Powdered Murder

"Something must have happened," he guessed. "Let me guess, the paparazzi caught wind of it already?"

"Maybe." As I watched him try to analyze every word that came out of my mouth, I was reminded of why Joy loathed him so much. Why he drove her crazy with his questions and guessing games. "Have you seen any reporters snooping around lately?"

"This John guy," he answered. "Is he tall? Ski

"That's him." I eagerly leaned forward, hoping he was about to tell me that John was at the resort at the time Do

"Yeah, I heard he hit on Ada down at the bakery. Apparently, he's ordered enough blueberry streusel to feed the entire town."

"When was he at the bakery?"

"I don't know. Right before they closed, I think. So sometime this afternoon," he replied.

"Darn," I muttered to myself. I took a deep breath and glanced out the window at the rocky trail leading back to my car. Soft snowflakes had already covered my tracks to the cabin. It was fu

"What's the matter? Did this guy stand you up for a date or something?" Wade had a smug look on his face. He liked to push my buttons the same he did with Joy, but I had a cooler temper. Since working at the resort, I'd learned to be patient with people. It was the only way I was able to teach them. And it was the only way I could bear training Martha Millbreck all these years. She was a high-paying client, but not many people got along with her.

"Something like that," I lied, turning to leave.

"Wait," Wade blurted out. He ran his fingers through his hair and scratched the patch of scruff on his chin. "There's something else."

I stopped to listen.

"What?"

"If I tell you…" He paused. "You have to promise me something."

Where's my bargaining chip?

"Just tell me, Wade."

"First, swear that you'll tell Joy I'm seeing someone," he said. "Someone out of my league."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not going to tell her that," I answered. "She has enough to deal with right now as it is. Tell me, and I won't tell her what we talked about tonight." Wade raised his eyebrows. "It'll drive her just as crazy. I promise."

Wade chuckled and nodded his head.

"Okay, somebody else came into town early this afternoon," he explained. "Another out-of-towner. Drives a black BMW with tinted windows."

"What did he look like?" My heart pounded as I imagined the killer stepping out of the vehicle in a trench coat and sunglasses. "Or was it a she?"

"I don't know. I can't see through tinted windows, but I'll ask around."

"Well, did you at least see where the car was headed?"

“Definitely," he replied. “The resort.”

*   *   *

When I drove back into town, the sun had gone down. I pulled up in front of The Painted Deer Bookshop and eagerly jogged to my apartment door. I lit a fire as soon as I got inside and rubbed my cold hands together for warmth. It was nights like this that I would usually dig through my box of bargain books that Mrs. Tankle let me borrow, and find a good read to go along with my before bedtime tea. Joy called it my teacap because an herbal tea before bed was my way of winding down. And it went along well with my stimulant-free new year's resolution.

My “no coffee” rule was the hardest one to swallow. I'd made it my new year's goal to cut the caffeine. I drank it so much that my first week going cold turkey consisted of daily headaches and mood swings worse than Joy's. I must have been more dependent on the stuff than I realized, but I was able to cure some of my cravings with a Green Ginger Pick-Me-Up smoothie – a smoothie of my own creation consisting of green vegetables, pineapple, and fresh ginger root for a zest of energy.

My fingers brushed across a few books, but I couldn’t concentrate. It was too late to go wandering around town. Joy wasn't home yet, and her room usually remained untouched. She was most likely still at work trying to clean up the mess from tonight.

Like the majority of my nights, I was on my own for a late di

My mind wouldn't relax, even when I took a giant whiff of the ci

I sat down on my sofa and inhaled the steam rising from my mug. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. My heartbeat gradually slowed down until there was a light knock on the door. My heart jumped and my muscles froze. It couldn’t be Joy. She had a key.

I slowly stood up and tiptoed towards the peephole just as another light knock hit the door. I peered through the peephole and gulped at a face I wasn't expecting to see. I quickly straightened my hair and adjusted my top before answering. I opened the door to Patrick who was waiting on the other side with a hopeful look on his face. He seemed relieved when I answered the door, anxiously stepping inside and looking from side to side to see if I was alone.

"Patrick," I gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I went to your old house but . . . you moved."

"Yeah," I responded. "I've been here above the bookshop for quite a while now."

"Oh." He cleared his throat and glanced at the sofa. His cheeks were rosy and his hunter green ski coat had flakes of snow on the shoulders.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"Yes, thanks." He hesitated at first, but finally tried to make himself comfortable as I walked towards the kitchen.

"Can I get you something?" I asked. "Coffee? Tea? The Scotch that Joy has been hiding under the sink?"

Patrick chuckled.

"No, I'm okay."

My hands trembled as I joined him on the sofa, casually sitting so that our knees were inches away from each other. I gripped the handle of my mug tight as I took a sip of my tea, hoping that the warm liquid would calm me down or at least distract me from saying something stupid.

"So," I said. "Is everything okay?" Of course, it's not.

"Essie," he purposefully said loudly. "I know that you know about . . . Do

"Unfortunately…" I gulped. "I was there when Bebe found her. I'm so sorry, Patrick."

As Patrick nodded and glanced down at his snow boots, my mind jumped back to what Bebe had said about the two of them. My curiosity kicked in and I sat up straighter. My stomach settled down when I focused on the very important task I'd been given. I forced my feelings aside and reminded myself what could happen to this town if the ski resort had to close down.

"I think I'm still in shock," he muttered. "I hope you don't mind, but I didn't know who else to talk to. Lila is resting and my parents have turned in for the night."