Chapter Eight #2
Back at his hotel room a couple of hours later, Liam sat in front of his laptop, scrolling frame by frame through the images he had collected of Nina in the past two days.
He had hours of video and hundreds of still shots, taken in all areas of the resort.
For many of the still shots, the background was blurred, the focus on Nina and Sky.
But the video contained images of thousands of passersby.
He paused each frame to enlarge it and scrutinize the people standing in the area.
There were always people watching. Nina and Sky attracted attention, and having a photographer also focused on them made others wonder who she was, and if she was worthy of their notice, as well.
He searched for anyone who was paying undo attention to Nina, with a focus on men who fit Aaron Nicholson’s description.
He didn’t know if Nicholson had gained or lost weight during his time in prison, or if he had colored his hair or grown a beard.
In any case, the majority of skiers wore helmets and goggles, which hid most of their facial features.
Which meant he had to rely on a general impression of height, and whether or not they were focused on Nina.
The work was tedious and painful. After a couple of hours his head ached and his eyes watered. He stood and called Angel. “Time to take a break,” he said.
They walked out onto the ski village plaza.
Liam found himself scrutinizing every man he passed, assessing their height and guessing their age.
He studied young men and old men, stocky ones and thin ones, those with long, flowing hair and bald pates.
None of them looked like Aaron Nicholson.
But of course they wouldn’t. Nicholson was probably on the slopes somewhere, watching Nina.
Liam had to trust in her own ability and that of her fellow patrollers to keep her safe.
He passed the gyro truck and noticed an older woman behind the counter.
Was Derek on the slopes today, too? Possibly following Nina around?
She had assured him the young man was harmless, but he definitely was attracted to Nina, and for the wrong person, attraction—especially if Nina didn’t return his feelings—could be dangerous. Liam was going to keep an eye on Derek.
He was in the elevator, headed back up to his room, when his phone rang with a call from Marlena. “I’m calling to see how you’re coming with our video footage,” she said.
“I’m reviewing it today,” he said as he exited the elevator and headed toward his room. “I should have some edited video for you tomorrow or the next day.”
“I’m near the Sheraton now. Can I stop by and take a peek? There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Sure. That would be okay. I’m in room 617.”
“I’ll be right up.”
He closed the file of shots he had cut from the film for Nina to take a closer look at and pulled up the one video he had almost completed.
It contained the last footage he had shot, of Nina with the ski school kids.
The concept was a thirty-second video touting SkyCrest as the perfect family destination.
Along with the footage of Nina, he had added in shots of kids at the terrain park, a family skiing together and activity on the tubing hill at night.
A knock on his door alerted him to Marlena’s arrival. Today she wore a black pantsuit, a blue scarf at her neck the only pop of color. “Come on in and I’ll show you what I’ve got,” he said. “Though it’s early in the process.”
“I understand.” She moved to the desk and stood beside him as he scrolled through the raw video footage. “I’ll have the edited video all ready for you to add music, titles and whatever else,” he said.
“That will be great,” she said. She turned to face him, leaning against the desk. “I wanted to talk to you about Nina.”
“Oh?” He was instantly wary.
“I’m very concerned about her,” Marlena said. “I did some research about what happened at Lake Placid, and the trial afterward.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re taking these threats seriously.”
“Of course we’re concerned. Obviously, the attack on her was very traumatic. I wonder if she’s truly recovered. If we had had any idea of her fragile mental state, we wouldn’t have hired her as resort ambassador. Obviously, being in the public eye has put a lot of pressure on her.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s your point?”
She straightened. “Do you think it’s possible that Nina’s distress isn’t because of an actual threat but due to the loss of the life she once had?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nina was a famous athlete and model. After the attack, that all faded, and now she’s stuck at a very fine, but less-well-known resort. I’m not so sure she didn’t write those notes herself, as a way of garnering attention. And maybe as a way to put pressure on the resort.”
“Pressure to do what?”
“Elevate her? Pay her more?” Marlena shook her head. “I don’t know. But you were with her when she threatened to take legal action. Those are not the words of someone who is happy in her situation.”
“Because you were trying to downplay a legitimate threat.”
“But I’m asking you, is it a legitimate threat? Have you seen this man, Aaron Nicholson?”
“I’ve been watching for him.”
“But you haven’t seen him. No one has. And both notes showed up at Nina’s home. Where she lives alone. She found them when she was by herself. Don’t you see how easy it would be for her to plant them herself?”