Mystery on Majestic Mountain (Kristi Cameron Book 9) Page 9

  Rachel went back to the kitchen and Kristi took the afghans over to the other girls. “Well, I think that will do it,” she said. “At least for covers. We can wear our jackets all night, too, if we have to. Now, let’s see…there are two couches, a love seat and a recliner down here. Beds for some people but the rest are going to have to sleep on the floor.”

  “The guys,” Robyn said promptly. “They’re tough—or so they say! They can handle it!” They all laughed. No matter how hard or cold the floor got, they would never admit it!

  Pete and Dan came back with the luggage from the cars a little while later. They took Liz’s bags over to the ping-pong table and then quietly backed away. She and the kids were sleeping.

  “Where’s Mr. Andrews?” Dan asked.

  Kristi pointed up to the loft. “He won’t come down.”

  “But Dad said—”

  “I know. He won’t listen.”

  Dan walked over to the foot of the stairs and set the old man’s suitcase down. “Mr. Andrews,” he called up to the loft, “your suitcase is here at the bottom of the stairs if you want it.” There was no answer.

  Dan shrugged and walked away. “We’re going back out,” he said. “It’s going to be dark in half an hour and Dad and Jake only just now got through all that snow to the firewood and axes. We’re going to help.”

  It was fully dark when the men and boys started bringing the firewood in. They filled the wood box next to the fireplace and stacked some more right next to it. Steve built up the fire until it was a good, healthy blaze. He had been right. The cold coming from upstairs was beginning to cool down the house.

  Everyone was more than ready to eat when Rachel called them to the table. The guys were cold from their hours outdoors and hungry—“man-sized hungry,” Skeeter said.

  Mr. Andrews did not come down to eat. His suitcase had disappeared from the bottom of the stairs, but they did not hear or see him. “I’ll save some soup and biscuits for you if you should change your mind, Mr. Andrews,” Rachel called up to him.

  “Why do you bother with him, Mrs. Cameron?” Jake asked as they began to eat. “He’s just a stubborn, ungrateful old coot.”

  “Not to mention cranky,” Skeeter muttered.

  Rachel cast her son a disapproving look and replied, “The love of Jesus, Jake. In God’s eyes we’re all stubborn and ungrateful sinners until we accept His Son Jesus as our Savior. I doubt if Mr. Andrews knows Him.” Jake didn’t answer. He just dug into his soup and helped himself to another biscuit.

  Liz spoke up. “I haven’t had a chance to tell all of you yet, but—I accepted Jesus as my Savior this afternoon!” She beamed as the others rejoiced with her and welcomed her into the family of God. “I can’t wait to tell Jim!” she said. She glanced at her watch and suddenly her smile disappeared and her eyes filled with tears. “His plane should be landing any minute now! He’s going to be so upset when we’re not there and he can’t reach me. He’ll be imagining all kinds of awful things, especially when he hears the reports on the news about the blizzard and avalanches and escaped convicts!”

  Jake suddenly jumped up from the table. “Well, the blizzard and avalanche are over, and you probably don’t need to worry about an escaped convict, either! Just relax! We’ll get out of here one way or the other!” He stomped off, grabbing his jacket as he went and slamming the front door behind him.

  Everyone stopped and stared, some with their spoons halfway to their mouths and others with their jaws dropped open. “Wow!” Skeeter finally broke the silence. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Steve shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s been quiet all afternoon—ever since we brought you and Liz out of the avalanche. Nice enough fellow, though. He’s been very helpful and worked really hard.”

  Liz dabbed at her tears with her napkin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get everyone upset.”

  “You didn’t, Sweetie,” Rachel said. “If Jake’s upset about something, it isn’t you. And as for Jim—yes, it will be tough for him tonight wondering where you and the kids are, but remember, Liz—the Lord often uses really hard things to turn us to Him. Just like He used the avalanche today to help you see your need for a Savior, He may use this scare in Jim’s life, as well. And at least this is only a scare and not the real thing. By tomorrow or the next day, you will all be reunited again and think what a time of rejoicing that will be!”

  “Mommy’s crying?” Jenny asked, looking at her mother with big eyes.

  “It’s okay, Baby,” her mama said, giving her little daughter a hug. “Ooo, isn’t this soup yummy? Did you tell Miss Rachel thank you for making this good soup?”

  “Hey! We have to finish our ping-pong tourney tonight!” Skeeter remembered.

  “Well, you’ll need to do it before Liz wants to put the babies to bed, then. She’s going to have that couch over by the ping-pong table tonight,” Kristi said. “We girls got it all worked out who’s sleeping where. Liz gets that couch ‘cuz it pulls out into a bed and they can all sleep together out of the way where it’s a little quieter.”

  “Where am I sleeping?” Skeeter asked eagerly.

  “The floor.”

  “The floor?!”

  “We figured you guys wouldn’t mind since you’re almost men now and pretty tough guys.” Kristi winked at Robyn and Anna.

  “Oh,” Skeeter said. “Oh yeah.” He looked at his sister suspiciously, not quite sure if she meant what she was saying. Dan and Pete just rolled their eyes. “Well, what are we going to do once the kids go to bed?”

  “We can play some board games,” Robyn said.

  “And toast marshmallows in the fireplace. I brought the stuff to make s’mores,” Rachel informed them.

  “Oh, yum!” Robyn and Skeeter said at the same time.

  Liz looked from face to face around the table. “You people are amazing!” she said. “An avalanche nearly kills us and wipes out half the cabin, you work like dogs all day long, and yet you’re ready to have a fun night of toasting marshmallows and playing games! Doesn’t anything ever get you down?”

  “What do we have to be down about? Kristi shrugged. “God is so good! Nobody was killed, we still have shelter, food and warmth, and help will be on the way soon! I say we have a lot to praise the Lord for!”

  “Praise the Lord!” Jenny sang out, lifting her spoon into the air. Cody followed her lead and held his spoon up, too, gurgling happily. “How do we sing that song, Skeeter?” she asked. He started into a rousing chorus of Praise Him, Praise Him, All Ye Little Children and everyone joined in.

  Jake had returned by the time the kitchen was cleaned up and the guys were ready to play ping-pong again. He didn’t say anything about his outburst earlier but simply picked up a paddle and joined the other fellows.

  The evening passed swiftly. No one noticed the chilly drafts coming down from the roofless bedrooms upstairs or the lack of television or movies to entertain. By the time they had played a few good old-fashioned board games and toasted marshmallows in the fireplace to make gooey s’mores it was getting late.

  “I hate to end this good time, everyone, but it has been a long, long, really lo-o-o-ng day. And I’m sorry to break this to you all, but we’re going to have another hard day tomorrow with all the shoveling we have to do. So we’d better call this party over, folks!” Steve said.

  Everyone separated to get ready for bed and line up for the one small bathroom that was off of the kitchen. With no pajamas to change into or toothbrushes to use, it didn’t take long. Kristi and Skeeter found themselves alone for a few moments in front of the fireplace as Skeeter spread out his afghan by the hearth.

  “Hey, Skeeter,” Kristi said. “I just wanted to tell you again how happy I am that you’re okay. We were really, really scared when we thought you were buried under all that snow.” She threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

  “Aw, Kristi! Cut it out! Don’t get all mushy on me!” He squirmed, trying to wiggle out of her hug.

&n
bsp; “Well, I really mean it, Skeeter!” she said as she released him.

  “Yeah, well I was really scared, too, when I thought maybe something had happened to all of you.”

  “What were you doing in that little loft, anyway, Skeeter?”

  “Getting my goggles. The sun was too bright.”

  “They were in the loft?”

  “Sure! See, here they are!” He pulled the old knit ski cap out from under his belt and pulled the goggles out of it.

  “Skeeter, what is that thing? I’ve been meaning to ask you about it all evening! Why are you carrying a ski cap full of stuff hanging from your belt?” Kristi asked.

  Skeeter looked around. No one was nearby. “You have to promise not to tell the other guys,” he whispered. Kristi nodded and he said softly, “It’s my spy kit!”

  “Your spy kit! Oh, Skeeter!” Kristi wanted to laugh but the look on his face was so earnest that she didn’t.

  “Seriously, Kristi! Look, I’ve got my night vision goggles, my invisible ink pen, a rope, and a secret agent walkie-talkie watch.” He pulled the objects out of the cap one by one and showed them off proudly. “Oh yes, and a bunch of candy bars. I’m saving them in case we’re stuck here for a week and we run out of food and are starving to death. Then I’ll pull them out and make everybody happy again!”

  Kristi smiled. “Skeeter, you are too much!” She noticed another lump in the ski cap. “What’s that?”

  “What? Oh, this? I think Dan and Pete were playing another joke on me. I found it up in the loft. I’m trying to think how I can get them back with a joke of my own.” He pulled out the gun.

  “Skeeter! That’s a gun!”

  “Oh, it’s just a toy. Where would Dan and Pete get a real gun?”

  “Skeeter, that doesn’t look like a toy to me!” Kristi hissed. “And Dan and Pete never said a word to us girls about playing a joke on you with a toy gun! You know they would have told us! Yikes! Get your finger off the trigger! Oh, Skeeter—that’s no toy! That is a real gun!”

  Skeeter took a good look at the pistol in his hand for the first time. Suddenly he had doubts of his own. It felt too heavy to be a toy. Maybe Kristi was right… “Well, how did it get up there, then? I’m positive it wasn’t there before!” Skeeter said. He paused. “If Dan and Pete didn’t put it up there, then who did?”

  ____________

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ____________

  The Gun

  “I suppose I ought to go up and check on him,” Steve said to his wife as they cleaned up the leftovers from the s’mores.

  “Why? He made his choice to stay up there. I really don’t want you on those stairs, Steve. What if they collapse?”

  “He’s an old man, Honey. We haven’t seen or heard a thing from him all evening. What if something happened up there? I’ll be careful on the stairs, but I know I won’t be able to sleep unless I go up and make sure he’s okay.”

  “Alright,” Rachel sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

  She was wiping off the counter and rinsing out the dish cloth when Steve came back. “Back already?” she said when he appeared in the kitchen.

  “He’s not up there.” Steve said.

  “What? Where is he then? Did he come down to use the bathroom?”

  “No. There are still three people in line for the bathroom and he’s not one of them. Dan’s just went in there now. Andrews isn’t upstairs, and he’s not anywhere downstairs, either. What’s more, his suitcase and briefcase are gone, too.”

  “Oh-hh. He’s gone back to his car then. He’s been talking about doing that all day. Well, that’s his choice, I suppose.” Rachel shrugged. “A silly one, but what can we do? We can’t force him to stay.”

  “No, but I don’t like him trying to get back to his car, carrying that stuff through all this snow, either.”

  “Steve, don’t tell me—”

  “I have to, Rachel. He’s old and not in the best shape. I really won’t be able to sleep if I don’t go check on him.”

  “But that’s my point! You’ve worked so hard all day and you haven’t had any rest and—and it’s just been an awful day! And now you want to go traipsing out in the middle of the night, too?”

  “Sweetie, I’ll ask Jake to go with me, okay? We’ll be down to Andrew’s car and back again in an hour. Why don’t you go on to bed? You’re exhausted, too.”

  Rachel finally nodded her head. Steve gave her a hug and went off to find Jake. Let’s just get this done, he thought wearily, so we can get to bed! A few minutes later he and Jake were pulling on their jackets and boots once more and grabbing the snowshoes out of the closet.

  Rachel watched the door close behind them and settled down on the couch with an old sleeping bag thrown over her. She was asleep in one minute flat.

  * * *

  Kristi and Skeeter stared at the gun in his hand. “Oh, Skeeter! We have to tell Dad about this!” she said.

  “We can’t! He left a couple minutes ago with Jake.”

  “What? Where did they go?”

  “I dunno. And Mom’s asleep.” He pointed to Rachel on the couch. She looked like she was out cold. “What should I do with it until I can tell Dad about it?” All of a sudden the gun felt like a hot potato in his hand. He couldn’t wait to get rid of it.

  “Put it back in the ski cap until we can find a good hiding place for it, Skeeter. Let’s talk to Dan. He’ll probably know what to do.”

  “He’s just coming out of the bathroom now. Come on!”

  Skeeter and Kristi hurried over to the other teens standing outside of the bathroom. “Hey, you guys!” Kristi said. “We have a problem!” She grabbed Dan by the arm and pulled him back into the bathroom. Skeeter shoved Pete, Anna and Robyn in behind them and shut the door.

  “Uh, do you two want to tell us why all six of us are crowded together into one tiny bathroom?” Dan asked. “This is ridiculous! What’s going on?” He tried to pull his foot out from under Robyn’s and winced as Skeeter’s elbow jabbed him in the side.

  “We’ve got big trouble, that’s what!” Skeeter said loudly.

  “Shh, Skeeter! We can all hear you!” Kristi said.

  “Big trouble!” he repeated in a loud whisper. “Look at this!” He pulled the gun out of the ski cap and held it up.

  “What? You’re going to hold up a bank?” Robyn said with a snicker. “Ski cap, phony gun—you’re all set!”

  “Robyn, it’s not a fake!” Kristi hissed. “It’s a real gun! Skeeter, put that thing away! We don’t know if it’s loaded! What if it goes off?!”

  “A real gun! Skeeter, where did you get that thing?” Dan asked.

  “I found it up in the loft. I thought it was fake, too, and that you and Pete were playing some kind of joke on me.”

  “Hey, it wasn’t us! Where did it come from then? Maybe somebody put it up there a long time ago.”

  “No, I am positive it wasn’t there before! Really, really sure! Somebody put it up there, but if it wasn’t you and Pete, then who was it?”

  They were all thinking the same thing. Kristi finally said it, “Do you think that escaped convict has been in this house?” The hairs on the back of her neck rose up at the thought and she got goose bumps as she said it. Robyn and Anna clutched one another and looked at her in fear.

  “I’m trying to think of some other explanation,” Dan said slowly, “but I can’t. And if he has been, then he must be—”

  “Jake,” Skeeter said.

  “Mr. Andrews,” Kristi said at the same time.

  “What?” they both said, turning and looking at each other.

  “It’s Jake,” Skeeter repeated. “You saw how nervous he was every time the subject of the prisoner came up. Remember how he got mad at Liz and rushed out of the cabin? That just shows he’s guilty.”

  “Yeah, but look how Mr. Andrews has been acting! He won’t hang around with us at all, even to eat. He won’t even talk to us. It’s like he’s hiding something,” Kristi argued.


  “But he’s old!”

  “So? Maybe he was in for a life sentence or something.”

  “Well, we need to tell Dad about this,” Skeeter said. “Where did he go? He went out with—Jake!” His eyes got big.

  “And they were going out to look for Mr. Andrews,” Dan said grimly.

  “So one way or the other, Dad is out there with an escaped convict!” Kristi said as her eyes filled with tears.

  “Now wait a minute before you get all upset,” Pete said. “Let’s think about this for a minute. First of all, we don’t know anything for sure! These are all wild guesses. Second, even if we are right about one of them, look at these two guys. Jake has been nothing but helpful and hardworking all day. If he was the guy, would have he have been so nice to everyone all day?”

  Skeeter shook his head. “I don’t know. Dad always says you can’t judge a book by its cover.”

  “Well, then don’t judge a crabby old man, either! And if that old man is the escaped convict, what could he do against both your dad and Jake together without his gun?”

  Anna spoke up, trying to encourage them, “Pete is right. Either way, your dad will probably be okay until he gets back, at least, and you can tell him about the gun.”

  “Maybe we’d better wake up Mom and tell her about this,” Dan said.

  “Are you kidding?! Mom would freak out at the sight of a gun! And she would really freak out if she thought Dad was in trouble.” Skeeter said.

  “Skeeter’s right—I think,” Kristi said. “Mom is so exhausted, and maybe we’re all just making a mountain out of a molehill. I say we hide the gun where no one can get hurt by it, and then when Dad gets back we tell him about it, and our suspicions and let him decide what to do. When do you think he’ll be back, Dan?”