Murder at the Bonfire Read online

  Turning slightly to get a better look, Georgie saw the woman who had chastised Merv earlier in the day. Didn’t she ever go home? Georgie moved over slightly as Joyce elbowed her way closer to the bartender.

  “One second, miss.” Bruce said to Georgie looking as if he just ate some over-steamed broccoli.

  Georgie nodded and looked around as if studying the scenery around them when in reality she was stretching her ears to listen.

  It was mostly mumblings until the woman took a much harsher tone.

  “I don’t care. I told you what to do. Now do it.”

  “But it isn’t going to make anything...”

  “You can stop talking now. Just do as you’re told.”

  With those final words the woman stomped off not paying any attention to Georgie and went back in the direction of the lodge.

  “My gosh. I hope I didn’t get you in any trouble.” Georgie looked at Bruce’s sad face.

  “No ma’am. Joyce is just one of those kinds of managers, know what I mean?”

  He poured two ciders.

  “Well, if you feel you need a nip yourself, Bruce, go ahead. I won’t tell.” Georgie smiled making Bruce chuckle.

  “Ha. If I let her get to me I might need that. But I’ve dealt with worse.”

  He wished Georgie a good evening. When she returned to Aleta she saw they had some company.

  “Hello, Luke.” Georgie said.

  “Hi, Georgie. I was just telling your sister that you guys got a perfect night. Last night it was a bit on the windy side. But this is just right.”

  Georgie handed her sister a cider and took a seat slightly to the left of them so Aleta could talk. It was obvious that Luke was interested in Aleta. Looking at his left hand Georgie didn’t see a ring. Maybe she’d give Stan a call and have him run Luke Holt through the system and see if he got any pings. It was the least she could do for her sister.

  As the evening went on they chatted with Luke and some of the other guests at the hotel. It was a lovely evening, but the temperature had dropped a couple of degrees by the time Georgie and Aleta decided to call it a night.

  “Here.” Luke said as he took off his jacket and put it around Aleta’s shoulders.

  “It’s really okay, Luke. I think my sister and I will be fine making our way back to the cabin.”

  “Well, just hold on to it and I’ll come pick it up tomorrow.” His eyes were chestnut brown and crinkled sweetly when he smiled.

  “Slick,” Aleta joked, “what makes you think I’ll be around tomorrow? Georgie and I were planning on visiting town for some antique shopping and lunch.”

  “Yeah? My sister Connie owns Maverick’s Bar and Grill. I’ll call ahead and tell her to expect you.” He rocked on his heels and folded his arms over his broad chest.

  “Does your family live in town?”

  “Just my sister and her husband. My parents are deceased. My wife left me years ago. She lives in Kentucky. Happy last I heard.”

  “Any children?”

  “No.” he said sadly. “I would have liked a small army of them but it just wasn’t in the cards. We deal with the hand we’re dealt. You?”

  “One son, he’s living overseas so I hardly see him. One daughter. Her name is Emily. She took over my accounting business. I’m retired. Or semi-retired. Sometimes she needs mom to help.”

  “It’s good to be needed sometimes.” Luke looked down at his boots and then to Aleta.

  “Yes. It is.” She smiled.

  “Well, I’ve kept you and your sister out way past your bedtime. Actually, it’s way past my bedtime and I have to work tomorrow. How about I collect my jacket around dinnertime. That way you and Georgie don’t have to change any of your plans of shopping and lunch.”

  “That would be fine.” Aleta replied. “Be careful going home, Luke.”

  “Good-night, Aleta.” He stretched to see Georgie standing back by some trees just waiting. “Good-night, Georgie!”

  She waved and smiled before grabbing Aleta by the hand and tugging her close like they were teenagers again.

  “Tell me everything he said to you.”

  “We just talked about stuff.”

  Georgie slapped her forehead.

  “You’ve got Nature Boy eating out of the palm of your hand and you’re not the least bit interested in scratching that poison ivy? Are you crazy?”

  “Georgie, if you can’t call him by his name and quit with all the dirty euphemisms I’m not telling you another word.”

  “You wouldn’t do that to me. We’re twins. It would be just a matter of time before I’d know everything through osmosis.”

  “What?” Aleta jerked her head to the side.

  “Please, Aleta, tell me what Mr. Holt had to say to you. Please.”

  “That’s better.”

  “His jacket smells like Irish Spring.” Georgie leaned over and took a deep whiff. Aleta pulled it to her nose and did the same.

  “Yes, it does.” Aleta agreed snuggling the jacket around her ears.

  “I’ll bet he took a shower and shaved before coming down here.” Georgie teased. “But, I’d gently remind him that he promised marshmallows and didn’t deliver, so if he wants to get your sister’s blessing he better make good with the sweets.”

  “What are you, in the mob now?”

  “I’m just saying.” Georgie unlocked the cabin and they both stepped inside. “Yikes. We forgot to turn off the air conditioner.”

  “It’s freezing in here.”

  “Well, I think we should light the fireplace.” Georgie rubbed her shoulders as she walked in. Aleta closed the door behind them and locked it.

  “Do you know how to do that?”

  “How hard can it be?” Georgie looked at the logs. “I raised three kids. I should be able to figure out something cavemen knew how to do.”

  Aleta chuckled. “Just make sure you open the flue.”

  “Where is that?” Georgie asked looking around the floor.

  “Not there.” Aleta said laughingly, “You have to reach up into the chimney.”

  “Reach up there?” Georgie jerked her thumb up the dark space. “Do spiders go up there?”

  “It depends on when the last fire was built.” Aleta took Luke’s jacket and hung it over one of the armchairs.

  “You do it.”

  “You are such a wimp.”

  “All I need is for one cobweb to brush across my hand and I’ll freak out, Aleta. You know I will.”

  “Georgie, how do you pick tomatoes in your garden or clean out the basement every spring?”

  “That’s different. I’m in my home where I’ve got Stan’s old wading boots and rubber gloves to wear with a hoodie.”

  “You don’t seriously do that?” Aleta arched her right eyebrow at her sister.

  “Uhm, uh, no. Of course not.” Georgie stepped aside and let Aleta reach up into the chimney to open the flue.

  “There you go.” Aleta wiped her hands on her jeans. “Big baby.”

  Within a few minutes the ladies had started a small fire. With two bottled waters and a few more Hershey bars Aleta told Georgie what she and Luke talked about, what he said about his sister’s restaurant, and what her opinion of him was.

  “Luke seems really nice. Do you want me to have Stan check into him for you? You know he’d be glad to.” Georgie looked sideways at her sister.

  “Naw. I’ll take my chances.”

  Chapter 5

  “Holy moly! We slept until eight o’clock!” Georgie yelled as she jumped from her bed. “Do you know how long it’s been since I slept in until eight? Bodhi gets me up at five every day. Every darn day!”

  “I could have probably gotten another half hour out of it.” Aleta grumbled as she sat up. “For us that’s like sleeping half the day away.”

  “Plenty of time to sleep in the grave. Let’s go see what kind of sweet rolls they have for breakfast.”

  Within minutes the twins were chatting as loudly as the birds were chirping up in the trees. A beautiful sunrise hung in the eastern sky with a sprinkling of clouds that intensified the golden rays of sunshine that were pushing their way up over the horizon.

  “It feels a little chillier today.” Aleta noted.

  “Yeah. I think it might be the perfect day for antiquing in town.”

  They continued to talk as they walked into the lodge. A pleasant surprise greeted them as a glance at the loaded sideboard showed that almost no one had visited the restaurant for breakfast yet. They had first choice of all the delectable sweets and there was a wide variety available.

  “Almond croissants.” Georgie pointed out.

  “Glazed donuts.” Aleta mentioned.

  “Ooo, look. Chocolate covered strawberries.” Georgie rolled her eyes, “I’m in heaven.”

  “I think those are just for show.” Aleta was more cautious as usual.

  “I don’t care.” Georgie said as she snuck one from the display and quickly devoured it.

  Aleta laughed alerting the staff to their presence and they were immediately ushered to their seats by the window. After some hemming and hawing they ordered two coffees, two almond croissants, and three chocolate covered strawberries each.

  “Want to take these outside?” Georgie suggested.

  “What a splendid idea.”

  After just a few minutes Georgie and Aleta were sitting outside in two wicker chairs with their plate of sweet rolls between them on a dainty side table. The steam from their coffee rose up in swirls. The air was fresh and smelled like fall. There was a hint of smoky smell from the bonfire still in the air as well as the wetness of the dew on the ground. The fall foliage that popped out of the ground in dark shades of purple and rust gave off a scent very different from the fresh green undergr
owth of spring and summer.

  “This has been a lot of fun so far.” Aleta said, dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

  “What do you say after breakfast we take a hike along one of the longer trails? That will give us a little exercise before we shop and eat lunch.” Georgie suggested with a mouthful.

  “You’re thinking about lunch already?”

  “Why not. We’ve already got the restaurant picked out. What was it called? Maverick’s Bar and Grill.” Georgie batted her eyelashes.

  “Very funny. We don’t have to stop there. We can go anywhere.”

  “Are you joking?” Georgie put down her plate and reached for her coffee. “I wouldn’t miss meeting that mountain man’s family for all the tea in China.”

  “So, you’re going to spy on him.”

  “What spy? He practically begged you to go there. You don’t think he’s already told her to check you out and make sure you aren’t the weirdo?”

  “Out of the two of us, I’m certainly not the weirdo. You couldn’t change into a pair of your baggy pants or one of your flowery skirts to have breakfast? You had to wear your flannel pajama bottoms?”

  “First of all, we are the only ones up. No one even knows I’m wearing pj bottoms unless you blab it all over.”

  Aleta laughed.

  “Second, all the kids wear their pajama bottoms out in public. What’s the difference?”

  “Just about forty years.” Aleta teased, still laughing.

  “I’ll also have you know that...”

  Georgie stopped speaking and Aleta looked off toward the woods. A blood curdling scream had come from the path that led to the little pier the ladies had visited the day before. A gardener and a security guard that were chatting just a few feet from Georgie and Aleta took off down the path. Without hesitating the sisters followed.

  The screaming didn’t stop. It was like a beacon leading the group to the trouble. And boy was there trouble.

  Standing at the edge of the pier was a rail thin woman just a few years older than Georgie and Aleta. She was wearing a one-piece swim suit that looked like the official suit for the United States Olympic team since it was red, white and blue striped. Her body was wrinkled, especially around her neck, knees and elbows. But it was her nose that was truly unique and stood out dramatically from her face. With the stark white bathing cap making her look like a bullet, Georgie thought she was quite a peculiar looking character, standing there screaming and pointing into the water.

  The two men from the lodge seemed to have no idea what to do. Clearly they wanted to help, but they were looking at the hysterical woman as if she were a coiled rattlesnake and they needed to stay out of striking range.

  Finally, the men turned their attention to the spot next to the dock that the woman was pointing at with a shaking hand. Both men gasped and turned completely white.

  “Ma’am?” Aleta went to comfort the hysterical woman. “Ma’am. It’s okay. Help is on the way.”

  “She’s dead!” The woman blubbered. “She’s dead!”

  As Aleta tried to sooth the frenzied woman Georgie inched her way toward the edge of the pier and looked over the side.

  Floating alongside the pier was the body of a woman. The hands waved limply like they were waving to something beneath the water’s surface. The body was face down in the water. She was in her clothes, a pale green blouse with a black skirt. Georgie noticed one shoe had fallen off at some point.

  Before Georgie could say a thing, the gardener jumped in the water to retrieve the body. It was only when he turned it over that Georgie recognized the face. It was the woman who Georgie and Aleta had overheard scolding Merv the maintenance man. Pale eyes stared up into the sky. They didn’t see the bustle of commotion going on around them. Instead, they stared up blindly.

  What was the last thing they saw?

  Georgie stepped back allowing the men to maneuver themselves back onto the pier and hoist the heavy body with them. Once it was on the pier Georgie clearly saw the dark marks around Joyce’s neck.

  THE SECURITY GUARD had radioed for assistance, saying that the police should be called. In just a few minutes sirens could be heard quickly approaching. A small group of staff from the Lodge suddenly appeared on the shore, not daring to step onto the pier as if the condition of their co-worker might be contagious.

  Georgie wildly looked at Aleta who had helped the woman who found the body collect herself and finally calm down enough to get her beach cover-up and flip-flops on.

  “I’m Georgie Kaye. This is my sister, Aleta.” Georgie said firmly as if she were trying to calm a small child. The woman focused on Georgie’s next words immediately. “The police are going to want to talk to you. Do you think you’ll be able to talk to them?”

  “My name is Eloise Ruthmeyer.” She stuttered. “I’m here with my daughter for the weekend. I have been a swimmer for my entire life. I entered the Speedo Sectionals in Oklahoma for the past eight years. I’m afraid I’ll never swim again.”

  “Don’t say that.” Aleta soothed.

  “What happened?” Georgie prodded before the police arrived.

  Eloise Ruthmeyer went on to explain she had come down to the pier for her morning swim because the lock was still on the gate of the swimming pool.

  “I’m a good swimmer.” She boasted in between tears. “I know my limitations, so I thought a swim in the lake would be a fun change of pace.” She wiped her eyes with her towel.

  “I was about to dive in when for some reason I dipped my toe in first. I usually don’t do that. I like to get used to the water, warm or cold, quickly. But this time I didn’t. I hung off the ladder, dipped my toe in and thought the water felt good. But then something caught my eye.”

  She started to tremble as she pointed at the body.

  “I saw a hand. It was pale. So unnaturally pale. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Maybe I was still asleep. But it floated out from under the pier. It just floated out.”

  She began to cry again.

  Georgie and Aleta did their best to soothe the upset woman but they were relieved to see the police coming down the path from the main building followed by paramedics and a stretcher.

  Georgie and Aleta loitered around, making sure to stay out of the way of the police after urging Eloise to remain on the pier to talk to with them. The police attempted to disperse the group of gawkers. Most of them obliged and those that didn’t stayed out of the way while craning their necks, trying not to miss a thing that was happening on the dock.

  “That’s Joyce’s body.” Georgie huffed.

  “Who?”

  “Joyce. Remember? She was the woman who we heard yelling at that Merv character. Last night at the bonfire she did the same thing to the guy serving the cider.

  Aleta’s eyes opened wide.

  “Out of all the people we interacted with at the lodge she was obviously disliked by at least two.” Georgie said. Then she looked at Aleta with a sly grin. “How would you like to stay at the Fallen Oaks Lodge for a couple more days?”

  “You were reading my mind.” Aleta watched as they hoisted Joyce’s body onto the stretcher, covering her completely with a white sheet.

  The ladies waited until the police and paramedics were gone before heading back to the lodge. They approached the front desk just in time to see Carol and a couple of other employees giggling and smirking.

  Georgie cleared her throat.

  “Good morning, Ms. Kaye. How can I help you?” Carol quickly regained her professional composure.

  “I just came from the pier.” Georgie said.

  “Oh.” Carol took a deep breath. “We heard. That kind of news travels fast.”

  “Lightning speed.” Georgie smirked back. “I get the impression the deceased won’t be missed.”

  “Look, no one around here would kill anyone. But Joyce Reid made it very hard for anyone to like her. Impossible, even.”

  “I understand. Sometimes I have to work with my sister.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “I’ve had thoughts of an unnatural nature too sometimes.”

  Carol chuckled nervously.

  “Well, that isn’t the reason I’m here. My sister and I would like to extend our stay for a few more days.” Georgie cleared her throat. “Regardless of the macabre situation, we are having a lovely time.”

  Carol responded quickly and made the adjustment on Georgie’s account that they would be staying at least until Thursday.