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the Write Ring Mysteries four and five 7/11/2007 10:20:50 AM
misgivings abound... I get back to my writing, working furiously for a couple of hours, but what Anita suggested is still on my mind. I wish she had never said it. None of us would want to be responsible for some ones death, at least not me and obviously not Anita.
At five-thirty I shut it down. Took a leisurely shower and dressed for dinner. There was a rap at the door. Thinking it was Anita I called out,
”It’s open.” To my surprise Robin looks into my room.
“Hi. Thought I’d see if you would like to take a walk before dinner.”
Not only am I taken back by the invitation from him but I think of the flimsy shoes I am wearing.
“Hold on I’ll have to change my shoes.” Replacing my sling pumps with a pair of study walking shoes I was ready to go. Knowing the shoes didn’t exactly do anything for the outfit I was wearing I looked up at him watching me and gave him a silly grin. He smiled back. He was a good-looking man.
We walked out of the lodge into a beautiful fall evening. Little gravel paths led off in every direction we just picked one and walked talking all the while about unimportant things that people who do not know one another talk about, but as we circled back and neared the lodge he asked,
“What do you think about this setup? Do you find it rather odd that our host has not made himself known to us?”
I immediately thought of Anita and her misgivings.
“Yes ,and I am not the only one,”
Approaching the lodge we saw Charles and Larry on the porch waving us in,
“Dinner is waiting on you two, hurry up.”
“Sorry old man, it is such a beautiful place we had to check it out. We’ll wash up and be right there.”
I hurried to my room to replace my shoes with the ones more becoming to my dressy outfit. The men were waiting outside the dining room and the girls were coming from the library when I descended the wide stairs.
The caretaker’s wife, Maria, was an excellent cook and the food looked and smelled appetizing. We enjoyed our dinner and conversation was light and upbeat. No one really mentioned their writing until we had gathered before the fireplace in the lodge room for after dinner drinks.
Anita started the conversation by saying she intended to drop out of the competition and was going to leave the next morning. When asked why, she told them how she felt about the mysterious contest and the fact none of us knew who offered it to us. She was very uneasy about it and had decided she wanted no part of it.
“Surely you do not really believe all this rubbish you have dreamed up?” Larry asked disbelieving.
“You explain to me why someone would offer so much money to just seven people. All of us are well known for the plots and mysteries we write. Who would want to know how to commit a perfect crime unless they were thinking of following through with one of our plots? It is bizarre. I want no part of it.” She said heatedly.
Phyllis laughed, “Suit yourself, that’s just less competition for the rest of us.”
“I would like to know who is behind this.” Robin spoke up with some concern. “It is odd.” He agreed.
“Do any of you recall the name of the bus company that brought us out here?” Anita asked.
No one answered, some shook their head.
“I’ll just go ask the caretakers wife.” Anita said as she left the room.
No one said anything for a fee minutes, each seemed lost in their own thoughts, then clearing his throat Charles spoke up,
“This is utter nonsense.” And poured himself another drink.
