The Alpine Scandal Read Online Free Page A

would think they’d be hatching chicks.”
    “I know, I know,” I said, stepping carefully toward a vacant nest on my right. A couple of the other hens clucked nervously at us. One of the roosters moved back and forth on his perch as if he might be preparing to attack. I eyed him warily. “Sometimes hens sit on their nests and sort of pretend they’re hatching,” I remarked. “Like women who want to have a baby but can’t.”
    Vida was removing an egg from a nest just ahead of me. “Such a lovely light brown color. It may be nonsense, but I think the darker eggs have better flavor.”
    I collected two eggs and put them in a pocket inside my purse. Vida had confiscated her trio for the omelet. “I don’t think Elmer collected eggs this morning.”
    “Let’s go,” I said as the rooster flapped his wings. “I think that one is at the top of the pecking order.”
    Vida had stopped almost at the far end of the aisle between the two sets of nests. She gasped. “Oh, dear!”
    “What?” I asked, still keeping watch on the rooster.
    “Elmer.”
    “Elmer? What about him?”
    “He’s here.”
    “What?” I was right behind Vida, trying to look around her.
    “There.” She moved aside a few inches. “You can see his shoes.”
    I saw them—black work shoes with the toes pointing straight up. The rest of Elmer was hidden under haphazard piles of golden straw.
    “Holy Mother,” I whispered.
    “Call for help,” Vida snapped, bending down. “I’ll try to find his pulse. He may have had a stroke. Or a heart attack.”
    I rummaged in my purse for the cell phone. Of course I couldn’t find it right away, and of course I broke both eggs in the process. Finally I retrieved the damned phone and was about to dial 911 when Vida spoke again.
    “Tell them there’s no rush.” Vida paused, rubbing at her forehead. “I’m afraid that obituary was correct. I can’t find a pulse or a heartbeat. Elmer’s dead.”

Chapter Two
    A S USUAL , B ETH Rafferty maintained her composure when I called 911. “Help is on the way,” Beth said in her most professional dispatcher’s voice. Then, because she knew it was me, she added, “We’ve got the firefighters and medics tied up at the Tall Timber Motel with some guy who may have had a heart attack, so Dodge is coming in person.”
    “Thank goodness,” I said, and rang off.
    “I don’t suppose,” Vida said, tapping her cheek, “I should move any of this straw.” She shot me a knowing glance. “Just in case. This all seems very fishy to me.”
    I nodded. “We should tell Polly.”
    “No. Let Milo do that. It ought to be official. I’ll stay with Elmer. You go get the sheriff. Otherwise, he might not know where to meet us, men being so dense when it comes to finding anything.”
    I was used to Vida taking charge as if she were the boss and I the slightly dim-witted employee. Traipsing outside into the rain, I hoped Polly wouldn’t notice me—or our cars, which remained parked in the driveway. More than that, I hoped Elmer’s death had been a natural one. Murder was no stranger to Alpine. On the other hand, it’d give us a lead story. Journalists have to be realistic—and crass.
    The rain was dwindling to a drizzle. I stood by the mailboxes, waiting for Milo Dodge. No siren wailed in the distance. That was good. Milo knew there was no urgency, and he didn’t use the siren unless it was absolutely necessary. Unlike the other Skykomish County emergency personnel, the sheriff had bought an English-style
ga-goo-ga
siren that was unmistakable and drove me a little crazy. Still, it was one of the sheriff’s very few eccentricities. I could live with it.
    His red Grand Cherokee was easy to spot. I saw it coming down the road after a wait of less than five minutes. Out of the blue, I remembered to call May Hashimoto and tell her I’d be late and hurriedly dialed the college president’s number on my cell phone. Her secretary answered, and I relayed the message just as