Any Pot in a Storm by Sandra Balzo

Author:Sandra Balzo [Balzo, Sandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2023-05-29T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

In the end, two bottles of Pinot noir, one Cabernet, one Sauvignon blanc, one oaky Chardonnay, a bottle of bourbon, a bottle of brandy and Jerome’s six-pack of Spotted Cow farmhouse ale were produced.

‘I have peppermint schnapps, too,’ Harold said, as he sipped his brandy from a water glass. ‘If anybody wants some.’

‘Before we get too schnockered, let’s get this timeline down in writing,’ I said, gesturing for Sarah to take a pen and one of the notebooks. ‘Put down “Five thirty, arrival.”’

‘Five thirty-ish,’ Clare corrected.

‘Most of the times are going to be “ish,”’ I said. ‘We’ll just stipulate that.’

‘You write, Maggy,’ Sarah said, passing the writing implements on to me. ‘We’ll all give you times. It’ll go faster.’

‘Want to get back to your wine?’ I looked up at her with a grin. ‘Though you haven’t put it down.’

‘Write,’ she said, gesturing with the glass.

Ten minutes later, I read out what I’d written:

5:30 p.m. Arrival

6 p.m. Kate gathers us by fireplace and speaks

6:45 p.m. Kate leaves to get syllabus, says we’ll reconvene in 15 minutes

7:13 p.m. Sarah offers to find Kate to ask about dinner

7:14 p.m. Aborted call from Lita

I looked up. ‘Do you know where you were when you called?’

Her nose wrinkled. ‘Not exactly. But it would have been in the stretch of road where I thought there might be service. Maybe about three miles out?’

‘That matches up with what Cabot thought,’ I said, noting it. ‘So …’

7:14 p.m. Aborted call from Lita approx. 3 miles out

7:25 p.m. Cabot goes to start the fire – lightning strike, power goes out

7:30 p.m. Lita arrives

Clare raised her hand. ‘It was seven thirty-one. I remember looking at my phone.’

I changed it.

7:31 p.m. Lita arrives; introductions

7:35 p.m. Jerome and Cabot go out to get lanterns, start generator

7:40 p.m. Jerome back with lanterns

Sarah and Maggy go to find Kate and tell her Lita has arrived

7:45 p.m. Sarah and Maggy find Kate’s body

I chewed on my lip. ‘It had to be a few minutes later. We must have spent a good ten minutes in our room and checking out the others before we went into Lita’s.’

‘So it was seven fifty,’ Sarah said, a little irritably. ‘Like you said, most of this isn’t exact.’

I made the change and set down the notebook. ‘Either way, we waited way too long before going to look for Kate. Maybe we should see where Cabot and Faith have gotten to.’

Jerome held up his hands in double stop signs. ‘Not me. I’m betting they’re in Cabot’s cabin and I don’t necessarily want to see what they’re doing.’

‘Cabot’s cabin?’ I repeated. ‘Where is that?’

‘Behind the garage. It’s one of the three cabins on the property.’ Lita had downed a glass of Pinot and seemed considerably calmer. ‘The only one, really, that’s been cleaned up at all.’

‘He’s been gone a while,’ I said. ‘Didn’t he go to start the generator?’

‘Yes, and it is on,’ Tien said. ‘At least it’s powering the refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen.’

‘What about the lights?’ I asked. ‘We’ve been using the lanterns and our phones.

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