I stood. On impulse, I grabbed up the bag and took it with me. Chances were that Bram’s notes on the interviews he held on the giardia water were inside, along with other case information. I’d hold on to it and give it to Bram personally. At least I don’t have to worry about what he might think about me. He made that perfectly clear.

After placing the bag on one of the dining room tables, I continued to the kitchen. Roy had left one lamp burning, but there were too many shadows. I quickly found the aspirin and a glass of water, then returned to Cookie. “Here you go. Can I get you anything else?”

“Thank you, Darby. This will help.” She took the proffered items, then glanced toward the door, eyebrows furrowed. “I wonder what’s keeping them.”

Someone tapped at the front door.

No one moved.

The tapping came again. “Darby, open up. It’s Bram.”

I ran to the door, pulled the chair out of the way, and opened it. Bram, Wyatt, and the three women who worked at the resort pushed in. Behind them were Grace, Stacy, and Peter.

“We found the staff in cabin one,” Bram said quietly to me. “Grace, Stacy, and Peter were returning from a hike to the pond. Or so they say.”

“Do they know . . . ?” I asked.

“You can update them while we finish searching. We’re still missing one staff member, a guy called Spuds, and Angie.” He lowered his voice still more. “We don’t know who’s been doing what, so just listen carefully.”

I nodded. “Be careful.”

*  *  *

Wyatt and Bram stepped from the lodge and waited for Darby to secure the door. “All we have left to search is the building where Cookie, Angie, and I are housed,” Wyatt said.

“Okay. I’ve never actually been there.”

“Let’s hope our killer hasn’t either.” Wyatt peeked into the darkness. “No flashlights?”

Bram’s gut tightened. “No flashlights, but warn me if there’s something on the path.”

The half-moon provided just enough light to see the path but kept the shadows in ebony darkness. The temperature had dropped again, and Bram could see his breath.

Wyatt plunged into a row of trees and disappeared.

Bram paused. The breeze tossed the pines, making them look like they were waving him away. His hand dropped to his empty holster, then grabbed his flashlight. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but he could blind someone, and it was made of metal. Pushing through the branches, he almost collided with Wyatt.

“Stay close,” the other man muttered, then moved forward.

He followed Wyatt, feeling more than seeing the path. The log triplex reared up before them suddenly.

“Cookie’s quarters are on the right, Angela’s are on the left,” Wyatt muttered. “Mine are in the middle.”