by his desolate manner.
Margo got to her feet. “Ava and I’ll make lunch.” Seeing
the startled expressions on the men’s faces, she waved an
impatient hand. “Okay, so it’s women’s work, but this is
different. It’s like…a safety precaution.”
Russell pointed a bony finger at Judith and Renie. “What
about them?”
“Lock them in the library,” Margo retorted as she and Ava
started for the kitchen. “Let them read some more mystery
novels. If they’re so smart, maybe they can figure all this
out.”
The cousins didn’t protest their incarceration. “What a
morning,” Renie sighed as she and Judith sank into the library’s wing-back armchairs. “So much for gratitude. I guess
Russell forgot about that hot tea you made for him.” She
sighed again, gazing at one of the two tall windows which
were flanked by muted plaid drapes. “I wonder how long it
will be until the snow has melted enough that we really can
get out of here?”
Judith shook her head. “It’ll take a while. And don’t forget
the avalanche danger.”
Looking glum, Renie didn’t respond right away. “Somebody out there knows we didn’t do it,” she finally said.
“That’s right,” Judith agreed in a strange voice.
Renie’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know who it is?”
Now it was Judith who didn’t answer immediately. “I’ve
got a hunch,” she admitted at last. “Do you?”
Renie nodded slowly. “I think so, yes.”
“We have no proof,” Judith remarked bleakly. “Those files
might help us, if we could find them.”
“You don’t think they’ve been destroyed?”
Judith shook her head. “I don’t think the killer has found
them. Damn,” she cursed under her breath, “I have to go to
the bathroom. Do you think they’ll let us out?”
“Pick the lock,” Renie said. “You can do it.”
Judith brightened. “Maybe I can. It’s worth a try.” Just as
she fished into her shoulder bag for something that would
trip the lock, the pager went off again. “How annoying! I
don’t need that thing bothering me right now. I feel like
throwing it out the window.”
“Stop worrying about something you can’t help,” Renie
advised. “We’ve got more urgent problems here.”
“You’re right.” Judith hauled an oversized paper clip out
of her purse and began straightening it. “Let’s hope these
locks aren’t as daunting as they look. The ones on this floor
are obviously much newer than the ones on the guest room
doors.”
Renie watched while Judith plied the paper clip. The library door had a sophisticated lock, and presented a serious
challenge. After almost five minutes, Judith was forced to
