“Three, four feet maybe? Can you tell if it’s still snowing?”
“Not from this part of the lodge,” Judith responded, glancing toward the big windows where the snow had piled up
almost to the top frame. “I don’t suppose I dare open the
door.”
“I wouldn’t.” Renie finished her cigarette and threw it into
the grate. “It’s sure quiet around here. At least it is between
murders.”
But the quiet was broken by the buzzing noise. Judith came
back to the sofa, a puzzled expression on her face. “Is it a
clock? The electrical system? An intercom?”
The cousins gazed around the lobby. There was nothing
to suggest what had caused the sound. “Maybe it came from
one of the conference rooms,” Renie offered as the noise
stopped again. “Somebody might have left a microphone
on.”
Judith didn’t agree. “It’s closer than that. It’s right here,
in this part of the room.”
“Weird.” Renie stared at the collection of bottles. “To
hell with it,” she said, and reached for a fifth of Canadian
Club. “I’ve had too much coffee and I’m not in the mood
for my usual daily half-gallon of Pepsi.”
“Okay, okay,” Judith sighed. “Pour me some of the Dewar’s
scotch. How’s the ice holding up?”
Renie shot Judith an ironic glance. “I don’t think ice is a
problem around this place, coz. What did you make of
Margo’s comments regarding Andrea and her husband,
Alan?”
“It sounded as if Margo has the hots for Alan Roth,” Judith
replied, examining her fingernails. “Drat, I wrecked a nail
somewhere along the line.” She dug into her shoulder bag
for an emery board, then continued speaking. “That would
explain the flare-up between Margo and Andrea at lunch
yesterday. Just now I got the impression that Margo wanted
to marry the guy. I mean, why else would she care if Andrea
wouldn’t divorce him?”
“Exactly,” Renie agreed. “Margo may be painfully plain,
but she doesn’t seem to have any trouble getting men. A
regular boudoir bawd, goes the rumor mill.”
“She’s not all
nail. “She has lovely eyes and perfect skin. Not to mention
a vivid personality.”
“She dresses well, despite the fact she has no figure,” Renie
said, then tensed as the mysterious noise sounded again.
“Damn! What is that? It’s really close by.”
Judith looked all around the sofa where she was sitting.
She dug among the cushions, feeling deep into the sides and
back. “Maybe somebody dropped something down here,”
she said, her voice muffled.
