Page 8 of The Whispering Girls (Detective Katie Scott #14)

SEVEN

Katie loaded her Jeep with her things and planned on having a nice big breakfast in town while figuring out what to do. She wasn’t sure if she should just return to Pine Valley or try to find somewhere else to stay nearby.

Katie had spoken with the cabin owners and they’d extended their apologies. There would be a maintenance crew coming in to take care of the house and the pipes, but unfortunately for Katie they wouldn’t be arriving anytime soon.

After locking the cabin door and leaving the key where instructed, Katie climbed into her Jeep. She paused a moment, staring at the cabin and then glancing around. The crime scene was still very much on her mind and the victim was still as disturbing to her as it had been the day before.

Cisco poked his head at her.

“All right, let’s go…”

Katie drove into town where there was a diner, the Sunrise Café, which had a large neon “open” sign in the window.

She pulled up next to several trucks and other vehicles.

It appeared to be a popular morning place.

She found a table by the window where she could keep an eye on her Jeep and Cisco, who was snoozing on a blanket on the back seat.

She ordered a large coffee and the special “farmer’s breakfast,” which was a little bit of everything.

Still feeling the chill throughout her body, she welcomed the hot coffee.

Looking around while waiting for her food, Katie noticed that several patrons stared at her. She wondered if she looked that out of place or if they just wondered who she was and why she was alone. She politely smiled back.

Katie decided to scroll through her phone to find any nearby vacation rentals but there were only small motels.

It looked like she was going back to Pine Valley.

She didn’t mind, but she did feel in a way that she was ignoring the homicide—it was a crucial phase of the investigation.

Why did the victim look so much like the person who had found her?

That haunted her. The images, crime scene, and investigation kept pulling her back in—it was who she was.

But there was nothing she could do and it seemed the decision to leave Echo Forest had already been made for her.

The diner’s door opened, and Jack and a police officer Katie hadn’t seen before entered. A rush of cold air whipped through the diner. Jack immediately saw Katie. He walked over to her as she scrolled for other accommodations.

“Good morning,” he said.

Katie looked up and saw Jack with a big smile on his face. “I suppose it’s a good morning,” she said.

“Katie, this is Officer Bobby Clark.”

“Nice to meet you, Officer Clark,” she said.

“Ma’am,” he said and nodded. The officer went to get a couple of coffees to go. He had short dark hair and a well-trimmed beard, which was the opposite of his fellow officer from the crime scene.

“Aren’ t you up bright and early for someone on vacation?” Jack asked.

“Not by choice.”

Jack frowned. “Everything okay?”

“My cabin’s pipes burst this morning.”

“Oh, no.”

“I’m contemplating whether to drive home to Pine Valley or to try to find a place to stay nearby.”

“Any prospects?” he said.

“Unfortunately not.” She put down her phone. “You both are welcome to join me.” Glancing around the diner, she thought it might keep people from staring if she was with the town’s vet and one of its police officers.

Officer Clark returned with a large coffee in hand. “Catch you later,” he said to Jack. “Nice to meet you,” he said to Katie. The officer left.

Jack pulled out a chair. “You sure you don’t mind?”

“No, please sit down.”

The waitress approached the table with Katie’s breakfast. Katie began to dig in immediately. She was hungry and figured the food would help give her the strength she needed today. Plus it was delicious.

“The usual please,” said Jack to the server. “Now, what do you plan to do?” he asked Katie when they were alone again.

Katie sighed. “Well…the cabin is definitely out. It will take a while to completely dry out and I’m not sure how long to repair the pipes.”

“Unfortunately, bursting pipes aren’t anything new around here…”

Katie didn’t speak. She could tell he had more to say.

“I may have a solution, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll show you after breakfast,” he said cryptically.

“Okay.” She was curious, but cautious .

The waitress brought a large plate of pancakes and bacon for Jack. They ate in silence. Katie was lost in her thoughts of not only the homicide, but where she was going to land for the rest of her ordered vacation.

It wasn’t as cold as the previous day, with a bit of sun shining. But Katie was still chilled. The weather didn’t seem to bother Cisco as he happily trotted along with her and Jack.

“Where are we going?” she said.

“You’ll see.”

Katie and Cisco followed Jack around the veterinary warehouse and climbed the stairs Katie had noticed yesterday. The new railing and steps led to a large landing and balcony overlooking a creek in the back. It was quite picturesque, even in wintertime. A sign read: “Echo Forest Lodge.”

“What is this?”

Jack punched in a five-digit code at the door and opened it. “Take a look.”

Cisco didn’t wait for them as he bolted inside. Katie could hear the dog’s nails clicking on what sounded like hardwood floors. She quickly stepped inside as Jack turned on the lights.

“Wow…” she said looking around. “Did not see this coming.”

It looked as if she had stepped into a four-star hotel.

She was greeted with beautiful hardwood floors, built-in shelving, two sitting areas with leather couches, two large rustic chandeliers, and high-end artwork of bronze statues of cowboys and horses.

There were rugs in designs of brown, black, and white on the floor, and a large front desk with intricate carvings was placed almost center of the large room.

There was a long hallway where she assumed guest rooms were located.

“What is this? It looks like a resort,” she said as she walked around inspecting the décor .

“That’s what I was going for.”

“What happened? I mean, why isn’t this place booming?”

“Nothing. It’s usually booked during the spring and summer. Winter not so much—at least not yet. I’m trying to find some guides that would take guests on hikes, tours of historic areas, and maybe skiing.”

Cisco was interested in one of pillows on the leather couch and then went to check out other areas.

Jack laughed. “As I said before, they owned this building for a long time and it was their dream to have a really nice retreat up here and offices downstairs. Unfortunately, they didn’t live to see this.”

“Oh wow, they would have been absolutely mesmerized.”

“You like it?”

“How could you not?”

“Originally there were six basic apartments up here that I transformed into four guest suites with this front room and a roomy kitchen and storage areas.”

“Like a bed-and-breakfast.”

“Something like that. It’s taken a while with the construction remodel, but I’ve had numerous guests this year, it was basically booked for four months solid, and I’m hoping it will continue to grow.”

Katie turned to Jack. “But what does this have to do with me?”

“You and Cisco are welcome to stay here. There are two suites that are ready for guests. You can have your pick. The two others are being redecorated and updated with new furniture and aren’t entirely ready for guests yet.”

“I—”

“It’ll be quiet for you and it’s a great place to relax. There are hiking trails nearby.” He stood smiling, watching her reaction. “And this is an area with good cell phone signal, there’s Wi-Fi too. Can’t beat that around here. ”

“I can’t…” She continued to look around amazed by the place.

“It’ll be like your private resort. I’ll charge you whatever you were paying on the cabin.”

“No, I can’t do that.”

Jack laughed. “You keep saying you can’t…That doesn’t sound like a cold-case detective to me.”

“And Cisco?”

The dog barked on hearing his name.

“He’s welcome, of course.”

“I don’t know…”

“Follow me and take a look at the suites, each with a private bath, and you can make your decision.” He walked down the hallway, expecting Katie to follow.

“Since we’re not booked with anyone right now, the cleaning staff comes in once a week to check everything and keep everything sparkling.

My manager and cook are both retired and come in when needed. ”

Katie tried not to get overly excited because it seemed too good to be true.

The murder was highlighted in her mind and she really wanted to stay in case she could help with the investigation.

There wasn’t anything else keeping her in Echo Forest—she could rest anywhere—but if the local police ended up recruiting her, this would certainly be a relaxing place to stay while she assisted them.

Jack opened one of the suites—it too had a digital keypad. It beeped five times.

“Take a look,” he said.

Katie walked in with Cisco at her side. It was even more stunning than the front room.

Similar in style, it too had a rustic beauty about it.

All the furniture—bed, dresser, nightstands, sitting area with table, and two overstuffed comfortable chairs—appeared to be made by the same craftsman.

The curtains, bed comforter, pillows, and upholstery were in earth tones with a few pops of blue and yellow.

There were two big windows that looked out over the forest that backed up to the warehouse.

“This is beautiful,” she said, taking a quick peek of the bathroom. It was as wonderfully decorated, with a large shower and claw-foot tub along with fresh linens and towels.

“You can look at the other one if you would like.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” She turned to Jack. “I can’t possibly pay you what I was paying for the cabin?—”

“Why not? No one is here—there’s no waiting list. These rooms are just sitting empty.” He moved to the window and pulled back the sheer curtain. “It’s the least I could do for one of our finest.”

Katie didn’t want to feel as if she was getting a special deal because she was a police detective. She remained quiet and looked around. It was like going to a resort—something she had never done because it wasn’t within her budget.

“C’mon, Detective,” he said, petting Cisco. “This shouldn’t be a difficult decision. It would be peace of mind for me, knowing a police officer is staying here as security.”

Katie ran several things through her mind. “Okay,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“It would be a privilege to stay here, but I will pay you.”

“Great. Let me give you the codes and the Wi-Fi name.” He turned to leave when his cell phone rang. “Dr. Thomas. When? Where is he now?” Jack turned to Katie with a distressed look upon his face. “I’ll be right there.” He hung up.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s the chief. C’mon.”