Descent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1)

by Kristina Stanley

On her way through Reed’s outer office, Kalin stopped at Gertrude’s desk and explained what she needed.

  “I can give you Tuesdays at noon and Fridays at five thirty.” Gertrude looked apologetic and shrugged her shoulders. “He doesn’t have any other regular times open.”

  Ben was not going to be happy. He already thought she was spending too much time at work. Now she’d be home late every Friday night.

  * * *

  Kalin returned to her office and to a flashing message waiting light. She stared at the blinking square. Sometimes her boss was a jerk. How could he expect her to know about every lock on the resort? The light demanded her attention, and Kalin jabbed it with her thumb. Monica had left her a voicemail saying Mark Gardner was waiting in the HR reception area. Not sure who he was, she called Monica.

  “He’s a snowmaker. He said you asked to see him when he returned from Vancouver.”

  “Of course. Send him over.”

  Kalin’s phone rang.

  “Your painting is ready,” Lisa Hudson said. “Are you still interested in coming down for lunch?”

  “Yes. Hang on a sec.” Kalin opened her calendar and checked her schedule. “Oh, I don’t think I can make it. Lunch is a bit tight, but I’d like to get together. Could we meet later?”

  “Sure. I close at five thirty.”

  “Great. I’ll be there.”

  Nineteen-year-old Mark Gardner stood in Kalin’s doorway. His black hair, wet from hard physical labor of the dawn shift, sat plastered against his scalp. He had a skier’s raccoon tan and a toothy smile. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Come in.” Kalin guided him to her guest chair. “I’m sorry about your father.”

  He gave a slight nod. “Thanks.”

  “I’m sure you know about Steve McKenzie.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m interested in the morning you were called home. Did you see anyone in or around the tuning room on your way out?”

  “Actually I did.”

  His answer surprised her. “Who?”

  “I don’t know. I was running to the mountain ops building. I saw the door to the tuning room open and close. You can see it through the glass door at the back of the administration building.”

  “What time was that?”

  “It had to be a little after four.”

  “You didn’t think that was odd?”

  “I didn’t think about it at all. Not until my boss said you wanted to see me. I’d just gotten a call my dad had a heart attack. Anyway, it was before the crash, so there was nothing to be suspicious about.”

  “I’m sorry. That was insensitive. Of course you were focused on your dad. Can you describe anything about the person?”

  “Tall and thin, but I’m not sure whether it was a man or a woman.”

  “Can you remember what the person was wearing?”

  “I’m sorry. I know this is important, but I just wasn’t paying attention.”

  “That’s okay. It’s enough that we know someone entered the tuning room. Would you mind calling Constable Miller with the RCMP and telling him what you told me?” Kalin wrote Miller’s number on a yellow sticky and handed it to Mark. If only he’d been able to describe the person, but at least Mark had seen someone, someone to blame other than Nora. Donny still came in first as a suspect. Now another person entered the race.

  Fred entered her office minutes after Mark left. “You’ve got a problem.”

  “I know. If the building is closed for more than two weeks, I’ll have to find rooms in town for the staff. You and I need to interview Amber Cristelli. Monica can guard the tuning room in about an hour.”

  “I’m not talking about the flood. Security found a dead deer early this morning. Killed in front of the Alpine Tracks lift.”

  Kalin sucked her lips between her teeth.

  “Something ripped its neck apart. The guys spent over half an hour moving the body and shoveling bloody snow away from the front of the lift.”

  “What did they do with the deer?”

  “They used a front end loader and moved the carcass behind the maintenance shed. The security reports from last night said your dog was missing and they were keeping an eye out for her.”

  “That’s true.”

  “If the conservation officer finds out a dog killed a deer, he’ll put the dog down.”

  “How would he know a deer’s been killed?”

  “I followed protocol and reported the incident. He’s coming up later to have a look at the deer. He’ll remove the body from the resort.”

  “Chica came home by herself last night. It couldn’t have been her.”

  “Did she have any blood on her?”

  Kalin’s heart thudded. She didn’t like to lie, but she loved Chica and intended to protect her. “No.”

  Fred waited a couple of heartbeats. “I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll return in an hour to interview Amber.”

  Kalin called Ben and left a message.

  * * *

  Amber dangled the scanning gun at her side and leaned against the wall outside the tuning room. Her head pounded, reminding her of what an idiot she’d been. Booze made her mean, but she’d been so pissed off last night. The problem was after she had one drink, she could never convince herself another would be an issue. All she had to do now was stay quiet. With the snowstorm last night, she couldn’t have been seen. When she’d returned to the bar, none of her friends commented on her absence. She’d gone straight onto the dance floor and danced with her pals, feeling awfully smart.

  She’d finally met someone decent. After their first night together, Amber knew she could be serious about Donny. Now, she’d gone and done something stupid. Something he wouldn’t like. Why she had risked her relationship with him, she couldn’t explain to herself. No more assholes for her and no more dumb moves.

  Her hangover would get worse during the day. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, staving off the nausea. Cool air crossed her face, and she opened her eyes. Kalin, Fred and Monica headed toward her. They couldn’t know.

  “We need to speak with you,” Fred said. “Monica will monitor the door.”

  “Sure. What’s up?” Amber said with forced cheeriness.

  “Let’s go to my office. We can talk there.” Kalin took the scanning gun from Amber and handed the unit to Monica. “Thanks. We shouldn’t be long.”

  The walk to Kalin’s office felt like an eternity, giving stress time to build inside her as if snow were piling up before an avalanche. She blew into her palm, sniffed for any left over beer stench and breathed in the scent of mint toothpaste. She wanted to go home and hide. She didn’t want to face Fred and Kalin together. All she had to do was deny, deny, deny.

  Kalin began the questioning as soon as she closed her office door. “Do you know what happened in staff housing last night?”

  “Everybody’s talking about it.” Amber sat in a guest chair and waited for Kalin and Fred to sit. They weren’t going to intimidate her. Fred sat in the second guest chair.

  Kalin lowered herself into the swivel chair in front of her desk. “Did you see anything?”

  “No. I wasn’t there. I had to be out by seven.” Amber should have known they’d suspect her. She’d been evicted the day before and stomped out of Kalin’s office. If she’d been chill about the eviction or if she’d waited a few days, she might not be on their list of criminals. They couldn’t have proof, but she found the way Fred stared at her unnerving.

  Fred shifted, and his chair squeaked. “Where did you spend last night?”

  Amber raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Like how is that your business?”

  “Someone flooded the building on purpose. From what I hear, you left Kalin’s office angry yesterday. I’d like to know where you were,” Fred said.

  “I was in the bar with friends from ten thirty until two. After that, it’s none of your business.”

  “I’d like a list of those friends.”

  “No
way. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

  “We need someone to verify you were in the bar.”

  “Like I’d give you my friends’ names. Then they’ll know you think I flooded the building.”

  The discussion followed a tortuous path, never getting anywhere, and Kalin and Fred finally gave up and let her leave. Amber hoped she left them believing she had nothing to do with the flood, but she doubted it. She’d stick to the same story if the cops came around. In the meantime, back to work, hangover and all. Time to cut back on drinking.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Kalin and Lisa relaxed in a corner booth of the Happy Hound pub at the south end of Main Street, Holden drinking chilled white wine. After meeting Lisa at her gallery and picking up her painting, they’d decided to go for a drink.

  The server placed a bowl of peanuts on the table and Kalin pushed them toward Lisa.

  “You don’t like nuts?”

  “I’m allergic.” Kalin shook her medical alert bracelet at Lisa. “Nora’s never said how you ended up adopting her.”

  “There’s not much to tell. Rachel, my daughter, was the same age as Nora, and when Nora’s mom died, adopting her seemed like the right thing to do. The girls spent most of their time together in day care, and Nora’s mom had no other family.”

  “You must have been close with her mom.”

  “I was.” Lisa picked up a menu. “Are you hungry?”

  Kalin got the impression Lisa wanted to change the subject, so she read a menu. After they ordered, Lisa seemed subdued as they waited for their food to arrive.

  The pub owner’s wife ran a pet adoption organization in the valley, which explained the pub’s name. One wall boasted photos of hundreds of dogs and cats that had been adopted over the last ten years. The other wall displayed the local ski successes and early photos of Stone Mountain, chronicling its history.

  “The painting looks perfect in the frame.” Kalin poked her fork into a spear of grilled asparagus. “I can’t wait to hang it. It’ll liven up my office.”

  “If you’d like another one, let me know. I can custom make one for you.”

  Susan Reed entered the pub, nodded hello to Kalin and sat at the next table with the owner’s wife. Kalin overheard their discussion about cats needing adoption, Susan’s role in delivering cats around the valley and the list of cats in her care. Susan appeared friendly and animated, nothing like the day Kalin had seen her talking with Ian at the bottom of the ski run.

  “Do you know Amber Cristelli?” Lisa asked, pulling Kalin back to their conversation.

  “Sure. She works at the resort. Why?”

  Lisa topped up their wine glasses from the bottle of Chardonnay. “She’s dating Donny. He seems smitten.”

  “I’m not surprised. I’ve seen them flirting with each other.” Kalin felt a pit grow in her stomach. She couldn’t tell Lisa about her suspicion Amber had flooded staff housing.

  “Any idea what she’s like? It’s been a long time since Donny’s had a girlfriend.”

  Lisa was being a protective aunt, and Kalin wanted to help her but couldn’t. “I’ve only talked with her a few times. She’s a ticket checker. I know she has an interest in tuning.” She stuck to the truth but still felt as if she’d lied.

  “Well, at least they have something in common. Jeff will be happy for him, but I’m sure he’ll have an opinion on Amber. He’s always looking out for Donny. Especially since his accident.”

  “The accident must have been hard for both of them. I read a little about Donny’s ski career. It’s great he tunes for Holden. If he’s that close to the sport, I’m surprised he doesn’t ski.”

  “Whenever I ask him why, he changes the subject. He was so good. It’s a shame he won’t try the sit-ski.”

  “Does Jeff ever encourage him?”

  “I’m not sure. In some ways, the accident was worse for Jeff than Donny. He was supposed to drive Donny home that night. They were at a party, and he wanted to stay later, so Donny caught a ride with a friend. Jeff’s been trying to make it up to him ever since.”

  Kalin knew the so-called friend had been Steve McKenzie.

  “Is there anything new in the investigation?” Lisa asked, taking the conversation in a different direction.

  Kalin had hoped to avoid the topic, but understood, that like many in town, Lisa had known McKenzie and would be curious. “I don’t know. The RCMP is pretty quiet about what they’re doing.”

  “What about you? Are you looking into it too?”

  Kalin wasn’t sure how candid she should be in answering Lisa’s questions. “Not really. I’ve been asked to secure the racers’ equipment and let the RCMP know if I find out anything useful.”

  “I would have thought your boss would want his own investigation.”

  “He has a good relationship with the RCMP. He trusts them.” Kalin sipped her wine. “Jeff’s skiing well. I watched a couple of his training runs. Donny told me the coach is focusing more on Jeff than he used to and Jeff’s times are getting faster.”

  And there was the look of a proud aunt.

  On her way out, Susan Reed stopped in front of Kalin and Lisa. “You’re Kalin, right?”

  “I am.” Kalin shook Susan’s hand.

  “I met with the conservation officer this morning to discuss stray pets in the area and wildlife. Your dog came up in the conversation.”

  “How come?” Kalin asked even though she knew the answer.

  “He said a deer was killed at the resort and suspects your dog.”

  “Is there going to be a problem?”

  “I put in a good word for you. He’s going to come and see you. The best thing for you to do is convince him she won’t be out loose again. He doesn’t know for sure it was your dog, so you should be okay.”

  “Can I ask why you’d help me?”

  Susan smiled and her face lit up. “I like animals. Even dogs. Sometimes I like them more than people.”

  * * *

  Kalin left the pub, walked along Main Street and enjoyed the Christmas lights. The town had the festive feel of a community getting ready for a celebration. Every store showed off its talent for hanging Christmas decorations. A Santa, eight feet tall, waved at her as she walked by the bookstore, using a motion sensor to set off the hand. Kalin waved back.

  Kalin and Ben hadn’t decorated their place yet, but tomorrow she’d make time. This was their first Christmas together, and she wanted the holidays to be special. This was also her first Christmas away from her family in Ottawa. She missed her parents and even her brother. Being estranged didn’t mean she’d stopped caring about him.

  She waited at the rear corner of her Jeep for the traffic to clear before she opened her door. Donny drove by and beeped his horn. She hopped into her driver’s seat and on impulse followed him. He turned into a subdivision not far from the town center and then into a driveway of a bungalow. She wondered if his family had moved there after his accident to make life easier for him.

  The garage door opened, and Donny drove in. Kalin pulled up to the side of the snow-covered road, guessing where the curb might be, and got out.

  “Hey,” she called to Donny before he shut the garage door.

  He turned his chair around to face her. “Kalin?”

  She didn’t have a plan, but the simplest thing would be to come straight to the point. Donny was smart, and she suspected he’d see through her if she bullshitted him.

  “I want to talk to you about Nora. Can you spare a minute?”

  “I’ve got to take care of Jeff’s equipment.”

  Kalin examined the garage. High tech tuning equipment filled half of the space. Except where snow plopped off Donny’s van, the floor was spotless. A seemingly impossible task in a garage that housed vehicles used to drive up the mountain and back every day.

  “You tune all day and then come home and do Jeff’s skis?”

  “Yes. Jeff likes keeping his gear here.”

  “I’m surprised Nora do
esn’t tune them.”

  “She used to, but you know…”

  “I’m worried about her,” Kalin said.

  Donny pulled off his mitts and dropped them on a shelf. “I don’t like gossiping.”

  “I don’t want to gossip about her. I want to help her.”

  Donny waited for her to speak.

  “Do you remember a couple of weeks ago, you were in the drugstore at the same time as Nora?”

  Donny remained silent.

  “I think you know what I’m talking about.”

  He blew a bubble with his gum. “I’m not going to talk about Nora’s private life.”

  “I’m Nora’s friend, and I’m worried about her.”

  “You said that.” Donny opened the mini fridge that rested in the corner of the garage and pulled out two bottles of beer. “Want one?”

  She took the offered beer and searched for the Sasquatch hidden on the Kokanee label. “I don’t think Nora killed McKenzie, but she’s mad at me right now, and I don’t know how to help her.”

  Donny spit his gum into the garbage can. He placed one of Jeff’s skis in clamps and fussed with the tightness.

  “Donny, please. Nora is in way over her head.”

  He took a deep breath, his back to Kalin, and spoke quietly. “How do I know you’re not trying to trick me?”

  “I don’t know. All I can say is she’s my friend.”

  “I’ve known Nora a long time.”

  Kalin took this for a good sign. Maybe he would talk. She waited.

  “Nora dated Jeff all through high school, and I was the tag-along little brother. She never minded I was there.”

  “Your aunt told me how close you were.”

  “Really? How do you know Lisa?”

  “I bought one of her paintings, and we hit it off.”

  “That’s good. My aunt needs a friend.”

  Kalin didn’t understand what he meant. Lisa seemed happy, settled in her life, with a thriving business. She sipped her beer and meandered around the garage. She was cold but didn’t want to complain. “Did Nora tell you why she was at the drugstore last week?”

  Donny hunched his shoulders and bit his lip. “I guess we both know.”