Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3)

by Kristina Stanley

  Aiden ignored her sarcastic answer. “One of our guest services attendants said a teacher reported a liftie having a fight with a student from the Holden high school.”

  Kalin didn’t get Aiden’s motive for involving her. He seemed to be finding excuses to spend time with her, but she would hear him out. Fighting on duty was a serious charge, and Aiden making a mistake in dealing with the situation would be a disaster. More negative media attention would anger Turner. “What happened?”

  “The teacher said one of my lifties, Justin Bradley, shoved a student when he tried to get on the lift. Another student said she saw him do it.”

  Kalin scribbled notes. “Did anyone else witness the event?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Was the teacher there?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What’s your take? Is the behavior consistent with Justin’s personality?”

  “I don’t know him well. He works hard and is friendly, but my only experience with him is on the job.”

  “Is there anything you do know that you’d like to share with me?” Kalin raised her hand to stop him from talking. “Don’t answer that.”

  The situation seemed fairly clear, so Aiden’s motive for involving Kalin again in the termination of a seasonal staff member was suspicious. She’d let the scene play out and see where Aiden led her. He was good friends with Jessica, so maybe he had access to the finance center, and she’d read in the radio reports that ski patrol couldn’t find him on the morning of the avalanche. “We need to talk to Justin.”

  * * *

  Aiden radioed the crew chief and instructed him to send Justin Bradley to Kalin’s office.

  Kalin cleared her desk of papers while they waited. “I understand you were late for work the day of the avalanche.”

  A flash of anger crossed Aiden’s face. “Not by much. I’d been out late at a party.”

  “I’m thinking that’s not a good example for you to be setting.”

  “Are you reprimanding me?”

  “No, just filling time. So whose party were you at?”

  “A friend’s. What’s with the questions?”

  Before Kalin could answer, Justin arrived.

  “This must be serious if you’re both here.” Justin flopped into a chair, relaxing against the backrest. He took off his toque and ran his hand through blond, curly hair. He had the same face tan all lifties acquired, white around his eyes and below his chin, but bronze everywhere else.

  “How was your morning?” Kalin asked.

  “Fun. Why?”

  As Kalin waited for Aiden to question Justin, she studied the employee. He was slightly scruffy in appearance, with peach fuzz growing on his upper lip, more skin showing than strands of mustache, not enough to shave but enough to exude an image of a young man struggling to leave puberty but never quite getting there. When it became apparent Aiden was going to remain silent, Kalin spoke to Justin. “Did anything unusual happen during your shift this morning?”

  Justin sat with his fingers tucked under his armpits and his thumbs pointing toward his shoulders. “Nope. There was a ton of new snow, and I had a snowball fight with some school kids.”

  He appeared too relaxed for someone in trouble. “Did you wear your name tag all morning? Or wear anyone else’s?”

  He tossed a smile in Aiden’s direction. “I wore mine. Aiden doesn’t allow us to wear someone else’s.”

  “No one wore your name tag at any point? Maybe borrowed your jacket?”

  “No.” He shifted his gaze between Kalin and Aiden.

  “So if someone referred to a lift operator named Justin that would have to be you?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “What time did you start work today?”

  “Seven thirty.” Without asking, Justin took a candy from the jar on the desk and popped it into his mouth. Cherry scent filled the room.

  “What lift did you work on?”

  “What’s with all the questions?” Justin continued to suck on the candy, sliding it from one side of his mouth to the other. “Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

  “Did you get into a fight with one of the guests?”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  Kalin and Aiden waited.

  “Nothing happened.”

  “This is serious. I don’t think you fully understand what’s going on. We’ve had a formal complaint against you,” Kalin said.

  “I’m telling you, nothing happened. I want to know exactly what was said about me.”

  Kalin glanced at Aiden, thinking he might step in and contribute. Apparently too much to hope for, so she said, “A kid from the high school said you shoved him when he tried to get on the lift.”

  “I didn’t do that. I never would. I sometimes have to touch people to help them get on the rope tow. I can’t believe this. Why aren’t you worrying about something important instead of this crap?”

  “This is important.”

  “More important than the theft? My roommate just got a new Go Pro and a top of the line smart phone. Said his dad sent it to him.”

  “Who’s your roommate?”

  “Eric Wilson.”

  One more tidbit for Constable Miller. One more piece of information to drive suspicion away from Roy. As a junior cash office clerk, Eric had keys and the combination. “That’s very interesting, but here’s how we’re going to proceed. I’m suspending you from duty, with pay, until we sort this out. We can’t take the risk of having you work when there’s an outstanding charge against you. We’re not saying you did this, only that we have a liability if you work the lifts. In the meantime, I suggest you be on your best behavior.”

  “When can I come back to work?”

  “When we have this resolved. Give Aiden a call tomorrow, and we’ll see.” Kalin stood, indicating the meeting was over.

  Justin faced Aiden. “This sucks. What am I supposed to tell people when they ask why I’m not at work?” He waited, and when neither Aiden nor Kalin responded, he picked up his mitts and bolted from the room.

  Aiden shut the door behind Justin.

  “I have to tell you in this type of meeting you should be driving the conversation. I’m here for support and as a witness. I’m not here to do your job.”

  “Sorry. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Let’s talk to the other lifties who were working nearby. Maybe one of them saw something.” Aiden radioed to set up appointments with the relevant lifties.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Jessica plunked her butt on a stool beside Simon at the bar of the Dragon’s Bowl Hut. The hut overlooked the entry point into the Bowl, and she avoided glancing in that direction. Roy’s last moments, his last time on his skis, the last time air caressed his face happened somewhere on that terrain, and she had no intention of ever skiing there again.

  The bartender placed a hot chocolate in front of her on the wooden bar. The stone fireplace, the weathered log walls, and the chill that entered every time the door opened reminded her of Roy and made her wish he sat beside her instead of Simon.

  “What the fuck am I supposed to tell my family?” Simon asked.

  The flames in the hearth licked and snapped around the logs, and she drew her eyes away from the fire and back to Simon. “Huh?”

  “My uncle asked why I was fired. Says he has a plan.”

  “I guess you can’t go with the truth.”

  “Very funny. This job was supposed to prove I could support myself. That I’m not the loser in the family looking for handouts. Now I’ll have to do whatever my uncle wants.”

  “Make something up that sounds legit, like you lost a key and didn’t have the lock changed.”

  Simon sneered. “There’s a slight problem. If my uncle thinks he can fight this, he’ll sue Stone Mountain. Then he’ll find out why I was really fired. I’m supposed to see him tonight. What am I going to say to get him to back off?”

  “Tell him you have another jo
b. That you hated this one. Whatever.”

  “If you got your job back, then you could hire me again.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Take the polygraph, and Turner might relent. I can’t imagine Helen’s doing a stellar job.”

  “I can’t. Turner’s not going to hire me back if he finds out I stole from a previous employer.”

  “I’d forgotten about that little incident.” Simon laughed. “I can see how the test would go. Have you ever stolen money? You say no. The buzzer goes off, and they know you lied.”

  “It was only a little petty cash, and I would’ve put it back.” Jessica inhaled the heavenly smell of cocoa and took a deep sip. “How’s Natalie taking the firing?”

  “Are you trying to dim my sunlight? She’s barely speaking to me, but she won’t tell anyone why I got fired. It’s too embarrassing for her. Any news on the theft?”

  “Not really. Roy’s still the main suspect.”

  “So they haven’t found the money?”

  “Why would you think there’s money to be found? Everyone’s saying Roy took it up the mountain.” Could Simon know she was searching for the missing duffle bag and some of the money? Had Aiden blabbed? He was such an idiot.

  Cold air shot through the room, and Jessica turned to see who’d entered. Speaking of the idiot. Aiden’s jacket displayed his lift manager badge. What’s to be so proud of? You’d think he was the president, the way he strutted around in his uniform.

  Aiden sat beside Simon, tossed his gloves and toque into the metal basket underneath the bar stool, and said, “It’s the two fired ones. Commiserating, are you?”

  * * *

  After Aiden left, Kalin sat alone. The quietness of the administration building settled around her. She worked until darkness fell. Ben would already be at fire practice, so she might as well get some work done instead of going home. Clicking on the security software icon, she settled in to read. Engrossed in reports, she was annoyed when some time later a noise distracted her. She shifted her gaze away from the computer, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

  Justin Bradley blocked the entrance to her office, placing his hands on either side of the doorframe. “When can I start working again?”

  Something about his stillness and his deadened eyes caused her skin to prickle. “It’s too soon. Call Aiden tomorrow, and he can give you an update…if he has one.” Kalin stood and faced him.

  “You can’t prove anything. It’s the kid’s word against mine. I treated him like I would any other skier. Here, let me show you. Pretend you’re getting on the rope tow.” Justin reached around her, placed his palms on her back and pushed her forward. “There, you see. It’s impossible to help someone without touching them.”

  Kalin stepped back, leaning into her desk. She slid her hand across the surface, searching for her cell.

  “What’s the diff from me telling everyone you harassed me? I could say anything about being alone here with you at night, and everyone would suspect you. Then you’d see how it feels to be accused of something you didn’t do.”

  “Do you think it’s smart to be threatening me right now? You should leave before you say or do anything to make your situation worse,” Kalin said in a loud voice. “If you go now, I’ll forget that you were here.”

  “Now you know how it feels. Don’t make a big deal about it.”

  “Fine.”

  Justin gave a tight nod and plucked his toque off the chair. “Fine.”

  Tension drained from her neck when the outer door of the administration building slammed shut. Blood pulsed to her forehead. A headache worked its way up the base of her neck, nudging her to swallow two ibuprofen.

  Ben worried too much when he thought she was in danger, so she snatched the phone, and instead of calling him, she called security and asked for a ride home.

  * * *

  Jessica grabbed a couple of beers from her fridge and returned to the living room. She glanced at her bedroom. Compassion kept her from curling underneath her blanket, from trying to drop into oblivion. Simon looked forlorn, and she wasn’t callous enough to send him away.

  She handed Simon a beer and sat in the chair closest to the fireplace. Since Roy’s death, she couldn’t seem to sleep in her own bed, and she was starting to hate the couch.

  Simon gulped his beer, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and sagged into the chair opposite Jessica. “What a shitty week.”

  “I thought you were meeting your uncle tonight.”

  “I told him I’m sick. I can’t deal with him right now.”

  Jessica had listened to Simon’s problems for years, and this was the first time he seemed deeply upset by them. He was the type of guy who liked to look as if things were hard on him, made him seem tougher somehow, and he bragged about difficulties. She never believed he was genuinely upset when he complained, but something looked different now. Shadows filled the space underneath his eyes as if he hadn’t slept well, and his usually perfect hair shined with grease.

  “Are you hungry?” Jessica asked.

  “No, the beer’s fine.”

  “So what happened? You seemed okay when we were skiing.”

  Simon stood and walked to the hearth. He picked up the fireplace poker and examined the charred end.

  Jessica waited for him to speak.

  “Natalie left me.”

  “No way. Because of why you were fired?”

  “That and a bunch of other reasons. I always thought I’d be the one to leave her, not the other way around.”

  His comment made Jessica question whether Simon was upset that they split or that Natalie gave the final blow. “I’m sorry. I thought you two were a good match.”

  Simon released the poker, and it clanged against the stones surrounding the fireplace. “Don’t bullshit me. You always wondered why I married her.”

  “I did not. I thought you married her because you loved her. Why else—”

  “Why else what?” Simon flopped into the couch, spilling beer on his shirt. He didn’t wipe the spot.

  Simon ignoring a stain on his clothes worried Jessica. She suspected he was more upset by Natalie leaving than he was admitting. “Nothing.”

  “You were going to say why else would I marry someone so ugly.”

  “I was not.” But she was. She didn’t like the thought and hated to think of herself as shallow.

  “So what’s the latest on the theft?”

  The theft always came up in conversation. Couldn’t she have one friend who didn’t talk about the stupid finance center? To postpone answering, she grabbed the fireplace poker and moved a log, causing sparks to disperse and land on the tile in front of the hearth. To avoid burning her socks, she took a step back. “I don’t know. It’s not like I’m in the loop.”

  “What does Aiden think?”

  “I haven’t talked to him.”

  “Really. I’ve seen you two hanging around a lot.”

  “I need friends right now.”

  Simon swigged what remained of his beer and plunked the bottle on the table. Without asking, he walked to the kitchen and helped himself to another. “Tell me about it. Have you seen Kalin much?”

  “I try not to. She reminds me of Roy.”

  “Doesn’t she tell you what’s happening in the investigation?”

  “I think she’s doing her best to prove Roy’s innocence, and I kind of hope she succeeds.”

  “Why would you care?” Simon asked.

  “Other than the obvious reason that I want Roy’s name cleared? If it’s hanging out there he might be guilty, people will always suspect I helped him.”

  “Did he call you on the morning of the avalanche?”

  “That’s an odd question. Why would he?”

  “I thought he might have told you he was heading up the mountain.”

  “All I know is Kalin and Ben kicked him out. My best guess is he was going to crash at mountain ops.”

  Simon chuckle
d. “You wouldn’t have him over since he stayed the night at Helen’s.”

  “Don’t be mean. Are you going to stay in your condo?”

  “I was hoping I could sleep on your pullout for a while.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Kalin entered the women’s washroom and checked all three stalls. All empty. She’d been trying without success to finish reading the security reports during the day. Someone always interrupted her right when she opened the database. So there she was, sneaking into the can, hiding on the toilet.

  She sat on the lid, pulled earbuds from her pocket, stuffed one into her ear and plugged the cable into her phone.

  The mountain ops team recorded all radio traffic at the resort. The recordings were overwritten monthly unless something major happened, then security would transcribe the traffic for use in case of a lawsuit.

  Kalin played the recordings from the day of the avalanche. Some of the chatter was difficult to listen to. The panic in the voices, the fear, the frustration all tore at her.

  A series of words rose through her earbuds.

  There are tracks directly above where the slide started.

  She hit pause. The words floated in front of Kalin. They supported what she’d seen with Ben in the Dragon’s Bowl. The kaleidoscope of images mixed together, but one thought came through.

  She restarted the recording. Ben’s voice filled her head. How close?

  A female voice. Close enough that the avalanche could have been started by a person.

  Ben’s voice again. Roy?

  The female voice. We’ve no way of knowing.

  Why wasn’t anyone looking for a second person who’d been up the mountain? Ben said the guest who’d heard the avalanche thought he saw two people climbing the slope.

  A shadow crossed the crack between the door and the stall. She tapped her phone, flushed the toilet and opened the door, half expecting Justin Bradley, but instead found Helen leaning on the counter, watching her.

  “You look like you’re about to go skiing,” Helen said. “Do you have a minute?”

  Kalin had forgotten she wore her ski attire, but getting dressed was a good excuse for taking so long. “Sure. I’m going for a few runs, but I have time.”