The Alpine Vengeance: An Emma Lord Mystery Read Free Page A

and much of it hasn’t been pleasant. I’d prefer a quiet holiday season.”
    “Me too.” Milo awkwardly patted my shoulder. “I feel better. Maybe I’ll concentrate on winter steelheading.”
    “Good plan,” I said. “Don’t ask for trouble.”
    “I won’t.” He ambled into the newsroom, pausing just long enough to exchange a few words with Leo, Mitch, and Vida.
Peacemaking
, I thought.
Nice. Especially with Christmas around the corner
.
    As I turned to go behind my desk and sit down, I bumped into the drawer I’d left open. I banged my knee, winced, and swore under my breath. It occurred to me that there was a problem with corners, even the ones on desks.
    You can’t see what’s around them.

TWO
    A S SOON AS M ILO LEFT , V IDA CHARGED INTO MY OFFICE . “What was that all about?” she demanded, leaning on my desk. “I merely mentioned that the letters I receive asking for advice are a perfect example of how foolishly people can behave—even in Alpine—and suddenly he went off on a tangent.”
    “He’s gotten some weird letters lately,” I explained, emptying the ashtray. “I think he’s in a bad mood because his ex forced him to spend Thanksgiving with her and their kids to prove they could behave like a real family when their daughter gets married. Milo’s not too thrilled with Tanya’s choice, but he’s never liked any of the guys she’s dated. He didn’t go into mourning a couple of years ago when Tanya broke up with that live-in sculptor after her miscarriage.”
    Vida avoided my gaze. Her own family gathering had been tarnished by Roger’s illegal and immoral behavior. “Yes, I understand. Awkward, sometimes.”
    Ordinarily, Vida would’ve changed the subject immediately, but her reticence amplified her shame and guilt for having spoiled Roger the past twenty-odd years. Thus, I reverted to thesheriff’s problems. “Did you know Larry Petersen died over the weekend?”
    Vida looked stunned. “No! How can that be?”
    “Presumably a heart attack in the penitentiary at Walla Walla.”
    “My goodness,” she murmured. “Larry couldn’t have been more than early fifties. Has Milo talked to Elmer and Thelma?”
    “Not yet,” I replied. “Do you know where Larry’s ex-wife lives?”
    “In Seattle, but I don’t have her address. I can find out, though,” Vida said, her aplomb returning. “In fact, Rick Erlandson should know. He would’ve been involved in changing JoAnne’s accounts after Larry was sent to prison. Besides Denise, there were two boys who were away at college when the tragedy occurred.” She drummed her fingers on the back of the visitor’s chair. “Frankie’s the eldest and Cole’s the youngest, with Denise in the middle. The boys must be in their late twenties or even early thirties. As for Marv and Cathleen, I doubt they have enough brains left to take this in. If it hadn’t been for Andy Cederberg taking over at the bank, the rest of the Petersens might’ve sold out. I’ve always said moving to Arizona is a bad idea. So much sun! It must wither the brain cells.”
    The concept of any Alpiner moving away always baffled Vida. Why move to Hell when you could live in Heaven? “Marv had two sisters,” I said. “Have you heard from them since the disaster?”
    Vida straightened up and squared her wide shoulders. “Certainly not. Offhand, I don’t recall the sisters’ married names, but they were at Linda Petersen’s funeral. Or should I say Linda Lindahl? She never changed her name back after divorcing Howard. I can call Driggers Funeral Home. There was a guest book. I wonder who has it?” She didn’t wait for an answer.“Marv, probably. He grieved deeply for his daughter. To realize that Linda was killed by her brother because Larry’s dream of running the bank had been dashed would be enough to make any parent want to blot out reality. Alzheimer’s, indeed! Every disease and condition has a ridiculous name these days for something that’s been