anybody get through the snow? If we can’t get out, who
could get in?”
“It’s crazy,” Renie responded. “But somebody’s out there.
Who the hell is it?”
Wearily, Judith shook her head. “I can’t imagine. The
caretaker? He’d have keys.”
“His place is a half-mile from here,” Renie said. “Keys or
no keys, he’d still have to get through the snow. And what
would bring him out in this awful weather when he’s been
ordered to stay away?”
Judith didn’t answer immediately. In the lobby, she knew
that Max and Gene were removing Ward Haugland’s body
and taking it up to the third floor to join Leon Mooney. Frank
and Nadia had gone upstairs so that she could mend his
pants with her sewing kit.
“Who
“I don’t know,” Renie responded, stoking up the fire which
had been about to die out. “Somebody hired by the lodge,
I suppose.”
“His place is a half-mile which way?” asked Judith.
“I don’t know that, either.” Renie was getting crabby.
“Let’s find out,” Judith said, taking a big swig of Scotch.
“How?” Renie was still irritated.
“We’ll ask somebody. Maybe Frank. Or Nadia. Didn’t you
say that…”
The pager went off. Judith jumped, then groped around
in her shoulder bag. “Now what?” She peered in the little
window. “Damn—it’s my home number again.”
There was a phone on the desk in the library. “Try it,”
Renie said, apparently making an effort to overcome her
annoyance. “Maybe the brief lull in the weather freed up the
line.”
To Judith’s surprise, she heard a crackling noise when she
picked up the receiver. Jiggling the disconnect button, she
tried to get a dial tone. Nothing happened. “They could be
working on it,” she said as she hung up.
“Could be,” Renie said. “We don’t know where the problem is. It might be clear down the pass or even back in the
city.”
“It must be Mother trying to reach me,” Judith murmured,
drinking more Scotch. “I’m not sure I ever mentioned the
pager to Joe.”
“It’s Saturday, Joe’s home,” Renie pointed out. “If something happened to your mother, he’d know about it.”
“Joe might be working overtime. He could be running errands. He may have gone somewhere with Bill.” Judith’s
voice grew increasingly agitated.
“They may be snowed in, too,” said Renie. “You know
how it is on Heraldsgate Hill—three inches, and we can’t
budge. Heck, it’s so steep in our neighborhood that we can’t
