See Also Murder (27 page)

Invigorated, I sat down at my desk, put on my reading glasses, pulled out the index I'd started and a pile of cards, and set about my work:

A

amulet

found in Erik Knudsen's hand.
See also
murder

Norse mythology.
See also
Norse mythology

purpose of (protection)

Ardith Jenkins

married to Hilo Jenkins

mistletoe in hand when murdered

murder #3.
See also
murder

not housekeeper I thought she was

Asgard, gods of

B

Balder

god of light

killed by mistletoe

return to heaven after battle at Ragnarök

second son of Odin.
See also
Odin

Betty Walsh (counter girl at the Rexall)

Book of Norse Symbols, The,
Calla's lack of discovery of

Burlene Standish

gossip (couldn't resist putting in)

said she heard something (what?)

wife of Red Owl butcher

C

Calla Eltmore

librarian

mad because Herbert was at Wild Pony

Carnegie Library

Calla and Herbert only employees

Norse mythology information found at

children of Loki

Fenris wolf

Hel, goddess, ruler of realm of dead

Midgard serpent

Curtis Henderson

new extension agent

shows up in a green Chevy

wanted to talk to Hank

wouldn't talk to me

D

D-Day

Dickinson University

Duke Parsons, deputy sheriff (lacks ambition)

E

Erik Knudsen

amulet found in hand

did he serve in WW II, age is right?

murder #1

extension agents

Curtis Henderson

Lloyd Gustaffson

F

Fenris wolf

child of Loki

preordained to slay Odin

Frigg

mother of Balder

realized her mistake, but overlooked mistletoe

G

Gilda Hoagler Hurtibese

deceased

married to university professor

owner of jewelry

Raymond's mother (my aunt)

gods of Asgard

green Chevy

Curtis Henderson shows up in

first seen at the library

followed me out of town (then sped by)

second sighting, in front of Western Auto

was it the car that ran me off the road?

Gregor Landdow (pharmacist)

Guy Reinhardt

deputy sheriff (has ambitions)

glory days were on basketball court

H

Hamish Martin (insurance salesman)

Hank Trumaine

injured hunting grouse, bedridden

my husband

wasn't concerned about Curtis Henderson

wishes he were dead

Hel, goddess and ruler of the realm of the dead

Herbert Frakes

library janitor

why did he go on a bender?

World War II veteran

Hilo Jenkins

brought me the amulet

found amulet in Erik's hand

married to Ardith

sheriff of Stark County

suggested I keep amulet a secret

warned me to stay away from Roy

World War II veteran

Hoder (Balder's brother), tricked by Loki into killing Balder

J

Jaeger Knudsen

dated Betty Walsh

eldest son of Erik and Lida

Peter said they did work for Phineas Strand

L

Lida Knudsen

angry at Roy for stealing (something?)

murder #2

Lloyd Gustaffson, former extension agent

Loki.
See also
children of Loki

M

method of murders

Midgard serpent (child of Loki)

Mills Standish (Burlene's hus­band), butcher at the Red Owl

mistletoe as a weapon

Frigg overlooked it as

where did it come from?

motive

money?

revenge?

murder

Ardith Jenkins (#3)

Erik Knudsen (#1)

Hoder tricked into killing Balder

Lida Knudsen (#2)

motive (?)

Phineas Strand (#4)

suspects (?)

N

Norse mythology

headhunters in?

information found at library

story on amulet

O

Odin

father of Balder

Fenris wolf preordained to slay

P

Peter Knudsen

knew Phineas Strand

youngest son of Erik and Lida

Phineas Strand

murder #4

not home (phone rang and rang)

owner of stolen amulet collection

prophecy of Ragnarök

protection (purpose of amulet)

purpose of amulet (protection)

R

Ragnarök, prophecy of

Raymond Hurtibese

assistant professor of paleontology at college

Aunt Gilda's son (first cousin)

knows that I have the amulet

ran over Thor (Hank's dog)

Roy (Lida's cousin)

in same unit as Herbert Frakes (D-Day)

was Hilo's best friend in old days

what did he steal? (is it true?)

S

Shep (our border collie)

suspects

Curtis Henderson?

Peter and Jaeger?

Raymond?

Roy (Lida's cousin)?

a stranger?

T

Thor (god of thunder, protector of mankind)

Thor (Hank's dog), ran over by Raymond

W

Walter Hurtibese (uncle by marriage to Aunt Gilda).
See also
Raymond Hurtibese

Wild Pony (tavern in Dickinson)

World War II

D-Day

Erik Knudsen (did he serve, age is right?)

Herbert Frakes

Hilo Jenkins

Roy (Lida's cousin)

There was certain criterion that I used for my personal index that I never would have used for an H.P. Howard and Sons index. First off, I indexed everyone by their first name. An academic index would never use that kind of sorting rule, I would have sorted surnames first. I did it this way for myself, for familiarity. I also added in my questions, which most certainly wouldn't be included in an academic text or index, since index entries in a sense were answers to questions in the first place. Nor would personal comments be acceptable. But beyond that I couldn't think of anything that I had missed.

When I looked back over my index, I had more questions than answers, more suspects than most likely were necessary.

I felt bad about including Peter and Jaeger on the suspect list, but I had to. They were there, in the house at the time as far as I knew. I didn't know where they were when Ardith was killed, and Peter had confessed to knowing Professor Strand, so I couldn't rule them out no matter how much I wanted to.

Same with Raymond—I couldn't rule him out. Without regard to how much he annoyed me, I didn't want to believe he could be such a monster, could kill a human being on purpose. I never agreed with Hank that Raymond ran over Thor with intent. It was an accident, though I kept that to myself to keep the peace. I know how much Hank loved that dog.

I didn't know Curtis Henderson or Lida's cousin, Roy, so I guess that made it easier to put them on the list, though I couldn't think of a motive for either one of them, especially the new extension agent. He was only on that list because of his choice in cars—for choosing a green Chevrolet over a black Ford or maroon Chrysler.

My eyes burned, and I was more tired than I realized. It was still dark outside, and I could hear nothing but the whirl of the fan and Hank's easy breathing as he slept.

All I could think to do was lay my head down on the desk. It wasn't the first time I'd slept there, and I hoped it wouldn't be the last.

CHAPTER 31

Summer days in North Dakota can seem exceedingly long, making it easy to take the presence of light for granted and be uncomfortable when the heavy curtain of night finally falls. There are times in the season when dusk is reviled by men working in the field, their bones aching from long hours of toil, their minds weary, and their hearts nearly worn out from all the worry and concern of looking to the sky and then to the ground. Too wet, too dry, never perfect, always fearing a hailstorm, a tornado, or something worse. Just one more minute of light is pleaded for. Other times, darkness is a gift, a reason to stop working, to retreat inside, to rest, even if the rest is short-lived and filled with more worry about the next day's chores. Nightmares and screams were common in my house. Rest was a distant luxury.

I'd slept as soundly as I could with my head on my desk, then woke with a start as the first meadowlark trilled and started to rustle about outside. I was achy, stiff, and felt like I'd planted five hundred acres the day before, but I was glad to be alive, awake, whole in body, but questionable in spirit. I had to pull a strand of hair out of my mouth. It needed cutting. Time for a visit to the beauty parlor for most women, at least town women. I was as comfortable in a beauty parlor as a doctor was inside of a corn silo. I pushed the hair, along with any vanity I might have considered at the moment, out of my way. My concern was public, what people would think, and even though I knew it should have been the least of my worries for the coming day, I couldn't help myself.

Everything looked to be in its place, normal, untouched, as I made my way out of the office to the bedroom, replacing my thoughts about my appearance with my usual concern about Hank.

I girded myself for what I'd find, a habit formed long before the murders started. Even when a known event came straight at you, and you played it over and over again in your mind, you really didn't know how you'd react until said event becomes a reality. I feared Hank's death more than any other.

Shep hadn't moved from his spot in between us. He perked up and swished his tail, happy to see me. I nodded to the dog, certain that he needed let out, grateful that he hadn't found a place inside the house to relieve himself. Hank would've thrown a fit. But that would have to wait.

I stopped cautiously at the door and took stock in the dim morning light. Hank stared at the ceiling, alive, the same as always, waiting for our morning routine to start. It was his habit to wake up before I did. Sometimes, I wondered if he slept at all.

“I'm going with you,” he said. His voice was made of steel, a tone that I knew all too well. He might as well have added, “There's no use in arguing with me, Marjie,” but he didn't. Really, there was no need, and I knew it.

It wasn't like Hank couldn't be moved, though it was troublesome. For the most part, he didn't want to go anywhere other than where he had to. Hank would only go to the hospital, to see the doctor, and even then he refused to ride in the hearse from McClandon's, which doubled as the county ambulance when the need arose. I would load him, with the help of Jaeger and Peter, in the bed of the truck and take him that way. Which meant the weather would have to cooperate the whole of the ride. If there was a threat of rain, or whatever, it would be a cause for the trip to be cancelled, which most often was just fine with Hank. The doctor could come see him if it was that important. And sometimes he did.

“I talked to Peter yesterday. It's all set up.” Hank continued to stare at the ceiling. The steel in his voice cracked, the words sounded rehearsed. He knew what was coming from me.

“Shame on you, Hank Trumaine.” I stomped over to our bed, my anger quick, like I'd stepped on a honeybee. Shep cowered out of my way, against the wall. “What were you thinking? Asking those boys to come and see to you on such a day?”

Hank drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, like he was trying to rid himself of all that ailed him. “Those boys are as close to being kin, sons, as we'll ever have, Marjie. I want to be there for them, for you. We got that wheelchair. I'm not dead yet. I'm going with you and that's that. Peter'll be here shortly. Now come on, we got to get things ready.”

He was calm as a cucumber, and that made me even madder, but how could I argue with him? “You're something else, Hank. I just don't know what I'm going to do with you sometimes.”

He didn't respond. He needed to save his energy. Besides, we'd been married long enough to complete each other's sentences and thoughts. Usually, he would say, “Just cut me up and leave me to the coyotes after it's all said and done,” but he passed this time, and I was glad of that. I could barely think of my world without Hank Trumaine in it.

The phone rang just as I slipped on one of my black Montgomery Ward's shoes. I looked up from the opposite side of the bed and waited. I thought about letting it continue to ring, like I was outside seeing to a chore.

“You going to answer that?” Hank asked, annoyed after five or six rings. The sound had shattered the silence of another perfect morning. I'd opened the window to allow the breeze in, the freshness of air moving about. Spending the night with locked windows and doors had been like sleeping in prison.