Free The Grudge by Kathi Daley

helicopters from Vancouver are coming in to retrieve the two bodies. I guess it’s a good thing you were able to get the blood sample last night.”
    “Are the police going to conduct any type of investigation?” Devon asked.
    “I’m not sure, but I sort of doubt it. Everyone still thinks the things that happened were accidents. Unfortunately, the killer, if there is one, has done a good job of making everything look perfectly natural.”
    “Did you get hold of Carmen?” Alyson poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sugar doughnut from the bag.
    “Not yet,” Andi answered. “I didn’t want to call too early. I’ll try now.”
    “I talked to Dad,” Devon said while Andi made her call. “He said the phone system is run by a centralized computer. We should be able to access phone records for the dates in question if we can get inside the room that houses the server.”
    “Did he say where it is?” Eli asked.
    “The room that houses all the mainframes for the resort is in the admin wing of the main lodge.”
    Alyson looked behind her as Andi approached from the hallway.
    “Carmen’s going to catch a ride into Vancouver with the helicopter when they get here, but she said we could come by to see her this morning. I told her we’d be there in about an hour.”
    “Has she heard any more about Mario’s condition?” Mac asked.
    Andi shook her head. “With the phones down she’s been as isolated as the rest of us. I think that’s why she’s flying in to see him.”
    “Any idea when the satellite phones will be back up?” Devon asked.
    “I’m guessing this afternoon if the weather holds, as is predicted. My dad said there’s another front coming in behind this one, so the reprieve may be short-lived. If we do get Internet service we should take advantage of it.”
    “I need to call my mom too,” Mac informed them. “I told her I’d call to check in. I had no idea there’d be no phone service.”
    “We usually only lose service for an entire day maybe ten days out of the year. You guys just picked an extrastormy week to be here. The weather forecast is for a series of storms, one right after the other.”
    “Did you mention to Carmen why we wanted to talk to her?” Mac helped herself to a second cream-filled doughnut.
    “I just said we needed to ask her a few questions. She didn’t ask about what and I didn’t volunteer. We should decide how much we want to tell her.”
    “As little as possible,” Alyson said. “We don’t want to worry her. Although I don’t know how we’re going to casually ask her about Mario’s past without letting her in on the idea that we suspect foul play.”
    “I could go alone under the guise of dropping off a get-well gift for Mario. I could subtly work in the whole medical school thing,” Andi suggested. “It might be less intimidating than if we all showed up.”
    “That’s a good idea,” Mac agreed. “Don’t you think so, guys?”
    “Yeah, it makes a lot of sense.” Devon nodded. “Trevor can drive you. Meet us back here after you talk to her.”
    “We should go now. I’ll need to stop off in the village to get a gift.”
    “Are you feeling okay?” Mac asked Alyson after Andi left. “You look a little pale.”
    “I’m fine. I guess I’m just tired.”
    “I hope you’re not getting sick.”
    “I doubt it. I think I’m just having a hard time getting started this morning.”
    “Yesterday was a long day and we did spend half of it soaking wet,” Devon pointed out.
    “I’m fine, really. I’m going to run upstairs to get dressed.”
     
    Alyson and the others were sitting in front of the fire discussing the advantages of different types of skis when Trevor and Andi returned.
    “What’d you find out?” Alyson poured fresh cups of coffee all around.
    “We asked Carmen about the whole doctor thing,” Andi started. “I told her that Mario had mentioned to me one time that he went to medical school and I had always wondered what