Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) Read Free Page A

come with you?” Kalin asked.
    Jessica eyed her for a moment. “No. Turner won’t like that you knew before he did. I’ll go.”
    Kalin didn’t exactly trust Jessica to give Turner an accurate account of the theft. Who knew what she would say without a witness? “You don’t need to take the blame for this alone. I’ll come.”

CHAPTER THREE
     
    Ben arrived at the mountain operations building and found the Stone Mountain ski patrol team assembled and in full regalia. He took in the people he was now responsible for with new eyes. Every patroller wore a red ski jacket bearing a white cross on each sleeve. On each chest hung an avalanche transceiver and a VHF radio. Matched with black ski pants, black gloves, black helmets and black backpacks, they looked professional and inspired confidence.
    The only issue was the rank odor of so many sweat-infused jackets in one room. Ben ignored the smell, knowing he was probably just as offensive, and dumped his fleece on the bench in front of his locker. His volunteer fire department T-shirt stretched across his chest and arms, and he flexed his biceps. Could anyone tell he was nervous about his new role?
    “Listen up, everyone,” Oliver Ward said. “As of now, Ben’s the new manager of ski patrol and search and rescue. He’ll be reporting to me in my new role as director.”
    After a few cheers, slaps on his back and congratulations, Ben said, “Let’s get to work.” He turned to Oliver. Two newbies in their roles. Maybe Oliver was nervous, too. “What’s the status?”
    Oliver bent and snapped each buckle into place on his left boot. “We’re ready to check out the terrain surrounding the Dragon’s Bowl.” He rubbed his ear, stopping at the missing lobe, the lobe he’d lost to frostbite a couple of years ago during a search and rescue mission. The wooden bench he sat on wobbled on the uneven concrete floor as he buckled his second boot. He twisted his head toward Ben. “Is Roy with you? He’s not answering his phone.”
    “Nope. He left the house before I got up this morning.” Ben opened his locker, pulled out his equipment and started his meticulous routine of gearing up. To say Kalin’s relationship with her brother was complicated was an understatement. Ben heard Roy leave well before dawn and hadn’t tried to stop him. But where was he now? Coming to work late was not a cool move.
    And there was Kalin to worry about. She liked to hide in the hot tub when she needed to think. He should’ve asked her what was on her mind instead of being preoccupied with his promotion and the argument with Roy.
    So much of Kalin attracted Ben. He liked the way she always walked with purpose as if she had somewhere important to be. Her mixture of curves and muscle was sexy as hell. He loved the dimple that appeared on her left cheek when she smiled and how her nose wiggled when she talked. Sometimes he couldn’t believe she’d chosen him. He’d make her proud.
    An elderly man with a silver Husky clipped to a leash stood outside the glass door and knocked. All heads turned toward him.
    Oliver opened the door, letting a gust of cold air rush into the room. The chill made his skin redden, and the freckles across the bridge of his nose faded with the color change. “Can I help you?”
    “Bishop, sit,” the man commanded. “Name’s Bryan Nelson. I’m staying at the Evergreen. I heard an avalanche a while ago. You guys set one off?”
    “No,” Oliver said. “But there was a slide in the Dragon’s Bowl. We’re getting ready to check it out.”
    “Someone might have been on the mountain this morning.”
    Silence crept across the room as, one by one, each patroller focused on Nelson. The Dragon’s Bowl covered seven hundred and fifty acres of difficult terrain.
    “I was walking Bishop,” Nelson nodded toward the Husky, “around five thirty, and I think two people were trekking up the ski hill. I saw two headlamps, but one was way up the mountain. I’m not sure