Alex Harris 00 - Armed

sign and then we all piled into her mini-van and drove to the center of Indian Cove.
    Five minutes later we arrived at a pond crowded with skaters. As with all good ideas, unfortunately we weren’t the only ones to have it. Everyone had skates except Mom who sat beside another grandmother.
    The ice shone like a highly polished piece of glass, smooth and devoid of any pits.
    “Why don’t we do this more often?” Dad asked, holding onto the small hands of Kendall and Henry.
    “Look, Grandpa, I’m doing it all by myself,” Kendall said as she broke away.
    We watched as she skated toward the center of the pond.
    “Alex, how’s it going over at Poupée? William said the police haven’t arrested anyone yet. What’s going on?”
    Henry squiggled out of my dad’s grasp and skated off after his sister, grabbing onto her scarf and pulling her down where they tumbled around on the ice while their parents shamelessly showed off on the other side of the pond.
    I shrugged and started to skate slowly. “I don’t know, Dad. I’ve talked with a lot of the employees but I haven’t come up with a theory yet. At least not one I consider sufficient enough to lead to murder.”
    “Did your mother tell you she won again on Friday night? We’ve got enough wine in our cellar to make a Frenchman envious. I didn’t do too badly on one of the games. I used all my letters on my first turn including an X to make SARDONYX.”
    “Sardonyx?”
    Dad shook his head. “It’s a variety of quartz. Don’t ask me how the heck I knew that one, but it put me in the lead, for a while anyway. Oh, and Alex,” Dad placed his hand on my arm. “Thank you for going over to the center.”
    “It’s okay, Dad. I hope Grandpa will be okay.”
    “They’re treating him. I’ll keep a better eye on him. I’m going over this afternoon to take him some of your mother’s homemade soup. He always loved it.”
    “He’ll be fine.” I eyed my sister and brother-in-law on the opposite side of the pond. “Come on. Let’s give those two over there a look at what real skaters can do.”
    Dad grabbed my hand and whirled me across the ice. “Ta-da! What about that? Didn’t think your old man still had it in him, did you?”
    “Harry, exactly what do you call that little swirly thing you managed to pull off over there?” my brother-in-law Michael asked.
    Sam’s husband is a dentist and a good guy. I love him dearly but he loves to talk about teeth. Putting my fingers in someone else’s mouth all day is not what I would want to do for a living.
    “It’s called pensioners pirouette and can only be executed by men over sixty, so don’t even think about trying it,” Dad said with a chuckle.
    “Anybody ready for a cinnamon roll and a hot drink?” Mom called from the sidelines.
    “I am!”
    “Me, too!” Kendall and Henry skated off.
    “Guess who is heading this way and proving to be quite a good little skater?” Sam asked as she grabbed my arm.
    “I don’t know?” I tried to wiggle free from her grasp.
    “Good afternoon, Ms. Harris, Mrs. Daniels.”
    I recognized the voice and turned to see Detective Van der Burg.
    “If you’ll excuse me, I need a warm drink. Would you like to join us, Detective?” Sam asked in mock innocence.
    “Thank you. Maybe in a bit.”
    Sam skated off but not before I gave her a murderous scowl.
    “Are you following me, Detective Van der Burg?”
    “John.”
    “What?”
    “John. That’s my name. Detective Van der Burg takes too long to say.”
    “Okay. John. Are you following me?”
    “No. I’m just out for a bit of fresh air. I noticed the skaters the other day and thought what a good idea.”
    “Shouldn’t you be out catching a killer?”
    “Why are you always so hostile toward me, Alex? I can call you Alex?”
    “Yes. I don’t think I’m being hostile.” I paused and looked down at my skates for a moment. I looked back up at him and managed a small smile “Well, okay, maybe I’m getting back at you for the shovel. I’m sorry. I just want this thing finished.” We skated slowly around the pond. “Have you come up with anything concrete yet?”
    “We have a few theories.”
    “Anything you’d care to share?”
    “Not for the moment.”
    “Well, does it have anything to do with Jerry Gagliano?”
    John laughed. “You’re really hooked on him being the killer. We’re checking him out. We’re checking everybody out. He has an alibi as I mentioned. No one saw him come home, but a