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“Got it,” Grimm said.
As soon as he cut the biscuits, Dezi placed them on a baking sheet. When one sheet was full, she put it in another oven and set the timer. With two skillets of scrambled eggs cooking, bacon and biscuits in different ovens and a pot of oatmeal bubbling, Dezi handled it all.
By the time the food was ready, Grimm’s teammates were claiming seats in the dining room. The fishing group straggled in one at a time, heading straight for the coffee urn Dezi had set out before any cooking had begun.
When everything was cooked to perfection, Dezi invited Grimm’s buddies to help move the platters of food out to the buffet in the dining room.
Molly and Parker showed up after staff and guests had filled their plates and settled around tables. Molly went straight to the television in the corner of the dining room and switched on the news.
“Dezi, Grimm, you need to see this,” Molly called out.
Dezi left the buffet where she’d been putting out more biscuits and joined Grimm in front of the television. A Bozeman news reporter stood in front of a building, talking about an attack on a Bozeman citizen.
Grimm leaned closer. “That’s the train station. Turn it up.”
The live reporter handed off to the news anchor, who flashed a photograph of the man who was attacked and his name, Eugene Gifford.
“That’s Eugene,” Dezi exclaimed. “What are they saying?”
“He was attacked at the train station this morning,” Molly said.
Dezi pressed a hand to her tight chest. “Is he dead?” she whispered.
“No,” Parker said. “He suffered a head injury and is in the ICU. He hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Grimm pulled a chair up to Dezi and urged her to sit.
She sank onto the chair, her stomach roiling. “We should have gone back to Bozeman and warned him.”
“And ask him who the fourth poker player was,” Grimm said, his lips tight. “If the poker player isn’t the killer, he’ll be the next target.”
Dezi stared down at her hands. “We need to go to Bozeman and ask Eugene’s neighbors who his friends were.”
“We don’t have time to do that today,” Grimm reminded her. “We have to get up to the Needle’s Eye before sunset.”
“Don’t worry about Bozeman,” Parker said. “I’ll call the Bozeman Police Department and talk with the detective handling the case for Dezi’s uncle. If he’s not looking at the deaths or injuries suffered by the other member of her uncle’s poker group, I’ll tell him to look into it. And finally, I’ll tell him to find the fourth poker player and either warn him or arrest him.” He smiled at Dezi. “Does that about cover it?”
Dezi nodded.
“And you two can focus on your mission this afternoon,” Drake said, joining them in front of the news that had just switched to weather. “I’m not getting warm fuzzy feelings about you and Dezi being up in the mountains where someone might attack you both. A good sniper could be waiting to pick you off.”
“So far, only members of your uncle’s poker club have been attacked. None have been injured or killed by bullets,” Grimm said. “One had a suspicious stroke. Dezi’s uncle was pushed, resulting in a fall, and he was subsequently asphyxiated. Now, Eugene has a head injury.”
“Just because he hasn’t used a gun doesn’t mean he won’t,” Molly pointed out.
Grimm dipped his head. “True. I’ll touch base with Hank when we stop by there on the way to meet our outfitter. If he has anyone he can spare, maybe he’ll send him along.”
Molly held out her hand. “Can I see your uncle’s list? I want to keep up with what’s next.”
Dezi slipped her hand into her back jeans pocket and frowned. “I must have left it in my room.” She hadn’t missed it before because she’d had so much to get ready for breakfast. “I’ll go get it.” The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.
Dezi spun on her heels and power walked through the dining room and lobby, reaching the corridor to their rooms.
Grimm kept pace, reaching for her hand as she half-walked and half-ran to her room.
“Are you that worried about the letter?” he asked as they neared the door to her room.
“Yes. I guess I am.” Dezi stopped, tapped her key card over the locking mechanism and gripped the door handle.
