From Here to Paternity

we’re assuming it was Pete because he’s the first one who occurred to us. Yet it could have been almost anyone.“
    “Yes, but the obvious person is usually the guilty one.“
    “But we don’t know these people very well,“ Shelley pointed out. “And from what little we saw of Bill Smith, he wasn’t exactly a bundle of charm. In fact, he was a downright unpleasant person. Who knows who else he might have offended?“
    “But people don’t kill somebody because they’re offended. It takes a lot more than that. A real threat to their well-being, or a long hatred that finally comes to a head, or even raging greed.“
    “How do we know Bill wasn’t surrounded by people with all of those motives, and maybe others as well? And it’s entirely possible that his death had nothing to do with this whole silly Tsar thing. Maybe it had to do with selling the resort for that matter. There might be somebody local who’s really upset about that. Somebody in the tribe. They’re the ones who were demonstrating against him, after all.“
    A couple was approaching them from the other direction. They smiled and nodded as they passed, and were quiet until they were out of hearing range.
    “But that demonstration was all so peaceful,“ Jane objected. “Almost downright friendly. And the protest was aimed as much at the potential investors as it was at Bill Smith. If they were murderous, would they have staged something so orderly and then done something so violent?“
    “I don’t mean the whole tribe, Jane. But one individual might really dislike him. He had a long history with them. And maybe somebody in the tribe or another neighbor thought he was about to sell the resort and move away for good, and it was their last chance to get at him.“
    Jane pondered this. “Murder is such an unthinkable way to solve problems that it’s hard to imagine what could be in the mind of a person who would resort to it.“
    As they came to the front door of the lodge, a shuttle was arriving. They waited to see if any of their children got off it, and when they didn’t, the women went inside. The lobby was strangely quiet. Tenny, of all people, was just coming out from behind the front desk.
    “Tenny!“ Jane exclaimed. “You’re not working today. Surely—“
    “Just came in to sort out a brawl,“ Tenny said angrily.
    “A brawl?“
    “Yes. Pete just had a fight with HawkHunter. Bloodied his nose and knocked some of his teeth out.“

Chapter 14

    “Tenny, for heaven’s sake, come sit down,“ Shelley said firmly as she took her elbow.
    Tenny seemed to almost collapse against Shelley for a second, then got a grip on herself and straightened up. “Maybe I’d better. Thanks.“
    “Have you eaten anything this afternoon?“ Jane asked as they led her toward the more casual of the two dining rooms.
    “No, but I’m not—“
    “You must eat something. Really. You’ll feel much better,“ Jane insisted. She’d been waiting most of her life for somebody to say that to her. So far, nobody ever had.
    The room was nearly empty. Even the latest lunchers had gone and the earliest dinner customers hadn’t started arriving. The hostess seated them well away from the few other eaters after expressing condolences to Tenny, who received the remarks with preoccupied courtesy.
    “Just ask a waiter to bring us coffee and something Tenny likes for her to nibble on,“ Jane said quietly.
    “Tenny, we’re so sorry about your uncle,“ Shelley said when they were seated.
    “Thanks. He was dying, I guess you should know.“
    “Oh?“ Shelley said.
    Tenny repeated pretty much what Linda Moose foot had told them about Bill Smith’s poor health, but they didn’t let on that they had heard it before. “But nothing could have prepared us for the idea that someone might kill him. My God! It’s unbelievable!“ she said.
    “Who do you think did it?“ Jane asked bluntly.
    “I have no idea. None! I can still hardly take in the fact that it happened.“
    “How’s your aunt Joanna taking it?“ Shelley asked.
    “Oh, extraordinarily well. She’s quite an amazing woman. She’s really observing Uncle Bill’s wishes.“
    “Which were?“ Jane asked.
    “That his death be ignored as much as possible,“ Tenny said with a wry smile.
    “Ignored?“
    “He insisted that there be absolutely no fuss when he went. No funeral service or anything. He and Joanna had talked it all out. He’ll be cremated, his ashes scattered by Joanna alone