Mountain Ice (David Dean Mysteries)

"Your face is a mess. It looks like Shipton got in a few good whacks. I'm surprised he could do that to you."

"The bastard had an ice ax in his hand when I slugged him," Dean answered. He felt the puffiness about his cheek and cringed at the touch.

"That doesn't sound very smart on your part, taking on a guy with a tool like that in his hand."

"I wasn't thinking at my highest level of logic. I just wanted to beat the shit out of him."

"Did you?"

"I'm not sure. If I didn't, it wasn't for not trying."

"I suppose you've got a good reason why you tried to beat the brains out of a guy holding an ice ax, in the middle of the street with a bunch of people watching."

"The bastard had just grabbed my wife's breast, for God's sake! I was furious!"

"You wanted to kill him, I suppose."

"Damn right! Wouldn't you?"

"But I didn't."

"Neither did I. The jerk managed to do that himself. Just don't ask me to be a pallbearer."

"Nope." He turned to Dean, ready to read his expression. "'Nope' to both points."

Dean stared at the lawman, who said nothing. "Are you telling me someone killed the son of a bitch?"

Again, Weller ignored Dean's question. "Just where were you when Shipton took a dive?"

"Come on, Jake! You sound like cops and bad guys 101. What the hell's going on?" When Weller didn't answer, Dean finally said, "I was looking for Cynthia. I hiked up the path, all the way to the reservoir."

"Alone."

"Sure. Everybody else was watching the climbers, at least what they could see through the snow."

"And since it's snowed a foot or two since then, I'd guess there aren't any footprints to prove you were strolling alone in the woods."

"That would be my guess. Come on, now! What's this all about?"

"A few folks saw you running from the scene."

Dean sighed. "Janet O'Brien had just told me my wife's mother had a heart attack, for God's sake! What the hell else would I do? Saunter home as if I'd all the time in the world? Of course I ran."

"I'm sorry about Cynthia's problems," Weller said. "I guess it's been a shitty day all around."

Fred asked the sheriff. "Did someone really kill Jerome Shipton?"

Weller rocked back and at first Dean didn't think he'd answer. He looked Dean in the eye. "Let's just say his climbing rope was cut, nearly all the way through. It was cut up at the top, within reach of where it was tied off. It's a long way down to the river. Now, given that, wouldn't you say whoever did the cutting might suspect it would cause Mr. Shipton a bit of bodily harm?"