Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) Read online

  “Speaking of that. Let’s clear out this room. You could use the space for an office.”

  “I’m not ready.”

  “Yes, you are. Roy hasn’t slept here for a few years. Let’s do this together. It’ll be good for us. We both need to move forward.”

  Her mom shook her head and played with the top button of her sweater. After a moment, she said, “Okay. I’ll get some bins from the garage.”

  Kalin started with the dresser drawers and smiled at the amount of clothes stored there. Clothes that would no longer fit Roy. What was her mom thinking, keeping these? She’d use one bin for donations.

  Her mom returned with two plastic bins and a garbage bag. She also carried a small cardboard box. “This is what Stone Mountain sent.”

  Kalin reached for the box and placed it on the bed. She lifted the lid. So little. Roy’s kayak helmet. She ran her fingers along the stickers, stickers representing various places he’d gone white-water kayaking. Where was his kayak?

  Underneath the helmet, she found a watch engraved with Roy’s name and the date of Kalin and Jack’s wedding. The watch was a present to Roy for being Jack’s best man.

  “Can I keep this?”

  Her mom fingered the gold band. “Of course.”

  Kalin emptied three drawers while she tried not to notice her mom wince every time Kalin placed an article in a bin. “They’ll go to a good cause.”

  Her mom held a sweater tight to her chest. “I know.”

  Kalin moved to the wooden trunk pressed against the far wall. She lifted the lid and stared at Roy’s bike gear. His helmet, his riding gloves, his jerseys and a repair kit. “When did Roy put this stuff here?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  Amongst his jerseys, Kalin found a bag that had belonged to her. Jack’s personal effects had been returned to her after he died, and she’d asked Roy to dispose of the bag. So why had Roy kept this?

  Her fingers trembled, and she slid the zipper. A piece of cloth stuck between the teeth. She picked it free with her fingernail, glanced over her shoulder at her mom and undid the zipper. She ran her hand over the crack in Jack’s helmet, pictured his blond hair curling underneath the lip and closed her eyes tight.

  His wallet, watch and phone rested below on the bottom of the bag. Hiding her find from her mom, she placed the helmet and empty wallet in the garbage bag. Did Roy forget to deal with this for Kalin, or had he been too angry about Patricia to care about helping her?

  She turned to the closet. Stuffed animals from her childhood were lined up and facing her. Clothes that she hadn’t taken to Stone Mountain hung from the rack. Her beautiful suits with matching pumps. Should she take them with her or donate them along with Roy’s things?

  Her mom handed Kalin a photo album. “This we’ll keep.”

  She flipped the pages. The photos of her and Roy started from when they were tots and went to their early teens. When Roy still idolized his big sister. Kalin’s anger at Roy for stealing the money grew. She needed something to remind her of better times. She’d held her breath through most of the memorial, hoping a call wouldn’t come through to her mom telling her Roy was the thief. How could he do this to them? “Can I keep this, too?”

  “You can take anything you want.”

  “Dinner’s ready,” Kalin’s stepdad shouted from the kitchen.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Kalin returned to Stone Mountain from Ottawa and didn’t waste time getting to her office. After perusing the album she’d taken on the plane ride home, she was greedy for more.

  She opened the HR Facebook page and scrolled through the posts, searching for pictures of Roy and was soon rewarded. One photo showed Ben and Roy ascending the Alpine Tracks chair lift. Seeing Roy smile lightened her heart.

  For a while after Jack died, Roy stopped smiling, but Kalin didn’t believe his death would cause Roy to be unhappy for so long. Something else must have been going on in Roy’s life, and she wished she’d paid more attention instead of leaving Ottawa and ignoring the issue. Jack and Roy had been close. They’d spent hours cycling together, and Roy had been shaken to the core by Jack’s death. But still, the length of time Roy grieved seemed out of perspective.

  Jack’s funeral had been the hardest part for Kalin to endure during the week following the hit-and-run.

  His mahogany coffin had dropped slowly into the freshly dug hole. The smell of earth would forever be a sad memory for Kalin. The gears whined, and she glared at the crane operator. She was astounded he hadn’t had the hoist working perfectly for lowering the coffin, her husband’s coffin.

  She held a tissue to her mouth and suppressed a sob. How could this be the end? She leaned into Roy and grabbed his hand, needing to hold on or she would collapse. Her hand slipped along the sweat on Roy’s palm. She could feel him shaking and checked if he was crying. He wasn’t. His whole body shook with…what? She stared at him.

  “What?” Roy whispered.

  “Why are you shaking?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Are you okay?”

  “No.”

  Kalin roused herself back to the present. After the funeral, the pain changed into a persistent dull ache and nightly dreams. Not all the dreams were nightmares. Sometimes she dreamt Jack was still alive. She could smell him, feel his skin, but then she woke, and the instant she realized he was gone was worse than any nightmare.

  Tragedy had shattered Kalin’s life before Roy died. It was up to her to choose how to deal with Roy’s death now. She would not start feeling sorry for herself again.

  Assuming the post dates were close to the date the photos had actually been shot, she found several pictures of Roy and Aiden taken in December.

  In one, the men were sitting in the resort bar, grinning, arms draped across each other’s shoulders, lifting their beers in salute to the photographer. Aiden wore his ever-present lift manager uniform. Roy was skinnier than when she’d left Ottawa, and despite the grin, he looked worn out. She hadn’t noticed in person, but she should have.

  Jessica told her Aiden sometimes went out on touring skis with her and Roy. Aiden could have been in on the theft with Roy. Kalin refused to believe Roy came up with the idea on his own. Someone talked him into stealing the money.

  She found photos of Jessica and Simon, Eric Wilson and Simon, Helen and Jessica and many other combinations of the people in Jessica’s department. She studied the photos, looking for a pattern.

  When she didn’t find the magic clue, she went back to the photo of Roy and Ben and hit full screen. Something about the photo caught her attention, demanding she examine it more carefully. Roy’s ski boots were visible, and the buckles were yellow. The buckle she’d found when on the mountain with Ben had also been yellow. She’d have to tell Ben the buckle was definitely a starting point for the next search.

  Aiden stepped into her office. “What’s that?”

  “Just looking at photos of Roy.” Kalin pointed to her computer screen. “There seem to be a lot of the two of you together. I didn’t know you were close friends with him.”

  “We weren’t really. Monica snaps pictures of people anywhere at anytime. That’s all.”

  “You two seemed chummy.”

  “They’re just photos.”

  “But were you friends?”

  Aiden sighed. “He’s your brother. I don’t want to say anything bad. We started out being friends. We just didn’t stay friends. Turns out we didn’t have much in common.”

  Kalin couldn’t say why, but she thought Aiden had lied.

  “Have you seen all the cards on Roy’s locker?” Aiden asked.

  “A few.”

  “There’s a lot. I could collect them for you at the end of the season.”

  “Sure. That would be nice.” Roy’s locker. Maybe he’d left a clue inside. She’d check that out later.

  “I came by to see if you were free for lunch. It’s warm and sunny, and I thought we could take advantage of the weather a
nd eat at the barbecue on the deck.”

  “I have too much to do, but thanks for asking.” Kalin was surprised by the sour look on Aiden’s face when she said no. What was with his current effort to be friends with her?

  * * *

  A few minutes after seven p.m., Kalin stood alone in front of the mountain ops building. The unpredictable mountain weather had reared over the peaks in a sudden storm. Wind whipped against her cheeks with an intensity that stung her skin. The swirling snow could have been a family of ghosts dancing around her. Don’t think. Just go inside.

  She let her flashlight guide her to the mountain ops assistant’s desk. She’d seen the assistant give out locker combinations to staff and knew the list was in his top drawer. She slid the drawer open and ran her finger down the names until she found Roy’s.

  After unlocking the basement door, she crept down the unlit stairs using her hands to guide her toward Roy’s locker. She couldn’t let Turner or Ben know what she was up to, but she needed to see for herself what was in Roy’s locker. She planned to meet Ben in fifteen minutes, so she had to be quick.

  Deep in the basement, wearing black on black, she was invisible. A few more steps and the flashlight beam couldn’t be seen from the top of the stairs or from the outer door. She scanned the beam across the wall in search of a light switch. Finding it, she flicked it twice, hearing a distinctive click each time, but the room remained dark.

  She inched her way to Roy’s locker. Condolence cards Aiden had mentioned filled the surface. The ski patrol team decided to keep Roy’s locker untouched until the end of the season as a tribute to Roy. She gently pressed her fingers against one of the cards. She flipped the top and read the sentiment. She hadn’t realized people liked him so much. Most of the cards were from the ski patrol team. There was a lovely note from Helen but none from Jessica.

  Kalin pulled a scrap of paper from her front pocket and entered his combination. She dropped the lock, and the sharp crack of metal hitting the concrete floor reverberated across the room. She froze, checking for any signs someone was coming to investigate. Hearing nothing, she steadied herself and swung open the metal door.

  She didn’t know what she expected but hoped she’d find anything to link someone else to Roy. The RCMP might have missed something if they didn’t know about the second person.

  Only Roy’s ski patrol jacket hung on a silver hook. Kalin rummaged through the pockets, found a set of keys and tucked them in her own pocket. She took out safety manuals and books, putting them aside to check later. He’d taped a safety guide for white-water kayaking on the inside of the locker.

  Somewhere above her, a door creaked. She snapped off the flashlight and crouched in the deepest corner of the locker bay.

  “Who’s in here?”

  Kalin’s pulse quickened. She knew Justin Bradley’s voice well enough to recognize it. A seasonal liftie on suspension couldn’t possibly have a legitimate reason for being there after working hours.

  “I know someone’s in here. I saw a light.”

  She remained motionless. To her ears, her breathing sounded as loud as the storm outside. The light from his flashlight approached, and she closed her eyes, placing her head on her knees. Her face was the only part of her not covered in black. He had guts coming in here at night. If caught, he would only get into more trouble.

  Justin stopped at Roy’s open locker. “Huh.”

  Without looking away from her knees, she couldn’t see what he was doing. Only by the sound of his feet shuffling, did she know he was still near. After an agonizing minute, his footsteps faded.

  The seconds ticked by on her phone display, and when she clocked five minutes, she rose. She shut the locker door, and fumbling in the dark, managed to put on the lock. She gathered the books and tiptoed toward the exit, stopping every few steps to listen for Justin.

  She eased the outer door ajar, peeked outside, and when she didn’t see anyone, slipped through the narrow opening. Thick storm clouds blocked out all but a sliver of moonlight. Snow swept across the parking lot, blurring everything more than a few meters away, and even though she couldn’t see them, she could feel the looming mountains pressing down, giving her a sense of irrelevance.

  Justin stepped out from behind the corner of the building. “I knew someone was in there. I’m not surprised it’s you sneaking around in the dark. What are you up to?”

  “None of your business.” Before Kalin could rush past him, he grabbed her arm, and she dropped the books from Roy’s locker. An envelope slid from between the pages and landed at her feet.

  “What’s this? Stealing things?”

  “Let go of me. These are for work.” Kalin wrenched her arm free and picked up the books, slipping the envelope back between the pages.

  “You liar. You took those from McCann’s locker. I saw the open door.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out of my way.”

  “Why are you looking in a dead guy’s locker?” Justin clutched Kalin’s shoulder and shoved her backward.

  She stumbled and fell, dropping the books a second time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “What’s going on?” Ben asked.

  The wall of snow blurred Kalin’s view of Ben, but she didn’t care. He was here, and she’d be safe.

  Justin clenched his fists by his sides. “Get lost, dude.”

  At five-foot-nine, Ben was no match for Justin in height, but he had more strength in his muscles. He stepped between Justin and Kalin, flexing his bulk. “Are you all right?” he asked her.

  She picked up the books and shook snow off them. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  Justin’s body was primed for a fight. “I said get lost. This is none of your business.”

  “Move away from Kalin.”

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Her husband.”

  Justin took two steps backward and pointed at Kalin. “I’m not finished with you.”

  “Yes, you are,” Ben said. He turned toward Kalin. “Come on.”

  Justin swung, punching Ben in the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. A piece of ice slashed Ben’s forehead, and blood dripped between his eyebrows. He launched into a standing position and threw a punch that glanced off Justin’s chin. His second punch slammed into Justin’s nose.

  Justin teetered backward, leaving his neck exposed.

  Ben thrust his hand directly into Justin’s throat, catching him by surprise. The bony edge of his hand made contact, and Justin bent forward, gasping and coughing. While Justin was vulnerable, Ben kicked him hard on the side of his ankle and knocked him to the ground.

  Kalin didn’t waste time. “Let’s go.” She reached for Ben and pulled him with her. They left Justin moaning and holding his ankle between his hands.

  When they reached their place, Ben trailed behind Kalin into the bathroom. Chica followed, wagging her tail, demanding attention.

  “Here. Sit.” She pointed at the toilet and Chica sat, making both Kalin and Ben laugh.

  Kalin opened a drawer containing medical supplies, all labeled and standing side by side, and selected a bottle of disinfectant.

  Ben watched her as she wiped his forehead. “You have amazing eyes.” The absorbent pad caught the edge of the gash, and he winced.

  “Sorry, did that hurt?”

  Ben laughed, and his smile widened. “Not really.”

  “Tough guy. It’s going to hurt later.” Kalin grabbed a bottle of acetaminophen with codeine from the drawer. “Here, take two of these.”

  Ben accepted the pills along with the glass of water she offered him. “Are you going to tell me what you were doing?”

  She tossed the pad into the garbage and rinsed her hands in scalding water. “Don’t be mad.”

  With a gentle touch, she dabbed antibiotic cream on his forehead. “I don’t think you need stitches, although what do I know.” She rinsed her hands a second time. “I’m really glad you came by when you did. I’m
not sure what I would have done.”

  “Flattery won’t work.”

  She sat on the edge of the bathtub. “I wanted to check out Roy’s locker.”

  “I could’ve done that for you. And why at night?”

  “I didn’t want Turner to know what I was doing. And I didn’t want you to get in trouble with him.”

  “You’re going to get yourself fired.” Ben held eye contact with her for several seconds. “Or is that the idea, so you can take the job at White Peaks?”

  “How can you say that?” Kalin left the bathroom and plopped on the living room couch.

  Ben followed and took the chair across the room as far from her as possible. He tucked his fists underneath his armpits and leaned farther away from her. “Well?”

  “I think Roy stole the money, but I don’t think he did it alone. If someone triggered the avalanche and left him there, I won’t let them get away with it. I can’t live with this hanging over my head. It’s got nothing to do with White Peaks.”

  “What makes you sure Roy’s guilty?”

  Kalin explained what she’d learned, and Ben moved to her side of the room, picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “I love you, you know. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

  A lump filled her throat. “I know.” She leaned her head against his chest. Ben had been extremely patient with her and not mentioned White Peaks for a while. He let her get on with her career without interfering. What had she done to deserve such a great guy? The truth was her only option now, and she hoped it didn’t lead to a fight. “They offered me the job.”

  Kalin could tell Ben held his breath.

  “I haven’t accepted yet.”

  “But you might?”

  “Only if it’ll work for both of us. But I need to find out what happened to Roy first.”

  “Then let me help you. I’m on your side. I don’t mind keeping secrets if it’s for you.”

  Kalin tilted her head and placed a wet kiss on his lips.

  When she finally let him go, Ben said, “Let’s see what you found.”