On Thin Icing (9 page)

I propped a pillow behind my head and tucked my feet back into the blanket. The flames in the woodstove flickered in a silent rhythm. I must have drifted off to sleep. The next thing I knew I woke to the sound of something pelting the metal roof.

Chapter Nine

What time is it? I thought, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. The digital clock on the kitchen stove read five o’clock. Where was Carlos? I never heard him come in.

Pain shot up the side of my neck as I stretched my arms over my head. Ouch. I rubbed it and sat up. Carlos must have snuck in. The fire had gone out, but the heat had kicked on.

I rolled my shoulders trying to loosen the knot in my neck and tiptoed into the kitchen. There was a prepackaged bag of ground coffee and paper filters sitting next to the coffeepot. Desperate times call for desperate measures, Jules. I ripped the bag open and filled the carafe with water.

So much for our discussion, I thought as I continued down the dark hallway to the bedroom. Sure enough, Carlos was sound asleep on the bed. He slept on his left side with his body facing away from me. He hadn’t even bothered to crawl under the covers. I took the red and yellow woolen blanket at the bottom of the bed and carefully placed it over him. I must have really been out last night. I couldn’t believe I didn’t hear him come in.

Grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweater from my bag, I crept out of the room. I got dressed quickly and slugged down a cup of the uninspired coffee. Carlos had left the keys to the lodge on the counter. Thank goodness. I didn’t need to wake him.

My coat was toasty warm from drying in front of the fire. I zipped it up and stepped out onto the porch. My snow boots were another story. They felt like ice as I squeezed my feet into them. I’d have to remember to bring them inside tonight.

The front steps were buried under a deep layer of snow. Icy pellets fell from the dusky early morning sky. That was the sound that had woken me. My feet sank into the powder. Another eight to ten inches of new snow had fallen overnight. A thin layer of ice was forming on the snow. It crunched beneath me as I made my way forward. The resort had been transformed into a winter wonderland overnight. And by the looks of the dark clouds above, there was even more snow on the way.

Brrr. A shudder erupted in my body. I trudged through the thick snow, trying to find the trail. The purplish sky was shrouded in clouds. I used the flashlight, looking for our footprints from last night. They had disappeared. I shined the light down toward the lodge. The rest of the cabins sat in a quiet early-morning slumber. I kicked up snow as I skidded down the hill. Ice hit my face. My nose started to run.

Wind battered the trees. Gavin was right. Mother Nature was putting on quite the show.

Once I made it to the lodge, I had a better sense of how much new snow had accumulated overnight. The front of the lodge door was covered in snow. Two snow shovels were propped next to the door. This must be a common problem. I grabbed one and dug out the bottom of the door.

After I had cleared a path in front of the door, I unlocked it and yanked it open. Inside the lodge, I could see my breath as I closed the door quickly behind me. My first order of business was to get this place heated up. I was surprised that Mercury hadn’t run the heat overnight.

I flipped on the lights and found the thermostat. Heat—or lack of it—seemed to be the theme of this weekend for me. A stack of wood waiting to be burned was piled next to the fireplace. I considered lighting it, but I wanted to get a jump start on breakfast, especially since everything took longer to bake yesterday.

The kitchen windows were thick with ice. It reminded me of spun sugar. Everything was as I had left it last night with one exception. Two used glasses sat in the middle of the island. Odd.

Had Carlos had a drink with someone last night? Why did my head have to go there first? Maybe he ran into Mercury last night. Or got distracted.

I placed the glasses in the sink. Lance had asked for breakfast to be ready by nine. I had plenty of time—hopefully. My body is used to waking before dawn, and working in a quiet kitchen sounded like nirvana to me.

Breakfast would be a sampling of some of Torte’s most popular pastries. In addition to pastries we would serve fruit salad with a yogurt dressing, and a baked potato and sausage casserole. I washed my hands and tied on my apron.

“Time to get baking,” I said aloud to the empty room.

I started on the pastries first. When Sterling arrived, I would have him concentrate on the casserole. As I added warm water to yeast, a thought flashed in my head—sausage. I needed to thaw the sausages before I did anything else.

Where had Sterling put them? I thought as I removed packages of frozen corn and peas from the freezer. I scanned the shelves. Our sausages weren’t here. Sterling must have taken them to the marina.

Shoot. I was going to have to trek down and get them.

I stirred the yeast. It could rise while I grabbed the sausages. Time to go back into the cold, Jules. I shivered at the thought as I zipped my coat and tugged the hood on tight.

The sky was a lighter shade of purple as I stepped into the biting wind. Snow swirled all around me. It was as if a wall of white had swept across the lake and was heading straight toward the lodge. The sound of the wind hissing through the sturdy evergreen trees felt ominous. It looked like the weather was getting worse by the minute.

It was hard to find the path to the marina. The lake was to my right. As long as I kept the lake to that side of me, I knew I would eventually run into the marina.

For a moment I thought I saw a flash of movement on the lake. I stopped and tried to get my bearings. Was someone out there? Or was it the whipping snow?

I crunched onward, trying to remember the last time I had been in a storm like this. Probably when I was a kid. It was incredible to watch the snow spit from the sky, but this wasn’t a trek I would want to make again today. I’d have to be sure to grab as many supplies as I could carry.

After another hundred feet, the marina came into sight. Thank goodness. I let out a sigh of relief. I shielded my face with my hands as I turned into the wind toward the building.

It was hard to tell where the sky ended. Everything was a sea of white. I knew that there was a long dock attached to the marina, but it wasn’t visible in the blinding white snow.

I felt my way along a short fence and up the marina’s wooden ramp. It was slick with ice. I had to grab the wall to steady myself. I fumbled in my coat pocket for the key. Even through my insulated gloves the tips of my fingers felt numb. The gloves were too bulky. I’d have to take them off in order to use the key.

Pulling off one glove, I stuck the key in the lock and jiggled it. The lock didn’t turn. I tried it again. Nothing.

What was going on?

I removed the key and examined the lock. It looked as if something had been forced into it.

Great. Now what?

I tried again. This time I gently twisted the key from side to side.

It wouldn’t budge.

Time for a new plan, Jules. I blew into my hand to try and warm it. That’s when I noticed a shaft of light from underneath the door. I kicked the door with my foot and to my surprise it swung open.

Maybe I should have tried that first.

Snow had blown under the door in drifts. The lights in the front of the marina were on and I could hear the sound of the heater humming. Puddles of melted snow pooled in front of wire shelves stocked with fishing bait and tackles.

Uh-oh. Someone must have left the door open last night, I thought as I stomped my boots and stepped inside. Melting snow dripped from the bottom of the marina’s racks filled with chips, candy, and energy drinks. The entire store looked as if it had been blasted with snow.

What a mess.

I wasn’t sure where to find the freezer. A long wooden counter ran the length of the back wall. A chalkboard displayed snow reports and fishing conditions as well as prices for rentals. I paused and studied the sign for a moment. The words
FOR RENT
and an arrow pointed toward a rack of hunting rifles hanging on the wall. You can rent a gun? No. I glanced at the rack, it was nearly full, with one empty slot. Then I looked more closely at the sign and realized the arrow was pointed at a row of fishing poles, not the guns. That made more sense.

There was no freezer in the front of the marina, so I headed toward the attached pizza shop. It must be in there, I thought.

The pizza shop was designed in the same knotty-pine style as the rest of the resort. It had a retro feel with old video-game consoles and a bookcase filled with a variety of board games, puzzles, and books. A genius distraction to keep hungry kids occupied while they waited for their pizzas. A large whiteboard with the pizza menu read: “Closed for the season. See you again in the spring.”

I walked behind the counter into the pizza kitchen. The kitchen definitely hadn’t been used in a few months. A layer of dust had formed on the countertops and the space smelled musty. The freezer was in the back. I opened to find it stocked with premade pizza crusts, cheese, and other supplies. But not our sausages.

Where else could they be?

I surveyed the shop again. A sign directed customers outside for ice. Could that be where Sterling had put them?

Pulling my gloves back on, I took a deep breath and prepared to head into the bitter wind again. Sure enough, there was a large chest freezer on the covered deck outside. Jackpot!

I brushed snow from the top of the freezer and pushed the lid open.

A shock assaulted my body as I lifted the lid. I threw my hand over my mouth and stepped away from the freezer.

Our supplies weren’t inside the frozen cavern, but something else was. A body. A dead body.

Chapter Ten

My erratic heart rate when I saw Carlos yesterday was nothing compared to the crazy rhythm beating in my chest now. I let the freezer lid slam shut and jumped backward. This couldn’t be happening.

I rested my hand on my heart, in hopes that it would calm to a normal rate. My head spun. The white sky became even more disorienting. Was I going to pass out? I grabbed the side of the marina wall to steady myself.

Okay, think, Jules. I inhaled arctic air through my nose.

There was a dead body in the chest freezer, and I recognized his bluish face. Tony. Someone had killed him and stuffed him into the freezer. Had lack of sleep caught up with me? Was I hallucinating?

I lifted the lid an inch and dropped it again.

Nope. That was Tony, and he was dead.

Now what, Jules? I rubbed my gloves together. Get back to the lodge, I heard my voice command in my head. Yes. I needed to move and get help
now.

With one final glance at the chest freezer, I slid off the ramp to the marina and plowed forward through the snow. This time I didn’t give any thought to the icy mixture pummeling my skin. I ran as fast as I could through the deep powder. My cheeks burned from the cold. My heart rate continued to soar.

Tony was dead.

I wasn’t a fan of how lecherous he was, but I couldn’t believe that someone had killed him. It had to be murder, right? Would someone kill himself in a chest freezer? No way.

Knock it off, Jules. Focus.

The wind howled. It felt like it was closing in on me. I lunged forward through the snow, but it didn’t feel like I was making any progress. Was I going the wrong way? Between the weather and my heightened state of anxiety I could be walking on the frozen lake for all I knew.

I sucked in air. My nose dripped. Tony was dead. I couldn’t stop the image of his blue face when I lifted the freezer lid from replaying in my head.

After a few more feet I caught a glimpse of the lodge. Thank goodness. I raced forward, nearly slipping. Windmilling my arms, I caught myself and ran up the front steps.

“Is anyone here?” I yelled as I flung open the lodge doors. I didn’t even bother to stomp the caked snow from my boots or shake off my coat.

“Hello?” I called again.

To my surprise, someone responded. “Jules? Is that you?” Sterling stepped out of the kitchen into the dining room. He had his apron tied halfway around his waist.

A wave of relief washed over me. “Sterling, I’ve never been so glad to see you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Tony.” I swallowed and wiped my nose with my glove. It just made my face wetter. “He’s dead.”

“What?” Sterling came toward me.

I yanked my gloves off and wiped my nose again. “Tony’s dead. I just found his body.”

“You should sit down.” Sterling grabbed a chair.

“No, it’s okay.” I drew in a long breath as if to prove that I was fine. I wasn’t. “We have to get help.”

“Really, Jules, you should sit down.” Sterling pushed the chair closer.

My hands trembled. I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold. “Have you seen Mercury yet this morning?”

Sterling’s eyes were unyielding. “Jules, sit.”

“Okay, I’m sitting.” I sat in the chair. My right foot bounced on the floor. The nervous energy running through my body couldn’t contain itself.

“You look like a Popsicle. I’m going to grab you a cup of coffee. Chill out for one second and I’ll be right back.”

I nodded. Tony was a Popsicle. A few minutes wasn’t going to change anything, and sitting down made me realize just how cold I was. My foot continued to shake. My hands trembled and everything in my body felt out of synch.

Sterling returned quickly from the kitchen with a steaming mug of coffee. “Here.” He started to hand it to me. His brow furrowed. “You’re really shaky, Jules. Can you hold this?”

“Yeah. I think so.” I took the mug. It quaked in my hands. A little coffee splashed out of the cup and landed on my jeans.

“Maybe you should just hold that to warm up for a sec. I’m not sure caffeine is the best idea for you right now.”

“I’m okay.” The hot cup stung my hands. I didn’t care. I grasped it tighter.

“You keep saying that, but you don’t look so great.” Sterling winked. “No offense or anything.”