The Hotel – 17

We finished the first act rehearsal just before noon and broke for lunch, with everyone in costume since there was no reason to take the time to change into their street clothes. We were almost finished eating when Edwin came into the dining room with Logan and one of his searchers right behind him.

"I have some news, about Tessa and the weather," Edwin said, which immediately caught our attention. "She did leave the hotel, although I can't say exactly when. Henry—" he nodded to the searcher, "—believes she wasn't alone. He found two partial pairs of footprints leading from one of the windows down to the lake. The problem is they won't do us much good because it's started to snow."

All of us, almost as one, looked toward the dining room windows.

"Damn," Noah said. "That's not a light, early season snow."

He was right. It was coming down heavily.

"There goes our show," Ramsey said. "Who'd come up here in weather like this?"

Edwin smiled wryly. "You might be surprised. If it ends by morning the town's plowing crew will clear the road for us."

"You bet we will," Henry said. His voice was deep, which wasn't too surprising for a man his size. He was a good six feet plus and very muscular.

"Is there any way to tell who was with her and where they went?" Kirby asked, then answered his own question. "Probably not, with the weather and no really clear footprints."

"I'm afraid you're correct," Edwin replied, casting a glance at Henry, who nodded in agreement.

"If I'd found them earlier," Henry said. "But I didn't. The snow is making it difficult to find any clue to where she's gone."

"Could you tell if it was a man or a woman with her?" I asked.

"My guess would be a man, from the size and the deeper imprint they made in the mud compared to hers."

"Unless whoever it was took a pair of the boots we keep by the back door in the pantry. That could make the footprints larger than their normal ones would be," Edwin said. "Logan, would you go check to see if any are missing."

Logan left, at which point Kirby asked if we would be finishing the rehearsal as planned.

"Definitely," I replied. "While I hate the idea one of us could be involved in Tessa's disappearance, we still have a show to put on."

"One of us?" Jenn seemed shocked by my words. "It has to be some stranger who found the open window and snuck in. Maybe Tessa saw them and…umm…wanted to know who they were and…" She chewed her lip.

"Highly unlikely," Edwin said. "Who would be wandering around here late at night?"

"I don't know," she replied. "A hunter who got lost? Some sneak thief or transient who thought there might be something worth stealing?"

"Come on, Jenn, get real," Phil said, shaking his head. "Who would come all this distance on the off chance they could pick up some loot? We're miles from anywhere, if you don't count the town."

"Which is barely a blip on the map," Noah pointed out. "Not to demean where you live, Henry, but it is."

Henry smiled. "I know. That's why I like it. We're well away from civilization."