“Do you know if she’s going to keep the baby?”
To fill the silence, Kalin took another sip of beer, and the cool liquid travelled down her throat. She picked up a scraping tool and feigned an interest in the blade.
Finally, Donny said, “I’m not sure. I haven’t asked her, and she hasn’t said.”
The rays from the ceiling light bounced off Donny’s blond hair, and it was uncanny how much he reminded her of her late husband. She loved Ben but still missed Jack.
“I don’t know if she’s going to be okay,” he said.
“Why do you say that?”
“You don’t know about my cousin, Rachel?”
The importance of the moment struck Kalin. The air sizzled, and she shook her head, not wanting to break Donny’s will to talk by interrupting him.
“She committed suicide. I thought, for a while, Aunt Lisa might do the same.”
Kalin knew Rachel died, but Nora had never said she killed herself. She wanted Donny to open up and felt a bit guilty getting him to talk about something that was obviously painful, but her drive to find out who killed McKenzie trumped the guilt. “I’ve enjoyed spending time with Lisa. She seems solid.”
A cynical laugh burst from his throat, sounding a bit like a bark. “She puts on a good front. She has a knack for hiding her feelings, and she can’t exactly run a business and attract customers if she’s moping around all the time.”
Kalin decided to follow his lead. “Do you spend much time with her?”
“I do. Since the accident, I’ve been closer to her than to my parents.”
“She sounds like a good aunt.”
“She is.”
The side door to the house opened with a bang and a man stood, glaring, with his fists clenched at his sides. “What’s taking you so long?”
Donny flinched. “Dad. This is Kalin Thompson. She’s a director at the resort.”
Morley turned slowly and faced Kalin.
She stepped forward and stretched her hand toward him. He didn’t move from the doorstep, and she let her hand drop.
“What’s she doing here?” he asked Donny.
“We’re just talking.”
“Is this the girl you’ve been shacking up with?”
“Dad! She works at the resort. Please…”
“Make sure the floor’s clean before you come in.” Morley stood for a second longer, then turned and slammed the door.
“I’m sorry about that. He’s not exactly sociable.”
Kalin cleared her throat. “That’s an understatement.”
Donny caught her humor and laughed bitterly.
* * *
Kalin turned her Jeep into the resort, and in the darkness, the Christmas decorations made a festive statement as she passed through the lower village and onto Black Bear Drive. A few houses displayed the old fashioned blue, green and red lights, the multitude of colors reflecting off the snow, but most had hung white LED bulbs, showing off a muted but tasteful atmosphere. Kalin preferred the colors and the reminder of her childhood.
The lights from inside Nora’s living room glowed, and Kalin decided she should talk with her. Maybe she could smooth things out between them.
Like most employees who lived on Black Bear Drive, Nora rented an in-law suite tucked into the ground floor of an expansive ski chalet. The Jeep’s tires crunched over the mound at the end of the driveway, flattening two paths. Kalin trudged through the foot deep snow, knocked and was mildly surprised Nora opened the door.
“What now?” Nora asked.
“I’d really like to talk with you. As a friend.”
Nora hesitated, and Kalin jumped at the chance. “Just for a minute. I’d like to explain.”
Nora stepped backward. “Fine. Come in.”
Once in the living room, Nora turned and faced Kalin, put her hands on her bony hips with her elbows pointed outward and waited.
“I didn’t tell Miller you’re pregnant.”
Nora blew air through her lips and looked away from Kalin.
“Maybe Ian told Miller. I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m sorry about telling him you were at the resort early. I’m under pressure from Reed. He expects me to find out who killed Steve. Then I had to tell him staff housing was flooded. He wants me to find out who did that too. I have to report to him about everyone I talk to. I can’t not mention you because we’re friends. When I gave the RCMP a list of everyone who had keys to the tuning room, Ben was on that list. I didn’t take his name off.”
“You gave the cops Ben’s name as a suspect?”
“No. Just that he had a key. No one suspects Ben. I want you to know I have to treat everyone the same. It’s my job. All I did was tell Constable Miller you were at the resort early. He’d have found out eventually, and at least this way he heard from someone who believes you didn’t kill Steve.”
“Slow down. I understand all that. I don’t blame you,” Nora paused, “as much.”
“Really?”
Kalin’s surprise must have shown because Nora scrunched her face at Kalin with an expression that implied, “duh.”
“Sit down. Let’s have some tea.”
Kalin flopped on the couch, relieved Nora wanted to remain friends.
Nora filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove.
While Kalin waited, she stared at the digital picture frame resting on the mantelpiece. The photos flashing on the screen were of Nora’s teenage years. Numerous pictures of Nora and Jeff displayed, one after the other.
Nora returned to see a photo of four smiling faces. Jeff, Donny, Nora and another woman. They were all standing, arms laced, laughing at the camera. Whoever took the photo caught it at the perfect moment of genuine happiness, and Kalin’s skin tingled.
Nora carried two mugs of tea. “Happier times.”
“Who’s the woman?”
“Rachel.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“Just like Lisa.”
Kalin accepted a mug and settled farther into the couch, tucking her feet underneath herself. “That’s a good photo. There are a lot of Jeff.”
“It’s probably not good for us, but Jeff and I were looking at the photos last night. I put in the memory card of our teenage years.”
“Isn’t that hard? Spending time with him.”
“Sometimes. Our relationship is confusing. We both work at it for Donny’s sake. I didn’t want to lose Donny after I stopped seeing Jeff.”
“It must not have been a bad breakup.”
“It was the worst. At the prom I caught Jeff kissing the class big boob bimbo, and I dumped him on the spot.”
An unwanted vision of Ben kissing the Goddess floated around Kalin’s head. “That sucks.”
“That’s not even the worst part. I wouldn’t talk to him, and to get even, he slept with the bimbo at a party. He must have known I’d find out.”
“Ouch.”
“More than ouch. He was with her when Donny and Rachel were in the accident. He never forgave himself, but I forgave him. I think that’s why we can be friends.”
Kalin wanted to ask about Rachel but couldn’t bring herself to form the words. She wanted her friend back, and if she started to question her, she might piss off Nora again. Curbing her curiosity, she changed the subject, and they spent the next half hour chatting about skiing and snowboarding.
Kalin left Nora’s and drove along the snow-covered road, looking forward to spending the evening with Ben. She hadn’t seen enough of him over the last couple of weeks. They needed an evening in front of the fireplace, naked, drinking wine, naked. Okay, naked was the theme, and she smiled to herself.
He was unhappy with her involvement in the investigation and he’d never interfere, but she wanted to make it up to him. Plus she needed to keep ahead of the Goddess. She couldn’t back off her job because her boyfriend didn’t like what she did. Reed had made it clear he wanted her assistance. Ben would have to understand.
When she arrived at
the front of her place, an SUV filled the driveway, forcing her to park her Jeep on the road. The label on the driver’s side door identified the driver as the conservation officer, and Kalin’s chest tightened. Chica was part of who they were.
She didn’t want to face him, but leaving Ben to deal with the situation alone wasn’t right. She opened the door to their suite and picked up on the tension. Ben sat ramrod straight, with Chica at his feet, facing the conservation officer.
Kalin introduced herself, and let him do the same. Chica shifted to Kalin’s feet and rested her head on Kalin’s knee. “What’s going on?”
“A deer was killed on the resort last night,” the conservation officer said.
“I know. Fred Morgan told me.”
The conservation officer motioned to Chica. “Fred said your dog was loose.”
“She was,” Kalin acknowledged.
“She came home—” Ben tried to interject, but their visitor cut him off.
“I’d like to hear what Kalin has to say.”
Kalin rubbed Chica’s head while trying to get a vibe from Ben. “About what?”
“Your dog. I need to know if she killed the deer.”
“I don’t think so. She came home on her own.”
“Was there any blood on her?”
“No.” Again with the lying. Not a trait Kalin admired, but she was willing to do it for Chica.
“Are you aware that if a dog kills wildlife, then it gets put down?”
Kalin’s heart pounded. “I am, but she didn’t.”
“Make sure she doesn’t.” The conservation officer departed, leaving the ominous warning hanging in the room.
Kalin shut the door behind him, and Ben put his hands over her shaking ones.
“Shit, that was tense,” Ben said.
“Did I say the same thing you did?”
“Almost word for word. I can’t believe Fred called him about Chica.” Kalin told Ben about Susan Reed sticking up for them and her advice on how to handle the conservation officer.
“I thought you said she wasn’t friendly.”
“I know, but I guess she has a soft spot for animals. She told me for Chica’s sake, not ours, I think.” Kalin thought about the towels in the washer and was glad they’d cleaned up. “What if Chica does it again?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Jeff and Donny packed Jeff’s gear into the van. Because the RCMP declared Edwin Bucher’s crash an accident, Reed had allowed injection for the first time since McKenzie’s death. The snowmaking team injected the run during the overnight hours, and along with a temperature of minus eighteen degrees Celsius, Jeff expected fast conditions. Even though racing wasn’t his dream, Jeff hoped for a personal best.
He wanted to end the training day with fireworks. He’d show his dad and Coach Jenkinson he was talented. Coach had been favoring him and giving him more attention than the others. That meant he had faith, and Jeff owed it to his coach to ski to the extreme.
By keeping his plans secret, Jeff could get Donny out of here, and they’d be set up in Vancouver before their dad figured out what happened. He’d used Aunt Lisa’s address for his correspondence with the university, and she said she’d help them move. Once they were relocated, he’d offer for his mom to follow. If she wanted.
Jeff pulled ski pants over his race suit—no point in being cold on the drive up—and Donny said, “Tough guy on the mountain, sissy off the hill.”
Footsteps pounded toward the garage’s inner door, and Jeff groaned. “I thought he’d gone already.”
The door opened with a bang. No one could accuse their father of being subtle.
“What was that woman doing here?”
Jeff looked at Donny. “What woman?”
“I told you she works at Stone Mountain,” Donny said.
Their father stood, flashing hot looks between Jeff and Donny. “I asked what she was doing here.”
“She came to talk.”
“What could a high class broad like her have to say to you?”
Donny scratched the back of his reddening neck and didn’t answer.
Jeff didn’t know whom they were talking about but kept quiet. His dad was focused on Donny, and if interrupted it could set him off.
“Answer me.”
“She’s a friend.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit.”
Their father’s face burned with building rage, and he leaned over Donny. “Don’t lie to me.”
Jeff tensed.
“Dad, I’m not. I met her this year. She’s a friend of Nora’s.”
“Huh.” He turned his attention to Jeff. “Figures you couldn’t hang on to a girl like Nora.”
Jeff remained silent. What could he say to that? His dad was right.
“What a pair. I’m sick of the sight of you.” He stomped out of the garage, and the air left the room with him as if he’d sucked it out.
Jeff opened the door to the van. “Let’s go before he comes back.”
Packed in the van, Donny drove and Jeff rode shotgun.
Jeff turned the vents to blow toward the floor and put his feet close to them. He hated being cold. When he finished school, he’d move somewhere warm. “What a bastard.”
“Don’t let him get to you. He’ll never change.”
“Who was he talking about?”
“Kalin.”
Jeff ran his fingers in circles, wiping frost off the window and then breathing on the glass to fog the surface again. “Why was she at our house?”
“She wanted to talk about Nora. She’s worried about her.”
“Did she ask anything about McKenzie’s murder?”
“Not really. She talked mostly about Nora.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing bad.” Donny grinned. “You’re worried about Nora. How sweet.”
“Shut up.” Jeff cuffed the back of Donny’s head. “Really, what did you tell her?”
“It’s odd, but we got talking about Rachel. I haven’t talked about her in a long time.”
“Who brought up Rachel? You or Kalin?” It irked Jeff that Donny was naive. He had no sense.
“I don’t remember. We got on the topic of Aunt Lisa and—”
“What would you talk about her for?”
“Dude, you’re being over sensitive. Kalin’s okay, so what’s the issue?”
“I wish you wouldn’t trust everybody,” Jeff pleaded, his voice tight in his throat.
“I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. Kalin’s snooping around about McKenzie. She’s the head of security, and you know we both have to be suspects. She’s pretending to be your friend.”
“Don’t turn into Dad.”
“I’m not. I’m just…Christ, I’m just trying to keep everyone safe.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
* * *
A few minutes after seven thirty a.m., Kalin dropped her Jeep at the service station in Holden for an oil change.
Ben had followed her to town and waited while she talked to the mechanic. She got in his truck and slid to the middle of the bench seat, leaning her head on his shoulder. Halfway up the mountain, Kalin reached over the seat and grabbed empty air instead of her backpack. “Crap, I left my pack in the Jeep.”
“Do you want to go get it?”
“Not really, but my keys are in the outside pocket. If no one’s in the admin building already, I’ll wait. It’s almost eight. Someone should be in soon.”
“The front desk keeps a spare to each building.”
“You’re kidding. I didn’t know that. I haven’t secured those keys. Damn, I can’t believe I missed that too.”
Ben squeezed Kalin’s hand. “You’ve been the director of security for two weeks. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Can you get into your office even if you get in the building?”
“Monica keeps an extra key for me. Don’t turn around, you’ll be late.”
Ben dropped Kalin at the front desk. “You sure you don’t want me to wait?”
“No. It’s a good chance for me to talk with the staff. I don’t get down here much.” She let Chica out of the back seat, attached her leash and entered the building.
Cindy Tober, the front desk agent on duty, was speaking with a guest. While Kalin waited, she admired the mock-up of the resort. An artist had carved a model of Stone Mountain to scale, and Kalin found her house. She traced her finger along the path she walked to work. On the mock-up, the path looked isolated, with dense forest on one side and the golf course on the other. She laughed at herself for being afraid to walk along the trail in the dark last year.
When Cindy finished with the guest, Kalin told her she needed a key.
“Come in back. You have to sign for it,” Cindy said.
Kalin opened the half door and strode behind the counter. A small room off to the side contained the employee kitchen and lounge area. Ski and snowboard magazines were strewn across the coffee table. “You look tired.”
“I am. I go off shift in half an hour. Jason’s coming to get me as soon as he finishes his shift.”
“Shouldn’t he have been off shift hours ago?”
“You are such an HR geek. Always worried about employees. One of the snowmaking guns busted, and he stayed to fix it.” Cindy handed Kalin a logbook, asking her to put the date, the time and her signature on the next free line.
“How old are the keys to the admin building and tuning room?” Kalin asked.
“Don’t worry. The key will work. The locksmith dropped off new ones to both doors.”
Kalin’s gut clenched. One more employee who’d kept the full truth from her.
“I heard Vicky’s in town,” Cindy said.
“Yup. She’s trying to get Ben back.”
“Jason told me. He told her to leave Ben alone, not that she’ll listen.”
“She broke into our house and left a new collar for Chica. She had ‘I Love Ben’ embroidered on the inside.”
Cindy grabbed Kalin’s arm. “You’re kidding. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Do you know her well?”
“I used to, but I never liked her.”
“Chica got out the night we found the collar in our place. Do you think she’d let Chica go free just to get at me?”
Descent (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 1) Page 21