

**Crime at Cripple Creek**

Elizabeth Sherry

Copyright Scarecrow Books 2013

Published by Scarecrow Books at Smashwords
All rights reserved. Except for the use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to the actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Books by Elizabeth Sherry:

Under the Aspens (The Aspen Series #1)  
The Aspens Fall (The Aspen Series #2)  
Remember the Aspens (The Aspen Series #3)  
The Aspens End (The Aspen Series #4)  
The Aspens Collection (The Aspen Series Box Set)  
Crime at Cripple Creek (The Sisters Week Series #1)  
Murder at Myrtle Beach (The Sisters Week Series #2)  
Trapped In Tunica (The Sisters Week Series #3)  
The Sister's Week Series: Volumes 1-3 (Box Set)
Crime at Cripple Creek

# Elizabeth Sherry

# Chapter 1

"The time's finally here. I'll see you in a few hours and then we can let the fun begin!" Beth told her sister, Joy. After a quick conversation ended, Beth hung up the phone. She had a lot to do before her trip.

Beth had two sisters and the three of them tried to get away together for at least two weeks out of the year. The three sisters called this time their "sisters' week".

Beth started her packing for her trip to Colorado. She lived outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and worked managing a major grocery store. She was so looking forward to getting away from all the stress and upheaval of the job, even if it was only for one week.

Joy, the middle sister, lived in Colorado and had the stress of branch manager of a bank. So, she too needed a break.

The youngest of the three sisters is Lynn, who lived in North Carolina and worked two jobs and just last month got her degree in health care.

When the sisters got together they tried to leave all the negative stuff in their lives behind because _sisters' week_ was the time for laughter and fun. None of the sisters were married, nor in a serious relationship at this time. They worked very hard at their careers, and it had been over seven months since their last time together, so they were all looking forward to this week.

So, as Beth packed she tried to decide exactly what she would be doing, and where she would be going while on vacation, so she knew what she needed to pack. She knew she was going to Colorado but didn't know all the places they would visit while in Colorado.

They'd be staying in a large cabin in the mountains close to Cripple Creek. Although Joy lived in Colorado her home was outside of Colorado Springs so she also needed to get completely way. They planned to relax in the hot tub, do some craft projects, and have a few drinks. But most of all, they planned to have lots of laughter fitted into this week.

Since it was June, Beth knew she would bring lots of summer clothes, along with a couple of pairs of sandals. But the evenings usually were a little chilly, so she also packed a couple of pairs of jeans and sweaters. Even though they planned to be together for only one week, Beth always seemed to bring a lot of luggage when traveling, but then, so did both her sisters.

Beth counted the hours till she had to leave for the airport. Her thoughts took her to the break-up of her last serious relationship. She truly thought her and Mac would make it to the altar. But three weeks ago, he told her that he had been seeing someone else besides her, and wanted to marry the other woman.

The pain diminished some. Getting mad seemed to help with that. And also the thoughts of time spent with her sisters soon gave her something to look forward to.

She remembered back when she and the other two sisters weren't very close. They always felt the love for each other, but hadn't gotten together for years. Now that they were getting a little older, they knew they would each be getting involved in serious relationships and possibly getting married and having families. Beth was the oldest, at the age of thirty-two. Joy was twenty-six years of age, and Lynn was twenty four. So the few years that all three were still single, they wanted to continue getting together.

Beth was finally almost all packed. All she had left was her toiletries from the bathroom and those she'd pack early in the morning just before the drove to the airport.

She already emailed both of her sisters and reminded them to pack their bathing suits for the hot tub, and reminded Joy, again, of her arrival time in Denver. Joy planned to pick her and Lynn up in Denver, and from there they arranged to drive to Woodland Park and pick up the key to the cabin, along with the directions on how to get to the cabin. Then they'd make a stop at the grocery store before they headed to the cabin.

Beth and Joy both had Celiac's Disease and could not eat gluten. Celiac Disease was an allergy to wheat, rye, and barley, among other grains. So, while at the cabin they always cooked gluten-free food. Plus, they ate a lot of fruit and salads, and of course, chocolate. So they usually hit the grocery store and stocked up on whatever they felt like having for the week. They ate out some, but mostly they fixed simple meals at the cabin.

Since the packing was finished for the night, next on her list was a long hot bath. Then a good night's sleep and she would be rested for an early flight tomorrow.

It's four o'clock in the morning when Beth woke up from a wonderful night's sleep. Her first stop was the kitchen and the coffee maker. Neither of her sisters drank coffee any longer, but Beth hadn't kicked the habit and probably wouldn't.

She enjoyed her second cup of caffeine, when she saw it's time for a quick shower and picked out her clothes for traveling. She found it hard to tapper down her excitement. She was like a kid at Christmas time.

Finally she was ready and as she loaded her suitcases in the car, her thought were on the drive through downtown Atlanta to the airport. She prayed there weren't any traffic jams on the way.

She was wearing jeans and a light sweater of her favorite shade of green. She's only a little over five feet tall but she was slight in stature so she wore just about anything and it looked good. She decided to wear her ash blond hair pulled back with a banana clip, and her make-up was simple and light. As she glanced again in the bathroom mirror she saw the green sweater accented her blue eyes. People had commented on how telling her eyes were. Someone once said she had very honest eyes, which to Beth meant her eyes gave away her feelings. Another quick glance in the mirror and she knew she would feel comfortable on the plane for the three hour flight.

As she drove to the park-n-ride parking lot, she sang along to the radio. She always used the park and ride services instead of parking at the airport. They shuttled people back and forth and it was so much easier than trying to get out of the airport during rush hour.

Going through the security checkpoint always made her a little nervous. Seemed a time or two she accidentally packed some perfume and lotion in her carry-on luggage, which was a _no no_. Since then though, she tried to be more careful. She really didn't like throwing away a full bottle of her favorite lotion.

She got through security without any problems, and made her way to the tram which took her to her gate. After she reached her gate, she pulled out her kindle reader and started to read a new book she downloaded by a new author. The book was a short one, so she knew she would finish it by the time she landed in Denver.

While she sat at her gate, she wondered what silliness she and her sisters would get into on this trip. They sometimes did some very silly things, but that's the times they laughed so hard that they all had to make a quick dash for the bathroom. She had some great memories of the times they laughed the most. Her mind wondered into the past until they announced the boarding process had started. Now she got excited, and the closer the plane got to Denver, the more excited she was.

# Chapter 2

Beth found her seat on the plane and made herself comfortable. She watched the other passengers board the flight and saw the nice looking man who watched her when they waited at the gate earlier. He was about six feet tall, dark hair and rugged looking. Exactly the type of man she was attracted to.

She knew the chances of the two of them getting to know each other were slim since long distance relationships rarely worked. What were the chances that he was from the Atlanta area? He was probably from Denver or somewhere else and he had a connected flight to some other city when he arrived in Denver.

She changed her line of thinking and retrieved her kindle from her oversize purse. She planned on reading a new book that hopefully held her attention for the duration of the flight.

Someone sat down in the seat next to her and as she glanced over, she saw it was the handsome man she noticed earlier. This flight might be more interesting than she originally thought she silently told herself.

"Excuse me. I didn't mean to bump you. The seating is kind of close together. Guess the airline wants everyone to get acquainted," the man politely smiled at Beth. "I'm Tyler and I'm harmless, believe me."

"It's nice to meet you Tyler. I'm Beth, but I'm not sure if I'm harmless or not," Beth laughed as she said this. She also noticed that the man did not wear any rings of any kind.

She decided she wanted to find out a little more about Tyler. "Are you going back home to Colorado?" She asked.

He smiled, knowing what Beth really wanted to know but she didn't want to ask outright. "No, I live outside Atlanta. I'm visiting a friend and taking a much needed vacation."

"I know exactly what you mean regarding a much needed vacation. I'm meeting my two sisters in Denver for a week of fun and laughs," Beth told the stranger, but she didn't want to give too much information since she knew nothing about this person at all.

"Can I ask what type of business you're in that you need to get away from?" Beth decided to be a little nosy.

The gorgeous man pulled his wallet out of his corduroy jacket pocket and opened it to show Beth.

Beth let out a slight gasp as she saw his credentials and badge, "You're FBI?" She asked, unbelieving.

"Yes I am, Agent Tyler Thompson, but you can call me Tyler. I am on vacation as of now," he laughed.

Beth sat in silence for a few minutes. She heard Tyler asking her a question, but her thoughts ran slowly through her brain so she didn't hear what he asked. "Excuse me, I didn't hear you. I guess I was thinking of how much you probably need to get away from the job," she told him.

"I asked what type of work you do, if I can be just as curious as you are." He had such a beautiful smile when he talked.

"Nothing as interesting as yours, I manage a major grocery store. Even though it's nothing like your job, it does get very stressful; therefore this vacation is long overdue," she answered him.

Beth told him a little more about her vacation plans, and hoped to hear more about his. "We are getting a large cabin up by Cripple Creek and planning on relaxing, eating, and possibly a little gambling at the Cripple Creek Casinos."

He smiled as he told her "I'm also staying up by Cripple Creek. I have a cabin and between fishing and relaxing, I'm also visiting a good friend in the area. We just might run into each other, which I would find very pleasant," he saw the look on Beth's face, so he added, "Being an agent, I'm trained to read people and I can see the questions in your eyes. Don't worry, I'm not married, engaged, nor otherwise attached."

Beth felt the relief wash over her expressions and she also felt the blush that rose and turned her checks red. She smiled back at Tyler and told him she was none of those things either.

During the flight they exchanged thoughts on different subjects, and told each other some strange things that had happened on their jobs. It was actually two hours into the flight when Beth realized she hadn't read one word on her kindle. She smiled to herself. Finding an interesting male to talk to was more exciting than reading, especially such a good looking male.

"I see that secret smile of yours. Want to share what brought it to those luscious lips of yours?" He laughingly asked.

For a moment, Beth was stunned into silence. She found it unbelievable that he thought her lips luscious. She knew she was attractive, but she herself believed her lips were too thin. She jerked back to the present when she felt his hand on her arm.

As she looked into his all seeing green eyes, she answered him, "I'm just thinking to myself, that I had planned on reading a new book on this flight. But the company has been so pleasant, I haven't opened my kindle."

He laughed. Beth found his laugh very sexy. So far she saw nothing or heard anything she would consider a turn-off.

"I was planning on a three hour nap on this flight but I seem to be wide awake," he said and added, "Would you think it too forward of me to ask you for your phone number?"

Beth was in a dilemma now. She didn't give out her phone number till she felt like she knew that person a little. She only talked to this man for over two hours. Although she found him very intriguing she still felt she needed to guard herself. "Would you mind if instead of a phone number, I gave my email address? I would feel more comfortable with giving that information, other than my phone number."

Beth saw the look of disappointment on his face which made her regret her question. He recovered quickly and told her, "In the business I'm in, I understand not giving strangers too much information. But you do know I could look it up myself, although I won't. I'll respect your need to stay guarded but I'd like to be able to contact you, and possibly see you again. Maybe we can meet for lunch or dinner in Cripple Creek, so I will accept your email address."

Beth breathed a sigh of relief and retrieved her small notebook from her purse. She wrote down her email address and handed it to Tyler as she said, "I check my mail multiple times per day."

The flight captain announced their descent into Denver and the excitement of seeing her sisters put a big smile on Beth's face. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Tyler had entered her email address information into his phone which also made her smile. She had little hope that they would see each other again while in Colorado, but maybe they would get together when they were both back in Atlanta. This gave her something to look forward to when this week ended.

While the plan unloaded, Tyler stepped back into the aisle to let her go first. She reached up to grab her small black carry-on bag but he got it for her and placed it on the seat next to the aisle.

As they both walked through the airport to baggage claim, Tyler talked about the first time he was in Denver. Apparently he was on a case then but fell in love with Colorado and had returned every year to vacation here.

Beth saw her sister, Joy as soon as she reached the baggage claim area. After big hugs Beth introduced Tyler to her sister. Joy gave Beth her devious smile. Beth knew she would have to tell all when they got in the car.

"Beth, here's my card with my email address written on the back, and my personal cell phone number. I meant it when I said I'd like to meet you for lunch or dinner. I'll email you. Enjoy your vacation, and Joy, it's nice to meet you," He gave Beth a long look, and then smiled. She saw the promise of meeting soon in his eyes.

"Thanks for making the flight so interesting. And I agree lunch or dinner will be nice. You enjoy your vacation and try to relax," Beth replied.

"Oh, I know this will be the best vacation I've had in years. Bye for now," he gave Beth a knowing smile as he turned and left the airport.

# Chapter 3

It was less than an hour later that Lynn's plane landed in Denver and it didn't take long for them to collect the entire luggage and head out to the parking garage. If anyone noticed the three women, they would think this was the first vacation they ever had. They chatted and laughed all the way to Joy's car.

"Lynn, I really love the hair cut. It looks great on you and I see you're still in your bohemian stage," Beth joked lovingly as she admired the colors and skirt Lynn wore.

Lynn was also about the same height as Beth and Joy. None of the three were much over five feet tall but they stayed slim. Lynn was a brunette and right now she sported a very short cute hairstyle. With Lynn's tan and carefully applied makeup she looked lovely. Her blouse had the rust and orange and browns as well as turquoise that flattered her hair and skin.

Joy was the blond of the family and she too kept her hair short. Joy was into the more modern clothing designs that one saw in fashion magazines. It was not surprising due to her light complexion that she pulled the fashion off nicely.

Beth was the oddball of the group. She didn't care if was fashionable or not, she wore what she felt like wearing. Beth thought to herself how much the three fit together. All three different in her own way and style, but they all seemed to complement each other.

"Alright, spill. Who's the hunk and why was he looking at you as though he wants to devour you whole?" Joy asked with a giggle and brought Beth out of her private thoughts.

Lynn looked confused and said, "What hunk? What did I miss?"

Beth couldn't hold back the smile. She day dreamed of the day she saw Tyler again. But she turned towards her sisters and told them, "He sat by me on the plane. He's FBI and on vacation and it so happens he's staying up by Cripple Creek too."

"Ohhhhh, this vacation could be very interesting. You've never picked up a man on vacation before. I can see Joy and I will have to keep an eye on you," This brought more laughter from all three sisters.

"You should've seen him, Lynn. He's quite a hunk, tall, dark and handsome with an air of danger thrown in," Joy informed her little sister.

"OK, Enough on Tyler. Let's get this vacation going girls. Let's catch up on the drive to Woodland Park. I want to hear everything that's been going on in your lives lately," Beth let them know the subject of the hunk was closed for now.

As they drove to pick up the cabin keys and the directions to the cabin, the women sang along with the radio and watched for wildlife along the way. Lynn and Beth always enjoyed seeing the herds of elk or a few deer. Last year they experienced a large buck that stood right next to their cabin's front porch. That was something they didn't get to see at home.

They exchanged stories of different things that happened recently on their jobs, and before they knew it, they were in Woodland Park.

Joy jumped out of her car and was back shortly, she handed the map to Beth who was very good at directions to getting them where they needed to go. Beth looked at the map and saw it was going to be easy getting to the cabin even though they still had another hour drive.

"We'll stop in the store up the road and get everything we'll need for the week," Joy said.

Beth laughed, "We'll have everything? We all know we'll have to make probably two trips per day to the super market. There's always something we forget."

"Yes and another trip per day to the department store," Lynn added smiling.

"That's what makes our _sister time_ wonderful. We don't plan everything. We just go with the flow," Joy told the other two.

They all decided on bacon spaghetti for the first night, and of course they planned to make some no-bake chocolate cookies. Everything would be gluten-free and delicious. They also picked up lots of fruit and some chocolate candy bars and deli meat and cheeses and soft drinks along with bottled water.

"I've got seasonings and other things we'll need in the back of the car so I guess we have everything we need, and if we don't, we'll be back tomorrow," Joy laughed and made the other two laugh also.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they pulled up to their secluded cabin. They got out of the car, and spent a minute or two and looked around the outside of the cabin, each put off unloading the car and carrying everything up the eight steps to the front porch.

Their home for the week had large picture windows and a wrap-around porch that covered the whole front of the cabin and both sides of the structure. The view down the mountain was magnificent with the rock formations and trees, but the clean air was by far the best part. No other state had the fresh clean air like Colorado.

Since they stalled long enough, the women started to unload the car and carried in all the luggage and groceries. Joy also brought her sewing machine and supplies since they wanted to work on a few baby quilts for their younger brother's first born.

They were always amazed that each year the cabin was more beautiful than the year before. They had a large kitchen with all the modern appliance, and off of the kitchen was the dining area with a huge table made from whole pine branches, at least that's what it looked like. Very rustic furniture was also in the living room.

They discovered two big bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs. They picked out who would sleep in which room and put the appropriate luggage in the correct room. There was also a full finished basement with a pool table and of course another television. Seemed every room has a television. The basement was also where the laundry room was located.

"Let's fix something cold to drink and then check out the back of the cabin," Beth suggested.

Cold drinks in hand, they opened the sliding glass doors off the dining area and stepped out onto another deck.

"Wow. Look at the size of that hot tub. I bet you can fit ten people in there," Lynn exclaimed.

The three love to explore the outdoors, so they walked around through the trees to some interesting rock formations.

"Look down below. There's a creek not far. We'll have to walk along it while we're here," Beth said.

They admired the majestic view for over an hour. There were more mountains in the distance and unusual rock formations. This was just what they needed to relax. They knew there was more cabins spread out on the mountain, but they saw none from their cabin. Everything was peaceful and quiet. Yes, this would be a very relaxing and fun week.

The three were hungry so they all got in the kitchen and cooked dinner. While Joy and Beth fixed the dinner, Lynn made the no-bake chocolate cookies. The cookies were always a real treat for the women. They didn't make them often and the mixture of oats and butter and chocolate cooked on top of the stove and then dropped on wax paper was something they all three looked forward to eating.

The dinner was delicious and satisfying. So after they cleaned up their dishes they all agreed to change into their pajamas before they started work on their separate quilting projects.

Beth smiled to herself as she thought, _sisters' week_ had begun.

# Chapter 4

The women sat up the sewing machine on the dining room table and laid out all the material they needed for their individual projects on the living room floor.

After about an hour Joy said, "something's not right. My duck looks strange."

Beth walked over to the dining room and saw the problem Joy had with her duck and immediately started laughing. Beth laughed hysterically as she doubled over.

Lynn got curious so she too joined the others in the dining room. After she examined the duck she laughed so hard, the tears rolled down her cheeks. By now Beth sat on the floor and laughed uncontrollably. Joy looked at her sisters not understanding what was so funny until Beth spoke.

"Your duck has Sammy Davis Jr. lips!" Beth told her between deep breaths. This made Lynn laugh even harder.

"I was trying to outline the beak with black to make it stand out more," Joy told them innocently.

"Oh, it stands out more, alright," Beth giggled. "You used the buttonhole stitching and it's too thick. There's no more beak. You now have big lips!" Now all three laughed so hard they had trouble stopping.

After a few minutes the women controlled themselves some. "Sister's Week has officially begun!" said Lynn.

"My stomach hurts, I've laughed so much," Beth told them.

Joy still laughed as she looked at her precious duck. "We'll help you rip the stitches out," Lynn told her. "But first we need to get a picture of this and title it 'the first ridiculous sister's act of the vacation'. You know we'll have a lot more to add to the photo album."

Lynn left the room to hunt her camera which was probably still packed in her suitcase. She returned a few minutes later and took the pictures as Joy held up her disfigured duck, which started the laughter all over again.

"Remember the time you two helped the lady in the wheelchair? You both where loading the woman's bags into her car and forgot you left her wheelchair sitting on a little incline. She was rolling downhill before you both noticed and raced after her," Beth toke them down memory lane.

Joy and Lynn laughed some more. "Yes. The woman was so mad at us. We were trying to help her and almost got her hurt. It's funny now, but at the time, it was a little scary," said Lynn.

"The look of surprise on the lady's face as she rolled backwards down the incline was priceless. I'm surprised she didn't have a heart attack," Beth said, "You two are accidents waiting to happen," Beth added.

"We told you that you can't leave us alone or something always happens. We need someone to keep an eye on us. We mean well, but somehow we get in trouble without you around," Joy giggled.

"I'm going to stick to you two like glue this trip, well most of the time. I might leave you for a little while when I have lunch with Tyler," Beth smiled.

"Ohhh... yeah Tyler. This will be the first time romance is involved in our vacations. I wonder if he has any brothers or friends," Lynn laughed.

"Guess I'll have to ask when I see him but for now, let's clean up here," Beth suggested.

They got down to business as the women removed the black thick stitching from the ducks' beak. Afterwards, Lynn showed Joy the correct stitching to use to outline the beak. While they all worked on their quilts they shared ideas with each other on what each one should add to their designs.

"If we are leaving around nine in the morning for the casinos, we need to start picking up our mess and winding things down for the night," Beth told the others as she yawned.

"Right, let's clean up some and watch a little television while we wind it down," Joy said while she unplugged the sewing machine.

It didn't take long for them as they gathered things up and stacked it all next to the living room wall out of the way. Since they were already in their pajamas, they settled down on the sofa and tried to find something interesting on the television.

Within an hour Beth's eyes started to close, "I'm beat. See you two in the morning, I'm off to bed."

"Me too, there'll be no sleeping in much tomorrow. Goodnight all," Lynn said as she stood and stretched.

Joy too looked about ready to fall asleep as she turned the television off and headed towards her room.

Beth was suddenly awakened by banging and giggling. She looked at the bedside clock and saw she had only slept for less than an hour. She rubbed her eyes as she got out of bed, she started downstairs towards the noise.

She saw Joy held a small television in her arms and Lynn sat on the bedroom floor with electrical cords and cables wrapped around her. The picture of the two brought Beth to another round of laughter, "What are you two up to now?" Beth asked.

"Lynn says her television isn't working. You know we can't fall asleep without the television on and the timer set. So we decided to see what the problem is," Joy said innocently.

"I'm amazed you two haven't killed each other yet," Beth told them. "Joy, does your television work?"

"Yes, mine does," Joy answered.

"OK, Lynn, why don't you make up the sofa bed for tonight and watch the television in the living room while you fall asleep. Tomorrow when we get back from Cripple Creek we'll fix this one," Beth was the one with all the common sense, "Now put everything back on the table and get some sleep," Beth told them as she walked back to her room. She still heard her sisters giggling quietly.

Beth lay back down in her comfortable bed and wondered just what kind of trouble her sisters would get into this trip.

An hour later she still remembered all the silliness her sisters had created on other sisters' weeks. She definitely needed to watch those two closely. At the same time, she thought back, a lot of their silliness acts were what made those weeks so enjoyable.

# Chapter 5

As she woke up the next morning after a very restful sleep, Beth made her way to the kitchen and the coffee maker. There, she recalled the antics of the other two last night she shook her head. Her two sisters needed a baby sitter.

She was usually always the first one up but she didn't mind. It gave her time to drink her coffee and see the wildlife that came close to the cabin.

While the coffee brewed she thought back on last night. They all pitched in and cooked dinner and while she and Joy cooked, Lynn made the no bake cookies. Remembering the cookies, Beth smiled, and made up her mind that she had to have a couple.

Beth also found time and got on Joy's laptop computer and checked of her emails. She was elated that there was one from Tyler. The subject of Tyler brought a lot of teasing from her sisters but Beth knew they would be happy if she got into a happy relationship. Although Beth wasn't one who sat around wishfully thinking, the idea of a chance to know him better sat well with her. She also felt torn because this was her sister time and she didn't want to take away from that time.

Last night they all decided to drive the twenty minutes to the Cripple Creek casinos and have some fun today, and after a late lunch they would come back to the cabin and enjoy the hot tub again.

"I smelled the coffee and knew where you'd be," Joy said sleepily from the back door.

Beth smiled at her sister and said, "It's about time you two wake up. We can't sleep away most of sister's week."

A moment later, Lynn entered the kitchen and searched for orange juice, "Beth, did you see any animals this morning?"

"No, just a few birds, but I love sitting outside early in the morning and just enjoying the scenery." Beth always took advantage of the time outside while in Colorado. At home she saw an occasional rabbit or chipmunk but mostly she was too busy to enjoy the outdoors.

As she grabbed a couple more cookies from the plastic storage container, Beth poured herself another cup of caffeine and said, "I'm going to start getting ready for our fun day at the casinos. Who knows, we might even win a little money," she laughed, as she climbed the stairs to the room she picked out as hers for the week.

Good thing there were three large bathrooms in this cabin. This made getting ready to leave a lot faster. Each of the women spread out all their toiletries in their own bathroom since they didn't have to worry about making room for someone else. They would be as messy as they wanted until time to leave. Then they cleaned up every room as though they were never there.

As Beth made up her bed and laid out the clothes she wanted to wear for the day, she heard her sisters in their bathrooms getting ready also. Beth smiled to herself as she thought about the day. It always seemed that the week together flew by too quickly. She wished they could all spend more time per year together.

All dressed and hair that looked fabulous, Beth began on her makeup. She liked a very light application of makeup. She went for the almost natural look. As she finished up she got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew what this feeling was. Something was going to happen today, something not so pleasant. She trusted her instincts and knew they would have to be very careful today.

On the short drive to the casinos they talked about the baby quilts they would work on more tonight. Their younger brother expected a baby boy in three months and since he and his wife lived in Washington State, the baby needed some warm blankets for winter.

"I'm going to put the big, cute duck in the middle of my quilt and maybe some small ducks on some surrounding squares," Joy announced.

Beth had been thinking on her design for the past month and said, "I'm going to have a few trucks on mine. What about yours, Lynn?"

"I'm thinking teddy bears will be cute. All three quilts will be different and unique," Lynn added.

The drive was short and since it wasn't not close to lunch time yet, the women decided to try some penny slot machines first. The casinos were small and not too busy. They found three machines together that were the same kind, and sat down to try their luck. While they played, they order mixed drinks and it wasn't long before the three laughed and actually won a few dollars. After a little while they left to check out the other casinos.

They walked down the little short strip to look in other casinos, but didn't find anything that interested them, till they came to the last one, where they sat again and ordered more drinks and were having a wonderful time until Beth realized it's time to eat. They needed some food to absorb the alcohol they had consumed.

"OK girls, we need to go eat before we end up face down on the floor," Beth said, always being the common sense one of the group.

Deciding on eating at the cafe of the first casino they entered upon arriving, they walked back up the short strip. The strange feeling again attacked Beth's stomach. She glanced all around, but saw nothing strange so she dismissed it for now.

As she scooted in a corner booth Beth giggled, "That waitress probably thinks we're all drunk. She must've seen us all trip over the little step getting into this booth. And then of course we all have to laugh at each other on top of that."

This started more laughter from all three.

"How would you two feel about playing a little longer after lunch before we drive back to the cabin?" Joy asked.

Lynn looked from Beth then back to Joy before she said, "we're not on any time table. We can do whatever we want, when we want."

In the casino the women wanted to play different slot machines. Beth wanted to play one about the characters from Oz, while Joy wanted to play one with Egyptian scenes. Lynn chose a machine with a jungle theme.

Beth played her machine and enjoyed herself when another woman sat down at the machine next to her. They said hello and Beth asked the woman if she would mind watching her machine for just a second while she walked three steps to check on her sister.

The woman nervously smiled at Beth and agreed. Beth pointed to her sister as she said "I'll just be a minute, she's right over there," Beth left her handbag sitting on the floor at her machine as she walked away. She knew she could keep an eye on it from a few feet away and she'd only be gone a minute.

Beth returned to her machine after she found out that Joy had won and was enjoying herself. She thanked the woman next to her and continued playing. The woman told her goodbye as she left the machine and said, "I don't feel lucky on this one but good luck to you and your sister."

Beth spun her machine and was surprised she hits a jackpot of four hundred dollars. This brought both her sisters over since the machine rang bells and lights flashed.

"You picked the right machine. Guess Joy and I need to join you at these," Lynn said laughing.

They played for about forty-five minutes as all three won some money, when Beth noticed that was Joy showed less excitement than before. Beth saw that she was even more pale than usual and asked, "Joy, are you feeling alright?"

"No, I think I got a hold of some gluten somehow. I need to lie down."

Lynn took control of the situation and said, "I'll see about getting us a room. Stay right here."

While Lynn left to get a room, Joy laid her head down on the machine. Beth stopped the waitress who walked by and asked for bottled water and some napkins. Beth soaked the napkins with water and mopped Joy's forehead.

"That feels good, but I think we need to hurry and get to a room. I've been this way before, and know I'll be sick soon," Lynn moaned softly.

"Come on girls, I have a room and the elevators are over there," Lynn pointed to the end of the aisle.

They helped Joy stand, and they got her up to the room and onto the bed. "I'll get some ice for an ice pack, that will make her feel better," Beth told Lynn as she grabbed the ice bucket and headed out of the room and down the hall.

Since the casinos were small, each one only had a few rooms. Not knowing where the ice machine was, she walked down the corridor and up three steps until she saw the sign that pointed out another door to the ice machine.

Beth's stomach was tied in knots by the time she pushed the door open. On the other side it looked like a construction site but she saw the ice machine a little to the left. Before she slid the bucket under the spout she saw something lying on the floor in front of the machine. She bent and picked it up and saw it was some kind of button. She thought she or her sisters might find use for it in one of their craft projects, so she put it in her pocket. She also noticed something else as she bent down and picked up the button. Something stuck out from behind the machine.

Beth stepped around the big machine she saw what looked like a blond wig, but as she got closer she saw that it was a woman. She was stuffed behind the machine. Before Beth let out her blood curdling scream, she saw a scarf tied tightly around the woman's neck and the wide open eyes of the woman who just over an hour ago sat at the slot machine next to her.

Beth stumbled out the door and back down the hallway and stairs. She screamed all the way. By the time she reached the room her sister were in, five people were in the hall and wondered what had happened.

"Call the police. A woman is dead behind the ice machine," Beth told them. She saw that two of the men ran towards were the woman laid.

"I'll get the front desk clerk up here," said one of the women who stood outside her hotel room door.

"Beth, what is it? Are you alright? I heard you screaming," Lynn asked, as she stood in the doorway to their room.

Beth gently pushed Lynn back inside their room and followed her in as she told the people in the hall, "I'll be here. Let me know when the police arrive," with that she closed the door and dead bolted it. Why didn't she listen to her gut? Now what kind of vacation was this going to be?

# Chapter 6

Beth explained what's happened to both of her sisters. She shook so badly she had to sit down. It seemed she wouldn't get the picture of that poor woman out of her head. The victim was around the same age as she. Her thoughts ran frantically, one right after the other. Who would've done this? Who and why?

All three women jumped nervously as a knock sounded at their door. Beth stood up, and regretted the need to open the door. She wanted to keep the outside world out right now. She unlocked the deadbolt from the door and opened it and was relieved to see Tyler stood on the other side.

"Beth are you alright?" Tyler asked, as he pulled Beth into his strong arms.

Beth stayed still for a moment and relished in Tyler's embrace. If only he held her under different circumstances, she thought to herself. As her shaking slowed to a mire tremble, she disengaged herself from his arms.

"I don't think I will ever be alright again. I was so scared. That unfortunate woman and an hour ago she was playing a slot machine next to me. Are the police here yet?" Beth talked so fast she had to stop and took a deep breath. Beth always spoke rapidly when she was excited or afraid.

"Yes, they're here. The police chief is the friend I am visiting with today. He asked me to stick around and consult on the case," Tyler informed Beth.

Joy exited the bathroom feeling better. She was still pale but functioned better now.

"Tyler, do the police have any idea who killed that woman?" Joy asked.

Before Tyler answered, Beth said, "You remember my sister Joy from the airport? And this is my other sister, Lynn," Beth introduced Lynn, who sat in the chair by the window.

"Wish we could've all met under better circumstances, but its nice meeting you both. I'm glad Beth's not alone, and no, the police have no ideas at this time. First they have to identify the woman and find out why she's here, etcetera," Tyler informed them.

"Do you know how long we'll have to stay here?" Beth asked him. "I'd like to get back to the cabin. Joy's not feeling well, and frankly, now, neither am I."

Another knock sounded at the door. Tyler opened it this time and saw his friend Michael, the police chief stood outside the door. "Come in, Michael. This is Beth, who found the body. These are her two sisters, Lynn and Joy."

Michael felt the tension in the air so he said, "I know how upsetting this is and I can see by the paleness of all three of you that none of you feel like answering questions right now, so I'll keep this short."

"Please keep it as short as possible. My sister Joy is sick and we'd like to get back to our cabin soon," Beth told Michael.

Michael nodded his head as he asked Beth, "I understand that it was you who found the body. Is this correct?"

Beth swallowed hard as she remembered the event, "Yes, I was getting ice for Joy. Damn, I'm sorry Joy. I never got the ice," Beth apologized.

Joy sat down on the arm of the chair Beth sat in and pus her arm around Beth's shoulders, "It's OK. I'm feeling better and besides, after what you saw I can't blame you for forgetting the ice." Joy watched Michael and thought she had to feel better if she noticed two very handsome men in the room.

"Beth, please tell Tyler and I what happened," Michael said in his deep cop voice.

Tyler sat down on the padded arm of Beth's chair opposite of Joy. He reached for Beth's hand to reassure her while she recounted her experience.

Squeezing Tyler's hand for comfort Beth started her story, "Like I said before, Joy needed some ice, not only for an ice pack, but for munching so she would feel better. I wasn't sure where the ice machine was located so I walked down the hall and up the few stairs on the left then down another hall till I came to a door. When I opened the door and stuck my head through, I could see the ice machine so I walked over to it but before I could get any ice, I saw what looked like a blond wig on the floor sticking out from behind the machine. You know, the machine isn't flush against the wall. It's more like in the middle of the little room."

Beth stopped to take a deep breath. She shivered as she recalled seeing the dead woman, but she wanted this over with so she continued, "I bent down to pick it up and saw that it wasn't a wig at all, but real hair and it was attached to a woman's head. I could see the scarf tied tightly around her neck and her eyes were open in death. That's when I ran screaming all the way back here."

Michael took notes in his notebook but stopped and asked, "Did you see anyone else on your way to or from the ice machine?"

"No. I got a creepy feeling as I walked down the second hallway and when I saw the room the ice machine is in. It looks like a construction site. But I didn't see anyone till I got back to this hallway. People were outside of their rooms wondering why I was screaming, I guess," Beth recalled and added, "There's not that many rooms at this hotel, so I guess some people where just walking in the hallway."

"She really doesn't know more than that. Can we leave now, please?" Lynn asked the police chief.

Michael looked over at Tyler who asked Beth for the address of their cabin and phone numbers for each of the sisters. He saw the look in Beth's eyes, but he reassured her, "The police need to have the information in situations like this. There will be more questions later, and they'll have to be able to contact you." Tyler breathed a sigh of relieve as he knew he narrowly avoided Beth's anger.

Joy picked up the hotel room stationary and wrote down the cabin's address and her full name and cell phone number then she handed the pad to Lynn. Lynn added her name and cell phone number and handed the pad to Beth, who wrote down her information, then tore the page off and handed it to Michael. Then Beth wrote on a second sheet of paper and handed it to Tyler as she smiled weakly.

Frowning, Tyler looked at the paper and gave a chuckle. He smiled at Beth and told her, "I'll call you in a little while and not just to see how you're doing, but to reschedule our date."

# A shocked look came over Beth's face. She forgot about their lunch date. After the day like today, she really hoped Tyler does call and reschedule. Her thoughts next ran to her sisters and their vacation. She had to remind them of the duck from last night. They could all use some laughs on the way back to the cabin.

# Chapter 7

On the drive back to the cabin all three women were very quiet. Nothing like this had ever happened to them before. Joy still felt ill so Beth was the one who drove. There was no traffic on the road except one other car that drove behind them. Beth pulled off the road onto the dirt road that led up to their cabin before she noticed that the car behind her did the same. At first, that didn't send up any alarms because there were other cabins before they reached theirs. Assuming the person behind her was going to one of the other cabins, she kept going.

The road is curvy and lots of dirt side roads along the way. All the side roads eventually go to other cabins. Beth is still glancing in the rear view mirror and sees that the other car is still behind her and there's only one other road before they reach theirs that branches off to another cabin. Now she's getting worried.

Deciding not to go directly to their cabin, she took the next dirt road and when it reached a cabin, she planned to turn around and pretend she was lost. When she reached the cabin she's relieved to see a circular drive so she was able to get back out without stopping. She looked in the rear view window she saw the other vehicle slowed down and pulled over as close as possible to the side of the dirt road and then stopped.

As she pulled into the circular drive, Beth saw a man and his dog by the side of the cabin. She rolled the passenger window down and said loudly to the man, "We're lost and I think we're being followed. Can you call nine one one, please?"

"I'll do better than that. I see the car down the road a little ways. I'll take care of it," the man answered.

The man reached for something that leaned against the side of the cabin. "I don't go away from the cabin without my rifle," he said.

As the man walked down the road, and held his rifle, as his dog followed barking. Beth saw the car back up. She thought to herself that the driver was an idiot. The dirt roads were very winding and with dangerous sharp curves. There was approximately half mile to go before the driver got to the main dirt road.

Beth drove slowly down the road till she reached the spot where the man and his dog were and then she stopped.

"I can see all the way down the hill and the car is still going, but to be safe, why don't I head down hill on my Harley and check things out," the man old Beth.

Under normal circumstances Beth would've told the nice man he didn't have to do that, but after this afternoon's events, she was spooked, so she just nodded her head and thanked the man.

The sisters sat in the car until they saw the motorcycle go by and then they followed. They could go straight to their cabin, but she figured if whoever followed them was parked somewhere and watched and didn't see them leave the area, he knew they stayed up the hill. The last thing she wanted is for someone to show up at their cabin.

Beth followed till they reached the main road to Cripple Creek. They saw no other car. She stopped and thanked the man for his kindness. Then she decided to go past the road that led to their cabin. Instead she drove away from Cripple Creek because she knew there's a little shopping center just down the road. Actually it's not really a shopping center since there were only three little buildings. One was a convenient store and one's a liquor store and one's a mechanic shop. She wanted to make sure the car that followed them was not parked at the shopping center while the driver waited and watched.

Arriving at the little shopping center she saw no other cars there, so she turned around and headed to their cabin.

"How did you get so smart?" Lynn asked. "Although Joy and I haven't said one word, you took precautions. You definitely are the sister with the common sense. You are so good under pressure."

"Thank you, but right now my body is shaking so much I can hardly think at all," Beth responded. "I just know we don't want a stranger following us to where we are staying."

Along the dirt road to their cabin they saw nothing but a couple of deer. Beth breathed easier now. Just before they reached the cabin there was a gate with a chain and padlock they had to stop to unlock. This made Beth feel a little safer. After Beth unlocked the gate, she got back in the car and drove through. Then she got back out and closed the gate and re-locked it before she drove the little distance to the cabin.

Since their cabin had parking space behind it as well as a circular drive in front, Beth pulled the car around back. This way if someone pulled up to the gate and looked up towards the cabin they wouldn't see the car. And if it's the person who followed them before, he wouldn't be sure if this was the place they're staying. No one was able to drive up the road but they were able to climb the fence and walk up to the cabin. So she took every precaution she could think of.

Getting out of the car, Beth felt her knees trembled. Her legs felt so weak she had trouble walking. After she unlocked the back door, they all went inside and re-locked the door. Beth then spent a few minutes and closed all the curtains that faced the front road. She wanted no one to see who's inside the structure. Maybe she was being paranoid, but after the day she had who blamed her.

Beth walked out the sliding glass doors off of the dining area and walked around the hot tub. She saw all around including the front road to the cabin. She went back inside, she announced, "I'm all for getting in the hot tub and relaxing some. How do you two feel about it?"

Joy, who looked much better now, said "I think that's a wonderful idea. Let's do it."

Lynn smiled and told the other two, "Let's hurry and change and enjoy the tub while it's still light out. I know we usually get in the hot tubs when it's dark, but I think we'll all feel safer doing it today in the daylight."

While Joy and Lynn left the room and changed into their bathing suits, Beth followed slowly. She couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. She wondered when and how the next shoe would drop.

# Chapter 8

As soon as Beth sat down in the hot tub the tears flowed. She told her sisters, "I'm fine in a crisis, but when it's over I fall apart."

By the time she finished talking she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Is there anything we can do, Beth?" said Lynn.

"No. Just let me get it all out of my system then I'll be fine," Beth answered her younger sister between sobs.

Joy said, looking worried, "We're here for you. Get it all out then maybe we can get back to our sisters' week."

Beth cried for a good twenty minutes then the sobs slowed to nothing. She began to feel more like herself. She relaxed now and knew both her sisters felt more relaxed also.

"Thanks girls. I feel much better now. Joy, are you feeling like eating something light for dinner?"

Joy laughed, "I got everything out of my system too so I do feel like eating something."

"Why don't we fix an omelet and some fruit? Or we can do fruit and cheeses. You two decide," Beth suggested.

"An omelet and some fruit sound good to me. Then after we clean up, why don't we have one of our famous marathons of Yahtzee?" Lynn giggled as she added the last words.

"That sounds like a plan. I'm off to shower and get comfortable in pajamas. I'm starting to wrinkle sitting here this long but it did the trick. The hot water changed my tense muscles to mush," Beth laughed.

All three women stepped out of the hot tub and Joy turned it off for the night. They wrapped towels around themselves, and then each headed to separate bathrooms to shower.

Beth heard her phone ringing as she exited the bathroom. She saw by the caller ID that it was Tyler and she felt excitement creeping up her veins.

"Hi Tyler, is there anything new on the woman who was murdered?" she asked right away.

"Hello to you too Beth...No, nothing new yet. I actually called to see how you're doing. You had a shock today which most people would've fallen apart if it happened to them," Tyler spoke with concern in his voice.

"I did fall apart but I waited until I finally got back here before I let the waterfall start," Beth informed him.

"Are you alright now? Should I come over?" Tyler asked nervously.

Beth considered his coming over but discarded it for now, "Not tonight, but if you wouldn't mind stopping by tomorrow. That's if you have some time. I'd like to see you and I need to tell you something. I just don't want to get into it all tonight. I'm going to eat some dinner with my sisters and play a few games of Yahtzee and forget everything else just for tonight. Can you understand why that's important to me tonight?"

She almost saw Tyler's smile as he answered, "I understand better than you know. Why don't I come over around ten in the morning? Will you all be up by then?"

"Yes, we'll be up and I'll have coffee on. Thank you, Tyler. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Goodnight." She smiled by the time she hung up the phone. She still smiled when she picked up the clothes she wore today and put them in the laundry basket. Something hit the hardwood floor and when she looked down she saw it was the button she found earlier in front of the ice machine. She picked it up and placed it in her jewelry pouch. She knew she'd turn it over to Tyler tomorrow.

Walking into the kitchen Beth saw her sisters were busy as they got dinner together. Everything was almost ready, so Beth got plates and silverware out along with napkins and placed them on the table.

Lynn made a ham and cheese omelet that they split in thirds. That, along with grapes, peaches, watermelon, and mango, made a wonderful meal. The three women loved fruit so they ate some with just about every meal.

Sitting down to eat, Beth informed her sisters, "Tyler called and he's coming here in the morning around ten."

Both Lynn and Joy gave Beth their biggest smiles, "We were wondering when he'd show up"

"OK. Don't you two start, please? Let's finish dinner so I can slaughter you both at yatzee!" Beth looked forward to just the three of them having a little fun and laughs tonight. After all, that was supposed to be what this vacation is all about.

Now that the dishes were washed, Beth brought the game to the table, along with the container of no-bake cookies. She felt so much better than she did earlier.

"I think we all should have one margarita while we play," Joy said. "My stomach's up for it. What about you, Lynn?"

"Sounds great!" both Lynn and Beth said at the same time which brought all three to laughter yet again.

They settled down to a fun evening. Lynn could do no wrong. She got a Yahtzee just about every game. Joy seemed to be in second place. But by the time they finished the sixth game, Beth won with three Yahtzees in the last game. They finished their drinks and half of the cookies and now they were all so droopy eyed they knew its bedtime.

Beth almost suggested that the three of them sleep in one room but wasn't going to scare her sisters. So she let them go to their separate rooms for the night and she went to hers. She remembered they never fixed the television in the one bedroom but knew no one felt like turning on a television tonight anyway.

Beth had a very hard time falling asleep, but finally towards early morning she did.

Beth was a little surprised nothing happened during the night, as she woke up. Her first task would be to get the coffee made. She would later clean up and dress before Tyler arrived. Just the thoughts of Tyler gave her a wonderful feeling and a smile to her lips. She hadn't felt like a teenager in a long time. And she actually enjoyed the feeling this morning.

# Chapter 9

Knowing she had over an hour to get dressed, Beth poured herself another cup of coffee then thought about what she's wear. It's another warm day so she'll probably wear a pair of Capri pants since she brought four pairs with her. She went more for comfort than fashion, but it seemed most of her outfits did go together.

Getting dressed, she found herself daydreaming about Tyler and wondered if they would actually have some kind of relationship once they both returned home. She didn't expect 'forever relationship' but having someone's company whom she enjoyed once in a while would be very nice and someone who understood that she didn't always talk or think in complete sentences, but that someone could understand her anyway.

Finally dressed in white Capri pants and a burgundy knit top Beth quickly styled her hair so that it fell in soft curls around her face and shoulders. Now a little make-up and she was ready for the day.

Lynn and Joy were up too and ate breakfast as Beth returned to the kitchen with her coffee mug. "How did you two sleep?" Beth asked as she smeared cream cheese on a gluten-free bagel.

Lynn answered as she picked up her empty cereal bowl, "I was out like a light as soon as my head touched the pillow."

"Me too," said Jo, "I feel great today. Time to get ready for company and then we can discuss what we'll do today."

Gabbing bottled water from the refrigerator, Beth stepped out the front door and sat on the porch till her sisters were dressed and ready. She always liked going outside with her coffee, but this morning she felt a little leery about going out. Now that Tyler would be here in a few minutes, she sat on the porch and enjoyed Mother Nature.

She saw the beginning of the dirt road to their cabin and she saw the gate leading to their cabin from where she sat. In between those two, the road was curvy and hills and trees prevented her from seeing the whole road. When she came outside she put the gate key in her pants pocket so she'd be able to walk down the road and open the gate for Tyler.

Seeing a black SUV turning onto her road she knew Tyler was minutes away so she started her walk down the road to meet him. She wasn't afraid or cautious this morning, she was just excited.

She reached the gate just before the black vehicle but she waited to unlock the gate till she saw that it was actually Tyler and not some stranger.

Standing behind a clump of trees, she waited till the car stopped. She watched Tyler get out of the car and then she moved. "I have to unlock the gate then you can drive through," she told him.

After she closed the gate again and locked it behind Tyler's car, she climbed in the passenger door he had opened for her. "Good morning. Did you find us without any problem?" she asked Tyler.

Tyler laughed, "I am staying at the cabin on the next hill. So I found you just fine."

Lynn and Joy waited on the porch as Tyler parked the car in the driveway. "Where's your car?" he asked.

"It's a long story. Come inside and we'll tell you after I fix you a cup of coffee," Beth answered.

Entering the cabin, Tyler looked around and smiled, "This one is quite a bit larger than the one I'm staying in. Now tell me what you women have been up to since yesterday afternoon."

As the three women toke turns telling the story about the blue car and the nice neighbor who helped them, Beth saw the frown on Tyler's face deepen.

"It all turned out alright. Nothing happened and we are all feeling much better today," Beth told him, trying to ease his frown, "Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you. I'll be right back."

While Beth exited the room, Tyler asked Lynn and Joy "Is she really alright? Her voice sounded a bit hoarse last night over the phone when I called."

"She's great now. She fell apart some last night but that's the way we sisters are. We're wonderful during a crisis, but fall apart afterwards. So you don't have to worry, having you here makes it a better day," Joy assured Tyler.

"I found this in front of the ice machine and picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then I forgot about it till last night. It might be important," Beth said as she handed the button to Tyler.

"I'll pass this to Michael. It just might be from the clothes of the person responsible for that woman's death. If you'll excuse me a second, I'd like to call Michael and tell him the story you three just told me," Tyler pulled out his cell phone as he stepped outside.

Michael answered on the second ring, "What's going on Tyler?"

When Tyler finished letting Michael know what the sisters went through yesterday and described the button Beth found, Michael swore, "Damn, are you sure Beth didn't see anything else on the way to that ice machine? It sounds to me that maybe someone is worried she did. This can't be a coincidence. I'll meet you in about an hour to retrieve the button. Maybe we can match it to someone from the surveillance tapes of all the guests coming through the casino."

Tyler hoped his friend got a break in this case soon. He wanted a vacation also and wanted some time spent with Beth without talk of a crime.

"Where do you want to meet?" Tyler asked his friend.

"How about we meet at the restaurant down the street and around the corner from the casino where the crime occurred?" Michael suggested.

"See you then," Tyler said before he hung up the phone.

Tyler made a spur of the moment decision to walk around the cabin. He wanted to get a feel of the area and make sure the women were safe. After scanning all around, Tyler went back inside, "Would you three mind if I looked around? I just want to ease my mind on your safety."

"Help yourself. There's also a basement downstairs. We'd appreciate your checking thing," Lynn told Tyler.

"While Tyler is gone, why don't we come up with a plan for today? We can walk down by the creek or work on our quilts, or go somewhere. I'm open to ideas," Beth smiled as she finished talking.

"I hate myself a little saying this, but we were having so much fun yesterday before I got ill, I'd like to go play some more slot machines. We don't have to go to that casino. We can go to one of the other ones. Would that bother you, Beth?" Joy asked.

"No, as long as we stay away from that end of the strip, I don't think it would bother me. Why don't we stop at the one that's not on the little strip? You know the one around the corner by itself. I remember they also have a great restaurant where we can have lunch. I just want to be back here before dark," Beth told Joy.

Lynn spoke up next and said, "Why don't we ask Tyler and get his opinion on if it's safe?"

When Tyler returned to the living room after he looked over the whole cabin, the women asked for his input on the casino trip.

"I don't see a problem as long as you don't go near the one where you stayed. Michael and I are meeting there in an hour, how would you feel if Michael and I take you three to lunch?" Tyler thought he needed to keep an eye on these three.

The girls looked at one another and Joy especially was excited about the prospect. Beth saw yesterday that Joy was attracted to Michael even while she felt so sick.

"I'll go meet with Michael and I'll call you on the time he's available for lunch. Will that work?" Tyler asked.

Lynn answered for the three of them," That would be great. We won't be hungry for a while."

"Beth, would you mind riding down the road to let me through the gate?" Even if it's just for a few minutes, he wanted some time alone with Beth.

"I'll be right back girls. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone," Beth said as she giggled.

Stopping at the gate, Tyler touched Beth's arm and stopped her from getting out of the vehicle. "Beth, I really would enjoy you riding to Cripple Creek with me but I know you need to be with your sisters. But before the weeks over, do you think it's possible for us to have dinner? There are not too many choices up here but we can always go where we'll have lunch today. I know this is your time with your sisters, but maybe they can have fun at one of the casinos while we have dinner."

Beth gave Tyler one of her beautiful smiles as she responded," I would like that. I think we can arrange for a dinner sometime this week. I'd like to spend some time with you too," she said before she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and then she got out and opened the gate.

Tyler smiled as he waved and drove away. Beth thought this was going to be a good day, as she walked back to the cabin.

# Chapter 10

Beth smiled the whole drive to Cripple Creek. She was overjoyed at the prospect of spending a little more time with Tyler and every time she glanced at her sister, Joy, she saw her smiling also. She wondered if Michael and Joy made a good couple but decided it's none of her business. She learned long ago not to mess with family and affairs of the heart.

Arriving at the casino they wanted to play at, Beth noticed a blue car pulled into the parking lot right after they did.

"You two go on inside. I want to check something out first. I'll be right behind you," Beth told her sisters.

"Is something wrong Beth? Lynn asked while she nervously twisted her hair with her finger.

Beth did her best not to worry them, "No...nothing's wrong. I just want to see if that blue car is the same one that followed us yesterday. I'm going to stand right outside the casino door and watch for a minute"

"Come on Lynn, Beth knows what she's doing. Let's go inside and we'll watch from inside the casino door," Joy said while she tugged on Lynn's arm.

After waiting a good ten minutes she saw no one get out of the car, Beth went inside the building. She didn't have enough nerve to walk up to the car to see who drove it, or maybe she wasn't crazy or reckless enough to walk up to a strange car.

She almost bumped into both sisters as she entered the casino. "Come on girls. Let's go have some fun. It's probably nothing anyway."

The three laughed and played penny slot machines until Beth's phone rang, "Hello Tyler. Anything knew?"

"I 'm just calling to see if you three are hungry yet," Tyler said in the smiling voice Beth had begun to really like.

Beth laughed as she answered," Let me ask the others. "

Lowering her phone she asked Lynn and Joy if they were hungry for lunch and of course they both said yes at the same time.

"I guess we all agree we are ready to eat. Shall we meet you at the restaurant?" Beth asked.

"Sounds like a good idea. Michael and I will see you three in five minutes," Tyler said before hung up.

"Are we ready, girls?" Beth asked her sisters.

"The restaurant is just down the street and around the corner. Why don't we walk?" Joy suggested.

It was a beautiful day out and a short walk, so the three laughed and joked regarding their casino winnings as they walked. When they arrived at the restaurant they saw Michael and Tyler stood outside waiting.

Tyler smiled as Beth walked up to him and hugged him. Beth told herself, it was so nice starting a new relationship. Although Beth never rushed into anything, she felt natural with Tyler and excited about getting to know more about him, and wanted to move slowly and just enjoy every new aspect they uncovered about each other.

Lunch was very pleasant. Michael and Tyler kept all three women engaged in conversation throughout their meal, but now that the meal was finished it was time for more serious conversation.

"How is the case coming? Did you find out who the button belongs to?" Lynn asked.

Michael shook his head as he answered, "no, we reviewed the security tapes and didn't see anyone with buttons that matches the one you found. We're still trying to locate Maggie's boyfriend."

"Maggie.... Is that the woman's name who was strangled?" Joy asked Michael.

"Yes, Maggie Ward.... She's twenty nine years old and from Manitou Springs. She runs a yarn shop there. She has a longtime boyfriend named Peter Manning, who we can't seem to locate. So far we can't find a reason that anyone would want her dead but it's early in the investigation still. Hopefully when we locate Peter we can learn more," Michael informed the other four at the table.

"That poor woman.... I keep seeing her face as she lay there," Beth shuddered as she remembered how the dead woman looked, "I tell myself to picture the way she looked sitting next to me. She was only there for a few minutes and in those minutes I asked her to watch my machine so I could say something to Joy. And when I returned to the machine she was ready to move on. I wish I would've taken some time to talk to her. I should have said something."

Tyler placed his hand over Beth's hand as he comforted her and said, "You couldn't change anything. I'm sorry you were the one who had the misfortune of finding her. I hope you can erase that picture and enjoy the rest of your vacation soon."

Beth smiled weakly at the handsome man who held her hand. Then she blushed a little as she heard Michael ask Lynn and Joy if they wanted a ride back to the casino with him so they could let the two lovebirds have some privacy. Tyler gave his friend a grateful look as he asked Beth if she wanted to walk with him.

Beth looked to her sisters for approval. She didn't want them to feel that they had to distance themselves from her or Tyler, but both women smiled and agreed to ride with Michael. Joy especially looked forward to the ride, although short it gave her more time with the handsome sheriff.

"I'll see you both back at the casino in a few minutes," Beth told her sisters, who still smiled at her knowingly. Beth saw they both knew she felt something for Tyler, and her sisters welcomed a relationship bloomed between her and Tyler, just as Beth welcomed a relationship between Joy and Michael.

After Tyler paid the check for lunch he took Beth's hand and they slowly walked back to the casino the three sisters played before.

"Beth, I hope you won't take this wrong but I know you feel this attraction we have for each other. I want to let you know that I don't jump into relationships recklessly. I'd like to take this slow and see where it goes even when we return to Atlanta," Tyler said in his very serious deep voice.

Letting out the deep breath she held Beth laughed, "It seems we're on the same page. I don't rush into anything either. I would really like to move slow and see where this leads."

As they walked, Beth felt the hair on the back of her neck rising. She looked around and spotted a man leaned against a post across the street from the casino her and Tyler were walking in front of. Turning towards Tyler she said, "There's a guy standing at that post across the street and I think he's watching us."

Tyler glanced over Beth's shoulder and saw the person she spoke of and he did look as if he was watching them, "stay right here while I go ask him some questions."

When Tyler started across the street, Beth saw the man straighten and he quickly ran down the sidewalk and then entered another casino's front door with Tyler close behind him.

Beth waited for what seemed like an hour before she saw Tyler coming out the casino door with his hand on the mysterious man's arm. Tyler pulled out his phone before they crossed the street and by the time Tyler and the man he held reached her, Michael and her sisters joined them on the sidewalk.

"Michael, meet Peter Manning. I believe you have some questions for him," Tyler said as he released his hold on Peter.

"Why don't we all go to the cafe here and have a talk?" Michael suggested.

"Now, maybe we'll get some answers," Joy said.

The waitress sat them in a large booth and brought the sweet tea and soft drinks they ordered then she left them.

"Peter, tell us why you're stalking Beth and Tyler," Michael started the question and answer session.

Peter glanced around the booth nervously before he answered, "I don't like cops. I have a few outstanding parking tickets. I just wanted to talk to her privately," He said as he pointed to Beth, "I know you're the one who found Maggie and I wanted to know who killed her," Peter's voice cracked as tears filled his eyes, "She didn't ever do anything to deserve what happened."

Beth had a question of her own for Peter, "What kind of car do you drive, Peter?"

Picking up a napkin from the table, Peter wiped his eyes and told the group he drove a mustang.

"What color is your mustang?" Lynn asked.

"It's black but why do you want to know about my car?" Peter was puzzled.

Michael was the one who answered, "It's not important now. Why was Maggie here and was this the first time she came here?"

Peter's voice was stronger when he answered, "she comes here once a month and stays for two days. She calls it her relaxing time. She plays some slot machines and rests at the hotel. She usually comes with her best friend Ann, but Ann couldn't get away for this trip."

As he looked through his notebook, Michael asked for Ann's last name.

"Ann Brady... They share ownership of the yarn shop. Please, do you know who did this to Maggie?" Peter asked pleadingly.

Ignoring Peter's question, Michael continued with the interrogation, "Does Maggie spend a lot of money gambling here?"

Peter laughed, "no, she usually brings about three hundred dollars for the two days she's here. She doesn't have a lot to spend. You can ask Joe if you don't believe me. He works at that casino. They have become sort of friends, Joe, Ann and Maggie."

Michael made a note in his black book to find Joe and see if he can shed some light on the situation.

"Do you have any idea if Maggie had any enemies? Is there someone in her past or present that would have a grudge against her?" Tyler joined the questioning.

The group saw that Peter seriously weighed the question before he answered, "Not that I can think of. Most everyone liked Maggie but she did get a couple of strange phone calls the last week. We were eating dinner one night when she answers her phone. She got up from the table to talk to whoever called. I couldn't hear what she said but she was upset and she slammed her phone down on the table when she sat back down. I tried asking her about the call but she said she didn't want to talk about it. She said it was in the past and she wants to keep it there. Then the next day, we went for a drive and her phone rang. She looked at the phone screen and put her phone back into her purse without answering and she immediately said she had a headache and if I would mind taking her back home."

"Is there anything else you can think of that might help catch Maggie's killer?" Tyler asked.

"No... that's all I can think of to tell you. Please find who did this," Peter said.

"Give me your phone number in case I have any more questions," Michael demanded.

Peter wrote down his number in Michael's notebook and got out of the booth. "Will you let me know when you find the person?" He asked.

"I'll try to keep you informed when we get him or her and no more stalking Beth," Tyler added.

"A mustang is not the car that followed us. So we still don't know who that was," Beth said out loud. She wondered if anything else would happen before they got to the bottom of all this. She had a very bad feeling that the worse was still to come.

# Chapter 11

"I'm glad you decided to escort us women home. Maybe no one will follow us this time," Beth told Tyler as she sat in his vehicle on the ride back to the cabin.

Tyler smiled before he commented, "I will do whatever I can to spend time with a beautiful woman."

Beth laughed at this admittance, "Hopefully when we get back to Atlanta you and I can spend time just getting to know each other, and not running around trying to solve a murder."

"I know this isn't how either one of us planned to spend our vacation. Sometimes life just happens. No one can predict how each day in their lives will turn out. We all need to accept what life throws at us and do what we can to work through it. I will say this though, not everyone gets a murder thrown at them. I'm sorry you're the one who has to deal with finding Maggie and everything that has happened since."

"I'm dealing with everything in my way. Having you here does help though. If I haven't thanked you before I'll say thank you now," Beth touched Tyler's arm as she thanked him, then leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek.

"When we both return home, you can thank me properly with dinner and maybe a movie," Tyler told Beth.

Beth pictured the two of them sitting at a table for two as they held hands across the table. This put a big smile on her lips, "It's a date but I get to pick the movie. You can choose the restaurant."

Tyler reached over and took Beth's hand in his, "I'll be looking forward to that date." Tyler released Beth's hand only when they pulled up to the gate leading to Beth's cabin. Joy's car was already at the gate Joy waited for Beth since she had the gate key. After she opened the gate, both vehicles drove through and Beth re-locked the gate and jumped back into Tyler's SUV.

Beth's sisters got out of their car as Tyler pulled in behind them. Following the women home turned out to be uneventful.

"Come in for a glass of tea and some no bake cookies, Tyler," Joy said.

Tyler, who held the car door for Beth, replied, "I think I will and thank you."

Since Beth was the only one out of the three sisters who hadn't misplaced any keys in the past, she was the only one with the cabin key. Beth unlocked the front door and stepped inside and let out a gasp, "Nooooooo....."

The other three pushed inside and stopped in their tracks. The cabin was a mess. It looked as though someone searched through everything.

"Everyone stays right here," Tyler told them, as he pulled his revolver from the back of his jeans and went into the kitchen.

The girls huddled together as Tyler went from room to room. "Will this nightmare ever end?" Beth said to no one in particular.

In just a short span of time, Tyler returned putting his gun back behind his back, "No one's here now, but I'll warn you all, the bedrooms are worse. Seems someone went through all your luggage and personal items and wasn't very neat in the search."

"What could they be looking for? We haven't gotten anything of great value here, only some costume jewelry and clothes and bathroom articles," Lynn stated.

"I'm sorry, girls. If I didn't get sick, none of this would've happened," Joy said while tears ran slowly down her face.

Beth stepped over to Joy and wrapped her arms around her sister, "It's no one's fault. Maggie didn't get killed because of anything you or any of us did. We will get through this. We are strong and have gotten through worse things in our lives."

Lynn joined in on the hugging of Joy, "Yes, we have. We'll help figure all this out and who knows, maybe we'll end up being amateur crime investigators," Lynn said the last to get a giggle from the other two and she wasn't disappointed.

"We always said we should work in a crime lab. We watch enough crime series on television," Joy laughingly said as she wiped the tears that were left on her face.

Tyler stood off to the side of the room and observed the three sisters. He knew they were close and cared deeply for each other. He also knew they were all three great people, and had the strength that life gave them to get them through this. He knew that no matter what each of them went through, the other two would be there doing whatever they needed to do to support and help each other. They were a family of three.

Clearing his throat a little, Tyler interrupted the women, "Can you girls check your rooms and bathrooms and see if you are missing anything? I am going to call Michael and let him know what's happened."

Tyler pulled out his phone and dialed as the girls went their separate way to do their own search and clean up. Tyler knew they would clean up as they went and he knew he'd let them. Normally he would've called in a crime lab to take pictures and look for evidence, but in this small community, he just placed his call to Michael and Michael, being Michael, would arrive in a short time.

"We have more problems, Michael. Someone tore apart the women's cabin and searched through all their belongings," Tyler told Michael. "No one was here when we got here. I noticed the person broke the lock on the sliding glass door off of the kitchen area."

"Damn, I'll be right there. Give me about twenty minutes. Are the women OK?" Michael asked.

"As you probably already know, they're strong women but they can't help but be upset and a little scared," Tyler answered.

"Tell them we will come up with a plan when I get there. We can't let anything happen to those sisters," Michael told Tyler.

When Tyler hung up from his call, he thought of plans of his own to keep these girls safe. He would go over it with them all after Michael arrived.

# Chapter 12

Michael walked through the cabin for what seemed like hours. After he examined the sliding glass door lock he went outside, along with Tyler. They left the women inside cooking.

Michael, after he walked around the cabin, let Tyler in on his concerns for the three inside, "I don't feel comfortable with them staying here alone. They're very isolated out here. Although it's beautiful, it can be deadly for them."

"I agree. I think it's best if I move my things from my cabin to this one and keep an eye on things." Tyler answered with the plan he formulated a few minutes before Michael arrived.

Michael looked at his friend for a few seconds before he commented, "I can send a deputy also but I seriously doubt these three women will agree to that. I'm free tomorrow for a couple of days so maybe between the two of us we can keep them safe. Tonight I need to go talk to Joe and see if he can shed some light on this case. I still can't locate the ex-boyfriend. He has a rap sheet for assault and breaking and entering so he might be our guy. Let's get back inside before Beth comes searching for you," Michael finished with a laugh.

When the men entered the cabin they smelled something delicious coming from the kitchen and Michael's mouth watered. He hadn't had a home cooked meal in ages.

"Boy, something smells wonderful in here," Michael announced their return.

"It's a chicken and noodle casserole. It's one of Joy's specialties and Lynn made the fruit salad. We also have lemonade. You both are staying for dinner, right?" Beth asked.

Tyler and Michael both answered at the same time, "yes!"

After the laughter died down, Beth sat the table for the five of them and fixed glasses of lemonade for all.

No one talked at all until they were half way through eating, then Tyler told Joy, "This is so good. I don't think I've eaten anything this good in a long time. What about you Michael?" Tyler wasn't blind to the attraction between his friend and Joy. He gave Michael a hint to say something good about Joy's cooking.

"I agree with Tyler. I haven't tasted anything this great in years. Thank you, Joy. Is there enough for seconds?" Michael asked.

Joy laughed, "Yes there's plenty so eat all you want."

No one mentioned the break in until after the meal. Seemed everyone at the table wanted to forget the past few days, if only for a little while. It was only after the men finished their plates of food that Tyler figured it was time to let the girls in on his plan, "Beth, please sit down. Joy, you and Lynn also, please. Michael and I have some things to say. "

After all three women sat back in their chairs, Tyler continued, "Neither Michael nor I feel comfortable with you three staying here alone. I know you've done it in the past and are all independent women, but this is different. There's someone out there who broke in here and could come back and who knows what he's capable of doing. While Michael is still here, I'm going to run over to my cabin and pack a few things and come back and camp out here and tomorrow Michael will also move in here for a few days. We hope you won't resent us, but we want you safe."

Tyler looked around the table at the faces that looked back at him. Lynn was the first one to respond to the plan.

"I, for one will feel a lot better having an FBI agent in the cabin, as well as a sheriff. Thank you both. I was dreading having to try to sleep tonight knowing someone has been in here and gone through all our things and might come back."

Joy nodded her head, as she agreed with Lynn, "Yes, thank you both. Seems our vacation is almost over and we still don't know who's responsible for any of the things that happened."

Tyler watched Beth's reaction. So far she said nothing. Beth's head was down as she examined her own fingers. When she looked up at him he noticed the faint sign of tears filled her eyes.

"I have mixed feelings about this but if Joy and Lynn will feel safer with you both here, then I'll go along. I guess sometimes I have to give in to the belief that we women do need a man around, which is something that hurts to admit."

Lynn got up and hugged her sister as she said, "Beth, we all know how independent you are and we admire you for it. You are also smart enough to realize we do need a man around now because of all that's happened. We love you, sis."

Michael's phone rung and he left the table to answer. Tyler got up and gave Beth a hug as he told her, "I'll stay out of yours and your sisters' way as much as possible. I'll be back within thirty minutes," Tyler looked into Beth's eyes as he cupped her face in both his hands and kissed her lips. Then he told Lynn and Joy he's gone to get some clothes and he'd be right back.

Tyler told Michael that he was leaving now, "don't leave until I return."

Michael nodded agreement to Tyler as he listened to the caller on his phone.

Inside the cabin the girls cleaned the kitchen and felt as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders now. All except Beth, who still got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Somehow she knew something bad would happen, even with Tyler or Michael here with them. She tried to shake the feeling off, but it wouldn't go away, "Girls, how would you feel if you two move into my room to sleep for the rest of our time here? It's the largest room and it has the sitting area off to the side with a sofa sleeper so there's room for all three of us to sleep."

"Great. I think it's a wonderful idea. We'll have a slumber party! Beth, I know you're worried but let's make the most we can out of what's left of our vacation. We can watch television and eat popcorn and chocolate, Lynn said with a soft giggle.

Beth loved her sisters. She smiled at them both and told them, "We'll watch old sitcoms on the television and get some laughs while we drink sodas and eat chocolate. We haven't done that in a while," She laughed at the last comment. The three girls drank sodas and ate chocolate every time they got together.

By the time Tyler returned, the girls were more lighthearted and laughed at something one of them said about the past.

Michael walked in with Tyler and said, "I'm going now. We have Maggie's ex-boyfriend at the station and I want to question him. Then I'm off to speak to Joe at the casino when he starts his shift at ten tonight. I'll see you all in the morning and girls, thanks for a great dinner."

Joy walked Michael to the door then remembered the gate was locked. "Beth, do you have the gate key? I know we left it opened for Michael to arrive and then Tyler left and returned, but I'd feel better locking it after Michael goes through tonight."

Tyler told Beth to give him the key and he'd follow Michael to the gate and lock up afterwards. Beth opened the side pocket of her bag and removed the key to hand to Tyler. As she did this she noticed something strange about her handbag. She didn't remember anything red being in her purse but before she looked inside, she was interrupted by Lynn, "Beth, help me find extra blankets and sheets and pillows for Tyler."

Since Tyler took care of the gate, the girls looked around for the things he needed to make up the living room sofa. He would sleep downstairs in the basement where there were more beds, but he wanted to be close. So the sofa was it.

They located all they needed down in the basement linen closet next to the laundry room. As they carried it all up stairs, Lynn and Beth noticed that Tyler was back. They left a couple of blankets and pillows and a set of sheets for him and took the others to Beth's room to make up the sofa sleeper there.

Even though it was only a little after nine o'clock in the evening Beth felt tired and hoped her sisters would want to retire to her room soon. She went to the kitchen and got the coffee maker set for the morning. She knew Tyler also wanted some and she wasn't sure how early Michael would arrive, but knew he drank coffee also.

Beth finished up in the kitchen when Tyler joined her. Putting his arms around her waist he pulled her towards him, "Are you still mad at me for wanting to stay here and watch out for all of you?"

"I was never mad at you. I was mad at the situation. You're only doing what you're trained to do, protect others."

Running his fingers down Beth's hair, Tyler froze, "Beth, I'm not just doing this because I'm trained to. I want you safe. I want to know that you'll be alright to continue seeing me once we both return home. I think we can possibly have something special and I want you alive so we can find that out. And I want your sisters alive also. I know how much they mean to you and I think they're special women also."

Beth's heart skipped a few beats as Tyler's words registered in her brain. Reaching up she pulled his head down towards hers and kissed his lips. He didn't let her go so easily. Tyler deepened the kiss by running his tongue along her lips till she opened up to him. His kiss was like magic. His kiss made her feel like a school girl again with her first crush. She forgot everything else except for the feelings he aroused in her.

"Uummm, excuse us. We want to see if you two want to play a few games of Yahtzee before bed but maybe you have better things to do," Joy said laughing.

Beth and Tyler pulled apart but neither one was embarrassed by being caught kissing. Tyler held Beth's hand as they turned towards the other two, "I would love to. I haven't played Yahtzee in years."

Since Beth was now wide awake, she agreed that Yahtzee sounded great, "How about we do the chocolate and popcorn eating while we play instead of later?"

After they got the snacks and drinks, they all played the game. It was a very light hearted evening. Tyler fit in with the women perfectly. He had a fantastic sense of humor and was quick with the comebacks when teased.

All in all it was a nice evening. Now it was time for bed and Beth looked forward to having some sweet dreams about Tyler. She hoped that's how the night would turn out and not with nightmares. The bad feelings she had earlier this evening were now back. She planned to ignore them and have pleasant dreams. Hopefully she just ate too much popcorn and chocolate. But she knew that's not what caused her stomach to feel like a hot poker lay inside.

# Chapter 13

Beth was the first one up the next morning. She used the bathroom and brushed her teeth and put a pair of jeans on along with a t-shirt and headed to the kitchen quietly so she would not wake up Tyler. She didn't have to worry since Tyler was already up and dressed and drunk his first cup of coffee while he looked out the front window.

"Good morning. I hope you slept well and had sweet dreams," Tyler said to Beth, although he himself didn't sleep soundly. He never did. He's always been a light sleeper.

Beth didn't answer until she took her first sip of coffee, "Yes, I think all three of us slept like babies and I did have sweet dreams. Is the sofa comfortable?"

Tyler laughed out loud, "The sofa is fine. Come here and look out the window. I know how much you enjoy seeing the deer."

Tyler was right. Beth always enjoyed drinking her coffee as she watched for wildlife, and sure enough, a large buck stood in the drive and watched them. The buck wasn't too startled as he found her and Tyler watching him. He went back to eating and roamed around out front.

"I love Colorado. Part of me wishes I still live here. The air is so clean and the wide open spaces, the elk and deer roaming around. It's very peaceful. It's not the fast pace of living in Atlanta. I tell myself every time I visit here that I will move back someday, but I don't see that happening for a while, if ever," Beth said sadly.

"Who knows where any of us will end up five years from now? You might end up living in one of these beautiful cabins and watching the animals every morning with that beautiful smile on your face," Tyler told her just before he softly kissed her lips, "When your sisters get up I will make all of us some breakfast."

Laughing, Beth said, "You'll cook breakfast?"

"Of course, I can scramble eggs and cook some bacon and some toast perfectly. I lived off that for quite a while when I was attending college. Be prepared to be amazed," Tyler had a way of making her smile and he knew she needed that now.

Tyler's phone rang and when he looked at the caller ID he said, "It's Michael."

Beth took both their cups into the kitchen and refilled them while Tyler talked to Michael. A few minutes later, Tyler announced, "Michael's on his way and should be here in ten minutes. I told him I'd meet him at the gate and let him in. Can I have the key again?"

It wasn't until Beth reached into her purse again for the gate key, that she remembered she meant to check the contents of her purse. Handing the keys to Tyler and locking the front door after he left, she went back to her purse and dumped it out on the kitchen table.

"What are you doing? Your purse can't need cleaning out already," Joy said as she yawned her way into the kitchen. Lynn was right behind her but looked refreshed. Both her sisters were dressed for the day.

"Joy had trouble sleeping knowing Michael is coming to stay this morning," Lynn teased Joy.

"Michael is here. Tyler went to open the gate, then Tyler is cooking us all breakfast." Beth informed them.

Beth looked at everything on the table and saw what puzzled her last night. There was a small red notebook among her things that wasn't hers. Picking it up, she opened it and noticed three columns written on each page. At the top of each page was a big letter. Each page had a different letter on top. On the left of each page were numbers and the middle column had more numbers and the right column had a check mark or numbers.

Since nothing in the book made sense to her, Beth knew she needed to give it to Michael and Tyler. Maybe with all their expertise they would figure out what it meant and where it came from. For the life of her she couldn't figure out how it ended up in her purse.

Joy opened the front door for Tyler and Michael, and told Tyler, "I understand you have kitchen duty this morning."

Tyler laughed, "Yes, you too will be amazed at my scrambled eggs."

"Morning all, I hear you all had a fun evening last night. Wish I could've joined in. Maybe we can have a repeat tonight," Michael told the group.

"Michael, Tyler, please come here for a minute. I need to show you both something," Beth called from the kitchen table. When the men stood by her she explained about seeing something out of the ordinary in her purse yesterday but forgot it until Tyler asked for the gate key again this morning. She handed Michael the book, "This is in my purse. It's not mine and I don't know how it got in my purse."

Tyler looked over Michaels shoulder as Michael turned the pages of the book, "Looks like some kind of record keeping. I've seen this when we bust people for money laundering or drugs or illegal gambling and betting. It's possible we can figure this out pretty easily, right Michael?"

"I'm with you. This looks like book keeping for something that someone doesn't want anyone else to know about," Michael said while he turned more pages. "We'll take a good look at this together later. Because right now, I understand you are fixing breakfast, and I have some groceries to unload from my truck. "

All five of them laughed. Beth noticed Michael had a good sense of humor also, and she saw the way Joy enjoyed having Michael here. This might be a wonderful day after all.

Beth felt Tyler watching her as she ate and knew what he waited for, "O K, you're right. I am amazed. This is delicious. "

Everyone else agreed with Beth. Michael offered to clean up since Tyler cooked. Joy joined him in the clean up and the others went to the living room.

"Do you really think you can figure out what the notebook is, Tyler?" Lynn asked.

"There's a good chance. It doesn't look to belong to an expert book keeper. It's just some ones childish record keeping. With luck we will have some answers today," Tyler said hopefully.

"Beth, please take a look at this picture and tell me if he looks familiar," Michael handed Beth a black and white zerox copy of a mug shot as he joined them in the living room. Beth said she hadn't seen anyone who looked like that since arriving in Colorado, and handed the mug shot back to Michael, "Who is it?"

"It's Maggie's ex. I needed to make sure you didn't recognize him from the casino. He doesn't have an alibi for the time of Maggie's death or for the day of your break-in. He says he was sleeping off a drunk from the night before on each occasion. We have nothing to hold him on but I think he's a good suspect for both."

Beth assured Michael she didn't recognize the man then turned to Lynn, "Lynn, do you and Joy need some clothes washed? I think I'll do a load now," Beth said.

"I'll help you," Lynn answered as she followed Beth to her room.

They gathered up some of each of their dirty clothes and went downstairs to the laundry room.

"Beth, I like Tyler, and I like Michael. I hope you give Tyler a chance to get to know you, and I hope Joy gives Michael the same. Tyler makes you laugh and that's not easy to do after what you've been through. He can be good for you," Lynn said, expecting Beth to argue.

"I know. You know how I am though. I can't jump into a relationship fast. I move slow, but don't worry; I will give him and myself a chance to see where this goes," Beth smiled at her sister.

Sitting around for long periods of time was not Beth's thing, so she suggested Lynn and Joy and her go on the front porch and enjoy the scenery while the men tried to decipher the mysterious notebook.

"This is nice. We haven't had a chance to enjoy the outside since we arrived here. Lynn, why don't you get your camera and take some pictures?" Joy suggested.

"I've got it. I grabbed it on my way out. I'll stay here in front of the cabin and take some. We don't want to wander off right now, but maybe later Tyler and Michael might join us exploring some around the cabin and I can take more pictures," Lynn said.

"Remember the time we stayed in a cabin and it snowed? I miss days like that. It was so picturesque out and we went walking while the snow fell." Beth reminded the girls.

"I remember. We didn't have anything to cover our heads, but you tied a t-shirt around yours and you resembled a Yugoslavian scrub woman," Joy reminded them and all three laughed uncontrollably.

Lynn wiped tears from her face as she tried to speak between bouts of laughter, "I remember too, and when we came back from our walk we all realized we had sweatshirt jackets in our suitcases that had hoods. You looked so funny with your shirt wrapped around your head."

"Oh, girls, I needed that. We haven't laughed like that in a while. That's what "sisters' week is all about," Beth said as she's still tried to control the giggles.

Joy, after the giggles died down, told the other two they needed to go in and put the laundry in the dryer, and set something out of the freezer to thaw for dinner tonight.

It's going to be a good day after all.

# Chapter 14

The girls settled down to do more work on their quilts while Tyler and Michael sat at the table trying to get some answers from the notebook. So far they haven't had any luck.

Michael brought steaks to grill and some potatoes to bake for dinner, as well as a watermelon. So dinner was an easy fix tonight.

The girls worked for a couple of hours on their separate quilts. It's as if they were alone in the cabin but with the security of knowing they were safe. The men stayed out of their way for the most part.

Joy finished some reconstruction on her duck and when she finished it looked adorable, "I think I'll miss the big lipped duck though." Beth said with a wink. Lynn agreed, "We will have the memories though, and I have pictures to remind us all."

All three quilts looked precious when the women finished them. The three sisters knew their brother and his wife would love them all. They laid the quilts across the sofa while they cleaned up their mess.

"These are great. You girls are very talented," Michael said while he admired the quilts, "Tyler come look at these."

"You girl have now amazed me. These are wonderful. Have you ever thought of selling quilts?" Tyler asked.

"No, we make these for family and friends with love. But if it's a job, that will make it work instead of fun," Lynn answered.

The girls cleaned up and put everything away, including the newly made quilts. Then they asked the men to go for a walk before they started dinner so Lynn could take some pictures.

They locked up the cabin and started their walk on the trail behind the cabin. Lynn snapped shot after shot with her camera while Beth and Tyler walked hand in hand. Beth noticed Michael held Joy's hand also.

They saw magnificent rock formations and deer that drank from the creek. Beth noticed the mountains in the distance were gorgeous with the sun just starting to set just before they all had to return to the cabin and start dinner.

"I'll wash up and start the grill. Tyler, you can season the steaks," Michael stated before heading to the bathroom.

"I guess we can bake the potatoes and cut up the watermelon," Lynn said.

Beth stopped Tyler when she placed her hand on his arm. "Have you and Michael solved the notebook mystery yet?"

"We're pretty sure it has something to do with drugs. We're not sure what type of drugs, but drugs fit in the equation," He answered before he seasoned the steaks, then he joined Michael on the side deck at the grill.

"We agree the numbers in the first column are dates in the book. Could the second number be kilos or pounds? Those numbers are low numbers, so kilos or pounds might make sense," Tyler asked his friend.

"I'm thinking its pounds and the letter at the top of the pages is the person who ordered and paid for the drugs on that page. I'm still wondering how it got into Beth's bag though," Michael told his friend.

"I think I can answer that. Remember Beth telling us that Maggie sat down at the slot machine next to hers and Beth left her machine for a minute. I think Maggie put that book in Beth's purse as soon as she walked away. Beth's purse doesn't zip closed, so it would've been open and wouldn't have taken Maggie but a second to slip the book down inside. That book is probably what got her killed, and now Beth has it," Tyler explained.

"You're probably right, but let's not say anything during dinner. I want these women to enjoy these steaks and not ruin their digestion for tonight," Michael begged Tyler. Tyler agreed. The day has been very pleasant and he wanted it to continue.

Pushing away from the table, Beth told Michael, "Those were the best steaks I've had in a long time. You both did wonderfully grilling. Now I'm stuffed. We girls will clean up. There's not much. You and Tyler go sit till we're done. Then we'll challenge you two to a round of Yahtzee."

Beth started clearing the table when she remembered the laundry. "Can you two finish here while I go put the clothes in the dryer? I forgot all about them."

"Sure, go and hurry back. We have to prepare ourselves for battle," Joy said with a laugh.

Even turning on the lights before going down the stairs didn't make Beth feel less nervous. Believing it was her imagination working overtime to scare her, she proceeded to the laundry room, where she removed the clothes from the washing machine and put them into the dryer. She reached for the temperature knob when someone grabbed her from behind.

Something hard is pressed to the back of her head as a deep voice whispered close to her ear. "Don't make a sound or you're as dead as Maggie. Where is it?"

Beth could barely breathe with the man's arm around her neck. She pulled on his arm trying to loosen his hold on her. If he didn't she knew she would lose consciousness.

"Please, I can't breathe," She said in hardly a whisper. This made the man loosen his grip some, but just enough for Beth to answer his question.

"I asked you where it is," The man repeated his question.

"I don't know what you want. Where is what?" Beth answered as she frantically looked around the laundry room for a weapon. All she saw was the bleach bottle she left the top off of earlier when she added some to the load of wash. If she reached it she might be able to save herself.

"You know what I'm looking for. Maggie must have given it to you. You were the only person she sat by at the casino." The man had lost his patience as he tightened his hold around her throat.

Swiftly, Beth grabbed the bleach bottle and threw it over her shoulder. It splashed the man's face and he let go of Beth and dropped the gun, as he scratched at his face.

Beth screamed as loud as she could and ran. She made it to the bottom of the stairs when the door at the top crashed open and Tyler stood there with his gun pointed right at her.

Beth turned around and saw the man heading for her and screamed again. Tyler reached Beth before the stranger did and pushed her behind him. Pointing his gun at the man he told him to stop, "Get down on the floor, now!"

The man kept coming until he saw that Michael joined Tyler, and now there were two guns pointed at him so he did as Tyler told him to do. He lay down on the floor as he cursed Beth. "You bitch. I think you blinded me. I can't see but a blur. I'm going to sue you."

"That will be hard to do from prison, Joe." Michael told the stranger as he handcuffed the man's hands behind his back.

"Joe.... The Joe who works at the casino and who was Maggie's friend?" Beth asked.

"Yes. This is the person who killed Maggie," Michael answered.

"She would still be alive if she would've given me back my book," answered Joe.

While he held Beth close, Tyler asked if she's hurt, "No, just very scared, and my neck might be sore for a few days," Beth told Tyler.

"Go upstairs sweetheart. I'm sure your sisters are frantic to make sure you are alright," Tyler said.

Beth climbed the stairs in a daze and when she walked through the door way she was smothered by her sisters. Beth saw see they had been crying and were just as shaky as she was.

"It's over. It's finally all over," Beth said and then fell apart. The sobs came as if they would never stop. Her sisters led her to the sofa and sat her down. As hard as she tried she couldn't stop crying or shaking.

She felt someone put their arms around her and realized it was Tyler, he pulled her close and letting her cry on his shoulder. He didn't say a word, he just let her get it all out. When she finished and the sobs were less and less, he handed her some tissue but kept a tight hold on her.

Beth blew her nose and wiped her eyes with all the tissues Tyler gave her. She was still an emotional wreck and therefore didn't even consider how she looked at this moment. She briefly thought about how red her eyes were from crying, along with her face, which also turned red when she cried. At this time and after what happened she didn't care. She only kept silently telling herself that it was over. It was finally over. She still wouldn't stop shaking, but knew that would happen in time.

"Sweetheart, it's over now. You all will be alright. No one can hurt you now. Damn, it's tearing me apart seeing you cry," Tyler said with such emotion.

Beth finally looked up at Tyler, "I know its over. You saved me but if you remember, we girls are great during a crisis, but fall apart afterwards. I will be fine shortly. Tyler, I owe you my life. I cringe to think what could've happened if you didn't come down stairs," Beth hugged Tyler tightly.

"Here Beth, I made you a drink. I know you can use one," Joy handed Beth a glass and Beth knew how Joy's mind worked, knew it was her famous margarita. Beth took a large gulp and she thanked Joy. The shakes were slowing down and by the time she finished the drink, the shakes were gone.

Michael came into the room with his prisoner, "I called my deputy. He will meet me at the gate to transport Joe to the jail. Can I get the gate key? After putting this one in the squad car I'll re-lock the gate and come back."

Lynn got the key out of Beth's purse and handed it to Michael. Then she walked over to the sofa and sat on the other side of Beth, "You're new shirt has bleach spots all over the shoulder and back. Why don't I help you change?"

Beth now remembered the bleach and realized that's probably why her shoulder felt like it was on fire.

Beth went into the bathroom and stripped down and took a quick shower. She scrubbed her shoulders and back and shampooed her hair. When she got out of the shower and toweled off, she rubbed some cream on her shoulders and neck and then she saw Lynn had laid some clothes inside for her to put on. What would she do without her sisters?

She just finished getting her lounging pajamas on that Lynn laid out for her, when there was a knock on the door.

"Are you decent?" Lynn asked.

Opening the door, Beth let Lynn in, "I just need to blow dry my hair."

"Sit and I'll blow dry it for you. It'll only take a minute," Lynn already had the blow dryer in her hand, so Beth sat down in front of the mirror and let Lynn go to work.

Hugging Lynn, Beth thanked her for knowing just what she needed, "You and Joy always know what's good for me. Thank you."

# Chapter 15

When Lynn and Beth returned to the living room, she saw Michael was back. Beth sat next to Tyler and Tyler put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him, "Feeling better?"

"Much better, Michael did you get a chance to question Joe?"

"Yes I did. He was dealing drugs and Maggie caught him one day. She somehow got a hold of his book and had the naive idea to turn it over to the police and then her friend Joe could get out of that business and get rehabilitated. She wanted to help him. But he didn't want her help. After he strangled her, he didn't find the book on her and later remembered she sat down next to you, so you were the only possible person Maggie could've passed the book to," Michael explained to them all.

"Let me ask you girls something. Would it be alright if Michael and I still stay for the night and make sure you all are alright? We don't expect anything to happen, but you have all been through a nightmare and we are worried about you. We'll be gone in the morning and you three can have your last three days of vacation to yourselves, but tonight you might need a shoulder," Tyler said the last as he searched Beth's face for understanding.

Joy said "I think that's a great plan. We were all looking forward to the Yahtzee games, if everyone is still up to it. Beth, do you feel like playing? If not, we'll understand."

Beth smiled at her sister, "I think I can manage to beat you all in a few games." Beth believed the sooner she tried to put this behind her, the better she would feel. If she immersed herself in a game with these wonderful people, that was a step in the right direction. She had never been one who sat and dwelled on the bad side of life.

For the next two hours the group played Yahtzee and actually laughed some. Now it was time for bed.

"Michael and I will fix the coffee. It will be ready for you in the morning. Try to get a good night's sleep. I'll be here if you need me," Tyler told Beth as he kissed her good night.

"We're going to still camp out with you tonight, Beth. Michael you can have one of our rooms for the night or there are beds downstairs," Joy said.

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a place to lay my head. You girls get some sleep. We'll see you all before we leave in the morning," Michael told them.

Beth was surprised when she woke up the next morning that she did sleep. It must have been the three drinks she had while she played the game. She's not surprised when she looked in the bathroom mirror and saw the bruises on her neck. Brushing her teeth and then after, she washed her face and opened the bathroom and saw Lynn and Joy were up also.

"Guess it's time to say goodbye to our guests," Lynn said. "Beth, you know Joy and I won't mind it if you want Tyler to stay."

Beth smiled at both her sisters, "I love you both for that, but we only have a couple of days left of "sisters week" and I want to spend it with you two. I will see Tyler in Atlanta, but this is our time. What little time we have left."

Joy searched Beth's face before she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Let's go say our good byes then get on with our sisters' time," Beth assured her sisters.

"I thought I heard you three. Beth, here's your coffee," Tyler said and handed Beth a mug, "Michael is making his specialty, Denver omelets and hash browns."

"Oh geez, now we might want to keep you two here. If for no other reason than to cook breakfast," Joy said laughing.

"I heard that," Michael said from the kitchen, "But today is back to work and you three get to get back to your vacation. Tyler you get to go fishing, so all is well with the world. Come on, breakfast is served."

After breakfast the men gathered their belongings and put them back into their trucks.

Tyler asked Beth to join him on the porch, "I'm going to miss you. But I will call you tomorrow. It will be nice if we have the same flight and seat assignment going back to Atlanta. Maybe we can arrange that. Beth I do want to spend time with you when we get home to Georgia."

"I want to spend time with you too, and I agree, maybe we can plan our trip home on the same flight and Tyler, I'll miss you too. In such a short time, you've become important to me. Call me tomorrow if you can between catching all those big fish," Beth teased, and then she ran her fingers through Tyler's hair as she kissed him thoroughly.

Michael came out of the cabin holding Joy's hand and he kissed her goodbye.

"Lynn and I are going to ride down with Michael to the gate. Beth you can ride down with Tyler, and then the three of us can walk back together," Joy told Beth.

Beth got in Tyler's truck and moved over close to him. They held hands on the short drive to the gate. Then Tyler pulled her closer and kissed her as if he'll never see her again. She was dazed when she got out of the truck but she waved him off.

Joy looked a little dazed also, as all three girls waved to the men.

Lynn locked the gate and all three sisters locked arms as they walked back up to the cabin.

"Michael and I made a date for next week. We'll meet in Colorado Springs for dinner," Joy told her sisters.

"He's a good man, and so is Tyler who I will see a lot of when I get back to Atlanta," Beth said. Maybe next "sisters' week" we'll run across a good man for you too, Lynn." This made all three giggle.

"Now we can get on to the rest of sisters' week. We have a lot of laughs to laugh and a lot of fun to have and so many wonderful memories to make."

They still walked arm in arm, and smiled when they reached the cabin door.

Be sure to check out "Murder in Myrtle Beach"  
the second book in The Sisters Week Series!

Or, Get "The Sister's Week Series Collection" now if you liked "Crime at Cripple Creek"

 It contains volumes 1-3 of the Sisters Week Series,  
at a discounted price.

Check out another Great Porterlance Book:

###

###

###

###

###

###

###

###

### As the Snow Falls  
Volumes 1

###

### M.D. James

###

### Turn the page for a preview...

### Chapter 1

"Naw. She's okay." I half managed to get out as my friends were teasing me about having a crush on April Powders.

"Yeah, you do! Ohhhh, yeah, you do! Jimmy likes April. Jimmy likes April," Mikey sang out loud while dancing around our lunch table. I'm not sure how, exactly, I became friends with Mikey. I suppose it was because we had homeroom together since I could remember. He was very tall for a thirteen year old and built like a lumber-jack. And, like you'd assume from looking at his unkempt hair and dirt-stained face, he had absolutely no manners. He didn't even care if there were girls around when he needed to pass gas, or shoot a booger out of his nose. And, he certainly didn't mind embarrassing me in front of April Powders.

I was quickly turning beet red, and wanted to die.

April was a girl who I sat next to each day in my English literature and biology classes. She had curly, brown hair that always smelled like roses. She was our class president, and my lab partner in biology. The truth was, I did have a bit of a crush on her, but I'd never tell Mikey that. No need to give him more ammunition to use on me later. It was always so hard to concentrate on the biology lesson when I was sitting next to April. I was magically transported into the wishful thinking of my mind by the lovely, clean scent of April's hair. I would get so nervous, though, that I had to constantly wipe the palms of my hands on my pants in class. They would sweat so much when I was around her. I mean, they would sweat a lot...so much so, that I felt like a sweat factory in biology! I probably left class everyday with pit stains under my arms too. I'm sure she thought I was a complete and utter idiot.

Being thirteen and in high school was hard to figure out. As a teen and high-schooler, I was supposed to hit on girls every chance I got and try to get dates or more from them...but, just last year I was made fun of if I even had a crush on a girl, or a girl had a crush on me. I never really knew what to do, and Mikey seemed to know that and pounced on me every chance he got. Unfortunately, for me, he got a lot of chances. I mean A LOT!

"Aww...leave him alone, Mike," my best friend, Connor, interjected. "Can't ya see he's embarrassed?"

Connor was everything I wished I was. He was taller than me...standing at five foot nine inches. He was athletic and toned. He had brown hair and hazel eyes like me, but also kind-of a crooked smile that seemed to make girls swoon. He was the kind of guy who was smart, funny, witty, goofy, and outgoing. I felt very lucky to have him as my best friend. I could tell Connor anything and know my secrets were safe with him. He was completely trust-worthy, and we had been friends since I was nine years old. That's when he stopped a bully from beating my face to a bloody stump. I know he was just trying to protect me this time too, but Mikey was hard to reel in when he knew he was getting under a person's skin.

Just as Mikey was about to start in again, and likely embarrass me to even greater depths than before, the school bell loudly rang.

RRIIIINNNNNGGGGGG....

Saved by the bell, lunch was over.

I exhaled a huge sigh of relief, as I picked up my trash and partially eaten sandwich and tossed them in the fly ridden trash can. I missed while trying to shoot the balled up wrapper into the can, as if it was a basketball. I quickly looked around to make sure Mikey didn't see my failure, and it seemed that I was in the clear for once. Now, I just had to make it through the rest of the day.

Connor and I told Mikey we would see him later since he had Algebra class on the other end of campus. As we walked away, Mikey yelled at the top of his lungs, "Jimmy! See ya later, Loverboy!" and cracked up laughing to himself as he blew a kiss in my direction. About thirty kids stopped and started looking at me and laughed...some hysterically.

"Don't mind him, dude," Connor offered, and playfully tussled my hair as he broke away to his locker. He always knew how to make me feel better.

The next few classes went well. I didn't have any classes the second half of the day with either Mikey or April, so I could just focus on my schoolwork. I was always a teacher's pet type of guy. I naturally got good grades, and was always polite and attentive to my teachers. I didn't brown-nose or anything, but I still got singled out as the example to follow in quite a few of my classes.

Finally, the last bell of the day rang and I couldn't wait to get home. Mom said that if I got my homework done early enough, we could go look at Christmas lights around town. I've always loved Christmas. Living in Washington State, I was fortunate enough to get a white Christmas every year. It just seemed to make everything so much more magical. The lights seemed to twinkle more, as they reflected off the snow and ice...and the people became just a tiny bit happier, in spite of having to drive in a foot of snow. The cold temperatures made me wanna get a fire going in the fireplace, and drink hot cocoa while watching my favorite Christmas television special. I had to imagine the fire since we never had a fireplace in our house.

Connor and I lived right next door to each other, so we always walked home together and talked about our day. It was actually the part of my day I normally looked forward to most.

"Wanna have a snowball fight throw-down?" Connor challenged as we passed the park near our houses. A snowball fight throw-down is like the ultimate snowball fight....winner takes all. The last three years Connor has held the championship, but I was determined to beat him one day. It would have to wait until some other day though.

"Can't today, bud. We're going to go look at Christmas lights tonight, so I gotta get my homework for Mrs. Schiltz's class done ASAP!" I answered. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Deal." Connor said with one of his patented winks as we each crossed our front yards.

As soon as I opened the worn and squeaky door, I threw off my snow covered shoes and ran straight to the fridge. I was fortunate enough to have a very good metabolism. Though, sometimes, I wondered if I was too thin. I weighed just under one hundred and thirty pounds. I felt like that was a good weight for my age and height. I grabbed some whole wheat bread, three or four ham slices, colby-jack cheese, and some Cheez-Its and headed to my room. I put a sandwich together quickly, and got my books out of my hand-me-down book bag.

"Is that you, Honey?" I heard Mom yell from down the hall. My Mom was a very pretty lady, who had to raise two kids all alone. She worked hard as a deli manager in our local super-market, and always seemed to have a smile on her face. Sometimes, I worried that she worked too hard. She was older than most of my friends' moms, and shouldn't have been doing as much manual labor as she did. My friends used to tease me when I was little about my Mom being the same age as their grandmas, but I still thought she was the best Mom around. When I would see laundry detergent commercials on television, I remembered my childhood being just like what was portrayed in them. The rays of sun would be coming in the windows, with a gentle spring breeze. Mom would always have everything smelling so great, and welcome me home from school with a perfect smile on her loving face.

"Yeah. I'm starting on my homework now. Are we still going to look at lights tonight?" I asked her.

"As long as you and your sister get your homework done in time," she hollered back from down the hall.

My sister's name was Sarah. Don't let the angelic sounding name fool you. She was pretty...she definitely got Mom's looks. She had the same long, wavy, blonde hair that shimmered, and eyes that changed between blue and green depending upon which type of a mood she was in. Her skin was very pale, almost porcelain-like. But, my sister could be mean....to me, at least. I guess that was to be expected from an older sister. She just turned sixteen, and thought she was too cool to hang around her dorky, younger brother. Even as kids, she seemed to find ways to torment me while we played together. When I was barely eight, she would only play with me if I would pet and talk to her feet. She would pretend they were turtles, and if I didn't pet them, and snuggle with them, their feelings would get hurt. On _several_ occasions, she made me eat the dead skin from her feet...telling me it tasted like bacon, and that the turtles made it for me. And, of course, she always got her way. Anytime we had to pick a game to play or decide on what to watch on TV, it was always what she wanted. I always figured my mom loved her more, but it could've just been that she was mom's first-born, or because they were both girls. Maybe it was just because my sister threw the biggest fit if she didn't get her way. One time, we were having an argument at _Wendy's_ about something and she took her packet of black pepper and blew the pepper right into my eyes. Boy, did it burn! Of course, she claimed it was an accident, but, I knew better. I told myself that I hoped she wasn't planning on coming home late and messing up our trip to go see the Christmas lights.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

I sprung up from my history homework, as my sister barged into my room and collapsed onto my bed, scattering my homework all over the place.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked a bit too rudely when I heard my sister's sobbing.

"I don't want to talk about it!" she replied. I moved my homework out of the way, because I thought her nose was running and I definitely didn't need snot all over my report when I turned it in. "You wouldn't even understand," she continued in between sobs.

"How do you know what I'd understand?" I asked, defensively.

"Men!" she exclaimed. Before I could figure out what she meant, she rambled on like I wasn't even there. "They will tell you they love you, and that you mean the world to them...but, don't you believe them. Oh no! Don't you believe them!"

I don't really expect to ever be in that position with a man, but okay.....

"They're all the same and only after one thing. Why can't Andrew understand that I want to take it slower than that? He tried to get me to hook-up last night, you know?" she asked rhetorically to no one in particular, as if I weren't really even there. "And, then, when I said I just wanted to kiss...he said he was fine with it. But, today he gives me the silent treatment all day, and at lunch I see him flirting with Angela 'the slut' Morgan!"

"Should I be hearing this?" I asked, but she continued as if not even hearing me.

"If he wants Angela 'the slut' Morgan, well, he can have her! I've got lots of guys wanting to date me. That's what I'll do! I'll go out with another guy tonight. See how he likes it!" Before she could ramble more, I stopped her and reminded her that we were all going to look at Christmas lights. "Grow up, Jimmy! How can you think of Christmas lights at a time like this???" And, with that, she stormed out of my room, likely to go repeat the entire thing to Mom.

Even if she decided she didn't want to go look at the lights with me and Mom, I was still excited. I spent the next two hours doing my report until I smelled dinner. As I was packing my books back into my book bag, Mom yelled out, "Dinner time!"

I raced to the dining room, and saw we were having a "taco night." Not very Christmassy, but I loved Mexican food. Laid out on the table were hard, corn tortillas as well as soft, flour tortillas. There was ground, seasoned beef, refried beans, two kinds of shredded cheese, black olive slices, lettuce, onions, diced tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. My sister was already seated at the table and seemed to be in better spirits. As always, I started loading up my plate first.

"Hungry much?" my sister asked in a sarcastic tone.

"You bet..." I replied with my mouth full as I continued shoving the first bite in my mouth. The taco broke and all its fillings dropped out onto my plate. Mom and Sarah laughed contagiously.

After dinner, Sarah and I cleaned the table and dishes. She made me wash because she said her hands were too delicate for dish-water. _Oh, brother!_ I didn't mind though because I never liked drying dishes anyways. I always thought I was going to drop and break them because they were so slippery. Once the left-overs were put up and the kitchen was sparkling clean again, Mom told us to get our coats and shoes on so we could get on the road for some good ole Christmas light lookin'.

"You don't have to tell me twice...." I hollered as I raced to find my shoes.

"Jimmy! I've told you not to get snow all over the place when you come in from school," Mom complained when she saw the mess the snow from my shoes made. "Go get a towel and mop up the puddles, please." I hurried and cleaned up the mess, and we all hopped in the car.

Brrrr, rrrr, rrrr, rrrrrr....cachuk!

Mom's car was an older, powder-blue, Chrysler station-wagon that never seemed to want to start when it was cold outside. Mom tried again, and it finally cranked. "Oh my God...it's sooooo c-c-coooollllddddd in here," Sarah complained. She always seemed to be complaining about something. Mom turned on the Christmas carols to take our minds off of the frigid car while it slowly warmed up. Then, she stepped outside to scrape the ice from the windshield. Meanwhile, I bundled up in the blanket I kept on the back seat for long trips. I got car sick very easily, so if we were going to be in the car long, I always had to nap to prevent myself from getting too nauseous. There was always a blanket and pillow waiting for me, just in case.

"Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Jingle all the waaaayyyy..." I sang as we backed out of the driveway. The car began to heat up and we started out to the first neighborhood. The first few houses didn't have any lights on, even though their yards were decorated. We did manage to find enough houses that had their lights on to make it worth it, though. We sang along to the carols on the radio, in between our trio of "ooohhhhs" and "aaahhhs" as we saw bigger and bigger displays of lights. One house even had wooden cut outs of cartoon characters, and had re-enacted a scene from my favorite Christmas special, involving a lonely Christmas tree.

Once we left a few of the smaller neighborhoods, we made our way to the King of Neighborhoods, as I nick-named the sub-division due to the enormous sizes of the houses. I don't know if you'd call the houses in _Ashton Woods Estate_ mansions, but they are certainly the biggest houses I had ever seen. Each house was covered in stone, and even had a smaller attached home for their housekeepers or cooks. We weren't what I would call poor, but we rented our home...and had an older car. Mom provided for my sister and I alright and we haven't been on welfare. Even so, money was tight. I could never imagine living in a house as large and luxurious as the ones I was looking at. There must have been at least seven or eight bedrooms in each main house...and probably just as many bathrooms. _Imagine that....not having to share a bathroom with Sarah anymore._ It brought a smile to my face.

The lights and decorations on the mansions looked so elegant. It was my absolute favorite stop every year. My mom always worried that we would get arrested, because of the looks of our car. "Surely, they'll think we're casing the joint," she always joked. One of the houses had a huge tree in the middle of the spacious, front yard, and they always decorated it to look like a Christmas tree, complete with the tree skirt and larger than life presents underneath. It was so big, it reminded me of the tree at the end of the _How the Grinch Stole_ Christmas cartoon special. If I would ever become rich, I'd want to give my Mom a Christmas tree like that...with just as many presents.

We continued looking at more houses and more pretty lights, but I must have fallen asleep because I awoke to my Mom tucking me in to bed.

"Sweet dreams, Jimmy," she said as she kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight, Mom," I lazily muttered back.

BBBBBZZZZZ. BBBBBZZZZZ. BBBBBZZZZZ. BBBBBZZZZZ.

I hated my alarm clock. Connor had an iPod dock that would wake him to his favorite music. I didn't have an iPod or cell phone...hell; we didn't even have enough money for a generic mp3 player. I tossed my simple but effective alarm clock across the room and slowly got out of bed.

I had to bang on the bathroom door, repeatedly. "Hurry up!" As usual, Sarah was in there doing her makeup. "You can do that in your room," I suggested for about the millionth time.

"I have to look extra, _extra_ hot today, you know...so I can make Andrew jealous," she explained as she exited our only bathroom, "...so, chill out, dweeb."

"Whatever..." I mumbled as I closed the door and started the shower. I wasn't really a vain guy. I didn't get haircuts every two weeks like Connor, or workout religiously like Mikey. Most days I barely ran a comb through my hair. But, I thought I was an attractive enough guy, in an average sort of way.

After getting ready and grabbing my book bag, I made my way next door to Connor's so we could head to the bus stop. We always rode the bus on cold mornings, because it was just too cold and early to make a hike to school in the snow and ice. Most of our friends got rides to school from their parents, but Connor's parents and my Mom were already at work by the time school started.

As we pulled up to the school, Mikey was there waiting. "What took ya'll so long?" he asked with a fake, southern drawl.

"We're here at the same time as always, Mikey," I replied. He just punched my shoulder and started telling us about the cool, new tablet computer he got last night for Hanukkah. Mikey lived on the wealthier side of town. His parents were both doctors, so he tended to always have the best of everything. I liked living vicariously through him, especially when he would tell us about all the new gadgets he got as presents. But, after 10 minutes of him rambling on about this new $700 tablet computer, even I was jealous and ready to change the subject. "So....how did you guys think you did on yesterday's English Lit test?" I offered to steer the subject in a different direction.

"I aced that biotch!" exclaimed Mikey, even though he rarely got anything above a "C."

"I think I did pretty well, too," I stated.

Of course, Mikey had to start in on me, again. "I'm surprised you could concentrate on the test, what, with you drooling over April all day."

"I think that was you, Mike!" Connor interjected, coming to my rescue yet again. "We'd better get to homeroom, though, before the bell rings." We took our seats just as the second bell rang.

The rest of the day went by without incident. In Biology, April even gave me a note that of course smelled of roses. I waited until last period, though, to read it:

Jimmy,

I think you're really cute. I hope you think I'm pretty, also.

I was hoping you'd ask me to the Winter Dance, if you don't already have a date.

Let me know...okay?

April

It was a short note, but one that made me very happy. It got me equally as nervous, though. I had never even held a girl's hand...so how was I going to take one to the dance? I had nothing to wear, and I'd have to get a corsage. At the end of the night, she'd probably expect me to kiss her. It's not that I didn't want to, but what if I was bad at it and she told everyone at school? I definitely didn't want Mikey to know about this note, but I'd probably tell Connor about it on the way home from school.

"Hey, Connor," I started as we made our way home, "April gave me a note today in Biology."

"No way, dude! That's great....what'd it say?"

"She wants to go to the Winter Dance with me." I explained. Connor thought that was great. "But, I'm scared. I have never been that close to a girl. How will I know if I should kiss her?"

"You'll just know," he offered with confidence. Connor had kissed a few girls over the last year, even though he never really dated any of them.

"How will I know how to kiss," I asked, "...so I don't gross her out?"

My best friend just started cracking up laughing. "You know I'm your best friend and would do anything for you, dude....but, I'm not kissing you!" he teased. Hearing that made me laugh and lightened my mood.

That is, until we rounded the next corner. Blue and red lights were flashing near my house. I could see a portly police officer putting my Mom in the back of a squad car. She was handcuffed!

I forgot about Connor and the note from April, and sprinted to my house as the police car containing my Mom drove off. I don't know when I started crying, but tears were streaming down my face. At first, I figured it was just snowflakes that landed on me, melting. I was screaming, trying to catch my mother. I didn't know what was going on. As I reached my house, a tall, middle-aged, uniformed officer asked if I was James Nelson.

"Where did you take my Mom?" I screamed, through my sobbing and tears.

"It'll be alright, son," the officer told me. "Are you James Nelson?"

"YES! YES! Why did you take my Mom away?" I demanded.

"Because she isn't your Mom," the tall officer answered.

_That's all I remember before I fainted_.

