mystery novels.” The almond-shaped eyes darted from Judith
to Renie. “Until last night, I honestly believed that some
outsider murdered Barry. But it’s different now that Leon’s
dead. Nobody could have gotten into the lodge.” Her lower
lip trembled. “Don’t you see? It has to be one of
EIGHT
IN THE STRAINED atmosphere of the kitchen, Judith felt the
full impact of being sealed off from the rest of the world. Yet
all three women carried on, perhaps in the hope that their
mundane tasks could keep terror at bay. Margo drank more
coffee, Judith took a fruit platter out to the dining room, and
Renie flipped bacon. The snow continued to fall.
“It was seven years ago,” Margo said suddenly when Judith
returned to the kitchen. “That’s when I joined OTIOSE. I’d
been working in p.r. for a public utility company in California. I wanted a change, and L.A. was turning into a zoo.”
She uttered a brittle laugh. “I should have stayed there. I
didn’t know when I was well off.”
“Were you hired in at the officer level?” Renie asked.
“No. I went to work for Herb Oldman, who had the good
sense to die of a heart attack three years later. I got his job,
and thought I was on top of the world. Now I feel as if it’s
caved in on me.” Margo held her head in her hands.
“Excuse me.” The uncertain voice came from the doorway
where Russell Craven stood, his fair hair even more unruly
than usual. “May I please have some cream? Real cream, if
you have it.”
Judith went to the refrigerator. “How are you doing, Mr.
Craven?” she asked with an encouraging smile.
“Doing?” He patted the bump on his head. “Not very well.
This hasn’t been a congenial experience so far.”
Judith poured cream into a ceramic pitcher. “No one can
be feeling good this morning,” she commiserated. “Are you
really going to continue with your meetings?”
Russell exchanged a questioning look with Margo. “I
suppose,” he said. “What else is there to do? We can’t leave.
I went to the front door just now and when I opened it, a
pile of snow fell on me. I could barely close it again.”
“Great.” Margo set her mug down with a thump. “We
should have paid more attention to the forecast. Why do we
always assume the weatherman is off-base? And why doesn’t
somebody come get us? Aren’t there search and rescue people
around here?”
“They’re probably having enough trouble with people
stranded on the highway and at the ski areas,” Judith said,
then went to the phone. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try…”
The line was still dead. The spark of hope that had appeared in the eyes of the others flickered and died. Judith
