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Twenty minutes after Peter ended the 911 call, there was still no sign of paramedics or police. The cabin was finally offering some real warmth, and Otis was sitting up and speaking actual words. His first were, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Sandra said.
He looked around the cabin. “Thank God for Lewie.”
Lewie and Bob, Sandra thought. “Yes, thank God for Lewie.”
Otis chuckled and shook his head. “You sure are a persistent one.”
The odd compliment pleased her, and she wondered if it would be weird to thank him. Would it be impolite not to?
“You were my biggest fear,” he muttered, staring at the floor. “I thought, ‘If only that soccer ref lady wasn’t here, I might be able to get away with it.’ I knew you’d caught that drug lord last fall.”
She didn’t think the man had been a drug lord, but she let it go.
“That’s why I hid your son.” Without looking at Peter, he said, “Sorry, kid. I thought it would distract her.” He pulled the blanket tighter around him. “I didn’t know it was possible to be this cold.”
With the exception of her toes, Sandra wasn’t cold anymore, but she hadn’t driven Lewie’s sled into a bog. She glanced at Bob to see how he was faring. Since he was sitting in a chair and not hugging the fire as they were, she assumed he was doing okay.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get warm again.” He let out a long sigh. “Not that I deserve to.” His voice cracked. “I couldn’t stand that woman, it’s true, but I swear, I didn’t mean to kill her. I just wanted to get that blasted phone away from her, and she tried to hit me with a hammer. It was self-defense.”
Doubtful.
“She should have just given me the phone.”
“Why was it so important to you? In this day and age, those types of photos are everywhere.”
Otis growled. The unexpected sound made the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and Peter cast her a worried look. She smiled at her son, trying to convey, We’ll be fine. There’s an angel here.
“She had pictures of my son.”
Sandra expected him to elaborate, but he didn’t. “And is your son married?”
“Yes.”
She still wasn’t content. She wanted her curiosity satisfied before the police took over, because after that, she’d have to wait and read the papers just like everyone else. “That seems like a lot of effort to protect your son’s marriage—”
“I don’t care about his marriage. He’s running for office. And he will win.” He finally looked up at her. “He will win now, thanks to me.”
She wasn’t so sure. Would people vote for a murderer’s son? And wouldn’t the pictures come out in the course of the investigation? Wouldn’t the media find out? If Otis’s son was much like his father, maybe she should tell the media. Then she remembered Otis’s dear sweet wife and decided she wouldn’t do that. One could hope that the son was more like his mom, although he did have an extramarital affair with Treasure Foss—
Bob’s head snapped toward the door and then he stood up and hurried to the window. Seconds later, the rest of them heard approaching vehicles. Blue lights flashed into the room, and Peter’s shoulders relaxed. She scooted over beside him and kissed him on the cheek.
“Wait! Before they come in here, I have to ask you something.” Otis sounded scared.
He should be scared. “Go ahead.”
“Who put me on the snowmobile?”
Should she lie? Tell him she’d done it? He wouldn’t believe that. She tried to act confused. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said through gritted teeth, “I remember someone carrying me to the snowmobile, but there’s no one else here.”
“I carried you!” Peter blurted out.
Oh great, now her sleuthing career was turning both of them into liars.
Otis scoffed, “You? Impossible!”
Peter’s face clouded over. He didn’t like being doubted, even when the doubt was founded. “Fine then. Don’t believe me.”
The door to the cabin opened, and Otis glowered at Sandra. “I know there was someone else there, and since neither of you are wet, I’m assuming that someone else also went into the water after me. I’d sure like to thank that person.” There wasn’t even a hint of gratitude in his voice.
She leaned toward Otis, glad this was probably the last time she’d ever have to lay eyes on the man. “I promise you. There wasn’t another human being around for miles.”