Whodunnit? Murder On Mystery Mountain

18 A Ride To Remember

Calvin pulled his small pontoon out of the docks. The boat causing waves that rocked the people aboard. Sherman lowered his sunglasses and watched the scenery. All night, he had tossed and turned in his bed thinking. He looked over at Jericho who was quiet as well. There was a silent tension between them that everyone on the boat felt. At any moment, the pleasant ride could turn to a nightmare.

Jaclyn spread tanning lotion on her arms and passed the bottle to Audrey. "Will we get to see any wildlife?" Jaclyn ventured, her question directed at no one in particular. It was Summer who answered. "That is very likely. The wildlife here is active and thriving!" She said it like a tour guide, which made her husband smile. "There's turtles, I know for sure."
Sage looked out at the water, searching. "I see them!" They all looked out and indeed, a family of turtles swam alongside the boat.

Greer reached her hand down to touch one. "Careful." She looked up at the voice. Phillip was leaning against the side of the boat. "Snapping turtles." He indicated, pointing. Greer became flushed. When she thought of someone attractive, she usually imagined someone like Phillip. This caught the attention of Brooklyn, who was sitting across from them.

Phillip sat closer to Greer and continued to show her the ways turtles live and what the different types were. Jericho watched them, feeling disgusted. He couldn't imagine how anyone in their right mind would be so happy about something when his life could've ended at any moment. He got up to walk by Phillip and accidentally tip his drink onto the man's lap.

Greer shrieked. "What the fuck?" Phillip shot up, his shirt now stained a deep red. He grabbed Jericho's shoulder and turned him around. "You got a problem?" He asked, getting in his face. Brooklyn grinned, catching Greer's eye, who glared. Jericho stepped forward. "Maybe I do. What are you going to do about it?" He hissed. Phillip pushed him. "Jealous that I'm safe? Huh?" He kept pushing.

Suddenly Zayne and Sherman were attempting to pull the two men apart. "Stop this at once!" Giles was saying as he ran across the boat. Phillip stopped and glared as Jericho threw up his hands. "Fuck this." He walked away without another word. Zayne put a hand on Phillip's shoulder. "What happened?" He shrugged him off and sat back down. The boat continued on as they all rode in silence.

Throughout the hour, the guests spoke quietly with each other. Brooklyn was on her third cocktail and everyone would could tell. She'd been sitting beside Sherman, laughing uncontrollably for the past twenty minutes. Calvin rolled his eyes. "Someone shut her up!" He got up to swipe the cup from her hands. Without a second to spare, he threw the cup into the water below. "No one gets that drunk on my boat." In response, Brooklyn continued to laugh.

Giles felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Zayne. "I have a question." He said. "Yes?" Giles replied. "When we get to the end of this game, how...is it....does someone actually get to walk away alive?" He sucked in a breath as he finished. Giles sighed. Zayne was in fact, referring to Dawson manor. "I know as much as you do, I'm sorry to say. Vivian chose to take her own life to see justice." Giles explained. "There's no way to know how this is going to end." Zayne nodded. Suddenly, the boat lurched to a stop.

"What happened?" Greer shot up. The guests murmured in confusion. Calvin slammed his foot on the gas. "It just stopped! I don't know why! Damn thing!" He stood up and went to check the engine. Jericho began to feel very uneasy. He looked over at Sherman, expecting the same reaction. Jericho's face went pale white. "Where's Sherman?"

At first no one understood, but then quick glances around showed that Sherman was nowhere in sight. "Sherman! Sherman!" They all began to call throughout the boat. "How did he disappear? I was just talking with him!" Ethan looked horrified as he spoke. Brooklyn teetered to the edge of the boat. "Found him." She said nonchalantly.

As one, the group moved to peer over the edge of the boat. "Oh my god." Jaclyn couldn't believe her eyes. Sage covered her mouth. Jericho almost fainted between feeling relief and partly disgusted. Sherman was lying on his back in the water, lying in a pool of blood. He looked peaceful despite the nature of his situation. "Dead." Giles pronounced. The terrifying wait was over. The killer had claimed their next victim.