Chilled by Death (3 page)

She had to admit it sounded like a pretty fun way to get through the day. At least while George was young and in his prime. Maybe later he’d find something less dangerous. She couldn’t help worry about him. Especially now. They’d lost their parents a long time ago. George had been old enough to live on his own and Stacy had gone to live with her aunt and uncle. She and George had stayed close. But losing her parents young had made her afraid something would happen to her beloved brother. For that reason, he usually didn’t share the details of some of the crazier stunts. Thank heavens. She had enough nightmares to keep her awake at night.

Although outdoorsy, she wasn’t much of an extreme sports fan. She wasn’t into adrenaline. Too hard on the system. And she hated major shocks. Her brother thrived on them. He and his friends played punk ass jokes on each other all the time. To her they were horrible, but the group of guys he hung with thought they were hilarious. And true enough, he played just as many on his friends as they did on him.

You had to be one of them to understand.

The double doors opened automatically as she stepped on the entrance mat. She strode through and brought out her security card, sliding it down the key lock and heading inside to the morgue. When you worked with the dead, she liked to think she’d learned to appreciate life a little bit.

“Enjoy your lunch?” Mark asked as he did wheelies on his computer chair when she walked through the lab. Some martial arts schedule was up on his monitor like that was allowed. And likely why he had it up there. He was quite a pro himself and taught on the side.

“Yeah,” she said, grinning at his antics. He was the same age as her but acted a dozen years younger. Then, so did her brother. Maybe that’s why she got on so well with him and Stevie, although she preferred him more as a friend than a co-worker as he didn’t necessarily have the same work ethic, preferring to skip out early to meet the guys for the next adventure in progress. Still, he was good people and that counted. “I had lunch with George.”

“Really?” He grabbed the desk to stop his wild ride. He stared up at her, shoving his long hair back off his face. “And?”

She raised an eyebrow at him. So he did know. She had wondered. Chances were good both men she worked with – or rather overgrown boys – would be going on this week-long fun adventure. She paused, considering that. How much of a real break would it be if she went with guys she worked with?

Not by a stretch could she use that as an excuse to get out of this trip. No, she was going…if there were a few last minute qualms, well, that was to be expected. Besides, both men loved these trips and were huge board fanatics. They were also search and rescue volunteers. They deserved their fun on the slopes like anyone else.

“He wants me to go on the next ski trip to the cabin,” she tossed over her shoulder as she carried on down the hallway to her office. “You know…go back and face my memories. A great idea in theory, but…”

“Wait, he did?”

“Yes.” She grinned as she heard his footsteps. She’d known he wouldn’t be able to leave it alone.

“Well,” Mark popped his head around the corner, “what did you say?”

She waited a beat, then looked up at him, still smiling. “I said yes.”

*

George walked quickly
away from his sister. He needed to get as far away as soon as he could before she changed her mind. He half expected his phone to go off as she called to do just that.

He walked with purpose. The sooner he could escape the crowd, the faster he could call his buddy. Royce owed him a beer for this one. George had hoped Stacy could be persuaded to come with them. But Royce had bet she wasn’t even close.

George didn’t understand what had happened between those two. Yet somehow the relationship had gone from the two of them being friendly with lots of teasing and joking to a cold silence. It was uncomfortable being in the same room with them. That was the only thing that bothered him about the two of them being together on this trip. Everyone was coming for a holiday – not to partake in a cold war.

He gave the street a quick look then dashed across to the small park on the other side. He walked to the park bench and called his best friend.

“Royce, you need to find a way to make peace with Stacy before this week happens. I don’t want the week ruined with you two fighting.”

“What are you talking about?” Royce joked. “It’s not like Stacy is going to go. Besides, should that miracle happen, you’ll see, there’s nothing wrong between us.”

“Bullshit. You’ve been pushing for this as much as I have, and God knows Stacy needs to get back out there, but there needs to be peace between the two of you before we go.”

“I promise. If she actually says yes, then I will make a point of speaking with her.”

The mocking note in Royce’s voice brought a savage grin to George’s face. He was so going to enjoy the next few moments.

“Then you’d better get ready to face that because…” he paused for dramatic effect, savoring the moment and his victory, “Stacy said yes!”

*

“She said what?”
Royce sat back on his computer chair and stared blankly at the wall across from him. He didn’t dare breathe. He waited, hoping George would repeat his words.

“She said yes.”

The breath gushed out of him and he closed his eyes.
Oh thank God.
He collected his thoughts quickly. George would razz him endlessly if he understood how rattled the call had made him.

“Good for you for getting her to finally agree.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping she won’t back out. She needs this,” George agreed.

“She’s still so pale.” Royce said. “She hasn’t fully recovered from that bout of flu a few months ago.”

“That’s because she didn’t take the time to recover.” George scowled. “Instead she worked herself to the bone.”

Royce nodded. “That completes our numbers then. Three women and five men to start and two more, one of each, coming for the weekend.” He stared across his tiny apartment. “I still can’t believe she’s coming.”

“I did have to promise she could come and just read a book by the fire. Pick a day trip or two to do a couple runs as she wishes.”

“Good. She needs rest. We all might take a day or two off and follow her lead. The weather is calling for cold and sunny, but that doesn’t mean it won’t change in an instant.”

“I’m just damn happy she’s coming.”

“Me too.” George rang off, leaving Royce staring at the phone in his hand with only one thought uppermost on his mind. Stacy was coming. He had one week to redeem himself. One week to show her that he deserved another chance.

He groaned. Why had he promised to fix the issue between Stacy and him
before
the week-long holiday? And in such a manner that she didn’t cancel out on the trip. That would be a disaster for everyone involved.

But especially for him.

He knew George didn’t understand the problem Royce had with his sister, and it wasn’t exactly something Royce could share. Feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, he realized one thing.

He’d better not screw this up. Or else.

S
tacy’s afternoon gave
her plenty of reason to regret her decision. Sure enough, Mark and Stevie were both going. They’d both been in and out of her office so many times that afternoon she was ready to scream.

They were so excited she was coming.

She was already sorry she’d said yes.

Still, she felt both chagrin and relief at having agreed. She couldn’t stay hidden forever. Besides, she didn’t have the heart to cancel on George now. He’d be so disappointed – and especially in her. Although she’d cancel on Royce in a heartbeat.

She finally managed to close her office door and get some work done. By the time she made it home at the end of the day, she was tired and irritable and still pissed. She’d worked herself back into thinking she should cancel the trip, but she felt locked into her decision.

She unlocked her apartment door, walked inside, and threw her coat and purse on the counter. Her phone rang as she wandered into the kitchen. She picked it up. “Hello?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

She hung up. The call only pissed her off more. The caller was lucky. If he’d answered and tried to sell her something, she’d most likely have given him an earful. She opened her fridge door and sighed. She hadn’t gone shopping yet. The last thing she wanted to eat was take-out. But if she wanted to eat, and she needed to, that was looking to be the best option. She didn’t want to do too much shopping as she was leaving soon. She planned on some major resting time, trying to regain some of her lost pizazz for life.

She stood in her kitchen and stared out the window.

The afternoon was cool and the sun still high, but it was cloudy. Kind of like her mood. Then she remembered the fish and chips on the boardwalk. Now that was a hell of a good idea. And the run there would be good for her. She’d been slacking off in her running lately. Time to pick it up. She was fit but always tired. That bout of pneumonia had damn near killed her. She’d told George it had been the flu, as he’d have worried all the more if he’d known the truth.

From the sheer number of times he’d called to check up on her – maybe he had known.

It only took a quick couple of moments to get changed and tie up her hair. Then she was out the door and running to the boardwalk. Ten minutes later, she was starting to find her rhythm. She stretched out her legs, the longer strides eating up the miles. She smiled as she breathed in deep, fresh-air-hogging breaths.

It felt good. She ran a couple of times a week, but she should do it more often to reduce her stress levels.

There was light traffic on the roads around her, but with the evening soon upon them, most people were looking to get home. A breeze picked up, making her smile. She ran into the light wind, loving the cool feel on her face and chest.

She watched the birds swoop and dip as they played in the wind, still hopeful for handouts from the people walking by. Sure enough, an old woman sat on one of the many benches and threw out chunks of bread. The birds were loving it. Stacy laughed as several fought in the air and both lost the tidbit to a third bird. Up ahead was the fish and chip van. She waved at him as she jogged by. “I’ll catch you on the way back.”

“How long you going to be?” he called out.

“Fifteen.”

“I’ll have it ready.”

She laughed and waved back at him and kept on running. She’d try to make it faster. She rounded the corner and picked up the pace. She raced around the loop and started running back the way she’d come. After another few moments, she slowed her pace again until she was just walking. The breeze picked up and she waved her arms around to cool down and loosen her limbs. Before she knew it, the smell of fresh fish and chips wafted toward her.

The man was waiting for her.

“Here it is. Two pieces and a large order of fries.”

“Do I look like I need a large order?” she joked, handing the man her money.

“No money required. The guy who is planning on helping you with those fries already took care of it.”