his ski pants. Look,” he went on, pointing to a hanger.
“There’s the blue shirt and the navy cords he was wearing
earlier today. He must have changed.”
“Weird,” breathed Margo. “What did he do? Go outside?”
“He couldn’t get outside,” Gene reminded her. “He must
have left this room, locked the door behind him, and…”
OTIOSE’s legal counsel turned a bleak face to the others.
“My room’s just across the hall,” Max said. “If anything
had happened out in the corridor, I would’ve heard it.”
The room, with its chilly atmosphere and missing occupant, seemed to have acquired a sinister air. In a body, five
unsettled people made for the door. Max closed it behind
them, then stared down at the hole where the hardware had
been.
“What are we going to tell Frank?” he asked in a dismal
voice.
“The truth,” Margo retorted. “Frank can take it. Besides,
we don’t know if anything happened to Ward. He might be
wandering around the lodge looking for us.”
The suggestion, no matter how overly optimistic, buoyed
Max and Gene, who fairly bounded to the elevator. Even
Margo seemed more amiable. As Judith and Renie hung
back, they heard Margo call to them, “Come on, squeeze in.
I’m skinny as a flagpole and you’re kind of small, Serena.”
“I used to be,” Renie murmured, but she and Judith managed to fit into the small car.
Killegrew, Nadia, Ava, and Russell were waiting for
them with an air of dread. “Well?” the CEO demanded when
they stepped out into the lobby. “What’s happened to
Ward?”
“Nothing,” Margo replied. “We couldn’t find him.” Her
face fell slightly as she looked around. “He’s not here?”
“Of course not,” Killegrew growled. “You mean he wasn’t
in his room?”
“No, he wasn’t.” Max seemed to topple from his brief elation. “I suppose we could search the basement.”
“We went down there to get the ax,” Judith said. “We
didn’t see him. But then we really didn’t look. We went
straight to the woodpile.”
“Let’s go.” Max was already heading down the hall towards
the basement stairs. Margo and Gene followed, but this time
the cousins held back.
“We’d have heard him if he was there,” Judith whispered
to Renie.
“Probably,” Renie replied. “But the basement is pretty big.”
“Why would he go down there?”
“To get more shovels?” Renie shrugged, then added in a
doubtful tone, “I wouldn’t think he’d go alone.”
Nadia gestured at the flagstones. “It’s been melting quite
steadily. We’d better mop up again.”
“I’ll get more towels,” Renie volunteered, starting out of
