned to staring at the floor, then with a little sigh, she said, “I could never go back to where I lost my friends. I almost lost this one because we weren’t going to go in any deeper. Now I just need to make sure we checked everything and know that Christine isn’t in there, too. That no one else is either.”
“It’s not good enough that we found Kathleen? That search and rescue have been notified that Christine didn’t check in with us?” he said, a thin thread of humor in his voice.
“Yes and no.” Then she shrugged. “I can’t explain it. But I need to go back.”
She motioned outside. “The others are going boarding, George is gone, we have a couple of hours to kill, and I have my camera on a bright sunny day. Is it so wrong to go in, take a moment to walk the space, then leave so I really know for sure that all is well?” Her smile turned up a notch. “It should be safe with the officials all over the area now.”
He studied her earnest face for a long moment. “Will you leave it alone after this?”
She smiled a bright, glorious smile and said, “Yes, I will.”
Chapter 42
Kevin and Geoffrey packed their vehicle up fully and drove into the village and parked at the main gondola. They would snowboard from that location then head home when they were ready, further reducing Stacy’s options.
Emotional goodbyes were par for the course – especially this time. With words of warning to be careful and to let them know if they heard from Christine, Stacy waved them off. She hoped they had a fantastic day. Now that she was alone with Royce, there was a keyed-up restlessness inside. She wanted to go to the cavern then leave – and leave it all behind. Stevie and Mark had gone snowboarding, promising to be back by noon so they could leave and get home in good time. She looked down at her watch. It was almost nine. They had three hours. Not tons of time, but enough. She looked up at Royce. “Ready?”
He nodded. They lifted their packs and ropes, determined to not get into any trouble on this quick trip then back to the cabin to be ready when the guys returned. She had enough food to create some hefty sandwiches for while they were on the road. She couldn’t wait to get back home. She planned on convincing Royce to stay at her place for the rest of the weekend. Monday and their jobs would come soon enough. So be it. Her world was rosy again. And she loved it.
They walked quickly in the well-packed snow. There was a light dusting on top from last night’s storm, but as much as had blown in appeared to have been picked up and blown out again. They created new steps as they travelled. It was a gorgeous day out.
“I’m glad the weather will be nice for the drive home,” she said as they walked at a steady pace. Royce appeared to be deep in thought, his gaze on the path ahead but his attention elsewhere.
She waited a moment then asked, “What are you thinking?”
He glanced down at her, then gave a noncommittal shrug. “Just thinking timelines. Now knowing that Kathleen has been drugged, it means she hadn’t been in that place very long, so I’m rethinking everyone’s alibi based on the new information.”
Ugh. She walked beside him, her mind going over what Stevie had said he’d been doing. And Mark. Then Geoffrey and George. She couldn’t remember what Kevin had said. “It would still take a good half an hour to get to this place, deal with Kathleen, then another half hour to get back, all without being seen,” she said. “That’s a big chunk of time to be missing.”
“I know. But someone attacked her.” He turned to study her. “And Christine hasn’t turned up.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “And that’s just one of the issues bugging me. If Kathleen had already been drugged, why attack her?”
“The most likely reason is the drugs weren’t taking effect fast enough and she was fighting her attacker.”
The hill was just up ahead. It was a little harder to climb with the loose snow under her feet, but they were at the top before long. She wandered closer to the out-of-bounds tape and saw a churning up of the snow below. There might have been some fresh snow, but with the blowing and lifting in the wind, very little had landed down below. There were a myriad of prints from yesterday. And the snowmobile tracks were all over the top of the pit. “Looks like some of the team came back and checked on the place,” she said, pointing to the newer tracks.
“They said they would.”
She caught the hint of long-suffering patience in his voice and had to grin. “Did I say thank you for coming with me today?”
“You did. Let’s get on with it.”
He dropped the rope over the ledge, tied it off around a tree, and went down first. She scurried after him. Down in the darker depths, she remembered the eerie chill she’d felt last time. “It’s like there is something old and dark about this place.”
“It is old. I doubt this ice has ever seen the sun’s warming rays.”
The trail to the cave was completely flattened now. Good. It was less scary as when it had seemed to have been deliberately hidden.
He walked inside first, ducking to go under the overhang. He turned on his strong flashlight, the bright beam casting a long shadow over the exterior.
“Interesting place,” he said, studying the icy walls and bits of rock showing through. He walked in deeper, Stacy following.
Suddenly they were at the place where they’d found Kathleen.
She turned around slowly. Now that it was early in the day and with the beam of the flashlight, she could see that they weren’t actually far from the entrance. Kathleen might have stumbled in here on her own if she was trying to get way from someone, or someone could have easily carried her that short distance.
Grimly, she looked at the blood on the ground. Given these temperatures, it would be here forever. Royce carefully searched the small space. She walked to the closest wall and with him using the flashlight so she could see, she put out her hand to touch the wall and walked the room just so she didn’t miss anything.
Ice was like a mirror and was equally deceptive. She walked all the way around and realized that there was nothing there. Her heart bloomed with relief.
“Oh thank heavens,” she murmured. “I was also afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” Royce asked.
“That I’d find something much worse.” But she refused to elaborate. She returned to where the corridor split and stared down the right path, then realized she had to know. She motioned him ahead of her. “Let’s check this one out.”
“Stacy—”
“Please,” she said, desperation in her voice. “I have to know.”
He strode forward silently. There was another room, bigger and higher here. She did the same thing. She put her hand on the left side and proceeded to walk the chamber, the light leading the way and letting her make sure there was nothing there to be worried about.
On the left side, she stopped. There was another cut in the wall, almost like a hallway. “Royce, come look.”
He walked closer. “Damn it,” he said. His flashlight shone on the smooth icy sides and the rock ceiling. But it was as Stacy grabbed his arm and lowered the blaze of light to the ground that he saw the bits of fresh snow on the path that had fallen from someone’s boots. It was likely from this morning.
He froze. His mind instantly went on alert. It could have been one of the search and rescue team making sure the cavern was empty – but it didn’t feel like it.
Stacy deliberately and very quietly said, “Let’s go.”
And she walked forward, silently following whoever had come before them into this icy place this morning.
*
“Wait,” he said, his voice low. He had his cell phone out and texted George even though he knew he’d be driving. He wasn’t sure who else he could trust at this point. “In the cavern. Found something odd. If you don’t hear from us every ten minutes for the next hour, we are
in trouble and need help. Send the cavalry. Hell, send everyone anyway. This is bad.”
Then he put his phone away, stepped in front of her, and walked down the corridor. They came to another widening in the chamber, and they both came to a sudden stop.
Stevie sat in the middle of the room, huge fat tears falling down his cheeks.
He looked over at them, his face a complete wreck. Whatever was going on here had finished him. He pointed to the wall to the right of them. “I can’t believe it. I just found them. They can’t be here. It’s too grotesque. It’s so wrong.”
Royce shone the light on the wall.
Stacy cried and ran forward.
There, suspended by wires, holding the two women in a graceful mid-air display, as delicate as multiple broken bones and torn clothing could make them were the two women who had been killed by an avalanche – her best friends – Janice and Francine.
They’d been hung in place, forever on display in their icy art museum.
Chapter 43
Stacy vomited.
She dropped to her knees as projectile vomit leapt out of her throat to hurl onto the icy ground. She heard sounds dimly in the background, but she was too busy shaking and trembling on her knees. Her mind screamed against the abomination, the grotesqueness of what she could see in front of her.
Her friends – real-life dolls.
Frozen for eternity.
So lifelike that she wanted them to jump down – to rush over and give her a hug and an explanation for why’d they’d been hiding for so long.
Until she saw the dead eyes. The hard marble skin. The broken teeth in the grimace of a smile.
The only consolation was that her friends weren’t alive when this had been done to them. Determined to take a closer look and know the worst, she stood up shakily, Royce’s firm hand on her elbow.
Or maybe not so firm as she sensed the tremors running through him. He had his phone out; he’d taken several pictures and was sending them somewhere. Hopefully to get help for her friends.