Death Knell In The Alps (A Samantha Jamison Mystery) by Peggy A. Edelheit Page A

other later comparing notes, it was creepy. Me, the stalker, was being stalked by who she was supposed to be stalking in the first place. Hers was just plain weird with that Hans.”
    My head was spinning. It was easier just to ask, “And?”
    “And we don’t know why,” added Mona.
    “We wasted hours dodging our tails,” said Martha.
    “I’m good at that,” said Mona. “But they were pros.”
    “Exactly who are we dealing with?” asked Martha.
    I sighed. “We’re nothing but a bunch of amateurs…”
    “Speak for yourself,” snapped a touchy Mona.
    “I take offense by that statement, Sam,” said Martha.
    I continued, “…who are caught up in a deadly spy web.”
    “What did Clay expect?” asked Mona.
    “It looks like what Clay expected, and what he’s getting, are two entirely different animals,” said Martha.
    I sat down. “You know what I think?”
    “What?” Mona asked.
    I looked from one to the other. “Clay’s emotions are outweighing his usual skepticism on this one. He’s become obsessed by his family’s deaths. I would be too. But by trying to find an answer, he’s gotten himself and us swept up in this spy game agenda on all sides. I don’t think he’s sure who to trust at this point. Neither am I.”
    “It’s far from cut and dry, that’s for sure,” said Martha.
    “Now, what’s this about the old ladies?” asked Mona.
    “They stopped me on their way to the ski lift all upset. They thought you two were missing.”
    “This is getting really bizarre,” said Martha.
    “They called Clay, but got voicemail. Then they said they had a hot tip on the case and hurried off.”
    “Did we buy traveler’s insurance?” Martha asked.
    Her question hit home. “I was trying to stay positive.”
    Mona glanced at her watch. “What was this hot tip?”
    I got a bad feeling all of a sudden. “…They didn’t say.”
    “We’d better go look for them,” said Mona getting up.
    “Yes,” I said, urgently. “It’ll be dark soon.”
    “We’re looking for a needle in a haystack,” said Martha.
    Mona’s brows furrowed. “You got a better idea?”
    I stood up. “Let’s get our skis. Martha: your flashlight.”
    “This sounds like more bad karma,” warned Martha.
    “Where could Betty and Hazel be going?” Mona asked.
    My head whipped up. “That chalet! Must be!”

 
     
     
    Chapter 48
    Now, Where Would They Go?
     
     
    As the three of us rode up on the cable car, bad thoughts intruded. Had someone called them with this so-called tip? Could Hazel and Betty possibly have been set up for something sinister: perhaps they were going to be left as an example for the rest of us to lay off our digging around where we didn’t belong?
    Martha was irritable: a sure sign of her concern about her two friends. Mona remained silent. I knew she was plotting a worst-case scenario with us three as the rescue party. And I was praying we weren’t too late.
    I pushed off first with Martha and Mona following close behind. I was sure we each had our own vision of what we thought might be taking place with those two sweet ladies, who loved sleuthing and most likely thought they were onto something big that would break this case wide open.
    We arrived at the bend in the trail near the chalet as the sun began its descent behind the snowy peaks. Taking cover under the low branches of some evergreens that lined the path. We anxiously stared at the chalet. Had my hunch been right? Was this where our friends were?
    Even though the window shutters were still closed, a flickering light was filtering through the uneven gaps in the shutters. It looked as if someone was inside.
    My own worst-case scenarios struck me painfully. Had Hazel and Betty gotten inside? Was that flickering light a candle? Were they being held hostage? We hadn’t planned on breaking in. We couldn’t exactly call the Swiss version of 911 either.
    No signal, remember?
    I turned to Mona and asked her, only half-joking: “You