On Ice (21 page)

“
What?” Nadine raised her fiery brows.

“
Sara and I were out walking and we happened upon a mother bear and her cubs. We stared at each other and she went back to her cubs.”

“
You stared at each other?” Nadine and Mayor Wolfe exchanged glances.

“
Yes,” Rene said. “Actually, I was silently begging her not to eat us. I knew she was just trying to protect her babies and I was protecting mine.”

“
You looked into her soul.” Mayor Wolfe said solemnly.

“
Yes!” Rene said. “That’s exactly how I felt!”

“
Not bad for a cheechako,” the Mayor said.

“
A what?” Rene frowned as she tried to mouth the word.

“
Cheechako,” Nadine said. “It’s what you would call a greenhorn. A cheechako is someone trying to survive their first year in Alaska.”

“
I’d say you’re doing pretty well, so far.” Mayor Wolfe nodded his head sagely.

“
I think you’ve found your spirit animal,” Nadine said.

“
Really?” Rene said. “A bear?”

“
It must be,” Nadine said. “She wouldn’t have let you look into her soul otherwise.”

“
You have a brave heart, Cheechako,” Mayor Wolfe said. “Most people would have run. The bear would have chased them.” You were courageous in facing the bear and asking her to spare you and your cubs. Believe me when I say you have a brave heart.”

“
I hope so,” Rene said. “I’ll need it.”

“
And I caught a fish, too.” Seth said.

“
I picked flowers,” Sara said, “but I dropped them when I saw the bear.” Sara’s face clouded momentarily, and then cleared. “Brett cooked Seth’s fish and we all ate it.”

The other adults at the table turned their attention to Rene, who blushed furiously.

“
You’ve been holding out on me,” Nadine said, with a grin.

“
He wanted to teach Seth to fish,” she said. She had hoped to avoid mentioning Brett’s part in their adventure. She tried to meet Nadine’s cat-and-mouse smirk.

“
It looks like love is in the air, all right.” Nadine directed their attention to Dr. Lorelei King sitting at a small table with Dr. Chad Belker, their heads close together.

“
That’s good,” Sam said. “She’s a pretty lady. She and Dr. Chad have a lot in common.”

“
Like what?” Nadine challenged. “She’s a people doctor. He’s an animal doc.”

“
They do the same thing,” Sam insisted. “It’s just that his patients have more legs.”

Rene was thankful for this petty bickering to take the spotlight off her uncertain relationship with Brett.

After the meal, Mayor Wolfe took Seth and Sara to see his collection of animal carvings. His son, Parker, was more talkative and cheerful than usual. He proudly described how his father made miniature carvings of animals and engraved small scenes on jade, soapstone and ivory. Rene was to pick the children up after her target practice at the Burke’s.

As Rene was leaving the hotel, she noticed some attractive pieces of pottery in a display case. Angel Culver passed by, a pair of kitchen shears in her hand. “How much is this lovely bowl?” Rene asked. “I’ve never seen glaze like that.”

“
They are pretty, aren’t they?” Angel opened the case and turned the bowl over to display the price sticker.

“
That’s quite reasonable,” Rene said. “I’ll take it.” She wrote a check and handed it to Angel.

“
I’ll wrap it for you,” Angel said. “I sell a lot of Ben’s pottery here. The Westfall’s sell it, too.”

“
Ben’s pottery? You mean, Ben Franklin?” Rene’s voice revealed her surprise.

“
He’s quite talented, don’t you think?” Angel handed Rene her package.

“
Yes, but I thought he worked with wood and repaired things?”

“
He has a small studio behind your cabin,” Angel said. “Haven’t you seen him working there?”

“
No, never,” Rene insisted.

“
Maybe he works when you’re at school. Why don’t you ask him?”

“
I intend to.”

“
Do you want to see my garden?” Angel offered.

“
Garden? I didn’t see a garden,” Rene said.

“
It’s on the roof.” Angel pointed with her scissors. “I’m going up to snip herbs for tonight’s meal.”

Rene followed Angel up two flights of stairs and out through a door opening onto a sunny roof garden. Flowering trees bloomed in large tubs. A gazebo erected in the middle of the roof, overlooked a play area complete with swings and a playhouse. A greenhouse dominated one corner.

“
This is beautiful!” Rene clasped her hands and turned around twice. “Your daughters must think this is fairyland.”

“
I never thought of it that way before. I suppose you’re right.” Angel smiled a wistful, little-girl smile, admiring her garden along with Rene. “Would you like some herbs to take with you?”

“
I’d love some.” Rene followed Angel into the greenhouse. The glass sparkled in the sunlight. A jungle of plants and trees grew inside. “Does it stay warm in the winter?”

“
It’s insulated and heated in the cold weather. We send herbs to a great many restaurants. Heating it is a business expense.” She began to snip rosemary and handed sprigs to Rene. “You can use it fresh or hang it upside down to dry. How about some basil?”

While Angel snipped, handing small sprigs to Rene, she kept up a nonstop narrative about the many uses for the various herbs.

“
I really appreciate this,” Rene said. “I’m sure it will help the meals I’ve--” Her voice trailed off. “What’s that?” She pointed to a lush growth of plants.

“
Pot,” Angel said, in a matter-of-fact voice. “You know. . . marijuana. Want some?”

“
N-no. No thank you.” Rene stared at the plants. She bit her lip, feeling as though the police might swoop down on them at any moment. “Is it legal here?”

“
Not exactly,” Angel giggled. “It was until a few years ago, but not now. I don’t think anyone really cares. Tink and I aren’t exactly dangerous characters, you know?”

“
No, I suppose not,” Rene agreed doubtfully.

Rene carried her precious pottery and aromatic herbs down to the truck. She reflected on the things she had learned. Angel and Tink had a garden on their roof and sold herbs and pot as a sideline. Dr. Lorelei and Dr. Chad were keeping company. Mayor Wolfe carved soapstone and ivory animals. Ben Franklin made beautiful pottery in a studio right behind her cabin. She shook her head in amazement and took a deep breath. The day wasn’t even over yet.

~*~

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“
I took a statement from the doorman at the Desmond’s condo.” Detective Ambrose flipped the pages of his small notepad until he came to the right entry. “He said Mr. Desmond and his family have been traveling abroad all summer. They left months ago and he hasn’t heard from them since.” Closing the pad, he turned his unreadable gaze on Maddy.

“
That’s not true,” Maddy insisted. “My sister ran away from him in early May. She took the kids and left him.” She felt her cheeks flush with anger.

“
Why would she do that, Ma’am?” he said in a flat voice.

“
Because he beats her! He’s horribly abusive! He’s a maniac!” Maddy’s voice rose. She glowered at the heavyset man who didn’t believe her. He wore the same wrinkled suit he had worn previously.

“
Why do you think the doorman would lie about Mr. Desmond’s whereabouts?”

“
Because,” Maddy said, “Mark is paying him. Rene, she’s my sister, she said Mark paid the doorman to watch her and report any visitors. He didn’t even want me to visit her.”

“
How long has there been bad blood between you and your brother-in-law?”

“
Bad blood?” Maddy considered. “It started when I discovered he abused my sister. I told him if I saw bruises on her again, I would go to the police. That’s when he forbade her to see me.”

“
You haven’t seen your sister since then?”

“
Of course I have! We met in different places, the grocery store or the hairdresser. I never went back to her condominium.”

“
When was the last time you saw her?”

“
I saw her about a week before she left. We had a plan, you see, for her escape. I haven’t seen her since she left.” Maddy’s lower lip trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. She took a deep breath, refusing to allow them to spill over.

“
So,” the detective said, “this is the way it went down--You say your brother-in-law is abusive. You find out and threaten him. He forbids you two to get together, but you sneak around and plot your sister’s escape. She’s been missing since May and now Mr. Desmond is missing too. Is this your story?”

“
No! Yes, but you make it sound like he’s the victim. Rene was the victim. She was just too frightened to turn him in. He threatened to kill her if she left him.” This detective was being deliberately obtuse. She shouldn’t have let him in without Ted being here.

“
Mrs. Sanders, the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr. and Mrs. Desmond are highly suspicious. I’ll have to ask you not to leave town.” He looked down at her with his hooded flat eyes.

“
What does that mean?”

“
Just that we may have further questions for you.”

The meaning of his words settled heavily on Maddy as she closed and locked the door behind the infuriating man.

~*~

“
That’s it?” Rene stared at the small gun in Sam’s hand. “It looks like a toy.”

“
Let me assure you,” Sam said, “It’s real.”

“
You can blow a great big hole in a great big bad man with this,” Nadine said.

Rene tentatively reached for it.

“
Take it like you’re going to shake hands.” He slapped the butt of the gun into her palm. “Don’t be afraid of it.”

“
It’s so light!”

“
It’s not loaded. When I put the bullets in the clip, it will be heavier, but it’s still a light weapon.”

Rene tried to feel comfortable with the plastic gun in her hand. She imagined Mark laughing and tightened her grip.

“
Atta girl!” Nadine said. “Let’s go out and fire off a few rounds.”

“
N-now? You mean right now?”

“
It’s as good a time as any.” Nadine cocked her head. “You can’t be afraid of it. If you ever were in actual danger and pulled a gun on someone, you have to be confident enough to fire it. Otherwise, they’ll take it away and use it on you.”

Rene shivered. An image of Mark’s angry face sprang to mind. “Let’s go,” she said.

Sam showed her how to load the clip and insert it into the weapon’s handle. It had a little more heft now, but was still comfortable in her hand.

Then, Sam set up the targets and went inside.

“
Here, hold it like this.” Nadine stood with feet planted a couple of feet apart and held the gun with both hands. “This is easy and it’s pretty steady. You try it.” She handed the gun back to Rene.

“
Like this?” Rene assumed a position similar to Nadine’s.

“
Plant your feet. Bend your knees a little, like you’re riding a horse.” She raised Rene’s hands to shoulder height.

“
I feel silly,” Rene said.

“
You don’t look silly.” Nadine put her hands on her hips. “You look like a woman to be reckoned with.”

“
I don’t know,” Rene shrugged. “I guess it’s because I’ve never been very brave. I’m always such a big chicken. I can see my sister Maddy loving this, but not me.”

“
Why are you doing this?” Nadine raised one red eyebrow in silent interrogation.

“
I--I need to be prepared for--anything. This is the trigger?” She hoped Nadine didn’t notice her nervousness or how quickly she changed the subject.

“
Look down the top of the barrel. That’s the sight.” She pointed to a tiny notch along the top of the gun. “Close one eye and look at the target.”

“
Now what?”

“
Line up the target at the end of the barrel, in the sight. Hold it steady.”

Rene’s hands wavered. She couldn’t seem to keep the gun from wobbling. “I can’t.”

“
It’s okay,” Nadine said. “Drop it down to your side. Let your arms rest and take a few deep breaths. That’s it.” Nadine smiled as Rene began to relax. “Whenever you’re ready, get back into the proper stance and raise the gun, look down the sight and gently squeeze the trigger.”

Rene drew a deep breath and blew it out, then another. She raised the gun and squeezed the trigger. A loud report numbed her ear drums, filling them with a hollow ringing sound. The barrel of the gun bounced up in the air as if she had fired while jumping on a trampoline.

“
Oh!” She heard her own voice as if from far away.

“
You hit it!” Nadine shrieked. “I can’t believe it!”

“
I hit the target?” Rene squinted at the red plastic disc that Sam had nailed to the trunk of a tree.