Chapter Text
The morning came, everyone still on guard from the previous murder. News spread throughout the resort about the previous murder, fear and accusations floating around the halls as people grew antsy, hoping for some news from them. They wanted to know who the murderer was, if they were a potential target, all things none of them knew.
It especially got worse when some tried to check out, being denied due to the storm, more worry and distress at the fact they were stuck in a resort with a murderer. He couldn’t blame them, they’re somewhat in the dark and only realized because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut about Elise’s death.
Part of him hoped for another death, a chance for his theory to be true and narrow down their list of suspects and figure out the killer’s pattern.
The other part thinks he’s gonna get karma for thinking that.
“SOMEBODY HELP, I THINK HE’S DEAD!” He shut off the water, stepping out from the shower to dry off and change into something. Carl and the others would be there first, but they might dismiss whoever found him, which would ruin his idea. Dashing down the stairs, he sent a quick text to Mani, listening for some sort of sound.
bunnimani: come to the back
Who would go outside? It’s completely snowed out, which, sure it would make a good place for a murder, but why would the victim be out there? He slid the back door open, the four of them standing with a guest, a dead body in front of them. Blood, mixed with frost was on his chest and forehead, snow in their mouth, probably to keep him quiet. The face was recognizable, it was exactly who he thought it would be.
Or, kinda.
“Did you find another body?” The guest shook his head, looking down with his arms folded.
“I just went out here to see if the weather cleared up and bam! He was dead right in front of the door. No one else was around, dead or alive.”
“We started checking around the area for a murder weapon, nothing’s turned up yet,” Mikey rubbed his arm as he spoke, his eyes wandering around the area until they locked onto something. “Who built a snowman out here?” All of them turned to what he was pointing at, a typical snowman leaned against a wall. Frost covered the carrot and hat, both left out for too long.
“I think a random snowman’s the least of our concerns right now,” the guest rolled his eyes, his voice laced with annoyance.
“It could mean someone went out here to build it, but no one’s been able to get out since a few days ago. It might just be old, maybe someone made it at the beginning of the trip,” Zhang mused, tilting his head in thought.
“Mikey, make sure no one comes out here. Carl, check the body for anything strange. Zhang, check around for the weapon. If you don’t find it, that’s fine.” They nodded, moving to do their respective tasks.
“What about me?” Mani pointed to herself, an eyebrow raised.
“Ask around if anyone’s seen Taylor Jenkins today. Check her room if no one has.”
“She’s the girl from yesterday, right? Why her?”
“I’ll explain it when you get back.” He waved her off, walking away to search for her body. If Noah died, chances are she’s out here too, the question is where? They would probably have the same cause of death, but there’s no body, and no red stains in the snow. If she was buried alive, there would be a spot with more snow than the rest of the area, and he doubts he brought her inside, risking being caught.
Fuck, he should’ve asked Zhang to check the cameras, though it’s not like he can’t do it later. He should ask before people start to wake up and come outside, having people panic and interfere with the scene could ruin their investigation. Turning around, he noticed that their witness was gone, his footsteps leading towards the door. For a moment, he thought Mikey was gone too, shutting his mouth when he saw his back facing the door inside, talking to a guest.
“Still found nothing, I doubt I will with all this snow,” Zhang huffed, cold air visible as he breathed out. None of them were really dressed for the cold, he could hear him sniffling every few minutes as light snow fell on them. The door slid open, Mani coming back with a panicked look, Mikey following her out.
“No one’s seen Taylor, and she wasn’t in her room either. Do you think-”
“Yeah, she’s probably dead. We need to find her body.”
“Hold on, fill us in. What’s going on?” Carl folded his arms, shivering as he put his hands in his sleeves.
“Yeah, you said you’d tell me when I got back, so spill it.” She put her hand in her pocket, the other hand pointed at him.
“Our murderer kills whoever finds the body first, how they know is beyond me. At first I thought it could just be a coincidence, but two times in a row? It has to be purposeful.”
“So that means…” A muffled scream came from inside, dashing back inside to find the source. If the murderer strikes once a day, they couldn’t have killed someone else already. A lady was clutching her hand, spilt tea on the floor. Carl moved closer to her, examining her reddened hand while Mikey went off to get a first-aid kit.
“So sorry for yelling, I just burnt my hand a little.” She pulled her hand away, hissing slightly from the scald on the top of it.
“It’s alright, but I can treat it for you if you’d like.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to do that. I’m serious, it isn’t as bad as it looks.” She waved her hand, shaking her head at the offer.
“It can get worse, just-,” he turned to Mikey, who reappeared with bandages. He poured water on her hand, her face scrunching up before letting out a sigh. Her hand was then wrapped in the bandage, neither of them speaking until he was done.
“There, make sure to change them every day or so, at least until you can see a real doctor.”
“...Thanks,” she looked away from him, down at the puddle of tea and water on the floor. “I can clean up the mess, you don’t have to worry about it.” Grabbing some napkins, she started to dab at the liquid on the floor, a hardened expression on her face.
“HAILEY! The hell are you yelling for?!” A middle aged man entered the room, hand on his hip as he glared at Hailey on the floor, who looked up at him with disappointment.
Wait a second, that’s their witness..
“I burnt my hand, you would know if you were with me!”
“Am I your keeper? I don’t have to be with you every second of the day to make sure you don’t get yourself hurt.” She stood up, wet napkins still on the floor.
“We came here to spend time together, yet I can count on one hand the amount of times we hung out while here.” She pushed past Carl, who realized that only Harvard was here, the other three disappearing without telling him.
“Excuse me sir,” Harvard stepped in between them, hands up in mock surrender, “I forgot to ask you earlier for your name.”
“Carson Levine. The bitch behind you is Hailey.”
“Don’t call me a bitch, you asshole!”
Carl tried to speak up, hoping to stop their argument only to get drowned out by their yells, Harvard pulling him away. They went to the lobby, it being mostly empty other than the clerk and one of the kitchen workers, who had walked out of the room as soon as they came inside.
“Where did the others go?”
“Zhang’s checking cameras, Mikey’s talking to room service trying to find Taylor, and Mani’s looking through the guest list,” he crossed his arms, “which means we have to go back outside before it starts storming again.”
“And how long until that happens?”
“An hour and a half, maybe two hours before it gets bad.”
“Can I at least grab my coat?” It was freezing outside and getting sick would ruin their case and their trip.
“Only if you grab mine, I’ll meet you out back.” He blew him a kiss, watching Carl roll his eyes and go upstairs as he went under the staircase, sliding open the door to the back. The snow from earlier didn’t seem to affect the area, it looked the exact same from before. He moved back to the body, squatting down to examine it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, a simple stab through the heart killed him fast, before he could shout or make noise.
Their witness, Carson, said he saw him in front of the door, yet he’s a few steps away. Did he walk over here, is there something over here that they’re supposed to see? If that was the case, the murder must’ve been recent, not overnight. The blood on his chest was dried when he first saw him, so it had to have been at least an hour before that, meaning he couldn’t have been alive.
Is he thinking of this too literal? In front of the door could’ve just been from perspective, or that he saw Noah while he was in front of the door. There’s something they’re missing, a clue they haven’t found that ties this whole murder together.
“What’s that?” He didn’t flinch, no that was just a shiver. His coat fell on his back, Harvard slipping his hands through it as he stood up. Carl bent down, grabbing something orange in the snow, raking the snow with his hands to reveal more of it, along with something shiny. He observed it, before shoving it in his face.
“Eat this.”
“Hell no.”
“Cmon, just take a bite.”
“I’m not eating evidence Carl.”
“It’s for the case, just trust me.” He sighed, he was too persistent on him taste testing whatever he just found in the snow. Biting it, he chewed and swallowed it, staring at the ginger.
“It's a carrot.” He dug into the same spot, pulling out the hidden metal.
A…really big pencil sharpener?
“It’s one of those carrot sharpeners, I think I’ve seen one on TV.” Close enough, who needs a carrot sharpener though? Carrots are already sharp, so unless you’re trying to sharpen the other end of one
He bolted to the snowman, carefully pulling out the carrot to not destroy the entire thing. The half that was sticking out was normal, covered in frost with a bug crawling on it.
The other half, covered in blood.
“Huh.”
“Stabbed by a carrot? That’s possible?”
“Surprisingly, that can happen if it’s frozen and sharp enough.” It was a good thing he had mittens on, though chances are the perpetrator did as well. “At least we know our killer is creative.”
“And that they have access to the kitchen, since they got this and the ice sheet.” Carl pulled his phone out, sending a text to their group chat. He peeked over his shoulder, a simple message telling them to come out here being sent. His own phone vibrated, but there was no point in checking it.
“So we need to question workers, figure out where they’ve been at the time of the murders.” The back door slid open, revealing the three other detectives. None of them seemed too excited, the odds of all three of them finding nothing were low, yet with their luck anything could be possible.
“What’s with the snowman?” Her eyes landed on the bloodied carrot, lighting up at the realization.
“Our murderer thought it’d be smart to hide their weapon in the snowman, too bad they forgot to get rid of the shavings,” Carl explained, turning it around in their hand. “They’ve gotta be someone with access to the kitchen, or someone who knows how to get it.”
“Mani, what’s with our guest list? Anything interesting?” Harvard folded his arms, Mani perking up at the sound of her name, as if she just remembered something.
“Oh yeah! So apparently, Taylor and Noah knew each other, they checked in at the same time and got a joint room.” She snapped her fingers as she revealed it, tapping her chin. “Our newest witness, Carson, actually came alone, and Hailey showed up without even knowing he’d be there.”
“Are they divorced?”
“Nope, just unhappily married.” She shook her head, dropping her hand. “Our murderer clearly targets whoever finds the body first, but to others, it just looks like they’re killing duos, Georgia and her mother, and now Taylor and Noah. Carson’s probably next, but their relationship is so strained, Hailey might not even be the first person to find him.”
“Speaking of Taylor, no one’s seen her since yesterday,” Mikey interjected, “The last person to be with her was Noah, and well, we certainly can’t ask him.”
“Zhang, did the cameras show anything?”
“I haven’t gone through all of the footage, but last night someone with dark hair came out here. Probably a woman going by the length of it, no other features were picked up and no audio.”
“How dark?”
“I’d say black or dark brown.” A lot of the guests had dark hair, it didn’t narrow it down by a lot. If he takes into consideration that the person works here, he can think of at least 6 people, but someone breaking into the kitchen is always a possibility.
“A woman with dark hair…Hailey fits the description.” he mused, cracking his knuckles.
“So does Madeline,” she said, all eyes on her now.
“Who?”
“Dude, remember that one girl I was talking to yesterday? The girl who actually liked my sweater? That’s her name.” He remembered her, how could he not when she randomly appeared and joined their conversation.
“The lady at the front desk fits it too, and so do many other people here. We need alibis, but we can’t just ask everyone who has black or brown hair.” Carl glanced to the side, contemplating what to say next. “Let’s start with anyone who works in the kitchen. Chefs, restockers, anyone who has access.” He snuck a look to Harvard, who nodded.
“Right, Mani and Carl, that’s on you guys. Zhang, keep working on the footage. Mikey,” he turned to him, “we need to keep looking for Taylor, god knows where she’s being kept.” His phone was pulled out, him checking the time before pocketing it, “It’s supposed to stop snowing at around 9, so meet back out here at 11.”
The three of them left, leaving the two to hunt for her body. They only had about an hour before the snow arrived, which meant they needed to dig up this place before they lost all their progress. A shovel was hung on the wall, Mikey grabbing it before digging into the snow, praying a body would get revealed soon.
Hours later, still no body.
Somehow, they never thought of the fact that maybe she was thrown in the fire, or on the roof, or in some unreachable place where they would never find her or think of.
The storm forced them back inside, making them search for a body they knew wasn’t in here. It had to have been outside somewhere , the thing is they can’t find it and it’s pissing him off. He almost knocked over the snowman, feeling slightly bad if he were destroy it, knowing a kid probably made it (he hasn’t actually..seen a kid here, but there’s probably at least one here).
His phone vibrated, the alarm he set for 11pm going off, him silencing it as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Mikey stepped through the sliding door, two coffee cups in his hand, passing one to Harvard, who thanked him. Carl and the others were on there way over here, hopefully with good or important news. The snow’s calmed down for the night, returning to the light flurries it was earlier.
“Hey, we’re back,” Mani waved as she stuck her head out the door, walking out with Carl and Zhang, the former closing the door behind them. She noticed the coffee, gasping in mock offense. “You grabbed coffee without us?”
“Y’all weren’t outside for hours, you’ll live,” he sipped on his coffee, watching Mikey grab the shovel to the left of him.
“So, did you guys find anything?” Zhang shook his head, pulling out his phone.
“Nothing noticeable, other than their outfit. Their scarf was multicolored, I wanna say red and green, maybe blue. It wasn’t there when they came back out though.”
“So, like that scarf?” Mikey pointed his thumb at the snowman’s scarf, it neatly tied across its neck. What would be the reason to hide your scarf out here? He moved closer to it, unwrapping the scarf, a piece of paper logged into its body. Picking it up, he read it aloud.
On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me…
What did he give?
12am
He dug into the snowman, it falling apart to reveal a body.
Taylor’s body.
Her mouth was sewed shut, coals placed on top in a smile shape, along with two on her eyes. A clean cut went across her throat, the blood dried, snow and ice covering parts of it.
No one would expect the hiding spot, but they should’ve . It’s their job, they should’ve demolished that snowman the moment they saw it. Unfortunately, there was no time for him, ot any of them, to mope or beat themselves up for the mistake. They still need to find the culprit, besides, finding her earlier wouldn’t have brought her back.
“12am..that’s when the next murder’s gonna happen! Wait, how do we know it’s tomorow and not two days, since that would be the actual 5th day?” Mani stared at the card, taking it from Mikey to examine some more.
“She’s killed 4 people so far, I don’t think she meant it literally as 5 days.” Carl pulled out his phone, snapping his fingers in an attempt to remember something. “Shit, what’s the name of the song?”
“What song?”
“The song she’s referencing! Is it just called Days of Christmas or something?”
“12 Days of Christmas, I think. The fifth day was important, right?” Mani looked up from the slip of paper.
“Yeah, it’s like the big part of the song.”
“Five gold rings..What does that have to do with murder though?”
“We can figure out what that means later, right now we need to find Carson,” Harvard answered, cracking his fingers, the upper half of them a pale yellow. “Spread out, find him and stay with him, even after midnight. We can’t have him die on us.” He pulled out his own phone, 11:30 already. Their time was limited, but it was more than enough time to track down one person and stick with him. He wouldn’t die on them,
Hopefully.