Jenna smiled at him. “Okay, thanks for your time.” She headed back into the suite and walked to Kane. “Find out anything interesting apart from them meeting outside just before?”
“No, not really.” Kane scratched his cheek. “Finnian is a little on edge. He is the nervous type. He said, he goes to his room in the lodge after dinner at all the conferences or else he is constantly pursued by annoying authors looking for an agent. He said he spent his time reading the submissions he’d requested earlier in the day. He mentioned that the internet is great here, only the wireless phone service is intermittent. The landlines are working just fine.”
Jenna smiled. “Good to know.” She sighed. “It looks like everyone has things in hand for now. Grab your coat and we’ll go and look at the woodpile outside Dakota’s chalet.”
They headed for the elevator, and as the doors slid open, a man stepped out and looked at them. Jenna vaguely recognized him as one of their suspects. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah, thanks.” The man straightened and his gaze flitted to Kane and back to her. “My name was called out and I went to the receptionist. She said to hang around and someone would be down soon. I waited for a bit, then decided to come on up.” He gave her a slow almost intimate smile. “Did I win a door prize or something?”
“Ah no.” Jenna narrowed her gaze. “What name was it?”
“Bexley Grayson.”
Jenna checked her list. “Thank you. If you’d like to take a seat, someone will be with you in a moment.” She noticed Rio had nobody waiting and he’d be free after interviewing the woman at his desk and pointed to him. “You won’t have to wait too long. Deputy Rio will be finished soon.”
As Grayson walked away, Kane moved to her side. She caught his stony expression. “What’s up?”
“Nothing, but everyone who walked in here has wet boots… or damp boots.” Kane indicated to Grayson. “Him too.”
“Yours are damp too. So are mine.” She pressed the elevator button. “It’s a fact of life up here. Not everyone has a ton of dry boots with them.”
“It’s a must-have in the snow.” Kane shrugged. “Most people would have more than one pair of outside boots and inside shoes or whatever with them. Wet boots mean frostbite.” He followed her into the elevator. “The two guys coming in from outside have an excuse but not the others. It seems strange is all. I told the team to include it in the questioning. It might be relevant.”
When the doors closed, Jenna leaned into him. “Good to know, but everyone is here to enjoy the snow. Their boots could be damp from before we locked them down. One thing’s for sure, I’m changing my boots the moment I get back and setting them in front of the fire.” She squeezed his arm. “You should too.”
“I sure will. I’ve packed everything we’ll need for at least a week, and they do laundry here if necessary.” Kane smiled down at her and one hand snaked around her waist. “Our ski gear is in the truck, so we won’t get wet after today. I packed indoor and outdoor boots, our spare sheriff’s department coats, and four pairs of gloves each. If I’ve forgotten anything, I’ll buy it at the store in the foyer.” He chuckled. “Don’t look so worried. I do have some idea of what you need for a trip. I even packed your toiletries.”
Jenna burst out laughing. “Well, that’s good to know. I was visualizing sleeping in one of your T-shirts.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” Kane dropped his arm as the doors slipped open. “Darn it, the press is supposed to be following the convention, not us. What are they doing in the foyer? They’ve gathered quite a crowd of onlookers. That’s all we need.”
As the reporters moved forward, microphones in hand, men with cameras followed close behind. Jenna composed her expression and met them head on. She recognized Deni Crawford, a reporter from Blackwater News who could sensationalize a snail race, and avoided her prodding microphone.
“Sheriff Alton, why have you locked down the resort?” Crawford moved closer. “Does it have anything to do with Dakota Storm going missing?”
Jenna waved a hand toward the tall glass windows being pelted with swirling snow. “The slopes have been closed and all nonessential travel postponed until the blizzard passes. The weather forecast suggests this may take some time. I can assure you Mayor Petersham is working hard trying t
o keep essential roads clear. As everyone here has come for the convention, I suggest you all stop worrying about the weather and enjoy your stay. I’d strongly suggest, if you do plan to venture outside, then go as a group or in twos. It will be safer. The phones are unreliable at the moment, and if you’re alone and take a fall, you won’t last long out there.”
“I noticed the medical examiner’s van here earlier.” Crawford waved the microphone in front of Jenna’s nose. “Why was he here?”
Jenna smiled at her. “Dr. Shane Wolfe is in the building, yes. He is here with his daughters enjoying the convention. It is a crime convention after all.” She looked at the gathered crowd. “The van will be back again this afternoon to collect him, or maybe his medical examiner’s truck. He doesn’t spend all his waking hours on the job.”
“And is Dakota Storm missing or is the rumor just part of an official mystery game?” Crawford narrowed her eyes. “Was the ME’s van parked outside as a red herring? Are you involved in the game, Sheriff?”
“I’ve no comment on anything to do with the running of the convention.” Jenna stared at Crawford. “The people of Black Rock Falls don’t pay me to play games. Now if you’ll excuse me. I’m going to collect my bags from the truck. Just like everyone else, we’re here for the duration of the blizzard.” She pushed her way past the reporters and headed out the door.
“Deputy Kane.” Crawford ran after them with her entourage close behind. “Is the earring a member of the staff found on a pathway one of the clues in the game? No one has claimed it yet.”
“No comment.” Kane waved her away.
Jenna walked beside him through the first set of doors. “How the hell are we going to complete an investigation with her watching our every move? If we tell the guests there’s a killer running loose at the resort, they’ll all panic and try to leave.”
“Then we’ll have to be careful.” Kane pushed open the outside door. “And hope like hell this is an isolated incident.”
Thirteen
Rumor is everywhere. It nibbles its way through the crowd like a swarm of locusts. People all around me are wide-eyed and exchanging gossip as if their lives depend on it. Maybe that’s closer to the truth than they think. I smile to myself as someone close by is discussing why the cops asked them about their wet boots. What a deliciously misleading clue, because as I cast my gaze around the room, almost three-quarters of the people have watermarks on their boots. For me, since the sheriff locked down the resort, I have a captive audience, and when excitement turns to fear, it will be like catching fish in a barrel. There’ll be no place to hide, no place to run from me. I’ll leave no clues, and no law enforcement officer will suspect me, for I am a master of deception.