Murder in the Winter Read Online Free PDF Page B

to see
if maybe he recognized the newcomer, but he didn’t. I thought maybe he was some
kind of star and our work and lack of hero worship prevented us from
recognizing him. The tall young man grabbed a chair and scooted it between Lou
and Mycroft, thus making it even harder for me to follow Mycroft’s lead.
    I was starved. I couldn’t wait for the food to be
served. Possibly sensing this, Mrs. Longworth rang the bell. I speculated that
someone would soon arrive with food, or we would come face to face with
Pavlov’s dog. It was time to eat. What conversation there was died down when
our guest list increased by one.
    The meal started with shrimp, but it wasn't fried. Evidently
someone here wasn't from the south. And the ketchup in a bowl beside the shrimp
tasted funny. And the soup he brought next was cold. Good help must be hard to
get so far out in the country. I didn't see any improvement in subsequent
dishes, but Mrs. Longworth smiled through the whole process. I think she was
embarrassed. Things didn't get any better until the dessert arrived, but that's
also when things got worse.
    Before I could sample Baked Alaska, Mycroft made a few
gyrations and fell face first into his. From what I could tell, his hairline
landed about Barrow while his chin touched down in Anchorage. From the way it
looked, it didn’t matter that the flames had burned out before he dived in. Evidently,
the sushi had given him food poisoning. If Mr. Mycroft had family, Michael the
chef would soon be sued.

 
    4
     
     
    Quickly, I came to my senses and realized our murderer
had struck. I jumped to my feet, pulled out my badge, and hollered, “I’m Lt.
Dekker, Hilldale Police Department! Don’t anyone move! This man has had a heart
attack.”
    From the looks on their faces the whole lot of them
looked guilty. Either that or they were sick from the food and my yelling didn’t
help matters. I motioned for Lou to check out the kitchen and keep everyone
there in place. I walked past Lou’s chair and felt for a pulse. Miles Mycroft
was definitely doornail dead, whatever that is.
    I asked the guests to go to their rooms and told them
I’d let them know when it was okay to return to the table. Then, I asked Mrs.
Longworth to return to her quarters, while I kept her husband at hand. She
didn’t seem pleased, but she complied. I asked Longworth how many exits the inn
had and was surprised when he told me only three. I expected an inn that size
to have more, but it was originally built as a home and for some reason the
current building codes didn’t apply to existing structures. I had Longworth
show me how to dial an outside line, then motioned for him to join his wife. As
he walked away, I told him I would let him know when he could return.
    Neither of the chefs wanted to leave the kitchen, but
our server didn’t mind. After firing off a couple of verbal rounds, Lou and I
were able to convince the twosome to do so.  As far as I was concerned, every
place in and about the inn was a crime scene. After making sure everything was
secure, I hurried back to the phone and dialed Lt. Michaelson’s number. I knew
he wasn’t on duty at that time of night, but I knew he would come.
    “George. Cy.”
    “Why hello, Cy. How’s retirement treating you?”
    “Okay up until today. I’m unretired now. Lou and I are
at the Overlook Inn. There’s been a murder. Can you round up as many men as
possible and come out here and help us? This place is so large it might take us
a while to find our murderer.”
    “I was just sitting here with my wife in front of a
cozy fireplace, but I’m sure I’d rather tackle the blinding snowstorm and join
you and Lou.”
    “If it’ll make you feel better, George, the snow
stopped falling last night. Oh, and by the way, on your way out could you stop
by the Blue Moon Diner and fetch Lou and me some food.”
    “That place where you are doesn’t have food?”
    “It does, but the stove’s broken. It won’t take