“McKenzie’s on the Holden team. Stop pretending you don’t know who he is.”
“That’s worse. He should be setting a good example. How do we know you didn’t ban him from training? If he doesn’t have a pass, we have no way of knowing he’s authorized, and he’s not skiing until he apologizes to Amber.”
“The conditions are perfect today. You have no right to make him miss his training time.”
The snow making team had been operating the snow guns since mid-October, and the hiss generated as the snow blew over the runs created the first of the winter buzz. McKenzie would miss the best conditions and that would cause problems.
The two security officers edged forward, and Ben blocked the entrance to the lift.
Jenkinson glared at Ben for a moment as if memorizing his face. “You won’t be working here long.” He pushed with his poles and skate-skied to the edge of the maze and out of sight.
* * *
Gavin Reed slammed the phone into the cradle. His son, Ian, hadn’t made the cut on the Holden ski team. His wife would be furious, and he understood why Ian had waited until this morning to break the news. Reed decided he would ask Coach Jenkinson for a favor. Ian’s times were fast enough to make the Olympic team, so Reed suspected Ian hadn’t made the team because he wasn’t a local.
Reed had moved his family from Fernie, a competing ski resort two hundred kilometers south of Holden, to Stone Mountain the previous spring, and locals still treated him as if he was an outsider and not the president of the largest employer in the area. Power came with his position, power he intended to use. He called to his executive assistant and said, “Please get me the number for Coach Jenkinson.”
Gertrude filled his doorway with her heavyset frame. “He’s in the outer office. Would you like me to bring him in?”
He gave a tight nod. He removed his gym bag from the guest chair, making a space for Jenkinson. He rolled his high-back chair to the table and rested one hand on the cool leather.
Jenkinson strode into the office and stopped inches from Reed. “I guess you know what happened.”
Reed stepped away from Jenkinson, whose ski jacket smelled sour as if sweat from the fall season festered in the material. “That depends on what you’re talking about.”
“I thought since you asked your secretary for my number, you wanted to talk with me about the incident at the lift. Ben Timlin didn’t call you?”
Gertrude mumbled, “Executive assistant to the president, not secretary,” and Reed knew Jenkinson would get no help from her in the future.
“About what?” Reed asked.
“The girl checking for passes wouldn’t let Steve McKenzie up the lift.”
Even though confident the ticket checker would have had a good reason, Reed had to hear out Jenkinson. Coaches always needed to be heard. “Why not?”
“He didn’t have his pass. What kind of jackass move was that? Everyone here knows who he is. I want him to receive an apology from her, and I want him to be able to ski whether or not he has a pass on him.”
McKenzie was a hero with the locals, but he was also competition for Reed’s son. “I’ll need to talk with the ticket checker and hear her side of the—”
“This is not about her. This is about our best skier being denied his training run. I don’t care what the ticket checker says. You haven’t been here long enough to know how important this is.”
Ignoring the insult, Reed steeled his voice. “How many spots are left on the team?”
“What?”
Reed was pleased he’d surprised Jenkinson with the change of subject. “How many spots are left on the team?”
“None. What does that have to do with anything?”
“My son just called me. He said he didn’t make the cut.”
“And?”
“And…I’d like Ian on the team.”
“That’s not possible. I’d have to kick someone else off.”
“He skis as fast as McKenzie.”
“Your son pissed off my brother-in-law.”
What trouble had Ian gotten into again? “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“My brother-in-law’s the Fernie coach.”
“I get it.” Reed’s expression turned cold. “I’ll see if I can get some time with the ticket checker in the next day or two. I’ll call you once I’ve done that.”
“You can’t be serious.”
The two men eyed each other. Six-foot-four and lean, Reed hovered over Jenkinson’s stocky build. Reed, a fond user of sunscreen, had only acquired one wrinkle in the shape of a lightning bolt beside his left eye on his otherwise smooth skin. Jenkinson had deep crevasses the sun couldn’t reach when he squinted, leaving white lines slashing his skin across a dark tan. The warrior paint of a mountain man. Reed carried a smile he knew how to use. Jenkinson’s frown preceded anything he had to say. But both men were used to a position of power and getting their own way.
Jenkinson caved first. “The best I can do is put Ian on the team as backup. He can train and travel with them. If someone gets injured or quits, he can take the open spot. If he’s fast enough.”
“I’ll inform the ticket checker McKenzie gets up the lift with or without his pass.”
“I want you to call whoever is in charge of security and tell him to keep his grunts away from McKenzie and me.”
“What does security have to do with this?”
“They came to the lift and forced us to leave. They had no right.”
“I’ll talk with security.”
“You better. Ian’s spot on the team is not guaranteed. And I want Ben Timlin fired.”
Without hesitating, Reed said, “I’m not going to fire Ben.”
“If you want Ian on the team, you will.”
“Ben’s one of our best ski patrollers. I need him. It’s not negotiable.”
Jenkinson pressed his lips into a thin line. “Fine. We have a deal.” He strode from the room.
Reed opened a window, letting the frigid air clear the stink out of the room, and said to Gertrude, “Please get Kalin Thompson in here.”
CHAPTER FIVE
November 26th
“We’ve got a problem,” Reed said to Kalin the moment she crossed through his doorway. “Come in and sit down.”
Without speaking, Kalin entered and sat. Reed seemed agitated, and she waited for him to say what was on his mind. She pulled at the bottom of her cropped jacket and shifted in her seat.
“Coach Jenkinson has made a complaint about the security team.”
Kalin wanted to look away from the intense stare of his husky-blue eyes, to look at the family photos that filled the corner of his desk or out the window at the spectacular view of the Purcell Mountains, but she forced herself to maintain eye contact. “Who’s he?”
“The coach of the Holden ski team. You need to know the local players. In your new role, it’s not acceptable for you to be unaware of who he is.”
Harsh. Her first day as the director of security, and she was already being reprimanded for something as inconsequential as not knowing who a local was.
“Two of your officers were called to the lift today to deal with an altercation between Steve McKenzie and a ticket checker.”
Kalin’s stomach tightened. She performed well as the human resources manager, and she liked being good at her job. What made her think she could take on security? Mini police chief sounded cool. But really, what did she know about running security at a ski resort or the politics that came with the position? “Did security do something wrong?”
“They intimidated Jenkinson and McKenzie.”
McKenzie dated Kalin’s friend Nora Cummings. Small town connections drove her crazy. If she sided with security over McKenzie, she sided against Nora. “They must have had a reason.”
“That doesn’t matter. I want Jenkinson and McKenzie to be left alone.”
“Regardless of what they do?”
Reed clenched and unclenched his ja
w. “They’re too important around here.”
She would do as he asked even though the instruction seemed wrong. Until she got a handle on running security, she’d have to take direction from Reed. So much for getting on Fred’s good side and having him support her promotion. She hadn’t even met with him yet. “I’ll notify Fred.”
* * *
Kalin needed to speak to Fred about her promotion, but with the added complication of telling him about Reed’s instructions for the security team, she’d rather avoid the meeting altogether.
As she walked along the administration building hallway, Kalin called Ben. “Can you talk?”
“Yup. I’m in the dispatch hut.”
She stopped at her office, picked up Chica and walked toward the lower village, skirting the gondola. “I just met with Reed. You won’t believe what happened.”
“Is he pulling McKenzie from the hill?”
“How do you know about him?”
“I was at the lift this morning. I stopped the chair and made him get off.” Ben explained what had happened.
“Reed never mentioned you were there.”
“Shit. I wonder if that means I’m in trouble. Jenkinson threatened to have me fired.”
“Reed’s not going to fire you for doing your job.”
“Man, I hope not. I don’t get what Nora sees in McKenzie.”
Chica strained against her leash, and Kalin yanked her back, encouraging her to heel. “Me neither. Reed’s authorizing him to ski without a pass.”
“You’re kidding. What about Amber?”
Kalin clomped down the metal stairs that connected the upper and lower village, and snow dropped between the grids with each step. The cuffs of her jeans were frozen by the time she hit the path. “She’ll have to accept it. It gets worse. He told me to instruct the security team not to interfere with the coach or McKenzie. Fred will hate that. We haven’t even talked about me being his boss, and this is my first directive.”
“He’ll be cool. He knows Reed.”
“I didn’t even argue. I should have told Reed I couldn’t agree.” Requiring special treatment for anyone was the wrong message to give to the security team. Maybe once Reed had more time to think about the situation, she could talk him into changing his mind.
“I don’t think you want to counter Reed on the first thing he asks you to do as a director. Just tell Fred what happened.”
Fred’s office was tucked between the general store and The Creek Side Restaurant, and the balcony gave the security team an unobstructed view of the street. “I’m outside his office now. I’ll call you later.”
“Hey, don’t forget about my rain check.”
Kalin smiled and disconnected the call. She’d rather look forward to a rendezvous with Ben than think about the Goddess being back at the resort.
The open layout of the security quarters contained Fred’s office, the security team’s meeting room and workspace. Kalin sat at the conference table. Her ankles were freezing, and she wanted to take off her boots and wet socks. Chica trotted along with her and settled at her feet.
Kalin imagined a similar meeting space could be found in any police station. Despite the meeting topic and her crappy exchange with Reed, she was excited about being the mini police chief. On the wall was a BOLO—Be On The Lookout—list that contained names of people at the resort who security wanted to monitor. Thieves, drug dealers, stalkers. The BOLO list was her responsibility now.
“Thanks for seeing me,” she said.
Fred grabbed a dog treat from a desk drawer and joined Kalin at the table, sitting across from her, his back stiff. He placed the notebook he used to keep track of details squarely on the table. Kalin saw him sneak a treat to Chica, and she liked the kind streak that tempered his serious nature. His hair, cropped short in a military style, framed a square face that he often kept expressionless, and she had a hard time reading him.
“I’m sorry about Tom,” Kalin said. “How’s the team taking his death?”
“They’re okay. They’re a tight group.”
“Reed approved closing security for the day of Tom’s funeral.”
“What about first-aid?”
“Ski patrol can handle anything that comes up in the village. If there’s a big issue, the RCMP can assist.”
“The team will like that,” Fred said. “Thank you.”
“Reed told me he spoke with you.”
A fleeting smile crossed his face. “He did. Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me being your boss. Tom had a lot of experience.”
“I’m fine with it.”
Kalin needed Fred’s support. He had the training, and every member of the security team respected him. Even though he hadn’t asked, she felt the urge to explain. “With the season starting so soon, Reed wanted the role filled quickly. Your duties won’t change. The only difference will be that you report to me instead of Tom.”
Fred jerked his chin in a quick motion as if he was nodding but couldn’t quite bring himself to fully agree with Kalin’s explanation. “Okay.”
“Is this going to be a problem?”
“Who’s the new HR manager?”
Kalin let it slide that he’d ignored her question. She guessed he needed time to decide if her promotion would be a problem or not, and telling him about Reed’s decision regarding the altercation at the lift was not going to help. “I’ve promoted Monica Bellman.”
A squeak of air escaped from Chica, and Kalin hoped a gaseous emission wasn’t about to permeate the room.
“Good choice. She deserves the job.” Fred waved one hand in front of his face and pressed his palm over his nose. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s rancid.”
Kalin couldn’t help but laugh. Her laugh was contagious, and Fred joined her.
Chica stared at Kalin with her brown eyes as if saying, “And what are you going to do about it?”
Kalin opened the nearest window. “It’s like she knows what she’s done.”
Fred chuckled. “What do you feed her?”
“It must have been something Ben gave her. I’d never do that to her.”
After the air cleared, and they stopped laughing, Kalin spent half an hour talking about logistics. For the first couple of months on the job, she wanted to be included in the weekly security meetings. She wanted a weekly debrief from Fred personally, without the rest of the team present. She asked him for each team member’s latest performance reviews. She intended to know each security officer. Reed was not going to catch her off-guard again.
A puddle formed beneath her feet as the ice melted off her jeans and water trickled into her boots. “There’s one more thing.”
Fred waited.
“I spoke with Reed earlier today.” Kalin described her meeting with Reed and the outcome.
Fred grunted. “Have you met Coach Jenkinson?”
Kalin shook her head.
“He’s not the kind of guy who can be intimidated. Who was the skier?”
“Steve McKenzie.”
“Something else is going on. There’s no way, with those two together, anyone from security intimidated them.”
“Reed asked us to give them special treatment. No matter what they do, they’re not to be bothered by security.”
“You agreed to that?”
“I did.”
Fred stared at her with flat, grey eyes. “So the first thing you do as director of security is change a rule I’ve had in place for years. There is no special treatment for anyone.” His voice was polite, but his expression told her he was suppressing anger.
“I didn’t agree with him, but he gave me no choice.”
“Does this have anything to do with Nora?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re friends with Nora. Nora dates McKenzie.”
“I’m going to forget you said that.” Back to the small town connections. Who her friends were was not a secret
. But to say she’d let her friends influence her decisions at work, well, that was just wrong.
* * *
After driving down the mountain with Ben and dropping him at the grocery store, Kalin hustled into the drugstore in Holden and stopped abruptly when she spotted Nora Cummings. The nineteen-year-old stood in an aisle, staring at a home pregnancy test.
Kalin reversed direction and turned out of the aisle before Nora saw her. She picked up her birth control pills from the pharmacist and strode toward the cashier.
Nora turned into Kalin’s aisle. “Oh…”
Kalin kept her eyes away from Nora’s hands. Short, black hair that stuck out at odd angles topped Nora’s five-foot-one, hundred-pound frame. As usual, Nora wore cargo pants tucked into work boots, and Kalin guessed she’d bought her parka at an army surplus store. Dressed in her puffy ski jacket, skinny jeans and leather boots with a heel, Kalin knew she looked elegant by comparison even though she felt like a giraffe towering over Nora.
Nora’s sparky personality attracted Kalin. Despite their age difference, they were friends. The problem—Nora dated Steve McKenzie, and he didn’t like to socialize with anyone other than skiers and coaches. “Ben and I are going to a movie tonight. Wanna come?”
“Thanks.” Nora moved her hand behind her back, hiding the test. “But I’ve got too much going on. I’m tuning for the Holden team and preparing the rental shop for the season. My boss is letting me prep the shop at night.”
“That’s good news. Does that mean you’re Steve’s tuner again?”
“Yeah.” Nora grinned. “We’re both stoked. Hey, wasn’t today your first day as a director? How was it?”
“Harder than I thought it’d be.”
Nora grimaced. “Because of Steve at the lift?”
Kalin wondered what version of the story had circulated throughout the resort. “You heard.”
“Sometimes Steve’s…” Nora shrugged as if that explained everything.
“Don’t worry about it. It’ll work out.” Kalin paid, placed her purchases in a cloth bag, gave Nora a quick wave and bolted.
She idled her truck in the drugstore parking lot and watched the exhaust glow in the reflection of the store lights. She turned the temperature to max and held her hands over the vents while she waited for Ben. She still hadn’t mentioned Vicky Hamilton to him. Maybe the Goddess would disappear in a puff of smoke. She distracted herself from that thought by people watching.
Descent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1) Page 3
