Questioning suspects is fun.

Also, I didn't realize it until earlier today, but this is my 100th fanfiction published on this site! *blows noisemaker*

Since I've been on the site for five years, that means an average of 20 stories a year. However, most are unfinished and will most likely never be finished.

I'm finishing this one, though!

His first stop was the sitting room where he'd talked to Rosemary the night before. It seemed empty, until he turned and saw a man and a woman playing some kind of card game. He approached the table cautiously and got their attention immediately.

"Hello!" the man greeted him brightly, setting down his cards.

"Hey," Max replied. "Who are you?"

"Harrison Thomas. This is my fiancee, Nerris Buchanan." The girl waved.

"Max Acharya. It's a pleasure to meet both of you." He cleared his throat. "So, what brings you two here?"

"We wanted to get out of Vegas for a while," Nerris replied. "Also, we're celebrating our engagement away from our parents."

"Away from yours," Harrison corrected. "Mine don't know and don't care."

"Sucks," Max sighed, shaking his head.

"It does," Nerris agreed. "This place wasn't our first choice, but it beats the Nevada heat!"

"It wasn't?"

"We wanted to go to New York," Harrison explained. "Unfortunately, we couldn't afford it. Then we heard about this place from Rosemary, and we decided to give it a try."

"Well, Rosemary can be pretty persuasive. I've known her since I was a kid, and she's always been that way."

"We met her at summer camp and we've kept in touch over the years."

"It's terrible for her that all this is happening," Nerris added. "She was so excited to be in charge of this place."

Max was suddenly reminded that Rosemary had an entire life he had no clue about.

"I still remember her as the girl who made me try out her monster makeup," he laughed. "That shit hurt coming off."

"So, why are you here, Max?" Harrison inquired.

"Rosemary needed some extra help, so she asked me to come up here until she can hire somebody."

"Ah. Makes sense."

"I'll let you two get back to your card game. Bye!"

Max headed out of the sitting room and noticed the display from the lobby. There were pictures and momentos—most of which featured Rosemary's father, Cameron Campbell. He'd been a hunter, according to the wall and the multitude of taxidermized animals on display. It was meant to show that this place had been, once upon a time, a hunting refuge. It was unnerving and he shuddered. Shaking it off, he decided to go down to the basement. There was a woman with blonde hair waxing her snowboard.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"S'up, dude," she responded. "I'm Ered."

"Ered Miller, the famous snowboarder?"

"The one and only."

"What's a famous person like you doing in a place like this?"

"Practicing for the next big competition. My coach and I scoped this place out last year—plenty of hills to shred. What are you doing here?"

"A favor for a friend. She needed an extra hand and I was free." He shrugged. "I got in last night."

"You must've heard the explosion."

"I got here right when it happened. I was only fifteen feet away."

"Whoa. Lucky thing you weren't closer."

"Yeah, I know. So, how much do you know about what's been going on?"

"I heard some stuff happened, but this place is too perfect for me to leave. You might ask that weird guy in room 2. He's a scientist, I think. He might know something."

"Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." She grabbed her board. "If you need me, I'll be on the slopes."

Max watched her go and headed upstairs. At room 2, he rapped on the door.

"Coming!" a voice called. The door opened to reveal a man with what could only be described as a Jew-fro. He was thin and scraggly, like he spent all his time at a computer.

"Uh, hey," Max chuckled nervously. "I'm Max. You are?"

"Neil," the thin man replied, and Max knew this was the nerdy stepbrother Nikki had mentioned at breakfast.

"I'm the new housekeeper… person… and I'm just going around and meeting the guests today."

"Oh! Well, it's nice to meet you."

"Say, did you hear that explosion last night?"

"Did I ever! I was almost asleep when it happened. I haven't investigated because it's too cold."

"It's Canada. In winter."

"True. Nikki checked it out this morning, though—said there's nothing but debris."

"And a melted clock face. I went out there, too."

"Are you a friend of the owner?"

"Yep. I've known her since grade school."

"Good to know. Hey, you mind helping me with something?"

"Sure, what?"

"Well, Nikki—she's my stepsister, by the way—has a shit-ton of energy. She's always on the go and I was hoping you could shovel off the pond so she could work some of that energy out."

"Yeah, I met her this morning. She said you were a nerd."

"I am."

"Still, it's part of my job to shovel the pond, so I'll help you out."

"Great!"

Neil closed the door and Max headed to room 3. Nobody was there, so he headed back downstairs and ran into a man with brown hair.

"Oh! Pardon me!" the man apologized.

"Not a problem, dude. Hey, are you a guest here?"

"Yes! My name is Preston Goodplay!" He posed dramatically.

God, what a fucking nut-job…

"I'm Max. Rosemary just hired me as temporary help."

"Ooh! Then, Maximillian, surely you must know of the events that have transpired in the past few months!"

"Yeah, she gave me the rundown. And don't call me Maximillian."

"Fine, fine. The worst was last night. I'm telling you, if it weren't for the fact that I needed time away, I'd pack up and go home this minute!"

"Uh… okay."

"And that's not even the whole of it! There's also… the wolf."

"The wolf? This is the first I've heard of one being here."

"It howled before the explosion last night. That beast is the cause of all the problems, mark my words!"

"A wolf caused people to get food poisoning, locked a guy in the sauna, and stole a snowmobile?"

"Yes!"

"Do you realize how insane that sounds?"

"Not that insane! The old handyman said he was going after it!"

"Huh. Isn't hunting wolves illegal?"

"Maybe in America, but around here, it's open season all year round."

"Well, nice talking to you."

Max took mental note of Preston's odd behavior. He decided to take care of that favor for Neil and headed out to the skating pond. Shoveling it turned out to be damn-near impossible, due to the thick snow and the thinness of the ice in some spots, but he got it done. Once that was done, he headed back to his room and hit Rosemary's name on his contacts.

"Hey, Max! Any luck?"

"Not yet. I found a melted clock by the bunkhouse, but I've seen the same clock in every damn room. It could've just been in there."

"Fuck."

"By the way, one of the guests said something weird—that a wolf was responsible for the accidents. Apparently, it was the same one I heard howling right before the bunkhouse blew up."

"Jesus Christ. That damn theory again."

"I told him he was crazy and he said Quartermaster was going after it."

"I don't want that wolf killed, Max. Try and find a wildlife organization to come relocate it."

"Yes, Mom."

"Don't you take that tone with me, young man." He could tell she was smiling on the other end of the line.

"There's not much else I can do…"

"Try exploring the area to see if you can find anything. There's a lot of woods around here that are perfect for hiding in, but the ridges are dangerous. We're in an avalanche zone, so if you see anything, make sure to call it in."

"Okay. Thanks, Rosemary."

"You're welcome."

"Hey, real quick—why does Quartermaster call you 'RM'?"

"Oh. He says it's because 'RM' is quicker and easier to say than Rosemary. It's the same reason I call him 'QM'."

"Well, I'll see you when you get back to the lodge."

"Adios!"

Click.

It was going to be a long investigation…

And the second chapter closes.

Next time, Max will head out into the wilderness and track a beast…

So long and thanks for all the fish!