A Deadly Winter Retreat

|23|

ROBERTS' SHARP GAZE bore into me, quickly shifting toward Simmons.

"Simmons, we need an ambulance here, stat!" she yelled, positioning herself beside Glenna's bed to perform CPR.

Nestled in the upstairs bedroom, Gina heard the commotion and rushed downstairs. Her heavy footsteps echoed on the wooden staircase.

Upon reaching the scene, her eyes widened in shock as she saw Roberts hunched over Glenna, breathing into her mouth and applying chest compressions.

"What's going on?" Gina asked, her curly hair wild and untamed, dressed in gray pajamas.

I gazed up at her; her eyes carried the weight of grief and fatigue, her once vibrant features now wearied with sorrow.

"Gina, she's not breathing," I said, my eyes locked fearfully on Glenna.

"What?!" Gina's eyes grew wide. "You've got to be kidding me?!"

"I wish I were," I replied, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek. My body felt empty like my soul had departed along with Glenna's. Heat prickled up my cheeks as nerves shot through my body, making me anxious.

Simmons entered the room with his commanding presence. "They're dispatching a helicopter," He began, his voice deep and authoritative. "It's too dangerous to send an ambulance in this snowstorm."

"How long is that going to take?" Roberts asked, her tone filled with frustration.

"They said it'll take about fifteen minutes. At the earliest," he sighed.

"Damn it!" Roberts shouted as she stood up, leaving Glenna's lifeless body on the bed.

"That's too late. We may have already lost her." Roberts announced, shaking her head as her gaze fixated on the floor.

Tears welled in my eyes, streaming down without restraint.

"I don't know how much more of this I can bear!" I exclaimed, my frustration palpable. "And why aren't you two taking action?!" I screamed at Roberts and Simmons. "This is the second death at this cabin since we arrived!" I sobbed uncontrollably.

Roberts approached me as I stood beside Glenna's bed, with desperation and hope coursing through my veins and feigning in my heart, wishing for her to awaken miraculously.

"I'm sorry, Trish," Roberts said, her eyes locked onto mine. "We're doing everything we can to unravel this."

Simmons interjected with his commanding and authoritative voice, "We have to interview Dale first."

"Can we conduct the interviews in the kitchen?" Roberts asked, suggesting, "With the door closed."

I nodded, my voice quivering. "Yes, do whatever you have to do."

Dale came downstairs, leaving Gina by herself in their bedroom. He reluctantly joined them in the kitchen, where they all gathered around the table.

As the medical helicopter arrived, they brought a black body bag and carefully placed Glenna's lifeless body inside. My mind and body couldn't bear the weight of another death. A shroud of darkness hung over me as though my demise was ominously imminent. The thought caused my heart to flutter in my chest.

Once Roberts and Simmons concluded their interrogation of Dale, it was Troy's turn, followed by Gina. I was the last to be called in.

Sitting at the table with the officers across from me, I anxiously bit my lip, wondering what questions they would pose.

My face alternated between partial numbness and a firey sensation as if my left cheek had caught fire. I could not shed a single tear; I was all cried out. However, a heavy weight rested on my chest, drowning me in feelings of despair, loss, and hopelessness.

"Trish." Simmons stern eyes peered into me."So, tell us who planned this vacation." He folded his hands on the table.

I explained that I had planned the vacation. The questions got more severe, and they asked me if I had a falling out with any of my friends. I told them no, and then I brought up the mysterious letters that Troy and I had been receiving along with the letter we received at the cabin.

"There was also a brown van."I explained, my lips quivering as my mind brought me back to that terrifying moment."It was an older, beat-up van. It nearly ran us off the road."

Simmons and Roberts both jotted down notes on their notepads. Once the interview concluded. Roberts promised to help me find out who was behind the letters.

"This isn't something we should ignore." Her tone was professional and severe."I can't believe the police didn't act on this."

Simmons muttered, "Someone's in trouble."

As I said goodbye to Roberts and Simmons, they called Dale downstairs.

Dale slowly strolled down the staircase with a look of irritation and frustration etched on his face.

"Yeah?" Dale stood before Roberts and Simmons; he folded his arms across his chest. "What do you all want now?"

"You're under arrest on suspicion of homicide," Roberts announced.

"Put your hands behind your back!" Simmons demanded as he walked up to Dale.

Dale's mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened in sheer shock. "What?! You've got to be fucking kidding me right now!" he exclaimed loudly.

Simmons firmly took hold of Dale's arms and placed them behind his back. He retrieved a pair of handcuffs from his belt and secured them onto Dale's wrists. The snap of the click of each handcuff echoed throughout the house.

All of us were in a state of disbelief. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I gulped.

"I think you've got the wrong person," I said, almost stoically. I couldn't imagine Dale being involved in any criminal activity. After all, he regularly volunteered at the local SPCA and would give anyone the shirt off his back.

"I know you have the wrong person," I interjected again. "I can't picture Dale harming anyone, not even a fly."

"We're not certain, but he's a suspect in this homicide case," Simmons replied, his eyes gazing sternly into mine. "We just need to take him down to the station with us for further questioning."

Gina shouted at Roberts and Simmons, "You're making a huge mistake! He's been with us the entire time!"

Gina extended her arm, attempting to touch Dale, but Roberts positioned herself between them. "He's coming with us," Roberts warned. "If you attempt to obstruct us from taking him to the station, we'll arrest you next."

Gina screamed in frustration, "Fuck you!" Tears flowed from her eyes and dripped onto the hardwood floors.

"I can't believe this!" Gina shouted, dropping her head into her hands. She cried.