The scorched rug, another flame retardant humanmade material, along with the latex paint on the ceiling, the fire burned hot, fast, and sucked all the air out of the house. Then it snuffed out.
“When they left, she was on fire. They wrapped up her body tight when they moved her out of the bedroom.”
“Why move her?” Eric asked.
“They wanted it away from them when they looked for something,” Meghan explained. “You got a situation here with a woman who either sat in the living room knitting and watching television or in bed. Everywhere else was incidental. I went looking for her purse while you guys were gone. Her purse isn’t here.”
“So, moving the body wasn’t out of remorse?” Eric asked.
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “But the living room is in the back of the house. A fire can burn longer, unnoticed back there before anyone in town sees it. By then it’s too late.
“We won’t know what’s missing from the bedroom,” Lester said.
Meghan shook her head. “That place is pristine. If they took something, besides the purse, we’ll never know. What are you looking at?” she asked.
Eric had a smile that had spread across his face while Meghan talked. It was the first time he got to watch Meghan in action, solving a serious crime. “I’m just glad to be a part of this,” he admitted.
“I once had a case where a guy killed a woman and spilled a bottle of wine in the process. He washed and redressed the body because wine spilled on the dress.
“Then he rented a carpet cleaner from the department store. He dusted, vacuumed, and steam cleaned the whole house. After that, he rearranged the furniture to his liking. He found utility bills, and used the victim’s checkbook to—”
Then Meghan waved off the antidote. She looked at Lester. “Your friend, he’s trustworthy?”
They worked together long enough to know she meant no disrespect. It needed asking, and it was her job to make sure the people that surrounded her were people she trusted.
“We’ve got a big house, and she’s all alone. The second bedroom is an office. The computer in there is older than this town, I think. It probably has a dial-up modem. Is this a sign of independence?” she asked.
Megan got the impression that Hilma had a lot of money but was frugal. She had beautiful things, but sparingly, and nothing unnecessary. For a woman of seventy-nine, she was the coldest old lady Meghan ever encountered.
“You know what else is missing?” she asked rhetorically. “I don’t see any family pictures. Barbara McKenzie is her daughter. There isn’t one family picture anywhere in the house.” She stifled a yawn with her wrist.
“My biggest issue with all this, where is everyone? Why aren’t people surrounding this place demanding justice? I saw two people from Noorvik since I got here. One of them is dead.”
“You’ve been spoiled living in Kinguyakkii. This community has one store, a post office, a church, and everyone has bingo.”
“Bingo?”
“The school auditorium, Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday, every week, bingo,” Eric said.
“So, no one’s here because everyone’s at bingo? I don’t know Freddie. But I can’t imagine that he didn’t mention Hilma’s death to a few people. It’s certainly a talking point.”
“Everyone knows we’re here,” Lester said. “That means the person or persons who killed Hilma know we’re here. Right now, no one’s leaving town by air because the airfield’s closed. Most people will wait out the storm, and then they’ll look around and see who is missing.”
“I have jurisdiction here, right? I mean, from what I know of the guidelines for public safety, I am the law here.”
“Well, that’s a little over the top. You have to realize this is a predominantly Iñupiat village with very few outsiders. Everyone loves their modern conveniences. But come break up, most of this town will empty to hunt and stay at fish camps. Young people move out of their parents’ homes, but they don’t go too far. They’ll all stay in one house for a few years. Then they leave altogether. That means the average age of people here is thirty-five and up.
“Barbara’s a fixture of Kinguyakkii. She came from here. She worked in the Noorvik post office, but she has a strong work ethic, so they offered her more money at the distribution center for the region.”
“Does Hilma have any other children?” Meghan asked.
“She has a daughter who lives in Anchorage,” Lester said.
The hush of the house surrounded them. Their conversation waned. Meghan was too tired to focus. She donned her cold-weather gear and followed Eric and Lester out of the house. She made sure the door locked behind her.
On their walk back to public works, Lester said, “This isn’t the holiday Barbara expected.”
“That makes two of us.”
Chapter Eleven
They each had a slice of cold pizza and bottled water. Meghan kept tabs on what they needed to replace. It wasn’t a big deal in the lower-forty-eight drinking bottled water or eating pizza, but in the rural village, everything took time, fuel, and human resources to arrive. 20oz bottled water in Kinguyakkii cost more than $5.00 a bottle.
After pizza, Meghan tried settling into the snug cot. Everyone had plenty of blankets, but the warehouse ranged well above 80°F. Eric occupied the couch. Lester took the inflatable mattress. It was after one in the morning, and she didn’t have a single lead.
The office space smelled of cigarettes and motor oil. The mechanic shop next door had large
