Murder in Vail Read Online Free PDF

have a balcony so she can smoke out there. She took her things into Lance’s room and has locked herself in. But you know how Lance is about his room, Stephen.”
    Stephen grimaced.  “That’s going to be a problem.”
    “Can you ask her to move back into your room? We don’t have any other bedrooms. I don’t get much company, so I converted one of the upstairs bedrooms into a study, and Helga has the downstairs one.”
    Stephen looked doubtful. “I’ll try, Mom, but you know how headstrong Rachel is. If it has anything to do with her smoking, she won’t budge. I’ve tried to get her to quit so many times, but she won’t even try.”
    Just then a commotion broke out in the front yard as snow and leaves began swirling and flying into the windows. A whirring sound became louder and louder, and when Sally and Stephen looked out the window, a helicopter was about to touch down in the front yard. Lance had arrived.
    Sally’s oldest son had been obsessed with helicopters since he was a child when Sally and her husband let him ride along on ski trips. In Los Angeles, he owned his own helicopter and used it more than his car. He rented the one he was landing in the front yard in Denver.
    Sally and Stephen put on their coats and hurried out onto the front porch. The wind from the swirling blades blew the branches of the nearby aspen trees and threw a sheet of snow through the air. Sally and Stephen stood under the portico for protection. They backed up as far as they could and put up their hands to block their faces from the flying snow.
    When the helicopter came to a standstill, the pilot’s door opened and Lance jumped out. Zipping up his hooded blue ski jacket, he ran around the helicopter to open the passenger door. A woman with bright blonde hair stepped out wearing a long leopard coat and fur-lined boots. She took her husband’s hand. Under her other arm, she carried a small Yorkie, also dressed in a leopard outfit.
    Lance led his wife, Yvette, to the door as if she were a princess. Yvette kissed the air in the vicinity of both of her mother-in-law’s cheeks. Sally pulled back trying to avoid the second air kiss, but she wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way. Yvette’s Yorkie licked her on the cheek.
    “Sally, darling, I’ve missed you so.”
    “Well, thank you, Yvette. That’s sweet of you to say,” Sally said. She usually found Yvette’s compliments shallow and meaningless, but today she was happy to hear anything positive come out of anyone’s mouth. “And who is this little cutie?” she asked, scratching the Yorkie under its chin.
    “This is my Duchess,” Yvette bubbled, as proud as any mother of a newborn. “Lance gave her to me for my birthday.”
    “Well, she is just adorable,” Sally complimented.
    Lance hugged his mother and slapped his brother on the back. “Stephen,” he said. “How have you been? Looks like you’ve put on a few pounds.”
    “I have,” Stephen said, pleased. “It looks like you might have too,” he said, glancing at his brother’s rotund belly. “If we need a Santa Claus, we know who’ll play the part.”
    Lance laughed good-naturedly. He had the same blue eyes and blond hair as his younger brother, but Lance made two of Stephen.
    “All those great restaurants in L.A. are just too much temptation. And we’ve hired a private chef. Used to have his own television show. Now it’s just about impossible to keep the pounds off.” He laughed, adding, “You and Rachel will have to come out. Where is Rachel? Is she here?”
    Stephen nodded. “Uh, I’ll tell you inside. Let’s go in. It’s freezing.”
    “Heavy snow’s expected for tonight. It’s supposed to get down to four degrees,” Lance said. “We may be snowed in.”

Chapter Eight

    “Beautiful tree, Mom. You outdo yourself every year,” Lance said cheerily.
    “Yes, it’s just gorgeous, Sally,” Yvette agreed.
    Goldie and Silver came running into the room and jumped up on Yvette, trying to