"Please, Rachael, Bethany has left now."
Yeah? So? I thought. What difference does that make to me?
"Can we just talk about this in the morning?"
He gently grabbed my arm to stop me. "Let me apologize. Let me explain. I don't know what Bethany told you, but she is not my girlfriend. I mean, she was, but she's not anymore."
"Look," I said, putting my hands up. "I don't want to get involved with your guys' relationship issues. It's none of my business. Let's just leave it at that."
I walked down the corridor but, instead of turning right to head back to my room, I found myself heading towards the exit. I was craving fresh air, and when it finally hit my face, it came as a giant relief.
Robert followed me as I drifted toward the lake.
"What are you doing?" I asked, spinning around to face him. "Robert, none of this matters anymore." Turning back, I found myself walking faster and faster and he jogged to keep up with me.
"Rachael, you've got to believe me. Bethany and I have broken up. Weeks ago. I don't know why she turned up here like that." Robert looked like he was desperate for me to believe him. Why?
But he could clearly tell from the look on my face that I didn't. I stopped in front of the lake and he came to a halt as well, a little short of breath. Maybe I wasn't the only one who needed to hit the gym more often.
"Look," he said, sighing a little. He rubbed his brow. "We were supposed to come on this retreat together, okay? But after we broke up, there was no way we were going to come together. She wanted the tickets, but I took them. Came up here early so that she couldn't use them."
I made another face. This wasn't the story of a really good guy just trying to do his best. It was the tale of a guy trying to screw over his ex-girlfriend.
"Which," he was quick to add, "is not the greatest thing I've ever done. But I did pay for the tickets. And it was like I told you," he said, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "I just really needed to get away. I needed the break." He sighed heavily and stared out over the water. "Not that I got that. I came to escape from my problems and they only got shoved right back in my face, and worse."
"I know the feeling," I replied reluctantly. It was easy for me to feel sorry for the guy. He was young. In more ways than one. I could forgive him for acting a little spitefully towards his girlfriend, even forgive him for coming on to me while on the vacation he was supposed to be sharing with her. But that didn't mean I still wanted to see him.
"You do?" Robert asked.
I nodded. "I was trying to get away from someone too." My voice grew low as I realized that it was true. I cleared my throat. "Not just a someone, but a lot of things. But they are all here."
We both turned to stare out over the lake. We were silent for a few minutes, until I felt Robert turn to me slightly, his eyes on me. "So does that mean that you forgive me?"
I shrugged lightly. "You're too young for me, Robert."
He made a face. "Aren't we the same age?"
I let out a little laugh. "I'm a few years older. Which maybe isn't a lot on paper, but it's a lot in the real world."
"Let me guess," Robert said with his eyebrows raised. "This guy you left behind. He's older?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. A bit older." I looked up at him. "But that's not the only issue, Robert. We're on vacation. We'll never see each other again after this."
He shrugged. "Does that matter?"
I turned back to the water. "I thought...I thought you were Ann's boyfriend," I said quietly.
"Ann?" He sounded mildly shocked. "Why would you think that?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. I heard she was seeing someone before she disappeared and I... Well, I knew you got here early. So I..."
"Jumped to conclusions?"
I nodded. "Which I shouldn't do."
Robert rocked back and forth on his heels. "So when are you really going to tell me what you are, Rachael Robinson? You're not just a baker, are you?"
I stared out across the water. "Yes," I said slowly. "I am."
"What is this?" Pippa said, waving a brochure at me as I came back into the room. She was already in her pajamas, shorts and a singlet, but she looked far from sleepy.
Why doesn't anyone want me to get a good night's sleep around here? I wondered.
"Huh?" I said, my eyes struggling to focus on whatever it was that she was waving in my face. It had been a really long day. I looked over at my bed, desperately craving its warm embrace.
She pulled it back and opened it up. "It's a catalogue for a private investigators course, a full-time course," she said, smacking it against the palm of her hand.
I sighed. "Pippa, it's just a brochure."
"That you've been carrying around in your luggage."
"You went through my case?"
"Yes! Of course I did! We packed our stuff together, remember?"
I groaned. Right. That we did. "Pippa, it's nothing..."
She looked hurt. "Rachael, are you considering doing this full time?" she asked. "Giving up baking?"
I shook my head and took the brochure from her. "No. Not anymore," I said softly.
"But you were thinking about it?" She had her hands on her hips.
I sighed. "It was just something I was considering..."
Pippa cocked her head. "Does this have anything to do with Jackson? With Detective Emma Crawford?"
I lowered my head. "No," I said softly. "It was just a stupid idea. Can we just get some sleep?"
"Where were you tonight?" she asked.
Right then, I was so tired and irritated that I didn't feel like giving her a straight answer. What business of hers was it where I had been anyway?
"I'm going to bed," I snapped, throwing the brochure on the ground. "Good night, Pippa."
Chapter 11
I awoke with my head aching. I opened my eyes and for a second, I jumped, not realizing or remembering where I was. I blinked slowly and the room came into focus. Right. You're still at this cursed resort. Not home safe and sound in your own bed like you should be.
The bed next to me was empty.
I groggily reached for my phone to check the time and saw I had a new text message. My heart skipped a little when I saw who it was from.
Jackson.
I rushed to open it.
How's the vacation going?
I flopped back down against the mattress. Where to begin even trying to answer that?
I sat back up and re-read the text. Not that there was anything more to analyze.
He's thinking of me, though.
I shrugged and replied quickly. It's going well! (A lie, mostly. But what of it.) Did the freak storm ever clear up?
I'd thought--hoped--he might reply right away, so I sat with the phone on my lap, looking at the screen for a minute or two. But no reply flashed up.
He was just asking to be polite. He's not sitting by his phone waiting for you response.
It was 10am. I'd already slept through the breakfast shift, but that was okay; Vikki had it all under control. It was going to be a test to see how well she could do once I was gone next week and she officially became head chef.
Where is Pippa?
I wondered if she was still mad at me from the night before. The thought made me delay showering and dressing, and it was almost eleven before I finally trudged down the stairs to find her playing cards with Lucille in the common room.
She grinned at me as I approached. Thank goodness. She seems to have forgiven and forgotten. If there was one good thing to be said about Pippa—and there were many—she didn't hold a grudge. Especially not over stupid things.
Lucille saw me coming and excused herself, saying that she was heading out for a wander by the lake.
I sat down and sighed heavily, picking up Lucille's cards and half-heartedly sifting through them. It looked like they were playing hearts.
"So," Pippa said, her eyes wide and wild. "Did you convince Morris and Jane to eat the food?"
Pippa looked down at her deck of playing cards. "No. I was sort of...confrontational last night. Sorry about that."
I threw a card down. "It's okay, Pips. You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't have kept it from you."
"You had every right to," she interrupted.
Maybe that was true. Maybe we were a little too co-dependent. Maybe it really was fine to keep the occasional secret from each other. But it just felt wrong.
"I shouldn't have snapped, though," I said. "I'd just had a crazy evening."
Pippa raised her eyebrows. "So what happened with Morris and Jane?"
I glanced around. "To be honest, I have no idea. There was some real weird stuff going on in their room."
"Like what?"
"Pippa, we can't talk about it here." I lowered my voice. "Not in the common room where everyone can hear us."
"Our usual spot? By the lake?" Pippa chucked her hand of cards down. "I think Lucille was kicking my butt anyway."
I made sure that no one was within a mile of us, and still kept my voice lowered, in case it could travel over the water. For all I knew, there were people hiding in the water, lurking there, ready to leap out and drag me in.
I shook my head. What I'd seen in Morris and Jane's room had really freaked me out.
"They were doing some kind of ritual thing," I said.
Pippa pulled a horrified face. "Ritual thing? What do you mean?"
I shook my head. "I don't know," I had to admit. "I should have stayed and gotten a better look." I kicked my toe into the dirt, frustrated. "Instead, I just ran away like the scaredy-cat I am."
Pippa's face grew dark. "I know a little about rituals," she murmured.
I nodded. Pippa was a member of the Belldale Paranormal Society—much to my chagrin—so she probably knew what I was talking about better than most. "It was seriously creepy, Pippa."
"Describe it to me. As best as you remember." Pippa laid a hand on my arm. "What did you see?"
I shrugged. "They had pictures of Ann."
"Yikes." Pippa stopped herself. "Sorry. Go on."
"I know, isn't that creepy?" I asked. "Why did they have all that stuff?" I told her about the candles surrounding the photos as well as all the statues and symbols I didn't recognize.
Pippa's face had drained of all its color. "It definitely sounds like they were performing a ritual." She looked away. "If they are mixed up in this kind of thing, then who knows what else they do." She looked back at me. "Rituals—whether they are real or not—often require a sacrifice."
I sucked in my breath. "I know."
"So you think Morris and Jane did it? You think they killed Ann?"
"I think they...I think they are just weird. I don't know, Pippa. I don't know what to think." I shivered, even though the sun was beating down on us. "Should I go back there?"
"Is it SAFE to go back there?"
I turned slowly and looked up at the hotel, to the second floor where Morris and Jane were staying. "I don't know, Pippa. Is it safe anywhere at this place? I'm thinking we ought to just jump in my car and get the heck out of here."
Pippa nodded. "I'm game if you are."
I turned to her sharply. "Really?"
She nodded. "I've been ready to go for quite some time. We came here to escape from men, from mysteries."
"And from cooking, " I pointed out.
"And now we've got to escape from here. We need to escape from our vacation."
"Come on," I said, pulling her along by the arm. "Let's go pack."
"Huh... Robert just headed into the common room,” Pippa called out to me while I packed. "He's on his own now too. No sign of that so-called Bethany. Will you say goodbye to him before we take off?"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." I shoved my blue sundress into a plastic shopping bag—it was still wet—before shoving it into my case.
My phone beeped. "Jackson," I said, reaching for it.
"Huh?" Pippa said, turning around from the balcony. She was getting one last bit of sun before we finally left our fun vacation paradise.
"Oh," I said. "Jackson texted me this morning."
Pippa raised an eyebrow. "What about?"
"Nothing." I checked his most recent message.
Storm cleared up. The town is still a mess though.
Hardly the most romantic text message I'd ever received.
I sighed and looked up. "Seriously, nothing. Good news though, we won't be driving back into a storm."
Pippa leaned against the balcony. "Did you tell him about any of the stuff that's been happening up here?"
I shook my head.
"He might actually be able to help," Pippa said. "Maybe you should."
I started stuffing the rest of my belongings into my case. "What's the point?" I said, shutting the top with a thud and zipping it up. "We're leaving, aren't we?"
I grabbed my case and walked over to her. It was sunny out on the balcony. I was going to miss the weather up this way. Even if there were no more freak storms in Belldale, it was still going to be fall. We'd need to break out the sweaters once we got back.
Still, cooler weather meant more customers for a bakery. People wanted to snuggle up with hot chocolates and lattes and pies and pastries when the leaves started to turn yellow.
"Hey, there's the rangers' jeep," Pippa called out as she leaned over the balcony. She grabbed my arm and pointed to the driveway of the resort.
We looked at each other. "What are they doing back here?"
I watched Ranger Wilson and Ranger Stacey walk around the side of the lodge and enter the common room where I knew Robert still was. “So what, are they finally following up with what I'd told them about him?”
Pippa shrugged. "Isn't it a good thing if they are?"
"I don't know, Pippa," I said heavily. "If they are here, they probably aren't looking for Morris and Jane, are they? Which is who they SHOULD be focusing on. They are probably here to question Robert." I was getting nervous and Pippa could see it.
She nodded. "Right. We can't leave right now then. You've got to go get some proper evidence on Morris and Jane. I'll go downstairs and keep an eye on Robert—see what the rangers have to say."
"Right. Thanks, Pips."
I braced myself before I knocked on Morris and Jane's room. No answer. Of course not. They probably wouldn't answer the door ever again after what happened. They were probably peering out at me through the keyhole.
I took a step backwards. "Morris? Jane?"
I couldn't hear anything from their side of the door. Maybe they were out kayaking, or bike riding, or running a ten-mile marathon.
I decided to call Pippa to see if she had spotted them. She'd have a better look out on the lake than I did.
No answer. I tried again.
Great, Pippa. Really good time to go quiet on me.
I knocked on the room door one last time before giving up. This was fruitless.
I tried Pippa again. I didn't like her out there on her own, not with Morris and Jane on the loose and unaccounted for.
I sent her a text as I hurried through the corridor. Just forget it Pippa. Let's just get out of here. Come back upstairs and let's finish packing.
But when I got back to our room, she still wasn't there, and I still hadn't had a text or a call from her.
I leaned over the balcony and tried to see into the common room. Robert was still sitting there, chatting to Lucille now. No sign of Morris and Jane. And no sign of Pippa.
I noticed that the rangers' jeep was no longer there.
I swallowed. I was starting to get a nauseous feeling in my stomach. Still no text from Pippa.
I held my hand up and shielded my face, trying to see across the lake. The waters were still. But they'd been still on the day Ann's body had been found as well.
I gripped the balcony railing. Why did we stay here all this time? We should have taken off the second
that body was pulled from the water.
And why had I stayed? Because of pride? Because of some stupid idea that I could be a detective? That I knew better than the rangers who lived in and patrolled the lake every day?
I cursed myself for being so stupid.
Still no text.
That's it. Something's definitely not right.
I ran all the way to the common room, bursting in through the doors, ready to give Pippa a good telling off and a lesson about keeping her phone charged.
"Rachael?" Robert asked. "What's going on?"
I stopped short. He was the only one in the lounge. "Where's Pippa?" I spun around just to double check. Completely empty.
Robert shrugged. "I haven't seen her in a half-hour or so." He spun around as well. "I'm sure she's fine, though. The rest of the group went down to the lake."
But I didn't see anyone down on the lake.
I looked up at him. "And you?" I asked. "Why didn't you go?"
He plonked himself down on the sofa, sinking heavily into the plush cushions. "Wasn't exactly in the mood after the grilling I just got." He looked up at me. "Don't worry, I don't exactly blame you for telling them that I knew Ann before this all happened."
Darn it.
Robert sighed. "When I said I knew her, I meant I met her a few times, just spoke to her and had a drink at the bar. Nothing, really. She was seeing somebody else. I was just bored because the rest of the group hadn't arrived yet, and she seemed to have a lot of spare time on her hands."
"I’m sorry," I hastened to say. "Really." I came and sat next to him. "Robert, I don't think you did it."
He stared at me. "Really, Rachael? It would mean a lot to me if that were actually true."
"It is true," I reassured him. "I believe you, Robert. I never should have thought you would be capable of murder. I'm sorry." I stood up and he grabbed my hand.
I just stared down at it. "What are you doing?"
"Sorry." He pulled his hand away and looked down at the floorboards, embarrassed. "I just thought…"
You thought that because I don't think you murdered someone that I would want to go out with you?
I cleared my throat. "Come on," I said. “Help me find Pippa."
Rest, Relaxation and Murder: A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery Page 8