Hot Cider and a Murder Read online

  “You two are so cute!” Lana said, giving Stormy a hug.

  “Where are the kids?” I asked Stormy.

  “The boys didn’t want to come, so I asked them to watch their sisters so Bob and I could have a nice evening out,” she said.

  “And after a little whining, they agreed it was a great idea,” Bob said. “It might have had something to do with my suggestion that they clean the house while we’re gone if the girls had come with us.”

  I laughed. “Poor guys.”

  “I think it’s about time to eat,” Lana said. “You all help yourself while I head back to the kitchen and make sure everything is running smoothly.”

  “Ready?” I said to Cade.

  Cade nodded, and as Lana announced to everyone that dinner was ready before heading to the kitchen, we went and got into line.

  The offerings on the table were delectable, and I began filling my plate. I was thinking I would need at least three plates to be able to taste everything I wanted from the tables, but I reluctantly decided I would just have to get back in line for seconds instead.

  “I don’t care what you think, Gina!” a voice shouted above the sound of the crowd.

  “Be quiet, Daphne!” someone else hissed.

  We all turned to look, and I saw Daphne Richards, Lana and Bryan’s daughter, in the middle of the room. Her sister-in-law, Gina Richards, had one hand on her arm and she shook it off roughly.

  “I won’t be quiet! You can’t tell me what to do!”

  Daphne was wearing a red sweater that dipped low in the front and tight jeans that looked like she had to squeeze to get into. Her spiky heels made walking difficult as she stumbled, one heel twisting, but she recovered without falling.

  I glanced over my shoulder at Cade. He had his eyes on the two women.

  “Come on, Daphne, stop embarrassing your parents,” Gina said loudly as Daphne headed toward the back of the food line.

  “All you’ve done since you married into this family is cause trouble! You try to split everyone apart, making everyone suspicious of each other. It’s like you planned it from the beginning! My brother is an idiot for marrying you!” Daphne said, raising her voice. There was a slight slur to her words, and she almost stumbled again as she continued toward the line that had formed at the food tables.

  “Oh, Daphne, stop it! You’re such a drama queen,” Gina said, rolling her eyes.

  I saw Lana head over to her daughter. She took ahold of her arm and whispered in her ear as Daphne made faces. I felt bad for Lana. Daphne had obviously been drinking. Since I had returned to Sparrow, I had heard she had quite a reputation for partying, and I knew she must be embarrassing her mother now.

  Daphne shook her mother’s hand off and whispered something back. She looked at the crowd of people in line at the food table who were watching her now.

  “What?” she shouted and turned and stormed out through a side door.

  “Wow,” Stormy whispered. “She’s gotten worse.”

  Cade looked at me and I shrugged. We finished filling our plates and found a table to eat at.

  “I’ve got to say, this may be the best spread they’ve ever put out,” Bob said. “Cade, make sure you fill up. There’s always great food here.”

  “Oh, believe me, I will,” Cade said, digging into a slice of the pork.

  I kept an eye out for Daphne, but she didn’t make another appearance. I wondered if she had found some place to sleep it off or had left for another party. If she had left, I hoped she wasn’t driving.

  The Richards family sat at a nearby table. There were two brothers, Mark and Tim, their parents, and Tim’s wife, Gina. The earlier embarrassment of Daphne having been forgotten, they ate and talked happily among themselves.

  The food was wonderful, and against my better judgment, I did go back for seconds. I was sad when I couldn’t fit any more into my stomach and contemplated whether it would be in bad taste to ask Lana for a to-go container.

  “So, after we eat until we can’t walk, what do we do next?” Cade asked, sitting back in his chair and sighing, his hands on his stuffed belly.

  “We go outside and warm up in front of the bonfire. There will be marshmallows for roasting, s’mores, and maybe a good old fashioned hayride.”

  “Wow. I haven’t been on a hayride since high school,” Cade said with a grin.

  “Well, it’s a lot more fun when you’re older. At least I think it is,” I said and winked at him.

  He chuckled. “I’m up for it. It’s a little cold out there, but we can give it a go.”

  “They usually have blankets we can snuggle under,” I promised.

  His eyebrows shot up. “That does sound like fun then.”

  We poured cups of hot cider and went outside. The bonfire was already roaring, and the heat coming off of it felt good in the cold night air.

  “Hey, Rainey,” Sam Stevens said, walking up to us. He shook hands with Cade. “I’m glad to see you here, Cade. This is an annual tradition in Sparrow.” Sam was my boss at the diner and was a great guy.

  “Sam, I think I’m going to enjoy this tradition if it means stuffing myself silly with terrific food each year,” Cade said.

  “It’s a requirement,” Sam said. The two started talking about football, and I headed over to find Stormy. She and Bob were cozy warm standing next to the fire with cups of cocoa.

  “How are things going at your new house?” Bob asked me.

  “Great. Cade has been helping out, and it might get finished a lot earlier than I had imagined,” I said. I hoped we would be able to get the floors done for Christmas. I could just imagine the tree peeking out from the living room window.

  “Hey, it’s the Daye Twins,” someone said.

  Stormy and I turned to look at who had spoken. A tall man with blond hair moved toward us, a grin on his face. It took me a few moments, but I realized it was Alex Stedman. Stormy and I had gone to school with him, and it had been years since I had seen him.

  “Alex!” Stormy said.

  We greeted one another, and Stormy introduced Alex to everyone. “This is a fun get-together,” Alex said. “I haven’t been to a fall party since I graduated college.”

  “You don’t live in Sparrow anymore, do you?” I asked him.

  “No, I’m in Boise. I own a software company. Stedman Security,” he said.

  “Wow, you own your own company? I’m impressed,” I said. Alex had always been a nice guy, and it was good to hear he was doing well for himself.

  He nodded and blushed. “Thanks. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I feel like it’s the work I was born to do.”

  “There’s nothing better than getting to do work that you love,” I said. I loved cooking, and getting to write another cookbook was something I enjoyed more than anything.

  “You can say that again,” Alex said.

  We visited with Alex for a few minutes before he excused himself and headed back into the lodge.

  “I’m so glad Alex has done well for himself,” I said to Stormy.

  “I said leave me alone! You’re an idiot, and I never want to see you around here again!”

  The words were slurred, and we turned to look at who was shouting. Daphne was standing on the lodge porch, and she pulled her arm away from a tall red-haired man standing beside her and gave him a light shove.

  “I hate you!” She swayed on her feet, a Styrofoam cup in one hand and a cell phone in the other. She turned and headed back into the lodge.

  “Daphne!” the man said and followed her back inside.

  I turned to Stormy. “Wow. I didn’t know Daphne drank that much.”

  “I’ve heard rumors that her parents wanted to get her into rehab,” Stormy whispered.

  I was surprised. I knew Daphne liked to party, but I had no idea she had gotten to the point of needing rehab.

  “That’s a shame,” I said. I hoped she would be able to get some help if things were so bad. She was a smart
girl, and it really would be a shame if she didn’t get her drinking under control.

  “It is,” Stormy agreed.

  “Who was that guy she was arguing with?” I whispered.

  “I’m not sure.”

  I nodded, hoping Daphne would get her act together before it was too late. We stood around the bonfire, allowing it to warm us up, and discussed fall plans.

  “I’ve got to find the little girls’ room,” Stormy said after a while and excused herself.

  “Bob, how has business been?” I asked in Stormy’s absence.

  “It’s great. Sales have really picked up, and I think there may be a bonus for me coming up soon,” he said. “At least, I sure hope so.”

  “What great news,” I told him. “I’m glad things are going so well.” Bob had recently taken a job as a realtor. It meant he worked some crazy hours, but he seemed to enjoy the job.

  I turned just in time to see Stormy run out of the lodge and head toward us. Her eyes were big, and there was a look of terror on her face.

  “Rainey,” she hissed. “I think Daphne’s dead.”

  Chapter Three

  I stared at Stormy, speechless for a moment. When I gathered my wits about me, I said, “Let’s get Cade.”

  I grabbed Stormy’s hand like I used to when we were little girls and there was trouble, and we hurried over to where Cade was still discussing sports with Bob. A few others had joined them, and everyone turned to look at us when we approached.

  “Cade,” I said, my heart pounding in my throat. “Can we speak to you?”

  “What’s going on, Stormy?” Bob asked.

  Stormy looked at Bob wide-eyed but didn’t answer. Cade took my free hand and drew me to the side. Stormy followed along since I still had her hand. Bob brought up the rear.

  “What’s going on?” Cade whispered when we were out of earshot of the others.

  “Stormy found Daphne inside the lodge,” I said. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was near enough to hear. “She thinks she’s dead.”

  Stormy nodded, her eyes wide.

  “Where is she?” he asked, switching into detective mode.

  “Down the hallway that leads to the bathrooms. I saw something in the dark, and I went to see what it was. It looks like she was heading toward the storage room that’s back there. I checked for a pulse, but I couldn’t find one.”

  He nodded. “You all stay here,” Cade said, releasing my hand and heading to the lodge.

  I wasn’t staying behind. I couldn’t. Cade’s long legs ate up the distance to the front porch where he took the stairs two at a time. I hurried after him.

  He glanced over his shoulder when he realized he wasn’t alone. “Rainey, stay back.” He continued on without checking to see if I had listened to him.

  My legs weren’t long enough to take the stairs two at a time, so I hurried to keep up with him.

  “The bathrooms are this way,” I said when he headed toward the kitchen. There was a long hallway off the dining room that led to a storage room. Along the hallway were two doors, each leading to a men’s or women’s bathroom. The far end of the hallway was in the dark, the lights at that end were on a separate switch from the front part of the hallway. I peered into the dark hallway, not at all sure I wanted to go down it.

  Cade took hold of my arm at the entrance to the hallway. “Rainey, stay back here. Make sure no one comes down this hallway.”

  I knew he was trying to keep me from seeing Daphne. That was fine. I didn’t need to see another dead body. From where I stood I could see something crumpled in the corner of the hallway near the open storage room door. Cade flipped the light switch on at that end of the hall, and I could see Daphne laying face down. He knelt down and reached out for her neck, trying to find her pulse. After a moment, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and made a quick phone call, asking for an ambulance. When he had hung up, he turned Daphne over and began chest compressions.

  “Rainey,” he called to me.

  I went to him, trying to keep my eyes off of Daphne.

  “Yes?” I said, averting my eyes.

  “See if there’s a doctor among the guests without letting on to everyone what’s happened. I’m sure she’s gone, but I want a doctor to call it. Have someone stand at the end of the hallway to keep people out of here.”

  “I saw Dr. Finley earlier. I’ll see if he’s still here,” I said and headed down the hallway. “Bob, can you make sure no one goes down there?”

  Bob nodded, standing at the hallway entrance.

  “I couldn’t find my phone to call someone. I must have left it in the car,” Stormy said, as I headed toward the door. “I couldn’t find a pulse.”

  “It’s okay; you did all you could do,” I assured her as she followed me.

  Once outside, we searched for the doctor, hoping he was still around. We found him getting a cup of cocoa from a table that had been set up with refreshments out near the bonfire.

  “Dr. Finley,” I said breathlessly. He turned to look at me. “We need your assistance.”

  The doctor saw the urgency on my face and put his cocoa down and followed me.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Someone has collapsed inside,” I explained. People looked at us as we hurried by, but I ignored them. I didn’t want a crowd to gather inside.

  I showed him to the hallway, and he hurried to Cade’s side and began examining Daphne. We stood at the hallway entrance, and when a woman approached, I asked her to use the bathrooms that were accessible from the outside. It didn’t take long before Dr. Finley shook his head and I knew that Daphne really was gone.

  “Can you locate Lana and Bryan?” Cade asked me, walking down the hall. “Don’t tell them she’s dead. Tell them I need to speak to them privately, away from this hallway.”

  I nodded and headed into the dining room, looking around the room for Lana and Bryan, but only a few stragglers remained in the dining room. Most were out by the bonfire. I headed to the kitchen, pushing open the two swinging doors. Lana was at the kitchen counter, putting candles on a huge white sheet cake that had frosting footballs all over it. When she saw me, she smiled.

  “Hi, Rainey, are you all enjoying yourselves? I’m just about ready to bring the cake out,” she said, lighting the first of the candles.

  “The cake?” I asked, looking again at the cake in front of her.

  “It’s Bryan’s birthday. Sometimes the fall party lands on his birthday, and I like to surprise him with a cake,” she said, not looking at me as she continued lighting candles. “I tease him, saying we’ll never be able to buy enough candles to put on his cake and that I should get a couple of those number candles instead. But I like when he has to try to blow all the individual candles out.”

  I swallowed, feeling sick. Bryan’s daughter had died on his birthday. When I didn’t answer her, she looked up at me, the smile leaving her face.

  “Rainey? Is something wrong?”

  I swallowed. “Lana, there’s been an accident. Cade would like to speak to you and Bryan. Together.”

  “What kind of accident?” she asked, her brows furrowing as she stood with the propane lighter poised above a blue candle.

  “I’m not sure. Someone got hurt,” I said, my voice breaking.

  “Who?”

  “He needs to speak to you and Bryan,” I said. “I’ll help you.”

  Her eyes went to the candles on the cake, then back to me again. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder, “Jeff, take care of this cake, please,” she said to the cook. She laid the propane lighter down and walked toward me.

  “You have an office here, don’t you?” I asked.

  “Yes, it’s off the dining room. What’s going on, Rainey?” Worry creased her brow.

  I didn’t answer her. I didn’t want to be the one that told her. “Let’s see if we can find Bryan.” We headed out the kitchen door.

  I could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance.
Stormy stood in the dining room, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes looking misty. Bob had one arm around her shoulders. I nodded at her.

  Bryan came into the dining room, concern showing in his eyes. “There’s an ambulance coming. What’s going on? Is someone sick?”

  I nodded. “There’s been an accident.”

  “Are you going to tell me what happened?” Lana asked, her voice shaking now as we stood in the dining room.

  I glanced at Stormy, but she looked away.

  Cade came into the dining room, worry showing on his own brow.

  “There’s an office you can use,” I said to him and he nodded.

  “I wish someone would tell me what’s going on here,” Lana said, sounding scared.

  “Let’s use the office,” Cade suggested, and Lana led the way with Bryan following behind her.

  I turned back to Stormy, thankful it wasn’t me who had to tell them their daughter was dead. It might have been selfish, but I didn’t have the heart for it. Cade had more experience informing families of lost loved ones than he would like.

  People began to come back into the lodge when the ambulance arrived. Bob went to the front door and asked them to stay outside.

  Tim and Gina Richards came into the dining room, looking perplexed.

  “What’s going on?” Gina asked.

  “There was an accident,” I said. “Cade is talking to Tim’s parents in the office. Perhaps you should go in there, Tim.”

  Tim’s eyes got big. “An accident? Is it Daphne?” he asked and headed toward the office without waiting for an answer.

  Gina sighed and rolled her eyes, then followed after him. “Drama,” she muttered.

  After a few more minutes, Cade emerged from the office by himself and headed over to me. He looked worn out, and I considered how hard it had to be to tell someone that their loved one had died. I reached out and gave him a hug. He allowed it, but I knew he wanted to stay professional while on the job, so I released him quickly.

  Four uniformed officers arrived, and Cade led them to the hallway to discuss what had happened.

  Daphne had been drinking a lot, but I couldn’t understand what had happened. She was young and appeared to be in good health. Had she drunk enough to cause alcohol poisoning? Or maybe she had been unsteady on her feet and fallen, hitting her head?