Sacrifice of Buntings by Christine Goff Page A

acknowledged the protestors. Rachel freshened up while they waited for room service to deliver them lunch. Now, seated at the small breakfast table in her room with the food barely touched, she couldn’t help but wonder why Saxby had left the Nest without them.
    “Doesn’t it seem odd that he would just leave us in there with someone shooting a gun? He had to have heard you call out.”
    Dorothy looked shocked. “He wasn’t even in there. He said the guard wouldn’t let him through.”
    Then who had she heard sneaking away?
    Rachel sipped her coffee, setting it down with a bang. “Think back, Dorothy. The scuffle came before the shot, before the glass shattered. I’ll bet the shot came from outside.”
    Dorothy face paled. “That means we fingered Guy by telling the police we were there to meet him. We dropped the dime on him. We flushed him out.”
    “If he didn’t do it,” Rachel mused.
    “Of course he didn’t do it!” Dorothy’s eyes flashed. “Any more than we did!”
    Rachel wasn’t so sure. Saxby was territorial, if that was a reason to kill Becker. Still, she reassured Dorothy. “If he’s telling the truth, the guard at the doors will remember turning him away, just like he did us.”
    “But we got inside. They’ll just say he entered the same way we did.” Dorothy crumbled a piece of toast into a mini sand dune on her plate. “We’re going to have to help clear him.” She dusted her hands together. “We can help the police.”
    “How?”
    “By giving them a list of suspects.”
    “Like who?” Rachel asked. “We don’t know who might want Becker dead.”
    “How about those who are for the land swap?” Dorothy said. “Becker was against it.”
    “That gives us the Andersons. They’re the only ones we really know are pro-trade.”
    “It’s a start,” Dorothy said. “Becker said he had found a ’treasure,’ remember? What if he was about to reveal something that would stop the deal?”
    “Then the Andersons would be out a golf course.” Rachel reached for her coffee again. “And how bad could that be? They already have a nine-hole course. If they don’t get to expand, it won’t be the end of the world.” Rachel took a sip, then cradled her coffee against her chest. “I’ll admit, eighty acres of prime land next to the hotel would be an improvement over ten thousand acres of swampland, but it’s not worth killing anyone over. And either way, they make out.”
    “Then suppose what he discovered impacts the Carters? Those boys seemed pretty upset when Becker mentioned finding something out there.”
    “But Fancy didn’t seem worried. The same goes for Dwight and Dwayne. Either the state wants their land or the developers do. Either way, they come out ahead. It’s win-win.”
    “Unless the state would no longer need access,” Dorothy said.
    “In which case, they wouldn’t want the trade to happen and we’re back to the Andersons as our only suspects.” Rachel tapped her finger against her mug. “Doesn’t it seem odd that both Guy Saxby and Paul Becker seemed to have big revelations on tap?”
    “What are you suggesting?” Dorothy asked. “Are you thinking it was the same revelation? It couldn’t be.”
    “It might be related,” Rachel said. “Remember what a big deal they made about which one of them got the Saturday keynote slot. They both wanted it.”
    “And Guy gave the slot to Becker, even though it cost him.” Dorothy drew herself up. “Let’s get one thing straight, missy. Guy Saxby is not a killer. I’m a good judge of character. Besides, even if he was a murderer, he wouldn’t kill somebody over a better keynote slot. He said himself that he hoped to be able to unveil his next big adventure on Friday.”
    Rachel took a sip of her drink. “I wonder if Guy will tell us what he’s up to, reveal his big secret, now that all this has happened.”
    Dorothy narrowed her eyes. “If you’re looking to give your boyfriend some front-page news,