Seductive Suspect

They glared at him, but neither answered.

“Regarding our group outside,” he continued, “we also split up, but into pairs.” He tugged at the bottom of his stained jacket. “You may have surmised I had a bit of an incident with a slippery patch of uneven terrain. Miss Campbell was kind enough to help me out, so the two of us can vouch for each other.”

A glimmer of hope flickered to life inside me, and I looked over to Adam. “And if the two of you were together the whole time…”

“Uh…about that.” Paul ruffled the hair at the back of his head, sending fine droplets of rainwater cascading to his shoes. “I, um, had to relieve myself, so I told him to go on ahead and I’d catch up.”

I groaned. “And you listened to him?”

Adam shoved his hands into his pockets and bit his lower lip. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. In retrospect, I should have stuck around.”

Laura crossed her arms over her chest. She glowered at them, the creases in her brow deepening. Though she didn’t articulate her thoughts, her accusations and fury were apparent.

Out of desperation, I clung to that glimmer, although it faded quickly. “Would there have been enough time for one of you to come back to the lodge, kill Brittany, and run back before the four of us reconvened? I mean, how long does it take to pee behind a tree or whatever?”

“Who knows.” He rocked back and forth on his heels. “I don’t think we were separated for very long, but I can’t say for sure.”

“And I already said I didn’t kill her, but I’m sure not everybody believes me.” Paul exhaled again. “Not like I can blame you, without having any proof. We’re right back in the same situation, not knowing anything for certain.”

Victor straightened and cleared his throat. “Unless you believe there’s a conspiracy underway, Miss Campbell and I havebeen cleared of Brittany’s unfortunate death, at the very least. However, I don’t know how meaningful said information is at this point in time.”

Isabel’s nose twitched. “It’s a start, I guess.” She rubbed her arms. “I hadn’t thought about the possibility of there being more than one killer.”

Her words hung heavy in the air. The theory of multiple murderers troubled me, too. But, as Victor had pointed out, I knew he hadn’t killed Brittany. I found some consolation in being able to count on one person.

“I certainly hope that’s not the case,” he said. “But I suppose we shouldn’t rule anything out.” He reached for the top button of his coat. “Now, if you don’t mind, I really must change out of these soiled clothes and try to wash the mud out of my hair. I’m sure the others who were with me outside would appreciate some time to freshen up, too.”

“A hot shower does sound nice,” I said.

He nodded. “Shall we all return to our rooms, then, and plan for a late lunch or early dinner in an hour?”

“All right.” Paul strode toward the staircase. “You can decide who’s prepping the food. With all the dead bodies I’ve been examining and hauling around, I think I’ve earned a pass.”

We agreed to meet in the foyer in one hour. I hurried up the stairs, shedding my damp, dirty clothing as soon as I locked the door behind me, and draped it over the radiator. Turning the faucet all the way to one side, I let the shower fill the bathroom with steam and tried to reason through the events of the last several hours.

The guests who’d stayed inside had a greater window of opportunity to drown Brittany in the fountain. Dylan wouldn’t have had to struggle much to physically overpower her, I thought, but could Isabel or Laura have created a ruse to lure her outside? Then again, with her ridiculous high heels and ditzydemeanor, anyone might have been able to catch her off guard or off balance.

I stepped into the shower and tilted my face up into the spray. Closing my eyes, I sighed, the plaintive sound echoing off the tiles. I wanted to believe neither Adam nor Paul would have had enough time to rush back to the lodge to kill her, but, by their own admission, I couldn’t rule either of them out.

Why didn’t I choose to stay with Adam? Then we’d each know the other was innocent.

I shook my head to push the silly, futile thought out of my mind, and reached for the shampoo bottle. Although a fourth death unnerved me, it had given us more information to work with. I needed to concentrate on facts, not any lingering attraction to the cute guy and potential murderer next door.

Victor had been correct when he’d pointed out the two of us had an alibi for Brittany’s drowning. While the killer had been able to commit the crime unseen, they had allowed us to start eliminating suspects. A small clue was better than nothing at all. Maybe the killer’s luck would run out, or this little slipup would be a deterrent to carrying out the next murder.

I rinsed the lather out of my hair and rubbed my skin with a washcloth until all traces of mud swirled down the drain. My survival depended on untangling this mystery, and I now had more evidence at my disposal. I didn’t care how, but I was determined to find a way to leave the lodge alive.

Bolstered by my newfound confidence, I shut off the faucet and quickly dried off with the towels. Since my casual clothes were soiled and damp, I put on the purple dress I’d worn the first night, before we’d learned what was in store for us over the weekend. The silky fabric swished across the tops of my knees as I marched out the door. I felt prepared to take on whatever twist the killer threw at us next.

Dylan sat on the bottom step of the staircase, swiping thescreen of his phone. He nodded at me when I approached, and I leaned against the railing to wait for the others. Another door on the landing opened, and I glanced up to see Laura peek her head out. Isabel’s door opened a moment later, and they joined us at the bottom of the stairs, followed by Paul and, lastly, Adam.

“I’m starving,” Paul said. “What did you guys decide on for lunch, or dinner, or whatever you want to call it?”

“Nothing yet.” Laura pushed her glasses up her nose. “Besides, shouldn’t we wait for Victor?”

The hair at the back of my neck stood up at the mention of his absence. “Where is he, anyway?” I murmured.

Several of us exchanged anxious glances. Paul shrugged. “The guy had, like, half the dirt from the forest stuck in his hair and clothes. I’m sure he’ll be out here in another minute.”