Chapter Three

While I changed out of my bathrobe into more appropriate clothing, I reviewed what I had learned about the other guests. Last night had been a game, but now my life depended on these details. I concentrated on remembering their real names and thought about the stories they'd told. Nothing stood out to me as unusual or questionable. All of us seemed like normal, professional thirtysomethings who'd accepted the opportunity to get away for the weekend and have some fun.

Except one of us was a murderer.

Since I no longer played the role of a rich heiress, I didn't spend much time on my hair and makeup. I threw on slacks and a plain green blouse and left my room. When I got to the top of the stairs, Adam came through the front door. After he hung up his wet coat on a hook beside an enormous bronze bear, I met his gaze from across the foyer. He shook his head, answering my unasked question. I'd had a feeling none of our cars were currently operable.

Descending the steps, I noted someone had moved Mary's body. I breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt another pang of guilt over her death.

Adam met me near the entrance to the dining room. "Whoever's doing this thought of everything," he said. "The weather is bad luck, but they definitely had a plan to keep us trapped here for as long as possible."

I nodded. "I'm not going to even bother checking my car. And I'll bet whoever is behind this sabotaged their own vehicle, too."

"You're probably right." Facing me, he reached for my shoulder, his fingertips brushing my sleeve. "Are you okay? You looked a little green this morning after…what happened."

"I won't lie, I am a bit rattled." I exhaled. "But no more or less than anyone else, I'm sure, save for the obvious exceptions. Thanks, though."

A spread of fruits, bagels, and pastries greeted us when we entered, along with most of the other guests. Ruth came through the kitchen door, carrying a tray of croissants.

"Why don't you sit and eat with us?" Isabel said. "Brittany and Victor, too. With everything going on, you shouldn't be expected to wait on us."

"How very kind of you." She set the tray on the table and smoothed her apron. "Let me get another cup of tea, and I'll be right in. Can I get anyone some tea or coffee?"

"I'll take a cup of coffee," Dylan said. "Cream, two sugars."

Laura made a disgusted noise. "We just said she doesn't have to wait on us. You can't fix your own coffee?"

"She offered!"

Though I agreed with Laura, I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to add to the argument or call more attention to myself.

Paul bounded through the door, dressed in a dry set of clothes, and plopped in his chair. "What did I miss?"

"Not much." Laura rolled her eyes.

We engaged in bland small talk while we ate breakfast. Paul asked Isabel if her firm ever handled medical malpractice cases and got a curt negative reply. Questions about Dylan's website received a similar response. When Ruth returned, followed by the other staff members, Laura inquired about their history working at the lodge. The rest of us picked at our meals and made vague complaints about the weather. My stomach hadn't settled yet, but I choked down half a bagel and a glass of orange juice.

Once everyone had finished eating, Victor ushered us into the library, where we sat on the sofas and armchairs. The open curtains offered a view of the surrounding forest. The thick green foliage and swaying branches appeared so serene, I almost forgot what had transpired in this room the previous night. Jeremy's body had also been taken elsewhere, and a rug covered the bloodstains. I briefly wondered about any evidence that may have been disturbed and then remembered we were stuck here by ourselves.

"I must say, I don't know what our best course of action is." The butler stroked his chin. "Like I said earlier, we need to be careful. But before I leave you to your own devices, it might be worthwhile to review any information we have about these unfortunate deaths."

"What, you think whoever's the killer is going to confess right now?" Dylan scoffed.

"Probably not. However, we might be able to eliminate some people from suspicion, or remember details pointing to a particular person." Victor's jaw tightened. "If we can solve the mystery, perhaps we can band together and stop this dangerous criminal."

Adam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's not like we have anything better to do. And I, for one, would like to walk out of here alive." He tapped his fingers together. "Where do we start?"

"Let's work backward," he said. "Did anyone hear anything out of the ordinary this morning?"

Dylan shrugged. "Just a scream and Mary's body hitting the ground."

Across from him, Laura shook her head, her eyes narrowing. If she was the killer, I had a pretty good idea who her next victim might be.

"Which room was she in?" Paul asked. "I mean, who was closest to her?"

"The one in between Isabel's and mine," Laura said. "Not like it matters. We don't know exactly where she went over the railing, and we all came out of our rooms at about the same time."

I needed to contribute something to our brainstorming session before I got accused of wrongdoing again. "What about physical capability? Is there anybody we can rule out there?"

Dylan gave Paul a pointed look. "I'm sure some of us would have an easier time than others."

"And I'm sure you wouldn't have had to strain yourself too much," he shot back. "My guess is anyone could have pushed her over if they caught her by surprise."

"What about us?" Brittany gestured between her and Ruth. "We were downstairs. I was getting dressed when it happened."

"Along with everybody else," I said.

"But I was! I swear!"

Ruth touched her arm. "Everyone is going to say the same thing, dear. I'm afraid it doesn't mean much."

"I really don't know whether or not you could have gotten back downstairs without anyone seeing you," Paul said. "So, for now, you're still suspects like the rest of us."

Isabel slumped in her armchair. "We're getting nowhere."

"Okay, what about Jeremy's death?" Adam sat back on his end of the sofa. "We were all in here when the power went out, yes?"

"Not me," Ruth said. "I was cleaning up in the kitchen. Though you only have my word."

Paul glanced at her. "For the sake of argument, it's possible you might have slipped in and out of the room, although maybe not likely."

She nodded. "That's fair. I understand what a difficult situation this is, and I won't blame you if you don't trust me yet."

"The rest of us were definitely in here. But where ?" Laura waved toward the pool table. "I'd finished up a game with Jeremy and Paul, and Mary and Isabel had come over to play the next round." She bit her lower lip. "I think I stood on the opposite side of the table from Jeremy when the lights went out, but I'm not positive. And I don't remember where everyone else was."

Dylan pointed at Adam and me. "Those two left me here by myself to go get a drink together." I blushed, but he glared at Paul. "But if you want to believe I fired a gun from across the room with fatal precision, go right ahead."

"I had my hands full with a tray of glasses when the gun went off," Brittany said. "So I couldn't have done it."

"The lights were out for a while." Isabel spoke slowly, as if addressing a child. "You had plenty of time to find a safe place for it."

"But I didn't!"

Ruth put her teacup down and reached for the maid's arm again, this time with a little more force. Catching Brittany's gaze, she shook her head and put one finger up to her lips.

Paul reclined in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Anything else we didn't cover?"

I picked at a loose thread on my sleeve and wondered how he appeared so relaxed. "What else is there? The only thing we established is everyone here had the opportunity to kill both Jeremy and Mary." A clammy feeling spread over my skin. "Isabel's right. We've gotten nowhere."

Nobody spoke up to argue with me.

Victor ran his hand through his hair and looked through the window at the steady downpour. "Then all we can do is wait."