Minnie Crockwell - Will Travel for Trouble 03 - Trouble at Glacier (11 page)

“But you’re free to leave,” he said. “You don’t have to stay if you’re worried.”

“I’m here for a week, and I’m sticking it out,” I said with forced cheeriness.

He grinned and looked around the RV. “Are you traveling by yourself?”

I sighed. The question.

“Yes.”

“Gutsy,” he said.

You are that, Minerva,
Ben said quietly.

“Thank you,” I said to both Ben and Jason. “I’m not sure I’d travel alone if I didn’t have to, but…”

Jason tilted his head. “But you have to,” he said. “Nothing wrong with that.”

His radio chattered, and he listened to it for a moment before mumbling something into it. I could never figure out how these guys understood the squawking on radios.

“I’ve got to get going.” He reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a card. “Call me if you think of anything or you remember anything. Or even if you just get scared.”

His half-smile made me blush.

“Thank you,” I said.
 

Jason left, and I turned around.

Ah! Another admirer, my dear.
 

“Nah, Ben! You’re reading too much into it.”

From his blushes, I do not think so.

“He’s just shy.” I changed the subject. “Let me check my email and then lets walk down to the lake.”

I look forward to it,
Ben said.

I powered up my computer and noted an email response from John.

Well, well, my favorite ex

What on earth is going on? Are you a death magnet?
 

That was exactly the term I had used. I read on.

I’m kidding. That sounds awful. I’m awfully sorry you had to find the poor guy. I’m glad you didn’t get attacked yourself. I’ve run into a black bear or two here in the Colorado mountains, but they usually run off, more scared of me than I am of them. I’m surprised this bear actually attacked.

How are you doing now? Keep me posted.

Juan, your one and only ex

So much had happened since I’d written him. That seemed like a lifetime ago. I dashed off a reply.

Dear Juan or John or you,

It seems that said black bear did not in fact kill the poor guy, but that he was murdered, and the murder made to look like a bear attack. I’d rather not describe the details of the murder, but you can imagine. So now everyone wandering around with bear knowledge or bear claws is suspect…at least in my book. I don’t think the police (rangers actually) have a suspect, but I can think of about five people who weren’t particularly fond of the victim. Five! Most had motive, one is just kind of nutsy, and all had the necessary tools to simulate a bear attack.

I’m not sure where the rangers are in their investigation, but I don’t want to point fingers. I’ve been caught snooping twice today by potential suspects, and I’m none too popular right now. I’ll have to tone it down and mind my own business…for a while.
 

Glacier National Park is beautiful. I wish you were here.

Minnie

I sent the email and stood up.

“Are you ready?” I asked the air in general.

Yes, of course. And no, dear, I did not read over your shoulder in answer to your unspoken question. We have talked of this before, and I am doing my best to respect your privacy.

“Good,” I said. “Let’s go.”

I grabbed my camera and an apple and walked down to the lake to take pictures. The lake seemed to have multiple personalities. No matter what time of day one came down, it always looked different. Today, a breeze had whipped up the blue-gray water and it was a bit choppy. I admired the myriad colors of the rounded wet pebbles in the shallows of the lake.
 

Do you know how to skip stones, Minerva?
Ben asked.

“I’ve never been able to,” I said. I picked up one of the small rocks.

No, not that one. You must use a less rounded pebble, one with a flat surface.

I searched and picked up another. “Like this?”

Yes, now throw it sideways, imagining yourself skimming it along the surface.

I threw it, and it dived in.

“And that’s what usually happens,” I said. “Kerplunk!”

Do it again. Think of cracking a whip sideways. Bend your wrist. Bend your knees. Follow through.

I tried everything Ben said, and lo and behold, the rock skipped twice before sinking into the water.

“I did it, Ben!” I exclaimed “I did it!”

Yes, you did. Nothing to it. Throw harder, and it will skip more.

“Thank you!”
 

I tried a few more, perfecting my style. One or two still sunk, but I thought I had the hang of it.
 

“That was great, Ben! Thanks again.”

It is my pleasure.

“Let’s head back.” I looked at my watch. “I’m getting hungry. That apple didn’t do it for me.”

I walked back to the campground, chatting with Ben along the way. As I approached my RV, Steve came rushing up, almost as if he had been waiting for me. But it wasn’t me he was looking for.
 

“Have you seen Amanda?” he asked roughly. “I know she was going to stop by to talk to you last night.”

“No, I haven’t, not today.” Privately, I thought if Amanda weren’t available, she was probably somewhere with Jackson, but I certainly wasn’t about to say so.

“Do you know where she might have gone? I haven’t seen her this morning at all.” He looked angry, and I began to worry. Maybe she wasn’t with Jackson after all. What if she were the killer’s next victim?
 

“Did you call the rangers?”
 

“No,” he shook his head quickly. “She’ll tell you that I’m too protective, and they’d think I am overreacting.” He frowned. “Of course, with this murderer on the loose, I’m worried.”

He didn’t look so much alarmed as irate.

“I’m sure she’s all right,” I said inanely. A pointless thing to say, but I had recently noticed I often filled the air with meaningless comments.

“You didn’t happen to see that ranger around, did you?”

“Which ranger?” I asked, stalling. “Do you mean Ranger Schwin? Well, as a matter of fact, I saw him this morning. He came to take a statement from me.”

“No, no,” he said irritably. “The other one. Jackson. Amanda used to work for him at Yellowstone. John too.”

“Oh, really?”
 

“She didn’t tell you?”

“She’s been consumed with grief about her husband’s death.” Which did not answer his question at all.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw that guy here,” Steve ground out. “I should have known there was a reason she suggested John reapply to work at the park here.”

I remained silent. He looked harried, searching the woods as if she were going to magically appear.

He must have had some pull with the wood fairies, because Amanda appeared on the edge of my campsite at just that moment.

“Where have you been?” he barked. He moved quickly toward her, but I panicked at his display of temper, and I flew to her side, wrapping my arm around her. With a flash of my eyes, I dared him to act out on his anger.

Oh, Minerva, my dear, please be careful. You cannot take on a full-sized man in the throes of anger,
Ben said.

Watch me, Ben!

Amanda clutched my waist.
 

“You were with Jackson, weren’t you?” Steve said harshly. “Man, that husband of yours isn’t even buried yet, and you’re with that guy.”

Oh, gosh, the gloves were coming off…and in front of me.

Amanda said nothing but dug her hand deeper into my waist.
 

“Girl! When are you going to learn to stay away from these guys?” Steve said. “What is it with them? The uniforms?”

If that were Amanda’s affliction, I understood it perfectly.

“Uncle Steve, calm down,” Amanda said. “My love life really isn’t any of your business. I’ve been telling you that for years.”

“Love life?” he spat out. “More like disaster zone.”

“Stop!” Amanda said angrily. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Uncle Steve, everything you still do for me. I really do. But I’m not a girl anymore. Jackson is just a friend, that’s all.”

Steve threw a glance in my direction but apparently decided to hold nothing back in front of the stranger.

“That wasn’t the situation two years ago. I’m sure he’s just waiting to pick up where you two left off. No wonder John…” He seemed to bite his tongue.

“Hit me? Hit me, Uncle Steve?” Amanda cried out. “Is that what you were about to say?”

“No, no. I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t want to sympathize with John. If anything, he had it coming.”

“Oh, nice!” Amanda said with sarcasm. I turned to her, expecting a torrent of tears, but none came. Her expression was hard, cold. “Very nice!” she repeated.

“Listen, this is family business, Amanda. Why don’t we leave the lady here and discuss this privately?”

“I’m good,” Amanda said firmly. “At this point, there isn’t much that Minnie doesn’t know.”

“Like what?” he said with a steely-eyed gaze in my direction. I clung to Amanda myself.

“Everything,” she said. “Except who killed John.” She turned to me. “Unless you know that, too?”

They both stared at me with varying degrees of intensity.

“What? Me?” I shook my head. “Oh, no. I don’t know anything. Really.”

“I think you have a pretty good idea of what was used to kill him, don’t you?” Amanda said tightly. “My guess is someone used a meat shredder on him. I know Minnie must think so too since she was over at my trailer taking a look at mine.”

“Oh, no, I was just looking at yours. I really do cook, and I wanted to see one.”

Lame! Lame! I thought.

I suddenly started to worry. Amanda was looking at me a little too intensely. She wasn’t about to haul out her handy dandy shredder and have at me, was she?

Advice, Ben? Quickly!

 
Make haste to enter your RV?
he suggested.

“You have one of those shredders, too, don’t you, Uncle Steve?” Amanda asked. “I saw you using one a couple years ago at a barbecue. Remember? Did you kill him, Uncle Steve? Did you kill John?”

I turned wide eyes on Steve.

“What? Me?” he said in a harsh note. “Don’t be ridiculous. Come on. Let’s talk about this privately.”

“No, Minnie can be my witness…in case you confess.”

“Amanda! What’s gotten into you?” Steve said.

“Nothing! Everything! I’m so tired of angry men. I can get angry, too. John knew that!”

Amanda turned to me. “You asked about my knuckles? Well, I smacked John that night. I wasn’t even cooking that night, so I didn’t use the meat shredder. That’s why I couldn’t find it. You thought
I
killed John, didn’t you? That’s why you were looking for it.”

Minnie dearest, please leave at once. This is escalating beyond what is safe for you.

I don’t have the answer yet, Ben. Just a few more minutes.

“I’ll admit, I was,” I said.

“Well, like I said. Uncle Steve has one!”

I threw Steve a look. His face was livid, and he looked crushed.

“Are you trying to convince her that
I
killed John, Amanda? She doesn’t matter. She’s not the police.”

“No, she’s not, is she?” Amanda said.

“What’s all the commotion here?” Jackson said as he stepped into the campsite, his hand poised over the gun at his hip.
 

Oh, boy!
I said silently.

Help has arrived,
Ben said.

“None of
your
business,” Steve snarled.
 

“It
is
his business, Uncle Steve, if
I
say it is,” Amanda said. She moved to stand beside Jackson, and I felt bereft. If she was the killer, at least I had hold of her. If she wasn’t, then John’s killer could now be staring at me and Jackson with baleful eyes.

“I can’t believe you’re trying to pin this on me, Amanda,” Steve said in an almost mournful tone. “You’ve known me for years. I’m all bark. I don’t bite.”

Amanda, a tear rolling down her face, spoke.

“Well, it wasn’t
me
, Uncle Steve. It sure wasn’t Minnie. I doubt old Rick Cannon could have killed John. Who does that leave?”

“Jackson actually,” I said. “Though it is possible that Rick Cannon could have killed him. He has the same tool that both of you do. And he’s pretty angry.”

I was watching Jackson’s face. Gone was the charming wide smile. In its place was an expression of shock—shock at Amanda’s words. He looked almost bewildered.