“Exactly.” Jo smiled.

  The three left the dining hall and entered the bar through a door that shared a wall with the dining hall. Once inside, the noise level raised considerably.

  “Wow, it’s crowded in here.” Samantha lingered close to Jo.

  “Not my kind of crowd.” Jo frowned. “Maybe we should skip the free drinks.”

  “But they’re free.” Walt pushed his glasses up and looked between the two of them. “Do you know how few things are free in life?”

  “I guess he has a point.” Jo squinted. “I think I see some open stools over there at the end of the bar.”

  “Let’s try to get them before someone else does.” Samantha cut right through the crowd while Walt and Jo picked their way through. Once they reached the bar stools, Walt whipped out a wipe and cleaned off the seat and the bar in front of him. “Want me to do yours?” He looked over at Jo.

  “No thanks, I’ll risk it.” She smiled as she settled on the stool beside him.

  “Just a second, I’ll be right with you.” A young man rushed past them to the other end of the bar.

  “Poor guy is getting overworked tonight.” Jo skimmed the people around them. “I recognize a lot of these people, but there are many faces I don’t. I wonder why it’s so crowded?”

  “When I got the tickets for the murder mystery, the rooms were dirt cheap. I guess in the winter season they sell the rooms for cheaper.”

  “I wonder why that is?”

  “I think I may have an idea.” Walt held up his phone. “I just received a weather alert.”

  “For what?” Samantha peered at his phone.

  “A blizzard.” Walt lowered his phone and met her eyes. “Did you know anything about this?”

  “No, of course not. I didn’t even look at the weather really. I figured it was too early for any big snows.”

  “Not here it isn’t. Blizzards are common this time of year.”

  “Oh no.” She groaned. “If we get snowed in, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “I’m sure it’ll pass. Right Walt? What does the warning say exactly?” Jo asked.

  “It says, warning, you’re about to be snowed in.” He stared at them both.

  “What? Really?” Samantha peered at his phone again.

  “No not really, but that was funny, wasn’t it?” He grinned.

  “Oh, Walt told a joke!” Jo clapped her hands and winked at him. “Sounds to me like you’re really starting to relax and enjoy yourself.”

  “Yes, actually I am.” Walt nodded. “But the warning is pretty direct. There’s not much chance that the snow storm is going to miss us.”

  “Oh well.” Jo shrugged. “We were going to spend the weekend inside anyway. We can make the best of it. Try not to worry, Sam.”

  “Thanks Jo.” Samantha stared down at her own phone as the weather report paraded past. The massive blob that represented snow was headed straight for the resort.

  “Put that away, let’s have our drinks, and have some fun.” Jo tapped the top of Samantha’s phone.

  “All right, I will.” Samantha tucked her phone into her purse and tried not to think about the storm that was coming. There was nothing that could be done about it now.

  The music shifted from peppy, to wild. Samantha noticed a large group from Sage Gardens having a good time as they clustered around tables in the bar. At least things were going well so far. Suddenly, a spotlight shone on a group of people near the back wall of the bar.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for our talented actors who will be hosting a one of a kind murder mystery tomorrow.” The people at the table all stood up as everyone applauded. Each person was dressed in old-fashioned clothing, and the women had updos that hovered a few inches above their heads. It was clear that the actors took their jobs seriously. Samantha started to get excited about the mystery the next day.

  “I think this is really going to be interesting.”

  “Oh?” The bartender leaned against the bar. “It might be more interesting if you let me make you our specialty drink.”

  “No, that’s all right, I don’t like fancy drinks.”

  “Who said it was fancy?” He laughed. “Just special.”

  “Well, all right, I guess I could try it. Thanks.”

  “Would you like one as well?” He looked at Jo.

  “No thanks.”

  “One specialty drink coming up.” He turned away from them and grabbed a glass. When he turned back he began flipping bottles of alcohol in different directions. Samantha cheered as he tossed one bottle under one arm, and the other under the other. Then he managed to catch them both. Walt cried out and shook his head.

  “That’s so reckless!”

  “It’s amazing.” Samantha grinned. “You’re very talented.”

  “Thank you.” He offered a small bow, then topped off her drink with a pink, plastic flower. “Something special, for someone special.” He handed her the glass.

  “Wow.” She ducked her head and hoped that he didn’t notice the flush in her cheeks. As she took a sip of the drink, she smiled even wider.

  “Yum, this is very interesting.”

  “You’re right.” The bartender smiled at her. “It’s about to get even more interesting.” He winked, then walked away.

  “What do you think that means?” Samantha glanced at her friends.

  “Either he’s coming back to ask for your number, or…” The light in the bar suddenly dimmed. A disco light lowered from the ceiling as a few staff members cleared some tables out of the way. “Or that.” Jo laughed.

  “Flickering lights are responsible for seventy-five percent of seizures, did you know that?” Walt shook his head.

  “You just made that up because you don’t want to dance, didn’t you?” Samantha raised an eyebrow.

  “Maybe.” Walt squinted through the dim light. “It would be nice if I could order another water, but the staff seem to be occupied. I think I’ll head back to the room.”

  “Wait for us, we’ll walk up with you.” Jo grabbed her purse. “Unless you want to dance, Sam?”

  “No way, I want to be well rested for the murder mystery tomorrow.” As the trio began to make their way through the crowd, Samantha noticed that there were a lot of people dancing. All of the smiles and laughter indicated that so far, the weekend was off to a great start.

  5

  The room was spotless, thanks to Walt, and it was also very comfortable. There were several little touches that made Eddy feel as if he was home, especially the recliner. It wasn’t as soft and broken-in as his recliner back home, but he sunk into it fairly well. As Eddy began to relax, he flipped on the television and settled back in the chair. His peace was disrupted seconds later when a shrill sound carried through the speakers on the television. A dark red bar ran across the bottom of the screen, detailing a severe weather warning.

  “Oh, that’s not good.” Eddy frowned as he watched the weather radar on the television. He reached for his phone to text Samantha about the incoming storm, but discovered it was dead. He searched the room for his phone charger, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. Frustrated, he decided to just head down to the bar to talk to Samantha in person. As he left the room he noticed that the hallways were empty. In fact the entire resort was quiet. He could only guess that just about everyone was in the bar. That guess was proven to be true when he reached the dining hall and discovered that there wasn’t a single person in it. It had been tidied up and all of the chairs were pushed under the tables. As he rounded one of the tables to head for the bar, his foot caught on something. He looked down, puzzled, to see a shoe.

  “Who would leave a shoe behind?” He started to walk past, then realized there was more than a shoe. The shoe was attached to a body, half-hidden by a tablecloth. His heart raced as he saw something sharp and long sticking out of the chest of the man on the floor. He reached for his phone, then remembered that he didn’t have it on him.

  “Help!” He crouched down to check the man’s pulse, and found that his skin was warm. But he didn’t feel anything against his fingertips. “Help!” He jumped up when he realized there was no one around to hear him. He ran to the bar and shoved the door open. Going from the bright light of the dining hall to the dim and flickering lights of the bar, made him dizzy for a second.

  “Help!” He shouted as loud as he could, but the music drowned out the sound of his voice. He grabbed a woman near the entrance. “I need you to call an ambulance, someone has been stabbed.”

  “What are you talking about?” She pulled free of his grasp. “Don’t touch me! Are you drunk?”

  “Someone’s been stabbed, please call an ambulance,” Eddy said when he spotted Amber walking past him.

  “Stabbed?” Amber asked skeptically.

  “Yes. Please call an ambulance!” Eddy said with urgency.

  “I don’t have my phone, but I’ll go tell security,” Amber said as she pushed through the crowd as she walked away from Eddy.

  “Samantha!” Eddy shoved through the crowd towards the bar. “Jo!”

  “Is that Eddy?” Samantha strained to see around the people in front of her. “Eddy?”

  “Sam, call 911, there’s a body in the dining hall.”

  “A body?”

  “Someone’s been stabbed! Do you have your phone?”

  “Yes, I do, hold on.” Just as Samantha pulled it out, the lights in the bar turned back on and the music stopped. A ripple of shrieks carried through the crowd in reaction to the sudden change.

  “Everyone calm down please, calm down!” Ben stood on top of the bar. “There’s been a report of a crime. If you could all please exit the bar through the side doors in an orderly fashion we can get this sorted out.”

  Security staff began to pour in from the opposite door. A man with a badge on his suit jacket walked up to Eddy.

  “My name is Bart, I’m head of security here. Are you the one that reported finding a body?”

  “He’s in the dining hall.” Eddy gestured towards the dining hall. “On the floor, by one of the tables.”

  “The dining hall? Are you sure about that, sir?” Bart looked into Eddy’s eyes.

  “Yes, I’m certain. He was on the floor, with something sticking out of his chest.”

  “Sir, we just came through the dining hall, there was no one there.”

  “You must have missed him. I almost did, too. Here, I’ll show you.” Eddy stepped back through the door with his friends right behind him. The security guard surveyed the dining hall as Eddy walked through it. He stared with disbelief at the empty floor. He walked between each table, and then shook his head.

  “Someone must have moved the body. He was right there. I saw him. I even checked for a pulse.”

  “Sir, perhaps you were confused. Can you give me a description of the man that you saw?”

  “He was uh, in his fifties I think. He had short brown hair. Oh, and he was wearing one of those old-fashioned suits.”

  “Old-fashioned suits?”

  “Yes, like the actors that were in the bar earlier.”

  “Oh. Like a costume?” The security guard cleared his throat.

  “I don’t know if it was a costume or not, but that was what he was wearing.” Eddy growled. “Are you going to shut this place down and do a thorough search or do I need to call in the FBI?”

  “Eddy.” Samantha rested her hand on his elbow. “I’m sure he’s doing everything he should be.”

  “It’s possible that the man you saw was one of the actors in the murder mystery. Sometimes they practice their role before the opening act.” The security guard pulled out his radio. “Stand down, there’s no body.”

  “There most certainly is a body! You just have to find it, that’s your job isn’t it?” Eddy asked.

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but it’s clear that you were mistaken. Perhaps you had a little too much to drink?”

  “I did not!” Eddy’s voice raised so loud, that Walt took a step back, and Jo put her hand on Eddy’s other arm.

  “Settle down, Eddy, we’ll figure this out. Obviously, there’s been some kind of mistake. Maybe it was just an act,” Jo said.

  “Oh, is there some kind of new acting trick that can keep a person from having a pulse?” Eddy gently pushed off both Samantha and Jo’s hands as he approached the security guard. “Now you listen to me! Every second that passes is an opportunity for someone to get away with murder. You need to get your men to conduct a thorough search of this entire resort. If you can’t handle that, then you should call in law enforcement, who can. If you won’t, I will. Samantha, give me your phone!” He turned back to face Samantha, who handed over her phone without argument. Eddy’s flushed cheeks and sharp tone warned all of his friends that he was not to be silenced.

  “I’m afraid that will not be possible, sir.” The security guard crossed his arms.

  “Excuse me? You can’t stop me from reporting a crime.”

  “No, sir, I can’t. But there is no way law enforcement is going to be able to come out here at this time. All of the roads leading to the resort have already been closed due to the heavy snowfall.”

  “Oh no.” Eddy groaned. “I forgot about the storm. That was the whole reason I came down to the bar.”

  “It’s very important to us that you feel safe here, Eddy.” The security guard offered his hand. “I’m sure if we work together we can figure out what happened here. If you give me some time, I will ensure there is a search of the grounds, and I will also make contact with the actor that I think you might have seen. Everything will be fine.”

  “Unless you’re planning to break out some kind of séance you’re not going to be making any contact with the man that I saw dead on this floor.”

  “Eddy, he’s just trying to be helpful. Try to think this through. If there was a body here…”

  “If? If Samantha?” He stared straight into her eyes. “Are you saying that I didn’t see what I know I saw?”

  “I’m not saying that at all.” Samantha looked him straight back in the eyes. “I’m telling you that you need to calm down if we’re going to figure this out.”

  “You’re right.” He heaved a deep sigh and nodded. “I’m sorry. Obviously, something strange has happened here. I know what I saw, but the body is gone. So someone must have moved it.”

  “I will have my security team scour the grounds, but in the meantime, it would be best if you returned to your rooms.”

  “All right.” Eddy frowned and joined his friends as they walked towards the hallway that led to the rooms. His heart raced as he knew that every second that passed was a second longer for the killer to escape. “I can’t believe they’re being so casual about this. Someone has to find the killer.”

  “And they will, Eddy.” Samantha pushed the button to call the elevator. “But we have to let them do their job.”

  “Why? So they can cover up a murder on their property? That’s all they want to do. It’ll be bad for sales if someone was killed in their resort,” Eddy said.

  The elevator doors slid shut.

  “Eddy has a point, it does cause a huge problem if there is a murder in a luxury resort,” Walt said.

  “Still, I doubt that the security staff would go to the lengths of moving a body in order to protect the resort. That would mean they could all be going to prison for their interference,” Samantha said.

  When they reached the second floor Samantha held the doors open until all of her friends walked through.

  The four friends stepped into Walt and Eddy’s room and closed the door behind them. “Moving the body is too big of a risk to take, for anyone.” Walt shook his head.

  “Depending on how much they’re paid.” Jo shrugged. “Maybe the payoff is worth the risk.”

  “I don’t know, this is a nice place, but it’s not exactly the playground of billionaires. I really don’t think that the staff moved the body.” Samantha shook her head.

  “If there was a body, where did it go?” Walt sat down at the table and took off his glasses to clean them.

  “If? I don’t see why we’re even debating this, I know what I saw. All of you are acting like I didn’t see what I saw, but I know what I saw.” Eddy looked between his three friends in search of an explanation.

  “I don’t know what you expect us to say, Eddy. You say there was a body, but there isn’t one. There’s no blood, no sign of a crime being committed. So how can there be a murder with no evidence? Not even a body?” Jo asked.

  “I saw one, that’s how. I’m not sure how you can question it.”

  “It’s not that we’re questioning you, Eddy, we’re looking for the logical explanation.” Walt wiped his glasses clean, then placed them back on his face. “Of course you saw what you saw, no one is doubting that.”

  “Really? Because it seems like all of you are.”

  “You’re just wound up, Eddy. You know us better than that. If you think we’re not going to support you then you’ve really lost touch with reality.” Jo patted his shoulder. “But the point is, what you saw is now gone. So, we are going to have to figure out why that is, and where it might be. Maybe if you go over exactly what you saw one more time, we could piece something together.”

  “But first have some tea.” Walt walked over with a cup. “Just drink it, and sit down for a few minutes. The security team is running a search of the resort and the grounds. There’s nothing else we can do, other than to try to think this through.”

  “Thanks, Walt. You’re right. I’m sorry for barking at you guys. I just got so upset when that security idiot acted like I was seeing things. Over twenty years with a badge, but I’m making things up?”

  “Nobody thinks that, Eddy.” Samantha sat down beside him at the table. “Just try to calm your nerves a little bit.”

  “No one here believes you’re making anything up.” Jo sat down across from him. “None of us doubt what you saw. But keep in mind, sometimes what we see can be an illusion.”

  “So you think it was some kind of prank that I fell for?”

  “Stop taking things so personally, Eddy. It’s not about you. It’s about the victim, isn’t it?” Jo asked.