dow, but the light didn’t reappear. “Did you say there was
a caretaker?”
Renie had returned to the bed. “Right, but he’s at least
half a mile away. I doubt he’d come out in this storm. Besides, he’s under orders to keep away. The OTIOSE gang is
very set on privacy.”
“Where’d the staff go?” Judith asked, finally deserting her
post and sitting down again.
“Home?” Renie gave little shrug. “I understand some of
them usually sleep over, up in dormer rooms on the third
floor. But during the conference, they were all sent away. It
to have the time off.”
Judith finished her bag of chips and sipped at her Scotch;
Renie ate three pretzels, lighted another cigarette, and drank
her bourbon. The fire, which Judith had lighted a few minutes
earlier, burned in the small grate. They could hear the wind
howl in the chimney, causing the flames to waver and dance.
“I should have mentioned to Nadia that we left her
clothes—and Ava’s—in the dining room,” Renie said,
breaking the sudden silence between them.
“They’ll find the stuff,” Judith replied, her eyes still on the
storm that raged outside the window. She sat up straight
and looked at Renie. “The folder was gone.”
“Folder?” Renie was momentarily puzzled. “Oh, the one
I found on the podium.” She nodded once. “You’re right.
Somebody had picked it up off the coffee table in the lobby
where we set up the bar.”
Judith’s high forehead was puckered in a frown. “I thought
Ava acted kind of odd about which clothes she wanted to
lend me.”
“Maybe. So what? The blue outfit might be her favorite.”
“Then why wasn’t she wearing it?”
“I don’t know,” Renie replied, slightly impatient. “What
difference does it make?”
Judith didn’t reply immediately. “Would you know how
to fashion a garrote?” she asked after another brief silence.
“I think I could learn,” Renie said darkly. “Like about now.
Forget it, coz. This isn’t our problem.”
“If you knew how, I don’t imagine it would take much
strength.”
“I hope not. I’m feeling a little weak.” Renie glowered at
her cousin.
“But you need a stick or something, don’t you? Where
was the stick? I didn’t see anything like that.”
“If I had a stick, I know where I’d put it,” Renie said
between clenched teeth.
“What do you know about Barry Newcombe? Did you
ever meet him?”
