The Grudge (2 page)

“A taco salad.”

“Have you heard anything more about Mario’s condition?” the waitress asked Andi.

“No, nothing yet. I’ll let you know if I do. How’s Carmen taking it?”

“Pretty hard, as you can imagine. As soon as I finish my shift I’m going to go over and check on her.”

“Mario?” Alyson asked after the waitress walked away.

“One of the propane tanks exploded yesterday,” Andi explained. “No one knows exactly what happened, but apparently there was a small explosion that threw a maintenance worker, Mario Gonzales, into a snowbank and caused third-degree burns over much of his body. He was airlifted to the hospital in Vancouver. No one’s heard whether he’s going to make it or not. He was hurt really bad.”

“Had the tank been tampered with?” Alyson asked.

“No one’s sure yet. All of the propane tanks on the property are inspected and tested on a regular basis. There’s no reason the accident would have occurred if tampering hadn’t been present, but at this point there’s no way to know.”

“What do people think happened?” Alyson asked.

“Some of the guys from the maintenance crew were here earlier. They swear the tank in question was inspected last week. The consensus is that someone tampered with the tank, but for the life of me I can’t imagine why anyone would want to hurt Mario. He’s the nicest guy in the world. The whole thing was probably some freak accident. I just hope Mario’s okay.”

“Do you think the body in the snowbank is somehow related?” Mac asked. “I mean, two freak accidents in two days?”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Andi answered. “You aren’t suggesting that someone is doing all of this on purpose, are you?”

“With our luck, I think there most definitely may be more to the story than two random accidents,” Mac said. “Unfortunately, this sounds like an
us
situation. Come for a pleasant ski holiday and end up trapped with a serial killer at a remote mountain resort in the middle of a blizzard.”

“This kind of thing happens to you all often?” Andi asked.

“You’d be surprised.” Mac groaned.

“Come on, don’t scare Andi,” Trevor cautioned her. “Our little group does seem to have a propensity for finding trouble if trouble is to be found, but I’m sure the two accidents were just a freaky coincidence.”

“I hope so,” Andi stated. “Until the road opens or the storm clears, we’re totally trapped. If there is someone out there causing these accidents we could be in real trouble. I should talk to my dad.”

“Just to be on the safe side, maybe we should do a little investigation,” Alyson suggested. “Without the presence of a real police force, I’d say we’re as experienced as anyone.”

“You guys detectives or something?” Andi wondered.

“Something.” Alyson leaned in and lowered her voice. “It’s not like we went to school and chose solving mysteries as a profession, but somehow we keep finding ourselves immersed in events beyond our control. Just last week we found a missing person, solved a murder, and uncovered a conspiracy.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. It’s been our experience that seemingly random acts usually end up following a pattern.”

“Okay, then. I’ll help you any way I can. I have access to pretty much everything on the resort. It’s probably better to keep this to ourselves, though. If my dad found out that his one and only offspring was doing something that could potentially put her in danger he’d put a stop to it right away.”

The conversation was interrupted as the waitress brought steaming plates of spicy burritos, tacos, refried beans, and Spanish rice. “Can I get you anything else?”

“No, I think we’re fine. Everything looks excellent, as always,” Andi answered. “If you do get over to talk to Carmen tell her my prayers are with her brother.”

“I’ll do that,” the waitress answered. “It’s hard with the storm. We haven’t been able to get through to the hospital, so we don’t really know what’s going on.”

“I think my dad has been in touch with Vancouver on the two-way radio. You should check with him.”

“Thanks, I will.”

“So where do we start?” Andi asked after the waitress had walked away.

“I’d like to get a look at the body.” Alyson picked up one of her tacos. “After we eat of course.”

“I’m pretty sure they took the body to the clinic,” Andi informed them as they ate their meal. “It’ll be closed now, but I have a passkey that opens any lock on the resort.”

“Oh, good, no breaking and entering this time around,” Mac breathed.

“Breaking and entering?” Andi asked.

“Last week, during our investigation into the mayor’s death and his secretary’s disappearance, we had to break into several of the town offices,” Trevor explained. “Mac wasn’t totally comfortable with the whole thing, but we got our guy.”

“I guess you did what you needed to do. But that shouldn’t be a problem this time. That doesn’t mean we won’t need to be sneaky, though. I’m not sure how I’d explain to my dad our need to pay a visit to the clinic at this late hour.”

“We’ll be extrastealthy,” Alyson promised. “Have there been any other accidents in the past few weeks?”

“No, things have been pretty quiet. In fact, the last real accident we had at the resort happened last spring. A skier died in an avalanche and, unlike most avalanche mishaps, this one was in bounds. We’re in the middle of a lawsuit over the whole thing as we speak. The victim’s family is asserting that the resort was negligent because it didn’t take all necessary precautions to prevent the avalanche.”

“Precautions?” Mac asked.

“We have an avalanche patrol team that’s one of the best anywhere. There are certain conditions that increase the likelihood of an avalanche: warm weather, heavy snow, rain followed by snow. If an avalanche danger exists, precautions are taken. Usually we use explosives to create a controlled avalanche, thereby decreasing the likelihood of a natural occurrence. Sometimes sections of the resort, usually those with the steepest terrain, will be closed until the threat diminishes. This is a ski resort; accidents happen, but our safety record is one of the best around.”

“So why did the family think the resort was negligent?” Alyson asked.

“My dad says that sometimes people in deep grief need to have someone to blame for their suffering.”

“Do you think they have a case?” Mac wondered.

“Not really. We’ve already been through an arbitration process, which ruled in our favor. The family is insisting on a jury trial, so we aren’t totally off the hook. In fact, there’s a team of safety experts here this week to conduct an audit of our safety practices and procedures. Devon and Eli’s dad installed software that helped my dad get ready for it. I’m hoping everything will come out okay. If we lose this lawsuit, we could lose the resort. I’m not sure our insurance would cover us if negligence is proven.”

“So this isn’t a good time for unexplained accidents,” Alyson concluded.

“Tell me about it. You never know which way a jury will go, and any little piece of evidence, no matter if it’s real or fabricated, could be the deciding factor in a trial.”

“You don’t think someone from the family who’s suing you is creating these accidents, do you?” Trevor asked. “To provide them with ammunition?”

“God, I hope not. One man is dead and Mario might not make it. If someone is doing this on purpose, we have a real sicko on our hands.”

“I guess all we can do is find out what actually happened to both Mario and the man in the snowbank, and, if there has been foul play, who did it and why,” Alyson said. “If someone is orchestrating these accidents there’s bound to be a link. All we need to do is find it.”

Devon picked up the check. “I’ll pay this and then we’ll head over to the clinic. If someone is causing these accidents we need to figure it out as soon as we can.”

By the time they arrived at the clinic it was completely dark and deserted. Andi unlocked the back door and they slipped in.

“Better not turn on the lights until we get to the interior rooms,” Andi suggested. “I know my way around, so just follow me and walk carefully.”

Andi grabbed Trevor’s hand, who in turn grabbed Mac’s, who grabbed Eli’s, and so forth, with Devon bringing up the rear. They walked slowly down a hall and around a corner before coming to a locked room. Andi unlocked the door and went inside. Once everyone was in, she closed the door and turned on the light.

“Don’t worry; there are no outside windows in here, so no one will see us. We just need to be careful not to disturb anything. Dr. Mark is a stickler for order.”

A body, covered by a white sheet, was laid out on the examination table. The room was a typical doctor’s office, with shelves full of gauze and bandages and locked drawers full of syringes and vials of common drugs. A blood pressure monitor hung from one wall, and a portable overhead light stood off to the side.

Alyson pulled a box of white rubber gloves off one of the shelves and passed them around. “Everyone put on a pair of these. We don’t want to leave fingerprints all over Dr. Mark’s sterile room.”

Alyson walked over to the body and pulled the sheet away from the victim’s head and shoulders. He was totally colorless except for the tinge of blue around his eyes and lips. He had dark hair and was clean-shaven and appeared to be in his mid to late thirties. Alyson closed her eyes and fought a wave of nausea as she carefully tilted his head to the side in order to get a better look at the back of his head and neck.

She ran her fingers over his skull in an attempt to determine whether there were any cuts or contusions. “I feel a bump. Here on the left side.”

Devon ran his fingers over the same spot. “There’s no blood. He could have just hit his head when he fell.”

“Let me take a look.” Mac walked around to the opposite side of the table. “The only way a fall could cause a bump like that is if his head hit a rock or something hard.”

“I guess we could go back to the scene to check it out, although with the way it’s snowing, any evidence is sure to have already been covered up.”

Mac pulled the sheet down to the man’s waist and searched his torso for additional evidence of foul play. His chest and arms appeared to be free of cuts or bruising. She picked up his hand and looked under his fingernails. “Someone see if they can find a pair of tweezers and a Petri dish, or maybe a vial of some type.”

Andi started looking through the drawers on one end of the room while Trevor searched the other. The group were totally quiet as they went about their business as professionally as possible.

“Got ’em.” Andi handed Mac a pair of tweezers and a small vial that would typically be used to take a blood sample.

Mac carefully removed a small particle from beneath the victim’s nail. “Looks like skin. I don’t suppose this facility has a lab?”

“The medical lab is down the hall,” Andi answered.

“Okay, one of you guys might want to take a look beneath the sheet to see if there are any other cuts or bruises. I’ll take this sample to the lab to see if I can figure out exactly what it is.”

“I’m coming with you,” Alyson volunteered. “I’m not sure I want to be here to witness the more delicate part of the examination.”

Alyson, Mac, and Andi walked carefully down the hall toward the fully equipped medical lab. As before, they left the lights in the hallway off and followed Andi through the darkened corridor.

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Mac commented as they snuck in and turned on the light. The room was fully equipped, with an X-ray machine, microscopes, an ultrasound machine, and a variety of other expensive-looking equipment.

“I told you, we need to be pretty self-contained. Minor accidents such as broken bones and cuts and abrasions can be treated right here. Dr. Mark has even been known to deliver a baby now and then, and perform minor surgery when needed. The really serious cases are airlifted to Vancouver.”

“Like Mario,” Mac said.

“I’m afraid third-degree burns are a little beyond Dr. Mark’s ability to treat here. It’s a good thing the accident happened yesterday, when we were able to get air service. If the explosion had happened after the storm rolled in I’m not sure what we would have done. There’s no way the Evac chopper would have been able to fly in this storm.”

“From what you’ve said I take it Mario’s injuries were pretty extensive.” Mac began to look around for the supplies she’d need.

“He’s got burns over a large part of his body. My dad says that even if he does survive, his rehabilitation will be quite extensive. Aunt Veronica is arranging for housing near the hospital for his family. It’s doubtful Mario will ever be able to return to work. The resort is making sure his family is taken care of.”

“It’s nice the resort is going to so much trouble to make his family comfortable,” Alyson commented. “A lot of employers wouldn’t take on so much responsibility.”

“Mario’s family. All of our employees are. When you live in isolated conditions you get close to people pretty fast.”

Mac continued looking through the drawers for something she could use to identify the particle she had removed from the victim. “Exactly how many people are on the grounds at any one time?”

“On weeks like this, when we’re filled to capacity, around twelve hundred. Possibly more. We have two lodges, the Grizzly Mountain Lodge, which you saw in town, and the Moose Lake Lodge, which is a ski-in, ski-out lodge near the lifts. The Grizzly Mountain Lodge has two hundred and fifty rooms and Moose Lake Lodge has one hundred twenty. In addition to that, we have the cabins that are tucked into the surrounding forest, as well as the bigger lodgings, such as the one where you’re staying. Depending on how many people are in each room, the lodges alone can hold around seven hundred people. The cabins often house groups of four to six, and the houses can hold up to ten or twelve. Then of course there are the two hundred or so employees who live on-site.”

“Wow, that’s a lot.” Mac pulled a chair up to one of the microscopes. “Are all of your employees single? I mean, it must be hard to raise a family in such an isolated place.”

“No, we have families living here. It’s isolated, but to be honest that’s what attracts a lot of our families. They want their kids to grow up without all the negative distractions that are found in the cities.”

“What about school?” Alyson asked.

“We have our own school. Well, at least until seventh grade. After that some kids are homeschooled, and some go to boarding school in Calgary or Vancouver, which is what I do. Some families relocate at that point.”

“Is it hard to leave your family and go away to school?” Mac wondered. “As big of a pain in the butt as my family sometimes is, I think I’d miss them if I didn’t see them for weeks at a time.”

“It’s okay. It was hard at first, but I have good friends at school, and I’m home all summer and on school holidays. I do miss my dad sometimes, and my Aunt Ronnie.”

“And your mom?” Mac asked.

“She left when I was four. I see her occasionally. She lives in France with her fourth husband. He’s only eight years older than I am.”

“Eight years? Really? Is that weird? I mean for you. How’d they meet?” Alyson asked.

Andi shrugged. “He’s twenty-four, she’s thirty-six. He’s a photographer and my mom is a model. They met on a shoot. From what I hear, it was love at first sight. He’s a nice enough guy, certainly better than husband number three, who was a sixty-four-year-old lawyer with the disposition of a feral cat. But sometimes the age thing is strange. I mean, I’m closer to this guy’s age than my mom is. And he’s a total babe. It’s hard to think of him as ‘Daddy.’”

“I see your point.” Mac used an eyedropper to apply a solution to the sample. “The whole situation must be really hard on you.”

She shrugged again. “It’s okay. I have my dad and he’s great. Seriously, the best dad ever. And I have my Aunt Veronica, Ronnie for short. She’s my dad’s younger sister. She’s been dating Dr. Mark for about ten years. I keep hoping they’ll get married and provide me with a couple of cousins, but so far no go.”

“Wow, ten years is a long time to date and not take it to the next level.” Alyson stood behind Mac, watching what she was doing over her shoulder.

“Tell me about it. I’m not sure what the problem is. They’re both really great people and they seem to really love each other. I asked Aunt Ronnie about it once and she just said it was complicated. Whatever that means.”

“I think I’ve got it,” Mac interrupted. “It’s definitely skin. I guess we should hang on to this in case the police decide to do an investigation.”

“Any way to tell whose skin?” Andi asked.

“Not without DNA testing and a possible match,” Mac told her.

“So what are we thinking?” Alyson asked. “That our victim was in a struggle before his death and scratched someone?”

“Possibly. Of course he could also have been in a bar fight or even scratched himself at some point. Short of additional evidence, I’d say we’re at a standstill. Let’s get back to the guys to see if they found any other evidence.

Devon, Trevor, and Eli were sitting on the counters discussing the latest basketball stats when the girls returned. They seemed to be in a fairly heated discussion as to which team was due to reach the finals that year. Devon seemed to favor the Lakers, although it sounded like his opinion was in the minority.

“Did you find anything?” Mac interrupted.

“No. We couldn’t find any evidence of foul play,” Trevor said. “Maybe the guy really did freeze to death. It’s certainly cold enough to cause hypothermia in a pretty short amount of time, especially if the victim was unconscious.”