From Here to Paternity

place and relieve me of my responsibility to it. But if Aunt Joanna could stay and be happy, and if I could stay nearby and keep an eye on her, but live my own life — oh, that would really be wonderful! Do you think it would be appropriate for you to ask your husband if it's a possibility?'

'I'd be happy to,' Shelley said. 'I'll be speaking to him later today when he gets home.'

It had been Jane's turn to keep quiet, and she'd been using the time to wolf down two of the little sandwich triangles, but she had a question bubbling up — well, two questions really, though asking for the recipe for the sandwich filling could wait. 'Tenny, do you think other people knew about your aunt's attitude? That she didn't want to move away?'

'Why do you ask?'

'I was just thinking it might have something to do with your uncle's death.'

'You mean somebody killed him to keep the resort from being sold?'

'Something like that.'

Tenny thought for a minute. 'I'm not sure. Pete should have known, if he ever paid attention to what other people think, but he doesn't. If it doesn't directly concern him, it just doesn't seem to register. And I suppose all her old friends must have known.'

'Friends in the tribe?'

'Uh-huh. Mostly.'

'Friends who might have told HawkHunter?'

Tenny and Shelley both looked at her questioningly.

'Do you mean you suspect HawkHunter of killing my uncle?' Tenny asked.

'Not really. I was just thinking out loud. The fact is, somebody killed your uncle. And it could have been almost anyone.'

'But if he was killed out in those woods, it really could have been anyone at all. Some passing maniac,' Tenny said. 'Somebody who didn't even know him.'

'But how likely is that?' Jane asked. 'We're hardly in the middle of an urban center. If he died near where he was found, it was a long way from the road. Your passing maniac would have to park the car, go around behind the resort, walk halfway up a long hill—'

'My God!' Tenny said. 'I guess you're right. I just haven't had the time or wits to think this out properly. There aren't people casually passing by out there. Only guests and employees and people from the tribe.'

And the mysterious skier, Jane said to herself. Then, to them: 'The mysterious skier!'

'What are you talking about?' Tenny asked.

'I've seen him a couple times. Shelley, you saw him this morning, remember?'

'I have no idea what you're going on about,' Shelley said bluntly.

'It's somebody I've seen on that slope a few times. No, not on the slope. At the top of the hill a couple times and once coming through the woods. This person, I think it's a man, or maybe a very tall woman, looked like a nature nut. Binoculars, cameras, a notepad. A couple times I've seen him stop and take pictures or look over the resort.'

'So you're casting this mystery person as the murderer?' Shelley asked.

'No, not necessarily. But as a possible witness.'

'Oh,' Shelley said softly. 'You could be right. You should tell the sheriff.'

'I think I'll mention it to Mel. I've talked quite enough to that sheriff for my lifetime.'

'Thanks for making me sit down and eat, and thanks even more for letting me talk,' Tenny said, folding her napkin. 'I really should get back and see how Aunt Joanna is doing.'

'Tenny, feel free to drop in on us anytime you want to get away from everything,' Shelley said. 'And I'll pass what we talked about on to Paul as soon as I hear from him.'

'You know,' Tenny mused, 'it's been really therapeutic to talk to someone who didn't know Uncle Bill well and can speak calmly and listen dispassionately. Thanks again for letting me bend your ears.' She signaled to the waiter, signed the tab with the notation 'House Acct — TG,' and left.

'Jane, gulp down the last of your coffee and let's go watch for the kids out in front,' Shelley said.

'Did you get her to tell you about the fistfight?'

'Yes, but I'd rather scoop up the kids and go back to our cabin to talk.'

Chapter 15

Shelley and Jane sat down on one of the benches flanking the front doors. It was a sunny afternoon and the benches were warm. Although the women were surrounded by snow, the spot was protected by the wind and was surprisingly comfortable.

'Tell me what Tenny said about the fight,' Jane said, as there was nobody else near them at the moment.

'Tenny said she'd come up here to get some paperwork her aunt had asked for and to tactfully avoid being around while the lawyer was visiting. I'm not sure how much of this was from what she actually saw and how much is what people told her. There were a handful of people waiting for the shuttle. Right here, I assume. Pete and HawkHunter ran into each other — Pete coming out, HawkHunter going in. They talked for a few minutes, then their voices got louder and angrier, and suddenly Pete threw a punch that caught HawkHunter right in the chops. Pete spun around and walked off before HawkHunter could even get up. A couple of the people waiting for the shuttle helped him to his feet and tried to tend to his injuries, but he refused — quite nastily, I believe — to let anyone do anything for him. Some talk about the patronizing charity of whites. He stomped off in the other direction. That's the gist of it.'

'Was he hurt badly?'

Shelley shook her head. 'Apparently not. Dr. Lucke was out here and told Tenny that HawkHunter had a tooth knocked out and a bloody lip and that was about all. Dr. Lucke offered to take a look and recommended immediate treatment — well, he is a dentist, after all — but HawkHunter brushed him off and wouldn't even let him look at his mouth.'

'What did the argument sound like it was about?'

A family, all togged out in matching ski outfits and looking like a set of Russian nesting dolls, was approaching so Shelley fell silent until they'd passed with the sort of cheerful greetings people normally employ only while on vacation.

When they'd gone inside, she answered. 'Tenny said it was an all-purpose slanging match. HawkHunter said something critical of Bill, and Pete said couldn't the family be left alone to grieve in peace, and HawkHunter said something about respecting the Indian dead, and Pete said something else about his uncle dying so recently. Then HawkHunter launched into a tirade about the racism of it all.'

'Huh?'

'That all the Indian dead on the top of the hill didn't matter so long as the greedy white man got his money. That members of the tribe had been living and dying here for centuries before Bill and his kind came to rape the land, and what was one more dead white man?'

'My gosh, I think I'd have taken a swing at him, too! Even if he's right, it was the wrong time to go on about it.'

'Yeah, you can't help but sympathize with Pete.'

'Still—'

'What are you thinking?' Shelley asked.

'I guess I'm really getting cynical, but my first thought was that the argument might have been staged. And because they're both rather emotional, it just got out of hand.'

'Why would they stage it?'

'I don't know exactly. But look at it this way: HawkHunter was giving Bill Smith a lot of grief. Demonstrating in front of the hotel. Trying to scare off the investors. And remember yesterday morning, how upset Pete was when we met him? That was when the demonstration was going on. Then last night at dinner, there were Pete and HawkHunter, chummy as could be, eating together. Then Bill's found dead today and they're back to being enemies. There's something weird about it all.'

'You could be right, of course. But it's also possible that Pete is genuinely unraveled by his uncle's death.