Nailed

by Avery Daniels

  “The only reason I’m not hitting you upside the head with a pillow is you’ve recently had a blow to the head.” She stuck her tongue out.

  “Look, joking aside, see how the rest of your time goes here and keep a clear head. Don’t let the badge and uniform sway you, just be aware of what you really want and consider if that’s a cop and everything that comes with him being a cop.”

  She opened her mouth, no doubt to thank me for my sage advice, but a knock on the door interrupted. I glanced at the bedside clock.

  “That will be the first report from our Resort Irregulars.” I jumped up and swayed just a tinsy bit. I forgot, no quick movements. I sat back down and let Porsche answer the door.

  Zack darted past the door and was a bit out of breath. “Sorry, I jogged up here to avoid being seen.”

  “You’re here now, so take a seat.” Porsche waved to the desk chair the detective had vacated moments ago.

  Porsche sat next to me facing Zack.

  “First, I really appreciate your helping us collect anything useful toward catching the killer.” I broke the ice and jumped into the meat of the matter.

  Porsche jumped in as well, “Oh yes, this is very helpful. We couldn’t be everywhere around the resort. The sooner the police can arrest the killer the better.” She displayed her million-watt smile. But Zack seemed immune. If anything, his eyes showed worry and his brows were creased.

  “I hope we’re safe. I’m staying here rather than trek to my place and back every day. My car doesn’t start when it gets this cold, so several of us are sharing some rooms here.”

  “That’s very commendable on the resort’s part,” Porsche said.

  “It’s the few rooms that they were finishing up after the remodeling. Nothing wrong with them except they’re in the middle of new wallpaper or haven’t replaced the old carpet yet.”

  “I’m surprised they’re remodeling units during the busy season.” I couldn’t help but voice my thought.

  “Those rooms were behind schedule because they had some additional work since some old plumbing needed replaced.” He looked at us expecting some reaction.

  “Oh, you weren’t told, I guess. Well, the police found that the nail gun used to kill the Caine woman was from one of the mid-renovation rooms. It seemed best to have them occupied to dissuade pilfering any other items and doing further harm.” He swallowed loudly and fidgeted. Porsche and I swallowed too.

  The killer was cold-blooded and calculating. He, or she, had figured out a weapon he could acquire. Seems cardkey locked rooms were no obstacle to this person, unless they were invited in. It also could indicate that the killer didn’t arrive here with the plan to kill Kara, they would have brought a weapon rather than seek one out.

  Zack leaned forward, “I know we were only supposed to listen for anything relating to the people you identified, but something was bothering me.” His eyes darted between Porsche and me.

  “Well, it’s just...it isn’t easy to kill with a nail gun. They have safety features and well...you have to press it hard against the surface....” He turned the chair to face the desk and his hands acted out holding a gun against the desk surface. “I know I wouldn’t put up with somebody holding one against my forehead. I’d fight back.”

  That was a gruesome little thought, but a good point. Suddenly, the mood flipped to dark and stifling at the idea. I wanted all the lights turned on and Johan back.

  I looked at Porsche, wondering if Johan had shared anything about the case between all those phone calls at dinner. She shook her head no in response to my unspoken question. Or maybe she was just indicating she didn’t have a clue about nail guns.

  “I would assume Kara was um.... unconscious at that point then.” I cleared my throat to hide my squeamishness. “How do you know so much about this?” I asked Zack.

  “Like I said, it bothered me. So, I asked one of the staff maintenance guys how you could kill with a nail gun and that’s what he said.” He looked back and forth between us.

  “I have to say you’re right. The killer somehow had her unconscious. I just wish we knew if she was knocked unconscious or if we should be listening for something else. Perhaps somebody with sleeping medication slipped her something.”

  “Let’s keep this simple.” Porsche reined me in a bit. “If the killer grabbed a weapon from a convenient stash close at hand, then he probably simply hit her unconscious. Forget sleeping meds and anything convoluted.”

  “I’ll go along with that.” I stood slowly, ready to act out the theory. “So we have a killer, carrying a nail gun to Caine’s room. What next...he knocks, then pushes his way inside when she opens the door.” I pretended to barge into a room. “And quickly knocks her unconscious with...the nail gun he’s carrying? Proceeds to...nail her...in the head.” I closed my eyes to avoid looking at them, “then to make double damn sure, the person picks her up – or drags her – and tosses her over the balcony to the frozen ground three stories below.” I turned from the balcony door where my acting ended.

  I turned and looked at them again to find them both staring at me.

  “Yeah, probably just like that.” Porsche softly said.

  Silence settled like a burial cloth over us. I shook myself. “Well, does that mean our only female suspect, Debra, wouldn’t be physically capable to have committed this murder?”

  “Hold on just a minute...” Porsche began.

  Zack interjected, “Actually, I found out Ms. Graham frequents the gym every morning and from what I heard is pretty hardcore in her workouts. She could’ve developed the upper body strength needed to....do all that.” He stood up, nervous energy needing an outlet.

  “Okay, in the morning we’re going to the exercise room before my conference begins,” I said to Porsche.

  “Do you think you should?” She glanced at Zack, clearly not wanting to go into my recent close encounter with the killer.

  “That would be why you’re joining me, just in case I’m not feeling fully recovered.” I noticed Zack had stopped shifting his weight from one foot to the other and was staring at us.

  “I think I may have caught a cold.” I wasn’t going to wait and see if he bought that explanation and I wasn’t sharing I got tackled either. “Zack, did you have anything more to report between you and Kylie?”

  “We haven’t gotten anything on Bryce yet, but that Lochran fella that works with some newspaper. Seems he was talking to the Caine woman in the lobby and she was pretty drunk. The front desk gal said she couldn’t hear more than a few words ‘cause they weren’t yelling. Not like she did with the other realtor guy.” His voice was despondent as if this was a failure.

  “Do you know which she argued with first? Wade Lochran or the realtor Preston Pinder?” I wanted to be clear in my mind.

  “Seems she spoke to Lochran first, then the argument with Pinder.” He provided.

  She was a busy woman, angering people right and left that evening. As I thought back over Kara Caine’s behavior at dinner, it seemed she either thought she could smooth things over without any effort to address the issues, or she was deliberately trying to rub injuries in their faces.

  “And did the front desk clerk hear anything at all?”

  “She said Caine said something like, ‘You hypocrite, you should appreciate the public’s right to know.’ She said that was the only thing she could be sure about.”

  That was all he had to share, so we arranged to pass information during my conference tomorrow if anything else was discovered. I grabbed the empty ice bucket to have an excuse to open the door and ensure the coast was clear for him to quickly exit.

  I checked on the raccoons again, showing Porsche how they had moved enough to get the blanket around themselves nice and tight. The blanket was covered in snow and I hoped that gave them some warmth like it does in igloos.

  I still wanted to go sit in the Jacuzzi, but Porsche suddenly turned into a bossy nurse and asked me a battery of questions she found online. No, I wasn�
��t confused, no unusual irritability, memory was fine, no trouble speaking clearly, only the slightest unsteadiness when I stood up quickly to answer the door earlier, no numbness or tingling, no loss of vision or vomiting, no headache. I just had the bump on my head that hurt when she prodded it and a sore neck.

  She declared me safe to try and sleep, but absolutely no excessive heat like the jacuzzi. I groused but knew I was fortunate to have such a good friend.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day I was up early, fighting my desire to rest some more. Bruises had developed and one part of me wanted to be a kid again and take a snow day and just relax, but the information being gathered was helping in the investigation, albeit in dribs and drabs.

  Porsche got up with me and we both knew if we didn’t force ourselves to go the gym first thing and see Debra and her level of strength, we wouldn’t go at all. I thought we might be too early and I could go back to bed, but Debra was already on an elliptical and had a sweat worked up. I fought it, but a big yawn struck and my eyes watered. I glanced at her to see if she saw the evidence of my desire to be in bed. She covered a huge yawn with a hand.

  “You’ll feel better once you get your muscles warmed up. I haven’t seen you here in the morning before.”

  “I’m attending the resort management conference so most of my days are filled. Porsche,” I waved my hand in her direction, “came with me as a cheerleader and motivation.” I watched her face for any signs that she didn’t believe me. So far, so good.

  Debra was average in build and height. I suppose she could have killed and shoved a body over the balcony, maybe in a rage with adrenalin pumping.

  “Well, if you can stand the early hour I like how it isn’t mobbed and getting time on any equipment is easier. Of course, it’s probably getting more use since the weather has us trapped.” She seemed to take our presence in stride. She certainly had a better attitude than last time, which made me wonder if her cheerier mood could be a result of Kara’s death.

  Trapped was a good word in this compact basement room of a snow-bound resort. I was glad I wasn’t claustrophobic. The wall of mirrors along one wall didn’t help the feeling either. At least the room freshener was working with a pine scent tickling my nose.

  Porsche picked up the conversation, “This weather has me feeling a bit edgy. With the murder creating such tension, I sure hope the roads open soon or they lock up the killer.” She got on a treadmill and began jogging.

  I got on the stationary bicycle, as Porsche had advised so I could take it easy and peddled slow like a grandma. “This storm system took everybody by surprise. I’m sure most everybody here didn’t expect the roads to close.” Making conversation wasn’t my personal strength, especially not this flipping early.

  I was working with pre-caffeinated sluggish brain neurons. What if Debra was the killer? Then she could be the person who knocked me flat last night. That realization made me nervous and I no longer wanted to chat. I focused on a slow and steady cycling rhythm. But, I couldn’t help but watch the suspect’s every move. Would she give herself away, perhaps some sign that she had been surprised to see me this morning? So far I didn’t detect anything, but then again, we were dealing with a cold-blooded killer.

  Debra moved from her elliptical over to the free weights and began doing bicep curls with a large dumbbell. I counted how many repetitions she did, and was amazed when she reached thirty. She then worked on her triceps for thirty and moved to lie on a bench and did some chest flies. Yep, I was impressed, and a bit intimidated.

  After fifteen minutes, Porsche joined me. I didn’t feel as stiff, but I was so done.

  “Come on, you’ve got to get ready for the conference.” We said goodbye and left.

  Once we were out of the room and in an elevator, she voiced what I was thinking. “I think we can safely say she is strong and could’ve maneuvered a body over a balcony. Even dead weight, I think she could leverage and manage.”

  She was subdued this morning. Porsche had been more a morning person in High School, but maybe being caged with a killer was getting to her too.

  “That’s what I was thinking.” Time to change the subject. “Oh, can you do me a favor today? Can you get some bread or something and put it on the balcony for the raccoons?”

  “I’ll get them something. I looked them up online and they can go a few days without food during the winter, but I still worry.” Since they were staying huddled up, they weren’t as likely to get riled. They were cute with their masks and playful look, but we both knew racoons could be dangerous if they feel threatened.

  I had just finished showering and getting ready for day two of the conference when the doctor Johan had promised to have examine me arrived unannounced. After checking vitals, flashing the light in my eyes, prodding the bump on my head and answering the same battery of questions Porsche had drilled me with last night, he pronounced me concussion free.

  “But, that doesn’t mean you should overexert yourself either.” He warned. I didn’t tell him the gym clothes he saw out were used and he was a tad late in that warning. I was okay, already feeling tired and sore, oh I was sore. But, I was okay.

  I wasn’t looking forward to sitting all day at the conference, but I dragged myself there anyway. I was in the same seat as yesterday morning with a plate loaded with a berry crepe drizzled with orange sauce, a side of cottage cheese with fruit topping for some protein, and coffee. I had a feeling I would be downing several cups of java today. Tammy joined me shortly with her own plate and coffee.

  After a few minutes of nothing but devouring our breakfasts, Tammy leaned over. “I went to the Bingo last night and it proved good for gossip.” She took a sip of orange juice before continuing.

  “I found out that Bryce and his girlfriend had an argument later that night over Kara being here. She was really steamed, claimed he had to know she would be here and accused him of trying to make Kara jealous.”

  “Any idea if he was with her during the two-to-four a.m. time frame?” I crossed my fingers.

  “Remember the night Kara was killed the weather hadn’t gotten so bad yet, gossip has it Bryce’s girlfriend...I don’t know her name, walked out and said she would stay in another hotel for the night.” Tammy’s eyes gleamed. I studied her, she was really getting into this and looking at possible suspects.

  “Just remember to be very low key. Don’t be obvious by asking pointed questions. Just gossip.” Not that I hadn’t broken that rule already with the boys in the game room.

  “I understand. It keeps everyone safe.”

  I took another bite of the crepe. “I wonder if she was back the next morning and got questioned by Johan...ummm, Detective Larson?”

  “Well fiddle-faddle, I didn’t think about that. I’m sure that would’ve been easy to have brought the conversation around to that.”

  “When I pass that tidbit to the Detective, I’ll ask him if she skipped out on being interviewed,” I said. I wasn’t as confident as I sounded that he would actually tell me. “But it sounds like Bryce has no alibi to cover him, so mission accomplished.” I wanted to cheer her on for getting a key nugget of information. She just nodded with satisfaction.

  “We know that Christopher and Bryce both don’t have alibis. We still need to know about Preston and Wade. Debra won’t have an alibi unless she hooked up with somebody from the bar.” I recapped to keep us on task.

  We studied our morning workshop schedule. We would only have one workshop out of two this morning together.

  Breakfast was followed by the daily announcements. It was snowing off and on now with little additional accumulation expected. Winds were gusting and driving temperatures down. The roads were still impassable as the major artery out of town was blocked by avalanche that had come crashing down the mountain in the night. Brutal cold temperatures were expected to continue.

  Oh goody.

  The excitement from the first day was gone. Workshop rooms looked dimly lit. Tendrils of tensio
n and suspicion filled the rooms and our minds.

  I couldn’t say I wasn’t affected; I just couldn’t assess how much was from my close encounter last night with the likely killer or being trapped in the resort with a killer. Plus, there was my personal specter of dealing with Mason when I got home. Aw crud, now I was in a funk on top of sore.

  I sat through the last workshop making notes about the murder, noting all the suspects in my view and what we had so far on each. That didn’t take long. Then my mind wandered to my lack luster love-life again.

  Talking with Porsche had definitely helped me identify and put into words my concerns. I had to meet with Brandon and make sure he understood we were over romantically. I had to be strong with him, go over how we wanted completely different things in life once more, but not hurt him. Mason would be difficult to share my concerns with since I didn’t know how he handled such developments. I didn’t know him very well at all. I needed to verbalize my feelings better. This time away from the job and family was good for me in that regard.

  At this point, I didn’t see much future for us when he was still doing covert bodyguard work posing as the love interest to models or actresses. I just knew that left me in the shadowy wings while he was on stage for the public to see with a new woman regularly. How serious could he be about growing our relationship if he didn’t see a problem with keeping me as his girlfriend so conveniently hidden?

  Suddenly the workshop was ending. I copied a few notes I missed from Tammy at the end of the workshop. She took meticulous notes. We migrated to the luncheon and sat together towards the back of the room.

  No buffet today, we would be served at our table so we could focus on the keynote speaker. He was the general manager of the prestigious Rosewood CordeValle in San Martin California that had hosted the U.S. Women’s Golf Open recently. The Rosewood had also won a prestigious travel magazine’s top resort in California award one year.