The Alpine Xanadu by Mary Daheim Read Free Book Online Page B

administer truth serum to each other.”
    “Can’t he bend a bit now that you’re going to be man and wife?”
    “I give you two words—Milo Dodge. Think again.”
    Vida sighed. “You’re right. Maybe my nephew Billy could be coaxed with some ice cream.”
    Leo looked puzzled. “Isn’t Billy like thirty-five?”
    Vida shot my ad manager a haughty look. “He still likes ice cream. Besides, he and his fiancée broke up on New Year’s Eve. Just as well. I preferred that he not take on a woman who already has a child.”
    “You could’ve taken the child
and
Billy for ice cream,” Leo said in a serious tone.
    “Hush, Leo,” Vida said, with less than her usual severity. “The outage was limited to the commercial area. Walt Hanson told Amanda they never lost power out at the fish hatchery—or at the college.”
    I stood up. “Did Kip put the bare facts about Wayne online?”
    “Yes,” Vida replied. “I was offering family background. As you recall, Emma, you once had a notion that Mel and Wayne were cousins. You know better by now. Oh!” She clapped a hand to her cheek. “Mitch is at Blue Sky Dairy. I wonder if Mel knows what happened to his brother?”
    “He does if Mitch told him,” I said. “Were they close?”
    “Well …” Vida tapped one foot. “Not very, but I don’t think there was any animosity between them.”
    Leo grinned. “No typical Alpine a-feudin’ and a-fightin’?”
    “Really, Leo,” Vida said in reproach, “you make us sound like hillbillies. At least we don’t go around constantly suing each other the way people do in Southern California.”
    I left them to their argument, a sport they both seemed to enjoy. When the news came on at three, Spence’s only reference to RestHaven was that they hadn’t lost power. The hospital had gonedark, but they had a backup generator. He also aired a brief bit on Wayne’s demise.
    Mitch returned just after the broadcast. Mel had already heard from Cookie Eriks. His wife, April, had gone to comfort her sister-in-law. Mitch said Mel seemed more angry than upset. “He thought his brother may’ve done something stupid.”
    “It’s possible,” I allowed. “But it’s dangerous work, especially in bad weather. He shouldn’t have been working outside in the first place.”
    “Don’t say that to the county commissioners,” Mitch warned. “Want to bet Cookie doesn’t sue?”
    “She has no spunk. And bear in mind that her daughter may be sleeping with one of said county commissioners.”
    “That’s … incredible.” Mitch shook his head.
    I not only gave him the other two interviews, but asked if he’d check with the sheriff for any late developments regarding Wayne’s death. Mitch gave me a curious look but didn’t ask any questions. I still sensed that he hadn’t quite figured out yet what was going on between his boss and SkyCo’s sheriff.
    Which, of course, was what was uppermost in my mind. I was beginning to feel that Milo and I were ill-starred lovers. Since I first realized how much I loved him back in late November, we had now gone through two long separations. If the Eriks family was hexed, maybe we were, too.
    There was no further news from headquarters, so I left at five to head for the Grocery Basket. Luckily, they had fresh Dungeness crab in the seafood case, though I winced at the price: $22.99 a pound. Darryl, the seafood manager, asked if I wanted smelling salts.
    Two crabs and ninety dollars later, I had dinner for the sheriff and a rising sense of anticipation in my breast. All I had to do was make a salad, put the French garlic bread in the oven, and unwrap the crabs, which Darryl had cracked and cleaned for me.
    Milo showed up at 5:40, still in uniform. “Got anything on the stove?” he asked.
    “No. I only have to turn on—”
    That was as far as I got. With words, anyway. Obviously,
we
didn’t need to be turned on. Forty-five minutes later, I rolled over onto Milo’s bare chest and kissed the small