Free Meadowlark by Sheila Simonson Page B

to cancel the workshop."
    "No!" She turned on him. "No, it's too late. I can't."
    I said, "Those folks are journalists."
    "They're science writers."
    "They're would-be science writers." I had read the
participants' bios. "Right now they're practicing newshawks and this
is news."
    Bianca pouted, avoiding my eyes. Keith shoved his hands in
the pockets of his jacket and stared off in the direction of Shoalwater
Bay. He had a noble profile.
    "That boy, Jason," Marianne said.
    Her entrance into the conversation startled me. She blew
her nose and tucked the tissue into her sleeve. "Jason said he was
going to check out the ice house yesterday."
    I stared at her. Keith had turned to stare, too.
    "Jason!" Bianca sounded numb. "No, they wouldn't kill
    Hugo--not the interns."
    I was trying to visualize what Jason and Bill could have seen
if they had just switched on the light and looked around without
entering the ice house. "The body isn't visible from the door."
    Marianne's jaw set. "Jason must have noticed there was ice
in the bin. He should have said something about that."
    I wondered why she was focusing on Jason. Bill had gone
with him, after all. Of course, Jason was Del's protegé--or so I
had gathered the evening of the dinner. Perhaps Marianne was
jealous of him--or jealous for Mike, more likely.
    Dale emerged from the ice house looking green around the
gills. "Okay, let's get started. Marianne, I want..."
    "For God's sake, Nelson, tell us what happened to him!"
Keith McDonald grabbed Dale by one arm. Bianca tugged at the
other, gabbling questions.
    Dale shook them off. When they fell silent, he said, "I need to
call in again. The evidence van, an ambulance, and the M.E. are on
their way. Ms. Fiedler, Dr. McDonald, you can go to the house and
wait for me there, or you can stay where you are. I need to talk to
both of you eventually."
    "What happened to Hugo?" Bianca demanded. Dale stared at
her. His left hand clenched on the camera strap.
    I said, "He can't give you that information now, Bianca. For
one thing, he won't know for sure until the medical examiner has a
look at the body. For another--"
    "For another," Dale interrupted, unsmiling, "you're all
suspects."
    Bianca made an indignant protest.
    Dale raised his hands chest high, as if he were fending her
off. "I'm calling in. Then I want to talk to Marianne and Lark. I'll take
their statements while I'm waiting for the technical crew."
    Bianca yanked off her tweed cap and ran a hand through the
mahogany hair. "I have a right to know what happened. I signed your
damned permission to search forms. This is my property, and Hugo
is...was my employee."
    If she'd said "my friend" I would have felt more sympathy
for her. Any moment now she was going to announce that she was a
taxpayer. It was in the script.
    "I pay a lot of property taxes," she said on cue. "I pay your
salary, Dale. I'm entitled."
    Dale looked at her. He forebore to mention that he and I and
Marianne and Keith were taxpayers, too, and that his salary wasn't
all that wonderful.
    Bianca burst into tears. Keith put his arm around her.
"C'mon, old girl. The man's just doing his job." She made a muffled
noise of protest.
    "I'm calling in," Dale said flatly and turned on his heel. We
watched him until he was sitting in the brown and white sheriff's car.
Bianca cried. Keith patted her, his face blank and his eyes
thoughtful.
    The mist had intensified to rain. I began to feel very cold. I
gritted my teeth to keep them from chattering.
    Marianne rubbed her arms. "Dale said I have to make a
statement. What does that mean exactly?"
    "He'll ask you what you saw, why you decided to look in the
ice house..." My voice trailed.
    "I heard the ice machine turn on!"
    "Then tell him that." I hugged my jacket to me. The hood
covered my hair, but rainwater was running down my face. I peered
into the middle distance. "What happened to the Search and Rescue
volunteers?"
    Keith said, "Nelson called them off."
    "Where are the