Deck the Halls with Murder is a free Valentine short mystery. This story takes place after To Love, Honor & Kill: Valentine Mystery Book 5 and before Death Under the Mistletoe: A Valentine Christmas Novella.

A new chapter will be added to this page every day for 12 days (or until finished).

Because the Valentine mysteries include explicit love scenes, this page has been restricted to readers over the age of 18.

Also, because the quickness that this is being written, there could be a few errors, typos, etc. They will be fixed when the story is complete and made available as a full story. Thank you for understanding!

At the end of each chapter you’ll find a comment icon where you can leave your thoughts on whodunnit.

Deck the Halls with Murder

Chapter One

Tess watched as the wipers lost their battle against globules of snow coming down in sheets. “Is it too late to vote for a weekend in Aruba?”

Jack’s lips twitched upward. “Romantic mountain getaway was your idea.”

“I was thinking fireside cocoa, not imminent hypothermia.” Tess thought about her childhood going to Lake Tahoe during winter, which required going over Donner Pass, named after the doomed Donner Party.

“It’ll be worth it. No work. No drama. Just you and me and two days of peace. You promised me.”

At the time, a mountain getaway sounded perfect. The media had a greater interest in Senator Worthington announcing that Jack was his long-lost son, and Jack, in particular, needed a respite from the constant reminder of his parents’ and grandmother’s deception.

Now, she was worried Jack might become the Senator’s long-lost son again if they slid off the mountain.

“I was distracted when I made that promise,” Tess said.

“By what?”

“You were shirtless.”

He smiled, showing off his single sexy dimple. “Are you saying you agreed under duress?”

“Sexual duress.” She glanced out the side window, noting how quickly the snow was piling up. “You know, we might get snowed in.”

He glanced at her. “I can’t imagine anything better than being snowed in with my wife.”

“You can’t eat sex, Jack.”

He snorted. “What does that mean?”

“If we’re snowed in, we’ll have to eat the other guests. Or they’ll eat us.”

He barked out a laugh. “We’re not the Donner Party.” Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips. “I promise, no cannibalism. Just you and me and peace and quiet. Look, here’s our turn.”

He was right. Nearly buried in snow was the sign for Turtledove Lodge.

Jack turned the car into long drive. Up ahead the windows of the quaint log-and-stone building glowed a warm amber. Smoke puffed from the chimney.

“It is pretty.” Now that she wasn’t worried about sliding off into a ditch, Tess was able to appreciate the location.

Jack parked the car, then reached over, pulling her to him. “Time to start our cozy retreat.” His lips pressed to hers, and as always, her heart soared. Jack’s kisses were sweet but potent. She knew she’d never get enough of them.

He gave her a cheeky smile, like he knew his effect on her. “Let’s check in.”

Jack retrieved their bags from the trunk of the car, and then he escorted Tess into the main entrance of the lodge. Immediately she was wrapped in the warmth from a fire in an enormous stone fireplace in a sunken great room.

To the left, a middle-aged woman with a wide smile but tired eyes, greeted them. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine. I’m Grace, and over there, hanging a strand of lights, is my husband, Tom. We’re the owners of Turtledove Lodge.”

Tom waved from the end of a long hall where he was hanging a strand of lights around a door.

“You’re in the Fireside Suite at the back of the lodge. It has its own stone fireplace.”

“Sounds perfect.” Jack winked at Tess.

“Here is your key. We’re still old-fashioned with regular locks and keys.” She handed Jack the gold key hanging from a disk of wood with the lodge logo on it. “We serve breakfast from 7 to 9 in the morning, and we offer wine and cheese at 4 in the afternoon…” She glanced at her watch. “Ten minutes. We don’t normally serve dinner, but the snow is bad tonight, so I’ve made a large pot of stew and biscuits if you’d like. I’ll serve that at 6.”

“Sounds wonderful. Better than Aruba, right?”

Tess pursed her lips at him, but she had to agree, the location screamed cozy romance.

“Tom, can you take Mr. and Mrs. Valentine up to their room? I’m going to get the wine and cheese ready.”

“Sure thing.” Tom approached with a jovial grin. “Those lights aren’t cooperating, anyway.” He took Tess’ bag from her. “Let me give you the quick tour. Here’s the lobby-slash-common area. We serve wine and cheese here at 4. The area is open to you 24/7 for hanging out. I’ve got some genuine Irish whiskey over on the bookshelf you can help yourself to. We’ve got games and books for you to enjoy as well.”

Tess looped her arm through Jack’s arm. “Shall we play games, Jack?”

He leaned over and kissed her temple, whispering. “Only in the privacy of our room.”

As Tom led them toward a set of stairs, he pointed across the common area. “Over there is the dining hall. Great views of the valley across to the Alleghenies…well, when it’s not snowing.” He nodded down a hallway. “Down this hall is our private area as well as a door out to the back deck. It’s fantastic during the summer but is buried under snow now.”

They ascended the stairs and down a long hall. “Here you are. The Fireside Suite.” Tom opened the door, and let Tess and Jack enter before following them in. He set her bag near the closet. “You’ve got wood and kindling if you’d like to make a fire. Grace left ingredients for s’mores, including roasting forks, if you’re so inclined. Bath is through there.” Tom pointed to a closed door next to the closet. “I guess Grace told you about supper? I wouldn’t recommend heading out in this weather to a restaurant.”

“She did. Thank you,” Jack said.

“Well, get yourself settled and then join us for wine and cheese.”

The minute the door shut behind Tom, Jack pulled Tess into his arms. “Still rather be in Aruba?”

Tess looped her arms around Jack’s neck. “I’d rather be anywhere you are.”

“Good answer, Mrs. Valentine.” He rewarded her with another kiss, and all the stress from the icy ride to the lodge melted away. She sank into him, savoring his taste, his scent, the feel of hands on her back, pulling her closer.

He groaned when she pressed her body against him. “We won’t make it to wine if you—”

“You started it.” Tess gently bit his lip, and he groaned again.

“I don’t plan on leaving this room again until tomorrow, if then, once I get you naked, so how about we go have wine and cheese and some stew, and then call it a night?”

“If you insist.” She started to step away, but he tugged her in again.

“You’ll need your sustenance for tonight,” he promised, sending a thrill through Tess.

“Promises, promises.”

He laughed. “Have I ever let you down?”

She gave him a quick kiss on the chin. “Never.”

 

Jack and Tess reached the common area, where several people were already enjoying wine and cheese.

An older woman dripping in diamonds more suitable for a Four Seasons hotel than a mountain lodge stood by the fireplace talking to a plain-looking man in corduroy slacks and wooly sweater.

On the couch sat a young woman Tess guessed was in her early twenties, scrolling through her phone.

“Oh hell,” Jack murmured.

Tess followed Jack’s gaze across the common area to a man exiting the lodge offices. He had a thick, bullish build of a former college athlete and wore a smug expression of a bully who’d just stolen someone’s lunch money.

“Do you know him?”

“Sort of. Eli Carver. CEO of TitanSec.”

Tess’ eyes narrowed. “The guy who tried to sabotage your contract with the F.B.I.?”

“Yep.”

Eli spotted Jack and grinned like a fox who found a new henhouse. “Valentine. Didn’t know you liked to rough it.”

“Eli.” Jack took the hand Eli extended, but Tess suspected Jack would rather poke his eye out with a fork than be friendly with him. “I could say the same for you.”

Eli’s gaze slid over Tess in a way that made her feel like she needed a shower. “What happened to that sexy-as-sin actress you were with?”

Jack’s jaw tightened. “This is my wife, Tess, Tess this is Eli Carver.”

Eli gave a fake “ut-oh” expression. “Did I just expose your cheatin’ ways?”

Jack tensed. He wasn’t a violent man, but Tess felt sure Jack wanted to punch this guy. Tess wanted to as well.

“I’d be careful about how you talk about Ava Dumont,” Tess quipped. “Her husband could be a murderer.”

“No kidding.” Eli didn’t at all seem phased by that. And of course, Reece Wilder, Ava’s husband, wasn’t a murderer, even though he’d briefly confessed to the murder of his first wife.

“Wine?” Grace approached with a tray. She gave Eli a heated stare but smiled when her attention turned to Jack and Tess.

“Thank you.” Tess took two glasses, handing one to Jack. “Cheers.”

He clinked his glass against hers.

“Have you met the other guests?” Grace asked. “Over at the fireplace is Veronica DeVere with another guest, Miles Penner. He’s a mystery author.”

The two raised their glasses of wine toward Jack and Tess.

“Hello.” Tess raised her glass to them.

Eli fixed his gaze on Veronica. “DeVere? I read about your husband’s passing. Fraud, wasn’t it?”

Veronica’s knuckles whitened around her glass. “Heart failure, actually.”

“Right.” Eli sniffed. “Though I imagine the FBI investigation didn’t help matters.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room for everyone except Eli, who seemed to thrive on it.

Wanting more, Eli nodded toward Miles. “Penner… the true crime guy? My assistant tried to get me to read one of your books on the flight down. Couldn’t make it past the first chapter.”

Miles’s jaw tightened. “Perhaps mystery novels aren’t your cup of tea.”

“Or perhaps mediocre writing isn’t,” Eli countered with a smirk.

His gaze landed on the young woman on the couch next, and his demeanor shifted entirely. Icky smarm was how Tess might describe it.

“Well, hello there. What’s a lovely thing like you doing in this backwater place?”

“Mrs. Reed is on her honeymoon.” Grace’s expression twisted into disgust.

“Honeymoon!” Eli laughed. “My condolences, sweetheart.” He looked around. “What sort of husband leaves his new wife on their honeymoon? Listen, honey, if you get cold, I’m in room—”

“That’s enough, Eli.” Jack’s voice was dark to the point of menacing. It wasn’t a tone that Tess normally heard from Jack.

Eli waved his hand. “Lighten up, people.”

“The stew is ready. Why don’t I serve dinner now?” Grace scurried off.

“Damn snow.” Eli scowled. “I can’t believe I’m stuck in this place. I could be having fresh fish on a beach in the Bahamas, but I’m stuck with stew.”

“Why are you even here?” Tess asked but immediately wished she hadn’t. She didn’t want to be in Eli’s proximity for a moment longer.

Eli shrugged. “I had some business. Thought the mountain air might be nice.” He pulled out his phone. “Speaking of business…” He walked off without finishing his thought.

“Good riddance,” Jack quipped. Tess agreed.

Dinner was uneventful. Jack and Tess sat at a table for two that probably had a lovely view of the valley, but all they could see was swirling snow. Mrs. Reed’s husband appeared and comforted his wife when he learned of Eli leering at her. He growled that he’d like to strangle Eli.

“Get in line,” Jack murmured.

Veronica and Miles sat together, and Tess got the feeling that Miles was interviewing her as if he were planning to create a character similar to her in his next book.

The food was warm and filling, perfect for a snowy night. Tess focused on Jack, wanting to give him the respite threatened by Eli’s earlier appearance. Thankfully, Eli didn’t show up for dinner. Clearly, stew was beneath him.

Slowly, the dining room emptied as guests finished their dinner.

“Nice of them to leave the common area for us,” Jack said, taking Tess’ hand and leading her to the fireplace.

“We have our own fireplace.”

“Yes, but this one has whiskey,” he said, finding the decanter sitting on a shelf. “Want an after-dinner drink?”

“Will it burn away the memory of Eli Carver?”

“One can hope.”

Jack poured a finger of whiskey for each of them and drew her to the couch to sit by the fire. “Except for Eli, this is nice.”

“It is.” Tess leaned her head on Jack’s shoulder.

A moment later, Veronica and Miles appeared.

“Oh…I think we had the same idea,” Veronica said, heading to the whisky.

“Is it good?” Miles asked.

Jack shrugged. “It’s not bad.”

Soon, a giggling Mrs. Reed walked in, followed by her husband buttoning his shirt.

“Wow, they’re fast,” Tess quipped.

Jack shook his head. “That’s just wrong. Lovemaking should take more than ten minutes, especially on a honeymoon.”

“I don’t know. Quickies are fun.” She looked up at him. “We should try it sometime.”

“Are you complaining about my lovemaking skills?”

Tess shook her head. “Never. I was just—”

The fire flickered and embers blew out as if a gust of wind had shot down the chimney, followed by a crack that sounded like a tree branch breaking. Then darkness as the lights blinked out.

“Well…that’s not good,” Veronica said. “I can’t see how much I’m pouring.”

A moment later, Tom’s voice came through the darkness. “Everyone stay calm. The generator will kick in momentarily.”

Jack took Tess’ hand as the room filled with nervous chatter and the glow of phone flashlights.

“I’ll get candles from the kitchen…just in case,” Grace added.

After a few moments, the generator kicked in, and the lights flickered to life.

Tess rose. “How about we call it a night?”

“No quickies tonight, Tess.” Jack stood looking down on her with the promise of a sensual night shining in his eyes.

“No quickies.”

They made their way toward the stairs.

As they reached the bottom step, Tess felt a gust of wind. “Do you feel that?”

“I wonder if the back door is open.” Jack looked back toward the common area. “I don’t see Tom or Grace.”

“We can shut it.” Tess started down the hall. The air grew colder, biting snow hitting her face as she reached the open door. She tugged on the handle, but something prevented it from shutting.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asked.

“Something is blocking it.” She looked closely, seeing a flicker of colored lights. Bending down, she planned to push away what she thought was a holiday-decorated tree branch or garland that had fallen in the snowstorm.

“Need a light?” Jack flipped a light switch on the wall next to the door.

Tess sucked in a breath as the light illuminated Eli Carver sprawled on the snow-covered deck, eyes wide and unseeing with a strand of blinking holiday lights wrapped around his throat.

Chapter Two

Snow and colored light flickered over Eli’s body, and Jack’s first thought was that Tess had been right about the Donner Party. Not the cannibalism, but the dire situation of being snowed in.

His second thought was that Eli Carver was very, very dead.

For a heartbeat, he and Tess stood in the doorway, the cold and stinging bits of snow blowing into the hallway.

Tess crouched beside Eli, checking his neck. “He’s dead.”

“Come inside, Tess before you freeze.”

She looked up at him. “We can’t just leave him—”

“We can for the moment. He’s not going anywhere.” Jack wrapped his hand around Tess, pulling her in. Then he bent over to move Eli’s body from the doorway.

“You’re tampering with a crime scene.” The former lawyer in Tess had to speak, but her tone suggested she wasn’t too worried about it.

Jack shut the door and turned to Tess. For a moment, they stared at each other.

“I guess Aruba is looking better again,” he quipped.

Her lips twitched upward. “Knowing us, we’d stumble over a murder there too. We seem to have a knack for it.”

He nodded. “What’s our next step? Do you suppose the police will be able to reach us?”

“I don’t know, but we need to call.”

Jack looked out the door’s window at Eli. “I don’t suppose he tripped and accidentally hung himself on the lights.” Even as he said it, it knew someone else wrapped the lights around Eli’s neck. Knowing he’d be asked about how they found Eli, Jack studied the body.

The snow had drifted up against Eli’s legs and the lower half of his torso, but his upper body was clear, like someone had swept snow away. There wasn’t any obvious sign of trauma or  blood.

“It’s weird that lights are plugged in, don’t you think?” Tess asked as she peered through the window beside Jack.

“The fact that he was strangled by lights is weird.” Jack followed the lights with his gaze. The strand looped twice around Eli’s neck, the plug end trailing back toward the outlet near the deck railing. The cord was plugged in. Bulbs blinked merrily, a few crushed beneath Eli’s shoulder.

“Maybe he wasn’t.”

Jack glanced at his wife. “The lights around his neck suggest otherwise.”

“What I mean, is maybe he was killed some other way, and the killer brought him out here and wrapped the lights around his neck.”

Possible, Jack thought. He scanned the snowy deck for signs of a weapon or footprints, but the dark night and swirling gusts of snow made it impossible to decipher anything except Eli’s dead body.

“If they killed him somewhere else, why wrap the lights around him? Why not just toss him out in the cold? The killer would have an easier time hiding the murder if it was thought Eli got locked out and died of hypothermia.”

“Good point.” She blew out a breath. “And not our job. We need to call the police, and  we should tell Grace and Tom, and probably get everyone into the common room until help arrives.”

“I’ll go with Tom to check the rest of the lodge,” Jack said, flipping off the porch light. No sense lighting up the body for any unsuspecting guest who happened to wander by.

When he turned back, Tess pressed her hands to his chest. “It’s not your job, Jack.”

He smiled at her, taking her chin in between his forefinger and thumb. “I think you’re worried about me.”

She gave a shrug. “I’ve gotten used to having you around.” As he turned to head up the hall, Tess took his arm. “Jack, there is a murderer in this place. We can’t forget that. You and I need to stick together.”

“You’re right.” He took her hand and they made their way back up the hall.

By the time they reached the common area, Grace was lighting thick pillar candles, as the generator struggled to power enough electricity to the lodge.

The other guests were scattered around the room. Veronica in a wingback chair by the fire, clutching her whiskey. Miles on the couch with a notebook he pretended not to be writing in. Mrs. Reed tucked against her husband, who had his arm around tight like he expected Eli to leap out and try to steal her from him. He didn’t need to worry about that anymore.

Tom met them halfway, worry lines carved deep into his forehead. “Everything all right?”

Jack kept his voice low. “Tom, I need you and Grace to listen carefully. I’m pretty sure we’ve got a homicide on your back deck.”

The room went silent. Even the fire seemed to quiet for a second.

“Homic—” Grace dropped the candle she was holding. Thankfully it wasn’t lit. “What?”

Tom stared at Jack. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure you’ve got a dead body.”

Grace swayed. Tess moved reflexively, catching her elbow. “Sit.” Tess steered Grace toward a nearby chair. “Take deep breaths.”

Tom scanned the room, presumably taking an inventory. “Who’s missing?”

“Eli Carver.” Considering how abrasive Eli could be, Jack was surprised Tom hadn’t noticed him missing.

“We need to call the police,” Tess said.

“This is a joke, right?” Veronica rose from her chair and went to the whisky. “Is this some sort of mystery game? Professor Mustard in the library—”

“It’s Professor Plum,” Miles corrected.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. This is a game, right?”

“It’s not a game,” Tess said.

“Are you sure he was murdered?” Mrs. Reed asked, shrinking closer to her husband. “I mean, maybe he had an accident.”

“It’s unlikely,” Tess started, “but it will be the police to determine cause and manner of death. Right now, Mrs. Reed—”

“Chloe. And this is Ben.”

“I’m sorry this had to happen on your honeymoon.”

Ben scrapped his hands over his face. “I guess it will be something to tell the grandkids.”

“Unless you did it, and you end up in jail. Does Virginia still have the death penalty?” Miles held his pen ready for a response as if he was interrogating Ben.

“I didn’t kill him—”

“He would never—” Chloe said in unison to Ben’s denial. “Besides we were in our room. It is our honeymoon.”

“I was in my room too.” Veronica downed her whiskey and poured another.

“As was I,” Miles stated. “But you two—”

“Let’s not start accusing people of being a murderer,” Jack said, even as he knew someone in the room was a killer.  Jack pulled out his phone, but the lack of bars indicated he had no service. “Anyone have cell service?”

One by one, guests checked their phones and shook their heads.

“Phones went out about half hour ago. Landline’s dead, too. We’ve got a radio, but the storm’s screwing with it. I can keep trying—” He looked toward the window where snow plastered the glass. “But nobody’s getting up this road tonight. Not even the sheriff.”

“So, we’re snowed in with a murderer.” Veronica’s voice climbed a pitch, whisky sloshing in her glass. “How festive.”

“Let’s not panic,” Tess said. Calm. Rational. It was one of the many things Jack loved about her. “We’re together. We should probably stay together.”

“Right…safety in numbers.” Grace’s voice quivered.

More like everyone keeping eyes on each other, but Jack didn’t contradict Grace’s thought.

Miles let out a small laugh.

“You find this funny?” Veronica looked like she was ready to pour her drink on him.

“No, of course not. I was just thinking how I came here to get inspired for my next book. Who knew that book would be a true crime?”

Jack shook his head and turned back to Tom. “You have a backup generator?”

“It’s what’s running right now,” Tom said. “If the storm keeps up, we might have to ration power, but we’re okay for the moment.”

“Good. Then here’s what we’re going to do until the sheriff, or someone can get up here.” Jack started. “Nobody goes outside. Nobody leaves the building. We keep doors and windows closed. We stay in in pairs if possible.”

Veronica’s eyes widened. “Pairs? You think the killer is going to start picking us off one by one?”

“I doubt the killer wants us dead.” Miles’ tone turned authoritative, as if being a mystery writer made him an expert. Perhaps it did, but Jack wanted to maintain control of the situation. The best way to keep him and Tess safe was for everyone else to let him lead.

“You all met Eli. He brought it on himself. I doubt a single person in here didn’t think about strangling him,” Miles finished.

Jack glanced at Tess, whose gaze back told him she caught Miles’ use of the word strangle.

“Even if the killer has no ill intentions toward the rest of us, I think that whoever did this might be nervous, and nervous people can be unpredictable. It’s safer if no one’s wandering around alone.” Jack studied each person in turn to make sure they were on board.

Chloe swallowed. “Do you…do you think he was targeted? Or…”

“Or what?” Jack asked gently.

She worried her bottom lip. “Or could it have been…random?”

He thought about Eli’s smirk, the casual cruelty of his comments. The way Ben had wanted to strangle him at dinner. The way Grace had looked at him like he was a tornado bearing down on her life.

“No,” Jack said. “I don’t think it was random.”

Silence again.

Tess cleared her throat. “When the sheriff does arrive, they’ll have questions.”

“What sort of questions,” Veronica asked, finally back in her chair with an empty whisky glass.

“Where we all were when Eli was killed—”

“When was he killed?” Miles asked writing furiously in his notebook.

“I don’t know. Sometime between four and dinner, I suspect,” Tess said.

Jack wondered if she was going to warn them against talking to the police without a lawyer. And not to answer anymore than what the police asked. Tips she’d had to remind him of more than once.

Probably not, he thought. After all, everyone except one, maybe two, people here were witnesses, not murderers.

“We’ve had a long night. We’re tired and rattled.” Jack was anyway. “For now, how about everyone goes to their rooms and stays put. Lock your doors. If you hear or see anything strange, you don’t go check it out. You come get me, or you shout for Tom.”

Tess gave him a look but he couldn’t be sure if she disagreed with going to their rooms or having guests come to him for help if danger arrived.

“I don’t have someone to pair with,” Veronica said.

“You can stay in our place,” Tom said. “We have an extra room.”

“What about him?” Chloe pointed at Miles. “He doesn’t have a pair.”

“I don’t need a—”

“You must be the killer then.” Veronica raised her brow at him.

“I am not the killer.”

“We have a rollaway we can set up,” Grace said.

Nobody moved until Grace, still pale, began to leave the common area. “I’ll… I’ll try the radio again. See if I can reach anyone.”

Tom nodded. “I’ll check the generator. Make sure we don’t lose it.”

Veronica stood on wobbly legs, probably from whiskey more than fear. “If I survive the night, I expect a full refund.”

Chloe flinched at that. Ben glared. Miles scribbled in his notebook, oblivious to the fact that he’d replaced Eli as an annoyance.

Slowly, the common area emptied, guests drifting toward the stairs and halls. Jack stayed where he was.

Tess touched his arm. “You okay?”

He almost said yes. It was his default. But her eyes were soft and searching, seeing through him like she always did.

He turned to her, taking her into his arms. “I dragged you up here for quiet. I should’ve known better.”

“It’s not your fault Eli found a way to be obnoxious even in death,” she said.

“Still feels like every time I try to give you normal, we end up with a corpse.”

She slid her hand down his arm, fingers lacing with his. “Normal’s overrated.”

He leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips, wishing he was making love to his wife instead of worried about a killer. “Come on. Let’s get some rest.”

They walked down the hallway toward the stairs.

They’d just reached the base of the stairs when Jack heard an unusual noise.

A sharp metallic clatter, somewhere down the side hall that led to back door.

Tess stiffened. “You hear that?”

“Yeah.” He squeezed her hand, then released it. “Go up. I’ll check it out.”

Her eyes flashed with protest. “We stay together, remember?”

He wanted to keep her safe more than he wanted anything in the world. For many years nothing, not even himself, had mattered. When Tess came back into his world, his life began again. She was his center. Without her, he knew he’d never survive.

“Hopefully it’s branch or something.”

Jack didn’t believe it for a second. The metallic clatter hadn’t sounded like anything nature produced.

He stepped into the side hallway with Tess behind him, the dim generator lights flickering overhead. Wind whistled against the back door, rattling it in its frame.

Halfway down the hall, he saw a thin line of snow dusting the floor, suggesting someone had opened the door. He glanced toward the area Tom had said was the private area for him and his wife. Had they opened the door to check on Eli?

“Do you suppose it was the murderer or someone just curious?” Tess asked from behind him.

“Don’t know.” Jack unlatched the lock and eased the door open an inch.

The freezing air and snow blasted into the hallway, but that wasn’t what made him go still.

Lying not far from Eli’s body, a metal glint caught the light from the hallway.

“What is it?” Tess asked, peering around him.

Jack squinted to identify the object. “I think it’s a ski pole.” He took a breath to steel himself against the cold and stepped out.

“What are you doing? The killer could be out there.”

“I just want a better look.”

“Don’t touch it.”

He gave her an I’m-not-stupid look. He then crouched down to get a better look. He was right. It was a bent ski pole with blood on the tip.

 

Chapter Three

Tess stood back as Jack re-entered the lodge and shut the door trying to understand what a bent ski pole with blood on it had to do with Eli’s murder.

“Do you think it’s the murder weapon,” she asked as they stood huddled near the door.

Jack swept melting flakes from his hair. “Maybe. I didn’t see any blood on Eli, but I haven’t fully inspected him either.” His jaw flexed. “I guess we should leave him there… right?”

Tess wasn’t sure either. It’s a crime scene. And the cold will preserve him. She hadn’t been that far off worrying about the Donner Party after all. “Bears are hibernating now, right? So he should be safe.”

“The question is, who tossed out the ski pole?” Jack said, peering through the window at the swirling snow.

“And why. Maybe it has nothing to do with Eli.”

“Except the blood.”

“Are we sure it wasn’t already there when we first found him?” she asked.

“Because if not, it means someone threw it out there while we were in here and everyone was leaving for their rooms.”

Jack nodded. “We couldn’t see the hall.”

“It feels like we should do something—” she started.

“We should go to our room and lock the door until the authorities come,” Jack said firmly, slipping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her toward the stairs.

But they’d barely reached the landing when Veronica appeared, clomping down the hallway in a puffy coat, snow boots, and earmuffs.

“Are you leaving?” Tess asked.

“No. I want to be prepared if I have to escape and run for my life.” Veronica marched toward the whiskey decanter and poured generously. Her hand shook enough that some sloshed over the rim. “There’s a killer here. What if they crawl through the vents? I saw a movie where that happened.”

Miles materialized behind her, notebook in hand. “Statistically speaking, victims are most likely attacked when isolated—”

“Shut up, Miles!” Veronica snapped, pointing at him with the whiskey glass.

Miles shut up.

Tess met Jack’s eyes. So much for everyone staying in their rooms.

More footsteps sounded on the stairs. Chloe and Ben hurried down next, Chloe wrapped tightly in a blanket, Ben scanning the room like a man prepared to take on an intruder barehanded.

“We heard something,” Chloe whispered. “Like… the floor creaked outside our door. Ben thought it was the killer.”

“Ben thinks everything is the killer right now,” Ben muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “But still. We didn’t want to be alone.”

Tess couldn’t blame them.

A moment later, Tom and Grace appeared from the hallway. Tom’s hair was sticking up in frazzled spikes, and Grace’s complexion was so pale Tess feared she might pass out right there.

“The generator dipped again, and the radio’s still dead,” Tom said, his voice tight. “This storm is eating everything.”

Grace wrung her hands. “It’s difficult to sleep knowing… well…” Her gaze flicked toward the back door.

“That one of you is a killer?” Veronica said, topping off her drink as if she hadn’t already finished more than enough.

“I’m not a killer,” Chloe, Ben, and Miles said simultaneously.

“We’ve got wood to keep the fire going,” Tom said, moving to stoke the flames. “Maybe it’s best we all stay together.”

That was all anyone needed. Guests gravitated to chairs, couches, and floor cushions. Tess understood the instinct. Safety in numbers was easy to believe when everyone was in plain sight.

Miles broke the silence. “You know, in an Agatha Christie novel, the crime would be solved by now.”

Tess narrowed her eyes. His tone wasn’t flippant, more like delighted. As if this was a game. “We’re not in a novel, Miles.”

“And you’re no Poirot,” Veronica muttered.

Jack leaned toward Tess to speak so only she could hear. “I suppose you have lots of questions.”

“Always.” She scanned the room. “And it’s usually best to talk to people close to when things happened. Time—and whiskey—” she glanced at Veronica “—can diminish memories.”

Jack squeezed her hand. “How about we sit by the fire? Have an innocent conversation.”

“Why not?” Tess settled beside Jack on a pillow in front of the hearth. The warmth seeped into her back, but it didn’t melt the icy prickle running down her spine as she studied each guest and the hosts wondering who murdered Eli.

“I think it’s more likely Miss Marple would have been in a situation like this. Poirot was a private detective. He was called to solve crimes.” Tess said in response to Miles’ comment.

Miles lifted his notebook. “True. But my detective, Dak Lassiter, is a former military cop. I’m sure he’d have this solved already.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Veronica muttered. “You are your detective, you moron, and you haven’t solved it.”

Miles glared. “I think you should lay off the sauce.”

Chloe tightened her grip on Ben’s arm. “I don’t even know how it could have happened. Or when.”

Tess sat up straighter, deciding this was her opening. “You’re right. We were all together until four. Eli left to make a call. And we were all still here for dinner.”

Of course, that wasn’t quite right. Tom had gone to deal with the generator. Grace went to the kitchen to get dinner. Neither of them pointed that out.

“Was that the last time anyone saw him?” Jack asked.

Everyone thought. Slowly, heads nodded.

“Where’d he go?” Tess pondered out loud.

“His room, I suppose,” Grace said.

“Did you see him go there?” Tess asked.

Grace hesitated. “Well… no… but he wasn’t in the kitchen.”

Jack looked to Tom. “When I first saw him, he was coming out of that room.” He pointed to the door behind the registration desk. “Your office?”

Tom stiffened. “Yes. He was upset about the Wi-Fi. He wanted to see our system.”

And you let him, Tess thought. Instead she asked, “Did anyone see or hear anything from four until they went up to their room?”

“I’ve been all over the lodge dealing with the generators.” Tom shrugged. “Didn’t see anything. Didn’t hear much except the wind.”

“I was in the kitchen,” Grace said. “I went to get candles. When the lights came back, I hurried back here.”

Tess turned to Miles. He shrugged. “My room. Writing. I didn’t hear anything unusual. Except like Tom, the wind.”

“We were…well…” Ben’s cheeks turned a bright red.

Tess held up a hand. “Say no more. It is your honeymoon.”

Chloe glanced up at her husband, her eyes filled with love. It was sweet, and Tess felt bad that the couple’s honeymoon was ruined by Eli and his murderer.

Jack said, “Does anyone ski?”

Veronica stared. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“A ski pole showed up on the deck after we found Eli.”

“We have some old equipment in a closet,” Tom shared. “It hasn’t been used in years.”

Miles gaze narrowed in on Jack. “You know, I think you killed him.”

Ben and Chloe gasped. Grace’s hand flew to her throat.

To his credit, Jack didn’t react. Of course, he’d been accused of murder by men tougher than Miles.

“I don’t see how,” Jack said blandly.

Miles leaned forward. “Well, you found him.”

“Hey yeah,” Chloe said. “I’ve heard that sometimes the murderer is the one who calls 9-1-1.”

Tess groaned. “That’s not evidence. Miles you should know that.”

“And it was clear you didn’t like him,” Miles added. “He exposed your fling with that actress—”

“Ava is our friend,” Tess said sharply. “Not a mistress.”

“And…I did a search on you before the internet went out. You’re in the same business as him. Tech security. I bet you compete for contracts. Maybe you got tired of losing to him.”

Jack looked at Tess. “He does make sense.”

“Except Eli loses to you,” she said, patting his knee.

“You still knew him. Had motive. None of us did,” Miles insisted.

“Not exactly.” Tess let her gaze pass over each face. “Eli insulted your writing.”

Miles sniffed indignantly.

“He hit on Chloe,” she continued. “And Ben threatened to strangle him for it”

Ben’s eyes widened in horror. “It was a figure of speech!”

“He suggested Veronica’s husband committed fraud,” Tess added.

Veronica somehow glared through glassy eyes as she downed her whiskey.

Tess ignored it. “The point is, everyone here was offended by Eli.”

At that moment, the lodge shuddered, like something heavy landed next to the building.

Chloe yelped. Ben’s arms tightened around her.

“It’s either a snow sheet sliding off the roof or a branch,” Tom said, hurrying to the window.

“Maybe someone is lurking outside,” Veronica said, pulling her coat tighter around her. “Perhaps the murderer isn’t inside at all.”

“It would have to be a yeti.” Miles rolled his eyes. “Nothing can survive out there for long.”

“Miles, you can kiss my—”

“Maybe we should focus on what we do know.” Tess hoped to ward off another murder.

Ben suddenly leaned forward, squinting toward the far corner of the common area. “Is that a phone?”

Jack moved first, picking up the device half-hidden beneath a chair near the stairs. Tess followed him, leaning in next to him as he pressed the screen. Miraculously, it flickered to life.

“It’s Eli’s.” Jack pressed the option to reveal open apps.

A half-written note was still open, the last thing Eli typed before he died.
Proof found that T is lying—

The sentence ended abruptly, as if Eli had been interrupted mid-thought.

“Well, what does it say?” Miles asked impatiently.

“Proof found that T is lying.”

“T? Who’s T?” Veronica asked.

Everyone looked around.

There was only one T-name in the room.

Everyone’s gaze settled on Tom.

Tom froze, his hand still resting on the curtain. “What? No—hey, no. That’s not—me.”

“Tom?” Grace’s voice trembled. “What is he talking about?”

Jack tilted his head, studying Tom. “He was in your office. This note makes it seem like he found something that indicated you were lying to him.”

Tom swallowed hard, his face turning pale “It’s not what it looks like.”

Jack stepped forward. “Tom. What did Eli mean by proof found? What were you lying to him about?”

 

Chapter Four

Tom’s mouth opened, but nothing came out initially. His gaze moved from Jack to Tess and finally to his wife.

“I—I don’t know what that means,” he finally managed.

Grace stepped toward him, her expression stricken. “Tom? What were you lying to him about?”

“I wasn’t— I didn’t—” Tom scrubbed both hands over his face. “It’s not what you think.”

Jack kept his stance neutral, hands loose at his sides, though every instinct urged him to step between Tom and the others. The man wasn’t giving off predator energy; he was giving off cornered animal energy. Both could be dangerous. Whoever killed Eli proved they were resourceful at using what was on hand to kill, such as Christmas lights. Jack wasn’t sure how Tom could kill them with a curtain, but he didn’t want to find out.

“It looks like Eli thought you lied to him,” Jack said evenly. “And he thought he had proof.”

Tom flinched. “It wasn’t about… this. About murder.”

Veronica snorted into her whiskey. “Funny how murder wasn’t mentioned and yet you jumped right to it.”

Tom rounded on her. “Because you’re all looking at me like I did it!”

Ben shifted forward. Chloe’s fingers dug into his sleeve.

“We’re looking at you,” Miles said dryly, “because your name conveniently starts with T and it appears Eli had something on you.”

“That’s not helpful,” Tess said sharply. She faced Tom. “Just tell us what Eli meant.”

Tom swallowed. His gaze darted to Grace, then away. “Fine. Eli was here for business.”

Grace jerked back as though struck. “Business? With you? Tom, you told me—”

“I know what I told you,” Tom said miserably. “And I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t want to worry you until there was something real to talk about.”

Jack glanced to Tess, catching the slight arch of her brow. Secrets were never good between married people.

Tom blew out a breath, resolved to reveal what he’d apparently hoped to keep a secret. “Eli wanted to buy the lodge.”

Veronica paused mid-sip. “This place?”

Tom nodded. “He made a private offer last month. Cash. No agents. He wanted to turn it into some kind of luxury retreat or tech-world getaway. Said our rustic charm had ‘upscale potential.’ And well, as you can see, it requires a lot of upkeep. I thought Grace and I could take the money and fun a nice little retirement home somewhere warm.”

Miles snorted. “He was lying. Nothing about this screams upscale.”

Veronica glared at him. “Do you ever stop talking?”

Like Miles, Jack found it odd that Eli would want to buy the place. Not because he had anything against the lodge itself, but Eli had a reputation for modern luxury. A lodge in the mountains, while could be fancy, wasn’t really Eli’s style.

But he didn’t mention this to Tom.  “So… where does the lying come in?”

“I backed out,” Tom said, shoulders sagging. “After I talked to Grace last week about all the things she loves about running the lodge, the summer programs, the holiday festivals, I panicked. I emailed Eli that we couldn’t go through with it. I gave him an excuse…the lie.”

“And he didn’t take that well,” Tess said softly.

“No,” Tom whispered. “He said I wasted his time, and he planned to make things unpleasant for us. Legal action. I cut off the lights earlier hoping he’d think he’d dodged a bullet and let it go.”

“Wait…we’re on generators because of you?” Veronica glared at Tom.

He shook his head. “No. I cut off the lights and then turned them on…but they wouldn’t come on, hence the generators.”

“You know that gives you motive, right?” Miles glanced at Jack and Tess as if he wanted them to agree with him.

Tom’s jaw clenched. “I swear, I didn’t kill him.”

Grace went to her husband, putting her arms around him. “Tom, why didn’t you tell me?”

Jack thought it was nice that Tom’s wife was on his side. Tess had come to Jack’s defense on many occasions, and it had meant the world to him.

“Because I didn’t want to lose the lodge.” Tom buried his face in Grace’s neck. “Not if you didn’t want to.”

“I hope we’re like that when we’re old,” Chloe said wistfully to Ben.

“Broke?” Miles quipped.

“We now know why you’re not married.” Veronica shook her head in disgusted at Miles.

“Still in love,” Chloe defended herself.

Ben kissed Chloe on the cheek. “We will, babe.”

Miles’ pen hovered over his notebook like he couldn’t decide whether Tom’s confession was disappointing or excellent fodder for his next book. Veronica stared into her empty whiskey glass.

“This doesn’t make you a murderer,” Tess said.

“No,” Jack agreed. “But you understand why this looks bad.”

“I do.” Tom nodded. “But I didn’t touch Eli.”

Jack believed him, although he couldn’t articulate why. Miles was right in that Tom had motive if Eli threatened legal action. Somehow the Holloways made the lodge work, but it was clear they weren’t flush in money. Certainly not enough to take on Eli’s team of lawyers.

“So what now?” Ben asked, tugging Chloe’s blanket tighter around her as if it would cocoon her from the ugliness of murder.

Jack glanced at Tess. “I think we all plan to camp out here tonight. We can take shifts, teams of three. No one wanders. We stay here where we can see each other.”

Veronica hugged her coat tighter around herself, eyes a little too shiny. “Then what?”

“We wait for the phones or radio to come back.” Tess turned to Grace. “Perhaps we can get some snacks and water.”

“Your whiskey is about empty.” Veronica waved her glass.

“Lush,” Miles murmured under his breath.

“Me, Miles and Chloe can take first watch,” Jack said.

“Me?” Chloe pressed closer to Ben. “Can I be on watch with Ben?”

Tess arched a brow at Jack, and he knew she was wondering why he didn’t pick her to be on watch with him. But he wanted her to rest, and someone he trusted on the next watch.

“Okay. Me, Miles, and Grace, then.”

“I can take the next shift with Tom and Ben,” Tess offered.

“The possible murderer?” Miles sneered.

“I think it’s you,” Veronica said. “You’re equally as irritating.” She turned her glassy gaze to Jack. “And thank you for not signing me up for night duty. I need my beauty sleep.”

“You’ll have to sleep until next year—”

“Shut up, Miles,” Veronica interrupted.

Everyone found a quiet place to get comfortable during the night.

Jack moved toward Tess. Before he could speak, she leaned in close. “Do you think Tom’s telling the truth?”

“Yeah. I do. What about you?” After all, Tess was better at ferreting out liars from her lawyer days than he was.

“I agree. Any guesses as to who Eli’s killer is?”

“Nothing backed by evidence.”

She smirked. “Your vote is Miles for being annoying.”

He tapped his nose to let her know she’d guessed right. The truth was, no one here screamed murderer, but any one of them could be pushed to murder, except maybe Chloe.

Tess smiled up at him. “I have to hand it to you, Jack, you sure know how to show a girl a good time.”

Jack wrapped his arm around Tess and tugged her close. “You know I’ll make this up to you.” He liked the way her eyes flashed with heat and desire.

“I can’t wait.”

Outside, the wind howled against the walls, rattling the windows.

Inside, eight uneasy people huddled around a fire, waiting for dawn…hoping no one else died before then.

Chapter Five

Tess stared up at the rafters, counting the knots in the wood like they were sheep.

One. Two. Three.

A log popped in the fireplace, sending sparks up the chimney. Someone snored softly, Miles, by the sound of it. So much for keeping watch.

She wasn’t going to sleep. She knew that. Tess wasn’t a tall woman, but curling up on the love seat was proving a challenge. But even in bed, her mind wouldn’t have shut down. Not when it was replaying the events of the night.

Eli on the deck, lights blinking around his neck.

The ski pole, bent and smeared with blood.

The note on his phone: Proof found that T is lying—

And now Tom’s confession about selling the lodge.

Across the common room, Jack sat in one of the armchairs near the fireplace, his long legs stretched out, an empty mug on the table beside him. Grace sat on the other side of the hearth, wrapped in a blanket, her gaze fixed on the flames. Miles occupied the far end of the couch, notebook on his chest, pencil still in hand even as he dozed.

First watch.

Tess’s watch came next.

She shifted on the love seat. She could see most of the room from here. Chloe and Ben had taken the couch, Chloe curled against Ben’s chest like a cat. Tom slept sitting in a chair near Grace, his head tipped back, mouth slightly open. Veronica was sprawled in the wingback chair, coat still on, earmuffs askew, her empty whiskey glass abandoned on the side table.

For someone claiming she needed her “beauty sleep,” Veronica had fought it for nearly an hour, fussing with her coat, pacing to the window, insisting she heard every gust of wind as a prowler. Then, as soon as Grace brought out a tray of crackers and bottled water, Veronica had crashed hard.

Tess wasn’t sure if that was fear, guilt, or whiskey.

Probably some combination of all three.

Jack’s gaze lifted, finding Tess in the dim light. He gave her a small, crooked smile that was meant to be reassuring and mostly succeeded.

She checked her watch. Close enough.

Pushing herself up, she swung her legs off the love seat and padded over to him, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

“How’s your shift?” she whispered.

“Quiet,” he said. “I suppose that’s a good thing, all things considered.”

She agreed.

His eyes scanned the sleeping guests and their hosts. Tess followed his gaze. Everyone looked so normal. Ordinary. It had been the same the first time she’d met a killer. Nothing in his face had screamed evil either. That was the scariest part about murder.

“Any revelations?” she asked.

“Tom talks in his sleep,” Jack said. “Muttered something about invoices and snowplows. Grace hasn’t moved more than a blink. Miles snores exactly like you’d expect.”

“And Veronica?”

Jack’s mouth twitched. “She’s out for the count.”

“It’s my turn to keep watch.”

He reached out, wrapping his arm around her and tugging her into his lap. “I could join you. We’re not alone, but it’s quiet and the fire is lovely. We could neck.” He waggled his brows suggestively.

She laughed. “Hopeless romantic.”

“Guilty.” He dipped his head, pressing a quick kiss on her lips.

When he pulled back, Tess was disappointed at the turn of events. Perhaps it was selfish to resent Eli and a murderer for ruining her winter weekend away with Jack.

She started to rise, but Jack held her in place. “Maybe we should let Tom rest since he’s been up and down making sure the generator is running, and wake Miles since he’s slept through his shift.”

Tess looped an arm around Jack. “I like Tom better.”

“No doubt.”

Grace looked their way. “Is it time to change?”

Tess’ heart went out to her. She looked exhausted.

“Yep.” This time she escaped from Jack’s embrace and walked to the couch to wake Ben.

“I’ll wake Tom.” Grace stood, stretched and then nudged Tom awake.

Jack rose from his chair, offering it to Tess. He gave her another kiss. “Wake me in a few hours or if something happens.” He settled himself in the love seat, his long legs hanging over the arm.

 

She doubted he’d get real sleep, but within a few minutes, his breathing slowed, and some of the tension eased from his face. How’d he do that?

Ben reluctantly disentangled himself from Chloe’s octopus hold and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “This is like college all-nighters. Except of course no one was killed.”

Chloe, somehow still asleep, slumped sideways until she found the pillow Ben tucked behind her back.

They settled into the watch positions: Ben in an armchair with a clear view of the stairs and hallway, Tom near the fireplace, Tess perched in the chair closest to the lobby desk and office door. Grace brought them all coffee and then settled in another chair.

For a few minutes, no one talked. The fire crackled. The wind whistled outside.

Finally, Tom broke the silence. “I suppose I owe y’all a refund.”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s sort of an adventure,” Ben said.

“Not the best way to start a marriage, though.” Tom shook his head.

“Jack and I fell in love around a murder.” Tess wasn’t sure why she was sharing that. Tom might think she brought Eli’s murder to his doorstep because she was jinxed.

Ben gaped. “Are you saying this isn’t the first dead body you’ve found?”

Tess blinked, knowing for sure she shouldn’t have said anything now. After all, she and Jack had been involved in five mysteries in just the last twelve months.

“Well, no. But I used to be lawyer…defense lawyer.” Surely that would make being around murder more normal.

“So, who do you think did it? Killed Eli, I mean,” Ben asked.

Tess shrugged. “I don’t know. But I don’t think it was you, Tom.”

Tom’s eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t?”

“No. In fact, the more I think about it, I’m not sure you’re the T in the notes.” It was the one thing she’d ruminated about the most while she was supposed to be sleeping.

“Who else could it be?” Ben leaned forward, seemingly fascinated by the process of finding a killer. “You? Your name starts with a T.”

“I didn’t kill Eli. The thing is, we don’t know when that note was written. Plus, he’d just been on a call. That person could have been T.”

Both men nodded.

“But people will still think it’s me.” Tom looked down into his coffee.

“The message said he had proof T lied. That’s a weird statement for someone who has backed out of a business deal, don’t you think? If he was writing about you, Tom, he’d have said T won’t sell to me, or something like that.”

“Hey, yeah.” Ben looked at Tess like he was impressed.

Tom continued to stare into his coffee like it might hold the key to salvaging everything that had gone wrong tonight. “I should have told Grace from the beginning. Would’ve saved us all some grief.”

“It’s usually good to talk with your spouse.” Tess hoped Ben would heed her words.

“It’s ours,” Tom said, voice rough. “We’ve put everything into it. Every holiday, every season… it’s our life.” His mouth twisted. “I shouldn’t have entertained selling to Eli. He could have ruined us.”

Ben shifted, elbows resting on his knees. “He threatened you?”

Tom nodded. “Said he’d force me to sell or at least bankrupt me with a lawsuit.”

Tess absorbed that. She knew people killed for less, but Tom didn’t strike her as a killer. Certainly not the type to wrap lights around someone’s neck.

“He was an ass.” Ben sat back, his face twisting into disgust. He wasn’t wrong. Eli had pressed every button available tonight.

They lapsed into silence again. Tess’s gaze drifted to the lobby desk and the closed office door behind it. She couldn’t stop picturing Eli stepping out from there earlier, full of smug entitlement. The note on his phone replayed in her mind:

Proof found that T is lying—

She was right in that the note could have been older, but what if it was just written. What proof had he found in Tom’s office?

“Keep an eye on things?” She rose to her feet.

Tom frowned. “Where are you going?”

“Not far. If Eli found proof someone was lying, he didn’t find it on the back deck. He found it in there.” She tipped her head toward the office door. “Let’s see what he saw.”

Ben straightened. “You’re investigating?”

“I’m curious. Can I check your office, Tom?”

Tom shook his head like he was terrified someone else would be killed in his lodge. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

“It’s twenty feet away,” Tess said. “And the door will be open. If someone tries to kill me, you’ll have direct eyes on them.”

Tom looked even more horrified.

“I’m joking,” she added, though only partially. “Stay where you can see me.”

Tom and Ben exchanged uneasy looks but didn’t argue.

Tess crossed the common area and rounded the front desk. The office door was shut but not locked. She slipped inside.

The office was small and cluttered. A desk sat against the far wall, piled with folders, a laptop, a jar full of pens that had clearly given up long ago. A bulletin board held schedules, vendor notices, and a faded flyer advertising a summer festival from three years ago.

This was where Eli had stood earlier, annoyed about the Wi-Fi. This was probably where he and Tom had argued about the lodge sale. If Eli had dug up proof of a lie, odds were good he’d done it here.

Tess stepped behind the desk. Her fingers skimmed over the mousepad, waking the computer. It opened to a page with the guest roster for tonight, including names, dates, and room assignments.

Behind it, an Internet browser was opened. She knew the Internet wasn’t working now, but she also knew the browser didn’t close when it lost access. She reduced the guest roster to see if Eli was doing any sort of searches.

Her eyes widened as she saw nine tabs, one with each of the guests and their hosts, plus one more for Theo Markim. Tess leaned closer, wondering why Eli was doing Internet searches on everyone at the lodge. And who was Theo Markim?

Theo.

T.

She clicked on the tab with Theo’s name.  It had a newspaper story about how a teenage Theo was convicted of killing a classmate who was bullying him. He served juvenile time, was released at twenty-one, and changed his name. There was speculation about where Theo had gone and what he was doing, but for intents and purposes, he’d disappeared.

Tess straightened trying to decipher what it meant.

“You trying to give me a heart attack?”

Tess startled, her attention jerking toward the door.

Jack leaned against the door jam, his arms crossed.

“No. I’m just—”

“Snooping alone when there’s a murderer in the building.”

She rolled her eyes. “Tom and Ben were keeping an eye on me.”

“Tom or Ben could be the murderer.” Jack pushed off the wall and entered the office. Tess hid her smirk, knowing he was as curious as she was to discover what Eli was up to.

“We agreed that it wasn’t Tom. And Tom is watching Ben, so I’m safe.”

He gave her a stern look but then glanced over her shoulder to see what had her attention. “Who’s Theo Markim?”

“I don’t know. But I wonder if he’s the liar.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed as he read the other tabs. “Who was doing a search on us?”

“Eli. I think.”

Jack shook his head. “I wouldn’t put it past him to see if any guests could be profitable to him.”

“Like in business?” Tess asked.

“Business. Blackmail. Eli wasn’t too picky how he earned his fortune.”

“Do you think he discovered someone here he could profit off of…besides maybe you?”

“Only one way to find out?” Jack grabbed the chair and began clicking on the tabs to see what Eli had read before he died.

He’d learned Chloe had been Miss Artichoke Queen four years earlier.

“Is that a real thing.” Jack laughed.

“Yes. It’s in California. Marilyn Monroe was one the Artichoke Queen.”

Jack slanted his gaze at Tess. “You’re joking.”

“No. Not at all. When the Internet is working, you can look it up.”

“Well…okay then.” Ben also grew up in California but had gone to graduate school in North Carolina. Miles’ first Dak Lassiter book was optioned for a T.V. show. Veronica was cleared of any liability in her husband’s fraud scheme. Tom and Grace won a hospitality award last year.

Jack groaned when he opened his tab that had an article about how he’d recently learned that Senator Worthington was his birthfather. Tess’ tab was her boutique lingerie website.

“Oh look, Regina got the new Damaris bras on the website.” Tess made a note to give her store manager and right-hand woman a bonus for the holidays.

Jack sat back. “Plenty of fuel for him. Miles must be swimming in money from TV deals. Veronica clearly didn’t like Eli’s comment about her husband.”

“And you. You’re now related to a U.S. Senator.”

“Right.” Jack rubbed his chin. “And I’m married to a lingerie store owner. Nothing like politics and sexy underwear to cause a scandal.”

“I run an upscale establishment.” But she could see how someone like Eli’s brain would be working overtime to figure out how to use information against all of them.

“Come on.” Jack rose and took her hand. “We should check on the others.”

When they stepped out of the office, three heads turned toward them, Tom, Ben, and even Miles.

“Well?” Miles asked. “Find any smoking guns in the filing system?”

“Nothing that says, ‘I killed Eli Carver,’ unfortunately.” Tess wasn’t ready to share what they’d learned yet.

Tess moved to the love seat, settling in next to Jack.

“So, what did you learn?” Miles pushed, his notebook and pen at the ready.

“The Internet is out.”

Miles rolled his eyes and went back to jotting something in his notebook.

“Tom, did you ever have a guest named Theo Markim?” Tess hadn’t planned to reveal anything about what she and Jack found, but then she decided to see what happened if she mentioned Theo.

Tom’s face squished into thought.

“Who?” Miles abandoned his writing.

“Theo Markim.”

“I don’t recall, but we’ve had a lot of guests.” Tom glanced at Grace, who snored softly in her chair. “We can ask Grace when she wakes up. She’s better at remembering our guests. I could check our old rosters.”

Tess shook her head. “No. It’s not necessary.” Especially since Theo wouldn’t have booked under his name, since he’d changed it over a decade ago.

The room went quiet. Jack put his arm around her and pulled her close. “You thinking Theo is here?”

She glanced at him. “Possibly, but how would Eli make the connection?”

Jack shrugged.

“If he did make the connection, and Theo is here, he’s just committed his second murder.” A shiver ran through Tess as she considered the murderer at Turtledove Lodge had no qualms about killing to get rid of people he didn’t like.

 

Chapter Six

Jack sat beside Tess, deciding he couldn’t risk sleeping again. Not if she was going to sneak off to play detective while a murderer roamed the lodge.

When he’d woken and discovered her chair empty, his stomach had clenched in panic. Ben and Tom had both jerked awake when he demanded, “Where is Tess?” which did nothing to calm him. Tom had finally pointed toward the office.

By the time Jack reached her, she was leaning over Tom’s desk, studying the computer like she was preparing to cross-examine it. Only then did fear cool into mild irritation, which had then softened into amusement.

Classic Tess. If she was breathing, she was sleuthing.

But now that she sat at his side on the loveseat, warm and safe against him, Jack intended to keep her in arm’s reach for the rest of the night. Curiosity was fine. Curiosity while a murderer was trapped in a snowed-in lodge with them was less fine. Look what curiosity did to the cat.

Ben leaned forward. “Why ask about some Theo if it isn’t important?”

Tess lifted a shoulder with nonchalance. “Just trying to see what pieces of the puzzle fit.”

“If you’re solving the murder,” Miles said, waving his notebook like a diploma, “perhaps we should all work together. I am the mystery author here.”

And you and Ben are the only two in this room who could be the former Theo Markim, Jack thought grimly.

He wished he’d studied that article about Theo more carefully. The grainy photo of a sixteen-year-old boy with acne and a curtain of greasy, limp hair didn’t seem to resemble Ben or Miles, but people changed over time. The fact that it was included in the tabs of everyone else here at the lodge meant something to Eli. But what?

“Hmm… maybe you write what you know.” Veronica’s voice was surprisingly clear, considering the amount of whiskey she’d consumed hours ago.

Miles shot her a glare.

Tess leaned into Jack, whispering, “Do you think it’s foreplay? Enemies-to-lovers?”

Jack didn’t bother hiding his grimace. “Absolutely not.”

If those two ever kissed, it would a kiss of death.

Miles turned back to Veronica. “What did he mean tonight? When he said your husband was a crook?”

It was a harsh strike, and for a moment Jack considered stepping in. But Veronica was a viable suspect. Her name didn’t start with T, nor could she be Theo, but there was no reason to believe those were clues to Eli’s murder either. So Jack waited for her response. Tess must have felt the same as she didn’t intervene either. No one did.

Veronica’s eyes hardened. “My husband is dead.”

“Did you kill him too?” Miles arched a brow, clearly enjoying rattling her.

“Why would I kill my husband?”

Miles shrugged. “Financial ruin? Maybe you’re implicated too—”

Her eyes flashed with indignation. “I’ve been cleared.”

“Whew!” Miles wiped his brow dramatically. “Dodged that bullet. But you still could’ve killed Eli tonight. He dragged your dirty laundry into the open. Embarrassed you. People have murdered for less.”

“I wouldn’t say humiliated,” Tess cut in gently.

But Veronica was pacing now, agitation radiating off her.

Miles didn’t relent. “That sounds like motive.”

Veronica spun on him. “He poked at everyone! Including you, Miles. You act above it all, but you’re not. You’re just like him.”

Miles’s smirk faltered.

“You’re small. Petty. Cruel,” Veronica continued, voice rising. “And if you’re not careful, you’ll end up on that deck with Christmas lights around your neck too.”

Jack slanted a glance at Tess, who arched a brow. “Could that be a confession?”

Chapter Seven

No one was sleeping now.

Veronica’s words, You’ll end up on that deck with Christmas lights around your neck too, hung in the air.

As expected, Miles was the first to jump on them. “So it was you. You killed Eli.”

Veronica’s eyes rounded. “What? No.” She look at each person in the room in turn. “Really, I didn’t.” Her breathing shifted to high gear as panic set in. “I swear I didn’t. I was just pointing out that Miles is equally as disagreeable as Eli. If the murderer killed Eli because he was a bully…well…Miles is a bully too.”

Tess brow furrowed at Veronica’s use of the word bully.

“This is insane!” Veronica cried. “My husband might have committed a crime, but he was my husband for Godsake, not fodder for your cruelty.” Her voice dissolved into shaking breaths

Grace stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Veronica’s shoulders, guiding her gently to the wingback chair. Veronica collapsed into it, covering her face.

“I didn’t kill him,” she whispered. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Grace said handing her a tissue.

Miles looked annoyed that no one was joining in with him in accusing her of being the murderer. “She suggested that I be killed. She came down dressed like she was planning to go on the Iditarod. Why if not to throttle Eli on the back deck?”

Tess had to give him a point for that, but she couldn’t see Veronica as the murderer.

“I wanted to be dressed so when help came, I could leave.” Veronica blew her nose in the tissue. “Or if the murderer attacked, I could leave then too.”

“Are you buying this?” Miles’ gaze scanned the room.

“I wouldn’t say she suggested killing you,” Tom said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Miles gaped.

“I agree. You were picking on her,” Chloe said, wrapping her blanket tighter around her.

“Picking on…” Miles sputtered. “Oh never mind.” He settled back into is seat and closed his eyes. “Wake me when it’s morning and I get out of this place.”

Jack checked his watch. “There is still a few hours before daylight. If you’re not on watch, you should get some rest.” He glanced at Tess, which she took to mean she needed to sleep too, but she was too keyed up. A murderer was in the room. Surely, they could figure out who it was. One was for sure, she didn’t think it was Veronica despite her dress and motive. For one, Tess wasn’t sure Veronica could have dragged Eli out of the house to the back deck, especially after the amount she’d been drinking.

It wasn’t Tom or Grace, although that was her gut talking, not any evidence exonerating them. That left Chloe, Ben, and Miles. Tess’ impression of Chloe was that she was too timid. Plus she and Ben were inseparable the whole night…unless they killed Eli together.

“Tess.” Jack wrapped his arm around her tugged her in next to him. “Get some sleep. The murderer isn’t going anywhere. You can try and solve this after getting some shut eye.”

She snuggled into him. She even closed her eyes. But her mind kept going…

 

Tess blinked awake to the faint glow of morning light creeping across the common room. The storm had stopped. No more wind howling.

Next to her, Jack remained awake. It occurred to her that he’d taken two shifts, one of them hers. It was likely by design. His arm was still firmly around her, probably to make sure she didn’t wander again.

Tom and Grace entered the common room from the office.

“Radio’s back,” Tom announced. “I reached the sheriff’s office. They’re sending a unit as soon as they plow the road.”

A relieved hum went through the room.

“How long until they get here?” Tess asked, pushing herself upright and ignoring the crick in her neck.

“A couple hours.”

Chloe sat up straighter, suddenly alert. “That means we can leave once the road’s clear.”

“Actually…no.” Tess hated to be the bearer of bad news.

Chloe blinked, startled. Ben frowned.

“We’re all witnesses. We all stay until law enforcement tells us otherwise.”

“But we didn’t do anything,” Chloe whined.

“And one of us is a murderer,” Miles said, his gaze homing in on Veronica.

“So much for being an expert,” Veronica sneered at him. “Dak Lassiter is the fraud. I’ll be sure to put my review on Amazon.”

Before Miles could respond, Grace interjected, “How about some breakfast.”

“I could use some food.” Ben rubbed his stomach.

Tom and Grace began to leave the room. Ben helped Chloe up and they started toward the stairs. Miles followed.

“Wait.” Veronica stood abruptly. “I think we should have a buddy system. No one alone until the police arrive. I refuse to be murdered alone in my bedroom.”

Miles snorted. “You’re more likely to die of dehydration at this rate.”

“That’s not funny!”

“It wasn’t meant to be.”

They glared at each other until Tess stepped between them. “Let’s not start another fight.”

Veronica threw up her hands. “Fine. I’m going to my room. If I die, please make sure you tell Miles, so he’ll stop accusing me.”

“She’s rattled,” Jack murmured.

“Everyone is,” Tess said.

Jack held up his hands for everyone’s attention. “We should all stay together until the sheriff comes—”

“I need to use the ladies room—”

“I’ll go with you,” Chloe said rising from the couch. “I don’t think you’re a murderer.”

Tess’ brow furrowed. Chloe had been on edge, attached to Ben to unless she was sleeping. Now she was willingly going off with Veronica, who’d Miles accused of being a murderer. What did that mean? Did it even mean anything?

“Let’s at least get them coffee,” Grace said. Tom followed her to the kitchen.

Chloe and Veronica headed to the guest bathroom off the common room.

“I’m going with them,” Tess told Jack.

He arched a brow.

“I really do have to go,” she insisted. “And…well…interesting that Chloe all of a sudden is okay to detach from Ben.”

“Honeymoon over?”

“What if it’s an act? What if Ben killed Eli for hitting on his wife? Maybe Chloe hit him with the pole and Ben strangled him.”

Jack seemed to think about it. “I suppose it could happen.”

“So… I’m heading to the bathroom.”

“Hey.” Jack caught her arm. “Be careful.” He pressed a kiss to her lips.

“You too.” She gave Jack and flirty smile and then sauntered off to the bathroom.

“…not the most romantic honeymoon,” Chloe finished saying as Tess entered. She was running fingers through her long hair and then pinching her cheeks.

“No doubt,” Veronic said from inside a stall.

“Oh hey.” Chloe smiled at Tess through the mirror. “How about you? Not a very romantic getaway, was it?”

Tess shrugged. “Jack and I have definitely had better.”

Chloe sighed wistfully. “Before all this, my night was perfect. Ben thought of everything. Do you know he brought me a natural snow cone?”

“What’s a natural snow cone?” Veronica emerged from the stall.

“You know…you get real snow that’s fallen and then put something sweet on it. I had a juice box from the ride up.”

Tess worked to keep her expression impassive. “Ben went outside last night?”

“Yes, to get the snow.” Chloe continued to smile like a woman lost in love on her honeymoon.

Veronica, however, stepped back. “He killed Eli.”

Chapter Eight

“Ben went outside last night?”

Jack straightened from the wall outside the ladies room where’d parked himself when Tess followed the women. He knew he should keep an eye on Ben and Miles, but Tess was his priority. He was fairly sure neither Veronica nor Chloe was the killer, but he’d been wrong about such things before.

“Yes, to get the snow.” Chloe’s tone was swoony, like she didn’t pick up on the implication.

Veronica didn’t miss it though. “He killed Eli.”

Jack glanced over at Ben who was taking a cup coffee from the tray Grace offered.

Tess stepped out first, her expression unreadable, until she saw him. Normally she’d have smirked at catching him acting like her bodyguard. Instead, she arched her brows in what he took as a silent question, “did you hear that?”

He gave a nod.

Veronica followed Tess out eyes bright with panic. “It was Ben.”

Chloe trailed after them, confused and offended by the accusation. “No!”

Ben startled at Veronica charging him. “What?”

Jack locked eyes with Ben. “You went outside last night?”

Ben froze. “What? No.”

Chloe blinked at him. “To get snow.”

Ben’s expression flickered first with confusion, then with unease as the implication became clear. “Oh, right. For the…snow cone. I forgot.” He laughed nervously. “I wasn’t out long.”

“Long enough to kill Eli?” Veronica shot back.

Chloe gasped. “He didn’t!”

Ben shook his head vehemently, as if he thought the more vigorously he moved it, the more everyone would believe him. “I didn’t kill him. Why would I?”

“He made disgusting overtures at your wife,” Miles said blandly, almost as if he was bored.

“I didn’t kill him!” Ben’s panic gazed moved from person to person, pleading for them to believe him.

“Prove it,” Veronica demanded.

Miles snorted. “How. Should he take a snow oath?”

“Shut up, Miles,” Veronica snapped.

“Did you see Eli when you went out?” Tess asked, clearly giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“No. I didn’t see him at all once he left to take the call.” Ben’s gaze continued to dart amongst the guests, looking for an ally. “I…I went out front, got the snow and came back in. I was gone maybe…three minutes. Five tops, right baby?”

“Yes…just a few minutes.” Chloe rushed to his side. “That’s not enough time to kill someone, right?”

“Strangulation takes about four minutes,” Miles said with authority.

“He should know, he probably did it,” Veronica quipped.

“I know because I write mysteries.”

But Jack was back at Ben’s statement that he’d gone out front. “Where’d you get the snow?”

“Out front.” Ben rushed to the entrance door, opening it. A blast of cold shot through the common area. “Right there…” He pointed, but Jack knew there would be no evidence of it. Whatever hole he made getting the snow, would be filled in by the snow that fell the night before.

“Shut the door, Ben. It’s freezing.” Veronica pulled her coat tighter around her and stepped by the fire.

“Eli is out back,” Tess said.

Ben grabbed on to her comment like a lifeline. “Right. He’s in back. I was out front.”

“You could have dragged him out the back,” Miles argued.

“Through the house? It seems like we’d have seen evidence of that. Wet drag marks. The only snow was by the back door,” Jack reported.

“So maybe he dragged Eli around the lodge.”

“Impossible.” Tom rejected the idea. “Too much wind and snow. Besides, what would be the point? If he killed him out front, he could have just left him there.”

“You see…it wasn’t me.”

Jack had to agree. “I don’t think it was him.” He glanced at Tess who’s nod wasn’t quiet as committed as he’d expect.

Ben sagged with relief. Chloe clasped his arm protectively.

Grace emerged with a tray of muffins. “I can make a full breakfast but—”

“Who can eat with a murderer on the loose?” Veronica said dramatically.

“Perhaps offer her booze.” Miles reached for a muffin.

“You’re a jerk, you know that. You and Eli would have been the best of buddies.”

Miles sniffed with indignation. “The man didn’t know the difference between true crime and mystery fiction.” He took a bite of his muffin, speaking around it. “If it’s any consolation, I agree he was a bully and that bullies need to get their comeuppance. I wrote a story just like it once.”

Jack’s mind went back to Theo Markim. Apparently Tess’ did too, as she pulled out her phone and typed in Theo Markim.

Jack took Tess’ arm and pulled her toward the windows away from where the others were eating and bickering. “What are you thinking?”

“Eli did call Miles’ work true crime, but that’s not something anyone would confuse, right? He chose those words on purpose.”

Jack followed her reasoning. “The true crime referring to Theo’s murder of a classmate.”

“Not just a classmate. A bully,” Tess iterated.

“Miles would have a string of dead bodies behind him if he killed everyone who bullied him.”

“Eli wasn’t just a bully. If he figured out Miles was Theo, he could extort or expose him. His career would be over if it was discovered he was a murderer, don’t you think?”

Good point, Jack thought.

Tess pulled up the article Eli had opened on the computer.

“How would he have even made the connection?” Jack knew Eli as the type of person to see everyone he met as a potential mark, but nothing about Miles suggested he’d been a killer as a teenager.

“I don’t know. Maybe there was something in book his assistant gave him.”

Jack pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll see what his bio says on his website.” Not that Miles would include that he was a teen killer, but perhaps his history is similar to Theo’s. Jack knew lying worked best if it remained close to the truth.

“The article doesn’t suggest anything,” Tess said, poking at her phone. “I’ll see if there are images of him we can compare.”

Jack pulled up Miles’ about page on his website. “It says he was born in Missouri. He ran away from home at sixteen and eventually ended up in New York. At twenty-one he got a job with a publisher.”

“This year book picture of Theo is from a Missouri high school.”

Of all the clues they’d had over the course of the night, this was the one that settled deep in his gut. “At sixteen Theo went to jail and was released at twenty-one,” Jack recalled from the article the night before.

Jack clicked on images to pull up photos of Miles. Several were from the publisher’s website listing their staff. One showed a twenty-something young Miles. Tess held her phone next to Jack’s to compare the young Miles with the sixteen year old Theo.

Same angular jawline. Same set of the eyes.

“Jack… it’s him.”

Jack exhaled slowly. “Miles is Theo Markim.”

A floorboard creaked behind them.

They froze, and then slowly turned to find Miles standing ten feet away, a half-eaten muffin in hand, his expression unreadable. His gaze flicked from Tess’ phone to Jack’s.

“Wi-Fi up again? Find something interesting?” His expression was innocent enough, but there was something in his tone that put Jack on edge.

Jack shifted, angling his body in front of Tess. “We were comparing something from Eli’s search. That’s all.”

Miles’ smile was a thin, brittle line. “It seems like treading where Eli went could be dangerous.”

Jack’s stomach clenched as Miles confirmed his suspicion. Worse, Miles knew they knew.

Miles’s grip tightened around the muffin until crumbs rained to the floor. “Eli was a scourge on the earth. He exposed your affair—”

“I’ve never cheated on my wife.”

“He prayed on weakness. He deserved to die.”

Tess gave him a sympathetic smile. “I won’t deny that he was a terrible human being, but killing him—”

“It’s the only way to stop people like him. They take pleasure in inflicting pain—”

“Was he inflicting pain on you,” Tess asked gently.

Jack wasn’t really interested in the psychology of why Miles killed Eli, but perhaps if he talked, Jack could figure out a way to contain him until the sheriff arrived.

“He inflicted pain on all of us,” Miles hissed, his hand gesturing to the room.

Veronica sat by the fire, her gaze lost in the flames. Grace and Tom were in the kitchen. Chloe stood a few feet from Miles, scanning the bookshelves. Ben sat on the couch, enjoying a muffin.

“You heard him…what he said about all of us,” Miles finished.

“And yet none of us killed him,” Jack quipped.

“He’d ruin me…either financially or my reputation. I couldn’t let that happen. I rebuilt my life. I wasn’t going to let Eli Carver take everything away from me. And I won’t let you do it either.”

He moved.

Not toward them, but toward Chloe.

He lunged, grabbing her from behind and yanking her against him, as he pulled a knife from his pocket, and pressed it against her throat.

Chapter Nine

Chloe shrieked. Ben leapt up but froze when he saw Miles holding the knife to her neck.

“Everyone back,” Miles barked.

Chloe whimpered, trembling in his grip.

The room went silent around them. Veronica gasping, Grace covering her mouth, Tom stepping instinctively in front of her, Ben half rising but terrified that one wrong move would set Miles off.

Jack stepped forward. “Miles, don’t do this.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Miles snapped. “Theo Markim died a long time ago. I won’t let you resurrect him.”

Tess’ mind was spinning. “Miles. This isn’t going to get you out of here.”

“It’ll keep me alive.”

Chloe whimpered, tears streaking her cheeks.

“No one is trying to hurt you,” Tess continued. “You don’t need a hostage.”

“You dug into my life,” he hissed. “You and Eli. You think you can just expose me? Destroy everything I rebuilt? I won’t go back.”

“You don’t have to, but this isn’t the way,” Tess said, noting Jack shifting around her, whether to protect her or intervene with Miles, she wasn’t sure. She just hoped Jack didn’t get himself stabbed.

Miles laughed. “This is the only way. It was the only way with Eli too.”

Veronica flinched. “So you admit it…you killed him.”

He turned a wild, vicious smile on her. “Of course I killed him.”

“How did he even know?” Tess wondered out loud.

“Probably the same way you found out.” Miles hissed. “My business is my business. I did my time.”

“You did,” Tess agreed. What she didn’t say was how this time he was an adult. There would be no five-year sentence for killing his bully this time. “What did Eli threaten you?”

Miles scoffed. “Eli didn’t threaten. He promised to expose me if I didn’t bring him into the movie deal.”

“So you strangled him,” Tess said.

“First I hit him. With all the snow, I was considering skiing and found the equipment in the closet.” He shakes his head. “He was stunned, but not enough to shut his vile trap. My first thought was to get him out so no one would hear us.”

“So you got him on the back deck,” Jack said, with a nod toward the others, who slowly moved away, except for Ben, who looked ready to pummel Miles, but wisely resisted the urge while a knife was to Chloe’s neck.

Miles tugged Chloe back, and Tess wondered where he planned to go. “I tried to stab him with the pole, but then I saw the lights and strangled him. I probably shouldn’t have plugged them back in, but I couldn’t resist.”

“I can’t blame you, Miles,” Tess said gently. “Eli wasn’t a good person—”

“Don’t patronize me.” Miles gaze darted about the room, inventorying where everyone was. “I’m getting out of here and taking her with me. The rest of you stay put.”

Jack’s voice was steady. “Miles, let her go.”

“Not a chance,” Miles snapped.

Tess’s gaze flicked around the room, searching for anything to shift the odds, but there was nothing that didn’t risk Chloe’s life.

“Take me instead,” Jack said.

Tess’ head whipped around to Jack, her eyes wide.

“Chloe is on her honeymoon—”

“I don’t care.”

“Dak Lassiter would. I’ve read your books Miles. Dak would be planning to take you out with a snow shovel to head, am I right?”

“You’ve read my books?” Miles’ body relaxed a bit at the news.

“Sure. I enjoyed them too.” Jack stepped toward Miles. “If you’re anything like Dak, you don’t want to do this.”

“I want to get out of here.”

“Fine. Go. No one is stopping you. Just leave Chloe behind.”

Tess had to hand it to Jack, he seemed to be getting through to Miles.

“I’ll go.”

All eyes whipped to Veronica.

“What?” Miles asked.

“I’ll go with you so Chloe can stay behind.”

What is going on? Tess felt like she’d entered a netherworld. Why would Veronica volunteer to be a hostage?

“You hate me.” Miles held the knife closer to Chloe’s neck.

She shrugged. “Let’s just say that right now, I find it difficult to like you.”

Miles shook his head, pulling Chloe with him as he moved toward the door. “No, you’re trying to trick me.”

Jack moved closer again, jerking Miles’ attention back to him. Ben radiated with tension. He too stepped closer.

“Get back.” Miles’ arm tightened around Chloe.

A loud sliding sound came from above them, like snow slipping off the roof.

All eyes turned upward, except Jack’s. He lunged forward, tackling Miles’s knife arm while Ben yanked Chloe free. Miles hit the floor hard, the knife skittering across the floor.

He fought like a trapped animal, kicking, thrashing, screaming. “You don’t get to take this from me!”

Tess picked up the knife.

“Get something to restrain him with,” Jack called out.

“Will this work?” Grace appeared holding a strand of Christmas lights.

Jack wrestled Miles’ wrists behind him, and bound them with the lights. Breathing hard, Jack hauled him upright. “It’s over.”

Miles spat onto the floor. “They’ll never convict me. It was self-defense. He went after me.”

Tess considered the possibility, but knew that self-defense only worked when under the threat of physical danger, not having a lie exposed.

Tom’s radio crackled from the kitchen. He ran to it, fiddled with the knob, then shouted, “They’re here! Sheriff’s coming up the drive!”

A collective exhale shuddered through the room. Chloe was weeping in Ben’s arms. Grace slumped against Tom. Veronica sank down to the hearth, looking a bit stunned.

Jack reached for Tess, pulling her against his chest. “You okay?”

“I should be asking you.” She glared at him. “Don’t ever offer yourself to a killer again.”

His lips twitched upward. “I can’t promise that. I’ll do anything to keep you safe, you know that.”

She tried to stay annoyed at him. She really did. But then he kissed her, and it was hard to feel anything but relief.

Tom rushed to the door, letting in two deputies.

Miles began shouting the moment they approached, but none of it mattered. Within minutes he was handcuffed, and guarded while the other followed Tom down the hall to Eli’s body, now buried in snow.

“Should I make hot cocoa?” Grace asked, looking befuddled. Tess couldn’t blame her. It was hard to know what to do after catching a killer.

 

Hours later, Jack took Tess’ hand and led her up to their room. Miles and Eli were gone, one to jail the other to the medical examiner. Ben and Chloe left the minute the deputies okayed them to go. Veronica followed not long after.

Tom and Grace, did all they could to make up for the fiasco, even though it wasn’t there fault.

“That wasn’t quite the winter getaway that I’d planned.” Jack opened the door to their room.

“What had you planned?”

Jack closed the door and pulled her to him. “I was thinking time alone in front of a fire…naked.”

She looped her arms around him. “Well, we’re alone.”

He kissed her. “Let me make a fire, and then we can get naked.”

“Deal.”

Jack gave her one last slow kiss before he stepped away to kneel by the fireplace.

Tess watched him, considering disrobing to show off the new Aubade bra and panty set she’d bought just for this trip. But she knew he enjoyed discovering such things on his own.

“Jack?” she murmured.

He looked over his shoulder, the faintest smirk forming. “Hmm?”

“Thank you for not dying today.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “Wasn’t on my agenda.”

Tess wondered how he thought he’d escape from Miles after offering himself as a hostage. She was glad she wouldn’t have to find out.

“Why do you think Veronica offered herself in place of Chloe?”

“I couldn’t even come close to understanding her.”

Tess nodded. “I think she planned to strangle him with Christmas lights.”

Jack laughed. “Probably. But I don’t want to talk about Veronica, or Chloe or anyone except you and me.” The fire caught with a whoosh of orange, and a blast of heat through the room.

He stood and looked at her like a man who’d been waiting too long for this moment. Tess felt the heat of his stare all over her skin.

He moved to her, tugging her against him. “Thank you for not dying as well.”

She blinked up at him. “Me? I wasn’t the one offering myself as a hostage.”

“Every time we’re in a situation like this, I think I’ll lose you.” His thumb traced her cheekbone.

“I’m right here.”

“Good,” he said, and kissed her.

This kiss wasn’t like the earlier quick, grateful, adrenaline-soaked ones. This was slow. Deep. Claiming. A kiss that said we survived, and now I want you.

Tess melted into him, letting the warmth and relief slide into desire.

His hands slipped beneath her sweater, his palms skimming over her spine. “Do you have any surprises for me?”

“Maybe.” She gave him a coy smile as he tugged her sweater off.

He ran his fingers over the lace on the swell of her breast. “Very pretty.” He leaned over, his lips replacing his fingers, cascading kisses. He deftly reached behind her, undoing the clasp of her bra.

He tugged it away, his palms cupping her breasts. “Beautiful.” He slowly undressed her, and when she was naked, he pulled her to him again. “Just a reminder that this will not be a quickie.”

“Promises, promises.” She tugged his shirt free of his jeans.

He gave a soft growl in response. He finished undressing and guided her to the bed. He lay her back, and then swept his gaze over her. His eyes gleamed with hunger and reverence. It always took her breath away when he looked at her like that.

“God, you’re beautiful.”

She reached for him. “You are, too.”

He laughed softly as he let himself be pulled down to her. “Not the word I’d use.”

“Sexy then.” She nipped his jaw. “Infuriating. Heroic. All the above.”

“Keep going,” he murmured, his kisses caressing her jaw.

“Bossy,” she added, arching into him. “Very, very bossy.”

He kissed down her throat, over her collarbone, lower still. “Only with you.”

His hands were everywhere, her breasts, her belly, her thighs. Touches that were both tender and greedy.

She touched him back, hoping he felt all the love she had for him.

“Tess…” He let out a frustrated groan as he settled his hips between her thighs. “Maybe it will be a little quick…”

“We have all the time in the world.” She opened to him.

He slid into her in one smooth, perfect thrust. Their moans echoed through the room as he pushed in deep, deeper.

Dropping his forward to hers, he held still. She wrapped her legs around him, savoring this moment.

“I love you.” He rocked his hips, sending electric sparks through her body.

“I love you too.”

He moved then, withdrawing and thrusting deeper. Her fingers clung to his shoulders, as pleasure built hot and fast.

He slid his hand down her thigh, lifting it, and sliding inside her again, hitting that one perfect spot.

“Jack!”

His mouth crushed to hers as his movements grew faster, harder, more frenetic. He let out a growl. “Now…now, Tess.”

His words send her spiraling, tightening around him, clinging to him, shattering.

“Yes,” he groaned, driving into her as his own release consumed him.

Pleasure wrapped hot and wild around them, between them, until slowly it subsided.

They lay tangled together, catching their breaths.

Jack brushed his lips to her temple. “Next time, no murder on vacation.”

Tess laughed softly. “Maybe we just bring handcuffs.”

He grinned, wicked and slow. “I like the way you think.”

The End

This story will be revised and compiled into an ebook. Watch for information on how to download your copy.