Murder at Sunrise Lake

Vienna looked at the sketches and then crossed one elegant leg over the other. She was dressed in soft burgundy-colored straight-legged yoga pants. The pants had little twists at the bottom that made them look classy. At the back was a band of crisscrossed ties in a darker shade of burgundy. Her cable-knit sweater was cream with dots of various sizes and shades of burgundy. Everything about Vienna screamed classy, sophisticated and stylish, yet she was a super-skilled outdoorswoman.

“That sucks, Stella.”

“You’re telling me.”

“It could be anyone, though, right? You check in all the men and women who compete in the big fishing tournament every year at the fishing camp. And you check in the people who rent the cabins at your resort. When you’re here in town, you’re at the businesses all the time, talking to everyone and picking up brochures, refining them. It doesn’t have to be someone in our immediate group of friends.”

“No.” Stella kept rubbing her arms.

“Why would someone we know suddenly start killing?”

“I don’t know, Vienna. Why does anyone do anything? I don’t think my father killed those first few years of my life, but he certainly did after I was five. Why would he start then? He’s never said.”

“Were you ever tempted to ask him?”

Stella shook her head. “I couldn’t bear to look at him. I closed the door on my childhood and I’ve been afraid to open it. This has been hard enough. I’ve been remembering things about my mother I haven’t wanted to look too closely at. The last thing I want to do is confront him.”

“I can relate to that,” Vienna said. “I’m all for moving forward and letting the past stay where it belongs. Sam and I should be up there tonight. If that couple hits Trail Crest around two in the morning, we need to be there. I can’t tell by the sketches what time it is. Did Raine give you a list of permits?”

“Yes. Everyone who has a permit for both days. I’ll have her send them to your phone.” She was already texting. She sighed when she got a reply back. “Poor Raine. They’ve sent a helicopter for her again. She’s going to try to make it back to my place before morning to wait with me, but apparently she has to work. She’ll send you the list of permits, Vienna.”

“Something big must be up.”

“Whenever there’s some kind of terrorist thing going on somewhere that I’m reading about, Raine suddenly is nowhere to be found,” Stella said, lowering her voice, although she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like anyone was around. “Please be careful up there, Vienna, and don’t leave Sam’s side. Promise me.”

“I promise. This guy scares the crap out of me.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Stella, there’s a couple of men at the gate saying they want to see you. Man by the name of Marco Rossi?” Patrick Sorsey said, his voice sounding tinny as he called up from the security gates. “He asked for Sam first, but Sam’s nowhere to be found and it’s damn early for visitors.”

Stella glanced over at Raine. At least she wasn’t alone. Raine had just gotten there, before the sun came up. She had the feeling Sam wasn’t going to like this, but she couldn’t turn away Sam’s father. Besides, it was a welcome distraction while they waited for news on whether or not they were successful in reaching the couple before the killer had.

There were so many names on the permit list for the two-day window the killer might work in. So many question marks. Vienna and Sam had gone up to Trail Crest to see what they could do to find the couple and hopefully stop them from getting killed.

“Please escort him up to the house.” That would give her just enough time to change from her pajamas to jeans and get the fire going in the living room. It was too cold to make him stay outside on the porch, although Sam would probably insist that was what she should have done— or just waited for him to get back before allowing his father to visit.

“Sam’s father is here,” she hissed, dragging down her pajamas, tossing them on the bed and yanking up her favorite jeans. She found a cable-knit sweater to pull over her T-shirt and then hurried into the living room to get the fire going.

“Sam has a father?” Raine asked.

“Very funny.” Stella took the time to glare at her over her shoulder. “He isn’t going to be happy with me for letting him in. They kind of had a falling-out. I’ve never actually met him. Do you have a weapon on you?”

Raine raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”

“Just checking.” Stella scowled. “This is crazy. I’m already out of my mind waiting to hear from Vienna and Sam.”

“Then this is a good distraction.” Raine was practical.