Read Online Avalanche: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery (Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries) by Patrick F. McManus - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patrick F. McManus
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best in women, their softness. He caught himself thinking that Tom Duffy had never really been that good of a friend.
“So who’s Clarence?” she said into his chest.
“A little brown-and-white dog.” He gave Janice a hug. “Would you mind if we ran down the ridge as far as it’s groomed? Shouldn’t be much more than a couple of miles. There’s no reason for skiers to come out here, so I’d like to see if there’s some reason to be grooming the ridge.”
A mile or so later, they came to the place where the Sno-Cat had turned around. No reason was evident for the Sno-Cat to have been driven down the ridge. They turned around.
“Maybe the person was out for a Sunday drive,” Janice said.
“Could be,” Tully said. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to make one more detour.”
He had Janice stop at Cabins One and Two but found nothing of interest there. Then she stopped at Cabin Three. It was several hundred feet up a trail that led back into the woods from the groomed area. “I’ll only be a minute,” he told her. “Might as well check it out, while we’re here.”
Janice sat down on the sled, her chin in her hands. Tully pushed open the cabin door. He looked up. The ceiling was open to the rafters. A piece of plywood had been laid across two of the rafters. He dragged over a chair from the table and climbed up on it. Then, with considerable grunting, he pulled himself up to the rafters until he could see on top of the plywood. Nothing.
He got down off the chair and searched the bedroom. He found nothing there. Then he went out the back door to the privy. It had a quarter-moon hole cut in the door. He turned the latch and went inside. There was no evident place to hide anything there. He climbed up on the bench for the toilet seats and looked for any nook or cranny where an object might be concealed. Nothing. He got down and started out. The latch had slipped down over the door. He took out his pocket comb, shoved it through the crack at the edge of the door, and pushed the latch back up. On his way back to the cabin, he even stopped and looked in a bird feeder. Not even any bird seed in it. For some unknown reason, he had begun to feel extremely uneasy. He walked through the cabin and out the front door and started up the walk. Suddenly he detected a movement off to his right. He spun and crouched, the Colt .45 coming off his shoulder holster.
“Get down!” he yelled at Janice.
She threw herself flat on the sled. The dogs had leaped to their feet. “Whoa!” she yelled at them.
He had the gun leveled at the unseen menace.
A large black shape flapped off through the trees. A raven. He couldn’t remember having drawn on a bird before. Something about the missing man and the murder in town was starting to get to him. He swept the gun back and forth, watching for any movement in the trees. He saw nothing. Slowly he stood up and put the Colt back in its holster. Slightly embarrassed, he walked over to the sled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I felt something. Guess I’m getting way too jumpy.”
“I felt it, too,” Janice said.
“Let’s mush back to the lodge. I’ll buy you lunch, if you don’t mind the company of a couple old geezers.”
“You’re not so old.”
“I was referring to Pap and Dave.”
She laughed.
12
THEY ARRIVED BACK AT THE lodge shortly before lunch. While Janice returned her dogs to their pen, Tully stopped by the office to inform Mrs. Wilson that so far he hadn’t found any sign of her husband. He didn’t mention anything about his suspicion that the avalanche had been deliberately set off to kill him and Pap. He would tell her later. Maybe she already knew. He then went up to his room, took off all his clothes, ran a tub of hot water, and lay on his back in the tub with his knees bent up, so as not to get the bandages wet. He thought it might be okay to remove the bandages but at the moment wasn’t up to any unnecessary pain. He studied his stomach. It
“So who’s Clarence?” she said into his chest.
“A little brown-and-white dog.” He gave Janice a hug. “Would you mind if we ran down the ridge as far as it’s groomed? Shouldn’t be much more than a couple of miles. There’s no reason for skiers to come out here, so I’d like to see if there’s some reason to be grooming the ridge.”
A mile or so later, they came to the place where the Sno-Cat had turned around. No reason was evident for the Sno-Cat to have been driven down the ridge. They turned around.
“Maybe the person was out for a Sunday drive,” Janice said.
“Could be,” Tully said. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to make one more detour.”
He had Janice stop at Cabins One and Two but found nothing of interest there. Then she stopped at Cabin Three. It was several hundred feet up a trail that led back into the woods from the groomed area. “I’ll only be a minute,” he told her. “Might as well check it out, while we’re here.”
Janice sat down on the sled, her chin in her hands. Tully pushed open the cabin door. He looked up. The ceiling was open to the rafters. A piece of plywood had been laid across two of the rafters. He dragged over a chair from the table and climbed up on it. Then, with considerable grunting, he pulled himself up to the rafters until he could see on top of the plywood. Nothing.
He got down off the chair and searched the bedroom. He found nothing there. Then he went out the back door to the privy. It had a quarter-moon hole cut in the door. He turned the latch and went inside. There was no evident place to hide anything there. He climbed up on the bench for the toilet seats and looked for any nook or cranny where an object might be concealed. Nothing. He got down and started out. The latch had slipped down over the door. He took out his pocket comb, shoved it through the crack at the edge of the door, and pushed the latch back up. On his way back to the cabin, he even stopped and looked in a bird feeder. Not even any bird seed in it. For some unknown reason, he had begun to feel extremely uneasy. He walked through the cabin and out the front door and started up the walk. Suddenly he detected a movement off to his right. He spun and crouched, the Colt .45 coming off his shoulder holster.
“Get down!” he yelled at Janice.
She threw herself flat on the sled. The dogs had leaped to their feet. “Whoa!” she yelled at them.
He had the gun leveled at the unseen menace.
A large black shape flapped off through the trees. A raven. He couldn’t remember having drawn on a bird before. Something about the missing man and the murder in town was starting to get to him. He swept the gun back and forth, watching for any movement in the trees. He saw nothing. Slowly he stood up and put the Colt back in its holster. Slightly embarrassed, he walked over to the sled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I felt something. Guess I’m getting way too jumpy.”
“I felt it, too,” Janice said.
“Let’s mush back to the lodge. I’ll buy you lunch, if you don’t mind the company of a couple old geezers.”
“You’re not so old.”
“I was referring to Pap and Dave.”
She laughed.
12
THEY ARRIVED BACK AT THE lodge shortly before lunch. While Janice returned her dogs to their pen, Tully stopped by the office to inform Mrs. Wilson that so far he hadn’t found any sign of her husband. He didn’t mention anything about his suspicion that the avalanche had been deliberately set off to kill him and Pap. He would tell her later. Maybe she already knew. He then went up to his room, took off all his clothes, ran a tub of hot water, and lay on his back in the tub with his knees bent up, so as not to get the bandages wet. He thought it might be okay to remove the bandages but at the moment wasn’t up to any unnecessary pain. He studied his stomach. It
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