Powdered Murder

"I take it you also sent me that letter?"

"Franco delivered it." Lila rolled her eyes. "He thought it was a thank you card. When the investigation goes further his prints will be all over that envelope."

"So you had Franco plant the threatening letter, you snuck into the gym, and you knew what exit I was going to use to leave the resort," I added.

"Uh-huh." She giggled. "I fit into those storage cabinets quite nicely. Must be my trim figure." She placed a hand on her hip and held her gun steady. "I sent that errand boy Eli down stairs to distract you. He has a thing for me, especially since I'm the one who told him Misty the spa receptionist had a crush on him. It didn't take long for the two of them to wander to the nearest utility closet so Do

"And the security cameras?"

"My request, but Franco always does the paperwork for me."

"Same with the special order with the Charles Dickens code name?" I asked.

"All me," she freely admitted. "All I had to do was show you Franco's lame old book and I knew you would put the pieces together. Like I said. It was too easy. All of it."

"Your friend from The Cove threw me for a loop." I paused to see her reaction.

"Who?"

"John Slagger," I responded. "Did he have a hand in this too?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." She clenched her jaw together and ground her teeth as she stared at the gun in her hand. "Back to business, sweetheart. I'm thinking a closed casket. What do you think?"

"Do I really get a choice?" I gulped. My palms started to sweat and my chest felt like it was being held down by a barbell. I contemplated lunging forward and overpowering Lila. It seemed like it would be easy to wrestle her fragile frame to ground, but she was capable of far more than I'd given her credit for.

She really was one of the greatest actresses of all time.

"Good point," she replied.

Her finger twitched and I instantly let out a yelp. Lila laughed. She hadn't pulled the trigger yet. She wanted me to die from the anticipation first. I glanced down at her wounded calf and imagined myself dropping to a squat position and pushing her weight forward like I've done at the gym with a punching bag.

My throat tightened up and I took one last breath, hoping it wasn't my last. I was going to go for it. If anything, I could stall for more time so Lila didn't shoot me, turn around, and then shoot Patrick a second time.

Before I had the chance to execute my plan, an unexpected visitor interrupted us. Lila curiously turned around and lowered her gun in the process. Behind her was the man I'd been searching for. John Slagger, the mysterious out-of-towner slash fake undercover reporter slash escaped mental patient, was heading towards us with a look of concern.

"Hey!" he shouted. He waved his hand, and abruptly lowered it when he caught sight of the weapon Lila was holding. He slowed his pace and approached us with a calm demeanor.

I took Lila turning her back as my one and only opportunity to take her gun. Patrick had the same idea. As I squatted low to ram Lila's legs out from under her, Patrick lunged in our direction. My shoulders hit Lila's lower legs and I could practically feel the bone of her kneecap digging into my chest. Patrick let out a low growl as he let go of his bloody shoulder and snatched Lila's gun before she could react. My entire upper body throbbed as I glanced up and saw Lila lying in the snow trying to catch her breath. Patrick's face cringed as he forcefully handed me the gun. As soon as I accepted it he resumed clutching his shoulder. He let out another loud yell from the pain.

Lila rolled to her knees, her wounded leg and giant wedding dress making it difficult for her. She clawed her way out of the mess of snow around her and attempted to stand up. She stumbled towards the chair lift and John followed her with a watchful eye. I focused my attention on Patrick.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to him.

"I'll survive." I could tell it pained him even to speak, but he gri

"Lila, stop," John instructed. "Lila, what are you doing?"

Lila had moved so fast I looked away from Patrick and saw that she was standing in front of one of the moving ski benches. She waited to take her ride up the slope to the highest black diamond run on Pinecliffe Mountain.

"Lila," I yelled.

"Lila, don't do it!" John Slagger ran towards her right as she took her seat on a moving bench. John ran at her and made it just in time to grab part of the armrest and hoist himself up into the air.

Sirens blasted through the canyon. I stayed by Patrick's side carefully setting the gun down next to me. The two of us looked up at Lila and John. Their feet swung above us on the chair lift, and Lila's enormous gown took up most of the bench. The two of them climbed higher and higher in altitude. I listened carefully as John reassured Lila everything was going to be okay.

An ambulance stopped at the base of the mountain and a team of medics came ru

"I'm sure she'll be fine." I squeezed Patrick's hand. It was comforting that his skin was still very warm.

"What's going on with them?" one of the medics asked.

I let go of Patrick's hand and jogged through the snow to catch a closer look at John and Lila. They had disappeared over the trees. I quickly accompanied Patrick back to the ambulance and ran up the patio steps towards the top floor of the hotel. From the patio off the bride's room I could see Lila getting closer to the mountaintop. She scooted farther away from John and repeatedly shook her head.

I brushed freshly fallen snow from my shoulders and face and kept watching despite my chattering teeth and icicles for fingers. A hand gripped my shoulder, making me jump. I turned and saw the sheriff. His eyes darted down towards the ambulance that had loaded up Patrick and was pulling out of the parking lot.

"What happened?" Sheriff Williams asked. He spoke in almost a whisper like it was a personal matter between the two of us and no one else.

"A lot," I answered, watching Lila disappear again behind a white cloud of snow. I turned to the sheriff, rubbing my hands together. I was worried about Lila. What would she do next? Would the sheriff’s holding cell be able to contain her crazy? But my heart wasn't racing because I'd stared death in the face and hesitated. My heart wouldn't slow down because Patrick was on his way to the hospital and I didn't know if I would ever see him again.

"And the bride? Where is she off to?"

"Who knows," I answered quietly. A snowflake landed on my eyelashes. "But you'll need to get your handcuffs ready for when she inevitably takes her ride back down the mountain. She's the murderer."

"Now Essie—"

"This isn't one of my wild theories, Sheriff. She confessed everything in front of me and Patrick." I took a deep breath and stared hopeful at the returning chair lifts as they appeared one by one from behind a snow cloud. The sheriff put his arm around me and escorted me inside, knowing I would've waited on that patio until my limbs fell off.

"Essie," Joy gasped. She was waiting inside with her arms folded. She immediately ran her fingers through my hair and attempted to dry it off with the fabric of a throw pillow. "You look awful … and what were those loud noises? Don't tell me the Lellend boys were out there with firecrackers again? I've warned them so many times—"