“A rather dramatic description.”
“Did you know the fob was here?”
He paused. “No. I didn’t have any idea the alexandrite was on a fob.” His answer held enough reluctance to indicate he hated admitting a lack of omniscience. “But I hoped the watch would lead to the gems. There was a chance this Abner still had them because they never showed up anywhere else.” His tone changed to one of pride. “I put my good connections to work. They told me Roi Lily might be useful to know. Did you know that he used his boats to smuggle goods and people to and from Canada? I contacted him after I followed you up here—”
“Followed me? You knew I was in Barley the whole time?”
He chuckled, so complacent that she wished she had the courage to slug him.
“Since you weren’t as receptive to my advances as I hoped,” he said. “I decided on a different tactic. I told Roi to keep an eye and ear on you. He overheard Tuesday that Amos had a fob with stones stuck to it, and let me know.”
“He cut the fence line so he’d have time to search Amos’s house. On your orders?”
“No!” Peter snapped and started to move toward the driveway. “All I wanted was information. He assumed I’d be so grateful for his extracurricular activities I’d give him more money. The man was delusional. But he had a lovely warm cabin cruiser where I could stay out of sight. By Wednesday I realized Roi’s limited utility meant I needed to use my own wits and charm. They’ve served me well so far.”
Claudia didn’t want to discuss his charms. “Who are you meeting?”
Peter stumbled, and she expected him to curse. Instead, he pulled her closer in a confiding gesture.
“Buyers. I don’t know who they are. I’ve never spoken with them by phone. Only email. I couldn’t believe the awful Internet access up here. The library has a satellite connection, as I discovered when you and I visited there.”
She should have known he wasn’t reading Ellery Queen.
“These people aren’t worried about how you came by the watch and gems?”
“My buyers no doubt have connections to the Russian mob. They don’t care if I killed puppies and old folks to get them. They don’t ask questions and they pay well. I heard they act as purchasing agents for a crazy descendant of Tsar Alexander who collects anything to do with the family. When I saw the fob, I knew I’d found the alexandrite. From my room I called my contacts with the good news and a request for a substantial supplement to my payment.”
Remembering her suspicions that he had planted a bug, Claudia wanted to laugh.
They had almost reached Amos’s house. Peter’s manner changed.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. You’ll knock on the door. Explain how you’d gone snowmobiling with Ezra and broke down back a ways. You’ll ask to borrow this car. You’ll promise to return it. Tell them you won’t take more than half an hour. Just make it convincing. Be lighthearted. Make sure whoever drove that vehicle doesn’t volunteer to drive us. Or I’ll have to hurt them, Claudia. I won’t have a choice. There’s a lot riding on you. Mess it up, and I can always come in to clean up and take the car anyway. I’ll be on the front steps here, listening, because you will make sure the door stays open. If anyone looks out they’ll assume I’m Ezra.”
“What if they invite you in?”
“Why, my sweet. I’ll gladly come in. But you don’t really want me to.” He patted the pocket bulging with the gun. “So you’ll be an especially creative storyteller.”
They headed for the front of the house. Claudia thought faster than she ever had.
She’d do as he asked. But everyone inside knew Ezra would never go to the front door. They’d know something was wrong. They’ll call—someone—and just maybe a chain of lovely communications will lead to—someone—rescuing Ezra.
“Just a minute.” Peter jerked at her arm as she headed for the steps. “The prints go around back. This entrance doesn’t look as though it’s ever used. We better be safe and use the back door.”
Claudia hated him more at that moment than she had in their entire acquaintance. Reality hit her. Every lucky break for Peter went against Ezra. The possibility that he would die increased each time.
In spite of the cold, she felt sweat bead along her hairline. The only hope for Amos and anyone else in the house was a frightened, abysmally poor liar.
They followed the footprints to the rear of the house. Claudia remembered the protocol—enter the back porch and knock on the door to the kitchen. The light was on. So were the kitchen lights, and as she raised her hand to knock she saw with sinking heart both Sue and Jacy at the table with Amos. She looked at Peter, just inside the porch. With the visor down he could pass for Ezra. She headed to the door but he stopped her and rubbed the skin alongside her aching mouth.
“Blood,” he explained, wiping hard. “Might make them too sympathetic to let you go again. Now I can’t wait to see the performance of your life.” He stepped back into the shadow.
At her rap everyone looked up, but not in surprise. Maybe evening visitors were commonplace. Jacy struggled to stand but Sue laid a restraining hand on her arm and bustled to the door.
On opening it, she looked blankly at Claudia.
Oh, dear Lord, help me sound carefree, Claudia breathed. “Hello, Mrs. Stevens. Do you recognize me in Philip’s suit? How are you doing? I bet you didn’t expect to see me standing here!”
She babbled, drowning out the sound of Amos’s welcoming call, trying to keep between Sue’s line of sight and Peter hovering just outside the circle of light.
“Miss Alexander!” Amos bellowed. “You come on in! This is the kind of surprise I like. Have some coffee. Sue just made it.”
Claudia surprised a hesitant Sue by almost pushing her into the kitchen and the furry cap that greeted Claudia on her first visit. Sue swatted at it.
Amos, already at the stove, reached for one of the several hanging tin coffee mugs. An old ceramic coffeepot burbled gently on one of the burners.
“I am so sorry to intrude—”.
“What a charming intruder,” Amos interrupted. “Right girls?” He sniffed and sighed. “Can’t smell perfume though, just cold air and—” He stopped abruptly.
“She’s wearing a snowmobile suit, Gramps. That may have something to do with it,” Jacy laughed. “Really, Miss Alexander. Sit down and join us. My grandfather thinks you are the greatest thing ever to hit Ezra Prosper, and he’s convinced you’ll get married and ask him to give the message at your wedding.”
Claudia couldn’t even blush. Her pulse roared in her eardrums as she sensed growing impatience emanate from Peter.
“It seems Miss Alexander is in a hurry, Dad. I don’t think she came for coffee.” Sue regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and something akin to mistrust. “Am I right?”
Grateful for Sue’s no-nonsense approach, Claudia raced on.
“You are. I’d love to visit. But you see, Ezra took me for a snowmobile ride, and we broke down. So we wondered if we could borrow your car.” She realized Peter’s version of the story had several holes. Would Ezra be expected to go home and leave his sled behind? And why wouldn’t they just walk to town? Amos did it all the time. She slowed down, thinking of counters for all possible objections. “It broke down in sort of a strange spot, and he wants to make sure it doesn’t get damaged any more.” Another problem. Calling down a multitude of plagues on Peter’s head, Claudia wondered how one went about pulling a snowmobile. She hadn’t noticed a trailer hitch on the pristine back end of Sue’s car. A picture of Ezra banging his shin on the back of the animal control van burst with blessed clarity into her mind. “He thought he could run home for his trailer and van to load it up. When we saw the lights on here we knew that Amos had company.”
Amos barked with laughter. “That’s right! Folks often forget I don’t need lights on.”
Claudia smiled tightly. “Yes, well, it just is so fortunate for us and especially because you’re someone I know, and I m
et Jacy too and Ann talks about how generous you all are and when Ezra saw the car he said, ‘That’s Sue’s new...’” Claudia paused and grappled. What kind of car did Sue have? What if her ignorance raised their suspicions? Worse, what if a miscued response made Peter think she was trying to drop hints that something was wrong? He would be through the door in a flash. She covered the moment of panic with a small cough. “Excuse me. He said, ‘That’s Sue’s new car.’”
She added, doing everything except cock her head winsomely to one side, “Ezra told me anyone in the deBoer clan is always ready to help out. Would it be OK? Could we borrow the car? It shouldn’t take more than half an hour.”
Sue crossed behind Claudia to stare out the door. Claudia followed her line of sight. Peter shifted slightly so some light fell on him, and waved.
“Why on earth doesn’t Ezra come in?” she asked with asperity.
Again Claudia’s brain sorted through dozens of explanations and came up with a likely one in less than a second.
“He’s filthy from crawling around the snowmobile to try to get it started and off the road.” Sue’s eyes went to Claudia’s suit, torn from her roll in the bushes. “I tried to help but couldn’t do much except mess up Philip’s suit.” She laughed, impressed at how sincere she sounded.
Jacy laughed, too. “Ezra knows Mom. She would have a fit if he tracked a mess in here. I swear, mud even refuses to spatter her car.”
“I really don’t let anyone else drive it. Ezra should know that. But I’ll be happy to give you a ride.” Sue spoke in a tone that brooked no argument as she reached for a coat dangling from chain.
Sweat ran in rivulets down the back of Claudia’s neck. She could only hope her agitation wasn’t apparent.
Amos interjected, “Susie, why not let those young folks just take your car and be alone for a few minutes?” He tossed an elaborate wink in Claudia’s direction, and she could have kissed him. “You remember how it felt to want to snatch a few moments with a special beau, don’t you? I sure do.”
Jacy handed her mother a large, patent leather purse.
“C’mon Mom. Ezra will be careful. Besides”—she patted her burgeoning stomach—“Baby Colossus has a hankering for some hot cocoa, and I don’t trust Grandpa. I never know what he’ll throw in.”
Claudia tried to keep from holding her breath as she saw Sue waver.
“The sandwich generation gets no respect. Wedged between pushy parents and bossy children,” Sue grumbled but scrabbled in her purse and pulled out a set of keys. Claudia’s knees went weak and she exhaled audibly. Sue looked at her with curiosity.
“My mom is always saying the same thing about her folks and us kids. I’ll have to tell her she isn’t the only one,” Claudia told her, injecting a breezy tone in her response. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Stevens. We do appreciate this.” She tried a little coyness. “Ezra and I will enjoy a little quiet time together, I know. It’s hard to talk on a snowmobile.”
She spun to leave. Amos, on her heels, beat her to the door and pulled it open.
“Ezra! Get over here and say hello!”
The back porch door slammed shut.
“Sorry. He must not have heard you. I’ll have him come in when we bring the car back.”
Now Sue hailed her. She had some old rugs over her arm and Claudia despaired of ever getting out of the house.
“Tell Ezra to sit on this one”—she handed a thick rag rug to Claudia—“and have him put this thin mat under his feet.” Claudia nodded dumbly. “And make sure he wipes the pedals down! I don’t want grease all over my Volvo.”
Halfway out the door, Claudia paused and turned back. Amos still stood just inside the kitchen door, framed by hanging coats and shapeless hats and knitted mittens. She hugged him.
“Good-bye, Amos.” She fled down the steps and put the keys in Peter’s outstretched palm.
TWENTY-TWO
Peter motioned Claudia to the passenger side. She complied, relieved he didn’t want her to drive. Her entire body shook. All the pretense of the last few moments had knotted her muscles, and sweat drenched her. If she took off the snowmobile suit, she’d freeze before the car heated up. It seemed even colder than when she had entered Amos’s house, and she blinked up at the swaying treetops. Two stars blinked back. The snow had stopped.
“I’ll be driving,” Peter informed her, once again agreeable and good-natured. Naturally. The world would adjust its axis rather than disrupt his plans. “I believe—yes, I’m right—this nice new Volvo has a central locking system, which means I control your door lock. I don’t want you to jump out. You could get hurt. Behave yourself another couple of hours, and when I’m close enough to the airstrip, I’ll let you go. You’ve proved adept at hitching rides.” He put the key in the ignition and smiled as the engine revved and settled to a powerful purr.
“Peter, please let me go now. Please. I won’t say anything to anyone. But the temperature keeps dropping and Ezra hasn’t much time. I just want to get back to town.”
Peter ignored her and maneuvered Sue’s car into a turn. Claudia waited to attach her seatbelt until she had tested the door. She didn’t try to hide the attempt from Peter, and he didn’t bother to hide his smile.
They started down the driveway, slowly, because of the fresh, icy snow. This, Claudia was certain, would be the last ride of her life. Regardless of Peter’s promises to release her, why would he? He’d revealed way too much to let her go.
She wavered between confronting Peter with her fear and preserving the foolish and futile hope for a miracle. She compromised. “I’m afraid of what’s going to happen next, Peter, but for whatever reason, I can’t imagine you’ll do anything to really hurt me.”
“That’s my girl. Nothing to worry about, right? Once in Canada, I’ll transform to a new man with a new name. And the money from the watch and fob will take me anywhere in the world. You’ll never see me again,” he repeated, with relish. “Nothing at all to worry about.”
She wanted to believe him. She should hold onto hope, but hope offered by a liar had little value. “You killed Roi, didn’t you?”
“It was his own fault.” Peter said, matter-of-fact. He inched onto the icy road. An aggrieved tone crept into his voice. “He had to draw all kinds of attention to the old man. Somebody would eventually wonder why. When he came to the recital with a little blackmail proposition, I waited until the second half started and took him to the inn. He thought we went there to get money. Of course, we all know you should never pay a blackmailer.”
So Peter had killed Roi in his lovely room at the Weary Traveler.
“The village idiot followed us, and to this day I don’t know how I missed hearing his snowmobile. Preoccupied, I suppose. He’d parked himself outside the window and tried to peek under the shade. He must have cracked that icicle, but by the time I opened the window and looked out, he’d gone. He might not have seen anything, but I couldn’t take a chance. Since I knew the sound of his sled and had an idea where he lived, it was just a matter of picking up his track and dumping Roi in his driveway. It’s rather amusing that he did the same thing to someone else. Poetic symmetry.”
The road curved and hid Amos’s light. Final bits of the story assembled themselves in Claudia’s mind. Peter must have put the body in his trunk and raced back to the school before the recital was over. She marveled at his coolness while he’d chatted with Noah. When he came sneaking into the kitchen around eleven-thirty his hair and coat had been dry. She’d assumed it had quit snowing, but it didn’t let up until around midnight. She wondered if he’d dumped Roi before he came back or if he’d sneaked out in the middle of the night. He rose before sunup Saturday to shovel away his car tracks.
Claudia pulled at the door handle again and tried the window. Peter accelerated, and the car slewed on an icy patch. As he straightened with an adept maneuver, she reached for the seatbelt and buckled it tightly. He laughed out loud. He may as well have just asked why she was bothering.
> Because I’m a good girl who always buckles up for safety, she reflected bitterly.
They neared the spot Peter had lost his car—the long lonely road leading to Bernice’s house.
A bright light blinded them. Peter started, hit the brake, and swerved. Whatever was behind the light hit with a force that slammed Peter toward her. The Volvo spun in a half-circle and jolted to the opposite side of the road. Air bags inflated at the same time the seatbelt grasped her in a suffocating embrace. Peter’s shout was cut short, and she couldn’t scream at all. For the second time that night her mouth filled with blood and a frantic ringing threatened to blow out of her eardrums.
The ringing intensified. Sue’s car stopped at the edge of the ditch, teetering precariously. Claudia reached for the door, but it was still locked.
She looked at Peter. He lay slumped against her shoulder, eyes half-shut. She couldn’t see him breathing. Either he was knocked out or dead. She didn’t care which as long as she could reach the lock. A gleam from the barely-visible eye bothered her, and she waved a trembling hand in front of his face. He didn’t react. She tried to lean ahead but the shoulder harness hadn’t released. Her torso was pinned to the back of the seat. Her arms, though, were free. With steady but slight pressure Claudia moved Peter until his head hung on his own shoulder. His eye still glinted, and she fought the urge to shut it. Her deflated air bag puddled in her lap and covered the release latch for the safety belt. Claudia lifted the slippery fabric. A hand shot out and grabbed hers.
“Don’t bother. Don’t bother, by God. When they pull you from this wreck you’ll be a dead body with a broken neck.”
Peter reached clawing hands for her head, but the tenacious shoulder harness held her fast, and he couldn’t get a good grip. Claudia struggled, but she didn’t know how to protect herself. She and Ezra would die in the same night while the siren song hummed in her ears to drown out the sound of her breaking spinal cord. The listing Volvo gave a coy twitch.
A hideous roar sounded from outside followed in a millisecond by shattering. Her eardrums had burst, or she was dead.
Winter Watch Page 20