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Kylie and Zack walked up and quickly sat down. “Mind if we join you? We can’t very well come to your room anymore with the hall monitors in place.” Kylie rushed to say.
“We can’t be seen with you for long either, management is strict on fraternizing with the guests.” Zack’s voice held an edge that betrayed there was more to his comment.
I raised an eyebrow at his surprising attitude.
“Don’t mind him, he’s upset that the latest love of his life is forbidden to him. She’s here with her parents and Zack thinks he’s in love.” Kylie shared with cold efficiency and a hint he did this regularly. She rolled her eyes to top off her statement.
Porsche, Tammy, and I exchanged looks in an attempt to not laugh at the young man. However, Zack was oblivious to our hidden smiles and coughs. I almost shared how sweet it was but stopped myself before embarrassing him.
I cleared my throat to be serious, “Anything new to report?”
Kylie glanced around then leaned forward. “I actually have a message for you. Seems Kara’s ex would like to speak to the guests who have made friends with the investigating detective. He’d especially like to talk to the gal dating Detective Larson.” The skeptical look on her face was like my father’s when I’d told him a whopper lie. It was the “You expect me to believe that load of crap?” look.
“Well, that’s new.” Tammy said.
“Did he give you an idea why he wants to meet with us?” I asked.
“Something about wanting to convince you of his innocence. But I suspect he wants you to influence the detective for him.” She sat back and crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Kylie might have a young face, but right now she seemed older, a touch worldly-wise, even jaded.
“Did he have a place and time in mind?” I asked.
“You aren’t seriously thinking of meeting with him?” Porsche snapped and her eyes squinted at me.
“No, I thought both of us would go. Strength in numbers and all that. Tammy and these two could wait for us nearby.” I explained in my gentle and coaxing voice – because that always worked.
“Tonight at ten, in the children’s craft room. But even with the three of us outside, I don’t know if you should.”
I looked at Porsche. She read my mind, like when we were in school, “You’ll just go anyway if I don’t. Okay, we’ll go together. Don’t make me regret this.”
My gentle and coaxing voice worked again, it’s better than a Jedi mind trick. Kylie and Zack left with promises to be outside the room in a few minutes waiting for us and left. We only had a few minutes before the meeting.
“Wish I knew martial arts,” Tammy stated.
“She’s been getting private lessons from her dreamy boyfriend.” Porsche blurted out, then stopped and covered her mouth.
“It’s self-defense lessons and I got all of four lessons.” I wanted to move away from the sensitive topic.
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. This is such a romantic resort...” I tuned it out. For the umpteenth time, yes, it’s a romantic hotel and would’ve been wonderful to curl up with Mason next to a fire in the Lobby watching the snowfall. I took a deep breath and ignored the squeeze of my heart and tightening around my lungs.
We paid and left to meet Bryce, Kara’s ex and the most likely suspect right now. I had my purse containing pepper spray with me. I now carried pepper spray with me regularly after Mason convinced me to last fall. I also had those four self-defense lessons from Mason. It was something at least, but I had no delusions it was a perfect plan.
We met outside the door to the children’s craft room, which appeared to be unlocked. Then I noticed a sign on the door to pick out your mask for the party tomorrow night. For a moment I thought Bryce jimmied the lock to the kids’ craft room like the killer might have done to surprise and kill the two victims. But it seems the room was left open for convenience to pick up masks.
“Keep the door open a little, don’t let it latch, so you can hear us,” I told Tammy as we opened the door and entered the dimly lit room
All along one wall were seemingly hundreds of half-masks hanging, clearly made by the children. Some more elaborate masks seemed made by teens with active imaginations and talent. There were elaborate feathered and rhinestone ones, harlequin styled, and lots of cat or dog themed masks, several with wild-animal faces. I felt like a wall of masked people was watching.
In the half-light, Bryce was clearly visible, sitting at a worktable waiting. He slumped, elbow on the table, and his head in a hand, which looked as if it kept his head from falling off. His eyes had dark circles and his pale face glowed in the muted light making him look ghoulish.
“Could we turn on more lights?” Porsche, the horror movie addict, asked right away. I second that request. Gulp.
Bryce simply pointed to the wall at the front of the room, but I looked around and saw the companion switch near the doorway we entered through and snapped it on. The bank of fluorescent overheads blinked a few times then splashed its garish blue-tinged light over the room. You would think the harsh brightness would make the masks look less eerie, but you’d be wrong. The bright light cast the hollow eyes of the masks in stark shadow making them more ominous, as if dark eyes followed me.
I looked around, we seemed alone with Bryce. My eyes searched him for signs of a weapon or an inkling of violent intent. I shook my head and drove scenes from the “Shining” that began playing out of my head
He raised his arms, “I’m alone and unarmed. I’m quite sure the two of you could take me no problem.” I wouldn’t bet on that personally. That sounded too close to “Trust Me!”
He lowered his arms. “I just wanted to talk, maybe you could put in a good word for me with that detective you’re dating.” He directed his comments to Porsche, presumably because she was dating Johan. He was behind the times, that was so yesterday.
“Why not talk to Larson yourself?” I didn’t feel comfortable with his staring at Porsche in that creepy glassy gaze.
His eyes flitted to me, “I have talked to him. Seems just because I was married to that... woman, I’m the prime suspect. The divorce was finalized a year ago and I’d gotten on with my life. Who knew she could ruin my life even in now.”
From the look of him, he was either worried about his being a suspect, Kara haunting him, or his guilt was eating away at him. He could still be the killer. But I couldn’t think why he would kill Leona. Standing here the financial planner gone wrong didn’t ring true and I had this nagging feeling the two deaths were related.
There was a part of me that could relate to being suspected for what appeared a circumstantial reason. I experienced it first hand when the networking meeting I coordinated at Colorado Springs Resort resulted in a prominent attendee’s murder. I still couldn’t shake my doubts about Bryce though, or maybe it was nerves.
“I’m sure if you have somebody who can vouch for you that night, you know... an alibi... then the detective will look at others.” Oh, I couldn’t help it. Here he was asking us to believe him blindly.
“Well, that’s a bit tricky.” He swallowed. “My girlfriend and I had a little disagreement and she stayed the night elsewhere. She came back early and packed. She may have made it out of town before the storm made the roads impassable.”
“So, you’ve no alibi. Did Kara’s behavior at dinner tick you off?” Porsche hit him with both barrels.
I shot her an “are you out of your mind because he could be out of his?” look. She leveled a “don’t give me any sass when this was your idea” look back at me.
“I didn’t want anything to do with her. I wanted to leave when I saw she was staying here, but then the argument with my girlfriend happened. I stayed in hopes she would come back and we could just move to any other hotel together. Then she packed and left me, by the time I packed and was at the desk to check out and go home, they said the roads were closed. I just lost my fight after that.”
I noticed he didn’t really answer Porsche. I was itching to ask my own question but had my doubts about how he might react. Porsche had already blazed that trail with her question.
“What about Leona? Did you know her or maybe were a client?” I held my breath.
“I don’t even know who that woman was, I could’ve sat next to her and not known it because I never met her.”
“Look, I can appreciate the position you’re in, more than you know. But, I don’t know what we can do for you. The police, even the detective, won’t listen to our opinions. They have to follow the evidence.”
“But, I didn’t do anything.” He whined. It was his whine that irritated me.
“You have no alibi, you have a motive of revenge or snapping from the final straw over dinner, and you had opportunity staying here by yourself.” I left out anything about the nail gun being swiped from a room under renovation. Perhaps he would mention it himself.
Porsche shot me the “are you out of your mind?” look after my bleak summation of his situation. Sure I was poking the bear, but at this point he seemed to be more whipped than dangerous. Of course, I reminded myself, looks could be deceiving.
“All I can do is ask you to please just... just maybe... ask the detective to... I don’t know... look harder at the other suspects.” His eyes pleaded with both of us.
It occurred to me that Johan must have questioned him again, and put some pressure on him, for him to resort to this last-ditch effort for mercy. Maybe Johan was looking at him as the top suspect.
“We’ll let the detective know you asked us to speak to him on your behalf. We can’t promise how he’ll take the news.”
I turned to leave but Porsche walked over to the wall to pick a mask. “Do you really want those in our room staring at us?”
“I’ll hide them in a drawer.” She grabbed two with feathers and rhinestones and we left Bryce still sitting at the table, his head in his hands.
Once outside the room, I couldn’t shake the creepy feeling. I did a little jig stomping my feet and shaking my arms.
“What’s wrong? Did he do something?” Kylie asked with concern in her voice.
“Trying to shake off the eerie feeling from all those masks in the room watching.” Now it was their turn to hide their laughing at me.
I turned to Porsche, “Should we find Johan and let him know of our meeting?”
“I’ll find him and let him know.” Porsche declared. I was happy to give her some time to talk to him by herself. I suspected they had more to say to one another.
We said our good nights to the others and would see them in the morning at breakfast before our spa appointment.
I was on my own and wanted to change and go to the Jacuzzi again to relax. My mind was churning over the suspects, all the motives or lack of solid motives for Leona, and all the speculation.
I was halfway down the hallway to my room when I stopped. I looked behind me and before me again.
Where was the hall monitor? Seriously, where was the monitor to check identification and keep us all safe? I felt the hall lengthen and the walls close in around me. Maybe it’s just a bathroom break. I tried to breathe but I felt panic like a finger of ice run up my spine.
The soft green carpet seemed a sickly shade now and the hall lights were dimmer than I remembered.
Could that meeting have been to waste our time, keep us out of our room? I mentally kicked my own butt because that wasn’t logical. Bryce couldn’t know both Porsche and I would come to talk... unless getting one of us alone was the plan.
Another kick in the patoot, nobody can predict where a guest would be with all the activities planned. Besides, such distraction would require more than one person involved and I wasn’t ready to increase the killer count.
I had almost got my breathing under control when a disembodied stage whisper reached me. “Curiosity killed the cat, Missy. You’ve been asking too many questions.” It was a ragged whisper and although I thought it was a man, it could easily be a woman affecting coarseness to disguise the voice. I thought it came from down the hall toward the exit stairwell. I seemed rooted to the spot as if my feet were nailed down.
A door opened just behind me and to the right sending my heart into triple time rhythm. I jumped and looked back to see a man leaving his room, stop and stare at me with his eyebrows meeting his hairline.
“Where....” My voice was anemic. I swallowed and started again. “Where’s the hall monitor?” If the man moved toward me, I swear I might scream. My nerves were sizzling. It was that wall of masks, they made me into a frightened little bunny. Of course, the disembodied, ominous, and creepy voice didn’t help either.
“Don’t know, he was here about ten minutes ago. Bet he had to take a whiz.” He chuckled as he turned and walked away from me. I was torn, did I turn and watch him walk away or face toward my door?
Another door opened down past my room and I about jumped to the ceiling. The woman walked past, scooting around me.
Suddenly my feet were scurrying to my door, the key card already in my shaky hand. I watched the red light on my hotel room lock, it seemed eons before it turned green and I fumbled with the handle.
I darted inside and switched on the entry light and stood with my back against the closed door examining the room. I was shaky. I liked the solid door to my back, maybe because a killer had grabbed me from behind last fall.
I bent over and took deep breaths. Congratulations LaMere, you scared the crap out of yourself. I was beginning to doubt I’d even heard a voice, I could have easily imagined the whole spooky incident. No wonder there was nearly a riot after Leona was found, guests were scared, jumpy, on edge if my reaction was any indication.
Still standing with my back to the door, I realized it had bothered me that a key suspect singled out Porsche and myself. I couldn’t help that people noticed Johan and Porsche were dating and I wouldn’t think that would make her a target, but I counted on the killer being unaware how interested in the gossip I had been. This trip I was getting my master’s degree in gossip.
Perhaps subconsciously I was anxious that my interest had been noticed and my imagination created the voice just now.
I pushed off the door. I wasn’t sure about going to the Jacuzzi now. I didn’t think I could walk down the hallway again. I could fully understand why some people were afraid to leave their houses. What was that again, agoraphobia? Hell, I was quickly convincing myself that barricading myself in the room until we could leave was the best plan I’d ever heard.
I turned on the television to get my mind off the missing hall monitor and the dubious creepy whisper. Movie choices were the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Man in the Iron Mask, The Shining, and the Horror of Dracula. Oh goody. Was the universe telling me something?
At least nobody had suggested the killer was a vampire that could mesmerize Kara and Leona. A killer ghost, but no vampire...that I had heard anyway. Although, that would explain why there was no blood around Kara’s body in the snow. Stop it! Johan had already said lack of blood wasn’t unusual with a nail gun injury wound.
I palm-slapped my forehead. My imagination was running scared too. I kept flipping channels to the shopping networks and found...nail guns for a great low price. Seriously? I finally found a sit-com and let that play in the background. I ached for my clarinet, but I didn’t think neighboring guests would appreciate a solo concert so I had left it home. At times like this, I liked to play a technically challenging piece to get my mind off any problems. Something like the “Flight of the Bumblebee” could keep me busy for hours.
I helped myself to the mini-bar and made a chamomile tea spiked with rum. Not my finest mixology but I was working with what I had on hand. I drank my spiked tea in a hot bath with Epsom salts the hotel provided for those guests who were skiers.
I was replenishing my hot bath water, my hands and feet wrinkled, when Porsche returned. At least I hoped she was the person who entered.
“Porsche, that you?” I called out.
A knock on the door, “Can I come in?”
I pulled the shower curtain two-thirds closed for a little privacy. “Sure.”
“Just checking on you, saw the mini-bar was raided.” She knew I hated paying the high prices for in-room refreshments.
“Was there a hall monitor out there?” I asked.
“Yeah, I forgot all about it until he asked for my identification.”
I relayed my scaring myself to near hysteria and then the movie selections, although I didn’t mention the voice I heard. At this point, I was seriously questioning that I had heard anything at all. We both were laughing by the time I was done. We laughed until we cried, emotional release from the tense days I guess.
She wiped her eyes and left me to finish my bath. I toweled off and joined her. When my feet touched the floor, I marveled at the heated marble. I was getting spoiled.
She had started a fire in the fireplace and had put upbeat music on the radio. I had upgraded to this junior suite just to have the gas log fireplace. It took up a corner, was rounded and of smooth white stucco. Two chairs and a side table sat in front of the fireplace creating a little seating area.
“Did Johan share anything about the investigation?” I suspected he was more likely to share with her than anybody else.
“He wanted me to tell you no heart necklace with rubies was found in Leona’s room. He didn’t say anything further.” She relayed the information without emotion.
“Did he say if it appears to be a robbery gone wrong?” Which I suppose was a possibility; depending on if Leona could have gone down to the bar sometime after Johan had questioned her at her door. Then perhaps came back and interrupted a resort burglar. Valuables have been stolen from hotel rooms before. But, robberies in hotel rooms typically occurred when the room was unoccupied. If the intention was to steal valuables from her room, wouldn’t they have broken in during the day when it was most likely she would be gone?
“No, he didn’t say. But that isn’t what happened with Kara Caine. Stealing a nail gun is a bit premeditated to kill a person and not likely for a burglary, interrupted or not.” She pointed out.
“I agree.” We briefly revisited the thought that Leona’s death had been unrelated and somebody used the opportunity thinking we would lump the deaths together. What if Leona’s death was truly unrelated to Kara’s and Leona simply interrupted a burglar?” I explained.
“Sure, it would fit. It’s logical, but I think it’s improbable. People haven’t been in their rooms much with all the activities to keep guests engaged and occupied. We know Leona took the baking and painting class, so she was involved and not sitting in her room during the day. I would think a smart burglar would have slipped in during the day, around lunchtime perhaps, when the risk of getting caught is lowest.” Porsche conjectured. It was as though she were reading my mind.
I got up to make us some decaf coffee. “Good point, the timing is all off. Even a second-rate burglar would pick the best time to avoid getting caught in the act.” I held up the coffee pot and she nodded. Once the coffee was brewing, I continued.
“Okay, scrap the burglar idea. Did he say anything else?”
“Not on the case.”
“Did you talk with Johan more about your growing feelings for each other.”? It sounded silly to put it that way, but it was accurate.
She swallowed. “I, ummm... we talked for a brief moment or two. Not much more to say. Long distance relationships are notorious failures. We won’t have a strong enough foundation built in just a few days. So, it’s best to stop it now before we got too... attached.” She was attempting to appear resolved with the decision, but I could tell her heart ached.
I handed her a disposable mug with decaf coffee the way she liked it. She tucked her legs under her and held the cup with both hands and stared into the fire.
“Sorry. Should I put on some crying in your beer songs from the laptop? We can really wallow. I can rant about what a pathetic man he is to let you get away. I will fulfill my best friend role fully.” I was serious, but I hoped she didn’t need the full treatment.
“I really want to take a pillow and hit you with it right now. No, I don’t want to wallow. This whole time with Johan was supposed to be for fun, and before I knew it I was thinking of rearranging my life and moving up here to be with him.” She shook her head in wonder.
“I keep hearing how finding somebody happens when you least expect it. In this case, I think the universe is being a tad sadistic.” I proclaimed.
We sat in front of the fire and talked into the night about everything in our lives. By the time we tumbled into our respective beds, it was late, but we felt stronger and knew we would have each other’s back no matter what came in the next days and months.