Rocky Mountain Mayhem (12 page)

“Second?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah, her first husband died about two years
ago.”

“That sucks. Was he old?”

“In his mid-50s. Not old by any means. She’s
totally loaded now.”

Vivian called Blair, who suggested The Ridge
in Bachelor Gulch. She raved about the impeccable service and the
luxurious spa at the isolated mountaintop resort 15 minutes outside
Vail.

Kate called the hotel and made a
reservation.

“Vivian, you need to call the FBI,” Kate said
when she got off the phone. “This is serious.”

“Yeah,” Lucy said in a huff. “Craig tried to
kill us.
All
of us!”

Vivian rifled through her wallet. “I have his
card right here, I’ll step outside and call him now.”

“Not alone,” Wendy said. “The buddy system is
officially back in effect.”

“We’ll go get the car,” Lucy said, motioning
to Kate. “Then we’ll pick y’all up.”

Wendy and Vivian went outside. Her hands
shook as she dialed the number.

As soon as he answered the phone Vivian said,
“Hi Agent Tucker, this is Vivian Taylor again and I think Craig may
have tried to kill me.” Her voice caught and tears rolled down her
cheeks.

“Are you safe? Are you okay?”

“I feel like I’m safe for now and I wasn’t
hurt.”

“What happened?”

“I’m on vacation in Colorado with my friends
and our brakes went out. We almost flew off the side of a mountain,
literally. We had the car towed and the mechanic told us the brakes
valves were loosened.”

“What makes you think Craig played a role in
this?”

“Someone left an envelope for me at the front
desk of my hotel, and it had a picture of me from late last
night.”

She hesitated.
Should I tell him the whole
story
?

“I was, uhhmmm.”

God this is embarrassing
.

“I was leaving a guy’s apartment.”

“Go on.”

“I also think he may have broken into our
room. I thought I smelled his cologne on two different
occasions.”

“Was anything in the room tampered with? Was
there a note with the envelope?”

“The room seemed fine, and there wasn’t a
note in the envelope. It just had my name on the front and my room
number.”

“Don’t handle the envelope or picture
anymore. If you have a bag or something you can seal them in,
that’d be best.”

“I’ll find something.”

“Where are you now?”

“We’re still in the town where the tow truck
driver brought us, El Jebel. We’re about to leave, though, for The
Ridge Hotel in Bachelor Gulch. We canceled our original
reservations at the hotel in Vail and just booked this one.”

“That’s good. I’ll send agents from our
Denver field office to meet you this afternoon. Have you contacted
the local authorities?”

“No. Were you able to find out anything about
the phone number Craig called me from yesterday?”

“It was a disposable cell and he’s probably
ditched it by now. I was able to trace it to a retailer in Denver
but he paid cash. He is obviously escalating. Get in the car and go
to The Ridge. Don’t make any additional stops. Be aware of anyone
who could be following you.”

“Okay.”

“Is the number you’re calling from the number
I have on record as your cell?”

Vivian needed to sit down. She felt
lightheaded and reached out to Wendy for support. “Yes, it’s my
cell,” she said, and they disconnected.

Vivian pulled the phone away from her ear,
still dazed.

“What’d he say?” Wendy asked.

Before she could answer, Lucy and Kate pulled
up and they got in.

“Tell us, what’d Agent Tucker say?” Wendy
asked.

“He said that Craig’s behavior is escalating
and we need to be careful and watch out for him in case he’s
following us.” She used the side-view mirror to look behind them.
“And to go straight to the hotel.”

“You got it,” Lucy said and pulled onto the
highway.

“Did he say anything else?” Kate asked.

“He told me to not touch the envelope or
picture anymore and to put it in a bag. I guess they’ll try to get
prints off of it. Lucy, do you have something I can put it in?”

“There’s a grocery bag in the back seat
pocket.”

Wendy held open a bag and Vivian dropped in
the envelope before continuing. “The only other thing was that he’d
call the office in Denver and have agents meet us at the
hotel.”

“At least he’s taking it seriously,” Lucy
said, “because I was ready to send a strongly worded letter to the
oil change place. If I find out it was Craig who did this, I may go
ballistic on his ass.”

“Let’s have them check for bugs in the car,”
Wendy said. “I realize we’re not in Mexico, but we’re not taking
any chances.”

“And tracking devices,” Kate said.

“We should stop now and look for tracking
devices,” Wendy said. “Al showed us the one he found, maybe we’d be
able to recognize another.”

Lucy pulled onto the shoulder and the girls
got out.

Holy crap
, Vivian thought.
Here we
go again
.

THE search for listening or tracking devices
on Lucy’s SUV turned up nothing, so the girls got back on the road.
It took an hour to reach Avon, where Lucy turned off to ascend the
mountain to Bachelor Gulch. About a quarter of the way, she rolled
into a security checkpoint. The guard called the hotel and
confirmed they were guests prior to allowing access.

“That makes me feel better,” Vivian said as
the gate arm lifted.

The road wound up the mountain a few miles.
Just past the tennis courts, Kate gasped.

Lucy slammed on the brakes, which were now
working quite nicely. “What? What is it?”

Kate pointed out the window to the left.
“Bighorn sheep!”

“Jesus, you scared the crap out of me. I’m on
edge here!”

“Sorry, but I’ve never seen one.”

“Me, neither, but it’s just a sheep. It’s not
Bigfoot!”

“Aren’t bighorn sheep just about as elusive?”
Vivian asked. “I’ve stopped at that stupid scenic overlook in
Georgetown several times and have
never
seen one. Ever.”

“Well, I’ve seen ’em, and now so have you,”
Lucy said. “I have a constant fear when I’m driving in the
mountains that one is going to fall off a cliff and land on my
windshield.”

“It is weird how they can balance like they
do,” Vivian said. “Lucy, if only you were that sure-footed.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a klutz. I know it.” She
followed the signs to the hotel and pulled under the portico.

Two valets opened their doors and helped them
out. One asked Lucy if they needed assistance with their
luggage.

“Wow,” was all she could manage as she took
in The Ridge.

Wendy spoke up as she opened the back hatch.
“We need help with all of this.” The cargo area was completely
full, as in up-to-the-ceiling, can’t-see-out-the-rearview full.

Kate and Vivian were oblivious to the luggage
conversation and had moved toward the double front doors that the
valets held open.

“Gorgeous,” Kate chimed, in awe of the
stately stone and timber-beamed lodge with its two guest wings
angled out like massive rock shoulders toward the entry court.

“When do we move in?” Vivian asked. She liked
the seclusion and the security and was glad she called Blair.

The girls were drawn into the cozy lobby
where four armchairs and a table sat in front of a wood-burning
fireplace. Before they could sit, a host appeared and introduced
himself as Matt. He welcomed them and offered a complimentary glass
of champagne.

“That sounds lovely,” Lucy said, looking over
at the girls with amazement.

Kate stopped him. “Thank you, but can I have
a glass of sparkling water instead?”

“It would be my pleasure,” the host said and
walked off to fulfill their requests.

The girls giggled and golf clapped at his
response. They turned to the left and walked past a swanky
restaurant on their way to the front desk. A large basket of fruit
graced the polished mahogany counter. Bananas, apples, oranges, you
name it. A beverage station held two 3-gallon glass servers, one
containing lemon slices, the other strawberries.

A man whose name badge read Trey checked them
in.

Vivian leaned against the check-in desk and
asked, “Did you used to have a masseur here named Rodney?”

Trey looked up from his computer and grinned.
“We sure did. Rodney is a good friend of mine.”

The girls laughed and Vivian clapped. “He was
my masseur on the beach in Playa del Carmen. He was so much
fun.”

“He knows how to have a good time, that’s for
sure,” Trey said. “We miss him around here.”

“If you talk to him, tell him we said hi!”
Lucy requested.

“You got it.” He got back to checking them in
and due to construction on the fourth floor, he upgraded them to a
mountain-view room with a fireplace. “Your room is on the eighth
floor. You are on three, which is the main floor, so the
construction shouldn’t be a problem, but we like to let all our
guests know to avoid four. You shouldn’t be disturbed by the noise,
but if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to call the front
desk. We want your stay to be as pleasant as possible.”

“Why, thank you,” Vivian said. “We want our
stay to be as pleasant as possible, too.”

“Yeah, especially after the drive up,” Wendy
said. “How secure is this place, by the way? We’ve had some
security issues recently.”

Trey’s demeanor turned serious. “Our guests’
safety is of utmost importance. We’ve had numerous political
figures, sports celebrities and movie stars on our property and
have never had an incident. Do you have any special needs?”

“No, no. Everything’s fine,” Vivian said.

Wendy leaned over the counter. “We’ll let you
know.”

Trey gave a smile, then said, “Would you
ladies like a tour of our
very
safe and spectacular
facilities?”

Wendy looked pleased and Lucy answered, using
her line from earlier, “That would be lovely.” She held up her
glass and clinked with the girls.

Trey looked past them and snapped above his
head. Matt, the host, appeared by their side and led them a few
steps away into the great room. Vivian tuned out whatever he was
saying and focused on the view out the windows, which perfectly
framed the snow-covered mountains. The snow had melted off in
places, but it was a beautiful sight for this Texas gal all the
same.

“Cocktails, blah blah…Timberline…blah
blah…wireless.” She didn’t hear much. The majestic view overpowered
her senses, and she felt herself start to relax.

The girls looked out the floor-to-ceiling
windows in awe. “I need my camera,” Kate said, digging in her
purse.

Matt held the door open leading to the back
of the property and continued the tour. “We have a large patio for
you to enjoy, including the fire pit. We light this every evening
and have s’more kits available for purchase in the Timberline
Restaurant.”

The view was even more amazing outside, and
the girls posed in front of the ski lift for a picture. Matt
snapped a few, then escorted them past the fire pit to a patio
filled with tables and chairs. “This is the outdoor dining for
Felix, our signature restaurant.” He swept his arm out in a grand
gesture to the left. “As you can see, here is our heated,
Olympic-sized swimming pool. Nestled in the aspens just beyond are
two hot tubs.” He spun to the right and gestured again. “And here
is a third, larger hot tub.” He walked up a few steps and through a
door, back into the hotel and the fitness center. “Towels are
available here,” he said, pointing to a large wooden shelf filled
with fluffy, bright-white towels.

“We have state-of-the-art exercise equipment
and a workout room with free weights, yoga mats, exercise balls,
jump ropes and a number of other items to ensure a perfect
workout.”

Lucy nudged Vivian. “We’ll be spending some
time in here. Circuit training, here we come!”

Vivian rolled her eyes and took a sip of her
champagne.

They walked down a short hallway. “This
elevator will take us down to the spa where we have steam rooms and
a dry sauna, plunge pool, showers, the grotto, a lounge and
numerous services available such as facials, massages and more for
your relaxation pleasure.”

“Now we’re talking,” Vivian said as they
entered the elevator. Matt pushed the B button.

As the doors opened Vivian knew she was in
heaven. The aroma de spa, hidden lighting, soft music and muted
colors exemplified tranquility and instantly melted the knot in her
chest.

“I love the feel in here,” she said. “Blair
rocks!”

A beautiful young woman introduced herself as
Suri and guided them through the spa. They passed a desk with
robes, then entered a locker room complete with a long vanity
supplied with brushes, combs, deodorant, lotions, razors, cotton
balls, blow driers and an array of hair products.

“Look, y’all,” Kate said. “There’s enough
stuff here for us to do up some big-ass Texas hair.”

“I may be inclined to tease it up for a
special occasion while we’re here,” Vivian said.

“Hell, just being here is a special occasion
in my book!” Wendy said.

“Yeeeeeeehaw!” Lucy yelled.

A pair of women in robes, their hair wrapped
in towels, walked into the locker room and stared at them. Vivian
waved.

Suri led them down a dark hallway and turned
to the door on her right. “Here you will find the ladies-only
grotto, dry sauna and steam room. The small pool at the end of the
room is the cold plunge, which I highly recommend you dip into
after detoxifying in any of the three amenities here.”

“I see myself needing to detoxify,” Wendy
said. “Can’t wait to try the steam room.”