by Mary Daheim
Barnes rubbed the side of his bald head. “Well . . . maybe I’ll give it a shot.” He turned away and went back to the pickup.
Renie laughed. “I’d almost like to be there when he confronts the Stokes folks. But that’s probably a bad idea. Where to now?”
Judith didn’t respond right away. Her brain was coping with a sudden insight. “I wonder if Martha Lou is responsible for the meandering money. It sounds like the kind of weird thing she might do.”
“Malicious mischief,” Renie murmured. “At least she didn’t steal it.”
“True.” But Judith’s brain was moving in a different direction. “I hate to do it, but we have to talk to Sergeant Brewster about a more pressing matter.”
At a little after four thirty, the rush hour hadn’t yet started. Judith pulled in behind the police station. They found Brewster and MacRae behind the counter, though the younger Mountie was on the phone. Judith approached the senior officer with a deferential expression. Brewster, in turn, looked on guard. “Yes?” he said after a moment’s hesitation.
“There’s something I have to know before we head home,” Judith began, and took a deep breath. “Who was the dead man called Codger?”
Brewster raised his hands in a helpless gesture. “We don’t know. What little DNA we could get from the tent turned out to be a John Doe.”
Judith nodded. “That’s what I thought. But the family insists otherwise, right?”
Briefly, Brewster avoided her eyes. “Yes.”
Judith nodded again. “Would you think I was out of line if I suggested the man they sent down the river may have been dead before they came to Banff?”
The sergeant looked jarred. So did MacRae, who had gotten off the phone. “Pardon?” said Brewster.
“You never saw the body.” Judith paused. “Of course, the poor old man couldn’t be identified as anybody but a John Doe. I doubt that the Stokeses knew who he was.”
Brewster grimaced. “You mean . . . the ridiculous plan to send . . . the body down the river was a hoax?”
Judith shook her head. “No. The body may eventually be found along the river or else it washed out to sea. The whole sorry idea was a cover-up for something else, but I’m not exactly sure what. I’m waiting for a phone call from Big Stove.”
“I see.” But Brewster didn’t really look satisfied. “You will let me know if you find out, eh?”
“I promise,” Judith replied with a smile, then turned around and realized that Renie wasn’t anywhere in sight. Apparently, her cousin hadn’t followed her inside the RCMP headquarters. Judith hurried out the back way to the parking lot.
“Hi,” Renie greeted her from where she was standing next to the SUV. “Are you done solving the case for the Mounties?”
Judith expelled a sigh. “Are you mad at me?”
“No.” Renie laughed. “I knew what you were going to tell them. Unlike you, I can take a break from sleuthing.”
Relieved, Judith opened the door on the driver’s side. She’d barely slipped behind the wheel when her cell phone rang. “Now what?” she murmured. “Hello?”
The female voice was faint. “Doris?” Judith said.
“Mrs. McMonigle?” The volume rose slightly at the other end of the line. “It’s me, Doris. You called?”
“I did,” Judith said before continuing in a brisk, businesslike voice: “At Cornucopia, we strive for accuracy and honesty.” She ignored Renie, who was rolling her eyes. “You told me that your relatives were going to California. Was that a lie?”
A sharp intake of breath was heard at the other end of the line. “No. That is, they told me they were going to Disneyland. But I found out it wasn’t true. Instead, they went to Canada.”
Judith exchanged glances with Renie, who was leaning in to hear the conversation. “To Banff in Alberta?”
“Yes.” Doris’s sigh was audible. “Then . . .” She couldn’t seem to continue. “Grandpa Stokes disappeared somewhere outside of Spearfish, South Dakota. They looked all over for him, but he’d . . . just . . . disappeared.” Doris began to sniffle and snuffle.
“I gather the family gave up trying to find him?” Judith asked after a pause to let Doris get herself under control.
“Umm . . .” Doris cleared her throat. “Yes. It started to get dark. They thought they were near the Badlands. Cornelius—my uncle—felt that area might be dangerous and if Grandpa—Codger—had wandered off there, they’d never find him. Instead, they kept going north. I guess they thought Grandpa—Codger—would’ve liked that. He’d talked about a river he wanted to see up there.”
Judith bit her lip and looked at Renie, who shook her head in a disdainful way. “You shouldn’t give up on your grandfather,” Judith said. “He may’ve wanted to do some exploring on his own. Given his nickname, I suspect he’s a strong-minded old guy.”
“Well . . . that’s true,” Doris replied. “Anything’s possible, I guess. Thanks for the encouraging words. I’ll tell my husband that when he gets home.”
After exchanging good-byes, Judith put a hand on her forehead. “Whew! Doris bought it. I wonder if Codger will go home after the rest of the family does.”
Renie shrugged. “I wouldn’t. He’d be better off to stay here and apply for Canadian citizenship.”
“He should live so long.”
“He’s working on it,” Renie noted. “My money’s on him.”
“Well . . .” Judith frowned. “Money. This whole caper must be about money.”
“Aunt Ellen told you that most big corn farmers are rich.”
“Right,” Judith agreed, “but that doesn’t mean their children and grandchildren are, too. The Stokeses live together on the farm. They’re provided for, but that doesn’t mean any of them have money of their own.”
“A tight rein,” Renie murmured. “So what’s your latest zany plan?”
Judith sighed. “I don’t have one. But we can’t sit here in the RCMP parking lot.” She paused. “Maybe a sneak attack would work.”
Renie held her head. “Good grief. So we can get busted by Brewster for assault?”
“We need an accomplice,” Judith said, backing the SUV out of its parking place. “Someone Trixie trusts. Jenny or Niall or . . .” She paused, braking for a group of young people who were dressed in Bavarian costumes.
“A band?” Renie suggested.
Judith was lost in thought. “What?”
“Never mind. Just keep plotting.”
“I don’t like going back to the motel,” Judith said. “I’d rather not run into Mr. Barnes. It’s after five. I wonder who’s on duty. I’ll call and find out. No, I’ve got to get out of this parking lot first. You call.”
Renie groaned. “I get stuck with all the dog work.” But she dug out the cell from her purse. “What’s the number?”
“Look at your bill,” Judith said, pulling into traffic behind a camper with a Texas license plate.
Renie rummaged some more in her giant purse and found the receipt, then tapped in the number. A breathless Jenny answered.
“Hi,” Renie said in an unusually chipper tone. “Former guest Serena Jones here. Are you coming off duty, by any chance?”
“I am,” Jenny replied, sounding wary. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“It’s Mrs. Flynn who needs you,” Renie said. “Could you meet us behind the motel in five minutes?”
“Well . . . I guess I could. Is something wrong?”
“Not exactly,” Renie said with an ironic glance at Judith. “My cousin will tell you when we get there. We’re just leaving RCMP headquarters. See you.”
Judith grimaced. “Did you have to say that about the cops?”
“Why not? At least Jenny knows we haven’t been busted. Look out for the skateboarder.”
The skateboarder was avoided. Renie glanced up at the two gondola cars above the town. One was going up and the other was coming down. “Hey,” she said, “why don’t we top off our visit with a gondola ride befo
re we have dinner?”
“You can’t afford it and neither can I,” Judith shot back as she turned off Lynx Street. “I’m getting low on funds, too. Besides, you’ve forgotten how I got sick and threw up on the Ferris wheel at Playland. Dad had to make them stop the ride so he could haul me off.”
Renie looked thoughtful. “Hmm. How come he didn’t ask me to go along?”
“You were probably already sick,” Judith responded. “You had even more allergies than I did, especially to food. I never missed as much school as you . . .” She paused as they approached the motel. “There’s Mr. Barnes pulling out from the parking lot. Good, we won’t have to run into him again.”
“Too bad you can’t run over him,” Renie remarked. “He’s probably going to another one of the motels he owns.”
“Maybe Barnes is checking out the Stokes gang,” Judith said. “I wonder if he charged them to park on his property. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
“He should charge them. They can afford it.” Renie gazed up at the mountains looming above them. “Am I looking up at Mount Revelstoke or Mount Eisenhower?”
“How do I know?” Judith shot back. “I’m lucky I can identify some of the mountains at home.”
They’d reached the motel. Judith drove around to the rear entrance, but didn’t pull into a parking place. Jenny was pacing back and forth on the walkway when she recognized the SUV and came over to the driver’s side. Judith rolled down the window.
“I’ll make this quick,” she said. “How well do you know Trixie?”
Jenny frowned. “Not all that well. She only started work here a little over a week ago and then she got sick. Why do you ask?”
“Because she may be in danger,” Judith replied. “That Stokes bunch at the camp behind the motel made off with her. Probably twice, in fact. Did she ever mention them to you?”
“Well . . . not exactly,” Jenny said. “Aren’t the Odells related to the campers?”
Judith nodded. “Mrs. Odell is. But I think Mr. and Mrs. Odell are decent people. Did they ever mention an old man who’s staying at the Banff Springs Hotel?”
“Not to me,” Jenny replied. “I did overhear them talking about her crazy relatives, though. Mrs. Odell sounded as if they were trying to scam somebody. But I don’t know who.”
“What about Mr. Barnes?” Judith shielded her eyes from the sun that was shining through the windshield. “Did he say anything about the Stokes family?”
Jenny shook her head. “Niall did tell me that Mr. Barnes went to see them, though. They’d set themselves up on his property.”
“Did he insist they pay him?”
“I don’t know. Really.” Jenny’s expression was apologetic. “He might have. I guess he’s entitled to it, since he owns the land, eh?”
“Right.” Judith smiled. “You’ll be heading back to Vancouver soon. Good luck with your studies.”
“Thanks.” Jenny made a face. “I was promised a bonus from Mr. Barnes, but Niall says it won’t happen. He insists Barnes is the original Scrooge, living in one of his other motels, the Banff Springs Edelweiss.”
Renie had been quiet long enough. “How does Mrs. Barnes feel about living in a motel?”
“There is no Mrs. Barnes,” Jenny replied. “He lives with his sister, who’s also his accountant. She’s as greedy as he is when it comes to money.” Jenny took a quick look around her. “I should go. Some new arrivals need my parking space. Have a safe trip home.” She hurried off to her car.
“Well,” Judith said with a wry expression. “Now that I think about it, when we saw them at the restaurant, Ms. Barnes looked as unpleasant as he does. It must run in the family.”
“Speaking of restaurants,” Renie said, “now that you flunked getting Jenny to be your spy, why—”
“I merely wanted to get her take on Trixie,” Judith interrupted. “She didn’t seem to have one.”
“Don’t fib to me,” Renie retorted. “You also wanted her to snoop around the Stokes folks. She’d probably say no. I’ll say the same if you suggest it to me, okay?”
Judith knew when she couldn’t push her cousin too hard. “Okay, I won’t. Yes, we should have dinner. It’s early enough that we can probably get seated at a place that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
Renie leaned back in the seat. “That was easy.” Too easy, she thought, and wondered what Judith had on her always curious mind.
Chapter 27
Judith found a parking place a few doors from Melissa’s Missteak, a restaurant Renie had noticed in her guidebook. Somewhat to Judith’s dismay, it was also on Lynx Street and thus not that far from the police station.
“And you wanted to get away from sleuthing?” Judith said as they got out of the SUV. “Why not invite Brewster to join us?”
“He has a family,” Renie said, all but skipping on the sidewalk. “You’ll like this place. It’s been around forever and the locals call it Mel’s. It’s got a second floor where the patrons can play darts.”
“Let’s hope they’re not aiming them at other customers,” Judith grumbled. “Slow down. You’re going too fast.”
“I’m excited,” Renie said over her shoulder. “It’s very popular and I don’t want to wait in line. It’s a good thing we’re early.”
Once inside, Judith was impressed by the old yet handsome interior of the Tudor-style brick building. There was no one waiting. In fact, the tables appeared to be not quite half occupied. She suspected that the locals preferred to dine later at Mel’s.
After they were seated, Renie wagged a finger at her cousin. “No sleuthing allowed. We’re done with solving mysteries. When we go back to the hotel, I’m going to pack, watch mindless TV, and make an early night of it. The husbands will probably show up at some ungodly hour like nine o’clock.”
“Fine,” Judith said, opening the menu and stifling a shriek. “This place is expensive,” she declared. “You’re broke and I can’t afford to treat you. Are you insane?”
Renie shrugged. “No, but this is our last big meal in Banff. Stop fussing. I called and had the limit raised on my credit card. I’ll pay for both our dinners. It’s our last fling.”
Judith sighed—and smiled. “You don’t have to.”
“I know.” Renie paused, studying the menu. “But I want to. You’ve done most of the driving. It’s payback time. Now let’s talk about how we’ll have to pretend we’re utterly fascinated by the fishing adventures Bill and Joe have had without us.”
The menu was extensive, so it took some time to decide what to order. Mel’s featured Alberta beef. “It’s our last chance,” Judith declared. “I’m going for the ten-ounce rib-eye steak.”
Renie slapped her menu on the table. “Me too. Along with the Caesar salad and a baked potato with topping.”
As they savored their meals, the cousins managed to avoid the subject that was on their minds—or at least on Judith’s. She couldn’t help wondering if the Stokes family were still at their campsite or if they’d been greenlighted to leave. She worried about Trixie, despite the smile she’d last seen on the girl’s face. Nor could she forget the old man at the Banff Springs Hotel.
Halfway through her apple pie with a cheddar cheese wedge and Renie’s New York–style cheesecake, she had to unload, though she tried to keep her voice casual. “I suppose if the Stokes bunch are heading home, they won’t leave until morning.”
Renie shrugged. “Who knows with that crew? Do you want to be on the road with them?”
“They’d take a different route once they got on the Trans-Canada Highway.” Judith’s expression was apologetic. “Okay, we changed the subject. Are you happy now?” She saw Renie nod and keep on eating.
Renie shrugged. “Probably.”
Judith shut up.
When they got back to the SUV, Judith resumed her place behind the wheel. “You’re still going to make an early night of it?” she asked Renie.
“Yes. You know I can’t function in the morning. I’m not go
ing to have breakfast either. I’ll wait for our midmorning coffee stop. Bill will insist on doing that. If you want to eat, you can go without me.”
“I won’t do that,” Judith said. “We can pick up doughnuts or something on the way back to the hotel.”
“Good idea.” Renie yawned. But she checked her guidebook and then the digital clock on the dashboard. It showed 6:55. “Most of the bakeries are closed, but the Good Earth Coffeehouse has pastries. It’s on Banff Avenue between Moose and Elk.”
“Animals or streets?” Judith asked.
“Streets.” Renie yawned again.
Twenty minutes later, they were back in the hotel room with a half-dozen cinnamon rolls. Judith stood by the window, considering her options.
“I suppose I should get everything ready too,” she said, more to herself than to Renie, who was laying out her fold-over suitcase on the floor.
“What?” Renie asked. “You’re talking into your socks.”
“I ate too much,” Judith confessed, settling into a cushy green-and-black-striped armchair. “I’m going to sit for a few minutes before I start packing.”
“Go for it,” Renie said. “Drat. I can’t fit all my purchases into this thing.”
“Hmm,” Judith murmured. And the next thing she knew the room was almost dark and Renie was sound asleep in one of the two beds. She’d been awakened by the sound of a siren. Or maybe she’d been dreaming about a fire. Startled, she struggled to stand up and looked out the window. But she saw only the now-deserted golf course.
Peering at her watch, she noted that it was only nine thirty. Maybe she should pack, too. But when she cautiously walked over to the closet, she discovered it was empty. As her eyes adjusted to the semidarkness, Judith saw her own open suitcase already filled with her belongings. Obviously, Renie had done her packing for her except for a few toilet articles. She smiled at her sleeping cousin and went into the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror, Judith realized that her dark eyes looked wide-awake. I’ll never get to sleep after taking such a long nap, she thought to herself. She put on some lipstick and decided to go down to the lobby. After all, people-watching was one of her favorite hobbies.