SILVER
SCREAM
A BED-AND-BREAKFAST MYSTERY
To Dave—
As they say in Hollywood,
I couldn’t have done this book
without him. Or done much else, either.
Contents
ONE
JUDITH MCMONIGLE FLYNN twitched in
the kitchen chair, jumped up…
1
TWO
JUDITH RECOILED FROM the obscenity
screamed into her ear by…
18
THREE
RENIE AND ARLENE seemed to have
everything under control. Arlene already…
34
FOUR
“RENIE!” JUDITH CRIED, pulling on the
handle of the door…
53
FIVE
“WIN?” 71
SIX
WHEN JUDITH GOT back downstairs,
five early young trick-or-treaters came…
89
SEVEN
JUDITH DIDN’T HEAR Joe come
running down the hallway. She…
109
EIGHT
“LET’S GET OUT of here,” Joe whispered
to Judith. “We’ll…
125
NINE
“THAT’S RIDICULOUS,” JUDITH declared.
“How is it our fault that…
142
TEN
RENIE ALL BUT fell into the pew. By now,
several…
153
ELEVEN
HAVING BEEN PRIVY to two, possibly
three, murders at her…
169
TWELVE
JOE HADN’T YET detached the garden
hoses or covered the…
186
THIRTEEN
JUDITH STOOD ROOTED TO the spot,
staring at the tape…
204
FOURTEEN
“GIVE ME A clean piece of freezer wrap,”
Judith said…
225
FIFTEEN
“WHAT IS THIS?” Renie demanded when
the maître d’ had left…
240
SIXTEEN
JUDITH WANTED VERY much to see
Heathcliffe and Amy Lee…
253
SEVENTEEN
SLOWLY, SHE OPENED the door and peered
into the hallway.…
269
EIGHTEEN
“I DON’T GET it,” Judith said, stopping
herself from gnawing…
284
NINETEEN
“THE AIRPORT’S STILL closed,” Joe
announced as he brought in…
303
TWENTY
THERE WAS NO time for Judith to explain.
The
battalion…
322
About the Author
Praise
Other Books by Mary Daheim
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
First Floor
Toolshed
Living
Kitchen
Room
Patio
Garage
BathBedroom
room
Walkway
Back Porch
Basement Stairs
Pantry
French Doors
Back
Stairs
Kitchen
Living Room
Bay Window
Fireplace
Window
Seat
Rankers’ Hedge
Dining Room
Driveway
Powder Landing
Entry
Room
Hall
alkway W
Main
Front Parlor
Stairs
Fireplace
Landing
Front Porch
Front
Door
N
W
E
Cul-de-sac
S
Second Floor
Back Stairs
Room 6
Bathroom
Storage
Room 5
Stairs to
Bathroom
3rd Floor
Room 4
Bathroom
Room 3
Main
Settee/
Stairs
Phone
Room 2
Room 1
Landing
N
W
E
S
Third Floor
Guest
Bedroom
Storage
Master
Bedroom
Joe’s
Bathroom
Den
Storage
N
W
E
S
ONE
JUDITH MCMONIGLE FLYNN twitched in the kitchen
chair, jumped up, paced the floor, and leaned her
head against the cupboard by the sink. Desperately,
she tried reason, argument, and, finally, bad grammar in an attempt to fend off Ingrid Heffelman from
the state bed-and-breakfast association.
“I don’t want none of those crazy people at Hillside Manor,” she shouted into the phone. “I mean,
any of them. They’re Hollywood types, and they’re
nuts.”
“Just because they make movies doesn’t mean
they’re crazy.” Ingrid huffed. “Look, I know this is
a big favor. But you had only two other reservations
for the last weekend of October besides the producer, Bruno Zepf. I can put those non–movie people
up somewhere else to make room for the additions
to Mr. Zepf’s original guest list.”
Since Bruno Zepf had made his reservation two
weeks earlier, Judith knew she was on shaky
ground. Like many Hollywood big shots, Zepf was
as superstitious as he was successful. Ten years earlier, his career as an independent producer had been
launched at a film festival in the Midwest. At the
2
Mary Daheim
time Zepf couldn’t afford a hotel; he’d had to stay in a
bed-and-breakfast. The movie had won the top prize,
launching his Hollywood career. Ever since, he had
stayed at B&Bs before premiering a new production.
But other members of his company wanted to stay in
the same B&B, hoping that Bruno’s good luck would
rub off on them. Magnanimously—egotistically—the
Great Man had allowed at least a half-dozen associates
to join him at Hillside Manor.
“Please, Ingrid,” Judith pleaded, moving away from
the cupboard, “I’m stuck with Mr. Zepf, but I’ve had
my fill of so-called beautiful people, from opera
singers to gossip columnists to TV media types. I’ve
had gangsters and psychos and—”
“I know,” Ingrid interrupted, her tone suddenly cold.
“That’s one of the reasons you’re going to accept this
deal. You’ve managed to have some very big problems
at Hillside Manor, and while they don’t seem to have
hurt your business, they give the rest of the B&Bs a
black eye. Look what happened a year or so ago—your
establishment was included in a sightseeing tour of murder sites, and you ended up on TV with a dead body.”
“The body wasn’t at Hillside Manor,” Judith retorted as the cupboard door swung open all by itself.
She took her frustration out on the innocent piece of
wood, slamming it shut. “And it certainly wasn’t my
fault. Besides, I got the tour group to take Hillside
Manor off the sightseeing itinerary, didn’t I?”
“You still looked like an idiot in that television interview about your so-called sleuthing,” Ingrid countered. “It was embarrassing for innkeepers all over the
state. You owe me—and the rest of the good people
who run B&Bs around here.”
SILVER SCREAM
3
“That was the editing,” Judith protested. “I didn’t
ask to be on TV. In fact, I begged them not to do the
piece. I hardly consider myself a sleuth. I run a B&B,
period. I can’t help it if all sorts of weird people come
here. Look, now you’re the one who’s setting me up.
Who will you blame if something happens while these
movie nutcases are staying at Hillside Manor?”
There was no response. The line was dead. Ingrid
had hung up on her.
“Damn,” Judith breathed. “Ingrid’s a mule.”
“She always was,” Gertrude Grover responded.