Page 14 of The Whispering Girls

“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.”