A Deadly Winter Retreat

|22|

THE NIGHT WAS shrouded in darkness. I tossed and turned, trying desperately to keep my eyes closed. However, each time I consciously shut them, they shot right back open as the haunting image of Dave's lifeless body lying in the white snow repeatedly played in my head.

To make matters worse, it felt as if the police force themselves were conspiring against us. They wouldn't allow us to leave the cabin due to the hazards of the blizzard. I felt as if we were permanently trapped within the confines of the cabin. I'd have more hope in the police if they at least seemed eager to help us, but they weren't. And we soon found ourselves on their list of potential suspects. Though they didn't explicitly state it, that was the impression we got.

"Babe, are you alright?" Troy whispered in my ear, drawing me closer as his warm body pressed against mine while we lay in bed.

"No, I'm not, Troy." I breathed heavily. "This is truly a nightmare."

"Awe, Babe." Troy began. "It's a nightmare for us all. But what more can we do? The police aren't hearing us out."

"That's what makes this situation much more infuriating!" I said. "Instead of looking for the real killers, they're looking at us. It just doesn't make any sense!"

Troy tried to soothe my worries. However, it didn't help much. I was deeply disturbed and petrified by the many eerie occurrences we'd endured while staying at the cabin.

First, Lena goes missing. Private Investigator Leroy was murdered while on the phone with me. And now, Dave is dead.

The obvious question that loomed in my head was:

Who was going to be next?

***

That morning, I awoke groggy and restless. My thoughts invaded my sleep, tormenting me to an overwhelming extent. I was plunged into a restless night of turmoil. Despite my tiredness and burning eyes, I mustered the energy to climb out of bed. As I placed my feet on the smooth carpeted floor, I stretched my arms into the air and yawned.

The doorbell rang just as I strolled toward the bathroom for my morning shower. Troy gazed at me, staring directly into my eyes. He quickly jumped out of bed and opened the blinds. His eyes widened when he peered out of the window that looked out to the front of the cabin.

"It's an officer from the Pine Glacier Police force." He replied, still gazing out of the window.

"Oh geez. I wonder if they're here to help us." I stated sarcastically. "Or to criminalize us." I rolled my eyes up toward the ceiling, hoping that I was emotionally stable enough to deal with the cops after everything we'd just been through.

"I'll go down and talk to them," Troy said, grabbing a pair of sweatpants from his suitcase. He quickly slipped them on and made his way downstairs.

I followed behind him and spotted Glenna resting on the couch. Her face had a greenish/yellow tinge and didn't look too good.

"Glenna, are you alright?" I knelt beside her, "You don't look so good."

"I think I'll be fine." Glenna coughed into her hand."Just coming down with a slight cold." She forced a half smile.

"I can make some tea if you'd like," I said, offering a comforting pat on Glenna's back.

Glenna coughed again, followed by a sneeze. "I'm fine, Trish. Thank you." Glenna stood up from the couch, "I think I'll just go upstairs and take a nap."

Troy was still at the front door, speaking with the officers. He then opened the door wide, letting them inside.

"Dale!" Troy called out while his eyes ventured toward the staircase, "Gina!"

Troy's eyes gazed into mine, "Is that other couple still here?" he inquired.

"Yeah, they're upstairs." Dale's voice echoed into the air as he came running down the staircase. "What's going on?"

"The police are here to question us," Troy said with a slight irritation in his voice.

"Hi, I'm Officer Roberts, and this is Investigator Simmons," stated the medium-height female officer wearing a tight bun on the back of her head. She gestured at the tall, graying man standing beside her. She eyed each of us sternly and intensely, shifting her gaze between us.

"Do you happen to have a private room that we can use to interview everyone in the house?" Her eyebrows furrowed as if she was waiting for one of us to contest her interview request.

I peered at Troy. "What about the back room down here?" I asked, referring to the empty bedroom in the back of the cabin.

"That's a perfect spot!" Troy agreed.

"Okay, first on our list is Dana Shelby." Investigator Simmons cleared his throat.

Troy and I both gazed into each other's eyes.

"We'll need to interview her. Is she upstairs?" Simmons asked while scanning the room.

"Oh, that's Glenna's daughter," I replied. "She's staying in our downstairs bedroom. Let me check if she's in there."

I opened the spare bedroom door, and the sunlight shone through the bare windows. The bed was made, and it appeared it hadn't been slept in. That made me curious as to where Dana had slept.

"Dana?" I called out. My voice echoing against the white walls. I didn't hear a response, so I called for Mike, who was also staying in that same bedroom with her.

"Mike?"I stepped further into the bedroom, scanning it, hoping they would pop out from somewhere.

It appeared they'd left. Their luggage wasn't in the closet anymore, either. I rushed out of the bedroom and made my way back to Troy.

"Have you seen Dana or Mike?" I asked Troy, fear lacing my voice.

Troy nodded. "No, I haven't seen them since yesterday morning," he shrugged.

"Are you guys hiding them?" Robins asked. "They both have expensive criminal histories, so they were first on our list."

Troy's eyes widened, and I couldn't believe my ears. Glenna's daughter and son-in-law didn't appear to be criminals. That would be the furthest thing from my mind based on their appearances and respectful manners.

"You know, interfering in a homicide case is a grave crime," Simmons warned. "It can send you to prison for up to 20 years or even more." Simmons shifted his gaze from me to Troy.

"Look, officers," Troy began, his tone serious yet frustrated. "We're not hiding anyone. We didn't even know those people. They were stranded in the snow and kinda invited themselves in."

"And I thought it was okay, being that Glenna is Dana's mother," I interjected.

"Dana's mother?" Roberts asked, his eyebrows furrowed as a look of confusion grew. "Dana Shelby's mother passed away when she was five years old." Roberts leaned forward and pulled a manila folder from out of her briefcase. "I have her profile right here. She was in and out of foster care most of her life. She began her first crime spree at eighteen."

"What?!" I shouted accusingly as if the officers were the ones who had lied about Glenna being Dana's mother. I lowered my head in disappointment.

"This is unbelievable." Troy shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes, Dana's mother is dead." Robert's reiterated.

My heart pounded against my ribcage, and the blood drained from my face.

"Glenna?" I yelled, running to the bedroom she was in. I slammed my body against the door, pushing it open, and it ricocheted off the wall.

"Glenna!" I knelt beside her bed. Her face was flushed with a sickly greenish tinge. I shook her with my hands. Her eyes opened, and I nearly yelped. They weren't moving, and then her eyes rolled to the back of her head. My fingers rubbed up against her skin, and her body was ice-cold.

A bloodcurdling scream escaped my lips. "Glenna!" I sobbed. "No!"