Chapter Sixteen
The following morning, Liam slipped the straps of a backpack over his shoulders and straightened, then grasped a ski pole in each hand. “Ready to go?” he asked Nina.
“I can’t wait.” She grinned from beneath a pom-pom knit cap, dressed all in blue today, from the hat to her blue cross-country ski boots. Her eyes shone with an excitement he hadn’t seen in days—the sight lifted his spirits more than the sunshine and beautiful day.
“Come on, Sky,” she called. “Hurry up, Angel.”
The two dogs, fully recovered from their ordeal of the day before, raced from the other side of the SUV and set out across the snow.
Liam’s SUV was the only car at the trailhead, off a remote forest-service road.
Even if Nicholson somehow found it, he would have no way of knowing in which direction they had headed.
No less than five ski trails crisscrossed this basin.
The hut was five miles away, tucked at the edge of a shallow bowl and touted on the website as the perfect private escape. Exactly what they needed.
“How’s that pack working for you?” he asked Nina.
“Perfect fit,” she said. The blue pack belonged to Raz, who had loaned it and both sleeping bags to them after learning that Nina’s had been destroyed in the attack on her home.
The pack Liam wore belonged to Connor, as did the cross-country skis.
The two men were about the same size. Nina’s skis, stored in her garage, had been unharmed in Nicholson’s attack on her home.
Angel returned to him, tongue hanging out.
“Ready for a ride?” he asked, then scooped her up.
She scampered over his shoulder and onto the blanket he had tucked into the top of the pack.
From this perch she had a view over his shoulder and a secure place to rest. Sky trotted alongside Nina, snow clinging to the fur of her legs like white lace pantaloons.
“It’s so beautiful today,” Nina said. With temperatures in the mid-twenties, blue skies and plenty of sunshine, they couldn’t have asked for better weather.
“It really is.” Later, he’d take some photos, but for now they were both anxious to reach the hut and set up camp. They had the trail to themselves. Despite the loaded pack, he felt ten pounds lighter. He hadn’t realized how much the constant dread of encountering Nicholson had weighed on him.
“This is first real vacation I’ve taken in a couple of years,” he said.
She turned to smile at him. “It’s going to be great.”
“It is.” They had packed wine and a gourmet feast. He anticipated a satisfying and very romantic evening.
* * *
Raz pushed open the door to the Trail’s End Tavern and was hit with the blare of country music, the aromas of barbecue and beer, the warmth of the heating system and the press of dozens of patrons lining the bar and filling the dance floor.
“I see an empty table,” Renee said from behind her and led the way past the pool players to a table against the wall.
Connor and Brian followed them. Heads turned to watch the four patrollers, in their distinctive red and white jackets, as they crossed the room.
Several locals called in greeting. Raz waved and started peeling off her jacket even before they reached their seats.
“I’ll get the first round,” Connor said as the other three slid into chairs. “What do you want?”
“Raspberry wheat,” Renee said.
“Do you think it’s healthier because it has fruit?” Raz teased. “I’ll take an Avalanche Amber,” she told Connor.
“There’s bound to be some vitamin C in there, right?” Renee said as she shrugged out of her own jacket. She had replaced her ski helmet with a pink beanie with googly eyes that made Raz smile every time she saw it.
“What are you grinning about now?” Renee asked.
“You look very pretty tonight.”
Renee blushed but looked pleased. Raz hoped she wasn’t coming on too strong. She really liked Renee, but the other woman was so skittish. Still, the fact that she had insisted on coming with Raz to see Stevie must mean she cared, right?
“If you two are going to flirt with each other all night, I’m going to feel really left out,” Brian said.
“You look pretty tonight, too,” Raz said.
He patted his hair and fluttered his eyelashes. “Why, thank you.”
Connor returned with their beers. “This place is packed.”
“Are you surprised?” Brian accepted his mug of light draft. “All those people who were skiing today end up here. It was nonstop calls all day.” He took a long drink of beer. “Has Doug said when we’re going to get more help?”
“You know Doug,” Connor said. “Lots of positive talk, but he only acts when he’s ready.”
“I miss Nina,” Renee said. “We really need her right now. And you know she’d rather be working than sitting at home.”
“Except she’s not sitting at home today,” Raz said.
“Oh?” Brian asked. “Where is she?”
“She and Liam skied up to one of the huts,” Raz said. “I loaned them some of my gear, since she lost a lot of hers when that maniac attacked her house.”
“What an awful thing to happen,” Renee said. “I can’t even imagine.”
“It’ll be good for her to get away for a few days,” Connor said.
“Which hut?” Brian asked.
“The same one she and Renee and I visited last year, on the edge of Primrose Bowl.”
“Number five, isn’t it?” Connor said.
“That’s right,” Raz said. “It’s not the closest to a parking area, so it doesn’t get used as much as some of the others, but there’s a gorgeous view up there. When the three of us went, we spent most of one day skiing the bowl, then hiking back up to do it again.”
The jukebox switched to a popular upbeat song, and Renee shoved back her chair. “I love this song. Dance with me, Brian?”
“You want to dance with me?” he asked.
“Raz won’t dance.”
“Sure.” The two left the table.
“You really don’t dance?” Connor asked.
“Nope. I’ve got two left feet. Except when I’m on skis. But I like to watch Renee dance.” She turned toward the dance floor.
Connor swore under his breath and half rose from his chair. “What is it?” Raz asked, startled by this uncharacteristic outburst.
“I just caught a glimpse of a guy in a black ski helmet with a Mt. Hood Meadows sticker on it.”
“The guy who’s been after Nina?” Raz stood also. “Where is he?”
“Through there.” Connor was already moving away from the table. Raz followed him. They had to push past a rowdy group by the door. Finally they reached the door and rushed out onto the sidewalk.
“Do you still see him?” Raz asked.
“No.” Connor continued to scan the street on either side. He swore again. “That had to be him.” He turned to her. “Did you see him?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t.”
“Let’s go back inside.”
Coming back in, they collided with someone going out. “Oh, hey, Derek.” Connor greeted the young man.
“I saw you two heading out in a hurry,” Derek said. He glanced at Raz. “False alarm?”
“We thought we spotted a guy in a black helmet with a Mt. Hood Meadows sticker,” Raz said. “Did you see him?”
Derek shook his head. “That’s the guy who’s been hassling Nina, isn’t it?” he asked.
“So you heard about that?” Connor gave him a curious look.
“Everybody at the resort is talking about it,” Derek said. “Security was showing the guy’s picture around. Not that you could tell much from that blurry shot. Is Nina okay? I haven’t seen her around much in the past couple of days.”
“She’s laying low for a little while,” Connor said.
“Tell her I said hi if you see her,” Derek said. “And I hope they catch the guy who’s hassling her.” He moved past them and out the door.
Raz watched him leave. “Liam said something about Derek when we met at Nina’s house. Do you think he could be the stalker? I mean, all he had to do just now was take off the helmet and stash it somewhere.”
Connor frowned. “I don’t know the guy, so I can’t really say.”
“I know him pretty well,” Raz said. “His sister lives next door to me, and he’s over there all the time. I have to admit, he doesn’t seem the type, but that’s what they say about a lot of people who do horrible things.” She adopted a simpering tone. “‘He seemed like such a nice young man.’”
“There’s nothing we can do right now, anyway,” Connor said. He led the way back to the table.
“Where did you two get off to?” Renee asked.
“I thought I saw a guy with a Mt. Hood Meadows sticker on his helmet,” Connor said.
Brian looked around them. “Where?”
“He left before we could catch up to him,” Raz said.
“What were you going to do if you caught up with him?” Renee asked.
“Call the cops and turn him over to them,” Connor said.
“Maybe you should call the cops now and let them know he was here,” Renee said.
“Nina said she can’t even get them to take her seriously,” Raz said. “So they’re not going to pay attention to a couple of her friends who think they caught a glimpse of someone who could be her stalker.”
Connor slumped in his chair and picked up his beer. “You’re right, but it steams me this guy is just hanging around and no one is stopping him.”
“Nina told me he trashed her place,” Raz said.
“Sky got loose and Nina was beside herself,” Connor said. “I would be, too, if anything happened to Farley.”
“The dogs are safe, and for now, Nina is safe,” Raz said. “And there’s nothing we can do.” She plucked a menu from between the salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the table. “Hey, you guys want to order some wings? I’m hungry.”
“Wings and fried mushrooms,” Renee said.
“Even vegetables aren’t healthy if they’re fried,” Raz said.
“They taste better that way, though,” Brian said. He waved a server over to their table.
“I wish we’d gotten a better look at the guy,” Renee said after they had ordered.
“I wish I had had the chance to tell him exactly what I thought of him,” Connor said.
“At least Nina is far away from him right now,” Raz said. “And she has Liam with her.”
“Liam seems like a nice guy,” Renee said. “They sure hit it off fast.”
“They knew each other from before,” Connor said. “When she was racing.”
“Oh,” Renee said. “I was wondering how they fell for each other so fast.”
“Sometimes you meet someone and you just hit it off,” Connor said.