Jeff laughed and shook his head. “You thinking of getting Ben back?”
“Don’t laugh. She hardly seems his type, so give me the dirt on her.”
“I don’t know her.”
Vicky angled her legs toward Jeff. “But your precious Nora does. She must talk about her.”
“News flash. Nora dated Steve McKenzie for the last year.”
“Holy shit, you’re kidding.”
“Nope. Anyway, you don’t stand a chance. Kalin lives with Ben. They have a dog. I’ve heard they’re serious.”
“I thought you didn’t know her.”
“It’s a small town.”
Vicky slid across the seat, flipped her hips, placing one leg on either side of Jeff’s legs. She pressed her groin against his and planted her cold lips on his throat.
* * *
“It’s cold. Colder than cold.” Fred zipped his security jacket tight under his chin and stretched his knitted toque low over his ears. Kalin and Fred crossed the snow-covered sidewalk and entered the foyer beside the tuning room.
Vicky Hamilton sashayed toward Fred, wearing a cream ski jacket that showed off her curves. Kalin’s stomach tightened at the sight of the Goddess.
Vicky leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, letting her gloss-covered lips linger.
Fred blushed and stepped back. He cleared his throat. “You know Kalin?”
“We’ve met.” Vicky gave Kalin the same once over she’d given her the first time they’d seen each other. “I’ve rejoined the fire department.”
That’s just great. If Ben didn’t already know Vicky was back at the resort, he would soon.
Vicky placed her hand on Fred’s bicep and caressed his arm. “Next time you see me at the fire station, I’ll be wearing all of my turnout gear. Not just the bottom half.”
“Enough,” Fred said.
Vicky winked at Fred and wiggled her ass out the door.
Kalin wanted to ask what that was about but couldn’t bring herself to articulate the question.
“Is it true McKenzie was murdered?” Fred asked.
“Yes.” Kalin filled him in on her conversation with Reed.
“When we watched the video, it crossed my mind that someone killed him,” Fred said. “I didn’t really believe it though.”
“Me either. Let your team know, but make sure they understand they’re not to talk about the investigation outside the group.” The ice on Kalin’s neck tube melted, and she pulled the soggy wool over her head and shoved it into her ski jacket pocket. How did the Goddess look so glamorous in the cold weather? Kalin was just too practical.
“They’ll be discreet.”
“After I met with Reed, I hung out in the tuning room for a while. Too many people have access. We need a system to keep track of people. I was thinking about the scanning equipment used at the lifts.”
“What about it?”
“We could issue a card to anyone who should have access to the room. If we scan the cards at the inner door, we only have to control one entry point.”
“Not bad.” Fred surveyed the area around them. A moment passed before he said, “I see two issues. One, how do we know who should or shouldn’t be in the room? And two, who’s going to pay someone to stand there every day?”
“I’ll pull Amber Cristelli from the lifts. Guest services assigned two people to check tickets after McKenzie caused a scene. Obviously, that’s no longer required. We don’t need any extra scanning equipment. Most of the scanners won’t be in use until the season opens.” Kalin nodded at Charlie Whittle, who dribbled wax on the bottom of a ski. Burn marks scarred the cuffs of Charlie’s sweater, and wax droplets peppered his jeans.
“Let’s go in and talk with Charlie about who should be given access to the room.”
Nora stood at the tuning table beside Charlie’s and checked the bottom of an iron with her thumb. Her untamable hair stuck out in every direction. The apron she wore was two sizes too big, and she looked like a kid playing a grown up game.
Kalin explained her idea to Charlie. Fred stood by her without speaking, either acknowledging her senior rank or being unhelpful. He’d never lost his military stance with his erect posture, straight legs kept hip distance apart and hands clasped behind his back, and she thought he looked a lot more like the head of security than she did.
Charlie scratched the birthmark on his head. “I guess we could reduce the number of people who need to be in here. The technicians all require access, but the racers don’t really. Someone has to bring the equipment in and out for us, but each team could allocate a person. Let me talk with the coaches, and I’ll get back to you.”
Fred and Kalin left the tuning room.
“Did you notice Nora watching us?” Fred asked.
Kalin couldn’t have missed the intensity of Nora’s green eyes. There’d almost been a physical connection. “Not really.”
“She was very interested in what we were saying. I’m surprised she’s back working already. I thought she’d take time off.”
Kalin led Fred away from Nora and any thoughts he might be having about Nora accidentally killing McKenzie.
* * *
“About lunch today.” Kalin placed her steak knife and fork on top of her empty plate. She loved the way Ben grilled steak, but that didn’t mean he’d get away with flirting at work.
Ben gave her a lopsided smile, the one he used when he tried to be cute, and moved from the dining room table to the living room, dropping his dishes on the kitchen counter with a clang as he passed by. “I knew you were going to bring that up. I thought maybe I’d get lucky and you’d forget.”
Kalin followed him to the couch. She’d moved in with Ben and Chica the previous winter, sharing the bedroom in their seven hundred square foot suite. Tendrils of warmth spread from the fireplace, and Chica found a spot as far from the hearth as possible and leaned against the sliding glass door.
“Don’t think for one minute your smile is going to get you out of this. Playing with my hair at work is not professional.”
“It’s a ski resort. Nobody cares.”
“I care.”
“Okay, city girl. You win. I won’t touch your hair at work, but I can’t make that promise at home.” Ben jumped across the couch, wrestled her down with his bulk and used a pillow to mess her hair. By the time he finished, static had taken over, and her hair stood on end.
“Much better. I like my women wild.” He caressed her cheek. “Your face is hot.”
“I think I have a fever. I don’t have time to be sick. My throat’s been bugging me since yesterday.”
Ben lay on top of her, resting his weight on his elbows. “Are we going to talk about Vicky or just avoid the subject?”
“You know she came by?”
“She told me.”
The sting of jealousy picked at her. “When did you see her?”
“She came to the lift the other day when I was getting ready to head up the mountain.”
“Is this going to be a problem for us?” Please say no.
“That depends on how you take this.”
“Take what?”
“Before I could stop her, she kissed me.”
Kalin shifted out from underneath Ben. “On your lips?”
“Yes.”
“Those are my lips.”
“Are you mad?”
“Did you kiss her back?”
“No.”
Chica woofed, startling them and ending their conversation. Ben peeked over the back of the leather couch. Kalin smoothed her hair.
Nora Cummings stood on their patio, peering through the sliding glass door at the back of their suite, with the forest looming behind her.
Ben waved her in. He leaned into Kalin and gave her a quick kiss. “You have nothing to worry about. You look great, and these are your lips.”
Nora slid the glass door open, dropped her ski jacket and mitts on the floor and stepped out of her boots. The slight scent of pine follo
wed her into the room.
“Look at Nora’s hair. It’s always crazy. You don’t need to keep yours so—”
Kalin pushed Ben out of the way. “What’s wrong?”
Nora’s eyes were puffy, and the skin below her nose was raw. “They think I killed Steve.”
“Who thinks that?” Ben asked.
Nora flopped into the leather armchair, filling half the seat, and folded her knees to her chest. “Fucking Constable Miller and his cop buddies.”
Ben sat across from her on the couch, and Kalin tucked in beside him. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t tell them Steve and I broke up.”
“I didn’t know you did. I’m sorry,” Ben said.
“Why does Miller think you killed Steve?” Kalin asked.
“We broke up the night before he died.”
“That’s a bit of a leap.” Unless the RCMP thought Nora told McKenzie about the pregnancy test, but Kalin didn’t know if Miller knew about the test. She argued mentally with herself about whether to admit to Nora she’d shown Miller her file and decided not to.
“I guess because I didn’t mention our breakup when they interviewed me the first time. I was upset and didn’t think it mattered. Miller asked questions about the morning of the accident, where Steve was, where I was, but he didn’t ask about my relationship with him.”
Nora’s cell rang. She glanced at the call display. “Hi, Lisa.” She turned her back to Kalin and Ben. “No. I’m okay. Sorry about the message. I’m at Kalin’s. I’ll call you later.” Nora pressed the end button and shrugged. “I left her a bit of an emotional message.”
Nora was tight with her adoptive mom even though she didn’t live with her anymore, so Kalin wasn’t surprised Nora had called Lisa first before coming to her. “Did they accuse you or just ask questions?”
“Obviously, Miller didn’t arrest me or anything, but he asked about Steve’s skis. He wanted to confirm I tuned his skis the night before he died and not Charlie. He asked if I’d tampered with the DIN setting. Can you believe that? If I didn’t, like did I notice anything odd about the bindings?”
“How did he know you and Steve broke up?” Kalin asked.
“Ian Reed told him. I have no idea how he knew. I didn’t tell Ian, but it was the first thing Miller asked me about today. I can’t believe he thinks I killed Steve. I loved him.”
“The cops have to investigate. They don’t know you,” Ben said.
“You’re on their side?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Only that they have to consider everyone. I know Miller. He’s a good guy.”
“Who would want to kill Steve? I still can’t believe he was murdered.” Nora twisted in her seat and faced Kalin. “Can’t you help me?”
“How?”
“You’re the head of security now. Maybe you could find out what happened, or at least let me know what the RCMP is doing.”
“The RCMP won’t tell me anything.”
“Kalin, please. People talk to you. They like you. Maybe you could just ask around a bit. I can’t stand the stress. What if it was something personal? What if the person who killed Steve has something against me too?”
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“You’re asking me for something I can’t do.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kalin held a scanning gun with her arm extended above her head and noticed her deodorant had failed. She lowered her arm a bit. “This is the same type of scanner we use at the lifts,” she said to the tuners and coaches occupying the room. Charlie had done his part, and given her a list of who should be allowed in the tuning room, and helped her get everyone together in the conference room. Her part was to persuade everyone to follow her process.
“Each of your ski passes has been updated to access the tuning room. Amber Cristelli will monitor the door.” Kalin had chosen Amber for the role because she’d shown she could stand up to the racers when she’d refused McKenzie access to the lift.
Amber stood and smiled at the audience.
“She’ll scan your pass as you enter or exit the room. If you don’t have your pass with you, you won’t be allowed in.” Kalin spotted a hand raised near the back corner. “Yes?”
“Do we have to do that every time we come and go or just at the beginning and end of each shift?”
“Every time. The goal is to know who is in the room throughout the day.”
“What’s that going to do?” the same person asked.
“It should deter anyone from tampering with equipment.”
“You think the athletes are in danger?” another person asked.
Kalin had no idea but wanted to keep people calm. “No, I don’t. Because of what happened to Steve McKenzie, the president of the resort asked me to secure the tuning room. He wants to be proactive and improve our process. The room will be locked during off hours, and no one will be given access.” Kalin heard the authoritative tone in her voice and felt like a high school teacher lecturing students. And lectures rarely worked.
Several of the technicians groaned and exchanged eye rolls.
“That’s not going to work. What if we need to get in at night?” a technician sitting near the front asked.
Kalin rested her backside on the edge of the table at the front of the room, hoping to appear more relaxed and part of the team. “The room will be open from seven to seven. If you don’t already have a ski pass, please go to the guest services desk and get one. Also, I’d like each of the coaches to inform the racers they’ll no longer have access unless they are escorted by their coach.”
As the tuners and coaches cleared the room, snippets of conversation reached Kalin, most of it grumbling. Nora smiled at her on her way out. At least she didn’t resent the new process and maybe she wasn’t angry about Kalin refusing to help her.
Kalin put the scanner and presentation material in her backpack and was about to leave when she heard a throat being cleared.
“Hi, Donny,” Amber said and hovered for a moment.
“You can go if you want,” Kalin said to Amber.
Amber’s smile lingered on Donny until she turned toward the exit.
Donny watched Amber until she was out of sight and then propelled himself forward. “Can we talk a minute?” Fingerless gloves adorned hands that led to muscular forearms. He rotated his chair, stopping beside the nearest table.
“Sure.” Kalin sat beside him, and while she waited to hear what he had to say, she wondered if he’d seen Nora at the drugstore on the night she bought the pregnancy test.
“Do you really think there’s no danger to anyone else?”
“You should be asking the RCMP that kind of question. My role is not to investigate the murder. It’s to secure the ski equipment.” Kalin guessed Miller had already interviewed Donny. There was no way Donny wasn’t a suspect, and she swallowed hard. “I’m not sure what you want me to do here.”
“My brother’s on the team. I guess I want some reassurance.”
Kalin knew of Donny’s brother Jeff because he used to date Nora. They’d broken up before Kalin met her, and he didn’t hang around Nora as much as Donny did. “Why?”
“What if someone is targeting racers? Or someone’s trying to take down the Holden team. Everyone knows Jenkinson wants to send another skier to the Olympics.”
* * *
“Hey, what’s up?” Nora found Lisa on her front porch, waiting in the dome of her outdoor light. Lisa bounced her lanky frame from one foot to the other, like a prized racehorse waiting to break through the gates.
“Today’s Rachel’s birthday,” Lisa said.
Nora ran to Lisa and hugged her. How could I forget?
“Come inside.” She dragged Lisa by the hand and pulled her through the doorway. Her cramped one-bedroom suite was all she needed. For now, anyway. Lisa had helped her find the place and decorate the interior. One of Lisa’s paintings hung in the entryway. She
’d painted Nora ski racing, using her signature vivid colors, and given the framed canvas to Nora as a fourteenth birthday present.
By the time they settled in the living room, the kettle whistled. Nora made herbal tea. One sugar and a splash of milk for Lisa. Black for herself.
Nora had been too preoccupied with her own problems to remember Rachel’s birthday and that the day always threw Lisa into a depression. Rachel had been her best friend and had accepted her as a sister, and Nora should have remembered, no matter what. “I wish I could make you feel better.”
Lisa sipped her tea, and the mug tinkled when she placed it on the glass coffee table. “I keep expecting it to get easier. I watch the clock all day, waiting for the moment she was born. She should still be here with me, not…I should have stopped her.”
“Oh, Lisa.” Nora hugged her with her small body, folding inside Lisa’s arms. “None of us saw what she was planning.”
“It feels like yesterday. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Sometimes it did seem as if only days had passed since Rachel died. The night it happened, Donny had still been in the hospital recovering from the car accident. Jeff, Nora and Lisa were visiting him. They’d started a routine of playing Euchre in the evenings. Jeff and Nora agreed to put their differences aside for Donny’s sake. She had a hard time pretending she wasn’t angry with Jeff, but Donny had become her adoptive cousin when she was two, and she loved him.
No one thought to worry about Rachel. They all focused on Donny during the weeks following the accident. They’d been playing cards for an hour when the RCMP entered the hospital room, solemn faced, and asked to speak with Lisa. Nora waited with the guys. Donny whispered Rachel’s name as if he knew the news was about her. Lisa’s sobbing confirmed something bad had happened.
Lisa returned to the hospital room, her face the color of the curtain surrounding Donny’s bed. “She’s killed herself.” And they’d all known who she was.
Nora never understood why Rachel committed suicide. The accident paralyzed Donny, not Rachel.
Forcing herself back to the present, Nora tugged a photo album from underneath the coffee table. “Let’s talk about happier times with Rachel.”
Descent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1) Page 9