by Kathi Daley
“That fits with what Mrs. Bristow told Kyle and me. She said she stopped by to see her ex-husband just before four o’clock the day he died. Did Kate say anything else other than ask Noah about his meeting with Bristow?”
“Not to me. Noah walked her out to her car and I noticed the two of them stopped to chat for a good ten minutes before she pulled away. When Noah came back to our table, he jumped right in with a continuation of our conversation about Winter Carnival.”
Interesting. I wondered if it might be worth my while to have a chat with Noah. He’d already left for the day, so that would have to wait until tomorrow.
Dad and Rosalie retired to their suite to watch a movie, and Kyle and I headed down to the beach. The crowds had cleared out, so we’d brought a bottle of wine to watch the sunset. There’s nothing better than a sunset over Paradise Lake during the long days of summer when the sun sets late and the air is still warm. Kyle arranged the beach chairs we’d brought so they faced the western slope of the mountain while I poured the wine.
“I’m surprised the beach is so deserted,” Kyle said. “A week ago there were still plenty of people around at this time of the night.”
“I think a lot of schools have already started up. The classes in the valley started this past Monday.”
“Seems early.”
“It does, but the schools there let out earlier in the spring than we do, so it all works out. Personally, I enjoy this time of the year, when we have the beach to ourselves, yet it’s still warm.”
“It is nice,” Kyle agreed.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the setting sun and sipping our wine. After the sun was down we decided to build a fire in one of the pits and finish off the bottle of wine. It was a warm evening, so between the heat from the fire and the sweatshirt I wore, I was toasty warm.
“How do you feel about this thing with Noah?” I asked after a while.
Part of me knew I should be focusing on the romantic atmosphere of the lake and the firelight, but my mind refused to relax. I always did have a hard time doing that when I was investigating a murder, and now was no different.
“I’m not sure. I guess I don’t blame Bristow for trying to recruit Noah. He’s very good at what he does, and Bristow appeared to me to want the best for himself. Likewise, I’m not surprised Noah chose to stay where he is. Your dad has been very good to him, and the entire family treats him like one of the gang.
“I’d be surprised if Noah knew anything at all about Bristow’s murder, but it makes sense that Kate would want to speak to him if he was seen leaving Bristow’s office just hours before he was shot.”
I laughed. “That pretty well sums it up, but I wasn’t asking what you thought but how you felt.”
“Felt?” Kyle looked confused.
“When Dad initially told us Kate had been by, I was irritated. After he explained why she was here, I found my irritation had evolved into curiosity and anger. If Bristow was trying to poach Noah for one of his other resorts, might there have been others he was trying to poach for one development or another as well?”
“You’re thinking Bristow might have been shot by someone negatively affected by his business practices, like trying to recruit the best employees?”
“I know it’s another long shot, but at this point I feel like all we can do is grasp at straws. Both Wildman and Yorkshire make good suspects, but we should keep adding to our list in case Roy speaks to them and they both wash out.”
“Okay, then other than Maggie’s Hideaway, who would have a large enough resort that Bristow might be interested in their management team?” Kyle asked.
“No one on the north shore, but there are a few large resorts on the south shore. At the very least, I think I’ll mention it to Roy when I see him next.”
Kyle leaned over and took my glass from my hand. “That sounds like a good idea, but for now, what do you say we change the topic from Bristow’s murder to our upcoming weekend?”
“Okay. What do you want to discuss?” I asked as Kyle softly touched his lips to mine. I waited for him to respond, but instead, he pulled me onto his lap as he deepened the kiss. As far as I was concerned, Saturday couldn’t get here fast enough.
Chapter 18
Friday, August 18
I woke the following morning to Gracie crawling into bed with me. It was early, so I opened my arms and she crawled inside and snuggled under the covers. I closed my arms around her and pulled her close to my chest. “Is everything okay?” I whispered into her ear after we’d settled into a comfortable position.
“My head hurts.”
I kissed the top of her head, which was tucked under my chin. “I’m sorry, sweetie. It’s pretty early still. Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?”
She nodded. She rested her head on my chest and I caressed her hair as she drifted off to sleep. Gracie wasn’t the sort to have headaches. I hoped she wasn’t getting sick.
By the time we woke up, Gracie seemed to be feeling better, although she wasn’t quite her usual energetic, happy self. Deciding to err on the side of caution, I suggested she might want to curl up on the sofa in the den with her favorite cartoons rather than going out to the pool with Ashley, as she’d originally planned. I mentioned to both Dad and Grandpa that it seemed like she might be coming down with something and warned them that they might want to stay away from her. I’d planned to work on the murder case with Kyle today, but a potentially sick sister took precedence over everything. The last thing I wanted was for either my dad, who was still on the mend, or my grandpa, who had been dealing with some health issues of his own, to come down with whatever Gracie might have.
After calling Kyle and letting him know I was resort bound for the day, I decided to use my time indoors to work on my lesson plans for the upcoming school year. I couldn’t believe the summer break had almost come to an end. It had been a busy and, in many ways, crazy summer. First, I’d broken up with Hunter, who I’d once been certain was the man I was meant to grow old with. Then my dad had become engaged, and I’d decided to spend the summer helping a family friend in South Carolina. We’d just solved the mystery of the body in the attic there and had finally settled down when I’d learned my father had been involved in an accident that had resulted in the death of his good friend Judge Harper. I’d dropped everything and rushed home to be by his side. Since then, I’d shouldered extra duties at the resort to relieve some of the work load created by Dad’s absence while he healed. I’d been running nonstop since school let out last spring, but somehow, amid all that insanity, I’d fallen in love with Kyle.
I only hoped Gracie’s bug would be short-lived so Kyle and I could finally have the perfect night I’d been dreaming of for weeks. Maybe it was ridiculous in this day and age to want a perfect evening I could remember always, but there was something so special about Kyle that I wanted to be sure all our firsts were special as well.
“Hey, honey. Would you mind doing me a favor?” Dad asked just after I came downstairs after putting Gracie down for a nap.
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
“I just got a call from Sterling Snow, asking if I could have someone drop off the preliminary plans we came up with for Winter Carnival. It seems he has a meeting set up with the Florida Ski Council and he’s trying to get them to commit to coming to Angel Mountain this year. He thought the Carnival might be just the thing he needed to put his resort in the running.”
“I’d be happy to drive the plans up to the resort. I just put Gracie down and she should be fine until I get back. If she does wake up, you need to stay away from her. I don’t know what she may have, but whatever it is, I don’t want you catching it.”
“Rosalie closed the clinic early and is on her way back to the house. If Gracie wakes up before you get back, I’ll have her make sure Gracie has whatever she needs.”
“Gr
eat. I’ll just run upstairs and get my bag.”
Angel Mountain was the largest ski resort on the north end of the lake. There were several larger ones on the south shore, where most of the population of Paradise County lived and most of the visitors to the area stayed, but Angel Mountain had been working hard to compete with the larger ones. Now it appeared they might just establish the reputation as being a must-ski resort they’d been working so hard for so many years to secure.
It was a clear and sunny day and the trip up the mountain was beautiful. The higher I climbed in elevation, the more clearly I could see all of Paradise Lake, which from a distance looked to be a sheet of deep blue glass. During the ski season, Angel Mountain was packed with both locals and visitors who made the trip up the mountain for a day on the slopes, but during the summer the parking lots were empty, the ski lifts waited silently, and the lodge, the restaurant, and the ski village were closed.
I parked at the curb near the executive offices and told Echo, who I’d brought along for the ride, to stay. Although it was a warm day down at the lake, it was rather cool up on the mountain. Still, I didn’t want Echo, with all his thick black fur, to become overheated, so I made sure I was parked in the shade and rolled all four windows down for air flow. “I’ll only be five minutes,” I promised my sweet boy before grabbing the plans and heading to the front door of the executive offices.
“My dad asked me to deliver these,” I said after making my way through the empty building to Sterling’s office and taking the stack of paperwork out of my bag.
“Thanks, just put them on the desk. I’d have come to get them myself, but I’ve been driving my dad’s old truck while mine is being repaired and it decided to be difficult and refuse to start on me.”
“Do you need a ride down the mountain?”
“No, I called a tow truck. It should be here soon. If the service can’t get the truck started, I’ll just have them tow it to the garage in Serenity and catch a ride down the mountain with the tow driver.”
I glanced around the office. “Okay, if you’re sure. It’s so quiet today. I know you’re closed, but I expected the management staff to be here. Is it always this dead in the summer?”
Sterling tightened his lips. “No. I normally have a team that works year-round. Unfortunately, it seems I may be faced with hiring a new team this year.”
“Everyone?”
“I’m afraid so. My general manager elected to take a job with a competitor and somehow managed to convince my entire management team to make the move with him.”
“Wow,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine having to replace your entire management team. What are you going to do?”
Sterling’s face hardened. “I don’t know. Angel Mountain has been expanding aggressively for the past couple of years. We have projects that should have been completed by the first snow that have now been put on pause because we don’t have the oversight necessary to handle the expansion and take care of the start-up activities required every year.” Sterling sighed. “It’s really a disaster. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Sterling had a reputation for being a stringent and unyielding man who ruled his ski empire with an iron fist, which didn’t engender a lot of loyalty among his employees, but to lose your entire management team all at once…I didn’t see how the poor guy was going to recover before the first snow.
I offered my sympathy once again and had turned to go when I noticed a photo on the wall of an older gentleman standing in front of an old stepside truck. A white Ford truck. Suddenly, everything began to fall into place.
“Is that the truck you’ve been driving?” I asked.
“Yeah. It belongs to my dad.”
“Bradford was at the resort the other day looking for my dad. Do you know if he ever got what he needed? I tried to help him, but he didn’t want to speak to me.”
Sterling’s lips tightened. “Dad is supposed to be retired. He gave the resort to me but still he continues to butt in.”
“I guess it is hard to totally walk away from something you built with your own hands.”
“I know. And I get it. The resort is his first love. He’ll die if we lose it, but I don’t know if we can get the employees we need in place to open on time. My dad has already had one heart attack. I doubt he’d survive another.”
I turned and looked at Sterling, focusing on his face as I made my next statement. “You know, we’re a lot alike. We both grew up living at resorts and we both were raised by strong men who built something wonderful with their bare hands.”
“I guess that much is true,” Sterling said.
“And I do feel your pain about losing your management team. It turns out our general manager was approached as well. With my dad out, it would have been a total catastrophe if we’d lost him,” I exaggerated. It would have been rough to lose Noah but not a catastrophe. Still, I wanted Sterling to identify with me, so I played it up.
“What is it about rich businessmen who already have more assets than they can manage but feel the need to poach in another man’s pond?”
“It really isn’t fair,” I agreed. “When my dad told me that Bristow had tried to steal Noah right out from under our noses, I was furious.”
Sterling’s entire face turned red and he balled his fists. I could see he was trying to suppress his rage. “It might be too late for me, but you don’t need to worry about that rodent fishing in your pond. The man has been dealt with once and for all.”
I realized it was best to leave then, and let Roy close the case. If I was right—and I was sure I was—Bristow hadn’t been shot because of his mall project or the married women he slept with, but because of his lack of business ethics.
I turned to go. “I really should get going.”
“Thanks again for bringing up the plans.” Sterling picked up the pile of papers I’d placed on the desk. He glanced through them, then pulled one sheet from the bottom. “Seems this got mixed up with the plans for the carnival.” Sterling handed it to me. “Are you looking in to Bristow’s death?”
Suddenly, I realized the suspect list Kyle and I had come up with had somehow become attached to the Winter Carnival plans. “I was in the beginning, but I’ve pretty much decided to let the sheriff’s department handle it from now on.” I took several steps toward the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I walked swiftly through the empty building. The urge to run was strong, but I didn’t want Sterling to know I was onto him. I’d just reached the front door when I heard Sterling behind me.
“Tj,” he called.
I cringed and stopped walking. I turned around. “Did I forget something?”
“My dad wants to talk to you.”
“Bradford’s here?”
“Not yet. He heard about the truck and happened to call just after you left my office. I mentioned you were here, and he asked that you wait for him.”
“I’d love to catch up with your dad. Really. But my sister is sick, and I need to get back. Maybe we can chat another time.” I turned and placed a hand on the door.
“I must insist you wait for Dad as he requested.”
It was then I saw the small gun in Sterling’s hand. I could wait, and it would be two to one, or I could make a run for it now. Sterling had a gun, but he wasn’t all that close to me. All I had to do was shove the door open and run. I took a deep breath and did just that. Once I was clear of the door, I made a sharp turn to the left and ran as fast as I could. I heard Sterling yelling at me. I put my head down and ran faster.
Once I reached the cover of the forest, I thought I’d be home free. I could find a place to hide until it was safe to continue. I ran as hard and fast as I could toward the woods. I felt something brush my hair. A moment later I heard a shot and realized the idiot was actually shooting at me. It was a good thing I liked to jog and stayed in shape. O
utrunning bullets fired from a gun was proving to be harder than I’d thought. I’m a fast runner but not faster than a speeding bullet. I dug down deep and sped up just a bit. I saw an area of thick underbrush up ahead and was moving toward it when I found myself flying toward the ground face-first. I landed on my chest and face. Hard. It completely knocked the air from my lungs. I knew I needed to get up, but I was doing good just trying to breath. By the time I finally found my breath, I opened my eyes to find Sterling standing over me, his gun pointed directly at my head.
“Why?” I finally asked.
The muscles in his face contracted to a degree that his appearance was distorted. “I didn’t tell you the whole story.”
“Which is…?” I sat up very slowly. There was dirt on my face, in my mouth, and in my eyes, but I knew I needed to make small movements, so I didn’t try to brush any of it away.
“Bristow approached my dad about buying Angel Mountain. The resort was my dad’s baby, so he refused to sell it. When Bristow realized he wasn’t going to get his way, he offered our entire management staff a huge bonus to leave.”
He really was a snake! “You can hire more staff. It won’t be easy, but there’s time before the snow falls.”
“No, there isn’t nearly enough time. The expansion my dad and I were attempting got the better of us and I’m afraid we ended up deeply in debt to the bank. We missed some payments over the summer and the bank is threatening to foreclose. My dad tried to convince them we’d be able to make up the late payments over ski season, but when the bank manager found out we’d lost our entire management team, he decided to cut his losses and initiated the foreclosure process. Dad’s going to lose the thing he loves most in the world because a small man with a Napoleon complex wasn’t satisfied ruling his own domain. He needed to rule the world.”
I’d been trying to slowly stand when Sterling realized what I was doing. He pointed the gun at my face. “I’m sorry it came to this. Dad has lost the resort, but I’m not going to let him lose his freedom as well.”