Snowed In

Edward Grey knew that the snow was coming but he had already booked his stay at Dewy Dew-Wright’s ski lodge months in advance. Refunds were only given if cancelations were made with 1 month’s notice. News of an approaching blizzard would not stop a ski resort town anyway. After all, how bad could it be? Snow was good for business. By the time he checked in, it had already started. It wasn’t all that heavy of a snowfall, but some of the guests had already started to leave. Most of the staff was leaving also. They didn’t want to get stuck there.

“If you leave now”, Tabitha Wright said, “Don’t expect a refund. And you will be charged for any damaged or missing items.”

Tabitha had a very raspy voice. The type of voice that you would expect the Wicked Witch of the North to have. Her face was not that much better. She had a pointed nose with a large mole on the tip, and long fingers that seemed to curl when she pointed at you. The green “beauty” mask she wore at night made it even worse. She was about 69 years old but could easily pass for 89 if not older. When she was there, business was normally slow. Most people feared her. Those that didn’t, hated her.

When Edward walked up to the front desk, he had a smile on his face. The trip to the lodge was long and he was very tired. However, he believed that a smile could make anyone feel better. That smile died down the moment he saw Tabitha.

“Hello!”, he said. “My name is Edward Grey. I…”

“If you’re trying to sell something, don’t bother,” she said. “We ain’t buying anything.”

“I’ve rented a room for the…”

“Oh”, she said with disgust. “You got an ID?”

He pulled out his driver's license and showed it to her.

“That’s right. The Cop.”

“Retired detect...”

“You ain’t got no gun, do you. This ain’t that type of place.”

“No ma’am. I no longer carry weapons with me.”

“Good!” At that, she slammed his room key on the desk. “This is a no-smoking facility.”

“Ok. I don’t smoke.”

“No loud music. No profanity. No pets.”

Edward points to the black cat that started to rub its head on Mrs. Wright’s leg.

“Siberia is not a pet. She’s family. Your room is 205. Theresa’s job is to make your bed and provide towels. You mess it up, you clean it up. Reginald provides breakfast and dinner. You want anything else, you pay extra. If you order out, you pay a fee.”

The scariest thing in the world happened next. Edward almost took 3 steps back. Mrs. Wright smiled and said, “Why the long face? This is a happy place. Zack can show you all the things fun around here. He’s a great event planner as well as security.” Her smile disappeared as quickly as it came. She walked away to her office without saying another word.

“Mean old hag, isn’t she”, said Michale Knoll as he grabbed Edward's bags. “I’ll have these right up to your room. You can relax.”

“That was the craziest experience I’ve ever… Hay!”

Tabitha almost knocked him down. “Get out the way, you fool!”

“Calm down, Sweetheart”, Dewy said, “We’ll get home.”

The snow was really coming down now. Tabitha was trying her best to get away from the lodge. When she opened the door, a large amount of snow blew inside. Tabitha walked right out. The snow was already six inches deep. Dewy tried to clean the snow off the car but it was falling quicker than he could get it off. The temperature was dropping quickly, and his fingers were starting to go numb.

“Sweetheart”, he said, “We’re spending the night here.”

She gave him an evil eye, opened the car door, and got inside. She tried to start the snow-covered car but was unsuccessful. It took her a while to get out. Partly due to stubbornness but mostly because another inch had fallen. She walked back inside the lodge, stared at all around, and stormed off to the owner’s suite.

The owner’s suite was the entire 4th floor. You would need a 16-digit code to get in. It was designed with all the luxuries of home. If Tabitha had to spend the night here, that’s where she would spend all of her time. Unless you were able to make friends with them, nobody would ever get that code. Dewy was easy to befriend. Tabitha, on the other hand, the devil himself would avoid.

The next morning, breakfast was being served. All 10 remaining guests came down to eat. There were over 30 at first but most left before the snow got too bad. 11 of the 15 workers also left. The 4 that stayed did so as a favor to Dewy. At this time, the snow has covered the 2nd story windows. Nobody was going out or coming in.

Dewy called his wife but there was no answer. He went up to the owner’s suite but couldn’t find her. He started to get a little worried and called for everybody's help. The guests just looked at each other but didn’t move. Edward Grey was the first to stand up. “We need to do a room-by-room search. Finish eating. We’ll find the old hag... I mean, we’ll find her.” Then he mumbled under his breath, “Or at least her body.”

He didn’t think anyone heard. But Freddy White laughed when he said it. The truth was that neither one of them would have minded seeing her dead. Even her husband. Each one of them had some complaints against her. She rubbed them all the wrong way and they just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m sorry. I have to ask. How did the 2 of you ever get married in the first place? You’re so nice and she’s… I’d rather not say.”

“You can say it. She’s the Devil. I was at an office party. I got drunk and woke up in the bed next to her with rings on both of our fingers. I didn’t even know her at the time. I knew of her. I’d seen her before but didn’t know her. In addition to the rings, there was a contract that appeared to be signed by me stating that if I ever left her, she would get everything. If she leaves me, she gets nothing. I remember nothing of that night. It was signed in my handwriting. I would never knowingly sign such a thing.”

“Wow! Couldn’t you get it annulled? You were obviously drugged. That contract wouldn’t stand in court.”

“I couldn’t prove it. Whatever drug she used, didn’t leave a trace.”

“Wow! Clever old troll.”

After breakfast, the staff went searching for Tabitha. The guests stayed at the dining tables talking about their experiences with her the night before. Betty Nottingham spoke first.

Betty Nottingham:

“That crazy fool destroyed a whole week of hard work. Anybody that’s been here a few days knows I like to spend my time crocheting. I had made hats and scarves for those who left before the storm. I can whip up a set in a few hours. But what I really pride myself on is these blankets. A good one takes a few days to make. I was almost finished with one when that witch called it hideous. She said that she didn’t want anything that ugly in her building. She grabbed it right out of my hands and threw it in the fireplace. She did this while I was still sitting there. It would have been bad enough if she did it behind my back, but right in front of me! If it was me, I’d throw her in the fireplace.”

Laura Deen:

“Y’all know that I didn’t want to come here anyway. I promised my sister I’d let her show me a good time. Some good time! That stupid heifer kept following me around. She said that I was wasteful. She said that I spend too much time in the shower. Like it’s any of her business. When I went to take a shower last night, the hot water was turned off. I came out of the bathroom and found her standing there. She said that that should teach me a lesson. I’d dump scalding hot water on her to see if she would melt.”

Joe Knight:

“I came here to help my son and myself relax. My wife died a few months ago and it has been very stressful to deal with for both of us. Last night I thought that a dip in the pool would do the job. Both of us were in the pool for only about 10 minutes when that thing came in. She said that the pool was closed and that we had to leave. My son was ready to jump out, but I refused. I told her that the sign on the door said that the pool closed at midnight. It wasn’t 10 pm yet. She gave us both an evil eye and then told us that it was fine, that we could stay as long as we wanted. She then started to strip. We couldn’t get out quick enough. I wish she had drowned in that pool. I’ll never get that vile image out of my head.”

Holly Waters:

“I’m 20 years old and this is the first time I’ve been on any vacation without my parents being in the same building. When I got here, I met this nice young man. Freddy offered to bring my bags to my room while Michale was attending to another guest. That was a wonderful thing to do. I knew that he was really just flirting with me, but I was flirting back. Over the last few days, we’ve got pretty close. Last night, I went to his room. We exchanged addresses and found out that we lived only a mile from each other. I laughed. At that point, that troll came bursting into his room. She grabbed my arm, twisted it, called me a harlot, and said that this was not a hoe house and for me to do my hoeing somewhere else. I’d love to twist her neck like she twisted my arm. If she’s still alive, I hope not, I’m suing when we get out of here.”

Edward Grey:

“Since I got here, I’ve done everything I could to avoid her. We didn’t get along well from the start. She called me a cop. I’m not a cop. I never was. I’m a retired private detective who often worked with the police. Despite the fact that I repeatedly told her I was not a cop, she still insisted on making pig sounds when I walked past. She put pig posters on my door. Her last words to me were ‘I didn’t know pigs eat pork’. I had no ill will to the woman. But the fact that she’s missing brings no tears to my eyes.”

Sandra Carter:

“I’m 23 years old. I work a full-time job while going to school to be a pharmacist. The demands on my time are very stressful. So, when I get a chance to take a vacation, I want to relax. I would have left when the other guest did, but I thought, what harm could it be staying indoors reading a few good books? That’s how I relax. However, every time I looked up, there she was, going through my bags. She said that a pharmacist is nothing more than a glorified drug dealer. She was determined to find what drugs I had on me. I’d love the mix her Opioids with Benzodiazepines.”

Gregory Jones:

“I spent a lot of time in the kitchen talking to the cook. The delicious meal we all ate last night was my recipe, by the way. When I got back to my room, I found all of my stuff dumped on the floor. She said that I’d better return the items I stole or she’s calling the cops. She even said that one was already here. Of course, I had nothing to return since I never stole anything in the 85 years of my life. Then she put kitty litter in my closet and opened it for that demon cat to get inside. I got scratches all over my arm trying to get that thing out. I saw her go into the pool last night. I put a broom with a note on it by the door. It said, ‘Your ride is here.’ I agree with Holly. I’m pressing charges as soon as we get out of here.”

Freddy White:

“Despite what that old bat claims, I am a perfect gentleman. When Ms. Waters came into my room, the meeting was truly innocent. When we found out that we came from the same town, we had much to talk about. We were shocked that we never bumped into each other. We wanted to see if we had any mutual friends. After the beautiful Holly White was ripped away from me, I followed after her. That crazy nut tried to kill me. She almost pushed me over the railing. I would not have survived a fall from the 3rd floor. When I got back to my room, I was locked out. My key no longer worked. I had to get Mr. Wright to open it for me.” If she wasn’t holding on to Holly, I would have done to her what she tried to do to me. Push her over the rail. It wouldn’t have killed her. I know that witches always land on their feet.”

Sonya Deen:

“All I wanted to do was show my sister a good time. I wish I’d paid attention to the weather reports. I would have booked us somewhere else. This was a last-minute thing. She told me what that horrible woman did to her. She didn’t treat me any better. I had put a slice of pie away to eat later. Cherry pie is Laura’s favorite, so I was going to give it to her. Anything to cheer her up. When I got the pie, Tabitha was watching. She said that the kitchen was closed and that she was charging an extra food fee to my account. I told her that it was already mine. She charged even more to my account for bringing my own food. I told her it was leftovers from dinner, but she wouldn’t listen. I’m not paying a dime. I’ve already called my bank and told them to deny any further charges from this place.”

Bobby Knight:

“After we left the pool, my father and I went to get a drink. He ordered a Tequila Sunrise. I ordered a Tipsy Mermaid. I was attracted to the name. Reginald took the orders, but he was dismissed by you know who. She threatened to fire him. She said that I couldn’t be any older than 16. That would sound like a compliment from anyone else, but from her… Anyway, I showed her my ID to prove that I was of age. She tried to keep it saying that it was fake. Maybe I shouldn’t have but I knocked her down and took my ID back. Later, Reginald brought our drinks to my room.”

As soon as all 10 guests told their stories, Zack came to them with a shocked look on his face.

“We think we found her”, he said. “Follow me. Especially you, Mr. Jones.”

Gregory’s room was on the 3rd floor. When the sliding door to his balcony was opened, they noticed that the railing was broken. Beneath it was a hole in the snow in the shape of a human body.

“Either she fell”, Zack said, “Or you pushed her.”

“Wait a second”, Gregory responded, “I was in my son's room all night.”

“Let me guess, he can confirm it. So, the 2 of you worked together.”

“Anybody could have done it”, Edward said. “Everybody had a motive. We all talked about our night. Let's hear how the four of you survived the night.”

Theresa Brown:

“She called me her maid. She said it in such a way as to sound demeaning. She would dump stuff on the floor just to order me to clean it up. So I did. I got the mop and left soapy water on the floor when I knew she would walk past. You should have seen it. To see her legs go up in the air like that was priceless. But it wasn’t in Gregory’s room. It was on the 1st floor.”

Reginald Green:

“Yes, she complained about my cooking. She even called it disgusting. So what! I have served over 500 people in the last month. 1 out of 500 people that did not like my food, I can deal with that. What got me was when she trashed the food I cooked. A full untouched apple pie was trashed just because she wanted cherry pie. The idiot couldn’t tell that another pie, cherry, was in the oven. I was kind enough to bake her a personal pie. I even added ingredients that she would get a kick out of. Something that would affect her deep inside. She was on the toilet for an hour.”

Zack Black:

“She wanted me to open all the doors to the guests' rooms. She wanted to see what they were stealing. I refused. She didn’t care about that too much. She confiscated my keys and demoted me from security to event planner. It wouldn’t be that bad if it wasn’t for the fact that there are no events to plan, being snowed in, the way we are. Oh, how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when she went over.”

Michale Knoll:

“I used to be in security. IT security, as a matter of fact. She once asked me to hack into the files of the lodge down the way. She wanted to get their guest list so that she could put their guests on her mailing list. I refused. Now, I'm a bellhop. That was a year ago. Last night, she offered me my job back if I did what she asked the first time. I refused again. She told me that after the snow melts away, my services are no longer needed. I told her that I quit. She said that my last paycheck would cover the cost of my room since I am now a guest. I then, without her knowing, hacked into her account and wired the amount of my pay as IT Security to my account. I also refunded all of your deposits.”

All of this information did not get them any closer to solving what happened. Edward sat down and thought long and hard about the next move. After a while, he called Dewy to ask him a few questions. He wasn’t accusing him of anything. He was just trying to get some information.

“Mr. Wright”, he said.

“Please, call me Dewy.”

“Ok, Dewy. First of all, you don’t seem too upset that your wife is gone.”

“That’s the only time I get any peace when she’s not around.”

“It doesn’t bother you that she’s dead?”

“I’m hoping she’s still alive and just left me. I’d love to rub it in her face, that she won’t get a thing. But it does not bother me one bit that she might be dead.”

“Wow! I really wanted to ask you this: Do you have sensors on all doors and windows?”

“Yes. Every entry point has a sensor. Even the chimney.”

“Do they leave a record of when they were opened and closed?”

“Yes. But I don’t know how to check it. She did all that.”

“Michale, can you check it.”

“Without a problem”, Michale said.

In less than a minute, he had the records of each sensor in the building. They focused on the one for Gregory’s balcony door.

“According to this”, he said, “The door was opened at 7 am and closed at 7:30 am. By 7:10 we were all down here for breakfast.”

“I closed the door at 7:30”, Theresa said. “But the rail wasn’t broken. I didn’t pay that much attention to it. I felt the draft. It was making the whole floor cold.” Looking at Gregory, she said. “I was going to get on you for leaving it open. I didn’t want to do it in front of everyone.”

“So, who opened the door?”, Edward asked.

There was a minute of silence.

“She did”, Gregory finally said. “She’s been snooping through my stuff since I got here. I don’t know what she’s trying to find.”

“So, when did the railing break? If it wasn’t broken at 7:30 as Theresa stated.”

“I can’t tell”, Michale said. “According to this, it hasn’t been opened anymore. No entry point has.”

“The mystery continues. Mr. Wright. Sorry, Dewy. She’s your wife. You should know her. Would she go anywhere to hide?”

“Not likely. She’s the type that’s not happy unless she’s harassing someone. If she’s hiding anywhere, it would be to jump out at someone. I would ask who she had an issue with, but a better question would be who didn’t she have an issue with?”

“OK. We need all hands on deck. Search each room. If we can’t find her, then that is her body in the snow.”

With 15 people, they break into groups of 5. Dewy takes Betty Nottingham, Joe Knight, Edward Grey, and Gregory Jones to thoroughly search the 4th floor. Dewy has everyone turn their back while he types the 16-digit code needed to gain access. The place is massive. The bedroom takes up most of the north side of the building. This includes 2 large walk-in closets. After searching the 2 other closets on the floor, the large bathroom, the kitchen, and the office, they determined that she was not there. The rest was too wide open to hide in.

While Dewy and his team searched the 4th floor, Reginald Green took Laura and Sonya Deen, Holly Waters, and Sandra Carter to search the 3rd floor. The 3rd floor had 8 rooms, 2 on each side with a bathroom connecting each set. Each room had its own closet and balcony. It didn’t take too long to check them. Theresa Brown led the team to the 2nd floor. She had with her Freddy White, Bobby Knight, Zack Black, and Michale Knoll. The 2nd floor was identical to the 3rd. They also searched the floor quickly with no success.

All 15 people arrived on the main floor at the same time. They did a quick search there before heading down to the basement. The basement consisted of the pool, the weight room, and the bar. It also had a sauna, a shower, 2 bathrooms, and a few closets. Still, no success. They concluded that the body shape whole in the snow was from Tabitha falling. Now they had to determine if she had just fallen or was she pushed. They had all already told their versions of the previous night's events. There was no need to go through that again. They looked to Edward, the detective, to put all of the clues together.

“OK”, he said. “Give me one moment to review some of the facts.” He stepped away for only 2 or 3 minutes. “Of everything that’s happened, all that’s been said, one thing has escaped the notice of everyone here. Everyone except me, that is. So let me give you a run-down of what happened. This morning, Gregory was one of the first people to make it down for breakfast. He made it before 7 AM, the time that his balcony door was opened. Being the evil old lady she is, or was, she opened his door just to be mean. No doubt she wanted his room to be freezing cold when he returned. At 7:30, Theresa, noticing the cold breeze, went into his room and closed the door. She did not notice that Tabitha was still out there. The door automatically locks when it’s closed. Thus, she had no way back inside. But this leaves another question. If she opened the balcony door just to be mean, why did she step outside? Someone else was here who has not been around to answer any questions.”

At this point, everyone had a confused look on their face. All of the other guests and staff left before the snow got bad. They began to murmur amongst each other. Was there a secret guest that nobody knew about? Was somebody hiding, coming out only at night so they wouldn’t be seen? Will he or she try to kill us all in our sleep? It’s the perfect time. The roads are still blocked, and the police can’t get here. What can we do? Are we in any kind of danger? The questions continued to flow. The longer it took Edward to continue, the more worried the guests and staff got. Then Dewy put his head down, shaking it, laughed, and said, “Siberia!”

“Siberia? Russia? No! The Cat!”, Gregory said, shocked.

“The cat.”, said Edward. “Apparently, the cat ran out the opened door and climbed up the wall. Tabitha chased after the cat and called to it. Theresa closed the door, not realizing that someone was out there, and walked away. Siberia jumped off the wall onto Tabitha. They fell, broke the railing and both went into the snow. That is why nobody has seen the cat today. Case closed.”

“Wow!”, Dewy exclaimed. “I’m finally free of that demon. That witch. That evil troll.”

“Dewy. Be careful what you say. The police will still have questions for everyone when this is all over.”

As time went on, the guests and staff started to enjoy themselves. They were all able to enjoy a dip in the pool. They were able to enjoy a nice drink. Both apple pie and cherry pie were served for dessert. They didn’t have too much to worry about. The only thing that bothered them was the strange sound coming from one of the closets in the basement. At first, it was just a scratching sound. Then a faint meow. Dewy went into the closet and after removing some old junk, he saw something he had never noticed before. The floorboard could be removed. As soon as he removed it, Siberia jumped out. He then saw a ladder leading down to a previously unknown sub-basement. In it was the hypothermic, but still alive, body of Tabitha Wright. She had fallen through the snow and into the sub-basement. Unable to call for help, probably knowing that nobody would want to, she sent her only friend in the world. However, it should be known that it was the cat who pushed her over in the first place.