Drizzled with Death(48)

“Were you thinking about joining?” Tansey leaned toward me like she always did when she got excited about something. Usually she was bragging about Knowlton and the latest thing he had dragged home and stuffed, but talk about snowmobiles ran a close second.

“Oh, not me, Loden. I’m having a hard time deciding what to get him for Christmas this year, and I thought a membership to the snowmobile association would be just the thing.”

“I didn’t know he was interested in snowmobiles.” Tansey looked up into the sky like she was checking her file on potential in-laws for Knowlton and then brought her eyes back down to my face like she came up empty. Which went to show that despite her advancing years, there was nothing wrong with her memory. Loden had never in all his life expressed an interest in snowmobiles. He had expressed plenty of disgust, but never any interest. He hated their noise and the stink of the exhaust.

“Well, that’s why it would make such a great surprise. He could really use something new to do in the winter, and this might be right up his alley. What can you tell me about the club?” I tried not to shift from one foot to the other like a little kid needing to pee, but that’s what lying did to me. It made me have to pee.

“Well, we’ve got a strong club established. We have over two hundred members and miles and miles of trails we maintain every year.”

“I heard Alanza’s decision to stop use on her land impacted the trail system. He’s not going to be disappointed, is he?”

“Now that she’s dead, I don’t expect that to continue to be an issue, do you?” Tansey leaned in a little closer and looked me straight in the eye like a human lie detector. I could tell she thought there was something fishy about my interest but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. I needed to tread carefully or Tansey would stick her lips together like the blades on some pruning shears left outside to rust all winter.

“I hadn’t heard how any of that would play out. I was just worried maybe Loden would get all excited about tearing around with all of you across the frozen wilderness and then have to come to a screeching halt with nowhere to go. That sounds awfully disappointing to me. Not the sort of gift I’d want to give him at all.” I shook my head with it hanging down a little, hoping the gloom was contagious.

“Nope. She hadn’t finalized anything before her fortunate face plant. I couldn’t be happier your syrup did her in. I’m tempted to give you a hefty discount on the membership for a job well done.” Tansey nodded up and down, her gray hair waggling as much as it could considering how short she wore it.

“We didn’t poison her. Someone else used our syrup as a vehicle for the poison.”

“I don’t give a half-rotted cow flap who helped her into permanent hibernation. But I’d love for them to know how happy we all are at the snowmobile club.”

“So it really was a big deal?” But was it big enough to kill over?

“It was. Alanza’s parcel separated two major trails a lot of people used to get to their camps. The main trails lead to smaller trails and even serve as the main roads into other towns during the winter. There are people who would have had to add at least a couple of hours’ driving time to their camps if she’d had time to implement this. And then there were the people who couldn’t have gotten to their properties at all.”

“I didn’t know snowmobiles were that important as transportation.” This time I wasn’t lying. I really had no idea since my family didn’t go in for snowmobiling at all.

“They are indeed. There are plenty of people with camps in places where there are no actual roads. If you go to them in summer, you hike in or ride an ATV. But in the winter you can enjoy skimming over the snow, not a care in the world.”

“Like who?” I was curious not only for the case but also because I wondered which of my neighbors had a camp somewhere so remote. After all, Sugar Grove is already pretty far into the sticks and I wondered who would want to go even deeper into undeveloped territory.

“Hanley Wilson is one. My own Knowlton is another.”

“Knowlton owns a property up north?” I was stunned. I had never thought of Knowlton as being able to detach from his mother long enough to go away overnight.

“Sure. He inherited it from my brother when he passed away a few years ago. Knowlton loves it up there. He spends some time each fall up there as a base for his business ventures.” By that I could only assume she meant he went up to the cabin by himself and located creatures to stuff.

“So Hanley and Knowlton both must be pretty glad she’s out of the way then.” I tried to sound casual but held my breath.