by Cindy Bell
Sonia gazed out the window as snow continued to fall. There was a time when she considered it beautiful, but now it was really getting old. The more snow that fell, the less chance there was of the roads being opened.
“Where are you, Nikki?” Sonia frowned. She tried her cell phone, and again was sent straight to voicemail. Either Nikki had turned her phone off, or she had no service, or something worse. She shuddered at the thought. “No, she’s fine. I’m sure she’s fine.” She began to pace back and forth. She placed a call to Kyle. His phone also went to voicemail. Desperate, she decided to send a text to Quinn. She knew that Nikki wouldn’t be happy when she found out, but Quinn was the only person she trusted to help. She placed a call to the local police as well. After that, she tried to reassure herself that everything would be fine. But with each snowflake that fell, her stomach twisted. Coco was dying for a walk. Nikki would know that. She would also know that Sonia couldn’t handle walking both of the dogs for longer than it took for them to take a break. So why wasn’t she back?
Sonia wrung her hands and continued to pace. A sharp knock on the door made her jump. She turned towards it. Maybe Nikki had forgotten her key? As she pulled open the door, she smiled in anticipation of seeing her friend. Instead Ken peered in at her.
“Weather turned. I just wanted to make sure you were okay over here.” He stepped into the cabin.
“I can’t talk now, Ken. Nikki is missing. I need to find out what’s happened to her.” Sonia pulled her phone out of her pocket. Maybe the police had found something, maybe Quinn had.
“Missing?” Ken took a step towards her. “You have no idea where she went?”
“Maybe I have some idea.” She took a sharp breath, then met his eyes. “Can you take me somewhere on a snowmobile, Ken?”
“Of course, I can.” He smiled. “Where do you want to go?”
“Fir Mountain.” Sonia narrowed her eyes. “I’m sure that’s where she went. I’m really worried about her. I think she might have gone off by herself. What if she’s hurt?”
“Try not to worry.” Ken reached for her hand. “Nikki is a big girl, she can handle herself.”
“You don’t understand, she’ll do anything to protect her brother. What if she’s taken things too far? I need to call and check with the police again.” Sonia started to call.
“You won’t be needing that.” Ken snatched the phone out of her hand.
Coco leaped to his feet and began to bark at Ken.
“Quiet him, now, or we’re going to have a problem.” Ken remained in front of the door as he pocketed Sonia’s phone.
“Shh, Coco.” Sonia crouched down and ran her hand along the dog’s fur. “It’s all right.” She gulped down the fear that flooded her as she looked in Ken’s direction. It was clear to her that everything was not all right. Nikki had been right, Ken was a dangerous man.
“Good, go on, sit down.” Ken gestured to the couch. “I’m not going to hurt you, Sonia. Not if you don’t give me a reason to.”
“Ken. Why are you doing this?” Sonia watched as he headed for the kitchenette. She was tempted to jump up and run for the door, but she knew that he could beat her there.
“Where is that wine I brought you?” Ken rummaged through the kitchen.
“It’s chilling.” Sonia bit into her bottom lip to hold back a gasp.
“Great. Perfect.” Ken pulled the bottle of wine out and smiled as he gazed at the label. “It’s my favorite.”
Sonia’s eyes widened as she recognized the label. She hadn’t really looked at it the night before. It was the same brand as the bottle of wine in the picture on Ashley’s camera.
“It was you,” Sonia whispered.
“Me?” Ken’s eyes snapped towards her. “What do you know about me?”
“Nothing.” Sonia cleared her throat. “I don’t know anything, Ken. I wanted to know you. I thought you were a good man.”
“I am.” Ken opened the wine, then gathered two wine glasses. “Some would say I’m a very good man. I’ve been very generous throughout my life. But I made one mistake.” He filled both glasses to the brim, then set the bottle of wine down. “I took some things.” He picked up the wine glasses and walked towards her. “And due to unfortunate circumstances, I had to kill someone to protect my identity, to keep from getting caught.” He paused in front of her, and offered her one of the glasses. “Things get out of hand so quickly.”
“No, thank you.” Sonia drew back against the couch.
“Don’t, don’t do that.” Ken squinted at her and thrust the glass towards her. A few drops of the liquid splashed over the brim of the glass and dropped down onto the white trousers he wore.
“I’m sorry,” Sonia whispered, and took the glass from him.
“That’s better. This doesn’t have to be any different than we planned. Remember? We were going to spend the afternoon together.” Ken sat down beside her. After a long swallow of his wine, he looked over at her. “You’re such a wonderful woman, Sonia.”
“What have you done to Nikki?” Sonia shivered as he leaned closer to her.
“What makes you think I’ve done anything to her?” Ken chuckled. “She was foolish enough to get herself in some bad circumstances. Nothing I can do about that.”
“What circumstances?” Her heartbeat quickened, though it was already racing.
“Never mind that. I need to work out what to do with you, now that you know I am on the run.”
“On the run?” Sonia stared at him, stunned by the revelation. She realized that Ken thought she knew many secrets about him.
Nikki gazed down into the open box. Her heart pounded as she saw the stack of photographs and papers. She reached into the box and pulled them out.
“This is what Ashley was hiding.” Nikki pulled off one of her gloves and began to sift through the photographs. Max was featured prominently in the first few. There was a photograph of him with his two dogs, as well as one of him with Gloria. The third one showed Max, Gloria, and Ken huddled around the desk in the lobby. Beneath those, were more pictures. These featured Ken. Ken on the snowmobile, Ken with a bottle of wine in his hand, Ken putting on a pair of ski goggles.
“I don’t understand, why are there so many pictures of Ken?” Nikki frowned as she dug a little deeper into the stack.
“Never mind that, give me the box.” Kyle snatched it from her hands, then began to dig at the snow that blocked the door of the cave.
“Wait a minute.” Nikki’s eyes widened as she studied the pictures of Ken. One featured a birthmark on the back of his neck. Another depicted a scar on the back of his hand. “It’s almost as if she was trying to identify him.” She skimmed back over the other photographs. Suddenly her heart lurched. “It’s the same wine in the photograph on Ashley’s camera.” She searched further and found a folded-up piece of paper. She opened it to reveal what looked like an article printed out from an online newspaper. Wine Thief on the Run. Nikki read through the article that detailed how a wine maker that used to work at a winery in Ettowah had taken off with thousands of dollars from takings and many bottles of wine, including a dozen vintage bottles of wine worth thousands. The thief was still on the run.
“Nikki, I don’t think you know how serious our situation is here.” Kyle shot her a stern look. “We need to get out of here.”
“Yes, we do. Kyle, it was Ken. He’s the one that killed Ashley, I know it. She was blackmailing him, that’s why she wanted to meet him up here.” Nikki frowned. “It’s why he killed her. To keep his secret.”
“Maybe, but if that’s the case, then his problem is already solved. No one else knows what he’s hiding.” Kyle hacked at the snow in front of him. “And there’s no way we are going to be able to tell them.”
“Let me help.” Nikki pulled one of her boots off and used the tread on the bottom to dig at the snow. By the time she finally dropped it, her arm felt as if it might fall off. She gazed at the minimal progress she had made. Kyle had managed to get thr
ough a bit of the snow, but the news wasn’t good.
“The snow is thicker than I’d hoped. It’s going to take some more time. We should rest for a few minutes.” Kyle looked at her. “Nikki, we need to conserve as much energy and heat as we can. You need to turn off your flashlight, we’ll just use mine.”
As Nikki slid her finger across the screen to turn off her flashlight, she noticed the time. Stunned, she looked up at her brother.
“Merry Christmas, Kyle!”
“You’re not serious?” He stepped closer to her. “Has it been that long?”
“I’m afraid so.” Her chest tightened as she realized what that meant. There was a good chance that they wouldn’t make it through the night, and just about zero chance that anyone was coming for them. It was so dark she shivered.
“It’s Christmas.” Kyle sighed and closed his eyes. “And we’re stuck here. Mom and Dad are probably stranded at some airport. All because I had the good idea to invite you all here.”
“Kyle, none of this is your fault.” Nikki wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.” She pulled him closer. “We just need to keep each other warm, and trust that someone will find us.”
“It’s hard for me to trust in something that’s so unlikely.” He frowned.
“What other choice do we have?” Nikki shivered as the cold seeped into her. The thought of the darkness that would surround them when they ran out of battery terrified her. But she needed to remain strong for Kyle. “We have to trust.”
“You’re right.” Kyle rested his head back against the wall of the cave. “This is just some terrible set of circumstances. Maybe everything will turn around, maybe luck will be on our side. We need a miracle.”
Nikki’s stomach twisted as it occurred to her that it might not have just been bad luck. If Ken was trying to hide something about himself, maybe he began to get suspicious of Sonia for asking questions. Maybe, he had decided that they were onto him. Maybe, he had followed them up the side of Fir Mountain.
“Kyle, what if we weren’t alone up here?” Nikki tipped her head to the side to look at him. “What if someone trapped us in here?”
“I told you, it’s dangerous up here. It’s just a coincidence, Nikki. There is no way anyone could have caused this to happen.” Kyle pulled away from her. “I’m going to see if I can dig a little more. You should try to get some rest.”
“Kyle, you’ve barely sat down.” Nikki grabbed his hand. “You’re going to exhaust yourself.”
“What does it matter?” Kyle glanced back at her. “If we don’t get out of here, we’re never going home, Nikki. Never.”
Nikki realized that her brother had given up. She watched as he tore at the snow. Why wouldn’t he give up? Things were stacked against them. Sonia’s words carried through her mind. She’d encouraged her to stay optimistic. If that was the only tool she had left, then that was the tool she would use.
“I’m not going to need rest in here. We’re going to get out of here soon.” Nikki grabbed her boot and began hacking at the snow again.
“Easy Nikki, don’t hurt yourself.” Kyle ground the metal box into the snow. “I think we’re making some progress. But if you hear a crack or a creek, get back right away. Snow is extremely heavy, it can crush us if we get caught under it.”
“I’ll be careful.” Nikki continued to dig right beside him. Maybe it wasn’t the way she had imagined spending Christmas morning, but she was glad that Kyle was with her. She’d prefer that he’d be somewhere far away and safe, but as it was, at least they had each other.
Chapter 17
Sonia looked over at the clock. It was almost midnight. She closed her eyes as Ken walked past her, then back towards the door.
“I just want to spend some time with you before I go. The roads are clearing up and I have to leave before dawn.” He turned back to look at her.
Coco whined at the front door. Princess nuzzled deeper into Sonia’s lap.
“Please, let me take the dogs out. It’s been hours, they need to use the bathroom. Let me just get some fresh air, and then I’ll spend whatever time I can with you. Okay?” Sonia’s voice wavered as she spoke. She did her best to ignore the fear that bubbled up within her. She guessed that soon he would kill her. She wanted to buy some time. Her thoughts remained on Nikki. She knew now that there was no chance Nikki was somewhere safe. She would never be gone so long.
“Fine, take the dogs out.” Ken crossed his arms as he stared at her. “I’ll be going with you. If you try to get anyone’s attention, if you try to run, your time will be up.” Ken locked his eyes to hers.
“I won’t do any of that.” Sonia shook her head. “I promise.”
“Good.” Ken smiled as he stroked her cheek. “I didn’t think that you would, but I thought it would be best to make things clear.”
“Crystal clear.” Sonia managed a smile.
“Excellent. Make sure you bundle up. It’s freezing out there.” Ken gestured to her coat on the coat rack near the door.
“Sure.” Sonia grabbed her coat, slid on her boots, and even wrapped a scarf around her neck. However, at the last moment she pulled the scarf back off. Wasn’t that how Ashley had died? She didn’t want to give Ken any ideas. It made her feel sick to think that she hadn’t really suspected him. She was more eager to believe that the killer was Gloria, or Betsy, or Max, or Brent, than to even consider that it could be Ken. Now that she knew for sure, she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. How could a man as fascinating and eloquent as Ken turn out to be one of the worst kinds of people, a murderer? As she put on Princess’ leash, she felt her heart lurch. She needed to protect the dogs. She needed to keep them safe.
Sonia stepped out into the brisk night air, and realized it was colder than she had ever felt it. Ice seemed to flow through her veins as she held tightly to the leashes. If Nikki was there, she would know exactly what to do to keep the dogs calm. Especially since she was sure that they could both tell just how frightened she was. But even though she was scared Sonia knew that she would do anything to keep Princess and Coco safe.
Sonia was a few steps away from the door of the cabin, with Ken right behind her, when she heard sudden footsteps, and then a thump. She gasped and spun around in time to see a figure wrestling Ken to the ground.
Coco began to bark, and soon Princess joined in. Both dogs created quite a commotion, at a time when most guests at the resort would have been sleeping. As the man on top of Ken finally subdued him, Sonia heard the sound of handcuffs clicking shut.
“Quinn?” Sonia squinted through the darkness at the man who got to his feet.
“Sonia.” Quinn met her eyes. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.” She shook her head as she stared at him. “What are you doing here? How did you know to come?”
“Where’s Nikki?” Quinn looked back towards the cabin. “I’ve been watching through the window for a chance to get to Ken, but I didn’t see her inside. I got your text earlier saying you weren’t sure where she was. Is she still missing?”
“Yes, Quinn I’m sorry. It’s been hours.” Sonia gasped as Ken squirmed on the ground.
“Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere.” Quinn gestured to Conner and Schwitz who had been hidden by the side of the cabin. “We know exactly who you are.” Quinn stared down at the man in handcuffs. “You’re not getting away.”
“What do you mean, Quinn?” Sonia took a step towards him. “We have to do something. Explain to me what you’re talking about?”
“What’s going on here?” Max jogged up to the scene.
“This man, who you know as Ken, is on the run for theft. I was able to link together the date from the toll receipt and the date of the theft. He worked for the winery in Ettowah and took off with thousands of dollars, and thousands of dollars worth of wine. After Nikki sent me the name he was using, I ran it through the system. It popped up as a po
tential alias, and I began to sort through the information that she had given me. The pictures she sent matched the information that was on file about him. Where the money was stolen from, the direction he would have been coming from, and the blonde hair bleach.” He narrowed his eyes. “When I couldn’t get in contact with either you or Nikki, my instincts told me that you were stuck here with a murderer.”
“Wait, the hair bleach?” Sonia frowned. “Ken has light brown hair, not blonde.”
“Actually, he has dark hair. Black.” Quinn glanced over at Ken as he was escorted away. “In order to dye it light brown, he would have had to bleach it first, which explains the blonde hair bleach. I reached out to the local police department and found there had been a few tips called in about his possible presence in this area. That’s when I decided I needed to get here.” He shook his head as his gaze swept across the snow. “Luckily, the local police department was willing to assist me in getting through the roads. They’re now participating in the investigation. Officer Conner and Schwitz have been helping me.”
“Good, because I have some information to report to them. Someone has stolen a snowmobile from the garage. It was taken by Kyle.” Max glared at Sonia. “But I can guess who he was with.”
“Kyle is with her. I knew it.” Sonia sighed with relief. “At least she is not alone.”
“Is there any record of where the snowmobile went?” Quinn took a step towards Max. His eyes narrowed as they locked on Max.
“What are you going to do when you find them? I want to know that you are going to arrest them for theft.” Max crossed his arms.