by Judith Lucci
Kenzie nodded and reached in her pocket for a treat for Solomon. "This murder is gonna take all my skills to validate. I just like to view the evidence while it's fresh." She grinned at the two of us. "By the way, can you guys go back inside and let Angie know the time has changed for dinner?"
I nodded. "Sure. She’ll be happy to hear that. I don’t think it’ll be a problem. And, as you know, eating out is never a problem for the Diva and me. You and Solomon take off and get your work done. I'm pretty sure Angie's more upset about Fred driving the morgue van to Roanoke than she is about missing dinner."
Kenzie laughed heartily. "I can assure you that Angie's no madder at me than Fred is," she assured us. He was looking forward to a nice romantic night on Massanutten mountain." Kenzie shut the hatchback of her SUV and gave us a quick hug. "I gotta take off. Miles to go before I sleep," she assured us.
I watched as Kenzie jumped in her car and started her engine. She rolled down her window, "Go have a drink inside with Angie. She's off duty by now and that might make Fred shake a leg and get my body to me quicker.
LauraLea laughed. "Now, that's pretty smart of you, and a good idea." She looked over at me, “Let’s go back in and have one last drink, Lily.”
I hesitated but decided I would. "Sure, I’ve got to get home before 6:30 to let my dogs out before we go out to dinner. They'll be waiting for me in the kitchen with their legs crossed." I turned to Kenzie, "Drive safely and figure this one out. I need an idea for new book!" I smiled at her. She waved as she backed out.
LauraLea and I watched her drive out of the ski lodge parking lot and turn right to head down the mountain. LauraLea looked at me. "I wonder whose body she's gonna be autopsying tonight?"
I shook my head. "I have no idea, but it must be somebody who is pretty well-known around here. Kenzie always dots her i’s and crosses her t’s, but if she's that concerned, she expects trouble." For some reason I felt concerned and anxious for the young medical examiner. She was so good at what she did and so good at solving murders. She was an advocate for her victims, I didn't want anything untoward to happen to her.
Chapter 7
"Well, there's not much we can do now. Let's tell Angie and we’ll have one more drink. Then we can get home, take care of our animals, and get to the Asian Palace." LauraLea tugged my arm towards the Ski Lodge. “A late dinner is better than no dinner at all, wouldn’t you agree?” She grinned at me.
I nodded and hugged my arms to my body. "Yeah. Let’s go. I think I'm having something hot to drink. It's freezing out here." I looked over at LauraLea and shook my head. She’d left her hat and gloves in the car. "Are you cold? One of these days you're gonna catch your death of double pneumonia," I predicted.
"Heck yeah, I'm freezing. Get your butt inside," she ordered.
A few minutes later LauraLea, Angie, and I were back in the Ski Lodge in front of a roaring fire. The fireplace in the Lodge had an impressive twenty-foot blue stone chimney. We sat and watched hundreds of little tiny people as they flew down the ski slopes and hopped off and on the ski lift. I wondered if anyone knew about the guy who’d died on the slope today.
"Angie, what have you heard about the accident this morning?" Do you have any news?" My voice sounded small and insignificant to me. Angie always had her finger on the pulse of the mountain. She knew just about everyone, and as manager of the Ski Lodge, what she didn’t hear firsthand, she learned from her numerous wait staff.
Angie shook her head. Her dark hair gleamed in the firelight. "Nope, I talked to a guy on the ski patrol early this afternoon. He said the guy was an expert skier and skied Massanutten regularly. He apparently crashed early this morning.” She ran her fingers through her long dark hair. “Supposedly, they didn't find him until after the slopes opened to the general public. Everybody's keeping this one close to their chest, even Fred. So, whoever it is must be important."
I nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what Kenzie said. She was anxious to get all of her evidence together." I turned to LauraLea. “Do you think she seemed upset?”
LauraLea picked up her wine glass and stared into it. "Yeah. I guess so. But Kenzie is concerned with all the dead bodies she finds — especially if she suspects foul play. I suppose we'll know soon enough but, if it happened before the slopes opened, it must've been someone with the Massanutten Ski VIP card, right?”
Angie nodded. “Yeah. It was. They said he was a regular. But the guy from ski patrol said they didn’t understand how he crashed. The weather was great, and the Diamond Jim slope was in perfect condition.”
I touched my brow. I felt a headache coming on. "Hmmm, you're right. I hadn't thought about that. No one is allowed on the slopes until eleven in the morning. Only VIP ski club members can ski before hours on the advanced slopes." I looked at Angie. “Is that still the case?”
Angie’s eyes darted over at two men who entered the bar. “That’s right. Only VIP people can ski before eleven o’clock.” She rolled her eyes. “There’s y’all’s boyfriends again. I hoped they’d left for the day.”
I picked up my Irish coffee, warmed my hands around the cup and snuck a look toward the door of the bar. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Wendell and Henry. "Oh no, LauraLea. There’s Wendell and his lawyer buddy and he’ll start another conversation with us. Turn your head," I insisted. I noted impatience in my voice. “I don’t think I can put up with the guy again today.”
Angie laughed and touched my knee. "Don't worry, Lily. He's working someone else over now. He gave us a list this morning of all of the ‘dignitaries’ he planned to host today. He even left instructions for the hors d'oeuvres and ordered liquor we didn’t normally stock.”
“Who is that with him?” I asked as I pointed my little finger towards the door. Wendell had the arm of a tall, quite beautiful blond woman.”
“Oh... that’s what’s-her-name. You know, the lady that sells tons of that real estate and owns her own company. She sells a bunch of stuff up here.” A flash of annoyance flickered across Angie’s face. “I can’t think of her name, but it’s right on the tip of my tongue.”
I rolled my eyes. "Thank goodness he’s with the good-looking blonde! I don't think I could've stood another hour with him. There's something about him that totally gets under my skin,” I admitted. I rubbed imaginary chill bumps from my arms. “He just gives me the creeps.”
“What a terrible face!” LauraLea laughed at me. "You really don't like him, do you?"
I shook my head. "You're right, I really don't. Something about him gives me a serious case of the heebie-jeebies." I paused. “I just don’t like the way he slithers around.” I shuddered.
Angie threw her head back and laughed. "I just love you Lily. You tell it like it is! And you know how much I like that." Her green eyes flashed with merriment. “He’s really not that bad looking, though,” she opined as she glanced at him. “He’d probably be a good catch for someone. He supposedly has a ton of money.”
I grinned at her. Something about Angie's laughter and company made me feel good. "Well, I think he’s a toad. And honestly, I’ve kissed enough toads in my life.”
LauraLea laughed. “Yeah. I can vouch for that. You’ve kissed you share of toads.”
“We’re on for dinner tonight. Kenzie can join us about 7:30 or so. Is that still good for you?" I looked at Angie.
"Yep, absolutely! Hopefully Fred will be around tomorrow night.” Her face fell. She really had it bad for Kenzie’s assistant.
"I’d think Kenzie would give him the night off tomorrow for sure," LauraLea interrupted. “She knows how much you all like to be together.”
“Will you be my date, LauraLea, tonight?” We always went together. LauraLea’s husband often worked late or preferred to stay at home. He also hunted a lot.
LauraLea yawned. “I guess, Lily. Do I really have a choice?”
I shook my head. “No. You don’t.” I leaned my head in towards Angie and asked in a low voice. "Who's Wendell’s lawyer with? Who’s that
guy with them? Who else are they recruiting to support him for senate?” I had to hand it to Wendell and his UVA lawyer buddy. He was a wheeler-dealer. In truth, the pair of them were wheeler-dealers.
Angie leaned in towards me. "That's the new general manager of Massanutten Resort. The rumor is that Wendell plans to hold several relatively large political rallies up here during his campaign. He's also booked the Conference Center for his victory party!" She tossed her head and rolled her eyes. "I know you don't like him, Lily, but he's a major player in this area. And by all predictions, he’ll be our next state senator."
I cut my eyes and frowned. “Great, that’s just great. He’ll have twice the influence he currently does if he’s elected to the state senate. Next thing you know, the entire mountain will be covered with condos, hotels, and shopping centers — not to mention a million new subdivisions all over the place.” I cursed under my breath and continued. “There won’t be a hardwood tree left for the leaf peepers to see come fall,” I grumbled. I hated massive, careless land development and Wendell and his company had developed hundreds of acres of beautiful Shenandoah Valley farm and woodland not paying any attention to current conservation practices, it’s impact on wildlife and local waterways. I knew my voice sounded angry because I felt my blood pressure rise and my face was hot. But, I didn’t care. I was a proponent of controlled growth and thoughtful land use...not crap like Wendell did. Once he sat in the Statehouse in Richmond, he’d have no limitations or oversite. It burned my blood!
LauraLea clucked her tongue in disapproval. "That’s the truth. After he totally develops the mountain, he’ll buy out all the old Mennonite farms. Most of the younger men are moving away from farming," LauraLea drawled. "He's got tons of money and he's bought almost every politician in local county government, or at least has them in his pocket. That's why we know, or at least I know, he’ll get his shopping center at the bottom of the hill." She gave me her all-knowing look. “Besides, Raymond fusses about him all the time. He hates the way the area is growin’ so fast.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Raymond’s pissed off about how they’ve torn up the mountain and destroyed all of the underground springs, not to mention the forest devastation.” Raymond and I often talked about the disappearance of local farms and land. We hated it when the massive dozers moved in and drilled through rock and hardpan and tore up the mountain and valley. I understood how the wetlands people felt with the polluted rivers and streams. Land development could be cruel and harsh, but a reputable land developer could use current conservation practices. I shook my head and drained my Irish coffee. "I guess you ladies are right. He already is a major player, but for some reason, I just don't like him, and I’ll never work on his senate campaign.”
Laura shook her head. "He's not my favorite either, but it is what it is. Drink up Lily, if there’s anything else in that cup. We’ve gotta go unless both of us want to clean up and mop floors after our dogs for the next few hours.”
I nodded and left money for my bill, gave Angie a big hug and promised to be at dinner. When LauraLea and I left the Ski Lodge, the temperature had dropped and once again it was way below freezing. “Brrr. It feels like snow again. Is it forecast?”
LauraLea shook her head. "I don't know. I hope not, but it sure feels damp," she agreed as she pulled her tapestry jacket and wool cape around her tighter. "Good thing my Lexus has a good heater and heated seats to warm our butts."
I nodded. I loved heated seats. I wish they’d make seats that would cool our butts in the summer. Maybe they would one day. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
We carefully picked our way, dodging ice patches and piles of snow until we’d almost reached her Lexis. Avoiding black ice was tricky away from the restaurant lights. It was pitch black.
"Be careful, Lily,” LauraLea cautioned me. “The last thing I want to do is take care of your grumpy self with a broken hip. Watch out for the ice."
I nodded. "I am being careful. That's the last thing I'd wish on myself, or my worst enemy. Plus, I don’t want to rely on you to take care of me! Nothing would ever get done and I’d probably starve to death.”
“Oh stop. We’d eat. We’d order out every night. When have we ever not eaten?” Laura shot me a dirty look. “Plus, you know I’d take good care of you.”
“Still, I don’t wanna chance it. Now, unlock the door on my side, please. I’m freezing to death!”
LauraLea wasted no time in warming up the car and a few minutes later we’d heated our posteriors to about ninety degrees and the rest of us had defrosted.
I laid my head against the soft leather backrest. "I'll never, ever, mark my words, ever have a car without heated seats as long as I live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, or anywhere that has winter."
LauraLea cackled. "You're right, Lily. You won't. Because I won't let you," she paused and fiddled with the Sirius radio. "Now be quiet because I'm tired of talking and I want to listen to some music." She glanced at me. “I’ve heard enough out of you for one day.”
I closed my eyes and didn't speak. I was pretty talked-out too. “No problem,” I snarled.
LauraLea continued down the mountain. I noticed the area was still congested with rescue vehicles and police cars. That surprised me since it had been hours since the incident happened.
“I wonder if there’s been another accident. There’s an ambulance headed our way and a couple of police cars near the snow tubing park.” My voice sounded concerned.
“Gosh, I hope not. I’d hate for the resort to go broke. I’d lose my gallery and that’d be really bad.”
“Yeah,” I smirked. “Where’d I go to hunt snakes and look for weirdos? I don’t think I could make it without an Artisans Galleries dose a couple of days a week.” I said honestly. “That’s my entertainment.”
LauraLea ignored me. “Look, the ambulance just turned into the condo development at the top near The Lookout. Must be something up there that needs the rescue squad.”
“You miss it, don’t you? Running with the squad.” LauraLea used to run with the rescue squad that covered the mountain. She’d loved it and had won local awards. I’d been proud of her. She was the perfect person to have around when something bad happened or when someone needed support. She was good like that. Truly a calming force during disaster.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I miss it, but I don’t miss the hours. I may take a few shifts over the summer, but I’m getting a little old.” She looked over at me and sneered. “Besides, I’ve got all I can do driving your Miss Daisy butt around.”
I laughed. “You love it. You know you do. You never let me drive. You always insist.”
LauraLea shot me a sideways glance. “Umm, yeah, because you’re positively the worst driver on the planet. Honestly, you know that, Lily.”
“Nope,” I said and changed the subject. “What are you gonna hit Wendell and his buddy up for regarding the gallery?”
"As much as I can get." LauraLea smirked. "I think I may be able to get quite a bit. He seems starved for local support for the shopping center.”
"Yeah, no kidding," I agreed as I studied the patterns of the snow on the evergreens. "If I were you, I'd negotiate for a lot more than a few years," I advised. “I’d go for a classroom, a good size, for fifteen or twenty students and great wall space. And,” I said, getting excited, “let’s be sure we get good light. Light is everything in an art gallery.”
"Don't you worry," LauraLea grinned. "I’ll want everything but the kitchen sink." She paused, “And, I think maybe I can get pretty much what I want.”
I laughed. "I bet you can. Let’s talk more about it later. Maybe draw up a sketch. I looked out the window as we passed the Artisans Galleries. It looked good in the snow with the twinkle lights. I loved the historic old cabin, but a gallery with lots of natural light — well, that was to die for!”
Chapter 8
Three middle aged men sat around an old, scarred wooden table at the “Get It and Get Out” restaurant
in Shenandoah County. A sign on the door told locals to “leave their guns in their vehicle”. Two empty pitchers of beer stood on the table. The men had spent most of the afternoon drinking, laughing and joking about the crime they’d committed.
"Who's buying the next round?" The tall older guy asked, as he pushed his hat back on his head. His dirty, brown, hair hung to his shoulders. He had a hawk nose and black piercing eyes.
“Not me, Roy, I bought the first round.
Roy nodded and stared over at a younger man with dirty blond hair and a thin face. The guy was in his late twenties. "It's your turn, Tebo. You ain't bought a round today yet."
Tebo, who was known to be a bit of a psycho to the locals, shook his head and clicked his fingers for the barmaid. He flashed her his toothless grin. His one good eye stared off in the distance and his lazy eye stayed in the corner of his eyeball. There was something about the guy that was off. Fortunately for her, he didn't see her roll her eyes. Tebo had a mean streak that often resulted in cruelty and fights. "Git your buns over here, Tricia," he demanded, and git us a new pitcher of beer and fresh mugs.”
The young woman with bleached blond hair and tight skinny jeans walked slowly to their table. "You guys sure are celebrating early today. Last time I saw you get this tore up was New Year's Eve." She stared at the three men. “What’cha celebrating?”
The old man looked at her through bloodshot eyes. "You don't need to be hassling us. All of us here's over twenty-one. Just bring another picture of beer and three shots of whiskey."
Tricia glanced over at Tebo who winked his good eye and grinned. "Do what the old man says, Tricia. Show some respect."
Tricia, nodded, picked up the dirty mugs and walked behind the bar, shaking her generous rear end provocatively.
Junior, the third guy, at the table shook his head. "My that broad looks good. I’ll be back. Gonna go take a leak."
