Case File 2017.10.14
Blackwood Mountain had once been a destination resort for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, operated by the Walsh family it had been a place for many memories. Rhea and Jac had the advantage of enjoying the time with their friends there over weekends and long vacations. At least…until the fire— five years ago a blaze claimed the resort as well as Rhea’s parents and her brother Jac. The ski lodge had closed and remained such since that fateful day, recently the land had finally come to Rhea…and no longer wanting to deal with the property itself, she had made arrangements to sell to a big time resort company that had place for the place. Before handing over the keys, she wanted to make one last tour…say one last goodbye. She’d invited her friends to join her, having seen them few and far between as many drifted off to their own ways in life. They’d been affected in some way or another as well the day that fire happened at the lodge.
The group gathered around the cable car to take them up the mountain to the lodge. Liam had been out of state in college working on his engineering degree…the skinny nerdy kid had flourished since high school years, and he’d lost twenty pounds since many had seen him. Gwen had been in love with Jac, and it turned her world upside down when Rhea’s brother had passed…she’d taken to traveling since and kept in touch with Rhea over the years, their friendship one of the more stable aspects in her life. Delilah, the kid sister of Jac’s best friend Monty, had been younger than the rest but since blossomed in her mid-college years. She’d brought a guest along with, Alex, who was a bit awkward at meeting new people…he hadn’t been with her so long but this trip was important to her and he wanted to make a good impression. Some of the gloom of just getting near to the lodge dispersed from Rhea as she saw her friends gathered by the cable car. Monty had apparently gone ahead so as there was no one else to wait on, they’d made their way up to the lodge after a moment’s greeting at their long overdue reunion.
Monty had clearly decided to help himself to the liquor within the main lodge, even if he’d claimed he’d barely gotten started…Jac and Monty had been quite the pair of trouble makers. Jac had been known for his mean streak and Monty was mostly the loser in and out of rehab a few times over the years and seeming to have fallen off the wagon again… Rhea barely took that sight in at first, a bit stunned by just being in the lodge itself once more after all these years. Liam suggested on getting settled and he’d look at making dinner for them. Gwen agreed and looked to Rhea waiting for her friend to make the first move. Though before anyone could make more than a few steps in one direction, Monty chose this moment to stand and announce a toast to all of them being there once more. Making sure to include his little jabs at how each of them had drifted apart. He broke off as he got to Rhea, choking a bit on the family part of his toast as he recalled Jac accepting him as-is instead of trying to fix him…the loss had shattered him when Jac died. He basically toasted alone with that bottle in hand before walking down a hall towards a bedroom he’d claimed earlier. Leaving the rest to go about and settle in themselves.
The group dispersed to go find rooms within he lodge. Though Delilah pulled Alex away to go over towards the honeymoon cabin a short distance away from the main lodge. Rhea had been sorting a few things out from her bag while unpacking, more focused on the task at first until a small fire out in the distance from her window caught her attention. She didn’t think there was a reason for there to be anyone else on the property…and couldn’t think of reason why any of them there would start a fire outside of the cabins. She went downstairs to look for anyone, figuring Liam would probably be in the kitchen by this point and heading there first, but finding stop burners turned down low to simmer and no Liam. She didn’t want an untended flame on the property, she didn’t want a repeat performance…so she went outside towards the direction she’d seen the flame to investigate. Alex and Delilah had been getting settled at the honeymoon cabin when sounds came from outside…there was a scream and as Rhea was getting closer to that fire she could pick out that it was Delilah’s voice. The fire had already been put out, but there was the remains of a couple jackets and Delilah’s white scarf…and a trail of blood in the snow. If she was injured, Rhea would lose the trail trying to go back to the cabin to alert others…so she followed and kept track so she could get back to bring help once she found her.
