Snow Place to Die : A Bed-and-breakfast Mystery

smoke in bed.”

“Motive. If Gene’s on the spot, he should have been one

of the victims,” Renie reasoned. “Why kill a lowly staff assistant like Barry?”

“You are watching that cigarette, aren’t you?” Judith

opened one eye.

“Leon Mooney I could understand,” Renie continued. “He

controls the budget. If he went to Gene—or Frank Killegrew—and said ‘The window is closed on wasteful litigation’, then Gene might want him out of the way. But that

would only be a temporary stop-gap. Someone would be

promoted almost immediately, and the funds would still be

cut off.”

“Once when Dan was smoking in bed, he melted his DingDong.” Judith rolled over, her back to Renie.

“Promotions!” Renie exclaimed. “Who’ll get Leon’s job?

Nobody here. It’ll be some assistant vice president from

treasury or accounting.”

“Coz…” Judith’s voice was pleading. “Will you shut

SNOW PLACE TO DIE / 99

up, put your cigarette out, and turn off the damned light?”

“Okay, okay,” Renie sighed. “It’s not like you to avoid a

guessing game involving murder.”

“It is at one o’clock in the morning when I’m exhausted.

Good night.”

Renie not only put her cigarette out, she threw it into the

grate, checked the lingerie hanging from the fireplace tools,

took one last look at the falling snow, and clicked off the

bedside lamp.

“Good night,” she said to Judith.

Judith was already asleep.

Seven A.M. came far too early. Neither Judith nor Renie

felt fully rested. Indeed, the vigor Renie had shown the previous night had degenerated into grouchiness.

“Don’t talk to me, and you’ll be okay,” she snarled when

Judith came out of the bathroom.

Judith opened her mouth to express agreement, saw the

black look on Renie’s face, and clamped her lips shut. The

cousins dressed in silence, though Judith had to fight down

an urge to complain when Renie lighted her first cigarette of

the day.

The sun was almost up, but it was hidden behind heavy

gray clouds. The snow was still falling, though not as heavily,

and the wind had died down. That was not necessarily good

news as far as Judith was concerned. If the wind changed,

perhaps coming in from the west, the snow clouds might

blow away.

It was Renie who finally spoke, just as they were about to

go downstairs. “Don’t forget to give Frank or Nadia those

items that belong to Barry,” she said.

“Right.” Judith opened her big shoulder bag while Renie

unlocked the door and stepped into the corridor.

“Well?” said Renie, fists on hips. “Let’s hit it.”

Judith turned a hapless face to her cousin. “They’re gone.”