Powdered Murder

"Oh no," I muttered. "What did you do?"

"I told him where he could find good ole Mr. and Mrs. Jaye." He covered his mouth when one of his loud laughs came out as a wheeze. He coughed and took another swig of his drink. "Up at the top of Pinecliffe Trail."

"What?" I blurted out. "That road leads up the mountain to the abandoned mining cabins."

"I know," he proudly replied.

"You better hope he doesn't try to come back down while it's dark." I crossed my arms.

"Oh, I'm sure he turned around after the first mile of rocks and potholes." He ran the back of his hand across his mouth to wipe away the foam from his drink. "Serves him right for poking around in Patrick's business. The Jayes have had enough of that all these years."

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I checked the caller ID and saw that it was Joy, probably calling to apologize again. I nodded at Booney and Stella and quickly stepped outside where there wasn't clinking glasses and cackling.

"Joy?" I answered the phone.

"Before you ask," she began. "I haven't been fired. Mr. Kentworth said the di

"Good."

"But that's not why I'm calling," she added. Joy cleared her throat. "None of it matters anyway because I have decided to cancel the whole thing."

"Mr. Kentworth won't let you do that," I informed her. My pulse quickened as I waited for her to explain why she was willing to throw away everything she had worked so hard for. Patrick's face flashed in my mind and I forced myself to push it aside. Has he said something?

"Then I'll resign." She spoke clearly and confidently. Joy wasn't kidding around. She was serious. "I would rather be jobless than have to plan my only sister's funeral. I can't believe I was the last to know about what happened this morning. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were so busy that—"

"You told Sheriff Williams, right? I can't believe the geezer hasn't made an arrest yet."

"He won't admit it, but he's a little out of his league on this one," I answered. I brushed a few flurries from my face and warmed my frozen hand on the back of my neck. I dragged my feet in the fresh powder as I gradually walked away from the Grizzly and onto the open street.

"I'm calling it," she responded. "As much as I wanted that promotion, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if the killer knocked off one of my family members."

"And here I thought that you were calling to say how sorry you were for what you did in my apartment." I attempted to lighten the mood. I heard the tension in Joy's voice when she'd spoken of canceling the wedding. Too much of her life had been spent trying to climb the ladder at the resort. I couldn’t let her cancel, not when I was close to finding the killer.

"Right," she gulped, lowering her voice. "I still can't believe I did that. Wade is … well, he should be locked up."

"Uh-huh." I knew she was only trying to draw attention away from the truth. She still had feelings for him and she probably always would.

"Back to the wedding," she casually changed the subject. "Mr. Kentworth just left so … I'll prep some client files tonight and then march into his office first thing tomorrow morning ready to resign."

"Whoa," I replied. Joy was so hot or cold that I would often find myself being her voice of reason. With her, it was either one end of the spectrum or the other. "Slow down, sis. I appreciate the gesture, but I can't let you ruin your career because of me."

"Essie," she shouted into the phone. "Someone tried to kill you!"

"And if you give me until tomorrow I think I know who."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I swear." I glanced up the road at the snow-capped mountains. There was one person who was at the hotel when Do

Franco.

"I don't know," Joy hesitated. "I know I asked you to help me, but I never thought it would go this far."

"Just tell me one thing," I continued. I knew that with more time I could finally figure out who was stirring up trouble trying to stain the town's reputation and put my sister out of a job. "Where is the wedding party now?"

"It's late," she answered. "The Millbrecks and Patrick's parents went home. I just missed Mom and Dad when I got here, and Lila and the others are in their rooms."

"What about Franco?"

"No." She paused and chuckled to herself. "He's in the bar as usual. Working for Lila is the sort of job that makes you want to hang yourself so he usually gets plastered before bed."

"Plastered?"

"Okay," she admitted. "I'm exaggerating, but he takes his time and enjoys himself after work."

"Is there any way you can make sure he stays put for the next hour or so?"

"What do you have in mind?" Joy curiously asked.

"It's probably best if you didn't know."

I started the journey back to my apartment to warm up my car. I wasn't going to risk wandering through the dark and the freshly fallen snow when somebody wanted me in a body bag. Hopefully that someone was currently sipping martinis at the hotel bar.

"I guess I could give him a couple of free drink vouchers, valid tonight only."

"Perfect." I hung up and jogged the rest of the way.

I had a gut feeling that Franco was hiding something, and his secret could be that he was a stone cold killer.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My heart pounded the entire elevator ride to Franco's room. I'd done something I'd only ever thought about doing, and I was surprised at how easy it was to walk right into the head maid’s tiny office that also acted as a cleaning closet and swipe a room key. I'd stared at the floor the rest of my journey towards the guest rooms. I was sure I would be caught if I looked someone in the eye.

The elevator dinged and I carefully walked down the hall to Franco's suite on the same floor as Lila's. The hallway was quiet, and a decorative table near the end of the hall greeted me with a vase of newly-placed poinsettias. The brilliant red contrasted with the cream-colored walls. I gulped when I reached Franco's door, wondering what I might find when I turned the door knob and had a glimpse of his belongings and hygiene habits.

I swiped the key and my eyes widened when a green blinking light showed me the key card had worked. I turned the handle and pushed open the door. The suite was dark and quiet. I took a step. The floor creaked behind me and I jumped, almost hitting the wall. A faint whisper came from behind me.

"Essie, you little sneak."

"Lila?" I gasped. She was standing behind me, watching me breaking and entering into her assistant's private room.

"I thought I heard something," she responded. She was wearing a silk nightie and a white sleep mask with the word Bride embroidered on it rested on her forehead. "I'm a light sleeper. I thought you were Franco and I wanted to run over tomorrow's schedule one last time. He must still be at the bar, the boozer."

"I was just—"