Mary Daheim - Snow Place to Die - A Bed-and-breakfast Mystery

“Hey!” Judith put both hands behind her back and re- 272 / Mary Daheim

treated to the window. “This is a terrible mistake! How can

you believe him and not me?”

The officers again looked at each other, but it was Killegrew who spoke. “Because you’re nobody. And I’m OTIOSE!”

“Well…He’s right, you know,” Westervelt said to Judith.

“Mr. Killegrew is a well-known businessman. I’ve even seen

him on TV.”

“You’re darn tootin’,” Killegrew said. “Come on, come on,

let’s get going.”

“But…” Judith felt miserable, frustrated, depleted. Was it

really impossible to combat Frank Killegrew’s corporate

reputation and civic image? Was he actually above the law?

Was Judith really a nobody?

Though Nunnally looked vaguely apologetic, he grasped

Judith by the forearms and forced her to turn around. She

flinched, hearing the click of the handcuffs. But before the

officer could lock them in place, she heard an unexpected,

yet familiar voice call to her.

“Mom!”

“Mike!” Surprise and shock made Judith limp. She gaped

at her son, then turned to the others. “You see?” she said in

a voice that shook with emotion. “I am somebody after all.

I’m his mother .”

Renie, who had been hiding Margo’s gun under a dishtowel to prevent the rightful owner from attacking her, was

right behind Mike. “He’d been told to stay in the lobby with

the others because he’s not a law enforcement ranger,” Renie

explained, tossing the towel aside. “When none of you came

downstairs, I had a heck of a time convincing his partner

that we ought to see what was happening.”

While mother and son embraced, Frank Killegrew

blustered. Judith’s newly found cachet of giving birth to a

park ranger lent her credibility. Nunnally went up to the third

floor to see if there really were bodies stashed in the dormer

SNOW PLACE TO DIE / 273

rooms. Westervelt found Nadia lying on Leon’s bed, then

called for backup and several ambulances. Killegrew continued to bluster.

Mike, who had been filled in on the situation by his aunt,

spoke sharply to the CEO. “The less you say, mister, the

better. I may not be a police officer, but at least I know that

much. Stick it, will you? You’re getting on my nerves.”

Killegrew looked astonished. “You! You’re just a punk

kid! Do you know who you’re talking to?”

Mike turned to Renie. “Who’d you say this guy was?”

Judith regarded Killegrew with unconcealed loathing. “He’s

a captain whose ship has been torpedoed. He may not admit

it, but he’s just about to hit rock bottom.”

Renie started to say something, but Killegrew hurled

himself between her and Mike. Wrenching the gun out of

Renie’s hand, he flew into the bathroom. Mike started after

him, but it was too late. A sharp report and a flash of light

stunned them all. Killegrew’s body fell to the floor with a

sickening thud.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” Renie whispered, crossing

herself.

“Don’t look,” Mike ordered, and kicked the bathroom door

shut.

Judith had slumped onto one of the twin beds. “I’m…sick,”

she said in a weak voice.

Westervelt and Nunnally came rushing in from the corridor

where they’d been conferring about the carnage the younger

officer had found upstairs. Mike assumed responsibility,

succinctly explaining what had just occurred.

“Maybe he was guilty,” Westervelt said in amazement. “My

God!”

Nunnally offered Judith his apologies. “I’m kind of new

on the job, ma’am, and when you run into some big, important guy like Mr. Killegrew, you tend to…ah…um…”

Judith was trying to pull herself together. “I know, I

274 / Mary Daheim

know. You tend to think he’s right because he’s got a corner

office. Don’t worry, you’ll learn better as you get older.

Power and privilege have absolutely nothing to do with virtue

and goodness.” She turned a wan face to Mike. “Can we get

out of here?”

“Sure.” Mike gave his mother a hand and raised her from

the bed. “You’ll probably have to answer a bunch of questions, though.”

“Not here,” Judith said with a definite shake of her head.

“Anywhere but here. Park headquarters, the ski lodge at the

summit, a gopher hole—I don’t care, just so it’s not here. I

don’t ever want to see this place or what’s left of these people

again.”

Mike grinned, the slightly off-center, engaging expression

that Judith loved so well. “I don’t blame you. It must have

been quite a weekend. Hey, Aunt Renie, would you really

have used that gun if you’d…”

The caterer, the graphic designer, and the park ranger

quickly cleared the cousins’ belongings out of the guest room

across the hall. Ten minutes later, they were in Mike’s official

park service four-by-four, heading for the pass. Judith never

looked back.

Joe was soaking his feet in a galvanized tub and watching

the eleven o’clock news when Judith finally arrived home

that Sunday night. He barely looked up when she came into

the third-floor den.

“Hi,” she said, trying to sound cheerful despite her state

of exhaustion.

“Hi.” Joe’s gaze was riveted to the TV screen.

Judith leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I got back

sooner than I…”

“Shh!” Gesturing at the TV, Joe cut her off.

“…Leading national park service law enforcement officials

believe that Killegrew may have killed at least three of his

employees in an attempt to retain his position as

SNOW PLACE TO DIE / 275

president and CEO of OTIOSE.” The pert Asian anchorwoman was shown against a stock shot of Mountain Goat

Lodge and an inset black-and-white photo of a smiling, benign Frank Killegrew. “While rumors spread this weekend

that WaCom plans to merge with OTIOSE, it is not known

how the tragedy in the mountains will affect the independent

telecommunications company’s future. An unidentified

spokesperson told KINE-TV this evening that customer service should not be affected, however.”

The screen changed to highway footage, showing

snowplows working along the interstate. Joe hit the mute

button.

“Good Lord,” he said, staring at Judith. “Why didn’t you

tell me?”

Judith sank down next to him on the couch. “I started to,

then I lost my nerve. You sounded so grumpy.”

“I was.” Joe put an arm around Judith. “It was a rough

weekend. But not as rough as yours.”

“They forgot Barry.” Judith bit her lip and pointed at the

silent TV.

“Barry?”

“The staff clerk, the body we found by the creek. Killegrew

killed him, too.”

“Jeez.” Joe shook his head. “Want to make us a couple of

drinks and tell me all about it?” He indicated his soaking

feet. “I’d do it, but…”

Judith grinned. “Yes, you would. You’re not like some

men, who have to be waited on.” She got up to fetch their

nightcaps.

They had finished their drinks by the time Judith got to

the part about Mike’s unexpected arrival. Naturally, Joe was

astonished.

“Mike and Kristin got their transfer midweek,” Judith explained. “Because of all the snow and avalanche danger in

the pass, they were shipped out of Idaho right away. They’ll

both be working in the national park, just an hour away.