Except right now he was apparently sick and in denial about it. The last thing this group needed was to share a virus together.
Everyone stared at the men as they stepped inside, snowflakes sticking to their coats, both oblivious to what had happened.
“Trick pulled up at the same time I did.” Rex stomped the snow from his boots. “At least everyone is here now. That’s a good thing. The state police are closing down the roads as we speak. They’re pure ice. I thought they were going to turn us around at the base of the mountain.”
“There will be no getting on or off this mountain for a while,” Trick added while he stripped off his heavy coat. As he did, he sneezed and grabbed a tissue from his pocket.
Olive had never seen Trick look so tired—circles beneath his eyes, a red nose, and a pocket full of tissues.
“It’s just allergies,” Trick muttered as he seemed to feel everyone’s eyes on him.
“Sure, it is,” Mitzi shot back, her eyebrows raised.
Everyone else exchanged looks as they waited to see who would step forward with the bad news.
Rex narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing the tension in the air. “What is it?”
Olive glanced at JJ’s body, just out of sight from Rex and Trick. “It’s . . . JJ.”
Rex hurried in the direction she was looking, his shoulders tense. He stopped and stared before running a hand over his face. “No . . . what happened?”
Olive explained how his body had been found as well as the bruises she’d discovered on his wrists and near his neck.
“So someone did this to him?” Rex’s jaw tightened. “Someone killed him.”
“And there’s a good chance the killer is still close,” Mitzi added. “There’s only one road on this mountain, and no one has come and gone except us for the past few hours.”
Rex muttered beneath his breath before pacing.
“Jason and I saw footprints when we went outside,” Olive added. “There were two sets going toward the shed—JJ’s andanother person’s. Whoever was with him left before we got there.”
Mitzi’s brows drew together. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” Olive rubbed her hand along the sleeve of her sweater. “The second set was deeper. Heavier stride. Male, I think. And fresh—less snow in the prints.”
“They’re not mine,” Tevin said. “I haven’t been outside. Rex and Trick just got here. Warren—Mara’s husband—is on the smaller side.”
“So someone else must be around—someone we don’t know about.” Jason frowned as he said the words.
They all let that thought settle a moment.
“Do you want us to call the police?” Jason finally asked Rex. “Or JJ’s family? Someone mentioned a girlfriend.”
“Let’s wait on calling his family or girlfriend,” Rex muttered with a slow, definitive nod. “But we should let the police know, even though they won’t be able to get up here until the snow clears. Have you told Mara and Warren yet?”
“This all just happened,” Olive said. “We haven’t gotten that far.”
“We’ll need to do that as well,” Rex said.
Rex began doling out assignments.
But all Olive could think about was the fact the storm had them trapped on the mountain.
Along with a killer.
As Olive pressed the phone to her ear, the police on the line, she walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside.
The snow now fell sideways, thick and relentless. It blurred the world beyond into white nothingness. The wind howled through the trees, shaking the branches like angry fists.
