Jenna took in the distance from the chalet to where Kane was standing. “Maybe someone followed her from the ski resort? It’s noisy here at night with the forest creaking, branches cracking and falling. It would have concealed the sound of someone walking behind her.”
“Maybe, but the manager said nobody left the resort after her last night.” Kane wrapped tape around a tree and paced to the next one.
Jenna placed a flag near the spot Kane had uncovered. “Who says they came from the resort? They could have left there and been in any one of, what, fifty or so chalets littered around the place?”
“True.” Kane tied off the tape and went to her side. “Why do you figure she took such an isolated cabin? I mean, this one is perfect for a honeymoon, but a woman alone who maybe has enemies at the conference would be taking a risk. You’d think she’d stay in the hotel where it’s safe.”
Heading back to the chalet door, Jenna turned to him. “I wouldn’t stay out here alone at night, that’s for sure. It looks great during the day, but walking back here alone at night isn’t my idea of fun.” She pulled booties over her shoes and followed him inside. After scanning the room, and finding nothing, she waited for Kane to walk from the bathroom. “Anything?”
“No sign of a struggle. I don’t think she made it inside.” He opened closet doors. “Her cosmetics are in the bathroom and her clothes are here. Laptop on the bed.” He bent to peer under the bed. “Not even a dust bunny.”
Taking her time, Jenna swept the room. Nothing was out of place. A dirty coffee cup sat on the bedside table, but the breakfast inside the delivery box was untouched. “So we can assume she left after drinking coffee last night.” She examined the garbage in the bin under the dresser. “The fixings wrappers for coffee are here, so she made it herself.” She turned around. “Can you see her purse?”
“Nope.” Kane stared around the room thoughtfully. “The author you spoke to mentioned Miss Storm was making notes, so she’d have a purse large enough to carry a notebook.” He moved to the door, where Duke was sitting watching them intently. “Let’s see if Duke can sniff out anything.” He picked up the laptop and held it under Duke’s nose. “Seek.”
Aware of the limited ability dogs had of tracking in the snow, Jenna wasn’t surprised when Duke sniffed around and walked into the chalet and barked. “Well, he’s right. I doubt he can track her in the snow, but I guess it was worth a try.”
“I’ll take him into the forest alongside the path. It’s not so thick in there. Someone might have tossed her purse into the bushes.” Kane headed into the trees with Duke close behind. “Seek, Duke. Find the lady’s purse for me.”
Jenna rubbed her arms and started after him and then stopped. Someone had to remain on scene and guard the body. Her thick jacket should be keeping the cold at bay, but the wind howling through the forest pushed the cold into every gap in her clothing. Her feet had turned into blocks of ice and she couldn’t feel her fingers. She walked back inside the chalet out of the wind and stared at the few items that made up Dakota Storm’s life. “I sure hope you slipped and fell into that water.”
Four
Medical examiner for Black Rock Falls, Louan and Blackwater Dr. Shane Wolfe arrived at the ski resort. His team included his assistant Colt Webber, a badge-holding deputy, and his daughter Emily. Emily, a talented ME in the making, was anxiously waiting to commence studies in medicine at Black Rock Falls Medical College after successfully completing a degree in forensic pathology. Emily worked closely with him, starting off as an intern, and Wolfe had soon discovered she had a natural instinct for the work. Not content to join the team as a forensic pathologist alone, Emily’s goal was to complete all the necessary qualifications and become a state-registered medical examiner. He’d welcome the day when she could take over for a time. It would be nice to be able to go fishing once in a while.
Wolfe climbed out of the van and blinked into the swirling snow at the impressive frontage of the main ski resort building. Walls of glass offered guests panoramic views of the valley below. The inclement weather was obviously keeping most of the visitors inside. The place was deserted. He hadn’t gotten as far as the main entrance when a man bundled up in a green hoodie came toward him. Waiting for the man to speak, he glanced around at his team. “Grab the gurney, body bag, and the forensics kits out of the van. It looks like we’re heading straight out to the scene.” He looked at the man. “Mr. Brightway? I’m the ME. What have you got for me?”
“I’m to direct you to the accident.” Mr. Brightway handed him a key. “Sheriff Alton said you’d require a passkey for Miss Storm’s room. The chalet is that way, number forty-eight. Can you be as unobtrusive as possible, maybe hide your van somewhere else? We have important guests this week. I’d rather they didn’t see your van parked out front—or the body. I won’t allow you to parade it out here in full view of everyone. You’ll have to find a way to disguise it. This is a very prestigious event. The last thing I need is bad press. They’ll never come back again.”
Annoyed at the man’s total lack of regard for the demise of one of his guests, Wolfe took the key and lowered his sunglasses to look at the man. “Bad news travels fast and I figure most of them know by now. I’m not moving the van and will be bringing the body out the easiest way. Or would you rather I left Miss Storm to decay in your pond until the melt?”
“No! How would I be able to have guests in number forty-eight with a body in the pond? Get the job done and leave before any of the guests wander outside.” Mr. Brightway gave a dismissive wave of his hands and stepped closer, gesturing wildly as if trying to push him down the pathway. “The path is that way.”
“Uh-huh.” Wolfe straightened and pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. Behind him he heard Emily make a strange snorting noise. He took a step closer to Brightway. “I suggest you keep your guests inside until I’ve retrieved the body. If I believe a crime has been committed here, I’ll lock down this establishment, and your guests will have to remain in their rooms until further notice.” He looked away and then back at the man. “Until I examine the scene and make a determination, no one will be allowed in or out, including you.”
“You can’t do that.” Mr. Brightway’s mouth twisted into a determined grimace. “I won’t allow it. We have bus tours of crime scenes organized. I can’t call them off, the guests have already paid for them.”
Wolfe shrugged. “You don’t get a choice. When it comes to a crime scene, I make the decisions.” He puffed out a cloud of steam. “Is the sheriff on scene?”
“She is.” Mr. Brightway turned to leave.
“Just a minute.” Wolfe shook his head in disbelief. “The sheriff asked you to direct me to the body, I believe?”
“Yes, she did.” Mr. Brightway’s head nodded like it was attached to a spring.
Wolfe glanced around as Webber and Emily moved to his side and then slowly back to Brightway. “Good, then take me to cabin forty-eight. I don’t have the time to search the entire complex to hunt down a body.”
The man gave him a look of contempt and stomped off along a trail, moving at light speed. Wolfe
ushered Webber in front of him with the gurney and dropped into step beside Emily. “Some people, huh?”
“What an arrogant little man.” She grinned at him. “You sure have mellowed over the years since Mom died.”
Wolfe looked at her. “Not really… Inside I’m the same. Bad-mannered people still annoy me. I’ve gained more control as I’ve gotten older. Which is just as well, when I run into people like Brightway. That man hasn’t got one ounce of sympathy in him.” He sighed.
“Yeah, I remember when Mom was pregnant with Anna and that man came running out of a store and knocked her over.” Emily grinned. “You grabbed him and hung him over the fence. And then there was that boy at high school who kept on bothering me. You sent him packing with a death-ray glare.”
Wolfe frowned at her. “In hindsight, I shouldn’t have touched the man who knocked over your mom, but I have to admit I do tend to be a little overprotective when it comes to you and your sisters. That, I’m afraid, comes with being your dad.” He gave her a hug as they walked.