Read Online Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) by Kristina Stanley - Free Book Online Page B

as she saw Roy, excitement got the better of her, and she jumped on him. Her paws rested on his chest, and she licked his face. Roy laughed and didn’t discourage her behavior. With muscled arms, he rubbed Chica’s back.
    “Chica, down.”
    “She’s not bothering me.” Roy removed his toque, and his dark-brown hair curled at the base of his neck. Kalin had the same hair color, but she wore hers shoulder length and curled under instead of outward. His always seemed to be a mess.
    Before sitting, Roy ran his hands over the mountain peaks carved into the top of the wooden bench that filled the foyer.
    “You did beautiful work,” Kalin said. “Why did you stop?”
    Roy avoided her gaze by leaning forward and untying his boots. “Lost interest.”
    She shook off the irritation his short answer caused and reminded herself how long she’d been trying to make amends with him. “Come on up. Want some coffee?”
    “Sure. What should I do with my things?”
    “You can leave them there.” Kalin nudged Chica to the staircase leading to the main floor but stopped when her foot landed on the first step. Roy slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and trod along the hallway away from her. “Where are you going?”
    He canted his head in the direction of the guest room on the ground floor. “I’ll just put my bags in the spare room.”
    Here it comes. “Why?”
    “My landlord says he needs his place for the winter. So I’ve got nowhere to go.”
    “Did you get evicted?”
    “Nice.”
    “I need to talk to Ben first.”
    “So call him.”
    “I can’t. He’s in the backcountry.”
    “Don’t worry so much. He won’t mind. Anyway, it’s just until I find a place.”
    “At this time of year, you’re going to have a hard time.” Kalin’s human resources team managed staff housing, and locating a room right when the ski hill opened to the public was harder than Roy imagined. The seasonal staff who didn’t get a room in staff housing had already filled most of the privately rented units. She loved her brother, but he was difficult. “Did you try to find somewhere?”
    Roy ignored her question and continued walking along the hallway. “Really, Ben won’t mind. He’s cool.”
    “It’s still polite to ask. This is his home, too.” Why didn’t Roy move in with Jessica? He’d been dating her almost since the day he arrived at Stone Mountain, but the last time Kalin interfered with one of his relationships hadn’t worked out well, so she’d keep her question to herself.
    Before Roy moved west, she hadn’t spoken to him in two years. Roy showing up at her wedding last June gave them a chance to repair their relationship. His decision to stay must have meant he’d forgiven Kalin.
     
    * * *
     
    “What time did Roy leave the house?” Miller asked, interrupting Kalin’s memory of him.
    Kalin stood and faced her office window. She placed her fingertips on the pane and held them there, letting the cold burn her skin. “I’m not sure. He was gone when I got up.”
    “Are any of his things missing?”
    “Like what?”
    “Like his wallet, or clothes or anything that might indicate he wasn’t coming back.”
    Kalin rested her forehead on the window, letting the cold numb the pain in her eyes. “I haven’t gone through his stuff.”
    Miller asked a few more meaningless questions, then departed with his silent partner. Had the woman joined the interrogation because Miller and Kalin were tight? Maybe he wasn’t trusted with Kalin.
    Her cell rang. Charlotte Summers from The Holden Press .
    They’d met when Charlotte interviewed her about being the new human resources manager for Stone Mountain. Kalin had relocated from Ottawa, and Charlotte had been writing a series of articles about professional women moving to the area to work. Charlotte had also helped her investigate some locals Kalin had suspected were involved in the arson case at Stone Mountain the previous spring.
    She hit the speaker phone icon.