by Kathi Daley
“So she wants to sell the stock in order to cash out and divide the value of the asset equally,” I guessed.
“Exactly. The problem is that no one wants to buy stock in a closely held corporation when it doesn’t come with the power of decision attached to it.”
That made sense. As long as Chance’s father owned the controlling interest, he could do as he pleased whether Stephanie agreed or not, making her stock all but useless. With his father out of the way, Stephanie was a lot closer to being able to sell her stock to Michael than she had been.
“Do you think Michael killed your father to get his land?”
“I’d like to think he wouldn’t stoop so low, but honestly, I’m not sure. He’s used to getting his way, and I’m sure it grated on him that my father wouldn’t sell Bear Mountain to him, although I don’t know why he thinks it’s his right to own the whole mountain in the first place. Michael has been known to be very calculating in his movements, and he showed up at the party this year, which he’s never done in the past.”
Zak frowned. “He showed up at the party? I hadn’t heard that. Why?”
“He said that after my dad had his stroke he realized how silly the feud between us was and wanted to mend fences. He pointed out that we were family, and family should come before business, but if you ask me, he’s just arrogant enough to think he could get away with murder in the middle of a huge gathering of family and friends.”
“So you think he was lying about his reason for being there?” Zak asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe. The reality is, the line separating the two families has been softened somewhat lately. I suppose it’s possible Michael really did decide it was time to put the feud to rest once and for all.”
“What do you mean about the line softening?” I asked.
“Kyle has been dating Michael’s niece, Mercedes, which isn’t as odd as it sounds. She’s the daughter of Michael’s sister Franny’s husband and is therefore not a blood relation.”
“Franny is the sister who died?” I asked, remembering that Zak had mentioned her to me before we arrived at Bear Mountain.
“Yes. Franny married Walter after the death of his first wife. Mercedes was two years old at the time. Franny and Walter raised her together until both were killed in a small plane accident when she was six. Walter didn’t have any other family, so Michael took her in and raised her as his own. Michael and Mercedes are very close, but they aren’t related by blood.”
“So Kyle and Mercedes have been doing the Romeo and Juliet thing. What did your father think about that?”
“He wasn’t happy about it, but Kyle is an adult and can do as he pleases.”
“And Michael?” I asked.
“He likes Kyle and actually seems to be fine with it. Kyle is fond of Michael as well.”
I paused a moment to process everything. It took me a minute to wrap my head around the reason Chance might be concerned that Kyle and Michael got along, but then it occurred to me that Stephanie wanted to sell to Michael, and if she could convince Kyle to agree to sell as well, that would give Michael the majority he needed.
“Are there restrictions on the ownership of Echo Ridge Resort similar to the ones on Bear Mountain?” I asked.
“No. The complicated restrictions originated with my grandfather, Robert, after the mountain had been divided between him and his brother, Joseph. As far as I know, Michael, who inherited his land from Joseph, can leave his portion of the mountain to whomever he pleases. I suppose he plans to leave Echo Ridge to Mercedes; he never had children of his own.”
“Which means that if Kyle joins up with Stephanie and sells to Michael and then eventually marries Mercedes, it’s conceivable he could end up with the whole mountain someday. Do you think Kyle would kill your father to force a sale?”
“Absolutely not.” Chance lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair. He was obviously a man in pain.
“So, at this point Michael is the only suspect in your mind?”
Chance groaned. “I don’t know. Maybe. Michael is ambitious, but I’m not sure I believe he would kill his own cousin. The problem I’m having is that every time I make a list of anyone who had both motive and opportunity to kill my father it turns out to be a list of family members, which is why I wanted an outside perspective.”
I really did feel sorry for Chance. I could see this was tearing him apart. Believing your father might very well have been murdered by a close relation had to be an unbearable position to be in.
“Zak and I are happy to help you with this,” I assured him. “The first thing we need to do is make that list. I know you said there were a hundred guests at the party, but of those hundred people who had motive?”
Chance took a deep breath before he answered. Then he said, “We’ve discussed the fact that Michael had both motive and opportunity. I guess you have a point about Kyle having motive as well, and he certainly had opportunity, but I absolutely don’t think he would kill his own father. Aunt Stephanie was at the party and she’s wanted to sell her stock for some time, so I guess she had motive as well, but there’s no way she’d kill her own brother.”
“How about Stephanie’s husband?” I asked. “I imagine he’d like to see his son end up with something.”
“Yes, Brian should be on the list, as well as Jordan if we’re going to be completely impartial about creating a list of those who would potentially benefit from my father’s death.”
“So I have Michael, Kyle, Stephanie, Brian, and Jordan, who will all benefit from the sale of Bear Mountain to Michael.”
“I suppose you should add Mercedes as long as you’re at it. As I said, as far as I know she’ll inherit whatever Michael owns at the time of his death.”
Poor Chance. He looked so defeated.
“What about your sister?” I asked.
“Veronica? I don’t have any reason to believe she supports a sale. As far as I know, she’s happy living on the mountain.”
I glanced at Zak and then back at Chance. “We’ve talked about motive; now let’s discuss opportunity. Were Michael, Kyle, Stephanie, Brian, Mercedes, and Jordan all at the party at the time your father died?”
“They were. At least I think they were all still on the premises. Michael came late and didn’t stay until the end, but I think he was still in the restaurant when Dad left. Mercedes came with Kyle and was with him the entire afternoon, so it’s unlikely either of them could have killed my father unless they were in on it together, which I absolutely don’t believe.” Chance sighed. “It’s really hard to say who was where when my father was killed. The lunch was a buffet, so people were mingling, eating, and talking. I only noticed my dad was missing because I was keeping an eye on him because of his health. And he remained seated from the time he arrived right up until I noticed him leave.”
“Do you remember who he was talking to just prior to his leaving the restaurant?”
Chance looked at the floor. I waited for him to respond. “Kyle. He was talking to Kyle. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but it looked like they were arguing. I’m going to guess Dad wasn’t thrilled Kyle had invited Mercedes to the party. He might have blamed him for Michael’s appearance as well.”
I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if my father was murdered and all the suspects turned out to be family members. “I know this is difficult for you. We have a list to start with. If nothing else, maybe we can eliminate everyone on it so we can focus on unrelated suspects.”
“I hope with all my heart the killer doesn’t turn out to be a Carrington. Thank you again for everything you’re doing.”
Chapter 5
Just then, someone from security came into Chance’s office and whispered in his ear. Chance excused himself from our meeting, which seemed to me to be pretty much over anyway. Zak needed to get back to the computer room, so I texted Alex, who said she’d been invited to go snowboarding with Nikki and her friends. I called doggie daycare to check on Charlie, who was doi
ng fine, then wandered aimlessly around the village, trying to decide how I wanted to spend my suddenly free afternoon.
As I mulled over the information Chance had provided, I realized tracking down Daniel Carrington’s murderer was going to be tricky. I’d only talked to two Carrington family members so far, but already I could see there was a difference of opinion regarding the likelihood that Michael Carrington, who was the number one suspect in my mind, was guilty of committing the crime.
As an amateur sleuth who has managed to track down more than twenty killers, I can say without a doubt that the most valuable tool in a detective’s toolbox is the gift of gab. Talk to enough people and eventually someone is going to say something that offers the perspective you need to figure out who did what to whom. I was at a disadvantage here at Bear Mountain because I didn’t know anyone; striking up a conversation about the murder of the resort’s owner wasn’t going to be easy. I hoped Zak would finish with his computer stuff today so he could help me out with the man-on-the-street part of the investigation. At least he had been to the resort before; there were bound to be some people who knew him.
Deciding that I wasn’t in the mood for shopping, I headed to the coffee bar, where I found Veronica Carrington, who Nikki had briefly introduced me to earlier when we toured the administration office. She was sitting alone at a table sipping a latte while she weeded through a pile of paperwork. I decided to approach her.
“Is your meeting with my brother over already?” Veronica asked as she cleared a spot for me to sit across from her.
“Chance was pulled away, but I think we were close to being finished anyway.”
Veronica motioned for the barista to bring me a coffee.
“We didn’t have a chance to chat earlier, but I did want to offer my condolences on the death of your father.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. It’s been an extremely difficult time.”
“I honestly can’t imagine how I’d feel if something like that happened to my family.”
Veronica sat back and looked at me. She paused as she seemed to be attempting to make up her mind about something. I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t like I was a local or even a close family friend. I suppose most people would think I had no business nosing around in matters that didn’t concern me. Of course after more than a minute of intense perusal I began to squirm.
“I can take my coffee to go if you’re busy.” I nodded to the pile of paperwork on the table.
“That won’t be necessary. Actually, I’d like to get to know the woman who managed to nail Zak Zimmerman.”
“I guess you know him from when he used to come to the resort before we were together.”
Veronica smiled. “I have to confess I had a crush on him. I’m a few years older than he is, but that didn’t matter. Zak is the type who commands attention by his very presence. You’re a lucky woman.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “I am.”
“Chance tells me that you’re some sort of amateur sleuth.”
“Not intentionally, but it does seem I tend to get tangled up in murder investigations a lot more often than most.”
“And you think you can find my dad’s killer?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.
“Why don’t we take a walk? It’s a beautiful day and I wouldn’t mind getting some fresh air. I’ll just need to drop this stuff off in my car first.”
“A walk sounds nice.” I wasn’t 100 percent sure at this point what Veronica was after, but going along with the woman and hearing what she had to say seemed the best plan for finding out where she stood on things. I felt like I was beginning to get a picture of the circumstances leading up to Daniel Carrington’s death, but my Zodar was tingling, which usually meant there was more going on than met the eye.
After leaving her paperwork in her car, Veronica started down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. Luckily, she was petite, as I was, so it wasn’t all that hard to keep up with her pace.
“First of all, I want to go on record as saying I didn’t agree with Chance’s decision to get you involved in what’s really a private family matter.”
Uh-oh. I could see this was going to be one of those discussions.
“Having said that, he did invite you here and I do realize you’re only doing as he asked. I’m not happy about the situation, but I won’t hold it against you.”
“Thank you,” I said. I guess, I added to myself.
“The Mounties haven’t been able to give us any answers and it’s obvious from some of the comments they’ve made that they believe my father was killed by a family member. Chance hasn’t come out and said so, but I can tell he’s leaning in that direction. I, however, don’t agree with the idea that my father was killed by a Carrington.”
I slipped my hands into the pockets of my jacket. It was getting chilly now that the sun had begun to lower in the sky and I seemed to have left my mittens somewhere. “Do you have a theory as to who the guilty party might be?”
“No. I wish I did, but I don’t. I’m not in denial. I know there are a lot of people who potentially benefit financially from my father’s death. On the surface it seems one of those individuals must have killed him to ensure Bear Mountain is sold to Michael. The thing is, I’ve known these people my entire life and there isn’t a single Carrington on the mountain who would put financial gain over the life of a family member.”
“Chance made it sound as if you and he were the only ones who would fight the sale of the land now that your father has passed.”
Veronica stopped walking. She turned and looked directly at me. “Well, he’s wrong.”
“There are others who’ll speak out against the sale?”
“No. Most of us support the sale of the land to Michael.”
I frowned. “Including you?”
“Including me.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. Chance had made it seem as if Veronica was in favor of blocking the sale. “Care to elaborate?”
Veronica let out a long breath. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Yes.”
“I know Chance believes he can count on me to fight the sale of the stock, and I know it might seem that my desire to sell the resort demonstrates a lack loyalty to my grandfather, father, and brother, but I have a bachelor’s degree in communications. I never wanted to come back to the resort after university. In fact, my dream was to earn my master’s and doctorate and work in academia. But my dad guilted me into putting aside my dreams to take my place on the management team at Bear Mountain. It’s not that I was unappreciative of the fact that income from this resort paid for my education, but I can’t see myself stepping into my father’s footsteps and raising a family here, and I really can’t see asking anyone with a bright future to do so either.”
“So you plan to vote to sell your stock?”
Veronica tilted her head back and groaned. “I don’t know. I’ve been dealing with the conflict between what I want and what I should do my entire life. Prior to my father’s death, he had all the power, so selling wasn’t even a question. But now…now I’m tortured and conflicted. The fact that I know Aunt Stephanie wants to sell has opened a door I have no idea whether I should walk through. With her thirty shares of stock and my twenty, we have a majority. I don’t want to be disloyal to the family I love so very much, but I’ll admit I’m very tempted.”
“I suppose if Kyle joins with Stephanie and sells his stock, you’d be free to sell yours with a clear conscious.”
“If he sells his stock, which in my opinion is a huge if.”
“I know I’m an outsider here, but based on what I’ve heard so far, it seems as if Kyle might have the potential to gain quite a lot by the sale of the resort.”
“I don’t know what you’ve heard or from whom, but I have a strong suspicion Kyle doesn’t want to sell his stock, which will leave the decision to me.”
I paused. “I thought Kyle was dating Michael’s niece.”
“He is
.”
I took a minute to try to work things through in my mind.
“It has to do with seniority,” Veronica explained. “Mercedes is second in command to Michael at Echo Ridge. If Bear Mountain is sold to Michael, Mercedes will still be second in command of the merged resorts, and if a job was offered to Kyle—and I assume one would be—Mercedes would be his boss. I suspect that wouldn’t go over well with him.”
I supposed that made sense. “Is Kyle second in command here at Bear Mountain?”
“No. A man named Bruce Bolton is. He’s worked just under my father my entire life. If we vote not to sell Bear Mountain to Michael, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. It seems as if there’s a conflict between Chance and Bruce now that Chance has taken the lead. Chance has mentioned on more than one occasion that it’s time for Bruce to retire, and when he does, I’m sure Kyle will be offered his job; Kyle has basically been running the place for years.”
I found the family dynamics interesting, and understanding what everyone was thinking could help identify a motive. “Do you mind if I ask about the chain of authority? I guess I don’t really understand the role everyone plays.”
“Prior to my father stepping down, he was the chief executive officer, Bruce was the general manager, Kyle was the operations manager, I was the chief financial officer, and Chance was the sales manager. After my father retired, Chance was made CEO and Marcus was promoted to sales manager.”
“I see. I guess I just assumed Chance was the general manager, or at least the operations manager.”
“After Chance divorced he liked to travel, so he chose to focus on sales. Kyle is more of a homebody who didn’t even leave the mountain to go to college.”
Given the circumstances, I could see why Chance and Bruce wouldn’t get along once the owner’s son bypassed him in the chain of command. If Daniel wanted a Carrington to be CEO, it seemed he should have promoted Kyle rather than Chance, even though Chance was the eldest of his children and Kyle the youngest.
