Iced (30 page)
Authors: Carol Higgins Clark
59 W HEN MARVIN WINKLE arrived in Denver at 5 P.M., he was distraught to find that visibility i
60 A T NINE O’CLOCK it was obvious that the party was a great success. Louis was beaming happil
61 J UDD AND WILLEEN were randomly seated at a table for eight, which the other people at the t
62 B ACK AT THE restaurant, the aftermath of the teargas attack and the theft of the Beasley ha
Table of Contents
1 Aspen Saturday, December 24 E BEN BEAN LOVED to ski. The magic, the joy, the excitement o
2 Summit, New Jersey Saturday, December 24 R EGAN REILLY LEANED back on the big overstuffed
3 New York City Saturday, December 24 L ARRY WILL THIS hurt?” Nora Regan Reilly garbled fro
4 Summit, New Jersey Sunday, December 25 H URRY UP, REGAN,” Nora called up the stairs. “The
5 Aspen Sunday, December 25 L OUIS WAS FILLED with a sense of nervous wellbeing. Things wer
6 I DA BOYLE OPENED the door of her daughter Daisy’s oven to take a peek at the turkey that was
7 E BEN HAD HAD a terrible night. And to think it had been Christmas Eve. It just wasn’t fair.
8 N OT EXACTLY WHAT I expected to find at Kendra’s house on Christmas afternoon in Aspen, Regan
9 R EGAN, THANK GOD, you’re here!” Louis screamed as the cabdriver helped her into the lobby wi
10 T HE MAN KNOWN to the art world as the Coyote had spent a highly entertaining Christmas. He
11 Monday, December 26 E BEN SLEPT FITFULLY. Being tied up didn’t help. He had dreams of a l
12 A T NINE O’CLOCK on Monday morning, Regan and Louis met with Detective Matt Sawyer, who had
13 W HILE HE WAS eating breakfast, the Coyote observed the antics of Willeen and Judd practicin
14 R EGAN HELD LOUIS’S hand as Detective Sawyer phoned his counterpart in the Vail Police Depar
15 I DA COULDN’T GET her mind off all the excitement going on in Aspen as she spooned out the p
16 I THOUGHT YOU were going skiing early today,” Bessie Armbuckle barked at her employers, Yvon
17 G ERALDINE SPOONFELLOW SAT in her creaky old rocker, lacing up her well-worn high-top boots.
18 T HAT’SIT! I’M ruined!” Louis howled when Regan appeared at his office door. Tripp, the you
19 G ERALDINE WAS OUT in the barn muttering to herself when Regan, followed by Louis, tried to
20 B Y THREE O’CLOCK, the call of nature was very strong for Eben. Very strong indeed. Willeen
21 B ESSIE WAS GLAD to be getting out of town for a few days. Enough is enough, she thought. I’
22 I CAN’T BELIEVE how late it’s gotten,” Regan said as she and Louis carefully guided Louis XV
23 D AISY DROVE TO the Woods’ house, never tiring of the scenery of Aspen. The small Victorian
24 W ILLEEN SAT IN the back of the car with the gun they kept in the glove compartment pointed
25 T HE COYOTE WHISTLED as he showered and rushed to join the apre`s-ski crowd. As he towel-dri
26 A FTER HER UNEXPECTED guests left, Geraldine returned to the barn for another couple of hour
27 A S DAISY HEADED home in her Jeep, she hummed to herself. Everybody loves a massage, she tho
28 K IT’S PRESENCE WAS like a shot in the arm for Regan. On the way over to Little Nell, Regan
29 I DON’T BELIEVE this,” Bessie said. “Our hands tied behind our backs, our legs shackled to t
30 F OR HOURS GERALDINE had sat in the rocker, her shawl wrapped around her, engrossed in the a
31 I ’M SO TIRED I may just pass out with my clothes on,” Kit said as Regan unlocked the door t
32 Tuesday, December 27 E BEN LEANED OVER toward Bessie. “Up and at ’em!” “I wish I could k
33 R EGAN WAS DREAMING that she was in an audience somewhere, watching a play. The actor was on
34 O N TUESDAY MORNING, Ida was so excited she could hardly stand it. She’d never been inside a
35 A FTER TAKING A hot shower, Regan felt ready to take on the day. She went downstairs to Loui
36 T ED WEEMS ANSWERED the door and ushered Regan in. He lived in the area behind the Ritz Carl
37 R EGAN CONSIDERED HERSELF a fast walker until she tried to match the stride of Ted Weems. He
38 W HEN REGAN FINALLY got back to the room, Kit was just about ready. “Perfect timing,” Kit s
39 A T TWO SHARP, Ida grabbed her coat and bolted out of the cleaner’s. “Where are you going,
40 D INNER WAS DELICIOUS. The one thing you could say for Ida was that she did know how to put
41 E BEN AND BESSIE lay together in the slowly darkening bedroom, the sound of the buzzing wash
42 A FTER MIDNIGHT, AS he sat in bed, the Coyote watched with amusement as Judd and Willeen cam
43 G ERALDINE SAT PROPPED up in her bed, with her pillows around her and her quilt pulled up un
44 Wednesday, December 28 R EGAN AND KIT sat with Louis in the dining room having breakfast.
45 B RIGHT AND EARLY, for the third time that week, Angus Ludwig sauntered into the Wonder Prop
46 W ILD WITH IMPATIENCE, Geraldine waited for Marvin Winkle, the investigator, to return her c
47 R EGAN AND KIT hurried over to the framer’s. His office was in the back of a gallery that wa
48 I T WAS A wonderful day for snowmobiling. Ida’s son-in-law Buck led them on a tour through t
49 I DA WAS PULLING a load of wash out of the dryer when she heard the car pull up. “Oh dear,”
50 K IT HELD THE phone and waited as Regan stepped out of the bathroom in her terry-cloth robe.
51 T HE TABLE WAS a lively one. Everyone looked very sporty. Kendra was wearing a bright green
52 A FTER JUDD AND Willeen had left for dinner, Eben attempted to grab one of Bessie’s heavy, o
53 Thursday, December 29 A T NINE O’CLOCK the next morning, Regan was propped up on her bed
54 R EGAN WALKED INTO the dry cleaner’s store where Ida was busy tagging articles of clothing.
55 B ACK AT THE inn, preparations for the party were in full swing. Louis was in his office, an
56 E BEN AND BESSIE listened to the sounds of Willeen and Judd packing up their things. “I’m s
57 M ARVIN WINKLE WAS on an airplane thousands and thousands of feet over the state of Illinois
58 G ERALDINE STOOD IN front of the mirror, pinning a silver broach on her black high-necked ta
59 W HEN MARVIN WINKLE arrived in Denver at 5 P.M., he was distraught to find that visibility i
60 A T NINE O’CLOCK it was obvious that the party was a great success. Louis was beaming happil
61 J UDD AND WILLEEN were randomly seated at a table for eight, which the other people at the t
62 B ACK AT THE restaurant, the aftermath of the teargas attack and the theft of the Beasley ha