Chilled by Death (2 page)

Then, Janice had always done as she pleased. Stacy wished she’d said more in her texts. Had she made it clear how dangerous the area was? It was closed. Surely that spoke volumes about the snow conditions. She studied the pristine area in front of her, looking for their tracks. The girls were already halfway down.

“Fine, then I’ll catch you on the upside again.” Although as frustrated as she was right now, maybe she’d just head toward the cabin. She was in perfect alignment to cut across to a run that would take her back there.

She hated to see them do this. They were always taking unnecessary risks.

Like wild birds that had to be free to do their own thing.

Sure, she had more understanding of the risks than most people given her job. So many ended up on her table at the morgue because they made the wrong decision.

Given her experience with accidents and death, was it any wonder she worried about them?

Decision made.

She pushed off and glided along the ridge. She could see the girls a long way down the slope. They should be turning right to head to the bowl and connect to several other runs lower down to bring them back around to the bottom of the chair they’d just gotten off. Stacy debated waiting for the two to make their way back up again but decided she had already spent a lot of time waiting for them.

She carried on for a few more feet when she glanced down at the girls and saw them cut to the left.

Into the out-of-bounds area. And away from the chair that would bring them back up to where Stacy was. Were they going to turn left lower down and head toward the cabin? There was a run that cut off and would take them back home.

Her heart damn near clogged up her throat as she watched their devil-may-care attitude as they raced across the mountain face and started the long, beautiful zigzag pattern.

“Damn it Janice, why do you always have to push it?”

She wanted to turn away and ski her own path down to the cabin, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the two girls. They were incredible boarders, so graceful they looked like birds floating in the sky, crossing the mountainscape below.

As she watched, she thought she heard something. There was a deep, muted booming sound. And a gentle rumble. She glanced around, but no one else was close by and those further away were busy laughing with their own friends. Several groups came off the lift and never stopped, skiing right on down again.

She glanced back at her girlfriends. Her eyes struggled to catch sight of them racing far below. They should be wrapping around the mountain to the left to catch the run toward the cabin. Only they were still going straight down the mountain.

And then she saw the reason for the rumble.

One of the hard crusted overhangs of snow at the top of the peak had finally let go of its tenuous hold on the rock and pounded onto the snow below. The impact started the massive sheet of snow to shift in a slow motion slide that picked up speed the lower it went.

Within seconds, an avalanche was racing downhill.

Down to her friends.

“Janice, move it” she screamed, her hands cupped around her mouth, but they couldn’t hear her. Of course they couldn’t. There was no way her voice could be heard over the noise of the destruction racing toward them.

Neither could she stop screaming at them to move faster.

The girls needed to turn left. Now. And once again, they had to take it to the limit and go down even further. Finally, they started the curve to the left away from the cliff edge ahead of them.

“Jesus.”

Stacy could only watch in terror as the two women suddenly noticed what was bearing down on them. Both women crouched down and raced as fast as they could out of the oncoming path of the avalanche.

“Faster,” Stacy screamed, “Faster.”

And faster it was.

The avalanche picked up speed…

And picked up the two women…

And tossed them into the white snow melee.

As Stacy stood in horror and watched, the massive wall of snow and women slipped off the rock edge and out of her sight.

Forever.

Three years later.

S
tacy stared at
her brother and said, “You want me to go back? To Blackcomb Mountain?” She shook her head, her long blonde hair flying wildly around her head. “No way.”

“Yes,” George said to her. “It’s time.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s time. I can’t go.” In a quiet voice, she added instinctively, “I’m not ready.”

And yet…she stared across the restaurant, almost blind to the steady stream of customers walking through the popular place…he’d pointed out a truth she’d come to realize lately.

It
was
time. She shuddered. But that didn’t mean she was ready to face the grief…the loss she’d been through. Or face the place where it had all happened. Yet she knew she would remain crippled until she did. “I’d rather go where it’s warmer,” she muttered.

“You might, but as you won’t go for a holiday at all, that’s not going to happen either.” Calm, direct, and gentle, George leaned forward earnestly. “Look, you don’t even have to do any skiing. Bring some books and hang out in the cabin. Enjoy the break. Face a few memories and move on. This isn’t an all-out, crazy sports event. It’s going to be a gentle, go-at-your-own-pace kind of thing. Yes, it’s the same cabin, so there will be a few ghosts. Face them,” he grinned, “then grab your camera and do what you do best. Well, besides dead people…”

Trust him. She cracked a smile. “Yeah, I do those all the time, so why would I want to go back and see more – at least in my head?”

“I think because you deal with bodies, and not being able to see your friends…have their bodies to care for, a funeral to arrange…it makes it that much harder for you to find closure.”

Very insightful of him. She played with her coffee spoon, turning it over and over again in her hand. “I hadn’t considered that.” It was true she saw death like most never had a chance to see. She was a forensic pathologist after all. Bodies were her stock in trade. But the bodies on her table were strangers. Not best friends. It was different when the losses were personal.

“We’re cooking the food ourselves—”

“Ha,” she broke in teasingly. “Now I know why you want me to come. You want me to be the chief cook and bottle washer.”

“No,” George protested, but there wasn’t much heat in his voice. “If you wanted to do it that would be great, but no, we are all expecting to do our parts.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” She didn’t necessarily believe him, but finding this tidbit out made her feel better about going. She wouldn’t be expected to go out every day and ski like the others. She was an experienced skier and an intermediate snowboarder, but her first love during winter was her camera. The thought of going back to some of those days with brilliant icy scenes that were indescribably beautiful tugged at her. She had been getting into it with her earlier travels, and that had stopped as her trips had stopped. At the same time, she’d turned away from many aspects of her life. It was a move that had surprised many. She had retreated within – from everyone and everything. To heal. To adjust to the new reality of her life. It had changed her. When she’d recently picked up her camera again, she’d done so quietly. Privately. Before, she’d have considered herself open and friendly. Now she kept to herself and shared little with those around her.

Her brother called her secretive and considered it part of her depression. Maybe he was right. But he didn’t know about all the issues in her world.

Life used to be simple. Then, when she was wide open and enjoying her day, fate took scissors and cut away the very steps she was standing on. As if to say, “Comfortable, are you? Well then…” Snip, snip, snip… “How about now?”

She wiped those thoughts out of her mind and forced a smile at his hopeful look. She’d dealt with a lot of her issues. Most of them anyway. She just hadn’t shared how far she’d come with him. And that was too bad. He was still worried about her. In many ways, his concern was justified, but it wasn’t any longer. She’d become almost philosophical now.

Life was a bitch, and then you died. Sometimes you died earlier than planned. She’d seen a lot of death. Sometimes it was comforting. Everyone all came to the same end. Just the routes people took were different.

It was time to let him know how well she was doing.

“If I can come and go at my own pace. Do a couple of day trips on nice sunny days, stay home when I want to be alone,” she chuckled at his rolling eyes and bright happy grin, “then I’ll come. I’ll help with the food, but I won’t be responsible for all of it.”

“No worries. I meant it when I said we’re all pitching in.” He stood up and tossed money on the table to cover their bills. “Besides, Royce is a damn good cook.”

With that bombshell, George walked to the front door as if to leave.

“Hey, you can’t just say Royce is a good cook and walk away,” she called out, racing over to stand in front of him. “You didn’t say he was coming.”

George raised his not-so-innocent gaze in a wide-eyed look of surprise and said, “Oh, didn’t I? Well, he’s part of the group. He always comes. Not to worry. We’re just looking to get away for a week, you know. Just a chance to relax and hang out.”

She glared at him.

“Besides, what difference does it make if he does come?” He gave her a knowing grin. “You don’t even like him.”

For the life of her, she couldn’t hold back the wince or the flood of memories that took over her psyche. She’d known Royce since forever as he was her brother’s best friend. But the hardest part of that history was the carnal knowledge she’d kept to herself. And wow, had that been good. And hot. And so damn addictive she’d walked away, afraid she’d never be able to let him go. He wasn’t long-term material. Certainly not marriageable material, and likely not monogamous – whereas she couldn’t be anything but. But being with him had made her wonder for a little while if she could do it his way…which was not likely given what little they had.

A wild, crazy, all-out sexual weekend.

A weekend she’d loved. And hated. Because it had changed her. She’d gone to him hurt, in need. She’d taken everything he’d had to give and had wanted more. So much more that she’d been terrified.

And he’d been unaffected.

How fair was that?

Then she’d been grieving. She’d needed to reaffirm life. She’d needed to reaffirm that she wasn’t alone. She’d needed to reaffirm there was a reason to get up in the morning. A reason that didn’t involve dealing with loss.

For the duration of that weekend, he’d given her that. That she’d gotten so much more was a shock she hadn’t liked. But she’d been a big girl. And she’d known Royce, a bad boy, would never make a partner for life. He’d done the rounds. Even with Janice and Francine. Then that was hard to blame him for considering the girls’ own dating habits. Besides, how many wild animals mated for life? They made for a hot, unforgettable mating session, but after that they were best left to go their own way.

She’d seen him a time or two since. From a distance.

She hadn’t spoken to him. Or been in the same room with him. She’d been too afraid. The sparks between them were obvious. And she was essentially private. At least now that she’d locked down her emotions.

It was easier to deal with the blows life dealt her that way.

And she had dealt with them. It just hadn’t been easy. There was one she was still working on.

Guilt. Being a survivor sucked in many ways. She’d had nightmares for months and still wasn’t sure why her friends had to die that day. She knew she wasn’t responsible, but she couldn’t help but think she hadn’t done enough to stop her friends from going down that side of the mountain. Surely there’d been more she could have done.

Maybe this trip would help release her from that heavy burden.

She watched her brother race out of the restaurant. He’d just set her up, darn him. She made a face at his retreating back then shrugged. He was right. It was time. And at least this way it would be easier. She wouldn’t be alone. She’d be hanging out with people who understood her and what she was going through. She wondered if several of the guys from work would be invited, Mark and Stevie in particular. They’d been part of her brother’s group for a long time. Rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking – their life was a big party. She’d been involved for a long time – at least when her girlfriends had still been alive. They’d been party animals too. Maybe because everyone around her was so extreme, she’d been the opposite. Quiet. Calm. Careful.

Now she was even more so.

Loss did that to someone.

Considering she wasn’t planning this trip, she wouldn’t mention it to her co-workers until she heard back from her brother. Maybe the group was full up and there was no room for them to join in. A group would often run eight to ten people. Maybe a couple more, but too many and it was hard to plan meals or activities. Or keep track of where everyone was.

Given the hour, she didn’t waste any time in getting back to her office. She had no shortage of work ahead of her. It had been great to see her brother. He was a bit of an oddball himself. He didn’t do…anything. Yet he did everything. Though he had a degree in Economics, he’d made it big time doing sports action videos. He was now working for a large camera company running around the world taking videos of crazy stunts. He had a large group of buddies that set up crazy bungee jumps and skydiving formations. He loved it.