As soon as lunch was completed, they returned to the reception area where Betty once again went to the switchboard to check the status of the phone lines.
�Still out,� she announced.
�There must be a line down somewhere between here and the power plant,� Barnaby said. �They wouldn�t be able to get a crew out until the blizzard cleared, so maybe they�ll start working on it soon.�
.R. was feeling extremely agitated, and he paced restlessly from the door to the fireplace, stressing over the condition of his hair. Repeatedly, he pushed his fingers through the dark curls and tugged at them as if pulling them would make them straighten out. Finally, he could stand it no longer. �I�m going upstairs and shower off the chlorine.�
Betty had noticed his fretful behavior ever since rising from the table, and she could not stifle her laughter at his excuse to get into the shower. �You just want to tame those ringlets, Curly!�
He gave her a harsh scowl, but beneath the frowning brows his dark eyes were twinkling good-naturedly.
�I think they�re kind of cute!� she insisted.
�I think they�re hideous!� he retorted.
Betty laughed again. �People with curly hair want straight hair, and people with straight hair want curly hair. No one is ever satisfied with what they have.�
�There�s nothing more we can do about the missing guests at this point,� Barnaby said. �We may as well give up on that and let the authorities work on it once the phone lines are back up. I think I�ll go upstairs and see if I can catch some news.�
J.R. started up the stairs, with Barnaby following behind. Betty moved to the sofas and sat down with a magazine.
J.R. and Barnaby parted at their doors, each going into his own room. A moment later, J.R. heard the television come on in the elder Jones� room.
First, J.R. went to his window and pulled open the drapes, lingering for several moments to gaze out at the dazzling whiteness that covered the landscape below. It had finally stopped snowing, leaving a smooth, unblemished blanket of shimmering white that stretched out from the foundation all the way to the leafless trees that marked the boundary of the forested areas. Mountain peaks rose up behind the forest, providing a breathtakingly beautiful scene. A bright spot in the gray sky marked the location of the sun.
Leaving the window, J.R. went into the bathroom and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature and the spray. While it warmed, he undressed again, and paused to look in the mirror, grimacing at the mop of wild curls that were piled on top of his head. He fingered them with annoyance, wondering why he had had the misfortune of being born with such an unruly head of hair when most of his friends had the desired straight, fluffy, manageable hair.
�Some people have all the luck,� he muttered to himself.
When the water was the correct temperature, he stepped into the tub and pulled the shower curtain closed. As he lathered his hair, he began to sing in a hearty voice, �Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day!�
When his shower was complete, he opened the bathroom door to allow the steamy heat from the hot water to dissipate, then he dried himself off with a towel and shaved the stubble from his face. When that was done, he redressed, and painstakingly dried his thick longish hair with a strong blow drier, taming those unruly curls with determination.
Presentable at last, he crossed the hall to Barnaby�s room and pressed his ear against the door. The television was on, so he presumed his cousin must have found some news to watch. He rapped his knuckles against the door. �Barnaby?�
A moment later, Barnaby opened the door, and motioned him inside.
�Did you find out anything?� J.R. asked as he stepped into the room.
�The whole area from Quincy to south of Tahoe is completely snowed under, with massive power outages and downed phone lines. It could be a week or more before the phones are working again. They�re saying now that they haven�t seen a storm this bad in fifty years.�
�I guess we�re lucky the power came back on so quickly, then,� J.R. said.
�We�re also lucky we made it to the resort before the storm hit. The news is reporting hundreds of stranded travelers all over the area. It doesn�t answer the question about why there is no staff or guests here, but it could be that many of the guests simply haven�t arrived yet due to the weather.�
�Wow, we picked one helluva week to take our vacation, didn�t we?�
�Apparently so. Anyway, from the weather reports, the storm has moved on, so were I you, I would go ahead and enjoy my vacation, regardless of whether there is anyone here or not. You did say there were plenty of activities you could do?�
�Yeah. I was just thinking I might take one of those snowmobiles out for a spin this afternoon. Would you like to go?�
�No. I think I�ll just relax in front of the television for a while. They�re showing a John Wayne movie in about a half hour that I haven�t seen in years. See if Betty would like to go with you,� he suggested.
�Okay. You�re sure?�
�I�m sure, Jedediah. The truth is, I can�t even remember the last time I simply relaxed in front of a good movie. I�m looking forward to this.�
�All right, then. We�ll probably be gone for a couple of hours.�
�Have fun.�
Leaving Barnaby alone in his room, J.R. trotted back down the stairs.
Betty had finished her magazine, and was standing at the window near the front door looking out. She turned around when she heard J.R. coming down the steps, and smiled when she saw him, noticing that his hair was styled in his favored manner. �Feeling better about yourself now?� she teased.
�Much better. I spoke with Barnaby, and he wants to watch a John Wayne movie, so I thought maybe you and I could take a couple of those snowmobiles out for a drive around the property,� he told her.
�I�d love to!� she exclaimed, enthusiastically. �I�m getting rather tired of being trapped indoors trying to solve an apparently unsolvable mystery.� She paused, a guilty expression on her attractive face. �I� must admit, though, I feel a little bad about leaving Barnaby alone.�
�He�s going to be parked in front of the TV watching that movie for several hours. He�ll be fine. He said it�s something he really wants to do, and that we should have a good time."
She nodded, accepting his logic. �Where are the snowmobiles?�
�In a garage near the pool. There are all kinds of winter recreational things back there.�
�I guess we�d better bundle up,� she suggested. �It looks cold out there.�
Quickly, they returned to their rooms to get their coats, gloves, and wool caps, then met in the hallway and went back down. At the bottom of the stairs, J.R. gestured with his hand toward the long corridor. �This way, m�dear.�
Together, they walked down the corridor, and made a left turn at the juncture, continuing onward past the activity rooms. J.R. cast a lingering gaze at the closed door to the swimming pool, bringing another smile to Betty�s face.
�So, you really enjoyed your swim?� she asked.
He glanced at her face and saw the smile, but realized that she was not really teasing him this time; she was genuinely interested. �It was wonderful. I can�t remember ever having that much fun in a swimming pool before. The water was almost bathwater warm, absolutely incredible. Or maybe it was the �forbidden� quality of it all that made it more fun; I don�t know, but I really had a good time.�
�Did you really go into the outdoor part of it?�
�Sure did.�
�Wasn�t it cold?�
�It was freezing! The water in the outdoor portion of the pool was warmer than the air temperature, but it was quite a bit cooler than it was in the inside portion. I could almost feel icicles forming in my hair! I have to admit, though, it was quite exhilarating! Now I know what those . . . what are they called? Those polar bear guys, the ones who go swimming in freezing weather? I kind of have a feel for what they�re talking about, now; why they do it. It was incredible.�
�I�m glad you enjoyed yourself. It�s about time we started having some fun on this vacation. We�ve been here nearly twenty four hours, and the only thing we�ve done since then is try to figure out where everyone is.�
�I agree.� He opened the door to the room containing the outdoor equipment. �The garage is through that door; that�s where the snowmobiles are kept.�
�I think we�re supposed to check them out from the desk,� she said, noticing a desk set up near the garage door. The plaque read: James Smith, Equipment manager. She was obviously feeling rather nervous about taking the vehicles out without permission.
�There�s no one to check them out from,� J.R. reminded her. �Even Barnaby said there is no reason why we shouldn�t enjoy ourselves. It�s not our fault that no one is here except us.�
�Yes, you�re right. We did come here to experience the fun of a winter vacation. However,� she added, picking up a clipboard from the desk. �Here is a place to put our names and the number of the vehicle we�re checking out. Maybe we should check them out ourselves. At least there will be a record that way.�
J.R. smiled, amused by her attention to proper protocol. �Okay, let�s pick out our vehicles, and then we�ll sign them out ourselves.�
He opened the door beside the desk, and they stepped into the much cooler air of the garage. Betty walked among the snowmobiles that were parked in neat rows and selected one that looked simple to operate. �I�ll take this one.�
�I like this one,� J.R. said, straddling a big red one to get the feel for it and placing his hands on the handlebars. �They even come with helmets.� He picked up the helmet that matched the color and decorative design on his vehicle, and placed it on his head.
They memorized the number of the tag on the backs of the vehicles, and went back inside to write them down on the clipboard along with their names and room numbers. Then J.R. opened the outer garage door and was confronted by a three foot high barrier of snow where it had piled up against the door.
�Can these things even get through snow this deep?� Betty asked, skeptically as she put on her helmet.
�The tread on these things can plow through anything!� J.R. told her, hoping it was true. �It won�t be that deep everywhere; it�s only the drifts that are that high. We may get covered with snow, though. This is going to be fun!�
He packed down the snow to form a ramp, then he and Betty started the snowmobiles and guided them slowly up the snow-ramp and out into the frigid air. J.R. pulled the door closed behind them, then climbed back aboard, and they revved their engines and drove toward the treeline, spraying snow in all directions. J.R. took the lead, with Betty following at a suitable distance to avoid his snow-spray.
The air was bitter cold, but the breeze generated by the snowmobiles was somewhat deflected by the visors on their helmets.
They checked their speed as they entered the trees, mindful of the obstacles that could prove dangerous as they roared through the forest. J.R. had never ridden a snowmobile in his life, but he took to it like a duck to water, expertly guiding the motorized vehicle around trees, logs and shrubs with perhaps a bit more reckless abandon than was prudent.
Betty followed in the furrow he had left in the snow, a little less confident, but handling her machine quite well. She fell a little ways behind, preferring control to speed, but remained close enough to keep him in sight.
They stopped when they entered a large forest clearing to enjoy the incredible scenery. The sun had finally penetrated the cloud cover, dazzling the pristine blanket of snow with its radiance. Rugged mountain peaks rose high in the distance, completing the remarkable beauty of nature�s wilderness areas.
�Oh, J.R.!� Betty breathed, raising her visor so that she could see better. �I wish I had brought my camera! I�ve never seen anything like this!�
�Me neither,� he agreed. �It�s like something you�d see on a post card.�
�It�s more beautiful even than that. It�s totally indescribable. I don�t think a photograph could even do it justice.�
They sat quietly for a while longer, observing the beauty and tranquility, then J.R. revved his engine, and they reentered the tree line.
After nearly thirty minutes of uneventful snowmobiling, J.R. was suddenly startled by a tawny blur that bounded across his path in front of his vehicle. Reacting to the unforeseen hazard, he swerved quickly to his right and immediately saw a large tree looming directly ahead of him. He braked hard and swerved again. The vehicle spun out of control and turned over on its side, sending its rider tumbling into a deep snowdrift at the foot of the tree.
J.R. lay still for a moment, performing a mental inventory of his extremities. Everything seemed to be present and functioning properly, so he sat up and pulled off his helmet, groaning in an exaggerated fashion. As soon as the helmet was free, the branches above him unloaded their accumulations of snow onto his head.
�That�s great!� he said sarcastically to the tree. �Thank you!� He shook his head, rubbing his hand in his hair to shake the snow free before it melted and caused his hair to start curling again.
Betty pulled up beside him. �Are you all right?� she asked.
�Yeah, I�m fine. What the hell was that?�
�I think it was a deer,� she replied, turning her attention to the area where the animal had gone. She could see it, standing a short distance away, watching them with large curious eyes. Its large ears designated it as a mule deer. �Look!� she said, pointing.
He turned his head to look at the animal, but it took him a moment to spot it. It stood perfectly motionless, almost blending into the stark trees that surrounded it. �It jumped across my path too fast to get a good look at it.�
�It looked like you nearly hit it. The wildlife is probably getting out after that blizzard to try to find food,� Betty said, sympathetically. �In our warm resort, it�s hard to imagine the hardships faced by the area wildlife.�
�Yeah, I know,� J.R. agreed. �I have to admit, I never really considered that there might be wildlife in the area.� He struggled to his feet, floundering in the deep drift, then carefully set his snowmobile upright again and checked it for damage. He started the engine again, and with a dismissive flick of its tail the deer darted away into the forest.
J.R. mounted the vehicle again and put the helmet back on. �Ready?� he asked.
�Yes. Maybe you should slow down a bit,� Betty suggested. �I�m having trouble keeping up with you.�
J.R. smiled, but it was concealed by the visor of his helmet. Her request to slow down was cleverly disguised, for he knew that Betty could keep up with him. She didn�t want him to crash again. He acknowledged her request with a thumbs up, then roared off again, this time keeping his speed more controllable and paying more attention to what was on either side of him.
Betty accelerated after him.
They rode for a while without mishap, then J.R. noticed that the trees were beginning to thin, indicating that they were approaching another clearing. Briefly, he considered speeding up to take advantage of the unobstructed terrain, then decided to advance with caution, since he had no idea what was beyond the tree line. He applied the brakes as they reached the edge of the trees, and realized with a shudder that his caution was warranted. He was at the top of a steep slope that would have sent him airborne if he had not slowed down. He drew the vehicle to a stop, and Betty pulled up beside him. They both lifted the visors on their helmets.
They were overlooking the highway that had brought them as far as the resort�s turnoff, and they watched as a snowplow appeared at the far end, scraping the deep drifts from the asphalt and piling it up along the shoulder.
�Looks like they�re already clearing the roads,� J.R. commented.
�Guess that means we can expect company soon,� she replied. �They�ll have to clear off the road from the resort down to the turnoff, but things are definitely looking up!�
�Doesn�t look like there�s any other cars out yet, but once the roads are clear, the travelers will start moving again. We may be able to salvage this vacation yet!�
Closing his visor once again, J.R. turned the vehicle around and they followed the tracks they had made back through the woods until they emerged in the resort yard again. They drove across the yard and entered the trees on the other side, riding a good distance away from the resort before they decided it was time to turn around and come back. By the time they arrived, it was growing dusky again, not from a storm this time, but from the sun settling behind the mountains in the west.
�Have we been gone that long?� Betty asked as they guided the vehicles back into the garage.
J.R. closed the garage door behind them and securely latched it. Pulling up his coat sleeve, he glanced at the watch on his wrist. �It�s after five thirty. I had no idea we had been gone that long. Time flies when you�re having fun.�
She was smiling. �That was fun, wasn�t it?� she asked as she placed the helmet back on the seat for the next rider.
They stepped through the door into the warmth of the office just off the garage, and paused at the desk to sign the vehicles back in. Then they started down the corridor, peeling off their outer wear.
�You know, if you want the truth, it�s been kind of fun just having the three of us here in this big building,� J.R. mused. �We�re able to do whatever we want, get a dining table anywhere in the room, sleep on the sofa if we want and not be bothered by anyone.� He sighed. �I kind of hate to see it come to an end!�
�I know what you mean,� she laughed. �If it hadn�t been for the mystery of where everyone went, it would have been a lot more fun.�
�Unfortunately, that part of it still remains a mystery,� he reminded her.
�I�m going to have to think of something for supper,� she said as they passed the dining room doors. �I didn�t expect that I would have to plan and cook meals on my vacation.�
�Okay, you�re making me feel guilty. I�ll help you,� he offered.
�Are you any good in a kitchen?� she asked, skeptically.
�Hey, all the famous chefs are men,� he told her.
�That doesn�t answer my question.�
�Well, I can heat soup and make sandwiches as well as the next guy. I�m especially good at crackers and cheese.�
As they came around the bottom of the stairs into the common room, Barnaby laid down a magazine on the coffee table and looked up at them. �I was starting to worry about you two. You were gone a long time.�
�I guess we lost track of time,� Betty said. �Was your movie good?�
�Excellent. They don�t make them like that anymore. So, you two had a good time, then?�
�Yeah,� J.R. said. �We drove all the way to the highway. They had a snowplow out there working on the roads, so I guess things will start getting back to normal soon.�
�That�s good news.�
Betty gestured toward the stairs. �I�m going to put away my things, then I�ll come back down and start supper.�
�Why don�t you relax for a while and let Jedediah and I fix supper?� Barnaby suggested.
She smiled. �I appreciate the offer, but if we all work together, it�ll be done sooner. I�ll be back down in a few minutes.�
�Okay, while you�re doing that, I�ll move the car out into the lot,� J.R. offered. �Do you have the keys, Barnaby?�
Barnaby reached into his trouser pocket, and his brows knitted together when he discovered they weren�t there. Then realization dawned. �Oh! I thought they would have a valet to park the car, so I left them in the ignition. I forgot all about them!�
�Good thing no one was here,� J.R. said. �We might have had to walk all the way home!�
He opened the front door and stepped out into the dusky cold again, pausing to look around. Once again, he was struck by the near total silence of the resort area, and he walked to the edge of the covered breezeway to view the scenery that surrounded the resort. The wind and additional accumulations of snow from the blizzard had almost totally obscured the tire tracks they had left during their arrival the day before.
The car was still parked where they had left it upon their arrival, so he opened the car door and got into the driver�s seat. Barnaby was considerably taller, so J.R. slid the seat forward a bit, turned the key, and listened as the engine turned over with a healthy roar. Shifting into drive, he pulled slowly from beneath the covered breezeway, and moved the car alongside one of the other vehicles. He had no way of knowing if he was actually in a parking space or not, since he could not see the lines, but at least it was out of the way should other people show up.
As he locked the car door and trudged through the deep snow back to the building, his mind pondered the situation they were in. No longer did he feel totally isolated from the world. Even without a working telephone, they had access to the nearest town, for if it became necessary to leave the resort for some reason, they could ride out on the snowmobiles.
Go to Act VII