Still, they were mean kayakers. I watched them glide over the water. Both Morris and Jane were fit for their age. Actually, they were fitter than people twenty years younger. They didn't even have any sweat on their foreheads as they slid across the water. Meanwhile, Pippa and I were already drenched—slugging along—and not just from the water we kept accidentally splashing up into the boat.
"Let's call it," Pippa said, her chest heaving with exhaustion, even though we'd only been paddling for ten minutes. "I want to go back to dry land and knock back a few freezing cold margaritas."
"Sounds good," I said. Robert was already becoming a tiny dot on the horizon and my arms were as heavy as lead. I was about ready to throw my paddle over the side. I looked back at shore. Even though we'd only moved about a hundred feet away from it, the distance seemed like a thousand miles. My arms we aching and I wished we could have called for a speed boat to drag us back to shore.
"Come on, the sooner we get started the sooner we will be back there," Pippa said. "And we can finally enjoy ourselves."
I began to paddle, willing the journey to be brief, when Bryan's voice suddenly boomed out through his megaphone.
"EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER," he shouted. "RETURN TO LAND NOW."
"What's happening?" Pippa asked, as a sinking feeling started to grow in my stomach. Everyone else sat stunned for a moment, still in their kayaks like they weren't sure if Bryan was playing a joke or not.
His voice sounded out even louder and firmer. "RETURN TO SHORE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."
Pippa and I were the closest to the shore but we were quickly over-taken by Morris and Jane, who sailed past us to be the first to arrive back.
Pippa and I were second. Pippa toppled out of the kayak as we spilled onto the shore and she emerged from the water soaking wet. "What’s going on?" Pippa cried. "Is there a shark in there or something?"
I just stared at her. "A shark?"
"Well, I don't know!" She threw her hands up. "What’s going on?" The rest of the group began to clamber back onto solid ground behind us as Pippa, Morris, Jane, and I moved to higher ground. They all looked as terrified as if they'd seen a shark as well.
Jane's face was very grave. "They found a body," she whispered, breaking into tears as Morris wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Floating out there...some poor young woman...dead."
Pippa and I slowly looked at each other.
Ann.
Chapter 5
Robert was shaking as we all gathered in the dining hall. Poor old, sweet Lucille wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and comforted him.
"What's he shivering for?" Pippa whispered to me. "Did he fall in the water too?"
"I don't know," I murmured, wishing that it was me over there comforting him instead of Lucille.
But he didn't look wet. And it was boiling hot outside.
"He's the one who found the body," Jane told me matter-of-factly. Her tone matched her hair, a slick grey, no-nonsense bob which, of course, had not suffered any water damage. She pulled a protein bar out of her pocket and broke it in half to share with Morris.
I looked at Pippa in distress. Robert was the one who'd found Ann's body? I'd seen enough dead bodies by now to know how traumatizing that could be.
"I should go and check on him." I said, starting to move away just as a pair of uniformed officers barged into the room, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at them.
I gave them a look up and down. One guy and one woman, both under thirty by the looks of it and both dressed in khaki green-yellow uniforms. And both looking entirely out of their depths, but with overconfident looks plastered onto their faces as they tried to conceal that fact.
"Are those the police?" Pippa asked, confused.
I think everyone else was a little confused as well. "Rangers, I guess," I said. "As close to police as you'll probably get out here."
I was used to dealing with the detectives in Belldale. Detective Whitaker and Detective Crawford. Sure, they often got it wrong and more often than not, they needed my help before they solved a case, but at least they looked the part.
A worried feeling started to play in my stomach as they moved closer to Robert, clearly singling him out as the person who'd discovered the body.
I grabbed Pippa's arm. "Come on," I said. "Let's go listen to this."
The guy, a portly looking man with short hair and an unshaven face, took out his notebook, while his partner, a petite looking brunette, stood back meekly.
"So, you're the young man who made the discovery?" The man extended his hand. "I'm Ranger Wilson," he said with a large, warm grin.
Strange reaction, I thought. Robert also looked at him curiously. Ranger Wilson seemed to immediately realize his smile was inappropriate and reddened a little as he returned his attention to his notebook. "Sorry, we don't get many...well, dead bodies out here," he mumbled.
Pippa and I looked at each other as he asked Robert a few rudimentary questions, then nodded and placed his notebook back in his pocket before he nodded to his partner.
"Thanks for your time," Ranger Wilson said. "We shouldn't need to be bothering you again. I hope you can try and enjoy the rest of your vacation," he said with a cordial smile. "Sorry about all this. It's usually a real cheery place out here." With that, he placed his hat back on his head and began to move quickly towards the door.
"Hang on," I said, stepping in front of him to block the way. "You're just leaving? Aren't you going to ask anyone else any questions about what they saw?”
Wilson looked down at me curiously. Then he shrugged. "You got anything to add?" he said in a friendly manner as he pulled out his notebook.
"Well..." I said, stumbling a bit. Yes, I thought, I want to add that you are being far too casual about this whole thing. A woman is dead! But everyone was staring at me and the scene I was making.
"I, um..." I said, straightening up.
"Did you see anything in the water?" Wilson asked, slightly more serious now as he held his pen above the paper.
"Well, no," I said.
"And did you know the drowning victim at all? Had you met her before?"
"Well, no..." Hang on. Drowning victim?
He shut his notebook. "We really need to get going now, Miss...?"
"Robinson," I said. "Rachael Robinson. But hang on, how can you be sure that Ann drowned?"
Wilson looked at his partner, who shrugged. "Looks that way, doesn't it, Miss Robinson. The autopsy later today ought to confirm it. As I said to that young man over there, I hope you can still manage to enjoy your vacation after this unpleasant business."
He pushed past me gently, leaving me there wondering what had just happened. I turned and stared as they jumped into their little brown jeep and drove away from the resort. I turned to Pippa with my mouth agape. "Are they not even going to search the crime scene?" I asked her.
"What crime scene?" Pippa asked.
"The lake, I guess," I said. "Oh, I don't know, Pippa. I don't know for sure what happened to Ann, but I just know it wasn't an accident."
Pippa made a face and leaned against the glass door of the dining room, the glittering lake behind her no longer looking quite so picturesque. "Are you sure you haven't gotten too much sun, Rach?" she asked. "Or swallowed too much sea water?"
I just stared at her again. "It's a lake. It's freshwater."
"Whatever," she said, defensively. "I just think you might be jumping to conclusions."
"But..."
She reached out. "Which is understandable after everything you've seen. I don't blame you. I'm not judging you. I just think you should to listen to what the rangers were saying. If they think that Ann drowned, then she probably did."
I glared at her. "Those two have clearly never solved a case in their lives, Pippa. They just cruise around the lake all day making sure that people don't get sunburned! They don't have any real authority."
Pippa looked at me skeptically. "Even if that's the case, you've got
no proof that Ann's death was anything but an accident. She was found face down in the water."
I sighed heavily. "How did she get out there, Pippa? What was she doing out there in the middle of the lake?"
Pippa shrugged. "She probably died closer to shore. Her body would have been swept out there."
I stopped. That was a good point. Still, I couldn't let it go. "What about that conversation I overheard in the kitchen? Between Vikki and Aaron?"
Pippa sighed again. "That doesn't prove anything. It was just a pair of kitchen staff arguing because they didn't know how to prepare the food. You and I of all people know how they get."
I crossed my arms. "Well, how come you were scared last night, Pippa? Sure, you're being all brave and rational now, but last night you were certain that someone was coming for you."
Pippa pouted. "That's just how I get at night, Rachael. You know I'm scared of the dark. But it's not dark now and I can clearly see what happened. Ann drowned. It's a tragedy. But you need to let it go."
She gripped my shoulder for a moment and shot me a sympathetic look before she moved to join the rest of the guests. I stared after her.
Was she right? Was this just some horrible accident? I watched her mix in with the other guests who were all trying to make sense of what had happened in their own way. They all looked mildly horrified, but not distraught. I supposed they didn't know Ann, had never met her, and were happy enough to take the rangers' word for what happened.
And maybe I should be as well.
But I just couldn't be.
All activities on the lake had been cancelled for the day, understandably. I was, however, disappointed to find out that it was less for reasons of preserving evidence and more for reasons of taste. No one wanted to go anywhere near the water where a dead body had been found.
Robert sat down across from me in what was generously titled the 'activities' lounge. There wasn't much activity going on right then. Most people had either cooped themselves up in their rooms, or they were moping about, discussing amongst themselves whether they should stay or go, wondering whether or not the retreat would give them a refund.
"Hey," I said, sitting up. "I, er...I didn't get a chance yet to ask if you were okay." I looked him up and down as he sat. He was still in the same shirt and shorts from the morning, even though that seemed like a long time ago. "I know how traumatic it can be to find a dead body."
He looked at me in surprise. "You do?"
I nodded. "I've seen more than my fair share."
"Well, now I'm intrigued." Robert leaned forward slightly, but he still looked a little green around the gills. I could tell it was all bravado; that he didn't want to let on that finding Ann's body had affected him.
I sat back in the plush seat. "Don't worry, my tales can wait for later. When all of us are feeling a bit better," I said delicately.
He nodded. "Do you want to play cards?" he asked with a shrug. "There's not a lot else to do out here. I can't even get internet reception on my phone."
I nodded and he looked through a box of games with a very meager supply. He held up a pack. "Old Maid?" he asked.
I really hoped my face wasn't reddening. I shrugged. "It's as good as anything right now, I suppose."
He dealt the cards and we played silently for a few minutes.
"Can I ask you something, Robert?"
He held his cards still. "Is it about what I saw today? Because to be honest with you, I really don't want to talk about it," he said quietly. "I'm trying not to even think about it."
"No, no," I said quickly, trying to be reassuring. "We don't have to talk about that. It's totally unrelated."
"Go for it then," he said with a small grin as we continued to play.
"What are you doing here? All on your own, on this retreat, I mean?"
He made another set of pairs and placed them quickly on the table, then another and another.
"Ah, you're talking about how you mistook me for the bellhop?" he said with a widening grin. "I don't look like I could have come on this retreat all on my own?"
I shrugged. "Well, when you look around at the other guests, it's mostly middle-aged couples or women like Pippa and me."
He discarded another pair. "I just thought it would be an opportunity for me to get away from a few things," he said, his voice drifting off as he stared down at his cards.
Hmm. So there was clearly another topic he didn't want to talk about. "What did you need to get away from?" I asked, immediately knowing it was the wrong question. He closed up and smacked his last pair down on the table.
He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. "Looks like you're the Old Maid," he said apologetically.
I stared down at the card with the picture of a frumpy old woman with a stern expression and grey hair pulled back into a severe bun.
I gulped. "Looks like I am."
Chapter 6
Pippa returned to our room late that night with a horrified look on her face. She was a silhouette against the window with the curtain drawn and the full moon behind her. But as she turned her cheek, I could see how stricken she looked.
"What is it?" I asked, sitting up. "Has there been another body found?"
"Worse," she said, hunting through her suitcase for something. "There's still no one here that knows how to cook edible food."
I rolled my eyes and laid back on the bed.
"Come on," Pippa said, once she had found what she was looking for. She sprinted over to my bed and began to drag me by the leg.
"Hey!" I called out, trying to grip my blanket for leverage but I just ended up falling out of bed. "What the heck are you doing, Pippa?"
She picked up the purse she had dropped on the floor. "We're getting out of here," she said with a wicked grin.
I picked myself up off the floor. "We can't go back home," I said. "Not yet. There's too many loose ends to tie up."
She laughed and began to tie her shoelaces. "You mean Robert?" she asked.
Amongst other things. "We can't leave, Pippa."
"Relax," she said, standing up. "We are just going out for some real food. I can't survive on toast and those protein bars that Morris and Jane keep trying to feed me." She jingled her purse. "We are the only two people here who actually have a car, remember? We may as well make use of it."
I frowned. "Where would we even go, Pippa?"
"There was a fast food burger joint about fifty miles back, remember?"
"Fifty miles?" At first it sounded absurd, but soon my stomach was rumbling at the thought of a warm, juicy burger and hot, salty fries. "Okay," I said, running to grab my sweater for the chilly nighttime air. "Let's go!"
"You know," Pippa said as I backed down the driveway as quietly as I could, even keeping the car lights off so we weren't spotted by anyone. "We COULD just leave and not come back."
"You already know what I think of that," I said firmly. "No matter what you, or the rangers, or anyone else says, I know that Ann's death wasn't an accident. And I am going to make sure that whoever did it is caught." I finally turned onto the road and I shot one last glance at the resort before we made our escape. "I do kind of feel guilty that we're not bringing everyone else."
"Hey, it's a small car," Pippa pointed out. "We can't take everyone so it's better to take no one."
"I guess." I turned on the headlights as we finally hit the main road. I felt freer already.
"Are you missing Robert already?" Pippa asked teasingly. "Are you wishing we could fit him in the back seat?"
"Shut up," I said with a laugh. "I'm sure I can survive not seeing him for a couple of hours." That was how long it was going to take to drive to this darn burger place.
Pippa was quiet for a moment. "But admit it, he IS the reason you don't want to go home yet, isn't it?"
I answered her seriously. "The real reason is Ann. Pippa, are you going to help me investigate this or not?"
"Are you going to do it whether I help or not?"
"Yes."
She sighed. "Then I suppose I'd better. But on one condition."
I took my eyes away from the road for a second to look at her. "What condition is that exactly?"
"We can't survive on bread alone. If we have to stay at the resort, we are going to need real, proper food." She raised an eyebrow.
I could see where she was going with this. I shook my head and turned my attention back to the road. "No. No, Pippa. I'm a baker, not a chef."
"You trained as a chef as well!" Pippa exclaimed. "You just chose to focus on baking. I KNOW you know how to cook more than just cakes, Rachael," she said firmly. "And you're going to do it."
"Pippa," I moaned, pressing my head against the headrest. "I came out here to get a break from everything, remember?"
A laugh shot out of her throat. "And look how that's panned out so far. You're investigating a murder, you're falling for a guy. It doesn't look like you've escaped anything." She crossed her arms. "And if you're going to investigate, then you're going to cook."
I gripped the steering wheel in silence for a few minutes. "Fine," I finally said. "I'll do it. I'll cook for the entire resort."
Pippa grinned. "I knew you would."
I shook my head and sighed. "But I'm not going to enjoy it."
But I did enjoy the gigantic, greasy, double cheeseburger that was sitting on the tray in front of me an hour later. On any other day, when the food options might have been greater, this kind of thing might have turned my stomach. But on this night, it was a feast fit for a queen.
Across from me, Pippa devoured her super large box of fries and then sat with a satisfied sigh.
"So what’s up with Morris and Jane bringing their own food to the resort, anyway?" Pippa pondered, absentmindedly pushing around one poor discarded fry still on the tray.
"Hmm," I said. "It is strange, isn't it?"
Pippa raised an eyebrow. "Are they suspects?"
I thought about it. "For bringing their own food?"
Pippa nodded. "It's like they knew something was going to happen to the head chef. Why else did they come prepared?"
Rest, Relaxation and Murder: A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery Page 3