"How are you, Polly? I worried about you," he said.
"Bootsie and I weathered the storm, but I lacked the energy to do anything. I had planned to wash the kitchen walls, clean closets, and make Christmas gifts. How are you faring?"
"Strangely, I'm getting tired of canned soup and stale doughnuts."
"We'll be prisoners for a few days more," she predicted, "but fortunately we're in touch with the outside world."
Qwilleran immediately called the outside world, but all lines were busy. The gregarious, garrulous populace of Pickax seemed to be making up for lost time.
WPKX went on the air with more storm news, good and bad:
"The first baby born during the Big Snow is a seven-pound girl, Leslie Ann. The parents are Mr. and Mrs. Junior Goodwinter. Mother and child are snow-bound at the Pickax hospital.
"In rural areas many persons are reported missing. It is presumed that they lost their way in the blizzard and have frozen to death. Homes have burned to the ground because help could not reach them. Much livestock is thought to be frozen in fields and barns. Bodies are still washing ashore from wrecked boats."
The sound of Polly's voice and the rumbling of the refrigerator restored Qwilleran's spark of life. He did some laundry, washed the accumulation of soup bowls in the kitchen sink, and eventually reached Junior to offer congratulations.
"Yeah, I got her to the hospital just before the storm broke and then had to rush home to take care of our little boy. I still haven't seen the baby," Junior said. "But hey, Qwill, let me tell you about the call I got from Down Below just before the phones went dead. It was some guy who deals in architectural fragments. He wanted to buy the light fixtures and fireplaces in Grandma's house!"
"You mean he wanted to strip this place?" Qwilleran
asked in indignation.
"I told him to get lost. Boy, he had a lot of nerve! How do you suppose he found out what we've got?"
"I could make an educated guess. How valuable are the fixtures?"
"Susan Exbridge could tell you exactly. I only know that the chandeliers on the main floor are real silver, and the ones in the ballroom are solid brass and copper, imported from France before World War I... Anyway, I thought you'd be shocked, the way I was."
After five o'clock Qwilleran phoned Celia Robinson. "Good evening," he said in the ingratiating tone that had melted female defenses for years. "This is Jim Qwilleran."
"Oh! Thank you so much for the chocolate cherries!" she gushed. "They're my absolute favorite! But you didn't have to do it."
"It was my pleasure."
"I've been watching the weather on TV. Was it very bad up where you are?"
"Very bad. We've been snowbound for four days with no meltdown in sight. Meanwhile, Celia, I'm working on my profile of Mrs. Gage and need to ask a few more questions. Do you mind?"
"You know I'm glad to help, Mr. Qwilleran - and not just
because you sent me those lovely chocolates."
"All right. Going back to the morning when you found her body, what did you do?"
"I called the office, and they called the authorities. They came right away."
Casually he asked, "And how did Betty and Claude react?"
"Oh, they weren't here. They were out of town, and Pete was in charge. He's the assistant - very nice, very helpful."
"Did he appear shocked?"
"Well, not really. We've had quite a few deaths, you know, which you can understand in a place like this. Actually we have quite a turnover."
"Do Betty and Claude go out of town very often?"
"Well, they're from up north, and they go to see their families once in a while."
"Where up north?" he asked as if mildly curious.
"It could be Wisconsin. They talk about the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers. But I'm not sure. Want me to find out?"
"No, it's not important. But tell me: Did Mrs. Gage ever mention her mansion in Pickax? It was in her husband's family for generations."
"I know," said Celia. "She showed a video of it in the clubhouse - not that she wanted to show off, I'm sure, but we visited some historic homes down here, and she thought we'd like to see a hundred-year-old house up north. She had some wonderful things."
"Did Mr. Crusoe see the video?"
"Crocus," she corrected. "Yes, and he still talks about it. He comes over to my yard and wants to talk about her. Today he told me something confidential. I'm not supposed to mention it in the park until it's official, but I can tell you. You probably know already that she left a lot of money to the park to build a health club."
"How did he know about it?"
"She told him. They were very good friends, I guess. They liked the same things. We all thought it would be nice if they got married. That's why it's so sad."
"Yes," Qwilleran murmured, then asked, "Do you suppose Mr. Crocus would care to be interviewed for this profile?"
"I don't know. He's kind of shy, but I could ask him. Would you like me to break the ice, sort of?"
"Would you be good enough to do that?" he requested. "Your cooperation is much appreciated. And may I call you again soon?"
"You know you don't have to ask, Mr. Qwilleran. It's lots of fun answering your questions."
After the call he dropped into a lounge chair to think, and Yum Yum walked daintily into the library. "Hello, princess," he said. "Where have you been?"
Taking that as an invitation, she leaped lightly to his knee, turned around three times, and found a place to settle down.
He adjusted her weight slightly without discommoding her and asked, "What happened to your confrŠre?"
The muted answer came from the closet-a series of soft thumps that aroused Qwilleran's curiosity. He excused himself and went to investigate. Koko was batting a small object this way and that, apparently having fun. It was a small maroon velvet box.
Qwilleran intercepted it and immediately called Junior again. "Guess what Koko has just dredged up in one of the closets! A jeweler's box containing a man's gold ring, probably your grandfather's! It's the only valuable item he's found."
"What kind of ring?"
"A signet, with an intricate design on the crown. I'll turn it over to you as soon as they dig us out."
"Which can't be too soon for me," Junior said. "I'm getting cabin fever."
"I've been talking to Celia Robinson again. Did you know your grandmother had a video of the house when it was still furnished?"
"Sure. She had me film the interior before she broke it up. After she died, I found the tape among her effects and brought it home for the historical museum."
"Well, for your information, she showed the film at the Park of Pink Sunsets, so we can assume that the park management knew about the lavish appointments. Now I'm wondering if they came to see for themselves - with an ulterior motive. Listen to this, Junior: Betty and Claude were in this house when we previewed 'The Big Burning.' They wandered around the rooms with the rest of the crowd."
"How do you know?"
"I saw them. Hixie saw them. We both wondered who they were. Since then, we've identified them from snapshots that Celia sent us. Now you know and I know that nobody - nobody - ever stops in Pickax on the way to somewhere else. They come here for a purpose or not at all, and Betty and Claude don't strike me as being duck hunters. They must have known about the preview - and the exact date. Could your grandmother have told them? Did she know about it?"
"Jody wrote to her once a week and probably mentioned it," Junior said. "Grandma would be interested because the script was based on her father-in-Iaw's memoirs, and she had a crush on him."
Qwilleran said, "Frankly, I've had doubts about the Pink Sunset operation ever since you told me they profiteer on the repurchase of mobile homes. Are they also in partnership with the guy who wanted to buy the light fixtures? We may have uncovered a story that's bigger than a profile of your eccentric grandmother."