weren’t surprised and scared by someone yanking the door open, Tom figured, impressed by her consideration.
Everyone in the room looked up as they entered. As the last one in, Tom pulled the door shut behind him.
“Did you reach the police?” Rachel asked, a touch of hope in her voice.
Meredith took a breath. “No,” she said calmly. There was no hint on her face or in her voice of the devastation he knew she’d felt after the call. “The phone is out. It looks like we have no way to reach anyone.”
A chorus of dismayed sounds rose from the group. “Then what are we going to do?” Scott asked. “Is there any way we can get out of here?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Meredith said again. “There’s already too much snow on the ground and it’s still coming down too hard. We do have a plow capable of being connected to one of our pickup trucks that can be used to clear the snow, but the way it’s coming down out there, we can’t even get to the garage to reach the plow.”
“Not to mention it won’t do much good with the snow still coming down the way it is,” Rick noted.
“So how long will it be until we can get out of here?” Jessica demanded.
Meredith hesitated briefly before admitting, “At least a few days.”
“A few days?” Jessica screeched. “So what are we supposed to do, just sit here while there’s a killer running loose?”
“If we all stay calm and look out for each other, we should be safe until the storm ends,” Tom said.
Jessica’s expression made it clear what she thought about that.
“Are there any weapons in the house?” Scott asked.
Meredith slowly shook her head. “There used to be an antique gun collection, but we sold it.” She swallowed. “It seemed unsafe to have in the house with guests.”
A subdued silence fell over the room. Tom studied the others’ faces as they processed the news that they were trapped here. He knew they all had to have been hoping for a different answer, no matter how unrealistic that was. Now that last bit of hope had been snuffed out. There was no denying it. They were thoroughly trapped for the time being.
Still, as he observed their expressions, Tom had to wonder if everyone was upset about the news. How did the killer feel knowing that they weren’t going anywhere? Upset that there was no possibility of escape for himself, too...or pleased that the rest of them would still be here, still available to be attacked next?
He looked for the slightest hint that anyone was anything but discouraged at the news, but he didn’t detect anyone’s reaction being out of the ordinary.
Then he realized what he was doing. Shock jolted through him at the knowledge. Was he really considering the possibility that one of these people he’d known for years, people he’d once considered his closest friends, was not just a killer, but some kind of psychopath wanting to strike again? If anything he should be looking at the ones he didn’t know, Rick and Ellen, considering them more likely candidates.
But as he surveyed the assembled group, he knew that was exactly what he’d been doing, and what he probably had to do. One of these people likely had a better motive to kill Haley than a complete stranger would. And for the sake of the rest of them, he had to consider that one of them might be a threat to the others.
“I’m still having a hard time understanding who could have done this,” Scott murmured.
“Can any of you think of any reason why someone would have wanted to hurt Haley?” Meredith asked. “Did anyone have any known problems with her?”
Everyone looked at one another, as though expecting someone else to have the answer. No one responded.
“No,” Rachel said finally. “She was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. She’s the last person I could ever imagine anyone wanting to hurt.” Her voice trembled on the final words, and Scott reached out and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him,
Everyone in the room looked up as they entered. As the last one in, Tom pulled the door shut behind him.
“Did you reach the police?” Rachel asked, a touch of hope in her voice.
Meredith took a breath. “No,” she said calmly. There was no hint on her face or in her voice of the devastation he knew she’d felt after the call. “The phone is out. It looks like we have no way to reach anyone.”
A chorus of dismayed sounds rose from the group. “Then what are we going to do?” Scott asked. “Is there any way we can get out of here?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Meredith said again. “There’s already too much snow on the ground and it’s still coming down too hard. We do have a plow capable of being connected to one of our pickup trucks that can be used to clear the snow, but the way it’s coming down out there, we can’t even get to the garage to reach the plow.”
“Not to mention it won’t do much good with the snow still coming down the way it is,” Rick noted.
“So how long will it be until we can get out of here?” Jessica demanded.
Meredith hesitated briefly before admitting, “At least a few days.”
“A few days?” Jessica screeched. “So what are we supposed to do, just sit here while there’s a killer running loose?”
“If we all stay calm and look out for each other, we should be safe until the storm ends,” Tom said.
Jessica’s expression made it clear what she thought about that.
“Are there any weapons in the house?” Scott asked.
Meredith slowly shook her head. “There used to be an antique gun collection, but we sold it.” She swallowed. “It seemed unsafe to have in the house with guests.”
A subdued silence fell over the room. Tom studied the others’ faces as they processed the news that they were trapped here. He knew they all had to have been hoping for a different answer, no matter how unrealistic that was. Now that last bit of hope had been snuffed out. There was no denying it. They were thoroughly trapped for the time being.
Still, as he observed their expressions, Tom had to wonder if everyone was upset about the news. How did the killer feel knowing that they weren’t going anywhere? Upset that there was no possibility of escape for himself, too...or pleased that the rest of them would still be here, still available to be attacked next?
He looked for the slightest hint that anyone was anything but discouraged at the news, but he didn’t detect anyone’s reaction being out of the ordinary.
Then he realized what he was doing. Shock jolted through him at the knowledge. Was he really considering the possibility that one of these people he’d known for years, people he’d once considered his closest friends, was not just a killer, but some kind of psychopath wanting to strike again? If anything he should be looking at the ones he didn’t know, Rick and Ellen, considering them more likely candidates.
But as he surveyed the assembled group, he knew that was exactly what he’d been doing, and what he probably had to do. One of these people likely had a better motive to kill Haley than a complete stranger would. And for the sake of the rest of them, he had to consider that one of them might be a threat to the others.
“I’m still having a hard time understanding who could have done this,” Scott murmured.
“Can any of you think of any reason why someone would have wanted to hurt Haley?” Meredith asked. “Did anyone have any known problems with her?”
Everyone looked at one another, as though expecting someone else to have the answer. No one responded.
“No,” Rachel said finally. “She was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. She’s the last person I could ever imagine anyone wanting to hurt.” Her voice trembled on the final words, and Scott reached out and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him,
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