Our last dinner was slated to be a special one.
Sonny announced dinner would be served at the fire pit, and recommended everyone get changed for our special meal. We had extra time to get ready before the meal would be served.
I didn’t want to waste time getting ready or being in the room. I beat Charlotte to the bathroom and slammed the door as she yelled at me for hogging the bathroom.
I quickly showered and left the bathroom in the lodge’s plush white robe, freeing the bathroom for her use.
She didn’t even say thank you.
I dressed in a slip floral dress and white sandals. The dress was the one item of clothing I hadn’t worn on our vacation. Also the only item of clothing I had left that was clean.
I threw my hair up in a bun, applied light makeup and made to leave. With my hand on the doorknob, I remembered the need for an escort. I called the front desk and requested one.
Moments later, there was a soft knock on the door.
“Leaving now, Charlotte,” I yelled toward the bathroom. The water was still running and I knew she wouldn’t hear me. I also knew she’d be glad I was gone.
Colin and Hazel were at the bar when I entered the lounge area. I felt silly for changing. They’d chosen to remain in their safari clothes and enjoy a drink by themselves at the bar. I was conspicuous in my pink dress.
“Don’t you look lovely, dear!” Hazel exclaimed when she saw me. My self-consciousness evaporated. Colin nodded in agreement. He pointed to a chair across from them and I sat.
“Maybe next time you can visit here again it’ll be on your honeymoon.” She droned on about their honeymoon and I did my best to feign interest. She was a nice lady. I didn’t want to appear rude but I knew she, and her husband, hadn’t killed Dr. Higgins. Their conversation was of little use to me.
Advice came out from behind the bar and brought me a multicolored drink. “A special drink for your last night,” he told me. It appeared to be the same one as he had made for Sabrina the night Dr. Higgins died.
“Thank you,” I told him before he walked away. I took a sip and tried not to wince.
Whew, it was a strong one. I put it down, knowing I needed a clear mind for tonight.
I waited until my suspects had all arrived. Geri and Jack were next. I was relieved they had also changed clothing. Jack wore khaki slacks and a white button-up shirt. Geri too had changed into a dress, far more low-cut and revealing than mine. She wore a turquoise blue maxi dress. Sure, they’d let her wear blue. My wearing blue had been the most traumatic event of the trip. (Although, Dr. Higgins had a different view of the most traumatic event of the trip.)
Geri squealed when Advice brought her what he called his signature cocktail. Advice looked to Jack. “My usual please. I’ll skip your cocktail.”
“Thought you’d say that,” Advice answered and handed him a beer he’d been hiding behind his back.
“You look nice, Rookie,” Jack told me as he came over.
“Thank you. You clean up nicely as well.”
“Oh! You should see him in his uniform,” Geri told me. She had her phone out, snapping pictures of her drink. “I’ll show you.”
“Not now, Geri.”
She agreed and put her phone back in her purse.
The trio arrived next. The boys had changed into T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. To them, I’m sure they were dressed up. Sabrina wore a loose black skirt that hung to her knees and a ruffled black tank top. Compared to the others, she looked like she was in mourning.
Advice handed each young man a soda and Sabrina his specialty cocktail. She stared at it for a moment and then took it from him. She didn’t take a sip. I knew she’d seen the special drink before and wondered why she looked at it so intently.
Charlotte arrived and I handed her Advice’s signature cocktail. She took a sip. “That’s good. Thanks.”
Sonny called the group over to join him at the fire pit. We followed him down a lantern-lit pathway to our dinner spot. A long table, covered with white linens and set for our party, awaited. The fire pit crackled in the far corner. The only light this evening would be the fire and the brilliance of a million stars.
Charlotte and I were at the end of the pack.
She took another sip of her drink before commenting, “I don’t like your look.”
“My look? Everyone said I looked pretty.”
“You do. I don’t like this look,” she clarified, using her pointer finger to circle my face.
“And what look is that?”
“The look that says I’m going to use my feminine wiles to catch a killer.”
“My feminine wiles. Why, Charlotte, I didn’t know I had any feminine wiles.” I looked down at myself. “But now that you mention it, I do intend to use them.” I’d watched Geri enough this trip to learn a few things.
“Oh for goodness sakes,” I heard her mumble as I walked away.
I said it just to irritate her. Who exactly would I use my feminine wiles on? Zonah was barely legal and Zaden was a child. I could not, and would not, flirt with either of them. The only other option was Jack. And, to be perfectly honest, I think if I flirted with Jack, Geri might hurt me. She was a nice lady but in a fight, I’d put money on her. She had fierceness about her, plus a fifty-pound weight advantage.
If provoked, I bet she’d fight back. It made me pause. Could I instigate a fight to reveal the killer?
I sat next to Jack and tried to remember how to flirt. It had been a while. He took Geri’s hand and I realized I couldn’t do it. One, I couldn’t flirt with a man thirty years my senior that I wasn’t even remotely attracted to. Two, it just felt wrong to ruin their vacation, on the chance they had committed a murder.
Plus, would flirting to get what I want make me a prostitute? Maybe Leticia’s Pretty Woman analogy had been right. I shook it off. Advice brought me over a bitter lemon and vodka.
“Thank you,” I said.
Sonny stood at the head of the table. “To my favorite group that I’ve led here.” He held up his drink to toast.
“You think we’re his first group he’s led here?” Jack whispered to me.
I tried to contain a laugh. “I’m guessing he says that to all his groups.”
“Better for the tips, I’m sure.”
He was met with “Cheers” and “Salud” from the guests.
“To our favorite field guide,” Jack toasted, which was met with cheers. “And to our favorite tracker,” he added, holding his beer in Ray’s direction. This was also met with “cheers” and “thank you’s” from the group.
The appetizers, tempura vegetables with various dipping sauces, were served. As my fellow guests drank and ate, I looked around the table. There was killer in our mix and I hadn’t been able to identify him, or her.
Most would say eating by the light of the fire was romantic.
I found the lighting ominous.