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Authors: Jessica Beck
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and we’ve got a massive fireplace to keep us warm and toasty. Why don’t we deal with that tomorrow? The last thing we need is someone stumbling around in the dark and getting hurt, too.”
“Someone else, you mean,” I added under my breath, just loud enough for Grace to hear it.
She nodded, and I could see the dire expression on her face in the firelight.
“Tell you what. Let’s break up into pairs and gather what we can from the rooms,” Nicole said. “Celia, you come with me. Grace, why don’t you and Suzanne stick together? Janelle, you and Georgia should team up, and why don’t you take Dina with you, while you’re at it?”
“I’d rather go with you and Celia, if you don’t mind,” Dina said.
“If you must. Remember, this is going to be a quick scouting mission. Find what you think we can use, and then hurry back here.”
We had all started to leave when Nicole motioned to me. “Suzanne, do you and Grace have a second?”
“Sure,” I said, as Grace and I joined her by the fire. “What’s up?”
“Keep your eyes open. Whoever tried to kill me might take another shot at it, given how helpless we all are right now.”
“There’s safety in numbers,” I said. “Honestly, I’m glad that Dina’s going with you and Celia.”
“Do you still think my sister might have done it?” Nicole asked me.
“I don’t know, but if there are two other people with you, there’s less chance that someone’s going to try something. It probably wouldn’t hurt if Grace and I went with you, too.”
“Thanks, but we need to stick with the original plan. Don’t worry. It will be fine.”
I had to wonder if Hank had thought the same thing just before he’d been shoved over the edge of the path, tumbling far below to his probable death, but I decided not to bring that up. I was fairly certain that it was in the forefront of Nicole’s thoughts anyway. “See you soon, then,” I said.
The moment Grace and I were away from the others, she asked me softly, “Do you honestly think this is such a good idea?”
“Maybe not, but it will take forever if we don’t break up at least a little. Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m looking for the supply closet,” Grace said as she began opening doors near the front desk. “This resort offers hikes and even overnight camping, so they have to have supplies. Sleeping bags and air mattresses might be nice to have tonight. Did you feel the way the temperature was falling when we were outside? Even with the fireplace going full blast, we still might be in for a chilly night.”
We found the supply closet after three tries, and it was a veritable gold mine. Not only were there enough sleeping bags for all of us, but there were tiny lanterns as well, all solar and crank charged, I was happy to see. Grace and I moved them out into the main area by the fireplace, rearranged some of the furniture so we could all be close to the fire, and then we waited for the others. I decided that the fire needed a little more fuel, so I threw a pair of logs onto it, watching the sparks fly as the wood landed. “There, that should help a little.”
“At least we have enough wood,” Grace said. “Did you see how much was stacked out front on the porch?”
“We’ll never burn through that, but even if we do, there’s some extra at each cottage, too.” I looked around, but no one had rejoined us yet. “Speaking of firewood, someone used a piece to try to give Nicole a very bad headache tonight.”
“What happened?”
After I told her about the booby-trapped door, Grace said, “Somebody wants that woman dead, don’t they?”
“I wouldn’t trade places with her on a bet, myself,” I said. “The question is, who’s behind all of these attempts, and who killed Hank?”
“From the way Nicole told the story, Hank’s fall wasn’t planned. He got shoved out of the way; nobody pushed him on purpose.”
“Maybe that’s so, but he was trying to keep Nicole from
“Someone else, you mean,” I added under my breath, just loud enough for Grace to hear it.
She nodded, and I could see the dire expression on her face in the firelight.
“Tell you what. Let’s break up into pairs and gather what we can from the rooms,” Nicole said. “Celia, you come with me. Grace, why don’t you and Suzanne stick together? Janelle, you and Georgia should team up, and why don’t you take Dina with you, while you’re at it?”
“I’d rather go with you and Celia, if you don’t mind,” Dina said.
“If you must. Remember, this is going to be a quick scouting mission. Find what you think we can use, and then hurry back here.”
We had all started to leave when Nicole motioned to me. “Suzanne, do you and Grace have a second?”
“Sure,” I said, as Grace and I joined her by the fire. “What’s up?”
“Keep your eyes open. Whoever tried to kill me might take another shot at it, given how helpless we all are right now.”
“There’s safety in numbers,” I said. “Honestly, I’m glad that Dina’s going with you and Celia.”
“Do you still think my sister might have done it?” Nicole asked me.
“I don’t know, but if there are two other people with you, there’s less chance that someone’s going to try something. It probably wouldn’t hurt if Grace and I went with you, too.”
“Thanks, but we need to stick with the original plan. Don’t worry. It will be fine.”
I had to wonder if Hank had thought the same thing just before he’d been shoved over the edge of the path, tumbling far below to his probable death, but I decided not to bring that up. I was fairly certain that it was in the forefront of Nicole’s thoughts anyway. “See you soon, then,” I said.
The moment Grace and I were away from the others, she asked me softly, “Do you honestly think this is such a good idea?”
“Maybe not, but it will take forever if we don’t break up at least a little. Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m looking for the supply closet,” Grace said as she began opening doors near the front desk. “This resort offers hikes and even overnight camping, so they have to have supplies. Sleeping bags and air mattresses might be nice to have tonight. Did you feel the way the temperature was falling when we were outside? Even with the fireplace going full blast, we still might be in for a chilly night.”
We found the supply closet after three tries, and it was a veritable gold mine. Not only were there enough sleeping bags for all of us, but there were tiny lanterns as well, all solar and crank charged, I was happy to see. Grace and I moved them out into the main area by the fireplace, rearranged some of the furniture so we could all be close to the fire, and then we waited for the others. I decided that the fire needed a little more fuel, so I threw a pair of logs onto it, watching the sparks fly as the wood landed. “There, that should help a little.”
“At least we have enough wood,” Grace said. “Did you see how much was stacked out front on the porch?”
“We’ll never burn through that, but even if we do, there’s some extra at each cottage, too.” I looked around, but no one had rejoined us yet. “Speaking of firewood, someone used a piece to try to give Nicole a very bad headache tonight.”
“What happened?”
After I told her about the booby-trapped door, Grace said, “Somebody wants that woman dead, don’t they?”
“I wouldn’t trade places with her on a bet, myself,” I said. “The question is, who’s behind all of these attempts, and who killed Hank?”
“From the way Nicole told the story, Hank’s fall wasn’t planned. He got shoved out of the way; nobody pushed him on purpose.”
“Maybe that’s so, but he was trying to keep Nicole from
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