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Daphne’s eyes widened.
“He eventually left, but it was a nuisance for a while,” Flynn said.
“Fine,” Daphne said, her tone resigned.
“Dinner was great,” I said, catching Daphne's eyes.
She smiled. “Thank you. I made one of your favorites.”
“Mac and cheese is always my favorite. You can make it every night,” I replied.
“I'm not going to make it every night. The guests wouldn't appreciate it.”
“Oh, I think they would,” Gabriel chimed in.
We all laughed. Just then, the main phone to the lodge rang. An old phone was mounted on the wall by the door into the back hallway, but it was rarely used. We collectively swiveled, looking in that direction.
Daphne commented, “I’ll let it go to voicemail.”
“Do you have the volume turned up?” Flynn asked.
“I don't know.” Daphne hurried across the kitchen. “Oh yeah, it's on.”
A moment later, we heard the lodge message in Daphne’s polite voice with a subtle Southern twang, followed by, “Hello, this is Jen Williams from the Emergency Response Team in Diamond Creek. Please give me a call as soon as you can.”
“What the hell?” Flynn muttered.
Daphne was calling the number on her cell phone as it was recited in the voicemail. A moment later, she was saying, “Hello, I'm calling from Walker Adventures. You just left us a message.” She nodded along while we all waited. “Oh, right. I can get you her brother's phone number. Hang on.” She gestured to Flynn, adding, “It's about Harley. Something happened. Write down Diego’s number for me. I don’t have it memorized.”
“What happened to Harley?” I practically barked as Flynn jotted down Diego’s number on a napkin.
Daphne held a finger up. “Yes, yes. Can you tell us where she is? Yes. Okay, thank you. We'll be in touch.”
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, standing from the table. I was jolted out of my relaxed state.
“Harley was in an accident,” Daphne explained.
“Is she okay?” My heart was pounding erratically.
“She’s at the hospital.”
“Which hospital?” I demanded.
“The officer said she was between Diamond Creek and Kenai but closer to Diamond Creek, so that's where they took her.”
“We have to go.” I was already walking toward the back hallway.
“He said she’s okay. They're not sure what caused the accident. It was a single-car accident. She ran into the guardrail, and her car bounced to the other side. They need to call Diego because he's her closest family,” Daphne explained.
I kept walking across the kitchen with Flynn calling, “I'm coming with you. I don't want you driving.”
Moments later, Flynn and Daphne were in the front seat of the lodge SUV while I was in the back. Nora and Gabriel stayed at the lodge in case there were any calls.
“What the hell could have happened? She wasn't even supposed to be back for two more days,” Daphne said. “Did you ever talk to her?”
“Ah, no. I left her a message the day before yesterday, and she hadn't called back.”
“The woman who called said she was okay. Oh my God. I hate waiting.” Daphne's phone rang, and she answered it. “It's Diego,” she offered over her shoulder. “Hey, Diego, did they give you more information than me?”
