Chapter 19
a visitor to The Spa
ANNIE
Annie’s phone dinged, pulling her out of her pizza hangover. Last night, Ric’s pizza had been so good that everyone overindulged. Her hand fumbled for her phone on the nightstand, knocking Bonaparte off with a thud; luckily it was zipped shut. She let out an ‘ugh’ and sat up, pushing down her green and gold paisley comforter, trying to focus her eyes on her phone as bright morning light filtered around the spider plant hanging in the window.
She felt a jolt when she saw Gabriel’s name. Just a coworker, she insisted to her emotions, as she unlocked her phone to read the full message.
Gabriel: My mom is flying in TODAY. Do you have a room at the Spa? My place is too tiny, and she’s staying a while.
When Annie worked at The Course at Crystal River, she’d been inside the two A-Frame tiny homes on the property named Birdie and Eagle. They sat tucked on the edge of the property, protected by evergreen hedges and landscaping. Charming with warm wooden exteriors and a large triangular window above the front door, they had small porches on the front and back. Phil’s special guests and friends could stay in them when they came to golf The Course, and Phil had been known to take up residence when he was avoiding Elaine, or, more likely, she had kicked him out. Eventually one became storage, filled with things like old tax returns and off-season decorations.
When Gabriel injured his shoulder and stopped his pro career, Phil signed one over to Gabriel as part of his Course Manager hire package. for a twenty-something dropped in the mountain Colorado real estate market, it was a fantastic deal; its square footage was comparable to a small apartment in the city and instead of a postage stamp balcony, you had a whole freaking golf course outside your door. And, Annie thought, a wonderful Spa next door for visitors.
Annie didn’t have to check; she knew they were underbooked.
Annie: I’ll book her in. Was she expecting a traditional funeral? Elaine surprised a lot of people by not having one.
Gabriel: All I know is, I got a text this morning that her flight was landing at 2. I’ve got so much to do before she gets here, including the grocery store
Annie: Anything else? Post-flight massage?
Gabriel: Oh, great idea. Not today, but in a few days, yes. Text me some times when you can.
Annie: Are you helping plan Phil’s Celebration of Life?
Gabriel: Yeah, his lawyer Mansfield emailed me Phil’s request for his ‘wake’ and set the date and time for the reading of the will. You would not believe the liquor order I just placed. Confirmed a jazz band and a Cajun food truck.
Annie: Sounds busy.
Gabriel: Yeah, luckily the cleaners just came yesterday.
Annie: Lucky you, professional cleaners
Gabriel: Living the dream in, what, 700 square feet?
Annie: IF you include the back porch.
Annie paused typing, trying to ask more without seeming blatantly nosy.
Annie: Is this your mom’s first visit to Crystal Valley?
Gabriel: Yeah.
Annie: Best foot forward, then. She’ll love the Spa. She can join Mom’s meditation and yoga classes in the mornings. Give her my number, in case she needs anything.
Gabriel: Amazing. Thank you so much. LMK the amount and I’ll Venmo you.
Annie sent an okay emoji and a thank you emoji, then sat her phone on her nightstand. She sat there, in bed, forcing herself to take three deep belly breaths. Just texting with him had gotten her heart rate up, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Okay, she said to herself, a bit bossy, business partner dealt with. He was just that, nothing more. Their past was super complicated. Had she totally forgiven him, and Phil? Ugh, she thought. I don’t want to think about it. Too much was going on this week—murders and visitors and work and, well, all of it.
She was now very awake, pizza hangover forgotten. She quickly changed into workout clothes, sat on her spin bike, turned on a workout playlist and popped her earbuds in.
Twenty minutes later, sweat working its way down her neck and forehead, Gran knocked and opened her bedroom door; Annie pulled out her earbuds to hear Gran chirp, “Bore da!” Gran reverted to Welsh when she was particularly cheerful or especially angry. “On the bike already?” She picked up Annie’s laundry hamper. “I’m doing a load.”
“Are you so cheerful because Frank seemed impressed with our Murder Board?” Annie asked. Okay, well, it was actually a Murder Refrigerator Door.
“It’s just a lovely day,” Gran replied and turned to leave with the laundry hamper.
“Wait, Gran,” Annie slowed her cycling pace. “Gabriel just booked a room at The Spa for his mom.” She paused to catch her breath, and continued, “Do you know anything about her? He says she’s never been here before.”
Gran sat the dirty laundry down and leaned on Annie’s door frame. “I remember a bit. When Gabriel started getting national attention, the local papers ran “hometown boy does good’ sort of articles. Gabriel’s family in Mexico are well off — it’s not a rags to riches story or anything — and own a chain of gyms or something similar. Gabriel’s mom met Phil professionally, through the fitness industry. Phil became coach and mentor to the supremely talented middle schooler. The papers mentioned his mom and aunts, but stayed vague about his father’s family. It seems he wasn’t in the picture.”
“High-powered exec, limited time to visit,” Annie said. “That’s as good an excuse as any.”
“Also, he spent Thanksgiving through January in Mexico, being at home and training in warmer weather. He homeschooled during competition seasons; Phil had me proctor a few of his exams and such during that time.” Gran paused, then added, ““Isn’t it an odd thing, to travel here to mourn someone you never bothered to visit while they were alive?”
Annie had totally stopped pedaling. “Maybe she wants to support Gabriel. Or, more likely, thinks there will be a fight with Elaine over who manages The Course.”
“Maybe…” Gran said, then picked up the hamper and walked to the laundry room.
Annie looked after her. Gran’s voice had said maybe, but it meant no. That was the voice her gran used when she’d been a kid and asked for candy, or to go to the amusement park.
Annie walked to the bathroom to shower, wondering about Gran’s words. Gabriel’s mom wasn’t coming to mourn Phil, and it was a mystery as to what Elaine might do. So what was the motivation behind the rushed visit?
