Page 6 of Sour Layer

Chapter 4

The inn was typical, if typical meant pointy antlers disguised as a dining room chandelier. Old guns and flags hung on the walls with a smattering of other hunting paraphernalia. The sixtyish-year-old woman standing behind the counter looked like a sweet and innocent grandma, and not a closet hunter.

The laugh and smile lines around her eyes and mouth were defined. Her eyes shined with welcome, and her pink cheeks suggested she’d been out in the cold and just stepped inside.

“Welcome to the Mountain View Inn. You must be Mercy Bennett.”

“I am.”

“Let’s get you checked in, and I’ll show you up to your room,” she said, sliding a sign-in book across the scared wooden registration desk. There were no computers in the room, nothing to suggest this place had any upgrade in the last decade or two.

I signed my name and slid the book back. “You’ll be in room 2A.” She rounded the corner with a key in her hand, which had a keychain shaped like the mountain attached. “My name is Dorothy. If you need anything during your stay, you’ll find me down here somewhere. Just holler if you need me.”

Dorothy tried to grab my heavy luggage, but I took it before she could reach for it. If it bothered her that I carried it myself, she didn’t say anything while I followed her up the stairs.

Packing for cold weather was one thing, but I had no idea what I’d need. Just because I could see potential deaths didn’t mean my fate couldn’t change and I might die of hyperthermia. I saved lives and changed fate all the time.

If I had to be stuck with this gift, I might as well make it useful.

My stomach grumbled, filling the silence of the hallway as we walked toward my room. I’d expected peanuts on the plane, only to discover I was the only passenger flying on the six-seater plane.

Dorothy shoved the key in the lock and turned, walking in ahead of me.

“I wasn’t sure when you were arriving. I’ll make some fresh coffee and something to snack on. Just come on downstairs when you get settled.”

“Thank you, but really you don’t have to go to all the trouble. If you’ll just point me in the direction of the diner…” I said as she handed me the key.

“Don’t be silly. Hilda Mae’s diner is closed right now. She’s checking her traps, so she’ll be gone for a few hours.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat in a diner where the owner was rustling up fresh food by catching it.

Dorothy smiled as she left and gently closed the door behind her.

I heaved my bag onto the bed before stripping off my coat and hanging it in the closet. The room was warm, where I’d expected it to be cold. The cozy space was inviting, bigger than I’d expected. The furnishings were from hard wood and not particleboard, and the spacious bathroom came equipped with a see-through bag of unopened toiletries sitting on the sink. Crisp white towels hung on the racks, and hanging on the back of the bathroom door was a robe.

I eased the curtain back to look out the only window in the room. Picturesque snow-covered mountains stood in the distance. The street below was in need of another pass by the plow. The lights were out on the diner across the way. A closed sign hung on the door.

Why would Maxine Bennett settle in this town? What was the draw? Maybe if I found the missing line one of them could tell me what the appeal was because I surely wasn’t seeing it.

The curtain slipped free, and I unpacked a few of my things. Jeans, sweaters, and thermals rounded out my wardrobe. I wouldn’t need much more.

My stomach growled again, and I headed for the door. While I wanted to explore the town, I couldn’t expect the sheriff to play taxi driver. He was smart and curious. Staying away from him was going to be paramount.

“Dorothy,” I called out as I hit the ground floor.

“In here, dear,” she called back, and I followed her voice into a den-like area. Flames flickered in a hearth. The warm room was soothing and decorated with more of a woman’s touch than where the guests checked in. Several framed pictures sat on the mantel. Colorful vases of flowers sat at each end. The sofa and seating weren’t arranged around a TV or other entertainment; they were focused in the direction of the picturesque floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Main Street and the mountains beyond.

“Come in, dear. Have some coffee and something to eat.”

I smiled at the woman and took one of the coffee cups. After doctoring it with the cream and sugar she’d laid out I noted, “It’s very pretty here but awfully cold.”

“Yes, it is. Probably even more so when you finally meet the locals. I’m afraid they don’t take too kindly to strangers.”

“I’ve gathered that. The sheriff is already suspicious of me.”

“He won’t be the only one, Ms. Bennett.” She smiled and sighed. “So, what brings you to these parts?”

“That seems to be the question of the day.” I sipped my coffee, watching the woman over the rim before I answered. She had a sharpness about her. One of those women that made you feel at ease but was always aware of her surroundings. “Research and looking to connect with some relatives that went missing from the family tree.”

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