Murder in the Mountains?
Time sluggishly inched forward for Lt. Steve Sloan. He glanced down at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time in twenty minutes. He still had fifty-five minutes and thirty-five seconds before he could go home to a gourmet meal and the company of his father, along with Jesse and Amanda, two friends Steve had invited for dinner.
Steve always enjoyed being with friends and family, and he felt fortunate to have his father and two best friends. Steve still lived with his dad, Dr. Mark Sloan, in the separate living quarters in the first floor of their beach house. Though many people found it strange for a grown man to live with his father, Steve loved the company and assistance Mark provided on tough cases; Mark had a knack for solving murders and father and son had put away countless criminals. Amanda, a pathologist and medical examiner, and Jesse, a trauma doctor, also contributed their friendship and eagerness to help him with his cases.
Steve looked at his watch again, sighed, and tried to focus on the scattered papers strewn out in front of him.
"Sloan, step into my office for a second," Captain Newman ordered from down the hall.
Steve flinched in surprise, then gulped. What did the captain want now? He couldn't think of anything he had done recently that would warrant a chewing out by his superior, but that didn't really matter now.
Steve half welcomed the brief respite from the monotonous paperwork as he pulled himself away from his desk and nervously strode down the hall. Some of his comrades gave him sympathetic looks, while others just sneered; this did nothing to quell the nervousness that he might be removed from the LAPD. After taking a calming breath, he hurried past his co-workers and entered the captain's tiny office.
"Sloan," Newman greeted dully without looking up from a file, "apparently all the cops in this department were entered in some strange contest, and you won."
"Really?" Steve brightened, relieved that he wasn't in trouble, not to mention the fact that the captain's statement was actually good news. "What did I win?"
"I have no idea," Newman replied, sounding completely uninterested. "I didn't even know there was a contest."
Steve's captain tossed him an orange envelope, and Steve assumed that was the end of the conversation. Steve smiled nervously and, after muttering goodbye, hastily made his exit.
As Steve was walking down the hall to his desk he spotted one of his co-workers standing outside Newman's office, his ear planted firmly to the wall. Steve smirked at him, and the snoopy sergeant retreated. Steve shook his head and returned to his the mountain of paperwork waiting for him. He sighed and looked at his watch again. Only forty-nine minutes and twenty seconds to go.
"When is Steve going to get here?" Jesse asked impatiently as he stared at the lemon-herb roasted chicken on the table. Its gleaming brown skin and savory smell beckoned to him.
"Relax, Jesse, I'm sure he'll be here soon. Then you'll be able to devour all of the food Mark made and leave none for us," Amanda answered with a bit of annoyance.
"Not this time, Amanda," Mark called from the kitchen. "I got the largest bird I could find and made plenty of side dishes.
With that, Mark entered and placed a huge bowl of fluffy white mashed potatoes on the dining room table, right next to the sweet corn and buttered rolls.
Jesse's eyes lit up with anticipation, and he tried to refrain himself from stuffing his face right then and there.
A rustling from the front door of the beach house caught their attention. Seconds later, the door opened and in stepped Steve Sloan.
"Hey guys," Steve greeted tiredly.
After a couple minutes of small talk, Steve plopped into one of the hard wooden chairs and pulled himself closer to the table.
"Looks good, Dad. Thanks," Steve spoke after gazing at the luscious poultry.
"It's my old secret recipe," Mark explained, taking a seat at the table.
Mark paused and studied his son for a moment. "Long day?" he asked after taking note of Steve's weary demeanor.
"No, boring day. I spent six hours straight filling out paperwork and closing cases," Steve replied, helping himself to a thick slice of chicken and a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes.
"So there are no new mysteries to solve, no perplexing murder cases?" Jesse asked, piling his plate high with chicken and corn.
"Nope. Oh, and I won some contest that the department entered me into without my knowledge."
"What did you win?" Amanda asked, scowling at Jesse as he took both legs and thighs of the bird.
"I haven't had the time to look yet," Steve replied, grabbing a roll for himself before Jesse took them all.
"Well open it!" Jesse urged, "You might have won a new Corvette or something."
"I'm eating," Steve declared with annoyance.
"Then give it to me."
Steve reached into his pocked and threw the envelope across the table, nearly clocking Mark in the head.
"Steve, watch where you're throwing that thing," Mark admonished.
Jesse tore open the envelope and scanned the letter inside. "OK, it says, 'Dear Mr. Sloan, you have won a trip for four to a luxurious week of camping in the wilderness of the Santa Monica Mountains. We'll take a quiet horseback ride into the woods to our state of the art campsite, complete with running water and electricity, an activity center, and a spa.' The rest is just more specific information."
"That sounds nice, Steve. Do you plan on going?" Amanda asked, secretly wishing Steve would accept and take her along. A spa way away from the city would be a much welcome vacation for her.
"Well, even though I haven't even looked at the letter," Steve fixed Jesse with an playful glare, "It sounds like fun."
"Who are you taking with you?" Jesse inquired somewhat mischievously, wanting desperately to go with his friend.
"I don't even know for sure that I'm going yet," Steve countered, not much in the mood for his friend's eagerness.
"Come on Steve; it's free! So who's going with you?"
"Oh, I don't know, Dad, Amanda, and... maybe another cop," Steve replied with a conspiratorial gleam in his eyes.
"Hey!" Jesse complained.
"Alright, you can come if we can get off work," Steve relented, much to his younger friend's delight.
"So you are going then?" Mark questioned, pouting as Steve snatched the last roll before Mark could even get one. "And you complain that Jesse eats all the food."
"I guess. I don't have any major cases going on, so I'm sure I'll be able to take some vacation days," Steve reasoned, disappointed that there were no more rolls to devour after he finished the one he was eating.
"Would you like to go too, Amanda?" Steve asked.
"I'd have to find someone to watch C.J. and Dion, but I'd love to," she accepted eagerly.
"How about you, Dad. We could all use a vacation."
"What is at the activity center?" Mark asked after a pause, taking the brochure from Jesse.
"Wow, this place is really secluded," Amanda observed as she, Mark, Steve, and Jesse wandered away from the Moonlight Spring Lodge's parking lot and towards a large cherry colored stable not far away.
The lot wasn't very big, but from what the vacationers could see of it, it looked like a nice place. A gravel path surrounded by a sea of grass and a rainbow of wildflowers led to the stable area. A small, white building sat adjacent to the stable; farther back was a paddock and a dense forest.
The group was mildly surprised to find people already waiting on them. A pretty blond woman and a somewhat dorky young man with glasses and disheveled hair stood close, holding hands. Three somewhat burly men with a mountain of supplies stood huddled together. Standing alone with an unnaturally bright smile was a young woman dressed in worn jeans and a T-shirt with the lodge's logo. All could make the assumption that she must be the tour guide.
Mark halted abruptly and frowned in recognition. Had he seen this lodge worker before? He thought she looked slightly familiar, but he couldn't figure out where he might have seen her. It was just a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He guessed it really didn't matter and waved off the thought.
"Ah, we've been expecting you!" the woman cheerfully welcomed the new arrivals. "You're Sloan's group, correct?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Steve politely answered, stepping forward and offering one of his winning smiles. " I take it you'll be leading us to the lodge?"
"Absolutely. I'm Lindsay, and I'll be your tour guide! If you will all just place your bags in this cart," the tour guide nodded her head in the direction of a large blue plastic bin, "we'll have it brought to the lodge for you in one of our trucks."
As the others started to comply, Jesse hesitated, then asked, "If you can drive to the lodge, then what's the purpose of getting to it on horseback?"
"Horseback riding is a leisurely and enjoyable experience," the once bubbly tour guide took on a quiet, very forceful tone. "We don't want too many people driving on the trails and messing them up. If we couldn't drive to the lodge, how would we keep the place modern and well-equipped?"
Her sudden, defensive change in demeanor was enough to intimidate Jesse and keep him from asking any more questions for the time being. He shook his head and wondered how someone could be so ecstatic, then suddenly turn so vicious over one harmless question.
"OK everyone, while he is busy with his luggage, let's take a quick tour!" Lindsay exclaimed as she led the others towards the stable, her robotic friendliness returning.
Jesse sighed, tossed the navy blue duffel bag he had been toting into the cart, and hurried to catch up with Mark and the others.
"Alright, then, let's get the horses," Lindsay decided, stopping the group when they reached the horse stalls. "Since Sloan's group won this trip in a contest, the four of you can pick any horse you want as long as I approve.
The lovebirds and strong men were told which horses they would be riding first. The trio of large men were each assigned sturdy brown mares. The blond lady was to ride a rust colored mare with a white blaze on her forehead. The man the blond was with was assigned a black and white horse. Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jesse waited as Lindsay tacked up the horses and helped the riders into the saddle.
Finally it was Steve's group's turn to pick horses. Mark took a liking to a gentle paint horse named Rising Spirit, and was granted permission to ride him. Amanda chose Morning Star, a gorgeous, rather tiny palomino.
Jesse was having a hard time deciding on a horse, but then, a horse picked him. A dazzling dapple gray mare reached her neck out of her stall, snorted softly, and nuzzled the young doctor. He smiled and stroked her forehead gently, talking softly to the horse.
"What's this one's name?" Jesse queried, hoping the tour guide wouldn't snap again.
"Misty Rose. Do you want to ride her?" Lindsay asked, still cheerful.
"Yeah."
"I don't know what horse to ride. Does it really matter which one?" Steve finally asked after several minutes of glancing into different stalls.
"I suppose not, unless one really sticks out at you," the tour guide responded casually, striding over to a large stall at the end of the barn. "But I think I know just the horse for you."
The tour guide grabbed a halter off of a wall and went to get a horse for Steve. She emerged with a huge, jet black horse with a single white star on his forehead. He shook his head and stamped his forefoot before Lindsay led him to Steve.
"I'll tack your horse up first, Steve. Then I'll get to the other three horses. This is one of my favorites, Midnight Storm. He can be a bit... unpredictable at times, but I'm sure that's not a problem for you, is it?" the tour guide questioned innocently, but Mark thought for a second he saw a taunting, mischievous look in her eyes.
Lindsay speedily got the horses ready and made sure the Sloans and their friends were ready to go. Amanda and Jesse had no problems mounting. Mark couldn't get his foot in the stirrup, and Lindsay had to get a step for him. Eventually, the older doctor was on top of the horse, holding the reins with a perplexed expression. Steve hid his nervousness and swung himself up onto the saddle, a long distance from the ground; he then swallowed his pride and hung onto the saddle horn for dear life.
After a quick lesson on the proper way to direct and stop the horses, the group embarked on their journey, onto a trail leading into the woods. The trail guide went first, then the couple, followed by the muscular men. Mark, Amanda, Jesse, and Steve followed, their horses clipping along in the dirt.
Aside from Steve's apprehension of his huge spirited horse, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Amanda reveled in the beautiful wildlife and the prospect of traveling through it on horseback. Jesse appeared to be having an intimate conversation with his horse, and Steve was nervous but appeared to have calmed down a little and taken a liking to Midnight Storm. It seemed Mark was the only one who noticed anything wrong. It was probably nothing, though he found himself unable to shake an increasing feeling of dread.