Holiday Hangover

by Kathi Daley

  “That’s nice. I always wanted a dog, but somehow my parents could never quite get on board at the same time. Most of the resort is dog friendly, but if you want to spend a day on the slopes you can either leave him with me or you can drop him at doggie daycare. The woman who runs it, Paige, is really nice, and the dogs who spend time there generally have a great time playing with one another. We can stop by during our tour and I’ll introduce you to her.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “Anything you need, you just have to ask.” Nikki’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. It seemed obvious she loved the resort and enjoyed sharing it.

  “Are you this accommodating to all the resort guests?” I wondered.

  “Well, maybe not all, but I overheard Dad on the phone and it sounded like you’re here to help figure out what happened to Grandpa. He could be gruff at times, but I loved him and I really do miss him. If he was pushed, like Dad thinks, I want whoever did it to pay for it.”

  “I can’t promise anything, but if there’s anything I can do to help I will.”

  Nikki’s smile faded. A look of concern came over her face. “I know this has been hard on Dad. He tries to put on a good front and doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s both worried and upset about how this whole thing will turn out.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “You know, a lot of people think Grandpa’s cousin Michael did it. He owns the resort on the other side of the mountain, and everyone knows Michael has been trying to buy Bear Mountain for a long time. Dad says I shouldn’t listen to rumors, but I can tell he thinks he might have done it too.”

  “I imagine there’s a lot of speculation right now.”

  “Maybe. But Michael is really nice. I don’t think he’d kill anyone. Did you know Michael raised his sister’s stepdaughter when she was killed in an accident along with her husband?”

  “I hadn’t heard that. Does she live at Echo Ridge?”

  “Yes. In fact, she’s second in command after Michael. I’ll introduce her to you while you’re here. She’s probably about your age and supernice.”

  “I’d like that. Maybe we can visit Echo Ridge another day this week.”

  “I’m available whenever you want to go. I’ll introduce you to Michael as well. I think if you meet him you’ll see I’m right about him. I know Grandpa and Michael were involved in some sort of rivalry, but I don’t think either of them would actually kill the other.”

  The conversation paused as Alex came into the room. I grabbed my coat and mittens and attached Charlie’s leash to his collar while the two girls introduced themselves. It looked like I was right: Alex and Nikki were going to get along fabulously.

  After a bit of discussion we decided to take the shuttle into town and then to walk around once we got there. Our first stop was the doggie daycare, where the owner allowed Charlie, Nikki, and Alex to play with the other dogs while we took a tour of the facility.

  “Wow, this place is really nice. I especially love the fact that you have both indoor and outdoor play areas and a total absence of cages.”

  “We want to provide our doggie guests with the resort experience as much as possible,” Paige informed me. “We have staff on hand to keep an eye on things and make sure all our doggie guests are playing nicely. While we don’t have cages, we do have quite a few rooms where we can sequester dogs who have aggressive tendencies. The rooms are equipped with toys and even furniture for the dogs to sit on, although most of the time the dogs we have are well socialized and get along wonderfully with their peers.”

  “Do you provide overnight lodging?”

  “By appointment only. Our regular hours are seven a.m. to seven p.m., but if someone has a need for overnight lodging for their pet I usually just bring the dog home with me. There have been occasions when we’ve hired one of our staff members to stay here if we have a number of dogs staying overnight. The dogs are never left alone.”

  “I run a wild and domestic animal rescue and rehabilitation shelter back in my hometown. Our residents are temporary and our animals are caged, albeit in large cages that are very comfortable. And we have twenty-four-hour staff. You never know when something can go wrong.”

  “Exactly,” Paige agreed as Alex and Nikki walked up behind her.

  “This place is really great.” Alex beamed. “Charlie is having the best time.”

  “How many dogs are on the premises at any one time?” I asked.

  “It varies. Today we have twenty-two.”

  “Muffin.” Nikki bent down to greet a perfectly groomed poodle who had run up to say hi. “This is my Aunt Stephanie’s dog,” she explained. “Like you and Charlie, Stephanie and Muffin are rarely separated, so I’m guessing Aunt Steph must have gone skiing today.”

  “Actually, she headed over to Echo Ridge to visit Jordan,” Paige said.

  “Jordan is Aunt Stephanie’s stepson from her husband’s previous marriage, although she raised him since he was an infant,” Nikki informed me. “The two are really close. In fact Steph and Jordan are probably closer than Steph and Marcus, even though Marcus is her biological son.”

  “And Jordon lives at Echo Ridge?”

  Nikki nodded. “He works for Michael.”

  “Does the family live at the resort?” I wondered.

  “No. Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Brian live in New York. Jordan and Marcus grew up there, although they visited often, and both moved to the mountain as adults. Marcus is the sales manager for Bear Mountain and Jordan is the operations manager for Echo Ridge.”

  “It seems odd that Jordan would work for his family’s competitor,” I said.

  Nikki shrugged. “Maybe, but Jordan wanted to live on the mountain. There wasn’t a place for him on the management team at Bear Mountain, so when Michael offered him a job he jumped at the chance.”

  “How did that go over with your grandfather?”

  “Not well,” Nikki admitted. “Grandpa and Jordan never got along all that well anyway. I’m not sure if it was because Jordan didn’t have Carrington blood and Grandpa treated him differently because of it, or if they just had conflicting personalities. Jordan is the quiet type who never really says much, but he has a big heart and a gentle way about him. I’ll introduce you to him too when we visit Echo Ridge.” Nikki glanced at her watch. “If we leave now we can make a few more stops before lunch.”

  “Okay.” I turned to Paige, who had stepped away to chat with one of her employees while Nikki was filling me in on her aunt’s family. “It was nice to meet you. I’m sure Charlie will be by for a longer visit while we’re here.”

  “Why don’t you leave him here while you have lunch? He seems to be having a wonderful time and you won’t have to worry about taking him anywhere that might not be dog friendly.”

  I looked at Charlie. He was running around, chasing another dog about his size. It really did look like they were having fun. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  “More than okay. You go and have a wonderful afternoon.”

  “Well, okay. We won’t be too long. I’ll leave my cell number. Call me if there are any problems.”

  “I will. Don’t worry; he’ll be fine.”

  We left the doggie daycare and headed down the main street to the village, which was a network of small retailers and restaurants specifically designed to meet the needs of the short-term visitor. All the shops were artfully decorated with cozy window displays that invited passersby inside.

  “Our driver from the airport mentioned the resort has stores that sell groceries and hardware. As far as I can tell, all the shops here are geared toward tourists,” I commented.

  “There’s another smaller village that serves the residents of the mountain. Not that visitors aren’t welcome to shop there, but when the resort was updated and this area was built, the goal was to provide retail outlets that would appeal to tourists. There’s a good café just down the street if you’re hungry.”

  “Actually, I am.” I turned
and looked at Alex, who had been following along quietly while I chatted with Nikki. “How about it? Are you hungry?”

  “I could eat,” Alex answered, and we entered the warm, cozy café. It kind of reminded me of Rosie’s back home with the wood paneling on the walls and cozy booths arranged around a floor-to-ceiling fireplace.

  Nikki waved to a group of girls who looked to be around her age as we slid into a booth.

  “If you want to go say hi I don’t mind.”

  “No. I can catch up with them later.”

  “Do they live on the resort?” I wondered.

  “Most of them. The girl in the purple sweater is a visitor who comes here with her family every Christmas, so she’s become one of the gang after so many years. And the girl with the white ski jacket and pink pants is a friend of one of the locals. They go to school together and she invited her to come to the resort with her over Christmas break.”

  We settled in and a waitress came by to take our order. The sandwiches the small café served were not only huge but looked delicious. I decided to skip the homemade potato chips both the girls ordered to go with their sandwiches. I didn’t want it to look like I had a baby bump until I really had one.

  “Do you have friends in Vancouver you bring home with you?” I asked once the waitress had taken our order and delivered our drinks.

  “Sometimes. It may seem odd, but I have close friends in Vancouver as well as on Bear Mountain, but most of the time it works out best to keep them separate.”

  “I guess I can see that. Just because both sets are your friends doesn’t guarantee they’ll like one another.”

  “Exactly. Besides, there’s the whole best friend conflict. I’d just as soon not get into a discussion of whether my Vancouver best friend or my Bear Mountain best friend is my actual best friend.”

  “I can see that might get tricky.”

  “They’re both fantastic people and I wouldn’t want to hurt either one. When we’re done here I’ll take you over to the clinic. It’s a good idea to know where it is, but I can also introduce you to my best friend on the mountain. She graduated high school a year early and lives here full-time now. She works as a receptionist for Dr. Parker Townsend.”

  “Dr. Townsend works here year-round?”

  “Yes. He’s really smart and could totally get a job anywhere. but he stays on the mountain while he waits for Aunt Veronica.”

  “Waits?”

  “He’s totally in love with her. Always has been. But for reasons of her own, Roni won’t put the guy out of his misery and make a commitment. I don’t get it. Parker is awesome. If I was old enough I’d marry him in a minute.”

  “I’d like to meet him. And your friend as well.” Living in a small town my entire life had led to a certain degree of intimacy with other lifelong residents. Most of the time the relationships that resulted were welcomed and cherished, but I had to wonder how much more intense lifelong relationships would be given the isolation of living on a mountain miles away from the rest of civilization.

  We were just finishing our meal when I received a text from Zak, asking if I could meet him at Chance’s office so we could discuss Daniel Carrington’s death. Nikki said she would be glad to take me over to her father’s office and would hang out with Alex while the grown-ups talked. Alex likewise seemed fine with the plan, so I called Paige to ask if Charlie could stay there a little longer and arranged to text Alex when we were finished with our conversation so we could head home together.

  Chapter 4

  When we arrived at the administration building Nikki gave us a quick tour, introducing us to several people before showing us to her father’s office. Chance Carrington was a handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes. Zak had shown me a photo of the two of them prior to our trip, but in my opinion it hadn’t done justice to either of the men. It was evident by the casual way they were interacting that they were good friends, just as Zak had indicated.

  Zak got up from his chair and kissed me on the cheek before introducing me to Chance, who greeted both Nikki and Alex before sending them on their way.

  “Are you finished with your computer stuff already?” I asked as I took a chair.

  “I’m running diagnostics that will take a while,” Zak told me. “Chance and I started talking about his father’s death and I realized it would be a good idea if you were here as well.”

  “I appreciate that.” I turned to Chance. “I’m very sorry for your loss and will help in any way I can.”

  “Thank you. Not knowing who killed my father had made everything that much harder.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Chance was just about to fill me in on exactly what happened when I decided to text you,” Zak said.

  “I’m glad you did. I’d like to help.” I looked at Chance and waited for him to begin.

  He leaned back, settling into his chair as if preparing for a lengthy monologue. He’d likely gone over the events on multiple occasions with law enforcement and other interested parties and so had developed something of a prepared script. “Every year prior to the beginning of ski season we throw a big party at the Eagle’s Nest.”

  “The restaurant at the top of the mountain?” I confirmed.

  “Yes,” he answered. “As we do every year, the entire family, even those of us who don’t live in the area, come out to kick off the season with invited guests and the staff. Initially I wasn’t certain my dad was going to make it. He had a stroke two years ago, which is when I took over as chief executive officer for the resort. He was too ill to attend last year’s party, but this year he pointed out that it could very well be his last season and insisted on attending. At first I was against it, but he did seem to be feeling better lately, and I could see how important it was to him to attend, so I didn’t fight him about it.”

  I waited for Chance to continue.

  “Dad arrived late and went directly to his table. He spoke little except to immediate family and excused himself halfway through the buffet. I assumed he was heading to the restroom, so I didn’t think all that much about it. When he hadn’t come back by the time the meal was over I went looking for him. I found him dead on the rocks at the bottom of the deck that runs behind the building.”

  “You think someone pushed him?” Zak asked.

  “I do. There’s a theory floating around that he became disoriented and fell, but there were signs of a struggle, and while Dad had had trouble getting around ever since the stroke, he had a firm grip on his mental facilities. I have a hard time believing he simply fell off the deck.”

  “I assume there’s a railing?”

  “There is. A person couldn’t just tumble over it unless they were propelled in some way.”

  “Such as being pushed?”

  “Exactly.”

  “And there’s a camera that should have recorded what occurred?” I asked.

  “There are cameras all around the exterior of the building. We’ve determined that the video feed was tampered with, which is why I called Zak.”

  I glanced at Zak. He was listening as I interviewed Chance, but it seemed obvious he’d heard this part of the story before and was simply waiting while I caught up.

  “If the Eagle’s Nest is at the top of the mountain can I assume the only access is by tram?” I asked.

  “Yes. I suppose someone could hike to the top of the mountain if they were so inclined, but it’s a long, steep climb. I really can’t imagine anyone doing that.”

  “So theoretically there would be a finite number of suspects. How many people were at the party?” I asked.

  “Around a hundred.”

  “So although there are a finite number of suspects, there are still a lot,” I realized.

  “When we spoke on the phone yesterday you mentioned something about a meeting serving as a possible motive,” Zak jumped in.

  “Every year on January 2 we have a stockholders’ meeting, although this year we’re holding it on January 3. Prior to his death
, the only stockholders were my dad, who owned two thirds of the stock after he bought out my Uncle Theo, and my Aunt Stephanie, who owns a third of the resort. To be honest, the meetings in the past have been nothing more than a technicality—and a way for Aunt Steph, who lives in New York, to bring her family to the resort for the holidays and write the whole thing off.”

  “But now that your father is dead things have changed,” I stated.

  “Quite a bit. but let me back up a bit.” Chance turned and looked at me. “Has Zak explained that the mountain is actually home to two resorts?”

  “He did. The other is owned by your dad’s cousin Michael.”

  “Correct. From the moment Michael inherited that land from his father, he’s wanted to buy my dad out to unite the mountain under a single ownership. My Aunt Stephanie is receptive to the idea, but my father, who had controlling interest of this resort, wanted nothing to do with Michael’s plan, so the idea never really went anywhere. After Dad had his stroke and I took over the management here, Michael approached me about convincing Dad to sell both Bear Mountain and the land it sits on to him. I explained to Michael that Dad was dead set against selling and no one was going to convince him otherwise, but Michael isn’t the sort to take no for an answer.”

  “But now that your dad is dead…”

  “My sister, Veronica, my brother, Kyle, and I each own twenty shares of stock, a third each of what Dad had. My Aunt Stephanie owns thirty shares, a third of the total. As I mentioned before, Stephanie is interested in selling. If Stephanie can get me, my brother, or my sister, to side with her, she’ll have the majority she needs to force the sale.”

  “Why does your aunt want to sell?”

  “Stephanie is faced with a unique situation in that she has two sons. Marcus is her biological son and Jordan is the son of her husband from a previous marriage. Steph has raised Jordan since he was an infant, and in her mind both sons should get an equal share of her assets when she dies. The problem is that her single greatest asset is her thirty shares in the resort and she is forbidden by the terms of my grandfather’s will to leave any portion of her stock to a person who isn’t of Carrington blood.”