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After Aroostine and Carl bundled up and went out into the storm, Sasha and Leo left the rest of the group under Hank’s watchful eye and Maisy’s storytelling spell and made their way down the hallway to the library.
True darkness had fallen now. But the large gibbous moon reflected off the snow and illuminated the grounds. Sasha walked over to the window and pressed her forehead against the cool glass to peer outside.
“I guess all the snow is a blessing in disguise. At least Aroostine and Carl will be able to use the moonlight to guide them.”
Leo crossed the room and rubbed her shoulders with his warm, strong hands. “Roo’s a pro, and Carl’s one of the most competent people I’ve ever met. They’ll be fine.”
She turned to face him. “I know. I just—”
“—didn’t want our guests to have to rely on their wits and training to survive our anniversary party?” he guessed.
“Exactly. We already gave them that memorable experience at the wedding.”
“I know. But this time has nothing to do with us—it’s completely random. Out of our control.”
“Wait, when I stumble into a problem alone, I’m a danger magnet. But when we stumble into one, it’s out of our control. Is that how it goes?”
“Pretty much,” he said.
“Okay, just checking.”
He laughed faintly. “Besides, Bodhi said resistance is suffering. Or something like that. Basically, he meant enough moping. Let’s catch a killer.”
They made themselves comfortable in a pair of chairs tucked into a nook behind the library ladder that led to the catwalk.
Sasha looked around and said, “This house is amazing when it’s not, you know, all murdery.”
“Agreed.”
She slipped her notebook out of her sweater pocket and studied her notes. “The timeline is a mess,” she mused.
He shook his head. “The problem with trying to develop a timeline is that if talk and die syndrome was involved, Rex could have been hit hours before he collapsed and Annette found him.”
“Or he could have died instantly. We have no way of knowing.”
“Right.”
“So, let’s focus on discrepancies and unanswered questions for now,” she suggested.
“You said there’s a conflict between Chance and Paul’s versions of events,” he prompted.
“Paul told us that after he collided with Hatty in the kitchen, he walked back to the farm manager’s residence and came in through the back door.”
“I remember,” Leo said. “He was peeved because he could have gotten a ride. Hatty and John had driven down and were talking to Bethany at the front door.”
“Right, so he went looking for Rex but couldn’t find him.” She checked her notes. “He said he ran into Grady going up the stairs. So, at that point, he’d be in the front hallway. He went into the kitchen to dump the cocktail fixings and had some beers with Chance, who was already in there, hiding from his wife.”
Leo stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. “Wait, that doesn’t match Chance’s version of events at all.”
“Bingo.” She went back to her notes. “Chance told you he’d just left Grady’s room and was coming down the stairs when Paul walked in through the front door covered in snow. Chance claims he helped Paul carry things into the kitchen, and then they opened some beers.”
“But, in both versions of this story, those two were drinking beers in the kitchen when they heard Annette screaming.”
“Exactly,” Sasha said with a triumphant smile. “So the timing and everyone’s location immediately beforehand could be critical. At a minimum, Grady, Bethany, Paul, and Chance were moving around on the first floor right before Annette found Rex. Joy says she’d left her room, but nobody’s mentioned seeing her.”
“And either Paul or Chance is lying.”
“At least one of them is lying. They couldbothbe lying.”
