Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult - Erica Rodgers [26]
Sydney: Did you find anything out about who was renting the snowmobile?
Alexis: Sounds like some woman named Chloe.
McKenzie: Do you think she’s the one who left the message in the snow and knocked out Jake?
Alexis: No, Bailey pointed out that the handprint is too big for most women—unless she’s a real amazon. And it would take quite a punch to knock out Jake. Karen thinks from the way the injury looks that the person did it with his knuckles, not with any weapon.
Kate: Unless she’s an amazon and a wrestler or something, too! Or a policewoman! They learn how to pack punches.
Sydney: Well, if the words on the letters look like they’re all on Lake Tahoe brochures, you’re probably right about it being someone who’s hanging1 around the resort area.
Kate: Although any public place sixty miles around Lake Tahoe probably has racks of brochures promoting their attractions.
Alexis: Yeah, they do, but I just have a feeling it’s someone who hangs around the resorts. It’s definitely someone who’s familiar with the reserve—enough to even know where the bears sleep.
Elizabeth: I think you should go with that gut feeling. I think it’s God directing you.
Alexis: Well, He’d better direct fast. Bailey and I feel like we’ve hit a dead end, and we only have a couple of days left here.
McKenzie: Don’t be discouraged. I think you’re way closer to solving this than you were twenty-four hours ago.
Elizabeth: Yes, you’ve learned that the person sending them hangs out around the resorts, probably.
Sydney: And the spray painter made a big mistake by leaving a handprint. And since most spray paint is permanent, it will probably be a few days before he—assuming it’s a he—can get the paint off his hand.
Alexis: So all we have to do is go around asking if we can see every man’s hand?
McKenzie: Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that….
Elizabeth: But whatever it takes! LOL!
Sydney: Yeah! If you keep your eyes open, you’ll catch him.
Alexis: You’re right. We’ll even catch the criminal red-handed! Literally! ROTFL.
A Redhead Red-Handed?
Before dinnertime Alexis and Bailey took to the streets. Their goal was to watch people, and they were looking for something very specific. Jake had mentioned that the painter had been wearing a black coat. They were looking for someone who looked like he had money—since he hung around at the resorts all day, and they weren’t cheap—and who had an obvious red stain on his hand.
Soon, however, they hit a roadblock. They found that, on the Nevada side of the state line, they couldn’t go inside any of the hotels. All of them had casinos on the ground floors, and Alexis and Bailey were obviously not old enough to walk around those without parents.
“That’s all right,” said Bailey after they had been shown politely out of their third casino. “It’s nasty in there anyway … all smoky, and it’s hard to hear myself think over the blinging noises of all those crazy machines!”
Bailey was right. Alexis hadn’t enjoyed being inside the casinos, but she also knew that they didn’t have much of a chance of finding who they were looking for if they were limited to walking the sidewalks.
The snow started picking up, swirling thick around their heads. Bailey spoke up again.
“What if he’s wearing gloves, Lexi? We won’t be able to see his hands if he’s wearing gloves.”
Alexis hated to admit it, but Bailey was right. After more than an hour, Alexis led Bailey back to their hotel. They sat down in the lobby in front of the big fire to thaw out a little and talk about what to do next. The only other person nearby was a young woman using a laptop computer. She was wearing a scarf over her head, so Alexis guessed she had just come in from outside, too.
The girls chatted, until the woman’s phone rang. She picked it up with a huff and answered it stiffly.
“Chloe Stevens, how may I help you?”
Alexis and Bailey froze when they heard the name. They sat very still and eavesdropped, pretending to watch the fire dance in the hearth.
“No, he is unavailable tomorrow night,” snapped