“What can I say? People trust my face.”
Outside, the joint antics of the dancing ice cream cone and Tucker Kintzler gathered a modest number of onlookers, some actually stopping to shift their glances toward the door of Ore the Mountain. Hoods were down and jackets unzipped on the warmest day Canyon Mines had seen in a week. The door opened twice as people made the decision to follow the ice cream cone’s advice and come in.
“I came across something, Dad,” Jillian said. “About Tucker.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve been reading archived articles about his family. There’s a name, his grandfather’s best friend, Jackson. He’s still alive. Has Tucker mentioned him?”
“No, he hasn’t.”
“They were childhood friends, and he was best man in Matthew Ryder’s wedding. They had their picture taken together at his fiftieth anniversary.”
“That is a long friendship.”
“I’m making some inquiries to try to find him.”
“What do you think he could tell us?”
“I’m not sure. But people tell their secrets to somebody, don’t they?”
“I suppose a friend that old is a good candidate.”
“I guess if I want ice cream, I’d better get in line,” Jillian said.
“I’ll hold the fort here.” Nolan ran his spoon around the inside of his bowl, scraping up the last of his treat.
“No singing.”
“You’re no fun.”
Jillian was only a few steps away when her phone rang and she answered. “Uncle Patrick?”
Nolan’s head pivoted.
But Jillian didn’t turn back toward him, and she kept moving forward with the line as she talked.
If it weren’t for that silly backpack in the corner left in his charge, Nolan might have caught his daughter’s eye, waved, and left to go back to work. But in the moments he was watching Jillian, Tucker had dropped out of sight, so Nolan couldn’t simply return the backpack and leave. Nolan jiggled one leg under the table and awaited the inevitable.
Jillian returned with her waffle cone and two napkins. “Dad, Uncle Patrick says you never called him back. It’s been a week.”
“He shouldn’t have called you.”
“But he did. He says he’s been leaving you messages.”
Nolan sighed. “That’s right.”
“This is not like you, Dad.”
“It’s a complex dynamic, Jillian.”
“He’s your brother, Dad. I always thought Patrick was some sort of black sheep of the family, but I don’t know why.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what? I’ve heard Nana say he had a temper when he was younger, but the few times I’ve met him, I never saw anything more than someone who looked like he needed a break. Sulking at best. The Duffys are loud when they get together, you know.”
“I do know.”
“How is it that I come from a large Irish family and I have this uncle I don’t know? He’s your brother. He’s reaching out, and you’re not taking his calls.”
“You don’t have to tell me the obvious, Jillian.” Instantly, Nolan regretted his tone. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“Dad.”
Her green eyes, the ones she got from him, pleaded with him.
She put a hand on his closed fist. “He wants to talk to you. What don’t I know?”
Tucker burst through the door and spread his arms to put one hand on Nolan’s shoulder and the other on Jillian’s.
Nolan flashed him a grin. “You are doing a fabulous job directing traffic this direction. Have you set up a roadblock or something?”
Tucker’s forefinger shot up. “I wonder if I could do that! Maybe not in the street—there’s probably a city ordinance about that—but a few orange cones on the sidewalk gently guiding the path.”
“They sell them at the hardware store,” Nolan said. “Buy six and they’ll give you a deal.”
“Dad!” Jillian said.
“What? Just trying to do right by Kristina. It is the grand reopening, after all.”
The door opened again and another customer joined the line.
“Whatever you’re paying that guy in the costume,” Nolan said, “it’s not enough.”
“Who is that, anyway?” Jillian asked.
“My secret.” Tucker pointed to the corner. “I need to grab that backpack. If Kris gets a break, tell her I’ll be back.”
Nolan stood up. “You’ll have to assign that duty to Jillian. I’m afraid I need to get back to my desk.”
“Jillian it is then,” Tucker said. “Your cone is dripping.”
Jillian lifted the cone and ran her tongue around it to contain the leaks from the hard shell chocolate dip.
“Nolan, how about we ski tomorrow?” Tucker said.
“I can do that. Let’s make a day of it.”
“Good. Walk with me and we’ll make a plan.”
“Dad?” Jillian said, dabbing the corner of her mouth.
“Yes?”
“What we were talking about—we’ll talk again?”
“When we have a chance.” He didn’t meet her eye. He was only digging a deeper hole.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
This time Tucker was driving his gray rented pickup, and Nolan was the passenger as they headed deeper into the mountains toward a ski resort.
“I haven’t been there in forever,” Nolan said when Tucker announced the destination. “Exactly how many different places have you skied since you came to Colorado?”
“Half a dozen.” Tucker adjusted his dark sunglasses. “That doesn’t count the informal hills around town. Canyon Mines makes a nice home base. There are places close enough to run out to for the afternoon, but others farther out that are still very doable as a day trip.”
“You are not wrong,” Nolan said. Bella had loved the location for the same reason. Even venturing to one of the more distant locations, she could put supper in the slow cooker, take Jillian to school, arrange for Nia to babysit after school, ski several runs, and be home in time to put the meal on the table before Nolan was home from Denver.
“This one has a great ski shop,” Tucker said. “We could see about getting you some new skis. What do you say?”
Nolan shook his head. “That might be premature for my remedial phase.”
“If you had better skis, you could move out of the remedial phase more quickly.”
“You have an answer to everything.”
“I try to.”
“I’m afraid I’m sentimentally attached to the skis I have.” Bella had given Nolan those skis. Jillian was eight at the time and already had declared she didn’t want to ski, no matter how much Bella cajoled. Even with new skis Nolan wouldn’t be able to keep up with Bella, but it gave her such pleasure to help him pick them out, and at the time they were considered a good set for someone of moderate ability. But twenty years? Even Leif, who agreed that technically the skis were safe, raised an eyebrow about why anyone would still want to use them.
“Fair point,” Tucker said. “I have skis I’m sentimental about. I’ll probably never get rid of them, but I don’t use them either. How about we rent something for you today?”
“Rent?”
“Sure. As your ski instructor, I think you’re ready to experience what kind of skier you could be on more modern equipment.”
“You mean like, faster?”
“Exactly.”
“Tighter turns?”
“Precisely.”
“Better stops?”
“All of that.”
“More likely to break a bone?”
“Wait a minute.” Tucker laughed. “You set me up. I won’t let you do something that’s not safe.”
Nolan nodded, tucking away that promise. “Okay, but we start with the bunny hill again until I get the feel of them, and this time you do not use me for demonstration purposes with a group of children.”
“I�
��ll have to settle for that deal, because I already reserved the equipment.”
“What?”
“I couldn’t take a chance there wouldn’t be anything available.”
The thing about Tucker Kintzler was that he was fully and entirely likable. Nolan reminded himself of the specter of Hidden Run and the reason he’d taken up skiing with Tucker in the first place. Allegedly Kris had the same motivation, though it seemed her reasons were deepening into a more personal investment. Nolan might be alone on the Stop Hidden Run Crusade. He just hoped he didn’t have to stop two skiers rather than one.
They did rent the equipment.
“Where’s the other half?” Nolan asked when he had everything on at the top of the bunny hill.
“What do you mean?” Tucker straightened Nolan’s helmet.
“They feel like they weigh nothing!”
“This is what I’ve been trying to tell you. You’re going to love it.”
A couple of kids lined up next to Nolan and positioned their poles with some coaching from their parents. Tucker smiled at them. “Great day for skiing, isn’t it?”
“Don’t even think about it,” Nolan muttered.
“I’m not allowed to be friendly with the other skiers?” Tucker made no effort to keep his voice low. “My friend here needs some encouragement on his new skis.”
The kids giggled.
Nolan sighed. “Well, then, children, shall we do this?”
They all pushed off at more or less the same time. Every promise Tucker made about the updated skis proved true. They were light and slick and smooth, and Nolan was at the bottom of the long bunny hill ahead of the kids with Tucker right behind him.
“See?” Tucker flipped up his goggles. “You survived. You did great, in fact. Let’s try the blue.”
“If I remember right,” Nolan said, “blue at this resort is a little steep.” Bella had skied circles around him here, fearless of the pitch and terrain even when many of her friends found it out of their comfort zone.
“You don’t want to stay on the bunny hill all day with your new cool skis.”
“Well, I suppose I don’t.”
“Then we’re doing blue.”
“Maybe I should have stayed on my slower skis,” Nolan said.
“Where’s your spirit of adventure? You’re here to ski. You’ve got the right mechanics. I’m confident of that. All we’re doing now is speeding things up slightly.”
“More than slightly.”
“I’m just trying to encourage you, my friend. But if you don’t want to try…”
“I’ll do it.” Nolan turned toward the lifts. “I’m not old yet.”
“Not by a long shot.”
Tucker took the blue hill at Nolan’s speed, eyeing the skiers passing them on both sides but offering patient encouragement for adjusting to the feel of the lighter, faster skis. The second time down, Nolan felt comfortable to push off hard and go faster all the way down. About halfway, Tucker took off at full speed. Nolan opted to sit out the third run and instead watch from the bottom as Tucker took the entire hill at lightning speed.
“Next up, black!” Tucker said.
“I’ll find a ringside seat for that one,” Nolan said.
“I think you’re ready,” Tucker said.
Nolan shook his head. “That’s out of my league, and I’m pretty sure it always will be.”
“Don’t talk like that. You’ve seen the difference the right skis can make. We’ll get you a pair of your own that you can really get used to. I’ll have you on double blacks before you know it.”
“I don’t think so, Tucker. For that you need Kris.”
“She is a terrific skier. I should bring her here. We could do the double black together.”
“She’d probably like that. But today you have me for a cheerleader for anything more than blue.”
“All right,” Tucker said. “Let’s go see how crowded the black is, and maybe we’ll come back so you can do the blue again before we have to turn in your skis.”
Tucker’s bright green jacket made him easy to track even from the bottom of the slope as he got off the lift, pushed off, and made tight turns around bumps in the steep terrain of the black diamond run. Even though there were other skiers on the hill, Tucker was the most eager and aggressive to gain speed, take the turns at the last possible moment, and find the points of lift that would send him airborne for a few seconds before whooshing him into powder swirling up as his skis cut back into the snow. Nolan couldn’t begin to estimate his speed. Breathtakingly fast. Bella would have been impressed. No wonder Kris was smitten and willing to close her shop in the middle of the day for the chance to ski with Tucker.
Finally, Tucker glided to a stop at the base of the run, and Nolan pushed over on his skis to join him.
“Wow.” Nolan planted his poles in front of Tucker. “That’s all I have to say.”
“What the teacher can do, the student can learn,” Tucker said.
“Not one this remedial, I’m afraid. If you want to take another pass here instead of going back to blue, I’m happy to watch again.”
“What about double black?”
“If all I’m doing is watching, sure. I can call 911 from anywhere.”
“Put your phone away. You won’t need it.”
Spotting Tucker atop the double-black diamond hill was easy. Only four skiers were there. Even from the bottom, Nolan could see the run was more rugged, with more places to find lift. Knees bent, leaning slightly forward, poles behind him, Tucker found every spot. Another skier came down wrong and didn’t land on her feet. Fortunately, her binder did just what it was supposed to do and released her ski. Tucker whizzed past her as she was setting up to continue down. He took every maneuver flawlessly, aimed for Nolan, turned his skis, and slid to a perfect stop.
“You are amazing,” Nolan said.
“I wish you could know the feeling I get on a run like that,” Tucker said. “You could do it. I know you could.”
Nolan shook his head. “Time to turn in these skis.”
They headed back to the rental shop, had a hot beverage and a snack in the lodge, and returned to the truck for the drive back to Canyon Mines.
“Do you compete somewhere that you’ve failed to mention?” Nolan asked once they were on the highway.
Tucker shook his head. “I’m in it for pure joy, and doing the thing that challenges me next.”
“Where is the most challenging place you’ve ever skied?”
“United States or Europe?”
“Fair question. Let’s stick with Stateside.”
“Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a pretty good adrenaline rush. Thirty-foot-drop through the chute and some amazing cliffs.”
“So it’s about the thrill?”
“Partly.”
“And Canyon Mines?”
Tucker glanced over at Nolan. “I needed a vacation. Everyone knows skiing in Colorado is great.”
Nolan nodded. Jackson Hole. He couldn’t ask for a better opening for Jillian’s line of inquiry. “I knew someone named Jackson once. A client. It seems like it’s a name making a comeback for little boys, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. The only Jackson I know is old.”
“Does he ski?”
“Doubtful. I’m not sure he’s ever been out of Missouri—except maybe over the river into Illinois.”
“Really?”
“He was a friend of my grandfather’s. A locksmith by trade. He’s a curious soul about how things work but largely content to stay close to home.”
“There’s something to be said for a life of contentment,” Nolan said. “Not everybody needs big thrills—like, say, skiing Hidden Run.”
“You heard about that.”
“Yep.”
“Why shouldn’t I? You’ve seen what I can do.”
“You are pretty amazing.” Nolan trod carefully. “But no one has skied Hidden Run in decades. It’s dangerous.”
“But it’s
still there, right?”
“The land is, sure,” Nolan said. “The run is another question. It was never fully cleared in the first place, and enough time has passed for it to be overgrown again. We’re not above the timberline.”
“I know I can’t just take a ski lift up there. That’s why I had Leif order some backcountry skies. They’ll be in any day now.”
“Tucker, you’re an amazing skier,” Nolan said, “probably the best I’ve ever seen. But Hidden Run wasn’t safe even when it was operating commercially.”
“Now you sound like your daughter. I didn’t expect that from somebody who skis.”
“Jillian has a good head on her shoulders,” Nolan said. “There were several catastrophic accidents at Hidden Run in the few years it operated, and dozens of lesser ones.”
“I know. I’ve been reading everything I can scrounge up about it. But my guess is those were not experienced skiers. I’m different.”
“That may be true, but it doesn’t remove the danger. What does Kris think?”
Tucker shrugged behind the wheel. “She was trying to persuade me off, but I think she might actually come with me.”
“Well, she is a fine skier too.” Nolan sobered. “Does anyone else in your family ski? Was your grandfather a skier?”
“Grandpa Matt? No. Between the business and all his children’s charity work, he didn’t have a lot of hobbies.”
“But you were close.”
“We spent a lot of time together. He was always interested in what was going on in my life. We talked every day, right up until the end. About everything. Well, not everything, it turned out. But I didn’t know that.”
Nolan felt a pang for all the days he’d avoided talking to Paddy. Because of Patrick.
“What do you mean?” Nolan asked.
“It got complicated.”
“I’m an attorney. I understand complicated things.”
Tucker stared at the highway. “He got sick, and it was like there was something he wanted to say and never did. Couldn’t, somehow. The last thing he said to me should have been how much he loved me. That’s what I wanted to say to him. Instead, he wanted to talk about some hideous secret and leave me in a quandary about what I’m supposed to do.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
Tucker gripped the wheel more tightly. “I doubt it. It’s massive stuff.”
In the Cradle Lies Page 11