A Game of Greed and Deception: A Mystery Drama (5 page)

Tammy
went back through the living room and into the kitchen. It was very rustic,
mostly done in wood, with a small floor rug. There were several cupboards,
drawers below them, and a large table with four chairs. She opened up the
drawers and found just the usual things – silverware, towels, a napkin holder,
and other kitchen utensils. There were pots in cupboards above the countertop,
and sets of plates, bowls, glasses, and some snack foods. She checked inside
all the cupboards, on the shelves and tabletop, around and inside the oven, and
found nothing unusual.

There
was an antique mahogany tea cabinet with lace place settings, some tea trays, a
teapot, cups, and saucers. She opened the refrigerator and to her dismay, found
that it was practically empty.
Well what
the hell, this place was supposed to be fully stocked! Now what exactly am I
gonna friggin’ eat
? Seeing nothing else of interest to check in the
kitchen, she went back into the living room.

Then
Tammy opened the door to the master bedroom and turned on the light. The king
sized bed had a thick, cherry wood frame, and she had left it a mess with the
blankets and pillows strewn about. There were paintings of the mountainside hung
on the wall and an elegant lamp sat atop a small end table. She checked inside
the drawer to the table as well as inside another drawer that was part of a
writing desk, and found only a day planner. There was a rocking chair near the
window, and a basket for dirty clothes. At the far end of the room was a
walk-in closet, as well as the door to the master bath.
Now where would the renter of this dang place put the key to the den?
It should be in a place that someone can damn well find it. I’ve done already
bathed in the master bathroom and it sure as hell wouldn’t be in there. And why
did he even have that room locked before we arrived?

She
went into the walk-in closet for the first time, turning on a small light
switch. There were a variety of shelves, drawers, and a long, metal rail to
hang clothes on. A shoe rack was placed just beneath one of the long shelves.
On each side of the closet there was a small stool to sit on when putting on
your shoes. Hanging on the back wall was a long, oval antique mirror. Tammy
looked through the drawers, and scoured every inch of the huge closet space.
There just wasn’t anything special to find and she was feeling overwhelmed. She
didn’t want another one of her headache spells to start. She sat on the small
stool and put her face in her hands, perturbed, and racking her brain for
clarity.

This is a total nightmare, and as usual,
I’m the dang victim! Could Stephen still be alive and was he even injured from
the crash? Did he escape from the car before it went off the cliff and is he
somewhere outside? The fucking police need to find him so I know what the hell
is going on. But if he’s alive, why wouldn’t he call me? He can’t possibly
suspect me of doing anything wrong or know that I had anything to do with the
car failing. After all, cars have mechanical problems all the time, especially
in this weather. He loves me way too damn much, and I was here in the cabin all
night waiting for him. So then who the hell put the cinder block down the
chimney? And how would anyone get on top of the roof?

She
wiped a small tear from her cheek and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred
as she rubbed her face and let out a breath of cold air. Still a bit foggy, as
she sharpened her focus, Tammy noticed something that she hadn’t seen before. There
was a leaf with a bit of dirt in the back of the room near to the wall. Tammy
looked puzzled.
How in the hell did that
get in the closet? They’ve got this whole place spotlessly clean. I never even
walked inside here before.
She went to where the leaf was, close to the
antique mirror on the back wall. The mirror hung on two large metal hooks
extending horizontally from the wall. She picked up the bit of dirt and it felt
cold as if it had just come from outside.
Could
someone have been inside this closet?
She examined the mirror all over, and
then pushed it gently to the side, swinging it carefully from the hooks that
held it. Behind the mirror was a low, arch-shaped pine wood door with a small
metal handle. The door was really old looking with cuts and indentations in the
wood. She took the mirror off the wall and set it aside.
Well I’ll be damned! Why is someone trying to keep this door covered
up? With what I remember from the brochure, this must lead down into the wine
cellar. But how would someone get into there from outside and come up inside
the closet? I slept here all night and am sure as hell that nobody was inside
this room.
Nervous and with her heart pumping, she turned the handle. The
door swung open revealing a stone stairway descending into darkness.

FIVE

Maria was huddled up in the
middle of her bed with her jacket on and a blanket wrapped around her. The sun
had come up and some light shining through the window warmed the room just a
little. She got up to look around and admire the room’s fancy décor. The carved
walnut antique double-bed had a new mattress with a warm goose down comforter
and gold velvet duvet cover. Four matching goose feather pillows rested against
the headboard. Next to the bed was an antique oak rolltop desk with many drawers
and compartments. On the other side of the bed there was a small wooden end
table with an antique brass desk lamp. She felt like she was in a very grownup
place.

Out
of curiosity, Maria checked the drawers in the writing desk. They had a strong
musty smell and all of them were empty except for one that had a pad of paper
and a fancy ink pen. The back of the writing desk had some small compartments
surrounding four rectangular wood pieces with little knobs on them. Inside one
of the compartments there was a lead pencil. She tried pulling on the knobs,
but didn’t find any other openings.

She
gave up her exploration as she desperately had to go to the bathroom. Taking
the blankets with her, she peeped out of the bedroom to see if her stepmother
was in the living room. Not seeing her, she went through the living room and
into the half bath. After using the toilet, she tried to flush it but there was
no water flow. Maria turned to the sink to wash her hands and saw the
Chloroform bottle. She was curious but didn’t touch the bottle when she saw a
thin, clear liquid running down the side. Instead, she bent down and smelled
the liquid, finding it almost odorless. Then she turned on the faucets to wash
her hands. Nothing happened - no water came out. Maria went back into the
living room to look for her stepmother.

***

Tammy closed the door inside
the walk-in closet, and pushed the two stools in front of it and between the
clothes shelves to jam it. She interlocked the legs of the stools so they would
be difficult to move away from the door. Then she kicked the stools firmly in
place.
That should keep that door
securely shut. If someone’s down there they sure as hell ain’t getting back in
through here too easily.
Then she then went back into the living room to
see Maria sitting on the sofa.

“Maria,
what are you doing out of your bedroom?”

“I
had to go to the bathroom, Tammy. But I tried to flush the toilet and wash my
hands and the water is broke.”

“What
do you mean the water is broke?”

“Nothing
comes out.”

Tammy
went into the small bathroom and turned the faucets on in the sink. There was
not one drop of water. Then she checked the Jacuzzi faucets in the master
bathroom, and the faucets in the kitchen. Sure enough – they were now without
running water. Feeling flustered, she hurried back into the living room.

She
looked directly at Maria and grabbed her shoulders. “The water lines must be
frozen. I need to go check the pipes and water shutoff valve. There are a few
sips of tea here in my glass. Bring that into your room and stay warm. I want
you to stay in your room with the door locked. Got it?”

“Why?
I’m too cold in my room. Where is dad? He will know what to do!” replied Maria,
jerking her arms away and keeping the blanket around her.

“I
don’t know where your father is, honey. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be all
right. I need you to just do as I say and don’t ask me anything again. I need
to go check out what is happening with the water. Now please – go to your
room.”

Tammy
went into the kitchen and opened the cabinet underneath the sink. She found the
water stop valve and opened it to help thaw out the water lines. Then she
opened the faucets on the sink so the water flow was on. She looked again inside
the refrigerator. There were a few cans of coca-cola and no other beverages.
She removed the cans of soda and hid them in the back of one of the cupboards.
The water meter must be down in the
basement.
I dunno if there is a way
to get down there from outside, but with all the snow piled up, I sure as hell
ain’t gonna find it too easily. If the stair from the closet goes down there,
I’d need a light to even be able to see anything.
She lit up a
Capri
while pondering her options
. What if the police find Stephen and he’s onto me? I could be in big
fucking trouble. But there ain’t no way Stephen could’ve shut off the heat and
the water. How would he even know where the water shutoff is located? So the
lines must’ve just frozen during the storm.

She
let out a puff of smoke, and started drinking the rest of the soda. She leaned
back on the kitchen chair. Her eyes were squinted as she rapped her fingers
against the table.
I need to go out and
find Stephen myself to see what he thinks happened. I gotta know if he’s just
scared or if he knows what’s going on. But if he didn’t suspect me, wouldn’t he
have called me or knocked on the front door? I gotta play this like I don’t
know anything and am scared and desperate to find my husband. I can easily play
the victim to get rid of any accusations that he might have. But if that bastard
thinks that HE can scare me, he’s got another thing comin’
. She put out her
cigarette, finished the can of soda, and went back into the living room.

Tammy
picked up the jade dagger from the book case and examined it. It was made from
dark green jade stone, and the handle was in the shape of a monkey. It was
rather heavy and cold to the touch. She ran her finger along the side of the
dagger and it was quite sharp. She put the dagger in the back pocket of her
pants. Then she went into her bedroom, and put on a pair of snow boots that she
had taken out from her travel bag. Wearing a thick red sweater, she put on and
zipped up her winter coat. Not having any gloves, she grabbed a small hand
towel and shoved it into a coat pocket. She gazed out the window into the pine
tree forest. The trees were growing close together, and with the snow covering
them, she could not see past the first row of pines. She checked once more on
Maria to see that she was in her room, and then headed out the front door.

Tammy
closed the door to the cabin behind her, locking it, and putting the key in her
pocket. She stepped gingerly as the front porch outside the door was icy and
slippery. She looked quickly to her left where the strange tracks had been. Now
they were practically gone as more fallen snow had covered them. Looking
straight ahead she saw the icy front walkway winding down to the steep mountain
roadway. On all other sides around the cabin was a dense pine tree forest.

She
turned to her right and started to walk along the side of the cabin. Snow had
already piled up more than 2 feet and made walking very difficult. Looking up,
she saw the chimney along the side of the cabin and extending out from the
rooftop. It was made entirely of brick and had a ring of cinder blocks around
the base.
Now those cinder blocks are at
the bottom of the chimney. Who would be able to carry one of those up to the
rooftop and put it down the chimney? Stephen is not capable of that.
She
continued along, and as she got more towards the back, the ground began to
slope downward.

She
peeked around the back side of the cabin. There was a walking space underneath
the cabin floor where the ground sloped drastically downward. The floor above
this space was supported by four columns. The ground was slippery and dangerous
and she was having trouble keeping her balance. She took the towel out of her
jacket pocket and used it to hold onto one of the columns.
I’ve got to try and get in that crawl space. But the ground is hard
and frozen and if I try to step on it I’m gonna fall. I hope I have the damn
strength to pull myself around the corner.

Tammy
held on as hard as she could to the column while carefully trying to pull
herself around the corner. As she stepped around the support column, her foot
flew out from under her on a slippery patch of ice, and she fell hard to the
ground. She hit her face against the cold hard ground, and her legs stung
sharply. She still clung to the column to keep from sliding down the incline.
She slid her left leg over more, bent at the knee, and tried to stand up. But
the ground in this spot was nearly frictionless and she slowly lost her grip.
Finally, her hands let go of the column, and Tammy slid a few yards down the
icy slope, landing between two large pine trees at the edge of the forest.

She
winced in pain from the collision with the base of the trees and then sat up to
collect her thoughts and get her bearings.
Goddam
that hurt. That is one big patch of ice.
That was stupid of me to try and get under there.
 
She rubbed her head and took some ice out of
her hair.
There ain’t no way I can get
back up to the cabin from here.

The
tree line on the right side of the cabin went upwards along the slope all the
way to the roadway. Around the other side, the slope looked less dangerous. She
reached down with her hands to support herself to stand, and felt a cold piece
of metal. Digging in the snow, Tammy pulled out part of an old and rusty chain.
Goddam, my hands are freezing. At least I
can use this to keep my balance better.
She dug further to pull up some
more of the chain and found that it was quite long, not knowing where either
end of it led to. After blowing some warm air onto her hands, she used the
chain to hold on to while walking slowly in the deep snow. With each difficult
step, her boots sunk into the snow, and her pants quickly became cold and wet.
Her legs stung from the icy fabric sticking to them. As she went further around
the back side of the cabin, she got to a point where the chain stopped coming
up from under the snow.

Tammy
yanked on the chain but it didn’t budge. She rested for a moment, breathing the
frigid air in through her nose.
Is this
connected to something else or just stuck under all the damn snow?
I’ve gotta get around to the other side of
the cabin before I damn well freeze to death.
She started to dig into the
snow. She used her feet to move the snow aside while exposing more of the
chain. She stepped over the chain to brace herself to try and pull it up
completely. As she pulled with all her might, there was a loud cracking noise.
She roared in agony as the still razor sharp teeth of an old rusty animal trap
snapped shut around her lower leg. Although her boot protected her foot, some
of the teeth went through her pants and into her leg, and blood started to ooze
out.
Goddam that was so stupid Tammy! I
shoulda dug down in the fucking snow more carefully before yanking the chain.
But who in the hell would leave this trap
sitting out here anyways?

Tammy
grimaced and reached down to try and pry the teeth apart. The cold, rusty metal
held together like a vice. Wincing and grunting, she pulled with all her might
to dislodge the trap, until finally it opened. Some of the skin on her lower
leg was broken and the calf had started to swell. She applied some pressure to
the exposed part of her leg to reduce the bleeding. She took the small towel
and wrapped it around the leg underneath the pant leg. She then put some snow
between the towel and her pants to reduce the swelling. With the cold snow
pressed against it she felt a numbing sensation.
That’s gonna have to fucking do until I get back inside the cabin. At
least I should be able to walk on it.
Angry and in pain, Tammy continued to
trudge along.

***

Maria opened the door of her
bedroom to look for her stepmother. “Tammy? I need something to drink.” Not
getting a response, she went into the living room and called for her again.
After a few moments, she headed into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator
and found it empty with nothing to drink. She tried turning the faucets on and
off but not a drop of water came out. Opening the antique tea cabinet, Maria
brought out the teapot, cups, and saucers in hope that one of them might be
filled with tea. She removed the top to the teapot, and saw inside a small,
metal skeleton key. She examined the peculiar silver object, admiring its
ornately decorated bow, and set it on the table. Then she opened one of the
lower cupboards and found inside a bag of dirt, some old workers gloves, and a
bottle marked “Strychnine. Poison – caution.” The bottle had inside it a fine
white powder. Frustrated at not finding anything to drink, Maria left the
kitchen to go back to her room. She took with her the bottle of poison to show
to her stepmother.

***

In back and near the other
side of the cabin, there was a small clearing before the dense forest
continued. Tammy made her way to the edge of the clearing and peeped between
the trees. A small path led into the forest. With the tree tops providing a
canopy, the ground along the path was less snow-covered. Looking for a spot to
rest, she stepped in between the trees, and found a stump to sit on and catch
her breath. The air was still and frigid and there was a dead silence around
her. Grinding her teeth nervously, she lit a cigarette from her pocket and
stayed still engrossed in thought.

That animal trap must have been there for
ages. But why the hell would the owner of this place allow it to be there?
That’s a danger to whoever comes to stay here. I am gonna sue that asshole when
this shit is all done. And the sides around the cabin are a death trap in the
snow. So there’s no way that someone can get into the cabin from either side.
They would have to come through the front door, a cellar entrance, or down the
damn chimney.