Criminal Crumbs Read Online Free

a way that wouldn’t be possible to replicate today, with heavy woods situated just behind and on the right side of it. The walls were made from heavy fieldstone, and small windows were scattered along its front. Three massive chimneys stood high in the sky above the tile rooflines, and smoke wafted gently from two of them at the moment. Off to the left, built on a much smaller scale, were four cottages, each constructed from identical matching stone, and every one of them situated on the edge of what appeared to be a steep drop-off to the forest below. These cottages were accessible from a gravel footpath alone. In the other direction was a large lake, pristine in its surroundings, with nothing but a boat house, a fire pit with benches, and a gazebo spaced out along its edges. Finally, where a grand lawn most likely should have been, there was a dense copse of evergreens, and I saw a faded sign that proclaimed it to be a maze. That should be interesting. I’d had a bad experience the last time I’d been in one, but it had been made of corn stalks, not living trees.
    As we parked on the right side of the building and got out of Grace’s car, I could see that several other parties had already arrived. Pulling my light jacket closer, I had an involuntary shudder from the chill. “It’s really cold up here, isn’t it?” Grace asked me with a grin. “I’m not sure I packed enough warm clothes to get me through three days.”
    “I’m not sure I’ll have enough to get me through today,” I said. “Where do we go now?”
    “We’re supposed to go to the main lodge front entrance,” Grace said as we puzzled out the front of the building. Long and low rooflines were just off the first level, giving the place the feeling of a single long eyebrow, and it wasn’t until we walked up the stone steps that I realized that it was one massive porch, under cover from rain, and probably snow as well, given the temperatures we were experiencing at the moment. There was a scattering of tables and chairs spread out along the terrace, and I could see the entrance at last, a grand old wooden door that looked as though it hadn’t been touched since it had been put in place a century before.
    Once we were inside the building, the place was even more magnificent. Stone walls and floors gave the grand space an open feeling, and heart-pine wood covered the sweeping vaulted ceiling. An iron chandelier hung in the center of the room, and the far wall was taken up by a massive fireplace. There were comfortable couches and chairs surrounding it, and the registration desk was opposite it, ready to welcome the resort’s guests. Beside the desk were steps leading upstairs, and on the right side of the building, there was a sign indicating that the restaurant and bar were close by.
    We approached the front desk, and Grace identified herself. “We’re here with Laurel Cosmetics,” she said.
    The young man at the front desk gave us a clearly well-rehearsed smile. “Welcome to Shadow Mountain Lodge. Most of your party has already checked in.” He slid a packet across the oak desktop toward her. “Everything you need is inside. I hope you enjoy your stay with us.”
    “Could we have our room keys?” Grace asked him. “We’d like to drop off our things first.”
    “They’re in your packet,” he said, tapping the thick envelope.
    I was headed for the stairs when he stopped me. “Sorry, but you’re not staying in the main lodge.”
    “What?” Grace asked. “Why not?”
    “I was told that the top employees of your organization were awarded space in one of our cottages. You and your guest will be in the Hemlock Cottage.”
    I wasn’t sure I liked that idea very much, for several reasons. Those cottages were secluded from the main lodge. We’d have to trudge back and forth for meals and other activities, and that included nighttime and any foul weather we might be getting while we were there. Also, hemlock was poisonous, wasn’t