Death Knell In The Alps (A Samantha Jamison Mystery) (8 page)

Chapter 27

In Deep Voodoo

I stared at the man lying facedown on the floor at my feet. Something felt familiar about his build. I toed him. He moaned and I jumped. I was about to phone for help, when he rolled over and tried to sit up. I drew back in shock.

“…Uh-oh!”

My victim moaned. His eyes flickered then opened.

“What happened?” he asked, gingerly touching his head, which now happened to be bleeding. Not a lot, mind you, but it sure needed a largish bandage. I couldn’t believe I did that much damage with a glass jar of face cream. I had to find out where Martha bought it. It worked like a charm.

“What happened?” he asked again, trying to sit up.

My mind scrambled to think of a reasonable response.

I panicked?

I’ve had threats?

I was being chased two minutes ago?

Where the hell have you been?

I’m so sorry?

I took a stab at, “I’m so sorry, Clay!”

I didn’t let him get one word in until I had finished explaining everything, concluding with my embarrassing bathroom trashcan incident so he would feel sorry for me and not freak out once he got up and looked at himself in my mirror. He was not going to like what he saw.

“That’s everything.”

Well, not quite. I left out the two Hans episodes.

I’d planned some detecting on my own just to see Clay’s face when I revealed Hans’ identity. Then I’d be the one to have a few surprises up my sleeve for a change. Besides, Hans should be easy to spot in town. He would probably be developing a real shiner right about now.

Apparently, I was two for two that morning:
an oddity.
And I couldn’t even bask in the glow of victory. One of my hits was not looking so good at the moment and would probably be called a personal foul: a
very
personal foul.

Hey, football, baseball, the lingo was all the same to me.

Clay was trying to get to his feet. I reached out to help.

He shrunk back instinctively. “Don’t! Please!”

“I was merely going to help you,” I said defensively.

He gave me a look I knew all too well.

“Yeah, I know,” I said, backing away. “With friends like me, who needs enemies?”

“Exactly. By the way, your pitch was perfect.”

“Why, thank you, Clay. I try to stay in shape. Hey, I’ve been learning to ski like you suggested. And that Olaf…”

By this time he had managed to stand up, but shook his head like he was trying to clear his mind. He held up his hand to stop me. “…Whoa! Back up,” he said.

I stared at him blankly. “…To where? Which part?”

“The part about you meeting Olaf. Who is he?”

Chapter 28

Whoa!

“Whoa, yourself!” I replied.

That was a golden nugget I wasn’t expecting.

“What did you mean, who is Olaf?” I said.

Clay crooked an eye at me,
the good one.
“I believe I spoke English. But I’ll give it another shot. Who is Olaf?”

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. If Clay sent me to Peter, and then Peter introduced me to Olaf as his partner, and Clay and Peter were working together…

Seeing my concern, Clay grabbed my shoulder. “What?”

“…Are you sure you don’t know who Olaf is?”

Clay sighed a familiar sigh: one of impatience.

So I dove in. “Peter said Olaf was his business partner.”

“Business partner?”

“You know, like in skiing lessons?”

“Funny, Peter never mentioned Olaf before.”

“Maybe he forgot to mention it?” I ventured.

“…Could be.”

“But you’re not feeling it, are you?” I asked.

“No, I’m not. Still it might be an oversight on his part.”

Or was it something to be concerned about?

Clay touched his head and winced. “Let me check this.”

I quickly said, “What’s to see? Nothing but a scratch.”

He looked skeptical. “As usual, you’re mouth is saying one thing, but your eyes are saying something different.”

I smiled innocently. “…Well, maybe a small
bandaid
.”

Clay aimed straight for the bathroom mirror. “Oh, no!”

I came up behind him and peered my head around his shoulder. “…Well, maybe a shiner too.”

By this time he was cleaning the blood off his face.

“…Let me do that for you,” I suggested sympathetically.

He jerked away. “No! I value my other eye.”

I threw in my
perfected
teary-eyed look. “…Please?”

His shoulders slumped and he sat on the toilet seat.

“Clay, I’m so sorry about all this,” I said, then started to gently kiss him all around his eye, then the tip of his nose. He started to grin. Then I ever-so-softly kissed all around his lips and came in for a killer kiss of my own. He actually swooned and my lips curved upward, still attached to his.

Next thing I knew his hands were on my hips and he drew me onto his lap, whispering softly, “Great anesthetic.”

“I thought so,” I whispered back.

“When is everyone coming back from skiing?”

I chuckled. “Why, Clay! What are you suggesting?”

“I think I’m going to need more than
bandaids
.”

“Does it hurt that bad?”

“More than you will ever know. How about it?”

I grinned. “They should be back soon.”

He whisked me up and carried me to the bedroom.

“Which one is yours?” he asked. “We’re on the clock.”

I pointed. And that’s when his words hit me.

…How’d he know they were out skiing?

Chapter 29

Aha! I Knew It!

“Stop right there and put me down, now!” I demanded.

Then I pushed Clay away from me and scowled.

Clay threw his hands up in the air. “Now what?”

“What did you mean, ‘when is everyone coming back?’”

He lowered his hands. “…Oh, so you caught that slip.”

“I sure did. And I’m waiting to hear how you knew.”

He hesitated. “I haven’t been all that far from you.”

I stomped my foot. “Aha! I knew it! Where were you?”

“I was using one of the hotel’s apartments in the back.”

“For what purpose may I ask?”

“Surveillance.”

“Herr Kraus, right?”

“How did you know that?”

“Peter.”

“Funny, like Olaf, he never mentioned that either.”

“Does it really matter now that he told me?”

“I guess not. Not after getting caught here by you.”

“By the way, how’d you get in here?” I asked.

“I had a key, a bad headache and needed some aspirin.”

Hmm…
“And why did you have a key to my room?”

Clay winced in pain, saying, “…For your protection.”

“Let me get that aspirin,” I said, considering his answer.

Was he wincing for sympathy or deflection? Ah, trust…

After swallowing the pills, Clay followed me back into the bedroom, but abruptly took my wrists and pinned me up against the door and kissed me. “Now, where were we?”

“Uh-uh. You have too much to answer for.”

I felt the door handle against my spine wiggle a little. I smiled thinking it was some playful move of Clay’s as he gave me a wicked smile in return.

“I’m about to, right now,” he whispered leaning way in.

“Stop! You know I can’t think straight when we kiss.”

“That’s the whole point,” he said, not letting me go.

I swear I was balancing on one foot, raising my one knee, about to nail him to get his attention to stop. But then the door was shoved open and we both lost our balance, and fell to the floor: me landing on top. I looked back up.

“What the…? Tell me I’m not seeing this,” said Betty.

Hazel went scarlet. “Oh, my!” she said, looking away.

“It’s not what you think,” I said, trying to get up.

Clay’s face, obscured by my body, lay beneath me as I attempted to untangle us. He was chuckling.

I finally got to my feet, glaring down at him.

“Ladies,” Clay said, as he got up off the floor.

Hazel and Betty drew closer, but before they could ask what was going on, I quickly ushered them inside the room, shut the door and announced, “Clay’s been here the whole time and knows everything.”

Bunched by the door, everyone began talking. The door flew open again. We all turned to look. It was Martha.

“What’s this, a skier’s anonymous meeting?” she asked.

Hazel and Betty parted. Clay smiled. I was tucking my shirt in and straightening my hair from our kissing episode.

“Should I ask about Clay’s swollen and bruised eye, or leave?” Martha asked me.

Clay pointed at me. “She threw a perfect fast ball.”

I grinned at her. “Hey, Martha, where’d you buy that face cream? It really works.”

Chapter 30

And Then There Were Two

Antsy to get back on the slopes after lunch, the others left to retrieve their skis. Mona had not joined us to eat. The ladies said she was taking a walk. Clay and I headed to the bar and ended up at the same table where Peter and I had sat. It was my invite. I needed to talk to Clay alone.

“You have some explaining to do, mister.”

“You sound just like Martha,” said Clay laughing.

I smiled at his intentional snarky compliment. “No nonsense, straightforward, that’s me, now spill the beans.”

“Ah, another Martha euphemism.”

“They do come in handy. And I’m still waiting…”

Already knowing my stubborn streak and that I wasn’t about to be put off any longer, Clay sighed his usual sigh of being forced to admit some truths
.

If I wasn’t so confident with the new me, I’d be hanging on his every word. Trust me, those days were long gone. Now I mostly ignored his advice and went with instinct.

But he didn’t really need to know that now, did he?

“I gather you’d like to know exactly why you’re here.”

“That would help,” I said, eyeing him warily.

“After all this time, and you are still suspicious of me.”

I went on glaring at him, saying nothing.

He laughed. “I guess I would be too.”

“So?”

“I was asked to guard Kraus. I hired Peter as backup.”

“That much I know. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Like what?”

I wanted to wring Clay’s neck. “Like, why would Kraus ask you of all people? Why not someone local?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Then give me the short version.”

He looked at me steadily. “I haven’t told anyone this.”

I bit my impatience back, saying, “Told anyone what?”

His smile faded. “What I’m about to confide in you.”

Then I realized he was dead serious. “And that is…?”

“It’s something I’ve never spoken about before.”

“…Why not?”

“Because it involves the past about a few people.”

“Like who?”

“Like my grandfather, Herr Kraus, and my father…”

I sat there waiting for the rest, but then Clay rubbed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

“…What is it, Clay? You know you can trust me.”

“I know that. If anything, I know that much.”

So I waited patiently as he stared off, thinking.

His eyes fixed back on me. “My grandfather was a spy.”

In lighter circumstances I would’ve asked for what side, but this threw me. I flagged the waiter and ordered a drink.

“I can’t afford leaks. That’s why I invited you, Sam.”

“…And a bunch of loudmouthed, opinionated women?”

That alone proved he was desperate
.