Dead Body in the Dark

<p><strong>A Favor Is Owed</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Iditarod. A race across 1000 miles of Alaska done by dog sled with a racer and a dozen or so dogs. The ceremonial start is in Anchorage; the real start is in Willow on the first Saturday of March. It will end some 10-15 days later one of the hardest endurance races in the world.</p><p> </p><p>It takes thousands of volunteers to make it happen. Thousands more turn out to watch.</p><p> </p><p>After a winter of cabin fever the Iditarod is the first sign that spring will come. Not for a while mind you. Spring won't happen in Alaska until June. But the days are longer - dawn is at 8 a.m. and sunset is at 5 p.m. a welcome change from the winter days where you never see the sun at all.</p><p> </p><p>Still damned cold however. Twenty below at times. Storms. But the worst challenges are always caused by people. Isn't that the way it always is?</p><p> </p><p>Benny Askoak had been a musher once. He'd even finished when he was young. But it was expensive to run a team. Expensive to care for them. Now he cared for the town of Skwentna instead. A town the Iditarod teams came through every year. It always made his heart glad to see the teams of dogs come through. The race was important to Skwentna. Very important.</p><p> </p><p>But someone wasn't cheering for the dogs and the race this year. Someone wanted to bring the race to a halt altogether. Benny Askoak didn't know who. He didn't know why. But he knew Skwentna wouldn't survive without the race.</p><p> </p><p>Finally he admitted he needed help to solve this. It couldn't be solved quietly after all. He picked up the phone and made a call. A favor was owed. He would call it in and hope for the best.</p><p> </p><p>Purdue Flight Services a woman's voice said crisply. How can I help you?</p><p> </p><p><em>Book 7 in the mystery series Talkeetna.</em></p>