Judith opened the oven. “I got a wreath shaped from
manicotti.”
“Mine was a lampshade of egg noodles. It melted when
Bill screwed in a hundred-and-fifty-watt bulb.”
“Joe took the wreath to work and hung it in the deputy
chief’s office. He ate it.”
Renie giggled. “He did not!”
“I only know what Joe tells me. Aunt Ellen’s a dear, but
she does send the strangest presents.” Judith removed the
bean dish and set it on the counter. “Speaking of Joe’s coworkers, I wonder if anyone from the department has tried
to get hold of Frank Killegrew.”
“We wouldn’t know if they had,” Renie pointed out.
The cousins busied themselves with dishing up dinner. It
was almost six-thirty when they announced that the meal
was served. Ava suggested that Judith and Renie join them.
“There’s plenty of room at the table,” Ava said in a sardonic tone.
Judith felt like asking if she could charge for overtime, but
thought better of it. Getting out in one piece seemed like her
greatest priority. She exchanged questioning glances with
Renie, then decided they might as well sit with the others.
At first, there was little conversation except for requests to
pass the salt and pepper.
Judith chose to enliven the atmosphere. “Have any of you
ever met the lodge’s caretaker?”
All eyes regarded her with curiosity, but it was Margo who
responded. “How could we? This place is off-limits during
the retreat.”
“I heard he was an odd duck,” Max put in.
“Who told you that?” Killegrew demanded.
Max looked blank. “Ward? I think he mentioned it when
we were here last year.”
“That’s right,” Ava chimed in. “Ward said he was a Korean
War vet who’d gotten his brains scrambled.”
“How would Ward know?” Killegrew grumbled. “Ward
never served our great country.” He jabbed a thumb at Gene.
“Neither did you. Weren’t you a draft dodger during the Vietnam conflict?”
“I was 4-F,” Gene replied with dignity. “I suffered from
asthma until I was in my early twenties.”
Killegrew turned his hostile gaze on Russell. “Then you’re
the one who went to Canada.”
“I was a conscientious objector,” Russell asserted. “I served
as a medic.”
Killegrew harumphed. “If I’d known that when I hired
you, I wouldn’t have. Hired you, I mean. Is that in your
personnel file?”
“I don’t know,” Russell responded, looking affronted.
“Andrea kept all our files. I never bothered to check mine.
