Chapter Eleven
Icy wind froze the tears that streamed from her eyes as Lily raced, blindly, down the slope. Thankfully, there were no guests left for her to collide with. At the bottom of the run, she stopped and tried to clear her vision. Shelby sat at her feet and looked up, whining, the picture of distress.
“Oh, girl, it’s okay.” Lily sniffed, then bent and hugged the dog. She glanced back to see if Scott had followed her, but the run was empty. Good. She didn’t want to hear any more of his talk of “victims” and “accepting the situation.”
She hurried to headquarters, collected her belongings and headed for the shuttle stop.
But when she got off at her apartment, she didn’t go inside. Instead, she climbed into her car and drove to the Endicott home. The gates at the end of the long driveway were closed, but she pressed the intercom. “This is Lily Alton,” she said. “I really need to see Denny.”
“Lily?” a man’s deep voice asked.
“Is that you, Mike?”
“Denton isn’t seeing anyone right now, Lily,” Mike said.
“Please,” she said. “I need to talk to him about Jackson.”
A long pause. Had Mike gone to consult Denny? She wondered if she should press the intercom button again, but then the gate began to swing open. “Come on up,” Mike said.
Mike was waiting in the doorway as she mounted the steps, Shelby beside her. He didn’t say anything, merely held the door open wider, then shut it when they were all inside. “How is Denny?” Lily asked.
“About as wrecked as you would expect,” Mike said. “But he said he wanted to see you.”
She followed him toward the back of the house, to Denny’s home office. Mike knocked, then opened the door and held it for her.
Denny rose from the sofa and came to meet her, taking both her hands in his. “It’s good to see you, Lily,” he said.
She nodded, her throat too tight to speak. Denton Endicott looked beaten and deflated. Deep bags under his bloodshot eyes spoke of sleepless nights, and his shoulders sagged as if bearing the weight of the world. He glanced behind her at Mike. “You can leave us, Mike. Thanks.”
When they were alone, he returned to the sofa. “Come sit with me,” he said.
She sat, and Shelby lay on the floor between them. Denny rubbed the dog’s ears. “Thank you for looking for Jackson,” he said.
“I want to do anything I can to help.”
She waited, thinking he might have questions about what had happened. But he fell silent, his hand stroking the dog’s head, over and over. Shelby sat, eyes closed, clearly enjoying the attention.
After a long while, Lily cleared her throat. “I wanted to talk to you about Jackson,” she said.
He nodded. “You were one of his favorite people,” he said. “He told me all about how you were training Shelby to be an avalanche rescue dog.”
“Jackson is a great kid.” She refused to speak of him in the past tense. “So smart, and interested in so many things.”
“He’s a smart kid,” Denny said. “Quiet, but he’s always thinking.”
“Do you remember when he was five years old and figured out how to reprogram the sprinkler system to flood the yard at night?” she asked.
Denny smiled. “He thought it would freeze overnight and make an ice rink. I had to explain it wasn’t cold enough yet.”
“I’ve been wondering about some things,” she said. “How did the kidnapper know Jackson was going to be at the resort that day?”
“I’ve wondered that, too,” he said. “But Jackson would have told anyone who asked that he planned to go skiing. Or maybe whoever it was had been there every Saturday, just waiting for him to show up.”
“But why kidnap Jackson? Did the kidnapper ask for ransom?”
He hesitated, then said, “Not money.”
“Something else?”
He looked away and blew out a breath. “You can’t tell anyone,” he said. “No one knows this.”
She waited, afraid to speak. Denny shoved to his feet and began to pace. “Did you know my company has contracts with the federal government?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“It’s not all of our business, but it’s an important segment. Most of the stuff we do is for the United States military, and it’s all top secret.” He raked a hand through his thinning hair. “Right now, we’re developing a new guidance system for weapons. State-of-the-art stuff.”
“I’m not sure I understand what this has to do with Jackson’s kidnapping.”
“These people who have contacted me want the plans for that guidance system.”
“Did you tell the police that?”
“No.”
At her surprised look, he turned on her.
“The system is top secret. Everyone who works on it has a top security clearance. I took an oath that I wouldn’t share the information with anyone.
I can’t risk some loose-lipped clerk in the sheriff’s department sharing this information with the media or someone who turns out to be a Russian spy. ”
He spoke with such fervor she shivered. But on the other hand, this sounded almost cartoonish—Russian spies? Here in the mountains of Colorado? “Is that who you think is behind this?” she asked. “Russians?”
“I have no idea. Certainly all of the people on my team are Americans.”
“How many people know about this system?” she asked.
“Only the team working on the project. They’re all sworn to secrecy, but it’s possible one of them let something slip. People talk.”
“I think you should at least tell the sheriff,” she said.
“I don’t have a lot of faith in that lot,” he said. “They think everything is over now that Jackson is…now that he’s gone.”
“But something like this—wouldn’t the FBI get involved?”
“Maybe. I haven’t decided if I want that, either.”
“Is that how you ended up with a black eye and a split lip the week before Jackson was taken?” she asked. “Because someone was trying to intimidate you?”
He slumped into his chair once more. “I guess no one really believes I was that clumsy,” he said. “Yes. A couple of thugs waylaid me after my meeting that night. They told me I had to leave the information they wanted in a drop box the next day. If I didn’t, they would kill me.”
“But you didn’t do that?”
“No. I won’t betray my country that way.”
Even now, battered and grieving, his voice was full of conviction. “Did you tell anyone about this—the sheriff or someone else?” she asked.
“No. I didn’t think they’d take me seriously. I didn’t really believe the threats, either. Not at first.” He buried his head in his hands.
“Do you have any idea who is doing this?” she asked.
He lifted his head. “I can’t think it could be anyone who works for me,” he said. “Most of them have been with me for years. But maybe one of them said something to a friend or relative who’s not as trustworthy.”
“What about Preston Smith?” she asked. “He’s a new employee, isn’t he?”
Denny sat up straight again. “Mike told me Preston came by the house that night and upset you. But I don’t think Preston would do anything like this.
He has an impeccable résumé and is excellent at his job.
He passed the background check and received his security clearance with no problems at all.
And he’s reported for work every day since Jackson went missing and doesn’t act any differently. ”
“Maybe he’s part of a group of people. I mean, if we’re talking foreign governments and spies, maybe they recruited a bunch of different people to work for them.” Wasn’t that how it worked in movies? She reached out and touched the back of his hand. “Maybe you should contact the FBI.”
He sighed. “You’re right. I… I just can’t think with Jackson gone. I don’t care about anything else.”
“Had Jackson had much experience out-of-doors?” she asked, remembering the questions Scott had asked her. “Besides skiing at the resort, I mean.”
“I’d taken him fishing a few times. Hiking in the summer. Why do you ask?”
“I was thinking. If Jackson was kidnapped, he would be the type to try to get away, don’t you think? I mean, he’d try to figure out a plan that would let him get away.”
“Probably. But he couldn’t have counted on an avalanche.”
“What if he did?” She leaned toward him, hands on her knees. “What if he set that avalanche on purpose?”
“How would he do that?”
“If he had read much at all about avalanches, he could have been familiar with the kinds of conditions that make them more likely—steep, exposed slopes, especially if they’re south-facing. Windblown slopes or cornices. He would have known that skiing across such terrain could trigger a slide.”
He looked dismayed. “Are you saying Jackson caused his own death?”
“No! No!”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I don’t want to give you false hope. And I may be completely wrong. But the place where we found Jackson’s backpack—that was on the edge of the snowfield. And there was no sign of Jackson.”
“Adam said the backpack was probably torn from his body.”
“Maybe. But the straps on the backpack weren’t ripped. It looked to me more like someone took it off and set it down and it was caught up in the avalanche.”
“What are you saying?”
She sat up straighter and took a deep breath.
“I’m wondering if Jackson got away. Maybe he fled his kidnapper.
He shed the backpack so that he could travel faster, and as a distraction.
The kidnapper would see the backpack and stop to investigate.
But what if in pursuing Jackson, the kidnapper triggered the avalanche?
He was caught in the slide, but Jackson was far enough ahead to get away. ”
“Do you really think that’s what happened?”
“I don’t know. Maybe everyone else is right and Jackson was killed in the avalanche. But I think it’s possible.”
“Adam Derocher said we might not find his body until spring.”
“In the meantime, what’s the harm in looking for him outside the avalanche?” she asked.
Denny’s gaze remain fixed on her. “The sheriff says he doesn’t have the resources.”
“I want your permission to look for Jackson—me and Shelby.” At the sound of her name, the dog’s ears pricked.
“You don’t need my permission for that.”
“I don’t want to do it without your knowledge,” she said.
“Do you need money? Supplies?”
“No. Just your permission.”
“It might not be safe,” he said. “I don’t know the people I’m dealing with on this, but they could very well be from a foreign government, or aligned with one.”
“I’m just a skier with a dog. They won’t be looking for me.”
He considered this for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can give you to help?”
She thought for a moment. “Do you have a satellite phone?”
“I can get one.”
“It would be good to have. Cell phone coverage isn’t very good out there.”
“Do you need anything else?”
“Maybe some of Jackson’s warmest clothes? If I find him, he’ll need them.”
He nodded again. “When do you want to start?”
“In the morning. First light.”
“What about your job?”
“I’ll call in sick. My boss knows I’m upset about Jackson.
I’ll tell him I’m not doing well and I need time.
” Scott would probably be relieved to hear she planned to stay home.
“Or I’ll just find someone to trade shifts.
We do that all the time.” It would be better if she didn’t have to talk to Scott.
Denny stood, and she rose also. “Be back here first thing in the morning,” he said. “I’ll have the phone and the clothing for you.”
WHEN SKI PATROL members gathered the next morning, Scott surveyed the group. Brian and Anders were there with their dogs, along with Renee Castro, Chase Sergeant, Livi “Raz” Rasmussen, and Carson Slade. “Where’s Lily?” he asked, a knot of worry already forming in his chest.
“She called early this morning and asked if I would switch with her.” Nina spoke up from a back corner.
Scott checked his clipboard. Sure enough, Nina wasn’t on the schedule. “Is Lily sick?” he asked.
“I don’t think so,” Nina said. “She just said she had something to do.”
Scott nodded and forced himself to move on to the day’s assignments. But when the meeting was over, he waylaid Nina. “What did Lily say, exactly?” he asked.
She frowned. “What I told you—she said she had something to do today and asked if I would trade with her. She’s going to work next Saturday for me.”
“Did she sound upset about anything?”
“No. I don’t know. It was six in the morning. I wasn’t exactly awake.”
“She didn’t say anything about me?”
Nina’s eyes widened. “Why? What did you do?”
What had he done? Not been sensitive enough? Pushed her too hard? “She was just a little upset when I left her yesterday.”
“She knew that kid who was kidnapped and ended up dying in that avalanche, right?”
“Who told you that?” he asked.
“Lily told me she knew the kid,” Nina said.
“I mean, who told you he died?” Scott asked.
“It’s all over the news this morning.” Nina pulled out her phone and showed him. A headline declared Son of Endicott Industries Owner Killed in Avalanche.
Right. So Scott wasn’t the only one who made the logical assumption that Jackson Endicott had been killed in that avalanche. But Lily couldn’t accept that. She was such a kind and caring person. Of course it hurt her to think of a child killed, especially one she knew.
“She probably just needed a day to get her head together,” Nina said. “You’re not going to give her a hard time about it, are you?”
“No. Of course not.”
Nina looked doubtful, but said nothing.
Scott headed out toward the helicopter pad to help with the morning’s avalanche control.
But all day as he worked his thoughts kept returning to Lily.
He made the last sweep of the day down May Day, and the memory of her and Shelby entertaining the children the day before pained him.
He had handled the whole situation with her and Jackson so badly.
He loaded Hunter into the motorcycle’s sidecar and headed home, but instead of parking in his usual spot, he drove around to Lily’s side of the apartments.
He needed to apologize—to make her understand he hadn’t meant to be so rough on her.
“Come on Hunter,” he told the dog. “Let’s go see Lily and Shelby. ”