too.”
Frank Killegrew’s file was thicker than the others. He’d
been born in Molt, Montana, served as a U.S. Army Ranger
in Korea, attended Montana School of Mines in Butte, and
SNOW PLACE TO DIE / 245
gone to work for Mountain States Telephone Company in
Helena. His mother’s name was given as Kate Killegrew; no
father was listed. Instead, there was a picture of a cat sitting
on the roof of a house, and a notation that read, “Ha Ha!”
“What does that mean?” Renie demanded.
Judith smirked. “What it shows.” Her dark eyes glittered.
“Frank was born in a cat house. No wonder he’s ashamed
of his origins.”
“Woo-woo,” Renie said under her breath. “That’s funny.”
“No, it’s not.” Judith, who had flipped through the rest of
the pages, suddenly turned serious. “Well, maybe it is, but
the unfunny part is that Frank’s file stops long before last
year. There’s nothing after his years with the Bell System.”
Renie grabbed the folder out of Judith’s lap. “You’re right,”
she said in wonder. “There’s no mention of OTIOSE.”
Rubbing at her temples, Judith got up from the bed and
looked out the window. The rain continued to come down,
a steady sheet with no hint of wind to shift the dark clouds.
“The snow’s still melting…”
Judith screamed. Renie ran to join her cousin.
There was a man at the window, and he was holding a
high-powered rifle.
EIGHTEEN
JUDITH AND RENIE flattened themselves against the wall,
hopefully out of the line of fire. “What do you want?” Judith
cried, finally finding both her courage and her voice.
In answer, the man slammed the butt of the rifle into one
of the smaller panes. Glass shattered onto the floor. Judith
and Renie held onto each other, both shaking like leaves.
The man, who was on the top rung of a tall aluminum extension ladder, reached through the broken pane and tried to
unlatch the window. Judith looked around for something to
hit at his fumbling fingers, but there was nothing within
reach. The window opened, and the man scrambled into the
room. Raindrops and wet snow flew in every direction.
“What’s going on?” he demanded in a rough voice.
Judith blinked several times. The man wore a heavy parka
over ski pants, and rested the rifle butt on the floor next to
his all-weather boots. He had a gray beard and a weathered
face, but wasn’t much taller than Judith.
“Who are you?” Judith asked in a faint voice.
The intruder’s initial reaction was hostile, then he frowned
at the cousins. “Mannheimer, who else?”
“Mannheimer?” Judith echoed the name. “Do we know
you?”
246
SNOW PLACE TO DIE / 247
“Hell, no.” Mannheimer shook off the moisture that had
accumulated on his person. “Rudy Mannheimer, Mountain
Goat Lodge caretaker. Who the hell are you?”
“The caterers,” Judith replied, stretching the truth a bit.
“We got marooned. Where have you been?”
Mannheimer gestured with his head, causing the hood of
his parka to slip down and reveal overlong gray hair. “Back
at my place. Where else?”
“Um…Nowhere,” Judith said. “That is, the weather’s been
terrible. Ah…Why are you here now? I thought you had
orders to stay away.”
Mannheimer lowered his head, as if to charge the cousins.
Instead, he answered the question in his ragged, jerky voice.
“It’s my job, dammit. Orders can change. Like when a blizzard hits. Guests are still my responsibility. Safety first.
Couldn’t get through since Friday. The first floor’s still
snowed in. I saw a light up here. I thought I’d give it a try.”
“You might have asked first,” said Renie, her usual spunk
returning. “You didn’t have to break the blasted window.”
Mannheimer snorted. “You’re not real friendly. So tell me.
Is everything okay?”
“Oh, brother!” Renie twirled around, holding her head.
“Actually, it’s not,” Judith said with regret. “There’s been
some…trouble.”
“Trouble?” Mannheimer’s close-set blue eyes bulged. “What
kind of trouble? Frank doesn’t like trouble.”
“You know Mr. Killegrew?” Judith asked in surprise.
Mannheimer flipped the rifle from one hand to the other.
“Sure. We go way back. To Korea. Same platoon. So what’s
up?” Mannheimer glowered at the cousins.
“I think,” Judith said in an unusually high voice, “you ought
to talk to Frank. He’ll tell you.”
“So where is he?” Mannheimer’s head swiveled, as if he
expected Killegrew to pop out from behind the bathroom
door.
248 / Mary Daheim
“Downstairs,” Judith answered promptly. “Go ahead, we’ll
stay here.” She gave Mannheimer a phony smile.
“Okay.” The caretaker headed for the door, the rifle now
cradled in his arms. He paused on the threshold, unlocking
the door the cousins had secured behind them. “Don’t worry.
I’ll fix that window. It’s my job.” Mannheimer left.
Renie sat back down on the bed. “I wouldn’t mind hearing
what happens when Frank tells Mannheimer what’s been
going on.”
“And so you shall,” Judith said, moving to the door. “Give
him a minute to get downstairs.”
The cousins used the back stairs. They tiptoed through the
kitchen, down the hall, and edged toward the lobby. Judging
from the sound of Frank Killegrew’s voice, the OTIOSE
contingent had regrouped in the game room.
“…real brave of you, Rudy,” Judith heard Killegrew say to
the caretaker. “What are our chances of getting out of here?”
Mannheimer must have been standing further away. His
response was muffled. “Melting…trouble…what…?”
Killegrew’s laugh was forced. “You might say we’ve had
some nasty accidents. The blizzard, the heavy rains, the
avalanche warnings.” He laughed again. “Then you get into
stress and tensions and all sorts of heavy seas that can rock
the boat. Not to worry, Rudy, old man, we’re managing.”
“Frank!” Judith recognized Margo’s anguished cry.
“He has to know.” Gene’s voice could barely be distinguished.
“I don’t like this,” Russell muttered. “He has a gun.”
“What Rudy needs is a drink,” Killegrew declared. “Come
on, let’s adjourn to the lobby. I wouldn’t pass up a stiff shot
of Scotch myself.”
Judith heard voices muttering and feet shuffling. The
sounds died away. “Let’s cut back through the kitchen and
listen from the dining room,” Judith whispered.
SNOW PLACE TO DIE / 249
Just as they entered the kitchen, the phone rang. Renie
sprang for it, catching the receiver before the final “brrng”
stopped.
“Joe!” Renie cried. “Thank God! Here, I’ll let you talk to
Judith!”
Judith suddenly felt close to tears. “Where are you? Arlene
said…Never mind, is everything all right?”
“Yeah, it is now,” Joe replied, though he sounded harried.
“Woody and I finally got somebody with a four-wheel drive
to get us out of that place by the lake. What’s going on with
you? Are you stranded up there?”
“Yes,” Judith answered. “It’s raining, though. Maybe we
can get out tomorrow.” She took a deep breath. “Meanwhile,