To Hell in a Handbasket Read Online Free PDF

faces.
    The men had stood awkwardly with hands in their pockets and gazes averted from the sad scene. Judy quietly joined the mothers at the tissue box, pulling one out to wipe her eyes.
    Angela picked up a cup of coffee and took a sip. Once she could speak, she said, “Please, tell me what happened. Everything.”
    The others sat on the color-coordinated leather easy chairs and loveseat clustered around the stone-inlaid coffee table. Judy, Roger, and Claire took turns describing the events of the previous day.
    When Claire began talking about the tracks she saw, Judy interrupted, “Mom, I think Mrs. Contino has suffered enough.”
    The tissue pile had grown to twice its original size. Angela twisted another one in her hands. “No, please, I must know.”
    Claire shot a hush glance at Judy and rubbed Angela’s shoulder. “I understand. I would want to hear everything, too.” She diagramed the ski tracks and snowboard track with her finger on the coffee table while she described them to the Continos.
    Nick released Judy’s hand and sat forward. He ran his finger along the imaginary path of the unknown skier’s track. After a sharp glance at his father, he asked, “So you think the skier might have come straight out of the woods, right at Stephanie?”
    Claire nodded. “She would’ve had no time to react.”
    Anthony drew in a sharp intake of breath. He and Nick locked gazes.
    Claire saw a clear message of fear pass between them. What the hell?
    A frown of confusion passed over Angela’s face. “Do you think this skier ran into her on purpose?”
    â€œThe ski patrolman said it was an accident, Mom.” Nick glanced at his father.
    â€œYes, an accident. It must have been,” Anthony said quickly. “Anything else would be unthinkable, impossible.” He glared at Nick as if warning him not to say more.
    â€œWe just don’t know.” Claire realized from Nick and Anthony’s scowls that they wanted Angela to be assured that Stephanie’s death was an accident. She took Angela’s hand. “He probably took off from the woods without checking uphill first, so he never saw Stephanie.”
    â€œWhy do you say ‘he’?” Anthony asked sharply. He stared at Claire.
    She shrugged. “I’m assuming the person had to be bigger than Stephanie to knock her so violently off track. The snowboarder was. If the snowboarder did it, the skier could have been a woman or a small man, I guess.” Was that why the skier didn’t stop? Could he or she have been afraid of the snowboarder and what he might do to him or her?
    Nick bit his lip and watched his father, his finger tapping a solemn beat on the coffee table.
    Anthony stood, smoothing his palms down his thighs, as if wiping off nervous sweat. If anything, his twisted face looked even more anguished than before. “We’ve been remiss. We haven’t offered you anything to drink. We have coffee, and I can make tea or hot chocolate.”
    â€œDon’t go to any trouble on our account.” Roger stood. “You have enough to deal with. We just came to answer your questions and convey our condolences.”
    Claire glanced at Angela, who seemed frail and worn out. “I’m sorry if I went on too long.”
    â€œNo, no,” the woman replied. “I needed to know.”
    â€œCan we tell you anything else?”
    Angela shook her head. “All we can do is wait for the ski patrol or the sheriff to find who did this to Stephanie.”
    Claire rose and joined Roger, causing the others to stand too. “Roger and I will be on the slope today, too, looking for the snowboarder.”
    â€œI wish I could look, too.” Nick’s fingers clenched and unclenched at his sides as if he itched to put those hands around the neck of the person who killed Stephanie, accident or no.
    Judy looped her arm through Nick’s and looked at Angela.