Pap sat down on the front steps of the lodge. He dug around in his pockets and found the makings. Rolling himself a cigarette with shaking hands, he said, “It was a tough shot, too. I had to make it out of the little moon hole in a privy door. Otherwise, I would have hit him in the forehead like I intended and saved the county the expense of a trial. Back when I was sheriff, I always tried to economize like that.”
“Even if he didn’t save the county money, Pap saved my life,” Tully said. “That’s worth something.”
Pap lit his cigarette, inhaled thoughtfully, and blew a cloud of smoke at Thorpe. “I’ll tell you one thing, Ernie, a man has got to think fast and keep a cool head in a situation like that. The first thing I did…”
“You can fill in the details later, Pap,” Tully told him, reaching down and pulling the old man to his feet. Then he whispered in his ear: “After you’ve thought them up.”
“Good idea,” Pap whispered back.
“How about breakfast, old man.”
“Sounds good to me. It ain’t even eight o’clock yet and already I’ve done a full day’s work.”
“Yes, you have,” Tully said. He turned to his deputies. “Ernie, you ride in the ambulance with Grady and stay at the hospital with him until I get back. Read him his rights when he regains consciousness. Brian, you wait here. I want you to take care of that little matter for me.”
“Right, boss.”
As Tully and Pap were going up the steps to the lodge, the three men from the corner table came down carrying their bags. “Guess the vacation is over,” Tully said. They glared at him and continued on in silence. They got into a white Chevy Suburban. The driver, the man Tully had flattened, held up one hand as he turned out of the parking lot. Tully waved.
“I don’t think he was waving,” Pap said.
“Maybe not, but I always like to create good feelings for the sheriff’s office. They didn’t look much like conscientious voters though.”
“Probably not in their entire lives.”
Pap went into the dining room to order breakfast for them while Tully stopped by the office to make a phone call. Daisy answered.
“Bo, are you going to make it back today?”
“I hope so, Daisy. You got any deputies in there?”
“Two just walked through the door.”
“Good. Did Lurch run the prints on the wineglasses?”
“Yes, he got matches on all of them. All three have outstanding warrants. These are three serious dudes.”
“Excellent! Get our guys out to the West Branch Road and arrest them. They’ll be coming down shortly in a white Suburban with Nevada plates.”
“We don’t have any more room in the jail!”
“Oh, in that case let them go! Daisy, squeeze them in! Or stack them! I don’t care how you do it, but get them arrested. Also, send Lurch up here. I’ve got some more evidence for him to collect.”
“You know who did the murders yet?”
“One guy is headed to the hospital right now with a gunshot wound in the shoulder. I’m going to arrest another one pretty quick, the brains behind the outfit.”
“You shoot the guy?”
“No, Pap did. Saved my life with a great shot.”
“You sound pretty calm. Were you wearing your vest?”
“Sure, but we were close and the guy was going for a head shot. Pap nailed him just in time.”
“Can’t have a better guy than Pap to back you up.”
“Right.”
51
LOIS CAME INTO THE OFFICE as he was hanging up. “You’re up and working bright and early, Sheriff.”
“One of those days, Lois. I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet. Right at the moment my mind is occupied with French toast, bacon, and eggs.”
“Sounds good to me. I heard about Grady. That is so awful! I haven’t told Blanche. I don’t think she knows yet. She’s been in bed with a terrible headache all morning.”
“She’s still in her apartment then?”
“Yes, but she’s in awful shape.”
“I can imagine. But I’ve got to see her right now.”
“You’ll have to go up to her apartment then. I’ll be gone for a while, Sheriff. Is there anything else you need from me before I go?”
“Not that I can think of, Lois.”
Tully found Pap in the dining room, digging into hash browns, scrambled eggs, steak, and toast.
“Hungry?” he said.
“Shooting a man always works up my appetite,” Pap said.
Tully pulled out a chair and sat down. “I wouldn’t make too much of this if I were you.”
“I think I’ve been quite modest about my heroism,” Pap said, spreading orange marmalade on a piece of toast. “And you certainly could show a bit more gratitude, Bo.”
A waitress brought Tully’s breakfast.
“She’s a real cutie,” he said, watching her walk away.
“She’s got a ring on her finger,” Pap said.
“I bet she’s married to some lazy oaf lives back in the woods and never works.”
“No doubt. Probably one of those oafs who shoot you just for looking at their women. Anyway, Bo, I think you should show a bit more appreciation for me saving your life. It’s the only decent thing to do.”
Tully leaned across the table. “Actually, your heroism is making me sick to my stomach!”
Pap emitted an evil chuckle and bit into his toast. Talking with his mouth full, he said, “I fired as soon as I had him in the crosshairs.”
“The rifle has open sights,” Tully said.
“No wonder it was such a hard shot!” Pap said. “By the way, I hope Grady turns out to be the guilty party. I always feel bad about shooting an innocent man.”
“Yeah, right! You have such a tender conscience. His attempt to shoot me is a pretty good indication he’s our guy. Anyway, I got Lurch on his way up here to find a bit more evidence.”
“I know it’s picky, Bo, but you probably should prove Grady was involved with the killings.”
The waitress came back with fresh coffee and filled their cups.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Tully asked.
“Mrs. Phelps,” she said, then smiled broadly.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Phelps,” Tully said. “I had hoped the ring was just to keep people like me from hitting on you.”
“It doesn’t always work,” she said, still smiling.
“I guess not,” Tully said. “Now, Mrs. Phelps, you’re probably wondering why this buffoon across from me is laughing himself silly. It’s because he is simpleminded and coarse and always suspicious of my most innocent motives. By the way, and I hope you won’t mind my asking this, but is your husband, by any chance, a lazy oaf?”
She looked shocked for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Why, yes, he is! How did you know?”
“A lucky guess.”
She went back toward the kitchen, still laughing. Pap shook his head. “You are absolutely the luckiest guy in the world, Bo. Not one in twenty million sick, miserable, desperate bachelors like yourself could get away with a line like that.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, she walked away before I could ask her if she was divorcing the oaf.”
“Enough of your rather pitiful love life,” Pap said. “I want you to fill me in on the murders.”
“I’ll tell you on the way home.”
“When’s that going to be?”
“In about an hour.”
The waitress came back and whispered in his ear. “The divorce is final next month.”
He grinned at her. “That’s always good to know.”
They watched the waitress leave.
“Bo, whatever women see in you, I wish I could bottle it. I’d make a fortune. But to get back to less serious matters, how does Blanche fit into this crime?”
Tully wiped his mustache with a napkin and pushed back his chair. “I’m headed up to see Blanche right now. Go pack the c
ar.”
He stopped by the office to see if Blanche had come down. Lois was just leaving. “Blanche is still in her apartment,” she said. “She should be down shortly to watch the office.”
“You better lock up, Lois. I don’t think Blanche is going to feel much like looking after it today.”
“You have some bad news for her?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Maybe I should stay then.”
“No, it’s okay, Lois. I’ll look after her.”
“All right then. I should be back by noon.” She locked the office and went off toward the exit, her high heels clicking briskly. Tully slowly climbed the stairs, pulling himself along with the banister.
He knocked on Blanche’s door. She opened it almost instantly. She was wearing a bathrobe and slippers. She ran her fingers back through her hair.
“Oh, I thought it might be Grady.”
“I have some bad news for you, Blanche.”
“I’m not sure I can stand any more bad news, Bo. But come in and sit down.”
Tully went in and sat on the couch. Blanche sat opposite him.
“Well, let’s have it,” she said.
“Grady’s been shot,” he said.
“Noooo!”
“He wasn’t killed. He’s on his way to Blight County Hospital by ambulance even as we speak. It’s a shoulder wound.”
“Who on earth shot him?”
“My father.”
“Your father! Why?”
“Because Grady was about to kill me.”
She stared at him, her mouth agape. “He tried to kill you? Why on earth would Grady want to kill you?”
“Because he knew I would be arresting him soon for the murder of your husband.”
Blanche was silent for a moment. Then she said, “I’m going to tell you something, Bo. Grady didn’t know about it, nobody here knew about it. But I’m selling the lodge. Even before Mike was killed, I planned on getting a divorce and selling out. I have plenty of money, even without the key-man insurance, and I doubt the insurance company is going to come through with it anyway, given two murders were involved. They tend to be suspicious about that sort of thing. I have a nice sunny island picked out in the Caribbean. I’m sick of snow, sick of skiers, and sick, sick, sick of this lodge and its guests—no offense.”
“None taken.”
“Those three men at the corner table, the ones with the hookers, that’s what they were up here for, trying to persuade me to sell it to them.”
“They won’t be available for a while.”
She gave him a questioning look, then nodded. “I see. Well, I had turned down their final offer anyway. They were pretty upset, particularly the one you flattened.”
“I suspect they are a lot more upset about now. So do you have another prospect?”
“Yes, I do. A lovely couple by the name of Ferguson.”
“Why, I know the Fergusons! I met them in the hot tub, Paul and Ann. They really are very nice. They renewed my faith in the human species.”
“And they are quite wealthy, too.”
“What do they do?”
“They own a chain of upscale brothels in Nevada.”
Tully did not respond.
“So are you going to arrest me now, Bo?”
“Here’s the thing, Blanche. I know that neither Mike nor Grady was smart enough to figure out this thing. So there had to be a mastermind behind it.”
“And you think I’m the mastermind?”
“Let’s walk over to the window for a minute,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
They walked over to the window and looked down onto the parking lot.
Brian Pugh was leaning against the hood of a Blight County Sheriff’s Department Explorer. Lois was in the backseat. They couldn’t see the handcuffs, but Tully knew she was wearing a pair.
“Lois!”
“Yep.”
“She thought up the whole scheme?”
“Yes, she did.”
“So, why are you arresting me, Bo?”
“I’m not, Blanche, unless you can think of something I’m missing.”
She leaned against the wall and shut her eyes. “I was so worried!”
“To tell the truth,” Tully said, “I was worried, too. I never wanted to arrest you, but for a while there it certainly seemed like I might have to.”
“It’s a huge relief, but I feel sorry for Lois.”
“You don’t have to. She and Grady have been a grifter team for a long while, long before they came to the lodge. She was always the brains behind the team. I don’t know exactly what their plan was here, but it was not for your benefit, Blanche. I suspect the idea was that you would put the insurance money into the lodge, and she would embezzle it, since she was the one who did the books. Then she and Grady would beat it. Or maybe Grady would somehow talk you into marrying him, and you would shortly thereafter have a fatal accident. Maybe even drown in the river. Now that Mike is gone, you would need more help with the lodge, and who better than Grady? Both Grady and Lois did time ten years ago for ripping off a retirement home and some of the occupants. Lois was the bookkeeper. You might want to bring in an auditor to check your books.”
“I suppose. One good thing, Bo, now I don’t need to tell you anything about my late-night visitor.”
“I only need that information now to satisfy my curiosity. Why not tell me?”
“I can’t!”
“Is he quite a bit younger than you?”
“Sheriff, it’s really none of your business.”
52
TULLY CAUGHT DEPUTY BRIAN PUGH in the middle of a yawn as he leaned sleepily against his Explorer. “Not getting enough sleep these days, Pugh?” he said.
“Actually, no. I sure hope I nabbed the right one, boss.”
Tully looked in the rear window. Lois glared back at him. “Looks to me like you did. Roll down the window so I can talk to her.”
The deputy got in, turned on the ignition, and rolled down Lois’s window.
“Hope you’re comfortable, Lois,” Tully said.
“I don’t know why you’re arresting me. I know nothing about any of this.”
“You mean like plotting out two murders, and maybe even a third one off in the near future. That’s not even counting your efforts to kill me and Pap and then kill me again.”
Lois shrugged.
“As you no doubt guessed, Lois, I’ve had you and Grady pretty thoroughly checked out. You have a sheet going back almost twenty years. I don’t think our prosecuting attorneys will have too much trouble tying you into this. Grady and Mike had the combined IQ of celery. You were the only one smart enough to think this thing through.”
“You trying to flatter me, Bo?”
“You are also the one who wore Mike’s boots to make the tracks in the snow.”
“Oh, that’s a good one.”
“Yes, it is. And pretty cold-blooded, too.”
She was thoughtful for a moment. “You think I killed Mike?”
“No. But it might be in your best interest to recall exactly how and why both Mike and Horace Baker were killed.”
Lois chewed her lower lip. “My lawyer and I will have to think about that.”
“Yes, you will,” he said. “Lois, I’m afraid I have much more experience with murder than you do. If at some distant time in the future you decide to continue this line of work, take my advice. This whole thing was far too complicated. You were bound to slip up somewhere. Next time you get involved in a murder, simply have your accomplices shoot the party, deep-six the gun, and split.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, glaring at him.
Tully went back into the lodge. On his way through the lounge, he stopped and took a last look at the three-dimensional map. He thought maybe he should send the EWU geography department a note thanking them for the model. He then walked over to the bar. DeWayne was wiping it down.
“Get you something to drink, She
riff?”
“A cup of coffee, if you have some made.”
“You’re in luck,” DeWayne said. He poured Tully a cup. Pap walked up and climbed onto a stool. DeWayne set a cup in front of him and poured another coffee.
Tully said, “You got your suntan oil all packed, DeWayne?”
The bartender almost dropped the coffeepot. “Why would I need suntan oil?”
“Oh, I just figured that after the dogsled races you’d head for someplace warm and sunny, like the Caribbean, for example.”
DeWayne slowly and carefully set the coffeepot back on its warmer. “Sounds like fun,” he said. “But you must be confusing me with someone else.”
“I suppose,” Tully said. “It was just a thought.”
Pap dumped two spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee. “Forget the Caribbean. Right now I’ll just be happy to get back to Blight. Never thought I’d ever say that.”
“Pap and I are gonna head in shortly, DeWayne. From now on, you’ll have to flatten any unruly customers yourself.”
“One of my major joys in life.”
Tully noticed Janice sitting at a table in the dining room. A waitress brought her a pot of tea and left. Tully walked over and sat down across from her. “So, how come you’re not out on the trail?”
“My next run isn’t scheduled until this afternoon.” She gave him a smile. “Tom went home, by the way.”
Tully thought about asking if Aunt Margaret had died again but decided against it. “I guess he doesn’t have much interest in your passion,” he said.
“My passion?” she said.
“Dogsled racing.”
She laughed. “No, he doesn’t.”
“Anyway, I wanted to thank you, Janice, for all your help. You’ve been great.”
“I can be even greater, Bo.”
“You’ve mentioned that. But Pap is waiting for me.”
“Have you noticed how stuffy it is in here?”
“As a matter of fact, I have.”
“Why don’t we step out onto the veranda for a breath of fresh air?”
“Okay,” he said. “One last breath.”
They went out onto the veranda. Tully closed the door behind them.
Janice kissed him so long and hard he felt as if she had sucked away half of his oxygen. He gently shoved her back.
Avalanche: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery (Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries) Page 18