Snow Bond

by Ross Richdale

  "Yes, but how? There's only East Ridge Station and yourselves. The ski fields aren't too far away but they only employ seasonal labour and younger people."

  Renee placed an arm around Sandra's shoulders. "Leave it to me. I'll talk to Tyler and see what we can do. We can certainly solve your housing situation and possibly Norm's employment as well."

  "Thanks," Sandra replied. "Sorry to burden you with my troubles. How's your pregnancy going, anyway?"

  Renee rubbed her expanding tummy. "Good. The morning sickness has gone and my recent scan shows everything is okay."

  "OKAY, WE OWN THE HOUSE and can let Sandra and Norm remain in it but to offer Norm a job as well..." Tyler muttered after Renee suggested how they could help.

  "It needn't be a full time one. From what I've heard, Norm is a good worker and uses his initiative. Apparently, he anticipated last year's big snow and brought three thousand sheep down from the higher pastures to save their lives. He's also interested in hunting."

  "So?"

  "We could expand our business in that direction."

  "How?"

  "Have tourists stay in our hostel or cottages and get a contract for helicopters to fly hunters up into the mountains. The tahr and chamois are numerous in the mountains close to us."

  Tyler shrugged. "It's a millionaire's sport, guys with big money who want up-market accommodation at a thousand bucks a night. We can't provide that."

  "No, of course not. However, our cottages and the new hostel can cater for ordinary tourists from overseas or even local New Zealanders who want a relatively cheap holiday with all the thrills."

  "It'll cost a packet to get established."

  "So? We can make it part of Fredrick Brooks Holdings. We could even concentrate on tourism here in the South Island."

  Tyler grinned. "You're becoming an astute business woman, My Dear," he said.

  "Well the company needs a new direction. Larry ran it into the ground and lost millions trying to run gambling places in competition to the big international companies in Auckland. I was going to cut our loses on those anyway."

  "So your idea of just selling Fredrick Brooks Holdings to that Chinese company is off the books?"

  "It was anyway," Renee replied. "The government has tightened up on overseas companies buying out local businesses." She grimaced. "Larry's record over the last five years was pretty abysmal so no local company would be interested in buying the company as a going concern. I think we should concentrate on a new direction and finance it through selling those properties in Auckland."

  "But that doesn't solve the problem with Norm."

  "So we offer him a part time job and let the Garretts stay in their house at the same rent they pay at the moment?"

  "Correct."

  "I doubt if he'll want it."

  Renee frowned. "You men are all alike," she said. "If he is too proud to accept our offer, so be it. That's between Sandra and himself."

  THE MEETING THE FOLLOWING evening at Sarah and Norm's house was interesting. Norm sat back looking almost sour while Sarah fussed around with cups of coffee and sandwiches that she had made. After the usual small talk, Renee placed a folder on the kitchen table that they were sitting around.

  "First of all, I have some news that directly affects you both," she said and gave them a summary of how she inherited Fredrick Brooks Holdings.

  "So you own the lower farm and this house?" Sarah gasped.

  "The company I inherited does," Renee replied. "We can make it so that even if you, Norm are fired from your position at Top Ridge Station, it will not affect this home that you rent. You can stay here at the present rental for as long as you wish."

  "That's great!" Sarah gasped and even Norm nodded in approval.

  "Nothing is finalised yet but a new contract for the leasing of the lower farm should be signed soon. The owners of East Ridge Station are an overseas consortium who are asking us to sell the lower farm to them. This may happen but if so, we will be subdividing the three houses off, including this one to add to our property," Renee continued.

  "As you know, both the other houses are empty but they've been regularly maintained and will need little done to them to be included with our present cottages for tourist accommodation," Tyler added. "Renee and I have almost completed the new track and are considering starting a hunting lodge." He continued on with details of what they might do. "And this is where you come in, Norm," he added.

  "Me? How!"

  "You're a keen huntsman, I gather."

  "Yeah but I haven't done a lot in the last few years; too busy on the station. They've cut down on staff over the last decade."

  "Oh Norm," Sarah sighed. "Hear Tyler and Renee out will you?"

  "I'll be frank," Renee said. "We can offer you a part-time position immediately and with Sarah's full-time position at the shop, you'll both have enough to live on."

  "And what would this job include?" Norm sounded hesitant but interested.

  "Looking after our small sheep flock and helping me maintain our buildings and finish that walking bridge on the new track. I've done most of the work myself and considered getting contractors to finish it. However, it will be far cheaper to finish myself but need another man to help," Tyler said and raised his eyebrows slightly at Renee. "As well, you would help in the shop and do some domestic chores to clean the cottages and hostel. If the hunting idea eventuates I will employ you full time and you can take tourists up into the mountains. I'm thinking of three day camp-outs but you may have other suggestions."

  "You'd be interested in my ideas?" Norm sounded almost keen.

  "Of course. I've done a bit of hunting but don't really know much about it. Sarah said you're quite an expert on the local hunting areas."

  Norm glanced at his wife and grinned. "So when would you like to know my reply?"

  Tyler smiled. "There is no time limit at all. If you keep your position as shepherd at the station, nothing will change or even if you leave but don't want to accept our offer, it won't affect your home. We are already receiving the house rent from the station so it will be just a formality to make it come directly from you or perhaps even deduct it from Sarah's wages."

  "And there won't be too much cleaning rooms and dishing out petrol at the shop?" Norm asked.

  Renee laughed. "No Norm. Tyler hates doing those chores, too."

  Sarah's eyes lit up. "How about it Norm?" she said. "You won't get a better offer within a hundred kilometres of East Ridge."

  Norm nodded. "You're probably right but I'd still like to think about it."

  As they walked home Tyler turned to Renee. "Norm's a bit of the old school where the man earns the money and his wife is expected to follow him."

  "I noticed," she replied. "However, Sarah is not one to be bossed around and I think she can be persuasive when it becomes necessary."

  "Yeah, just like you," Tyler replied and slipped his arm around her shoulders as they trudged back through the snow.

  A MONTH LATER NORM began working for Tyler and Renee. He proved to be a good worker who showed initiative and fitted in well with customers at the shop and tourists who stayed in the cottages and lodge. Both modes of overnight stay had high occupancy rates with a No Vacancy sign having to go up on most weekends. Over the summer Tyler had installed more electricity and sewerage disposal units for campervans and these were also well used during the snow season.

  Norm was also helpful on Tyler's road contract and often drove the big tractor to check out the highway in their section. There were a couple of minor accidents throughout the winter and spring and he had helped in both cases.

  In spring, he cared for their flock of sheep, looked after a couple of motherless lambs, docked the twenty lambs tails and said he would shear the ewes when warmer weather arrived. In October, Tyler increased his hours to full-time and Renee who was now near the end of her pregnancy, gave Sandra a promotion as manager of the store as well as being in charge of the cottage and lodge guests.

&n
bsp; Sandra was thrilled with herself when three schools booked the lodge for end of the year school trips and Renee told Tyler she was quickly becoming redundant around the place.

  JETT TYLER STEVENS-Walsh weighed in at 3.5 kilograms and was born in the small town of Darfield, population of around two thousand that had the advantage of having the closest maternity hospital to East Ridge. Renee had no problems during the birth with the only sadness being when she thought back to her first baby who had never survived that brutal attack by Larry Brooks.

  "Look at it this way," Tyler said late that evening as he sat on the bed and held their little boy. "If it wasn't for that tragic time we might never have met."

  Renee stared up at him. "Possibly, but I have a feeling we would have anyway."

  "True," Tyler said. "Anyway, you get a good night's sleep. I've booked in a local motel so will see you in the morning." He handed Jett back, kissed her and suddenly seemed nervous.

  "Okay, what is it, Tyler?" Renee asked.

  Tyler grinned. "I know we said it's not necessary these days but what say we get married?"

  Renee smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Isn't it a bit late for that?"

  "I guess," Tyler replied. "But will you?"

  Renee nodded as if she was thinking about it. "On one condition," she finally said.

  "And that is?"

  "We take the same surname as Jett."

  "What do you mean?"

  "We both become Stevens-Walsh. Don't you think that's modern?"

  Tyler grinned and being careful he didn't squash little Jett, gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. "Why not?" he asked and kissed her again.

  CHAPTER 17

  Aza glanced out the kitchen window where she could see the whole street before her as their home was at the end of a cul-de-sac. She grinned for the person on the approaching motorbike was Ian.

  Since Alice was born they had an unusual situation in that he had continued to be a real friend to both Sofia and herself. He had also became a real dad for Alice who was now a toddler and beginning to talk. Also, Paige Cohen, Ian's partner had become a good friend to Sofa and herself.

  It was Friday and the last weekday before Aza was due to return to her position at Auckland University. In the big swap, as her partner called it, Sofia had requested and received an unpaid year's leave from her position at the importing firm to look after Alice. They had both reasoned that by that time, the little girl would be ready to attend Busy Hands, a child-care centre only a few blocks away that she was booked into.

  "Guess who's coming to see us?" Aza lifted Alice up so she could see out the window.

  "Daddy!" Alice almost shouted and then pouted. "Where's Aunty Paige?"

  Aza laughed. "There's no room on the motorbike for her. You know they always come in their red sports car."

  Alice nodded, wriggled out of Aza's arms and ran to the door just as it opened. Ian lifted her in his arms and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

  "Got a present for me Daddy?" Alice asked.

  "Alice," Aza said. "Remember you should not expect a present from Daddy every time you see him."

  "I know, Mummy." Alice turned to her father. "But have you?"

  Ian grinned. "Well perhaps there might be something in my jacket pocket."

  He placed Alice down, took off his motorcycle jacket and folded it over a chair. Alice ran across and searched the pockets. In the second one she pulled out a small raisin bar covered in pink chocolate and her eyes lit up.

  "Can I eat it now, Mummy?"

  "After you've finished your cereal. You've hardly touched it."

  Aza placed Alice back in her highchair before the uneaten breakfast, turned to Ian and nodded at a kitchen chair. "It's nice to see you but why are you here at this time of the day?"

  Ian sat down and took a document out of a satchel he had brought with him. "It's all about Joseph Hardy."

  Aza frowned. "Thought it might be. You've had no luck proving he was involved in any of those attacks down at Renee and Tyler's place?"

  "Correct. Sure, he had a crossbow and rifle in that Land Cruiser but both were licensed and legal. As for the gunman who shot Sofia, there is nothing that can be traced back to Hardy. He covered everything extremely well."

  Aza sighed but the news wasn't unexpected.

  "What about that murder in Canada; hasn't the DNA proved he was involved?"

  "True and the RCMP have a warrant out for his arrest,"

  Aza looked up but noticed that Ian looked serious. "So, won't the Canadians seek an extradition here for him to be arrested and deported back to stand trial?"

  "That's the problem," Ian said. "Joseph is a New Zealander, not a Canadian on the run. Deporting one of our own citizens to another country to answer for a crime committed there is more difficult than for a foreigner staying here."

  "But Canada is another Commonwealth country?"

  Ian shrugged. "True but now-a-days this doesn't make a lot of difference. It can be done. We can arrest him on the charge and a district court hearing will be heard. However, no doubt he will have some of the top lawyers in the country defending him and, even if his deportation is upheld they'll take the case to the High Court. It could take months, even years before it is heard. Even then the law is somewhat vague about New Zealand citizens being involved in crime overseas and whether they can be deported to stand trial. He could easily win on some technicality."

  "What about the other way?" Aza asked. "Can't he be tried in New Zealand and the RCMP come here to give evidence."

  "An interesting theory but again, legally their police have no authority in New Zealand."

  Aza stared at her daughter's father and noticed his almost bemused expression. "But you have some sort of plan, haven't you?"

  "I have. The RCMP have kept their findings about the DNA breakthrough secret and the chances that Hardy knows about it is pretty remote; he's an arrogant fellow so we'll use both those facts to trick him into returning to Canada. Once there, he'll be arrested and charged with the murder of Ethan Yang."

  "And how do you propose to do that?"

  Ian grinned. "That's where you come in."

  AZA, TOGETHER WITH Sofia and Ian had several meetings to draw up a plan to entrap Hardy. Some such as Aza befriending him back at work were discarded as being unrealistic, plans of kidnapping him and placing him on a plane to Vancouver even if successful, could lead to themselves being arrested as criminals.

  Meanwhile, Aza returned to Auckland University and was offered a position as an associate professor with overall responsibility for the hundreds of undergraduates in the School of Biological Scientists. This placed her well away from Joseph Hardy who showed no interest in the mainly younger students. She was also given an office and laboratory with research facilities well away from the man. Therefore, she rarely saw him at work.

  A plan that was hatched was relatively simple and involved a symposium of world eminent genetic scientists at a retreat in north-eastern Washington State that bordered the international boundary with Canada. This symposium was a complete hoax but several scientists in the field were approached and told about the situation. All cooperated and a couple even sent study papers about supposed topics to Hardy to make it appear genuine. As well, an outdoor camp in north-eastern Washington State was contacted by local police authorities and agreed to cooperate once they learned about the situation.

  Aza received a copy of the information and documents that were produced and found them almost faultless with genuine addresses, emails and on-line web pages. As well, one scientist from United Kingdom who had actually worked with Hardy earlier in his career invited him to present a paper to the symposium. This should have cemented the hoax but it almost fell through.

  They had anticipated that Hardy would book a direct flight by Air New Zealand between Auckland and Vancouver in British Columbia and drive south over the border about forty kilometres south. In their plan he would be intercepted and arrested by the RCMP before h
e left the country. However, Ian had discovered that the annoyingly cautious professor had instead booked a flight to San Francisco and an internal flight north to Seattle/Tacoma airport thereby avoiding Canadian soil.

  Aza stared at him when he told her the news. "Does he know about the plan?" she asked.

  "No, for why has he still booked to go to it?"

  "So why did he take this longer alternative travel arrangement?"

  "To avoid being in Canada even in transit. We know how thorough he is." Ian grimaced. "I've made some more research about his life in Canada and find there were other criminal files built up against him by VPD, the Vancouver Police Department, that is separate from the federal RCMP. None of the cases were proven but are still open and on record. As well as the murder, he has these to avoid,"

  "What sort of cases?"

  "Mainly indecent assault against university undergraduates but one of misappropriating funds at BC University for personal use. He's one nasty man, you know."

  "That could be why he avoids the younger students at Auckland University," Aza commented. "So we're back to trying to get him extradited to Canada are we?"

  "Not at all," Ian said. "I found one way that will get him to step onto Canadian soil..." He went across to a computer, entered Google Maps and brought up a map of the international border between British Columbia and Washington, ran along the border with the cursor and zoomed in. "See that?" he said and pointed at the screen.

  Aza studied the screen and chuckled. "You mean..."

  "That's right," Ian replied before she had even finished her question. "Get him there and he won't even realise he's in Canada before it is too late."

  "But how do we pull it off?"

  "Leave it to me. I have lots of friends over there and the RCMP wants him nailed as much as we do. Also, we won't need to officially involve United States authorities with more bureaucracy at government level. At the local level, I'm sure we can get their cooperation."