“I barely made it to my tent—I sure as heck didn’t make any side trips. The wind is killer.” Cornelius gulped at his choice of words.
“It’s getting a bit better. Stay safe.”
Jack pulled the flap closed and picked his way back up the slope to the rocks where Wally was hiding.
The weatherman rose wearily. “Tell me you didn’t find him dead in his tent.”
Jack shook his head. “Cornelius’s tent was empty.”
51
Divided We Fall
When Jack and Wally walked through the front door, Wally gasped. Jack jumped sideways and scanned the great room for what had frightened the man.
“They’re all gone!” Wally shouted. “They must have gotten the gondola working and took off on us!” He stomped his foot, spun on his heel, and faced Jack. Suddenly, his hands began to shake and his eyes grew as big as doughnuts. “Or m-maybe the killer got them…” He started to bolt outside, but Jack grabbed him by the hood.
“They’re all in Abe’s room,” Jack said. “I told Leah to move everyone there.”
Wally yanked his hood free. “You could have told me that.”
“Consider yourself told. Get moving.”
They walked down the hall, and Jack knocked on Abe’s door. “Leah, it’s Jack.”
The bureau slid out of the way, and Gavin opened the door. “Did you get the PLB?”
“No.”
“I knew you should have gone!” Gavin jabbed a finger in Leah’s face. “How do we know that he isn’t the killer?” He swung around and pointed his finger at Jack. “Everything was fine until he arrived, and now—boom, we’re dropping like flies!” His other hand tightened around the ax in his tool belt.
“For one…” Jack stepped forward and placed his right hand over Gavin’s, pinning the ax in place. “If I felt like it, I could kill everyone in this room right now.”
Chiri moved in front of Frida. “That’s probably true, but it’s not reassuring.”
“I should have worded that differently.” Jack held up his hands. “I’m not the killer. I was making a point. If I wanted to kill all of you, you’d be dead by now. And for the record, I would have killed Gavin first.”
Soft chuckles rose in the air, along with one loud huff from Gavin.
Bree stood up and winced. Her black eye was now turning purple. “Abe’s fever is worse.” She limped forward. “He must have an infection, and we don’t have the antibiotics he needs. I was afraid he’d lose his leg; now I’m afraid he’ll lose his life. We have to do something right now, or he’ll die. He would’ve carried any of us down this mountain, with or without a blizzard.”
Jack nodded. “I agree. We move to Plan B and get the signal flares ready. The storm is winding down. The first possible break, it’s showtime.”
Leah put a reassuring hand under Bree’s elbow and propped her up. “As soon as the cloud cover breaks, we’ll light this place up like the Fourth of July.” She smiled.
“Frida and Harvey,” Jack said, “come with me. Let’s get those flares.”
“I can go with you and Frida,” Chiri offered.
“Great,” said Harvey, opening a new bag of chips.
Jack stepped to the doorway and locked eyes with Leah. “Everyone else stays together.”
Leah nodded.
Frida and Chiri followed Jack to the control room. Jack opened the equipment cabinet, pulled out a plastic crate the size of a small cooler, and opened the top.
Chiri whistled low. “Leah wasn’t kidding about the Fourth of July.”
Inside the cooler were ten flare guns and dozens of flares. “They were going to have a contest where you each had to fire off a flare,” Jack said. “The rest were backups for your personal emergency flares.”
Frida shook her head. “Even on a good day, it’s going to be difficult for someone to see the flares. With this wind, they may not do much at all.”
“And even if they see them, they might think it’s part of the show,” Jack admitted.
“Then why are we doing it if no one is going to pay attention to them?” Frida asked.
“Because someone down there is paying attention,” Jack said. “My fiancée doesn’t like letting me out of her sight. She hasn’t been able to reach me for days. I’m surprised she hasn’t climbed up here already. But when she sees the flares, she’ll get us help.”
“If she sees the flares,” Frida said.
Jack nodded.
“That’s why I have a Plan C—the Chiri plan.” Chiri looked to Frida, who nodded and smiled. Chiri’s chest puffed out, and his cheeks reddened. “It’s actually the Chiri-Frida plan. We’ll trek down together and get help.”
Jack stared at them for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s still too risky, with the wind and fresh snow.”
Frida stood ramrod straight. “No. We’ve discussed this. We can’t sit by and let a fellow climber die. And, if you will forgive me, we have much more experience climbing in snow than you do.”
Chiri took her hand in his. “Nothing is impossible if we work together.”
Jack glanced at their hands. He thought he’d sensed something before, but… “Are you two… an item?”
Frida blushed, and Chiri let go of her hand.
“What? Us?” Chiri gave a laugh that was clearly forced. “We can’t be. But… I, ah…”
“We’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything,” Frida said sweetly. “The others don’t know. They might think we have an unfair advantage.”
“During the hiatus…” Chiri’s cheeks turned crimson. “We started seeing each other.”
“Please don’t tell anyone,” Frida asked again.
Jack shrugged. “My lips are sealed.”
“Jack!” Leah’s voice crackled over the radio. “HELP!”
52
Give Me a Name
Kiku parked right in front of the gate of the construction site, got out of the car, and left her door open. She didn’t bother with the buzzer. From the undisturbed snow, it was evident no one had come or gone.
The thick padlock on the gate was easy to pick. She grabbed the gate, yanked it free of the small snowdrift at its base, and waited. She’d made enough noise that she didn’t think she’d have to wait long… and she was right.
The door to the trailer flew open, and the Rottweiler leapt out, kicking up the snow with its claws as it raced toward her.
Kiku waited until it got within twenty yards before she whistled.
The little red rental car rocked on its shocks as Lady bounded out. The enormous King Shepherd let loose a howl that was an unmistakable challenge as it raced past Kiku, straight toward the charging dog.
The Rottweiler scrambled to stop; its paws slipped on the icy ground, and it rolled over twice before changing direction and bolting off with little scared yips.
Kiku whistled again, and Lady stopped as the Rottweiler crawled under the safety of an old pickup truck.
Lady planted her feet and barked three times, her head moving east, north, and west, challenging any other dog to show itself. There were no takers.
Kiku smiled and patted Lady’s broad back as they made their way to the trailer.
The door banged off the side of the trailer as Paul Miller kicked it open. He had a tire iron in one hand, and he raised it shakily and leveled it at Lady.
“How the hell—”
“I suggest you put that down so we can have a civil conversation.” Kiku and Lady stopped at the base of the stairs and glared up at Paul, who stood with one foot still in the trailer. Lady added a growl. Seeing as he was a convicted felon, Kiku had known the chances were good that Paul would have a weapon like this instead of a gun, but still she watched his hands and not his hate-filled face.
“Are you a cop?”
“No.” Kiku eyed the spindly man. He was most likely equal to her in strength, but her training gave Kiku a lopsided advantage. “I suggest you drop the tire iron and walk inside.”
Pa
ul scoffed. “You think I’m going to listen to you ch—”
Kiku’s left hand flicked out and hit Paul’s wrist while she grabbed the tire iron with her right and used the leverage to pivot the tire iron toward his thumb, the weakest part of his grip. As the tool came out of his hand she swung it into a tight arc and down, crushing the steel toe of his boot.
Paul shrieked.
Kiku shoved the man through the door and back into the trailer.
Paul screamed and swore again as he landed on the soiled carpet. “I’m calling the cops, you crazy—”
Kiku leveled the tire iron at his head. “Utter another word and it will be your last. You will not be calling anyone. Ever. Now get up and sit in that chair.” Without Kiku giving any direction, Lady stood at attention nearby, ready to spring.
Kiku pointed at an old office chair in front of a computer monitor playing an X-rated video. When she tapped the tire iron into the screen, the monitor cracked and blinked out.
Paul swore again. “I’m suing—”
“Your teeth are not much to look at, and judging by their appearance, you do not value them. Remember, they serve a purpose—chewing. If you want to keep them, close your mouth and answer when spoken to.”
Lady stuck her head into the trailer, sniffed, and backed out to wait on the top step.
Kiku’s nose wrinkled. The trailer stank of garbage, booze, body fluids, and stale cigarettes. She would prefer to leave, too. “You will not call the police because I will simply say my car broke down and you lured me back here and tried to take advantage of me. With your conviction for rape, who will they believe?”
Paul’s eyes darted to the tire iron and he grabbed for it.
Kiku knocked his hand away and backhanded him across the face—splitting his lip. His head jerked back and he stumbled against the chair.
“Sit. Now.”
Paul, wiping his hand across his bleeding lip, muttered something and sat down.
“Twelve years ago, you let someone steal a dump truck out of this yard. Who?”
Paul’s pockmarked face paled. His bloodshot eyes widened as he searched Kiku’s eyes. The unasked questions racing across his face confirmed her suspicions. He knew something.
The tire iron flashed in her hand and landed once again on the steel toe of his boot. She felt the metal flatten even further.
Paul shrieked and thrashed about in the chair.
“Right now, it is toes. Most likely they are not even broken—only slightly crushed. A couple more swings… and they will pop right off.”
“Bennie. The guy’s name was Bennie. But I had no idea he was gonna—”
Kiku pressed the tire iron down on his boot and leaned against it.
Paul shook his head, and spit flew from his mouth. “I didn’t. I didn’t. I’d never seen the guy before. I heard about him, but I’d never seen him.”
Kiku pressed harder.
“I ain’t lying. I’m not. He was supposed to be this badass hitman. But come on—his friggin’ name was Bennie. You ever meet a badass named Bennie?”
“Did you speak to him?”
“No. No. Only, like, three words. Big guy. Long black hair. Looked like a lumberjack. I pointed him to the truck and opened the gate.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why target that family?” Kiku thumped the tire against Paul’s boot, and he held up his hands.
“I don’t know. I don’t ask nothin’. I’m freakin’ nobody. My cousin only gave me the job here because of my mom. He can’t stand me.”
Kiku lifted the tire iron off Paul’s boot. She’d gotten everything she could from him. “You will not say anything to anyone about our chat.” She flipped the tire iron end over end and caught it deftly.
“My cousin is going—”
“Your cousin is Marco DeLaria—‘the Wrecker.’ Should you tell him that I came here and you told me nothing? Will your cousin believe that? He will do more than mash a couple of toes to find out, and then he will put a bullet in your head. I would like nothing more, so feel free to talk to your cousin at your earliest opportunity.”
Paul’s stare morphed into a pained grimace.
“I suggest you pry the boot off your foot before the toes swell too much, or you’ll still be wearing it weeks from now.”
Kiku backed out of the trailer, and Lady fell in line beside her. Kiku flung the tire iron over a pile of cinderblocks. As she walked through the snow, she didn’t feel the bitter cold. Her blood was pumping red-hot, and not just because of her interrogation of Paul. Her anger was fueled by the pain her news would bring to Alice.
One would think the tragedy of an auto crash killing your parents and brothers couldn’t get any worse.
But it just had.
Someone had put a hit out on Alice’s parents.
53
Into the Storm
Harvey and Bree were holding Abe down as his body convulsed again and again, racked by spasms. It was horrible to watch as the tall man’s back arched high and foam bubbled from his mouth. But it was even worse when, finally, his seizing ceased and his body collapsed against the bed.
Bree covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Chiri grabbed Jack’s arm and the two men stared at each other for a moment. Jack could see the resolve in the Sherpa’s face, and he recalled the expert climbing skills he had displayed in the contest.
Jack turned to Leah. “Chiri and Frida are going to descend the mountain and get help.”
“In this storm?” Vicky shook her head. “You two have gone mad. You’ll never make it. Besides, Abe doesn’t look like he’s going to last much longer. It’s not worth the risk.”
Bile rose in Jack’s stomach at her callousness.
Gavin put a hand on Vicky’s shoulder, leaned in, and whispered, “Let them go. They can get us help, and it’s not a risk for us.”
Harvey scowled. “I never thought I’d say this, but I really wish there was a camera taping you just then, Gavin. You really are a piece of work.”
“Can we tie Gavin up?” Wally asked hopefully.
Leah moved to stand in the doorway. She stared at the floor until the silence in the room grew thick. “I can’t allow you to try to make that trip. It’s too dangerous.”
Frida shook her head. “It’s our choice. And it’s Abe’s only chance. You can light off all the emergency flares you want, but there’s no guarantee anyone will see them, or think they’re actual calls for help rather than part of the show. Abe is running out of time.”
“And technically…” Chiri looked like a mother apologizing before she ripped a bandage off her child’s knee. “You can’t order us.”
“Then I’m asking you not to go,” Leah said.
Chiri touched his chest. “I’m a Sherpa. It’s in my heart and blood to help a fellow climber. I must go.” His eyes welled up with tears.
“Jack, make them stay,” Leah said. “Talk some sense into them.”
Jack knew that nothing he said would change their minds. There was a determination in their eyes that he’d seen many times. Soldiers, first responders, and rescue personnel sharing an undeniable bond. It isn’t just what they do, it’s who they are.
“I’ll walk with you to the ridge,” he said. “If there’s a break in the clouds, I’ll set off the flares.”
Chiri said, “And if there is no break, we’ll continue our descent.” Frida nodded in agreement.
Leah cast one more pleading look around the room, then lowered her gaze and stepped aside.
Vicky shook her head. “I’m telling you now, you’re both going to die.”
The wind had died down considerably, but snow continued to fall, and visibility remained poor when Jack, Chiri, and Frida arrived at the steep slope of the north face.
After what had happened to Abe, all three had inspected every piece of equipment carefully—though Jack was surprised by how little gear Chiri and Frida were taking. Jack stood in front of two people who
were about to risk their own lives to save another—and possibly the lives of everyone on the mountain. Pride and fear merged in a dance that twisted his stomach. Words were woefully inadequate.
“We’ll send help as soon as our feet touch the base of the mountain,” Chiri said, then smiled. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen too fast.”
Frida laughed. She was a good six inches taller than Chiri and had to lean down to kiss him. “I will not let anything happen to you.”
“See?” Chiri said. “Things are looking better and better.” He winked at Jack and started down the slope.
Jack watched them begin their descent together over the rocks. Just before they zigzagged out of sight, they both looked back and waved, and then they disappeared into the snow.
54
Vengeance
As Mrs. Stevens removed a broken cookie from the tin, it slipped from her hand, but it never made it to the floor—Lady snatched it in midair. Returning to the computer with a plateful of cookies—oatmeal raisin this time—Mrs. Stevens rubbed Lady’s back, avoiding Alice’s disapproving look.
Alice was studying a photo of Bree and Charlie at a picnic. Bree sat in Charlie’s lap, and they both wore big smiles.
“They look so happy.”
“It’s a picture from Bree’s sister’s Facebook page. Look at their fingers.” Alice zoomed in on their hands.
“They were married?”
Alice nodded. “Yes. Someone is threatening the crew of Planet Survival, and Bree just moved to the head of the suspect list.”
“But she looks so sweet. I can’t think she’d be threatening anyone, let alone have anything to do with the helicopter pilot’s accident. Are you sure about her?”
“Not yet, but she sure has some explaining to do.” Alice started closing windows and files. And so does Brian. Jack is up there risking his life on behalf of McAlister Insurance and Brian is nowhere to be found. If there was another murder added to this case, it would be Brian’s, and it wouldn’t be accidental.
Jack Frost: Detective Jack Stratton Mystery Thriller Series Page 22