"Another guess?" Dean offered. "I don't think he came down the stairs. Not then. I think Shipton hid in the next room-perhaps in the closet. The room was empty and there was no reason for anyone to look in there. To the best of my knowledge, no one did."
"You think he was in Bird Song all the time?" Fred asked.
"It's the only thing that makes sense to me. You're correct that there wouldn't be time for him to race downstairs and out of the building. It was far too risky for him to even attempt it. It's possible he waited around hours, until the afternoon when the police had left and it was quiet. Then he could slip out unnoticed. Later, we complained about Janet's sloppy cleaning when we found traces of mud in an unused room. I'd guess Shipton left it."
"While I can buy all this as possible, it would be the dickens to prove it." Fred gestured to Dean's injuries. "Why would Shipton try and kill you?" The old man picked at his red suspenders. Santa Claus in civies, dressed by GQ, the senior edition.
"He knew once someone questioned the suicide note and seriously examined it, he was all finished. He also knew I was the only person who guessed what had transpired."
"But I still don't understand. Why did he kill her?" Cynthia asked. "I thought he was obsessed with his wife. He traced her all the way out here, like some love-sick stalker."
"Ah," Dean said. "But remember, he never acted very love-sick, did he? Anything but. Furious at her, yes. But he didn't display an iota of love toward her that I picked up on. Just a sick sort of dominance."
"He was a despicable slug," Cynthia muttered.
"Edith Shipton wasn't a saint either, nor do I think she was near as bewildered about life as she let on. A certain amount of planning and calculation went into all of her actions. For instance, I don't think it was a mistake that her husband followed her to Ouray as easily as it seemed. We just took her word for the fact he chased down the credit card charge so quickly. That one point always bothered me. There was something TV about it. If Shipton traced the credit card to Bird Song, why would he call to confirm she and Donnie were here? All that would do is warn them he knew and he would be coming out to get her. My guess is Edith left lots of little subtle clues around her house, letting hubby know where she was going."