Bonnie of Evidence - By Maddy Hunter Page 0,84
bowling lane. “And that’s when Alex fell?”
“Nope,” said Dick Stolee. “That’s when Dick and me and the two studs rushed over to scrape Osmond up off the ground.”
I gazed from one face to another. “So when did Osmond take out Alex?”
“He didn’t,” said Tilly. “Helen did.”
“Don’t go blaming me!” fussed Helen. “I said I was having trouble with my zoom button and asked the four of them to scoot back a little farther so I could take the money shot. It wasn’t my fault that fella couldn’t figure out how close he was to the edge of the pit.” She frowned. “Although, with his kilt flying up in his face like that, it could be his vision was a mite impaired. But the other three didn’t fall in, did they?”
Whoa! “Are you telling me Alex’s broken leg was an accident?”
“Of course it was an accident,” said Tilly. “We’re not inciters of violence.” She slanted a long look at Alice. “At least, some of us aren’t.”
I offered Osmond a sympathetic look. “So why are you blaming yourself for Alex’s mishap if it was an accident?”
He shrugged. “Dunno. I guess I figured someone should take the blame. I knew Helen wasn’t about to volunteer.”
The conference door opened. Wally strode in, grabbed a chair, and sat down. “Okay, people, here’s the plan. The paramedics tell me Alex will probably have to stay in the hospital overnight. They’re anticipating that the swelling in his leg will have to go down before they can fit him with a cast.”
I sat up straighter in my seat, feeling a boost of energy. And while he was in the hospital, maybe someone could snag a DNA sample to help determine who he really was!
“When he’s released tomorrow, he can catch the ferry back to the mainland and join us in Wick.”
“But according to the schedule, we’re supposed to leave Wick early tomorrow morning,” Tilly pointed out.
“Not anymore. We’re shuffling the itinerary around to make it easier for Mr. Hart to rejoin us.”
“But there’s nothing to do in Wick,” pouted Helen.
“We could visit Marion if she’s still in jail.” George’s eyes twinkled.
“We could go shopping,” suggested Osmond. “I could use another SaladShooter.”
“We could stretch out on our beds and die from boredom,” droned Bernice.
“Let me worry about tomorrow,” Wally advised, “and you worry about getting back on the bus. If we skip our scheduled stop in Kirkwall to see the twelfth-century cathedral, we should juuust be able to make our ferry in time. Any questions?”
Margi raised her hand. “Is Erik going to stay with Alex in the hospital?”
“Uhh … no. The two of them decided it would be best for Erik to return to Wick with the rest of the group.”
Margi clucked her disapproval. “I won’t say I’m surprised, but I’m very disappointed. They seemed like such a devoted couple.”
“All right then.” Wally popped up and gave his hands a clap. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Before we leave, would anyone like to see my pictures?” Helen waved her camera in the air. “I’ve assembled them into a slide show.”
Margi pulled a mirror out of her tote bag and held it up to her face, studying her reflection as she curled her lips back and clamped her teeth together. “Do I really have an overbite?”
Wally pulled me aside. “Nice plan. Did you actually tell your wrecking crew to kneecap the guy?”
“No. I told them to keep Erik and Alex surrounded. That’s it. Alex’s misstep was a total accident.” A blast of prickly heat crawled up my neck. “Naturally, there was some miscommunication as they exchanged the information among themselves, and I accept full responsibility for that. I didn’t account for the feedback on their hearing aids. But on the upside, Osmond self-destructed before he could implement his attack, and I don’t think Alice ever did wrestle Tilly’s cane away from her, which was probably pretty disheartening to Alice, considering how much time she’s spent at the gym recently.”
He opened his mouth as if to say something, squinted oddly, then turned around and left, herding everyone out the door in front of him.
Unlike Margi, I wasn’t surprised Erik would be returning to Wick with us. They still had a job to do, and with Alex out of commission, there was only Erik left to do it.
The good news was, at least we’d managed to separate them.
Dealing with one killer would be a lot easier than dealing with two.
_____
The stormy weather resumed as soon as we loaded the bus, and