Ryan glided over to them. “If you two are finished fooling around, can we go eat? I’m starved.”
He chuckled. Liz rolled her eyes at him, but managed to hold her tongue.
As the rest of the group began skiing toward the lodge, Jazzy eyed the distance. She gave Liz an apologetic glance. “You go ahead. I think I’ll walk.”
Liz nodded and pushed off as her friend started taking off her skis.
Yeah, after lunch it’s definitely Caitlin’s turn to ski with Jazzy.
“Girls, I’m about done in,” Debbie announced.
Liz stood at the top of a green ski run with the rest of the bridesmaids. Their skis lined up evenly on the flat snow as they paused to trace the path down the slope they were getting ready to take. A few fellow skiers zipped around them, heading for the bottom.
After a rough morning, the afternoon had been awesome. No crowds, but more skiers on the slopes than Liz had expected after the mob in the lodge this morning. Caitlin decided to call it a day after lunch, and had accompanied Jazzy to the base of the mountain to get cleaned up and go shopping. The snow was perfect, packed powder, just the way Liz liked it. Her skills, rusty from three years of not using them, had returned within a couple of runs. And best yet, the guys had taken off for the expert runs on the back side of the mountain, so she hadn’t had to worry about Tim’s glowering presence.
“Sounds good to me. I could use a soak in the lodge’s hot tub.” Betsy adjusted her ski goggles and gripped her poles. “See you guys at the bottom.”
She poled forward and zipped away. The others followed, leaving Debbie and Liz standing at the top.
“I’m going to let the guys know what we’re doing.” Debbie pulled out her cell phone.
As she keyed in a text message, Liz squinted down the run. If she remembered correctly, there was a trail off to the right that cut over to a black diamond slope she used to like, steep and usually well groomed. Her legs felt great, limber and loose. She’d enjoy doing an expert run.
“I think I’m going to head over to that black diamond.” She pointed with the tip of her ski pole to the place where the slope curved. She could just see the beginning of the trail on this side of the location where Betsy was making a turn that took her out of view.
A skier skidded to a stop on the other side of the wide run from Debbie and Liz. He wore a ski mask and reflective goggles. Not an inch of skin showed. His head turned as he traced his own path down. Liz dipped her head in a silent greeting, one skier to another.
“Have at it,” Debbie told her. “I’m going to take this nice, easy green all the way down. See you at the lodge?”
Liz nodded and watched as Debbie skied away. She admired her cousin’s moves, her graceful turns, the way her skis carved the snow with seemingly no effort at all.
Alone but for the skier on the other side of the slope, Liz let her gaze sweep the horizon. The Wasatch mountain range surrounded her on all sides. The snow on the peaks in the distance glowed in the afternoon sun. She filled her lungs. The crisp, clean air held a trace of pine. The atmosphere here at eight thousand feet made her alert, supersensitive to her surroundings. She’d always felt closer to heaven in the mountains. A verse from Psalms popped into her mind.
Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever.
Glorious and majestic. The perfect description for this piece of God’s creation.
Liz pulled her goggles off her forehead and adjusted them over her eyes. She planted her poles and propelled herself forward, her skis sliding easily over the snow. The wind stung her already cold cheeks as she picked up speed on her downhill course. Within a few seconds she approached the entrance to the trail she remembered. She slowed a little and leaned into her turn, pleased with the way her skis responded to the slightest shift of her weight. Then she was on the narrow trail, the trees so close on either side she could have extended her poles and touched them.
Funny how well she remembered this mountain from her college days. It was almost like she’d never left. Gaining confidence, she increased her speed again. The trees zipped by her in a blur.
At the end of the trail, she burst out onto the black diamond slope with confidence. As she executed a sharp left turn to head down the steep run, she glimpsed movement behind her. The lone skier from the top of the last run had come this way, too. Nobody else was in sight.
The snow was not as smooth here. Apparently, the groomers hadn’t been over here in a while. At least it wasn’t bumpy. But it was a little steeper than she remembered. Liz slowed and focused on making tight turns, controlling her speed with her skis.
Something moved behind her. She jerked her head in that direction. That guy was awfully close. Maybe he wanted to pass.
She crossed to the other side of the slope.
He crossed with her.
Flames of alarm licked at her mind. There was nobody else in sight. Nobody to hear if she called for help.
She leaned forward and tucked like a racer. Her skis flew over the snow. She glanced backward.
He was gaining.
Alarm gave way to panic. Somebody had died on this mountain two days ago.
And this guy was a better skier than she was.
Lord, I need help!
Then the guy was right behind her. Something jerked her jacket. The motion shoved her off-balance. At this speed, she couldn’t correct in time. Her skis crossed.
In the moment before she went down, Liz screamed.
FOURTEEN
Ryan cleared the screen on his cell phone and slipped it into his pocket as they neared the lift’s unloading ramp. He turned to Tim. “The girls have called it a day. We’re supposed to meet them at the hot tub in fifteen minutes.”
Tim nodded without committing, using the heel of his boot to knock the ice off his snowboard. Little clumps fell thirty or so feet to the ground as he tried to come up with some excuse or other to head on home. No way was he going to sit in a hot tub with Liz.
After they unloaded at the top, he and Ryan slid to one side, out of the way of unloading skiers, to wait for the other guys. Tim slipped his free foot into the binding on his board and tightened the straps as Ryan relayed the plan to the others. When they were all ready, he hopped toward the downhill slope behind his buddies.
They slid down one green run to the next without pausing. This was pretty tame stuff compared to the experts-only slopes they’d tackled all afternoon. It felt good to cruise down a gentle, tree-lined incline barely steeper than his parents’ driveway down in the Salt Lake valley.
As they rounded a corner, they came upon another green run that would take them down to the lodge. The others didn’t pause, but managed to grab some air as they soared over the top of the run. Ryan had been hotdogging all afternoon, and had said something about enjoying his last chance to practice stunts before he was forced into responsible behavior. Tim grinned. If Ryan’s last fling took the form of nothing worse than a few boarding shenanigans, Debbie had nothing to worry about.
As Tim followed the others, his gaze scanned his downhill path. A familiar figure slipped between the trees just this side of a curve. He’d know that bright pink ski jacket anywhere. He had bought it for Liz himself as a Christmas gift during their last year at the U. She was heading for the steep black diamond south of here that they’d skied together countless times. Liz always did like the steep runs.
Another skier slipped into the trail behind her, but Ryan and the others curved to the left and continued on toward the lodge.
Which he ought to do. Liz obviously wanted nothing to do with him. Even when he was trying to be helpful, she snapped at him.
But she hadn’t been on skis in three years. She shouldn’t be attempting a black by herself. Despite everything, he couldn’t stop himself from worrying about her. If she crashed, she might need help. And maybe if there was nobody else around, she’d be a little nicer about accepting assistance from him.
As Tim approached the t
rail, he leaped into the air, tucked his knees and executed a sharp right turn into the trees. The narrow, tree-lined trail wound through the forest in wide, easy bends. Liz was too far ahead to see. He caught a glimpse of the other skier as the guy rounded a curve fifty yards in front of him.
Tim flexed his knees to bounce over a series of bumps in the snow. Sanity returned in a flash. What was he doing? Liz certainly would not appreciate his help. More likely, she’d be ticked off if he saw her crash, just like before lunch. She’d always been too proud to let him help her, even at the best of times. It was one thing he admired about her, her determination to succeed on her own.
If there was a way to turn around, he should do that now. But this trail sloped downhill, as they all did. No going backward. And the trees were so thick here there was no way to slip between them, either. No, he’d just have to hang back and give her time to get ahead of him and hope she wouldn’t see him following her. He slowed.
When he rounded the last wide bend, the end of the trail loomed ahead. Neither Liz nor the other guy was in sight, thank goodness. Just the smooth, steep swath of snow at the end of this narrow path. He’d just take his time getting down this one. Give her time to get ahead of him.
A scream pierced the silence of the mountain.
Liz!
Heart pounding, Tim crouched on his board. He shifted his weight to his forward foot, picking up speed. The wind thundered in his ears.
He burst out onto the slope. His gaze searched the downhill path. There! Liz, unmistakable in her pink ski jacket, lay facedown on the ground. And a man loomed over her. Grabbing at her. Tugging at her clothes.
Tim let out a howl of rage. He didn’t have time to think about words, just bellowed like a bear. An angry bear.
The guy’s head jerked up. Sunlight reflected off his goggles. Tim barreled down the slope, intent on murder. If he harmed a hair on Liz’s head …
The guy let go. With lightning speed, he darted away. No doubt an expert on skis. He skyrocketed downhill, and before Tim could blink, he had darted between the trees and was lost to sight.
Indecision warred within Tim. Should he give chase? Or take care of Liz?
No question there. Tim’s board shot across the snow in a direct path to his ex-fiancée.
One of her skis had popped off and skittered to the other side of the slope. Her hat and goggles had fallen off or been pulled off, and lay several feet away. She lay facedown on the snow, dark hair sprawled all around her. Her body heaved as she drew in gulps of air.
Tim’s heart squeezed in his chest.
He unstrapped his bindings and kicked the board off his boots. Then he threw himself to his knees on the snow beside her and gathered her up in his arms.
“There, baby.” The whispered words dropped from his mouth of their own accord. “It’s okay now. He’s gone. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She threw arms around his neck, her sobs loud in his ear.
In that instant, Tim knew. In fact, he’d always known.
He was still in love with her.
Rational thought left. One arm holding her close, he ducked his head, tilted her chin with his gloved hand and covered her mouth with his.
For an instant, giddy flutters erupted behind Liz’s ribs as her lips softened beneath Tim’s kiss.
Then the realization of what was happening broke over her like a thunderhead. She tore herself away with a backward jerk.
Her breath came in ragged heaves as she brought a hand up to her lips, her gaze locked on to his. “What are you doing?”
For one moment, Liz saw something in his eyes. Something uncomfortable. Painful. Something she recognized. A Chinese gong sounded in her ears.
Tim still had feelings for her.
Before she could react to that revelation, his gaze clouded. He looked away. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
A wave of emotion washed through Liz. Was it fear? Anger? Or maybe … regret?
Lord, what is going on here?
Heart pounding, Liz shook her head. Her thoughts whirled. She’d been attacked. Somebody had chased her. Followed her to this deserted slope. Knocked her down.
And Tim had kissed her.
She gulped in fresh air. Let me off this roller coaster!
“That man.” Tim’s tone had gone cold, his words clipped like he was angry with her. Impersonal. He was the deputy sheriff now, on official business. “What were you thinking, heading for a deserted slope like this one with someone on your tail?”
Indignation stiffened her spine. “I didn’t know he was following me.” She matched his tone. “If I had, I certainly would have gone somewhere more populated.”
His gaze searched hers, and then he gave a slight nod. “I didn’t realize it, either. I saw you both turn into the trail, but I figured he was just cutting over to the same slope.” He unzipped a pocket in his ski suit and pulled out a cell phone. “We need to report this.”
“I’d rather not,” she said quickly.
His eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“Poor Mr. and Mrs. Harrison. They’re worried enough as it is.”
“Liz, there’s a killer running loose.”
She shook her head. “I’m sure this incident isn’t related.”
His eyes narrowed. “What makes you so sure?”
Actually, she wasn’t sure. But she couldn’t stand the thought of causing more problems for the Harrisons, or for Debbie. She sucked in her lower lip, then winced. The swelling had gone down after her episode with Jazzy on the chairlift, but the split was still painful. This was definitely not one of her better days.
She nodded. “You’re right. Go ahead.”
While he made his phone call, Liz took inventory of her aching limbs. She was going to have a bruise the size of Texas on her left hip. A throb in her right knee told her she’d wrenched it pretty good in the fall. After flexing it a couple of times, she decided the damage was minimal. She scooted across the snow toward her hat and goggles.
Tim disconnected his call and stowed his phone. “Are you hurt?”
Again, that cold tone. She risked a quick look at his face, and met a stony expression. If she hadn’t just seen his feelings in his eyes, felt them in his kiss, she would think he hated her.
Judging by his reaction to her now, his feelings weren’t open to discussion.
“I twisted my knee, but it’s okay.”
“Don’t move. Help will be here soon. I told the dispatcher to notify ski patrol, as well as the sheriff.”
He stood and walked across the snow to retrieve her errant ski. When he brought it back, he took her other one and stuck them both down in the snow uphill of them in the form of an X, the universally recognized signal for a downed skier. Then he stood to one side, staring uphill as though he couldn’t wait for the ski patrollers to arrive and rescue him from her presence. Funny, since he’d just rescued her.
But from what? Was her attacker really the same man who shot that Jason Sinclair guy? It seemed unlikely. What possible connection could she have with a man found shot and frozen on a ski lift? Besides, her attacker didn’t threaten her with a gun. More likely he was a pervert who liked to follow women to isolated areas. After all, he’d been pulling at her jacket when …
Wait. Not her jacket. Her backpack. The man had knocked her down and tried to pull off her backpack. But all she had in there was her ID, a little cash, an extra hat, a neck warmer, a leftover apple from lunch and—
A shiver worked its way down her spine.
And her grandmother’s brooch.
She stole a sideways glance at Tim. She should tell him about the brooch. But he looked so distant, so cold. The last thing she wanted to do was remind him of the brooch and the reason she had it in her possession in the first place.
Besides, he’d think her a complete dope. It probably wasn’t worth more than a couple hundred dollars.
At least, she didn’t think so.
The sooner sh
e got the thing appraised and found out for sure, the better. She’d head downtown the moment she got back to the lodge. And if she found out the thing was worth more than she thought, she’d tell Tim then.
FIFTEEN
“You’re sure you don’t know the man who attacked you?”
Liz had to work hard to keep from squirming under the sheriff’s piercing stare. How in the world did criminals stand up to this guy? She hadn’t done anything wrong, but that direct gaze made her want to find something to confess.
“As far as I know, I never saw him before in my life.”
They sat in the living area of the condo, Liz with an ice pack on her knee, the sheriff and Tim seated on the sofa. Jazzy and Caitlin hovered behind them, watching wordlessly as Liz was questioned.
“As far as you know?” the sheriff probed.
Tim leaned forward and told the sheriff, “The guy was wearing a ski mask and reflective goggles. I don’t think I’d have known him if he’d been my own brother.”
Liz nodded. She avoided looking directly at Tim, but kept her gaze focused instead on the sheriff.
He sucked in his cheeks, which made his lips look like a fish. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Liz would have laughed.
“Did you see a gun?” Sheriff Daniels asked.
“No.”
“Might he have had a gun that you didn’t see?”
Liz paused. “I suppose so,” she said slowly. “I mean, he was wearing a bulky ski suit. I don’t know what he had in the pockets.”
“What do you think he was after, Miss Carmichael?”
Liz paused. Here’s where she should say something about the brooch. But she could feel Tim’s glowering presence beside the sheriff, not looking at her. She couldn’t go into that old story right now. Besides, until she had the brooch appraised, she wouldn’t know for sure if the family heirloom had anything to do with the attack or not.
She returned the sheriff’s gaze. “I really don’t know.”
Behind him, Jazzy opened her mouth to say something, but Liz flicked a stern glance toward her and she closed it again.
Murder in D Minor Boxed Set Page 28