Donuts and Danger, page 13
“Collin MacOlean.” Collin offered a tired smile. “I think these are yours.” Collin handed Rose back her night vision goggles. “I guess we need to get moving. I'll need to go get my hiking pack, but we can make a side stop.” Collin looked at his friends—especially Julie. “I came here to die, now I think I might want to delay that order for a bit. Thank you all for caring.”
“Yes, thank you.” Rose wiped her tears away. “I'll find my father, someday.” With those words, Collin picked up the black bag sitting in the snow, turned, and walked off. Rose followed like a broken doll.
“Hey, the money!” Patrick screamed.
“Shut up, you miserable bloke!” Amanda kicked Patrick in the backside again. “Throw tear gas at me, will you!”
Bethany stepped close to Julie. “Are you alright?”
“I will be.” Julie wiped away a few falling tears as she watched two broken souls vanish into the snow, walking into a cold rising sun. She wondered if the two broken hearts would heal someday. Julie didn't know; she wasn't even sure if her own soul, her heart, would ever heal. “Take me home, love. I don't want to buy the ski resort anymore.”
Bethany put her arm around Julie and began walking her back to the ski resort.
“Get moving!” Amanda kicked Patrick again. “Don't make me kill you. I'll fill you full of holes, you bloke. Throw tear gas at me? Where did you even get tear gas? What did you do, go on Ebay?”
Sarah sighed. Amanda was a nut. “Let's go home, honey.”
As Sarah walked, she suddenly heard running. She lifted her gun just in time to see Conrad and Andrew burst through the snow.
“Conrad!”
Conrad ran to Sarah and wrapped two loving arms around her. “I was wondering when you were going to show up!”
Andrew examined the scene. “Looks like we got here too late,” he said in a relieved voice. “Uh, just by chance, I didn't see my Snow Cat anywhere…”
“That's because that piece of junk broke down on us and is now buried under miles of snow! Now shut up, take this bloke, and leave me alone! I'm hungry and I want some pizza!” Amanda shoved Patrick at Andrew and then wandered off mumbling and fussing to herself.
Bethany simply laughed. “Come on, love, let's follow her.”
What a strange case this was. We almost died in an avalanche, attacked by wolves, nearly died from the elements, was taken hostage by two armed criminals, had tear gas thrown at us. Mother would have a fit. Uncle Riley would probably bust a gut laughing. Oh, be that as it may, the snowman did attack again, and the snowman isn't finished and won't leave until I'm dead, Bethany thought. And as strange as it may sound, in my heart, somehow I have a feeling that I was meant to be here, and someday, when the final scene arrives, I think Collin and Rose may appear again.
A week later, Bethany walked downstairs and made her way to a warm fireplace inside of Claude’s and Samantha's hunting lodge. She sat down in a green sitting chair, wrapped a brown blanket over her lap, and opened up a book. Sarah was sitting in a chair next to Bethany cuddled up in a warm blanket of her own.
“How is the book?” she asked Bethany.
“I just finished. I wanted to reread the notes at the back again. It's hard to believe Claude's grandfather wrote this book. And the notes, very detailed. No wonder Claude knows the land the way he does,” Bethany explained.
Sarah looked into a strong fire playing in an old stone fireplace. “Poor Claude is still upstairs soaking his feet in hot water.”
“Sam told me Claude is trying to get all the coddling he can get.” Bethany smiled. “I think if Sam hears the bell Claude rings one more time, she might kill him.”
“Oh, I think the new Snow Cat we're going to get Claude might get him out of bed,” Sarah said, smiling back. “Amanda and Julie are in Snow Falls with Conrad now. Conrad is swamped with police work. Pete and Steven are going to fly up tomorrow.”
“Pete and Steven stayed in Los Angeles and managed to catch a corrupt coroner that confessed to a serious crime.”
Sarah nodded her head. “Once Pete realized his old friend wasn't a friend at all, he jumped into action. Pete doesn't like being played for a fool. He's madder than a wet hornet, so when he arrives, it might be wise to stand clear of his bark.”
“Sound advice.” Bethany glanced over at Sarah. She looked very tired. “Why didn't you go back to Snow Falls, Sarah? I would have been alright to stay with Claude and Sam. Sam needs help around the lodge with firewood, cooking, and she needs help taking care of Claude.” Bethany thought, If Claude rings that bell one more time, I might be the one to kill him.
“Oh, I just wanted to rest,” Sarah answered without offering a direct answer.
“Or talk?” Bethany pointed out.
Sarah slid her eyes over to Bethany. “We almost died.”
“Yes, we did,” Bethany agreed.
“We can still die.”
“Yes, we can,” Bethany agreed again.
“The snowman isn't going to go away, Bethany. You have to kill it.” Sarah slid the blanket she was under down to her lap, revealing a heavy gray sweater. She then lifted her right hand and touched her heart. “As long as we have heart, the snowman will never go away.”
Sarah is trying to tell me something. I need to pay attention. “You see me getting tired, don't you?”
“I do,” Sarah confessed. “Bethany, I know you're tired, but you have to keep fighting. You can't quit.”
“But when will it ever stop, Sarah? How many murders? How many of these awful nightmares before it all ends?”
“I don't know,” Sarah confessed. “Until it ends, we'll live brave lives. We won't live scared. I'll continue to run O'Mally's with Amanda, and you and Julie will continue to live. You'll run your coffee shop, and when the snowman attacks again—”
“What?” Bethany asked Sarah. “What will I do?”
“Fight,” Sarah answered. “Simply fight. That's all you can do.” Sarah motioned around the warm lobby with her right hand. “This lobby is warm and safe, the lobby up on Ice Mountain is cold and dangerous. Understand?”
“Unfortunately, Sarah, I do understand.” Bethany closed the book she was holding. “Rest while you can, live while you can, because today may be your last.”
“Yes, Bethany, that's how I live. That's the only option I have.” Sarah grew silent for a minute. “When the snowman is dead, I may think about next week, but for now, it's one day at a time.” Sarah stood up. “I'm going to go to my room and rest. We'll have Claude take us back to Snow Falls tomorrow. I want to see my kids. I miss them, but I also wanted to stay back because I know you need a sister.” Sarah bent down and hugged Bethany. “I'll be upstairs if you need me.”
“No, you don't! Go outside and get some firewood. And you,” Samantha's voice roared as she thundered into the lobby, “Bethany, get into the kitchen and boil some more water!” The sound of a ringing bell pierced the air. “I hear you, old man. Don't make me make you eat that bell!” Samantha hollered and then stormed up a set of wooden stairs carrying a food tray full of hot food. “Married to that man all these years, thinks he's dying, I'll kill him…”
“Looks like I'm getting firewood.”
“I'll get the firewood. You boil water,” Bethany said and laughed.
After putting on a warm coat, Bethany exited the back of the hunting lodge and walked through deep snow, stopping at a large wood pile.
Snow.
Bethany Lights had come to love—and even adore—snow. She lived in a small town in Alaska called Snow Falls. The small town rested in the far reaches of Alaska, sitting like a remote island surrounded by a sea of ice and snow during the winter and a valley of lush green foliage during the summer. Deep, impossible woods surrounded the town, reaching out for towering mountains that were untamed and wild, mountains filled with deadly wild rivers that could swallow a man alive within seconds. Hungry, dangerous animals roamed the woods and mountains with determination and confident strength; grizzly bears and wolves were the most prominent threat. A thunderous river journeyed through the large county, filled with delicious trout but also many hidden snares. Parts of the river were shallow, and it was known that a man could drop down into water thirty feet deep, getting caught in cruel, soulless rapids that faster than a howling winter.
When the snow arrived—the snow Bethany loved—the entire landscape transformed into a completely different world, summoning new dangers but also creating a world that no man or woman could ever control. The snow, Bethany felt, was a mysterious heartbeat that she belonged to, and the snow always came to Snow Falls.
So did a deadly snowman.
“Maybe when I get home, I'll be able to get past the first page… Maybe.”
Bethany continued to stare off into a cold, frozen wilderness covered with snow. Somewhere in that snow, a deadly snowman was hiding, desperate to kill her any way it could. “But not today. You failed this time, but you'll be back.”
A cold wind whispered past Bethany's face. Bethany lowered her eyes and began gathering firewood. Yes, someday the snowman would be back.
Also by Wendy Meadows
Alaska Cozy Mystery Series
Maple Hills Cozy Series
Sweet Shop Cozy Series
Twin Berry Bakery Series
Travel Writer Cozy Mystery Series
Snow Falls, Alaska Cozy Mystery Series
About Wendy Meadows
Wendy Meadows, a USA Today bestselling author, delights readers with her engaging stories about women sleuths. She has penned numerous books, including the beloved Sweetfern Harbor, Sweet Peach Bakery, and Alaska Cozy series. Wendy calls New Hampshire home, where she lives with her husband, two sons, two mini pigs who have big personalities, and an adorable Labradoodle who rules the roost.
Visit her website at www.wendymeadows.com for latest releases, discounts and more!
Wendy Meadows, Donuts and Danger
