by Mary Daheim
Judith nodded. “Very smart to get your education first.” Wanting to move the conversation back to the twins before falling asleep, she asked if Win and Winnie were enrolled in college.
Norm shook his head. “They both have a yen to join the Peace Corps. Neither of those kids has a clue about a career. They want to see the world.”
Adela bridled. “They’re seeing it now in Idaho. They hitchhiked to Bonners Ferry. It’s a wonder some nut didn’t kill them.”
Renie finally spoke up. “Are they coming back here?”
“No,” Adela said sharply. “We sent them enough money to go home by bus. We told them they could figure it out for themselves since they pulled such a dumb stunt. And,” she added in a calmer voice, “they will. They may be foolish, but they’re not stupid.”
“Why,” Judith asked, trying to rally, “did they leave in the first place?”
Adela sighed. “They were creeped out by the whole thing with Codger and that damned bier stunt. He’d been so generous with them that they thought it was gruesome to put him on that bier and send him off . . .” She stopped, drained her glass, and burst into tears.
Norman got up from his chair and put his arm around his wife. “We tried not to let the twins know the poor old guy had been stabbed,” he said, “but somebody let the cat out of the bag. That sent Win and Winnie over the edge. Frankly, they were terrified.”
Judith asked the obvious question. “Who told them?”
Norman bit his lip before speaking. “Ada.”
“Ada?” Judith was shocked. “But she never speaks.”
Adela was wiping her eyes. “I know. But I wish she hadn’t.”
Judith wondered not about how the young woman had come to speak but why. And yet Adela didn’t seem to be wondering about any of the Stokes family’s strange behavior. Ada hadn’t used words. Or maybe that was because Adela’s clan wasn’t strange to her. After over forty years, the Stokes Mantra might seem normal. Judith could understand that, but it still struck her as very strange indeed.
Chapter 18
Judith and Renie left the Odells a few minutes later. They were both so worn out that neither of them felt like speculating on the events of their very long day. Instead of entering the Flynns’ adjoining suite and going through the connecting door, Renie took out her key, mumbled something that sounded like “ni-ni,” and staggered into the Joneses’ accommodations. Judith merely nodded. She felt as if she’d talked herself numb.
The last thing Judith remembered was sitting down on the bed to undress. The next thing she heard was the muffled ringing of a phone. Bleary-eyed, she tried to rouse herself and discovered she’d gone to sleep with her clothes on. When the ringing persisted, she grabbed her purse and dug out her cell.
“Yes?” she croaked, forcing her eyes to focus on the digital clock next to the bed. It read 9:49.
“Jude-Girl?” Joe said in an uncertain voice.
“What?” Judith was struggling to sit up. “Joe?”
“Right. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Of course. I’m still half asleep. How are you?”
“Great,” he replied. “In fact, that’s why I’m calling. Bill and I are having some fantastic luck. Our guide Snapper’s incredible. We’re going to have to send most of what we’ve caught to the cannery. So far we’ve hauled in brown and rainbow trout, cutthroat, and what they call the Bow River bullet. Those babies really fight and you wouldn’t believe how high they leap out of the—”
“Joe,” Judith interrupted, feeling a bit unsteady as she headed for the bathroom, “why are you calling?”
A brief silence ensued. “Well . . . Bill and I wanted to make sure you and Renie are getting along okay without us. You are, right? I mean, no problems?”
“We’re fine,” Judith replied, more sharply than she intended. “In fact, like I said, you actually woke me up.”
“Wow! My wife sleeping in? This trip must really be relaxing for you.”
Judith leaned against the bathroom sink. “You’ve no idea.”
“Then you and Renie wouldn’t mind if we stayed another day? We’d be back in Banff sometime in the early morning.”
Judith considered. “I’d have to make sure the motel has room for us,” she finally replied. “I’d also have to ask the Rankerses to stay on at the B&B.”
“They won’t mind,” Joe said airily. “There shouldn’t be a problem with the motel either. It’s Monday.”
Joe was probably right about Arlene and Carl, but not about their lodgings. Judith had noticed no decrease in the town’s tourists. It was, after all, still August. “I’ll let you know if there’s a problem,” she hedged. “Okay?”
“Sure,” Joe said. “Here comes Bill. I’ll tell him we can go ahead and let Snapper know he can take us up into one of the lakes around here. Love you.” He rang off.
Judith wasn’t up to coping with Arlene, but she could call the desk to find out if they had availability for the night. First, however, she’d shower and get dressed. Ten minutes later she used the house phone to see if their suites were still available for that night.
They were, according to the unfamiliar male voice at the other end. Judith didn’t ask his name. She’d stop by to introduce herself and Renie before they left for breakfast.
It was ten-fifteen by the time she went into the Jones suite and wasn’t surprised to find her cousin still asleep. Judith put a hand on the shoulder Renie wasn’t sleeping on. “Coz,” she said softly, “wake up.”
There was no response. Judith spoke in a normal voice. “Come on, open your eyes. It’s after ten.”
Renie moved, but didn’t open her eyes. “After ten what?” she muttered.
“Ten minutes for you to get up and get going so we can eat breakfast,” Judith said. The lure of food should motivate her cousin.
“Oh.” Renie snuffled a bit, rolled over, made some grumping noises, and finally, if slowly, opened her eyes. “Breakfast?” she said. “Did you order from room service?”
“The motel, as you know, doesn’t have room service,” Judith declared, growing impatient. “Do you know where we are?”
Renie gazed halfheartedly around her. “No, but it looks familiar. Is it Edinburgh?”
“That was several years ago.” Judith’s patience was ebbing. “Try another part of the U.K.”
Renie struggled to sit up. “Maybe I’ll figure it out if I see a picture of the queen.”
“You better do it fast or I’ll leave without you,” Judith said, moving toward the connecting door. “I have to make a phone call.” She paused just long enough to see Renie toss off the covers.
Arlene answered on the fourth ring. “Hillside Manor,” she said in her most gracious voice. “How may I help you?”
Judith identified herself and went straight to the point. “You can help me by staying on another day at the B&B. We’ve got a problem.”
“Foreign countries!” Arlene cried. “Have you been arrested for espionage? Should I call the ambassador?”
“It’s not that kind of problem,” Judith asserted. “It’s our husbands. They want to spend another day fishing.”
“Why?” Arlene asked. “They can fish around here. We have lots of lakes and rivers and the bay and the—hold on. I think a guest is having a heart attack.”
Judith heard Arlene call to someone but couldn’t make out the response. In fact, she couldn’t tell if the voice was male or female. The next sound was a woman’s horrified shriek. Not Arlene, Judith thought, having heard her neighbor shriek before. Often. Other excited voices sounded in the background. Growing anxious, Judith wished Arlene would come back to the phone. When she finally did, the news was not good.
“I have to call 911,” she said. “Have a nice day.”
Judith stared at her disconnected cell. Briefly, she considered calling her mother, but Gertrude would be in the toolshed and unaware of whatever was going on at the house. Five minutes later, Renie wandered in, looking as if she’d thrown her
clothes up in the air and run under them.
“I may be dressed,” she mumbled, “but I’m not really awake. Guide me to a restaurant.” As if to prove her groggy state, she bumped into the armoire that held the TV. “Oof.”
“Let’s go,” Judith said. It was pointless to tell Renie anything until she’d had her first cup of coffee. They drove in silence until they reached Phil’s, which was close to the police station.
“No!” Renie yelped. “I refuse to eat prison food! Take me to the Banff Springs Hotel!”
“Wake up!” Judith snapped. “Phil’s is practically in front of us. You loved their pancakes when we were there the other day.”
“I did?” Renie blinked a couple of times. “Okay.”
Inside the restaurant, they were informed that a table for two was being bussed. It would only take a few minutes before they could be seated.
“It better be,” Renie snarled. “I’m about to pass out from . . .” She shut up as she saw Teddy and Martha Lou coming toward them. Judith wished them a good morning.
“Oh, right,” Teddy said, “you folks are still around. You must be enjoyin’ yerselves. I wish we was.”
Judith exhibited her kindliest smile. “Our reason for coming here is very different from yours. I assume you’ll be heading back to Big Stove soon.”
“We wish,” Martha Lou said, looking petulant. “The ornery Mountie dudes won’t let us.”
“Why not?” Judith asked.
“Because,” Teddy replied, “them cops can’t find Codger. ’Course they can’t. I bet he’s floated halfway to China by now.”
Martha Lou latched on to Teddy’s arm. “Let’s not be yappin’ about Codger no more. I’m sorry he’s passed, but it’s over.”
Teddy glared at his wife. “It ain’t over until them Mounties say it is. Why do they need poor ol’ Codger’s body? It was danged well wore out.”
Martha Lou shrugged. “These Canucks got some queer rules. Let it be.”
Teddy wagged a finger at his wife. “We ain’t Canucks and Codger weren’t one either. The cops want one of them autotopsy deals to tell how the poor old coot croaked. Stupid. He was old, he croaked. So what if some joker stuck a knife in his back? Probly didn’t have a fork to put there to say he’s done.”
“Was it natural causes?” The question tumbled artlessly out of Judith’s mouth.
Teddy and Martha Lou both gaped at Judith. “Hell yes!” he cried. “He was older than one of them dinosaurs.”
“How old was he?” Judith asked.
Teddy shrugged. “Really, really, really old. Not sure, bein’ poor at numbers.”
“A hunerd an’ one,” Martha Lou declared. “I know, ’cause he tol’ me once.”
Teddy sighed. “Could be. Let’s go. The rest of ’em probly wonder where we went. Maybe they think we got done in, too.” He nudged his wife. “Move, girl!”
Judith’s gaze followed the couple as they left the restaurant. Turning around, she realized that Renie had disappeared. A quick perusal of the establishment revealed that her cousin had already been seated and was studying a menu.
“How,” Judith demanded, “did you manage to sneak away like that?”
“While you were blabbing with the Low-IQ Duo, a server beckoned me to an empty table. Since I was about to faint from undernourishment, I decided to save us another hospital run.”
“The Mounties aren’t letting the Stokes folks leave,” Judith announced.
Renie shoved the menu at her cousin. “So?”
“The cops want to find the body for an autopsy.”
“Figure out what you want to eat.” Renie sounded severe.
Judith set the menu aside. “Pancakes. What else? We’re at Phil’s.” She sighed. “I can’t believe how dumb that Stokes pair sounds. They must never have gone to high school.”
“Maybe they never went to school at all,” Renie said. “Big Stove may not have schools.”
Judith merely shook her head as the server appeared to take their orders. After the cousins made their requests, Judith took up where she’d left off. “Pa studies commodities and follows the market. Ma sounds like a normal person. Yes, Ada’s got a problem, but the farm has been in the family for . . . what? Three generations?”
“Sounds right,” Renie agreed. “What’s your point?”
Judith made a face. “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. It’s as if they’re putting on an act.”
“Whatever’s going on, we’re not stuck here much longer,” Renie pointed out. “After that, you can put Codger and the rest of them in the rearview mirror.”
Judith gulped. “Oh, coz! I forgot to tell you! Joe called to say they’re staying at the fish camp another day.”
Renie stared. “You forgot? We’re still stuck here? No!”
“You weren’t awake,” Judith said. “You don’t take in things when you’re in a morning fog. Besides, a B&B guest had a heart attack this morning.”
“Well.” The anger that had started to light up Renie’s eyes now ebbed. “I suppose Arlene described the victim as near death. She does love delivering bad news.”
“That’s not quite fair,” Judith said. “I’d put it a little differently. She faces tragedy with . . . detachment.”
Renie grinned. “She relishes it. Ah. Here comes food.”
“I don’t know what happened to the man who collapsed, but I’ll have to call back and find out. Arlene called 911. Speaking of medical help, we should see how Trixie’s doing this morning. We’re right by the hospital.”
“I wonder what it’s like to go on a vacation and not have to do anything except relax. I hear that’s what some people actually do.” Renie stuffed a forkful of pancake into her mouth and slowly shook her head.
“You’d be bored,” Judith asserted. “Does the extra day screw up your freelance design work?”
“No,” Renie replied after swallowing. “I wrapped up everything I had to do before we left and warned my clients not to contact me until after Labor Day. No problem. Some of them are on vacation, too. I’ll bet they’re not having as much fun as you are with your sleuthing.”
Judith paused before biting off the piece of sausage on her fork. “Face it. We don’t golf, play tennis, hike, fish, swim, or ride bicycles. Banff is a charming setting in one of the most scenic places in the world. But what else is there to do for people like us?”
“You have a point,” Renie allowed. “And a hobby.”
Judith frowned. “What?”
“You like to hunt.” Renie paused, wearing a sardonic expression. “For killers.”
Judith really couldn’t argue.
After finishing breakfast, Judith called Arlene at the B&B. There was no answer. She tried the Rankerses’ home phone and got their recorded message. Should she check in to see if Gertrude knew what had happened to the ailing guest? But her mother probably hadn’t seen Arlene or Carl since they’d delivered her breakfast. The old lady rarely ventured inside the house even when Judith was home. Gertrude may have loathed Dan McMonigle, but she wasn’t exactly fond of Joe Flynn. Judith’s father had died young and her mother didn’t like sharing her only child with anyone else. Nor did she crave the company of other people, except to play cards. There was no sign of senility with the old girl when it came to outwitting the opposition in a bridge game. Judith marveled at her mother’s ability to figure out the number of points each player held. So did Gertrude’s opponents.
“Struck out, I gather,” Renie said after Judith joined her on the sidewalk.
“The Rankerses do have a life besides helping me out at the B&B,” Judith reminded her cousin. “Five kids and a bunch of grandkids keep them hopping.”
At the hospital, a young man with a shaved head sat in Edith Smythe’s place. He wore an affable smile as the cousins approached the desk. Noting his name was Curt Holmby, Judith told him they’d come to see Trixie O’Hara.
Curt nodded and checked his computer screen. “Ms. O’Hara was
released almost an hour ago. Eleven is patient checkout time.”
Judith tried to conceal her surprise. “Did someone come to give her a ride?”
Curt made a face. “I didn’t see her leave. I must have been on break. Are you friends or . . . ?” He left the rest of the question hanging.
“Yes,” Judith replied. “As you may know if you saw Trixie’s patient information, she’s from Nebraska and my aunt Ellen is her godmother. I spoke to my aunt just the other day and she asked how Trixie was getting along since her move to Banff. Aunt Ellen worries about her.”
The flow of information seemed to overwhelm Curt. “I suppose I could find out for you. Wouldn’t ”—he paused to glance at his computer—“you or your aunt know where Ms. O’Hara was living?”
“She’s working here at a motel where she’s also living,” Judith replied. “But there are so many motels in Banff. If you could find out from the nurses who picked her up, that would ease Aunt Ellen’s mind. And mine, of course.”
“Me too,” Renie said in a small, squeaky voice.
Curt agreed to call the nurses’ station, rolling his chair away from the desk in an apparent attempt at privacy. Judith and Renie avoided looking at each other. It seemed to be taking Curt a long time to have his question answered. In fact, the young man had begun clicking his ballpoint pen in a show of impatience.
Looking apologetic, he finally turned back to the cousins. “The nurse didn’t know. When they went to check on Ms. O’Hara, she was gone. They looked all over the second floor, but there was no sign of her.”
Judith didn’t hide her distress. “Had she put on her clothes?”
“Ah . . .” Curt was embarrassed. “I didn’t ask. I never saw her leave through the main entrance.”
“Maybe, as you said before,” Judith suggested, “she left while you were on break. Do you know if Ms. O’Hara ate breakfast?”
Curt was shifting from embarrassment to misery. “No. It’s not part of my job. I’m sorry, but the nurses would know. Except that Monday through Friday the shift changes at eleven in the morning.”