Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t know why I have to stay behind while you two get to do all the fun stuff,” Gertie groused.
Ida Belle stared. “Trekking through the woods, on a hot humid night, wearing long sleeves and a mask is fun? The mosquitoes alone are the stuff horror movies are made of.”
Gertie waved a hand in dismissal. “You traipse around in long sleeves all the time, masks are cool, and mosquitoes never killed anybody.”
“Said no one with malaria ever,” Ida Belle said.
“Mosquitoes here don’t have malaria.”
“They also don’t have shoddy knees or dynamite,” I said, cutting in. “If we have to run, you’d be at a huge disadvantage. Besides, I need you back here in case another diversion is necessary.”
Gertie huffed but ceased arguing. I figured either her knees were bothering her more than she wanted to admit or she didn’t want anyone else potentially getting to play with her dynamite. Probably both.
“Ida Belle will text periodic updates once we’re in place,” I said. “But if we have to run, all bets are off. If she goes more than fifteen minutes without sending an update, assume something is going down and figure out what kind of diversion we might need.”
I pushed open the small window on the back wall of the bathroom, and the warm breeze wafted inside along with bugs.
“Leave that window open in case we need an alternative entrance,” I said as I pulled the bathroom door shut.
“Great,” Gertie groused. “Might as well be peeing outside in a bush with all the bugs and humidity coming in there.”
I pulled a spare ski mask from my backpack and tossed it to her. “You can still wear a mask if you’d like, although I advise taking it off if Zion shows up.”
Gertie tossed the mask on the bed. “I have a cucumber mask. I’m going to put it on as soon as you leave.”
Ida Belle stared. “Why on earth would someone make a mask out of cucumbers?”
“It’s a face mask. Like a peel? It’s good for the skin—you know what, never mind. It’s something Ronald gave me.”
“Well, why didn’t you just say that to begin with?”
“Let get going,” I said. “I’m hoping Zion didn’t make a phone call as soon as Carter left.”
I’d heard Carter’s truck leaving thirty minutes earlier but since it wasn’t dark, I hadn’t wanted to risk trying to sneak out just yet.
Plus, I’d been afraid that Zion might decide to play good host and check up on the guests given our disruptive dinner, but so far, all had been quiet.
Maybe he hadn’t worked up a good explanation for what had occurred and would avoid us until tomorrow morning.
We skirted the edge of the woods along the trail, then hurried across the road before we got to the main building and continued in the woods paralleling the trail to Zion’s cabin. We were almost there when I heard the crunch of something heavy on gravel and the light whine of an electric car.
“That’s Sapphire,” I whispered. “Hurry.”
I set off through the woods at as fast a pace as I could manage, watching Sapphire’s taillights fade around the corner in front of me. When we reached the outskirts of the cabin, I dropped down in a squat and pulled out my laptop.
“It looks like she’s still in her car.”
“Probably on the phone.”
“Or deciding whether or not to shoot him.”
“Valid. This will only take a couple seconds to connect.”
“Good, because she just climbed out and the way she’s stomping up to the door. I don’t want to miss what happens when she gets inside.”
I pulled out the earbuds and passed one to Ida Belle, then set everything to record.
“Did you text Gertie?”
She nodded. “And set a timer.”
Sapphire yanked open the door and walked inside the cabin, slamming the door shut behind her. Ida Belle and I winced as the sensitive microphone blasted her disapproval.
“What are you doing back?” Zion asked, not sounding remotely repentant. In fact, he sounded put out that she’d returned.
“It’s my property,” Sapphire said. “Why should I be the one to leave?”
“Well, if you think I’m going anywhere you can think again. As I’ve said before, if you want me out of here, it will cost you.”
“I’ve already paid enough! You’re a liar and a cheater. And now the cops show up here insinuating that you had something to do with that old hoochie’s death. I didn’t sign up for any of this, and I’m not giving you another dime.”
“Maybe before you put on your high and mighty tone, you’d like to discuss what the cops found when they searched our cabin.”
“What do you mean the cops searched my cabin? They can’t do that!”
“They had a warrant.”
“What did you do, Zion?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s what you always say, but I know you’re lying. Did you have something to do with that woman’s death?”
“As far as I know, her death was a suicide, but there were drugs in her bloodstream, which is problematic because she didn’t have a prescription for them.”
“You gave her drugs?” Sapphire’s voice shot up several octaves.
“I didn’t give her anything, you stupid cow. The drugs were in your nightstand.”
“I don’t take drugs!”
“You know that’s a lie.”
“I don’t take stuff that will kill you, and I could hardly roll up to her place and pass her a bottle of stuff to take, now could I?”
“No. But you could slip it into a bottle of water. You weren’t here when I got back on Monday.”
“So? You think I should sit here pining away for you while you’re off with one of your women?”
“Where were you?”
“It’s none of your business where I was then or where I’m about to be as soon as I grab my things.”
There was more slamming around and then Zion stalked out the front door. Ida Belle and I were already low but we ducked down even lower. He yanked open the door to the Tesla and climbed inside.
“Is he going to steal her car too?” Ida Belle whispered.
I shrugged. I had no idea where this Jerry Springer show was going.
A couple minutes later, Sapphire stomped back out with a tote bag and Zion jumped out of the car.
“I knew it!” he said. “You were at Eleanor’s retreat on Monday. Don’t try to deny it because your car says as much.”
“Of course I was at Eleanor’s retreat Monday. I was following you, you moron! I knew you had something going on with that woman, and I was going to catch you.”
“I was not sleeping with her!”
“Only because she was old and gross and you didn’t want to do it, but I have zero doubt that’s what you led her to believe was going to happen.
What happened, Zion? Was she putting the screw to you?
Literally? So you had to kill her? I’m out.
You’ll hear from my attorney and if you’re smart, you won’t make this difficult. ”
“Or what?”
“Maybe there will be two funerals for yoga instructors.”
She jumped in the car and took off. Zion glared at the retreating taillights, then cursed and spun around but instead of heading back inside, he set off down the path to our cabin.
Crap!
I grabbed the laptop and jumped up, then hustled through the woods as quickly as possible without making a ton of noise, which wasn’t easy given that there was no path.
Fortunately, there was a bit of wind so the trees rustling masked some of our passage.
I heard Ida Belle behind me as I skirted the edge of the woods, keeping an eye on Zion’s retreating figure.
When we reached the point where the path veered left but the gap to the woods tripled in size, I started jogging.
No way we could make it inside the cabin before Zion had it in sight.
And we hadn’t had time to warn Gertie either, so I could only hope she was ready for some improv.
As we edged around the woods toward the back of the cabin, I could see Zion just twenty yards from the front door.
There was no way we could both get inside before Gertie had to answer the door.
“Stay here,” I told Ida Belle as I rushed out of the woods and sprinted for the back of the cabin.
Two of us in the bathroom wouldn’t make any sense.
I’d just have to hope that Zion wouldn’t insist on doing bed roll call on all three of us.
Since I was the one he was currently fixated on, it made more sense for him to want to ensure I knew he’d checked in.
I pulled myself in through the small window and eased down headfirst into the bathtub, trying to avoid any crashes.
The last thing I needed was Zion thinking one of us had fallen in the shower and rushing in to help.
I heard Gertie opening the door as I yanked off my mask and black clothes and shoved them in the vanity cabinet.
Then I turned on the water in the sink, splashed it on my head and wrapped a towel around it.
Zion had never seen my hair, and I didn’t want to risk him getting a more complete look at my appearance.
“What the heck?” Gertie said. “Is there a fire?”
“Oh!”
I could hear the shock and dismay in his voice and didn’t even want to know what Gertie had on.
I had a feeling it was something from her shopping trip with Ronald, which included all manner of things that the general public was never supposed to see a person wearing unless they lived with them.
Especially when they thought that person was a nun.
“I’m so sorry,” Zion said. “I didn’t know you were undressed.”
“What the hell do you think I wear to sleep? My habit? That would be all kinds of hot and uncomfortable. You basically knock on my bedroom door at nine thirty at night and you’re surprised I’m not in full nun mode? Nuns deserve me time too, you know.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean to interrupt your personal time. I just wanted to apologize for the interruption at dinner and to make sure you are okay.”
“Why the heck wouldn’t we be? We ate, we relaxed, and now we’re getting ready for bed. Well, technically Sister Eileen has been asleep for an hour already and if this racket wakes her up, there will be hell to pay tomorrow for all of us.”
Since I needed Zion to think we were all intact, I eased the bathroom door open and stuck my head out.