by Cindy Bell
“You seriously have zero backbone.” Gloria rolled her eyes, but as the officers led her towards the office, she followed after them. Max hurried to the front desk to help the guests.
Nikki breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that she and Sonia hadn’t been caught. As her mind spun with what might have happened if they had been, she wondered if she had made the right choice by going into Ashley’s cabin. Maybe her brother wasn’t the only one with a talent for getting into messes. As she started to turn back towards the front door of the lobby, she caught sight of a familiar face in the café.
“Isn’t that Betsy?” Nikki took a step in her direction.
“Yes, I think it is.” Sonia squinted. “Looks like she’s enjoying coffee and a muffin.”
“Maybe she’d like some company?” Nikki raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Sonia.
“Maybe she would.” Sonia nodded, then walked towards Betsy.
Nikki followed a few steps behind her. As they neared the table, Betsy looked up at them.
“Hi neighbors.” She smiled. “Would you like to join me?”
“Sure, thanks.” Nikki sat down in one of the empty chairs, while Sonia took the third.
“Crazy day, isn’t it?” Betsy tilted her head in the direction of the front desk. “Gloria caused such a scene.”
“Yes, she did.” Nikki studied the woman across from her. “How are you holding up with all of this?”
“With all of what?” Betsy lowered her voice and leaned across the table towards both of them. “Do you mean the murder?”
“Yes,” Nikki whispered in return, though no one else was close enough to hear their conversation.
“I just don’t know what to think. Ashley was such a sweetheart. Who would want to hurt someone like that?” Betsy pursed her lips.
“A sweetheart?” Nikki repeated as she stared at her.
“Oh sure, she told me all about the farm she used to live on. She was a horse person you know. She loved riding horses. But she had to give all of that up when she lost her farm.” Betsy sighed. “She was heartbroken.”
“She told you all this?” Sonia’s eyes widened.
“Yes, of course. We talked quite a bit. She would share a cup of coffee with me when she did her daily tidying. I think she was a little lonely. Especially considering how awful Gloria and Max treated her.” Betsy shot a brief glare in Max’s direction, then took another bite of her muffin.
“How did they treat her awful?” Nikki smiled as a waitress brought both her and Sonia a muffin and a cup of coffee. “Thank you.”
“Oh, they bullied her so much. She had certain ways she liked to do things, and they would just argue with her every step of the way. It must have been so frustrating for her.” Betsy shook her head. “She said they didn’t want her here and no matter what she did they were always unhappy. They even threatened her more than once.” She picked up her coffee and took a big swallow, then coughed a bit before continuing. “I told her she shouldn’t let them treat her like that. She was too good of a person.” She looked up as a man entered the café. “Brent, over here.” Betsy waved. Nikki looked at the man walking towards them. She recognized him instantly. He was the man from the gas station. “This is Brent, he is also staying in one of the cabins. This is Sonia and Nikki.” Betsy gestured to them.
“Nice to meet you, ladies.” Brent smiled.
Nikki looked into his green eyes and was surprised that he didn’t seem to recognize her. Neither of them acknowledged seeing each other at the gas station.
“Are you ready, Betsy.” Brent gestured for the door.
“I am.” Betsy finished the last bite of her muffin. “I’m off, we have a ski lesson to attend. It is so much cheaper as a pair. Enjoy your muffins, ladies, they are delicious.”
Nikki watched them go, a bit too stunned to even say goodbye.
“I ran into Brent at the gas station on the way here.” She looked at Sonia. “The one that we stopped at just before getting here.”
“You did?” Sonia’s eyes widened.
“That was weird, he didn’t seem to recognize me.”
“It was, but maybe he will next time.” Sonia shrugged. “You couldn’t have spent much time together at the gas station.”
“You’re right.” Nikki nodded. “What Betsy said was interesting.”
“She is the first person to describe Ashley as if she was a good person.” Sonia shook her head. “We learned more about her in a few minutes than we have this whole time.”
“And quite a bit about the Merners.” Nikki watched as Max smiled at the next guest who stepped up to the desk. He had to be worried about Gloria in the office with the police officers, and yet he didn’t show it. He was a good actor. “Perhaps those two are hiding a lot more than we thought.”
“The way Gloria reacted just seemed so over the top.” Sonia narrowed her eyes. “Almost theatrical.”
“Maybe she thought she could throw the police off her trail by being so offended by their questioning.” Nikki nodded slowly. “I think that’s definitely a possibility.”
“I think she’s hiding something.” Sonia nodded.
“Maybe it’s time we took a look inside the owners’ cabin.” Nikki looked over at Sonia. “We can just peek in through some of the windows, since we know they’re busy with the police and guests right now.”
“I think that’s a good idea, but we need a cover story in case we are caught out there. The cabin is out of the way, but it is on the way to the slopes.”
Nikki shifted her gaze towards the skis that lined the walls. She had skied many times with her family, her father’s brother used to live near the mountains and they would often visit and go skiing.
“Do you know how to ski?”
“Sure, I used to ski every year. Let’s gear up!” Sonia smiled.
Once they had everything they needed, Nikki led the way towards the Merners’ cabin. In order to get to it, they had to pass by Ashley’s cabin. Nikki glanced in the direction of the cabin, and wondered if she might have left anything behind that could prove she was there. The thought left her more chilled than the cold wind that blew against her cheeks. As she slowed down, she noticed a figure at the rear corner of Ashley’s cabin.
“Who is that?” Nikki squinted through her goggles as the figure slid along the side of Ashley’s cabin. “He has no business being there.”
“I don’t know, I can’t tell from here. Do you want to try to get closer?” Sonia leaned forward. “You’re right, it does look like a man.”
“Let’s just veer towards the cabin. We don’t want to get too close. It could just be a guest with some morbid curiosity.” Nikki shifted her path towards the cabin. As she did, the figure beside the cabin, suddenly bolted. He launched down a trail beside the cabin. Nikki’s heart skipped a beat as she realized that he was going to get away without them having a chance to get an idea of who he was, or why he was by the cabin.
“I’m going after him!” Nikki glanced over at Sonia as she dug her ski poles into the snow.
“I’m going with you.” Sonia lined up behind her.
“Stay close, Sonia.” Nikki bent forward and launched down the same path the man had traveled down.
“I’ll be right behind you.” Sonia pushed off with her ski poles.
As Nikki skied down the trail, she felt a sudden lurch in her stomach. Even though she’d been skiing many times in her life, she always felt strange when she began to slide across the snow. Within a matter of seconds, she began to pick up speed. The farther she traveled down the hill, the more uneasy she felt. She tried to turn her skis in to slow herself down, but it seemed as if she picked up speed instead. Her heart raced as she wondered if she had made the wrong decision by going after the person in the ski mask. Of course, he was wearing a ski mask, it was a ski slope. She tried to slow herself down again. When it didn’t work, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Sonia was still behind her.
Nikki spotted Sonia, far
ther up the hill, going at a much slower pace than she was. It looked as if she was in complete control. Nikki turned back to look at the path ahead of her just as she veered off onto another trail. A much steeper trail.
“Oh no!” Nikki gasped and tilted her skis again in an attempt to stop. In her panic she crossed them, and suddenly she began to tumble. The world spun as she rolled down the hill. Her ski poles were ripped out of her hands along the way.
When Nikki finally skidded to a stop, her body ached from the fall. There was no sharp pain to indicate a break. She took a breath and pushed her face up out of the snow. As she did, she noticed a figure that towered over her. He wore the same black ski mask that the man by Ashley’s cabin had worn. Her eyes widened as he reached a gloved hand towards her.
“Are you okay?” He grabbed her hand and leaned down some. “Here, let me help you up.”
Still dazed from the fall she allowed him to help her to her feet. “Thanks.”
“You took quite a tumble there.” He pulled his goggles off to reveal deep blue eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Ken?” Nikki blinked as she stared at him. He was the person sneaking around Ashley’s cabin? Her heart began to pound. “What are you doing out here?”
“Skiing.” Ken narrowed his eyes. “What else?”
“Oh right, of course.” Nikki cleared her throat. “Sorry, I guess I got a little jostled in that fall.”
“Seems that way.” Ken peered up the hill in the direction she had come from. “Is Sonia with you?”
“We got separated.” Before Nikki went to find Sonia, she wanted to know what Ken was up to. “Did you know her?”
“Who?” Ken glanced back at her.
“Ashley. The woman who was killed. I saw you near her cabin.” Nikki’s heart skipped a beat as he gazed straight into her eyes.
“Did you?” Ken adjusted his ski poles in the snow.
“I only met her once.” Nikki infused her voice with confidence, despite the sudden awareness that flooded through her. She was alone, on a rarely used trail, with a man who might just be a murderer.
“Well, I didn’t know her. I only saw her a couple of times. I’m just here for a few days to enjoy the slopes. But I guess curiosity got the better of me. I thought I’d just take a look at her cabin. I mean, she died, right outside my door, practically.” Ken sighed. “I’ve had a hard time sleeping. I keep wondering if I could have done something to help her. If only I’d known that she was in trouble.”
“I understand that.” Nikki pursed her lips and held back a wave of guilt. “I wish I had gone outside earlier. Maybe—” Her voice trailed off.
“Maybe she would still be here.” Ken nodded, then pulled his goggles back down over his eyes. “No point in thinking about it, is there? She’s gone now. You okay to get back to the cabins?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. Thanks.” Nikki watched as he glided off down the remainder of the hill. By the time she reached the bottom of the slope, her mind was filled with curiosity about him. He’d taken the time to make sure that she was okay. She ran her gloved hands along her arms and assessed whether she really was okay. The aches that throbbed through her had already begun to fade. She looked back up the hill that she had tumbled down. The sight made her heartbeat quicken. She was very lucky to be okay. If Ken wanted to hurt her, he had every opportunity to do so. He could have killed her, and left her body behind. The police would have assumed that the fall had killed her. Instead, he made sure she was safe. Did murderers do that? She doubted it. But his explanation as to why he was near Ashley’s cabin didn’t ring completely true to her.
Chapter 10
It took some time for Nikki to get back to the populated area of the ski slopes. As she neared it, she heard a shrill voice call out to her.
“Nikki! Nikki!” Sonia waved to her.
Nikki sighed with relief as she drank in the sight of the woman. She’d worried that she might have had trouble getting down the slope as well.
“Nikki, are you okay?” Sonia rushed towards her, though she was slowed down by the ski boots she wore.
“I’m fine.” Nikki brushed a few chunks of snow from her jacket. “I took a tumble, but I was okay. Ken was there to help me.”
“Ken?” Sonia’s eyes widened.
“Yes, he was the one that we saw near Ashley’s cabin.” Nikki frowned. “He claimed he was there because he hasn’t been able to sleep. He keeps thinking about her murder.”
“He could be telling the truth. I don’t think either of us have been getting much sleep, have we?” Sonia met her eyes. “I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“He does seem like a kind man.” Nikki rolled her shoulders as an ache carried through them. “But I don’t think we can rule out possible ill intentions. At this point, everyone needs to be a suspect.”
“I know.” Sonia frowned. “But he just seems like a nice man.”
“Yes, he does.” Nikki recalled the way he looked at her with concern in his eyes. “We didn’t get a chance to check out the Merners’ cabin, but it’s getting late now. The dogs probably need to get out for a walk.”
“Not to mention, you need to make sure you haven’t done any serious damage to yourself.” Sonia narrowed her eyes as she looked her over. “Do you want to go to the first aid office?”
“No, I’m fine. I promise.” Nikki headed off in the direction of their cabin. After a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure that Sonia was still behind her, she quickened her pace. She felt an urgency to get back, though she wasn’t sure why. A subtle pressure formed in her mind. What if Kyle had been arrested while she was gone? Worry for her brother filled her mind.
After they stowed their skis, Nikki snapped the leashes on the dogs, and led them outside. She could feel a few more aches, and while changing her socks to some dry ones, she had noticed some bruises. Sonia stepped outside behind her.
“Can I get any colder?” Sonia shivered as she took Princess’ leash from her. “I can handle Princess.”
“Are you sure?” Nikki glanced at her. “Wouldn’t you rather be inside warming up?”
“I’m right where I want to be.” Sonia held her gaze. “Until I know for sure that you’re okay, you’re going to have to get used to me being at your side.”
“Thanks.” Nikki smiled at her. She knew better than to argue. Sonia had one of the strongest wills she’d ever encountered. “At least the snow has slowed down.” She took a deep breath of the crisp air.
“For the moment. The weather forecast calls for a few more inches today.” Sonia shook her head. “It is tragic what happened. I’ve never felt more eager to get back to Dahlia.” She reached down to pet Princess as she lingered near her side.
Nikki and Sonia turned at the sound of someone walking towards them. He was too far away to see his features, but he was too big to be Kyle or Ken. As he walked towards them Nikki noticed that his spiky, dark hair, reminded her of someone. All of a sudden, she recognized him as Brent, the man from the gas station and café.
“Hello, ladies.” He smiled as he approached. “Oh, what beautiful dogs you have.” He reached his hand down for Princess to sniff.
Princess gave a sharp yap, and ducked behind Sonia’s legs.
“Sometimes she can be a little shy.” Sonia cringed.
“I understand.” Brent straightened up. “All of this must have put a damper on your vacation.”
“Did you know Ashley?” Nikki asked.
“Ashley, well yes. I’d been here for a few days and she came to clean my cabin each day.” He lowered his voice. “She wasn’t very pleasant.”
“No?” Nikki met his eyes. “Did you two have some trouble?”
“Not trouble exactly.” Brent shook his head, then lowered his voice further. “I caught her doing something she shouldn’t have been.”
“You did?” Sonia took a step closer to him. “What?”
“I don’t want to speak ill of the dead.” Brent grimaced, then took
a breath. “I thought she was a bit nosy when she cleaned my cabin. I asked her why she looked at everything. She picked up my books, and asked me about where I came from. She said she considered herself a bit of a detective. That she liked to watch detective shows, and that people’s things could tell a lot about a person. Well honestly, I didn’t like it much.” Brent cleared his throat. “I’m a private person.”
“I wouldn’t have either.” Sonia narrowed her eyes. “Being a housekeeper doesn’t give someone the right to dig through other peoples’ things.”
“I agree. Anyway, after that, I kept a closer eye on her. One day she was a bit late to show up, so I started looking for her through the windows. I was kind of hoping she wouldn’t show. But I spotted her, at the cabin across from yours.” He pointed towards Ken’s cabin. “She opened the door, and went inside.”
“To clean it?” Nikki shrugged as she listened to the man’s story.
“No, not to clean it. That was the point. The day before I overheard the guy that’s staying there arguing with Ashley about her coming into his cabin. He told her that he didn’t want her in there at any time and he refused housekeeping. Ashley got pretty sharp with him and tried to insist, but he warned her that if he saw her near his cabin again, he would report her to the owners. I thought it was a little over the top myself. She might have been a little nosy, but she was a really great housekeeper. She cleaned things fast and well. She was only slowed down when she was being nosy.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “Anyway, when I saw her at his cabin again, I thought it was strange. I didn’t want to get her in trouble.”
“Interesting. Maybe she was just being stubborn.” Sonia tilted her head from side to side. “Ken told her no, and she didn’t like to hear no.”
“It’s possible.” Brent nodded. “She could be quite mean, though.”
“Mean?” Nikki narrowed her eyes.