Cordial Killing

by Vikki Walton

  “You’re right there. No beating around the bush with her.” Anne chuckled. “But I like her. What you see is what you get, at least I think so.”

  “Plus, what would be her reason for writing it? And we still haven’t figured out if it was intended for the doc or his wife.”

  “I can’t see Lil writing it either. She seems too—”

  “Nice?” Hope replied.

  “Yes, that’s it. Proper.”

  “True, but with her there’s the motive of Beth stealing her guy. And you know what they say about those quiet types.”

  “What’s that?” Anne massaged her temples. A dull headache was coming on.

  “They’re always the ones you need to watch out for.”

  “Okay, so we both agree that we can’t see Taylor writing a note like that. Lil could because she’s nice, and according to you nice people are scary people.”

  “Could be. She reminds me of someone who doesn’t like to make waves. But sometimes those type of people are more passive-aggressive in their actions. She could have decided to come simply to irritate the doc for dumping her, and to get under Beth’s skin too.”

  “Well, I guess that could be the case. Then you think Lil sent it to Dr. Nelson? Or was the message intended for Beth?” Anne rubbed her eyes.

  “It’s possible, but it doesn’t feel right,” Hope replied.

  “Agree again. That leaves Liz. She’s always trying to make things better for Beth. Maybe she wrote him the note.” Anne rested her chin on her hands and sighed. “Yet, I think Liz is like Taylor in that she’d say things straight to his face. She seems like someone that meets things head on.”

  “Agreed.” Hope cocked her head. “I guess she could have, but why wait until they came here? Look how she called the doc out about smoking and how it made Beth feel.”

  “Ugh. I don’t know.” Anne ran her fingers through her hair, dislodging the scrunchy. She set to pulling her hair back up in a bun again.

  Hope moaned. “All I do know is that we have a walk tomorrow morning with five people that seem to have all kinds of issues going on between them. I just thought it’d be a nice healthy way to start the morning.”

  “That’s what you get for thinking.” Anne smirked.

  Hope stuck out her tongue. “Other than the walk and breakfast, maybe the classes will have enough distraction that the women won’t have time to pull out the claws on one another.”

  Just then Kandi came through the back door. She pouted. “How come you guys didn’t invite me over?”

  Anne motioned to Kandi to join them. “You know you never need an invite. I just needed to talk with Hope about a note I found in the Nelsons’ room.”

  “What note?”

  Anne showed Kandi the note.

  “That’s not very nice.” She thrust the note down as if it was a personal threat to her.

  “No, kidding. We’re trying to figure out if it was Taylor, Lil, or Liz who sent the note.”

  “But didn’t you say you found it in the Nelsons’ room?” Kandi’s brow crinkled.

  “Yes. So?” Anne motioned for Kandi to expound on her question.

  “I’m just wondering why you think it’s Taylor, Lil, or Liz.”

  Hope took up the questioning. “What do you mean?”

  “If it was in their room, then wouldn’t it make sense that either Dr. Nelson wrote it to Beth or she wrote it to him?”

  Hope and Anne stared at one another. It had never occurred to them that Beth or Edward had written the note. Even more, was the other spouse the intended recipient or had the note been written for someone else and then discarded?

  “That’s a whole new way to look at it. Then we have to figure out if it was

  Beth who wrote the note to give to him or the other way around?” Anne tapped her fingers on her chin.

  “Or how about this? What if Beth had written the note to Lil and changed her mind?” said Hope.

  “You did say, like, it was by the wastebasket. Maybe she wrote it but decided against it?”

  “That’s a good question, Kandi. Certainly, another way of looking at it that I

  hadn’t thought of.”

  “Geez. Too many questions and not enough answers. It’s making my brain hurt.” Anne cradled her cheeks on her hands.

  “I’m going home now so I can get some sleep. Love ya.” Kandi hugged Anne and Hope and then took her leave out the back door.

  Hope stood and stretched. “Better get back over there and catch some z’s before morning.”

  “See you then.” Anne stood. “Hey, also, could you get Stewart to have another look around the place tomorrow? I’m used to my old house making settling noises, but those noises in the Inn have been pretty loud.”

  Hope hugged Anne. “I will. I’ve heard a few noises like that too. I thought I was just imagining it. I’ll call Stewart and have him stop by while we’re out on our walk.”

  “Get Kandi to do it.” Anne teased, releasing Hope from the hug.

  “Now Anne, if I didn’t know better, I’d believe someone was trying to play matchmaker here.”

  “Moi?” Anne faked indignation.

  Hope laughed and walked out the back door. Anne locked it and with Mouser tailing behind her, headed upstairs to the new master bedroom. Anne had enjoyed decorating it with an English country style and a color palette of soft peach and sage green. Over by the windows, she’d added in a lovely seating area where she could read or make plans for the day. She showered quickly and made her way to bed.

  As she switched off the light on the small table next to the window, she looked outside. The stand of lilacs dividing the yard were only bare sticks. As she looked closer, a gasp sprang from her lips.

  A large brown animal jumped up and bounded out of sight.

  Chapter Seven

  Morning came too early for Anne. She dragged the brush through her hair and slathered some lotion on her face. The extent of her makeup was some lip gloss. She looked at herself in the mirror repeating aloud, “Today is going to be a great day. Today is going to be a great day.” Oh please, let it be a great day.

  She longed for another cup of coffee but knew it wouldn’t be smart to drink the dehydrating beverage before hitting the trail. Grabbing her soft alpaca wool hat that brought out the color in her hazel eyes, she headed for the door. On the kitchen counter, the water bottle stood full and ready; her gloves next to it. She fed Mouser, who not surprisingly opted for salmon again, and closed up the house before heading next door.

  Steeling herself for the morning, she took the back kitchen steps and heard laughter coming from inside. That’s got to be a good sign. Opening the door, Anne found Taylor chatting with Kandi and the two were chuckling about some private joke.

  Lil stood in the doorway, not entirely in or out, looking not unlike a skittish cat that wants to have a quick exit in case of attack.

  “Good morning, Anne,” Lil spoke with her lilting, soft voice. “I hope you slept well.”

  Yep, proper had been the right description. “Yes, I did. Thanks for asking. How about you? Sleep well?” Anne stepped closer to the woman who was about Anne’s height of five foot four.

  “Yes, the bed was very comfortable. I really appreciate all the details taken here. When I first went into the room, I couldn’t figure out the embroidery on the pillowcases. I knew they weren’t the Inn’s name. The F, S, M on each case is brilliant.”

  Taylor joined, and the pair and Kandi went back to breakfast prep. “F, S, M?”

  “Did you see the initials on the pillowcases? I believe they stand for firm, soft, and medium. Am I correct, Anne?”

  Anne gave her a thumbs-up. “Spot-on.”

  Taylor let out a hearty chuckle. “I was so tired that I just grabbed whatever pillow I landed on. I guess it worked, but I was asleep, so who knows!”

  They all laughed. Anne really liked Taylor’s jocularity.

  “Hey, who decided on a party and didn’t invite me?” Liz feigned indignat
ion.

  “You’re certainly invited to any party in this house, Liz. Did you sleep well?” Anne took the cup Liz had been holding. “I did, but something woke me. I thought I heard footsteps. I figured it was someone going down to the kitchen for a midnight snack or something. But they didn’t seem to be in the hall or on the main stairs.”

  “I heard it too,” Lil spoke up.

  Taylor responded, “I didn’t hear anything. But I pretty much fall deep asleep once my head hits the pillow.”

  “We’ll check into it. Thanks for letting us know. Now if everyone’s ready, we should get going. Anyone seen Dr. and Mrs. Nelson?”

  A gruff voice answered back, “We’re coming.”

  The pair entered the room and Beth sighed deeply.

  She evidently doesn’t want to do this so why come? Did she feel the need to keep a tight leash on the doctor?

  Liz went over to Beth and spoke to her friend while Edward strode over to Kandi. “Hey there, got anything I might like over here?” He reached out toward Kandi who deftly moved out from under his arm. “I’m working on the breakfast for when you return but you’ll have some snacks on the trail. Would you like a piece of fruit or some nuts, sir?”

  That guy gives me the creeps. He’s too charming. Smarmy.

  He shook his head to the negative. “I’m going out back and I’ll wait for you there.”

  Ahhh, needs his morning nicotine hit most likely.

  He walked outside. As everyone else shrugged into coats and hats, Hope came over and handed Anne a backpack. She put it on, and the group trudged out into the crisp morning air. Anne glimpsed at the thermometer as she headed out the door. Thirty-six. Perfect. It was so funny how the low humidity made things feel so much warmer in Colorado. She figured people would be shedding jackets on the way back. They caught up to Edward who stuck the vape pen into his pocket as the ladies exited the kitchen.

  Before she left, Anne popped over to Kandi. “Hey, sweetie. All good on the stove front?”

  “Yes, I’ve got everything pretty much ready and timed out, so things should be ready to eat when you return. I also called Stewart to come over and see about that noise. He said he’ll try to swing by later.”

  “Great. I better get out there before they leave without me.” They kissed each other on the cheek and Anne hurried down the stairs to the gazebo where Hope was giving some instruction to the group.

  Heads nodded as she explained about altitude sickness, drinking water in the bottles they had been given, and going at their own pace. Hope set out toward a clearing between the trees that led them to the trailhead. Reaching the dirt track, Edward took up lead position moving ahead of Hope. Liz and Beth followed a few feet behind him, and Taylor and Lil walked a bit farther behind. Anne took up the rear. The patches of snow still evident in the trees along the lane helped reflect some light, but they had been wise to bring headlamps.

  As happens during walks, people settled into a comfortable speed and moved around, with Taylor striking up a conversation with Liz. Edward had slowed his pace, and Lil had fallen back with Hope who had joined Anne at the rear. Hope rolled her eyes at Anne but made her way over to walk with Edward.

  “So, Lil, you all went to college together?” Anne hoped her question would be a neutral topic.

  “Yes. We all came from the north—Beth from New York, Liz and I from the Boston area, and Taylor from Texas.”

  Anne noted how Lil had left Edward out of the group. “And you were all wanting to be doctors or in the medical field?”

  “Only two of us wanted to be doctors—me and . . . Edward. I think Liz was there because her father was a doctor and her mother a hospital administrator. Of all of us, I think Liz is the best at seeing a vision and going for it. I think she ended up in administration over some assisted-living facilities.

  “Taylor wanted to do something to help people—she just hates seeing people in misery, so she became of all things, a palliative nurse. I couldn’t do that, but she has the calling, I guess. Lots of her patients have died peacefully in their sleep and didn’t need to transition into hospice care. She’s so great with the families. I think of all of us, she picked the route that really suits her personality. She’s a very caring person. I’m glad we’ve remained friends, even with the distance between us,” said Lil.

  Hmmm, was there a reason she hadn’t included Beth? Best to keep on a neutral subject.

  “And Edward chose to become a cardiologist.”

  Lil replied, “Yes, an interesting choice, given his heart problems.”

  Anne couldn’t help but wonder if there was a bit of double entendre in Lil’s statement. “Forgive me for overstepping, but it seems like Edward is the reason for some of the angst we saw yesterday.”

  “I blame myself really,” Lil responded, which surprised Anne. “I should have left school when everything happened, but I was so enamored with everything I was learning. I had no idea things would turn out as they did.”

  Anne really wanted to delve deeper, but she knew it wasn’t the time or the place. Maybe she could ask Taylor about Lil’s statement later.

  “Did you become a doctor?” Anne pulled off her gloves and stuck them in her pocket. She shrugged out of the microfiber jacket and tied it around her waist. Lil did the same, but as Lil pulled her coat off, her sleeve rode up, and Anne saw a nasty scar on Lil’s wrist. Noticing Anne staring, Lil pulled the sleeve down.

  “To answer your question, yes, I got my degree. I changed colleges and went into pharmaceutical studies. I attended Oxford and then when I returned to the states, I majored in cardiac pharmacology.”

  Edward and Lil had both been focused on cardiac studies. Had Lil been trying to get away from the heartbreak by changing schools?

  “Hey, you two, come on!” Hope was signaling with her arm. “Hurry!” Anne and Lil sprinted up to the group who stood facing the forest with the lake beyond. Anne squinted, trying to see what Hope was so excited about when a giant creature raised its head from out of a boggy area next to the lake.

  Taylor whispered excitedly, “A moose! A moose!”

  Anne watched the majestic creature with the rest of the group, each entranced by the sight in front of them. As it moved off into the dense forest, the group collectively released its breath.

  “That was amazing.” Beth turned to Edward, who had somehow ended up next to Lil.

  Hope quickly realized the need to get moving, so she said, “Ladies, Doctor. Just a bit farther and we have another treat for you.”

  Hope’s words seem to break the spell. Edward moved quickly away from Lil who did the same thing. It was like an unseen gravitational pull had drawn them together, only for them to wake up to its reality as they found themselves standing side by side.

  Taylor quipped, “It’ll be hard to beat what we just saw.” She stamped ahead and waved her arm behind her. “Come on, ya’ll. Time’s a-wasting.”

  Edward and Beth walked together with Lil and Liz in the second group. Taylor hung back with Anne.

  “Whoa. That could have turned out really badly.” She chuckled under her breath. If Taylor had seen what happened, who else had noticed it? Anne said nothing but was glad that no argument had ensued.

  They reached the curve where Beth sat on a big rock. Anne had perched on that same outcropping not so very long ago, and it sent a small shiver down her spine, like a dark omen. Hope stopped and faced the group. “Not much farther, and we’ll take a break before we head back. Our friend Eliza, who’s out of town on a modeling assignment, said to feel free to use her deck. As we go around the corner, you’ll see a set of stairs, and that’s where we’re heading.”

  The group followed Hope up to the deck where they were greeted with the beautiful rays of sunlight over the lake. Anne opened her backpack while Hope did the same. Hope poured hot tea while Anne passed out a combination of savory and sweet pastries. Everyone sat in silence, enjoying the view and the hot drinks.

  When Beth and Lil noted the need for a
bathroom break, Anne walked them down and opened the guest bathroom door on the lower floor. As the group descended the stairs back to the trail, Anne waited for the pair. She heard low voices coming from inside the door.

  “You had your chance. Now back off.” Beth’s voice was low and menacing.

  “Why? You don’t love him. You never have. All you wanted was what he could give you.” Lil’s strong retort surprised Anne. Was the woman’s appearance and mannerisms only a front? And what about the scar on her arm?

  Lil continued, “The only reason you were in medical school was to marry a doctor. All of us knew it. We laughed at you behind your back.”

  “Why you little—”

  Whoa. Anne needed to get in their quick but as she moved toward the door, Lil appeared. Her face was tinged a bright pink. She spotted Anne and dropped her eyes. She had evidently not expected to be overheard.

  Anne heard footsteps and quickly moved away from the door. Beth appeared in the door, hands tightly clenched and the hate on her face blatant.

  “Beth, I don’t think we’ve had much chance to get acquainted. How about walking with me for a bit?” Anne knew she needed to defuse this situation quickly.

  The conversation within the group became more subdued on the walk back to the Inn. Anne did notice that Dr. Nelson and Liz had gone first and moved far ahead of the group. The pair appeared to be in an intense conversation. Occasionally Liz would turn back and look to see the group behind them.

  Is Liz making sure they aren’t getting too far ahead of us or that they’re far enough ahead that they aren’t overheard?

  Back at the house, Kandi had prepared a fantastic breakfast, and, after changing of shoes and outfits, the banter around the table over Kandi’s culinary skills gave Anne hope that the day would continue without any significant incidents.

  “Hello, Hello!” Marie’s voice carried into the room. Anne led her into the dining room where Hope took on the task of introducing her to the group. Edward had excused himself after eating.