by Joan Rylen
Wendy’s cheeks, already filled with crimson, flushed an even brighter shade. She couldn’t speak but moved away from Nelson. In the corner of her eye she saw him adjust his shirt.
Kate hit the 12 and everyone was quiet until Lucy started tapping her foot and humming Aerosmith’s “Love in an Elevator.”
The doors opened, and they all got out. Lucy continued to hum as they walked down the hall and Kate giggled.
Wendy grabbed Lucy’s elbow. “Okay, okay, enough.”
“What, I’m just singing about an elevator. And loooooove.”
“Cool it!”
Lucy winked at her. “Okay, you naughty girl.”
Agent Nelson let them into the suite and waited by the door as they gathered their stuff.
“Do you need a jacket?” Kate asked Wendy. “Or are you pretty warmed up without it?”
Wendy went into the bathroom. What the hell am I doing? she thought as she looked at herself in the mirror. She took a moment to brush her hair, then went into the living area and put on her red suede coat, then grabbed the shot stuff.
“Didn’t think you’d need that,” Lucy said, tugging her jacket as they walked out the door.
Wendy didn’t say a word, only led the way back to the elevator, smacking the down button several times.
As they walked out to the fire pit, Vivian could tell that something big had gone down. Lucy’s eyes were wide open and she shifted them from Wendy to Nelson. Kate looked at Vivian and winked, then tossed her a coat and scarf. Wendy took her same spot and started making shots.
She poured herself one first, slammed it back, then made four more, passing them out to each of the girls. She held her second one high.
“To whatever tomorrow brings,” she said.
They drank their shots and warmed themselves by the fire.
“What’d ya do down here all by yourself with these big boys?” Lucy asked playfully.
Vivian’s face lit up. “I called mom. She said the kiddos were in bed but had been doing great. Audrey painted a picture out on the back porch of a bumblebee, and Lauren’s been having fun playing games and reading books with Nana. Mom said the twins were doing great, being big eaters, and that Ben and Olivia had been playing together, rolling a ball to each other. And she had gotten video of it! Yay, Mom!”
“Aw, how sweet,” Kate said.
“Does your mom know what’s going on?” Wendy asked.
Vivian kicked at the fire pit. “I told her about what Craig did to the house before I left, just in case he showed up.”
“You kinda had to, I guess,” Lucy said. “It’s safer that way.”
“Yep, even though it freaked her out.”
“What’s on tap for tomorrow?” Kate asked changing the subject.
Vivian looked toward Nelson. He was speaking to Finck near the Timberline. “Guess we need to ask him.”
Lucy couldn’t resist. “Wendy, maybe you should go ask?”
Wendy shook her head and crossed her arms. “I’m stayin’ right here.”
“What the hell happened up there?” Vivian asked her.
“Agent Nelson got frisked,” Kate giggled.
“I’ll tell you later,” Wendy whispered. “We can’t talk about it right now.”
Nelson walked back to the fire pit.
“Any developments?” Vivian asked.
“Afraid not.”
“We need a plan for tomorrow. It’s our last, full day here. We’re running out of Craig-catching chances.”
“I’m aware of that, but because he’s notching up the violence and completely unpredictable, I’m not using you as bait.”
“Agent Nelson, we’ve been over this and you know how I feel,” Vivian said as she picked up a skewer and pointed it at him. “He’s going to continue to come after me, and I’m not going home until he’s caught.”
“By putting yourself in danger, you’re putting your friends in danger. Do you understand that?” Nelson stole a glance at Wendy, then looked at Lucy and Kate. “Do you guys understand the seriousness of the situation?”
Kate moved from her chair and sat on the ledge, close to Vivian.
“We understand he’s unpredictable right now, but we’re sticking with her until Craig is caught.”
Wendy touched Nelson’s arm, then quickly pulled it back. “She’d do it for us.” Wendy laid her hand on his arm this time. “And we trust you completely to keep us safe.”
Nelson looked at her but was quiet, an internal war waging.
“I have an idea,” Lucy said, reaching for her wine. “We could go snow tubing. It’s still open in Frisco.”
“What’s that?” Vivian asked.
“Oh my gosh, it’s super fun. I did it last year when my sister was here. You go up the mountain on this conveyor belt thingy, then come down on these trails made just for the tubes. You go really fast, well, not going up, but coming down. There’re bumps and humps and they’ll spin ya around. It’s awesome!”
“What do you think, Agent Nelson?” Kate asked. “This sound like something we could try?”
“I’m familiar with the Frisco Adventure Park.”
Vivian tried to form an image in her mind of Nelson having fun snow tubing. Didn’t work.
“I’d have to set up a team to act as employees and I’m a little concerned about manpower. I can work with local police to establish a perimeter.” He crossed his arms, then tapped a finger to his cheek. “And I like the fact that you’re moving quickly going down. It’s the slower trip up that worries me.”
“We could go for a hike,” Kate offered. “We haven’t done that.”
“Again, manpower is the issue.”
“I can snow tube like a mad woman or hike the shit out of Colorado,” Vivian said, handing Wendy her shot cup for a refill. “Let’s set something, anything up.”
44
AS they wrapped up their night by the fire pit, Nelson excused himself to go upstairs to make calls and do some paperwork. He said he’d have an answer about tomorrow’s activities before they went to bed. He instructed the four agents to stay outside, close by.
Vivian saw him linger in the great room for a minute before disappearing toward the elevator. I bet he was waiting for Weeeeendy! She sang in her head.
“So what the heck happened upstairs?” Vivian asked Wendy, who groaned.
“I’m out of control. Oh my god, I cheated on Jake.”
Lucy giggled. “Actually, it wasn’t up any stairs at all, it was love…in an elevator.”
“What are you talking about?”
Wendy leaned forward and spoke quietly. “I kissed Wade in the elevator. Well, actually he kissed me first, but then I went completely passion crazy.”
“She was goin’ for the goods!” Kate said.
“Shhhhhh! I was not! His shirt, well, just came untucked…accidentally.”
“Mmmmmmmmmm,” Vivian said. “That’s mysterious.”
“Accident my ass,” Lucy said. “She was goin’ for the gusto. She had him pinned to the wall and was takin’ that bull by the horn!”
“Wow!” Vivian said. “So unlike you!”
Wendy slapped her hand to her forehead. “I know. I know. I’m a bad person.”
“Geez Louise, calm down. It was only a kiss. It’s not like you did the nasty or anything.” She paused and looked at Wendy. “You didn’t, right?”
“No!” Wendy screamed. It echoed through the mountains.
Smith looked over at them with concern. Vivian waved him off.
“Yeah, cuz there wasn’t time!” Lucy said. “We interrupted their livin’ it up while they were goin’ down session.”
“And thank god you did because apparently I can’t control myself with him.”
“He is awfully cute,” Kate said. “And you said you were going to break up with Jake. Maybe this is a sign that you should.”
“Dammit. I did say that, didn’t I? But I haven’t, and now I’ve kissed another guy. God, I’m a terrible person.”
/>
“Chillax, it was a moment of weakness,” Vivian said. “That song has caused many a normal person to go for lovin’ in an elevator. With strangers even!”
“Speaking from experience?” Kate asked.
“No comment.” Vivian said.
“Who’s the naughty girl now?” Lucy laughed.
Vivian smiled sweetly and changed the subject. “I’m cold, are we about done here?”
“Yep, I’m ready,” Wendy said and started gathering up the liquor bottles.
They packed up everything and let Smith know they were ready. He escorted them to their suite and saw they got in safely. Agent Nelson was in the living area, laptop open and on the phone when they arrived.
“I understand that, yes sir,” he said. “I’ll ensure that’s done. Okay, I do appreciate the assistance. Yes sir, goodnight.”
Lucy saluted him. “Sir, we are ready for duty, sir.”
Agent Nelson half-smiled. “Are you drunk?”
“Sir, no sir!!” Lucy grinned. “Well, maybe a little, but not a lot, sir.”
Nelson tried to cover up a grin. “Okay, sit down. Let’s talk.”
The girls jumped onto the couch and Nelson stood in front of them, pacing. After a few moments he spoke.
“That was the chief of police for Frisco. She’s aware of the situation and willing to help provide manpower for the snow-tubing operation. I’ve gotten more details—”
Lucy raised her hand.
Nelson sighed. “Yes?”
“Did you just call a lady ‘sir?’ ”
“Yes. That’s what she prefers.”
“Weird.”
Nelson continued. “We will have agents acting as employees outside on the tubing hill and a couple selling hot chocolate outside. We’re set to leave at oh-nine-hundred. That should give us enough time to get there, have you get checked in and be in the first round of tubers, which, from what I’ve been told, is the least crowded. “
Lucy raised her hand again.
“Yes,” he said, annoyed.
“We didn’t really bring the appropriate clothing or shoes to do this type of activity, I’m afraid.”
“Do you have jeans?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have tennis shoes?”
They all nodded.
“Then that’s good enough for me. It’s only 50 minutes. Just don’t fall out or flail about in the snow. Now, may I continue?”
“Yes. No wait,” Lucy turned to the girls. “Maybe we can rent snow boots there.”
The circles under Nelson’s eyes seemed to grow bigger and darker with each interruption. “Moving on. We’ll have every vantage point covered. The area around the snow tubing hill is pretty flat. There are snow dunes here and there, but there’s not higher elevation from which he could shoot.”
A chill surged through Vivian, causing her to shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself.
Nelson stopped pacing, knelt beside the coffee table and turned a map to face the girls. “Here’s Frisco and here’s the tubing hill,” he said, tapping two places. “You’ll park and go inside the main building. After you pay, they’ll direct you into an igloo-type hut to receive instructions from staff and pick up your tube. From there, you’ll ride the conveyer belt up the side of the hill and go tubing over and over, as many times as you can. Some of the employees on the hill will be undercover agents and cops. We’ll do surveillance and keep a close eye on you and the surroundings.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Kate said.
“What do you think the chances are he’ll do something?” Wendy asked.
He looked at her for a moment, then to Vivian. “Honestly, I don’t really know.”
45
Day 6
VIVIAN thought she heard something beyond the door. She pulled the covers up to her nose and listened, heartbeat loud in her ears. She looked around the dark room. The clock read 4:42. The doorknob turned slowly and the door cracked open.
“Hello? Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Kate.”
“You scared me!”
“I figured you’d be asleep but wanted to check on you. I had a dream.”
“I’m awake. Having a hard time sleeping. I’m nervous.”
“I understand. I think we’re making the right choice, though, trying to catch him here instead of sending you home to deal with a potential problem around the kids.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Kate sat next to Vivian on the bed. “My paw-paw came to me in a dream. He was young and spry, not like when he died. He looked handsome and fit.”
Vivian sensed a calmness in Kate’s voice that made her feel better.
“Did he tell you anything?”
“We never spoke in the dream, but he was holding a picture of the four of us from our Playa trip. It was torn and Wendy’s piece of the picture was dangling, about to be torn off completely.”
“Then what?” Vivian sat up.
“He got a piece of tape and fixed the picture. Then he handed it to me, waved and walked away.”
“Wow. That’s kinda freaky.”
“It was actually very peaceful. I never felt bad in the dream, so I’m guessing things are going to work out. We need to follow Agent Nelson’s instructions and everything will be fine. I know it. Now you try to get some rest.”
“Okay.” Vivian scooted down in the bed and said goodnight as Kate closed the door.
Eventually she drifted off, only to be wakened by sunshine peeking through the curtains. This time the clock read 7:11. She rolled over and found Lucy was already out of bed. Always the early riser.
Vivian kicked off the covers and found Lucy on the balcony, wrapped in a blanket, sipping on orange juice and eating a banana.
“It’s a glorious morning,” Lucy sang out around a banana chunk in her cheek.
“Mornin’. Chillaxin’ out here, I see.”
“It’s just so pretty. Wanna share my blankie?”
“Sure.” Vivian scooted her chair over by Lucy’s and huddled under the blanket.
A few minutes later the door opened and Wendy and Kate joined them, both with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Y’all ready for some snow tubing action?” Lucy asked. “I just know you’re gonna love it!”
“I am, especially if we can catch Craig in the process,” Vivian said as she pulled the blanket closer.
“Let’s get busy. We’ve got inappropriate clothing to put on,” Lucy said, “and I don’t mean inappropriate like what you’re thinking, Viv!”
“You got me.” Vivian smiled. “I was imagining us flying down the hill in our skivvies!”
They all went inside and got ready, putting on jeans, tennis shoes and layers of shirts. Vivian unclasped the necklace with the bumblebee pendant and hung it around her neck.
There was a knock on the internal dividing door. Nelson said they needed to be ready by 8:15, which was creeping up fast.
Vivian scarfed down the last remaining donuts and drank a glass of juice. “I’m thoroughly sugared up,” she announced to the room.
“It’s about that time,” Nelson said, walking to the door. “I’ve called the valets and your car is pulled around.”
The girls were quiet in the elevator, their nerves high. When they reached the lobby, Nelson went over the plan one more time.
“Everyone’s got it, right?”
They acknowledged, went outside and got into the SUV.
“You’ll get a text from me about Phase 2 should we need to go to that,” Nelson said. “Good luck.” With that he closed Vivian’s door.
Phase 2 was lunch in Vail at Lucy’s previously suggested Hail-Yeah. If there was no Craig activity during snow tubing, they’d get lunch while Nelson formulated Phase 3, a hike.
Lucy drove down the mountain and took the interstate to Frisco. She knew exactly where she was going, parked and turned the car off.
“Y’all ready?” she asked, looking at Vivian.
Vivian nodded. “Yep,
let’s do this and have some fun while we’re at it!”
They made their way inside the building to check in, signed their life away like they had at the bicycle and rafting places, and were told to head out to the igloo.
“Do y’all rent snow boots?” Lucy asked the college-aged kid behind the counter.
“No ma’am, sorry, we don’t.”
Lucy turned away from him, sad.
“It’s okay, Lucy, we’ll make do,” Kate said.
“I’m not upset about that. Did you hear what he said? He just called me ma’am.”
They girls laughed and headed to the igloo. Only a few others waited, some of whom Vivian guessed were undercover cops. She was glad there weren’t any children around.
A staffer introduced himself and asked that they watch the safety video. It was a bit corny, little penguins with body parts that didn’t touch. Oval body, round head, narrow arms and no feet. Vivian watched as the disjointed penguins demonstrated the right and wrong way to go down the hill.
Butt in was the only acceptable way. No belly flops allowed. The penguins demonstrated the “magic carpet” and how to enter and exit properly and not take everyone else with you in a big snowball. The video ended and the staffer opened the back door of the igloo and passed out tubes.
Vivian’s shoes didn’t offer much traction so she slipped and slid in the snow as she pulled her tube by the leash. She was glad the tubes had a bottom — the ice would be cold and wet on her butt. On the Guadalupe River, no bottom meant rocks hitting your butt. Either way, she was a with-bottoms kinda girl.
The girls waited at the magic carpet as those in front of them stepped on the slow-moving conveyor belt.
Vivian looked around, wondering if Craig was watching. She drug her tube up to the edge of the carpet, took a deep breath and stepped on.
Come out, come out, wherever you are!
46
THE wind whipped, cutting through Vivian’s three layers of shirts, as she waited her turn to go careening down the hill. She held the tube upright behind her, trying to block the worst of the wind. Kate waited with her, but Wendy and Lucy had opted for a different course to their right.