Prologue
Tuesday
An icy blast of wind hit Dakota Storm the second she stepped into the night from the warmth of the Glacial Heights Ski Resort. The two sets of doors, set up like an airlock to ease the patrons into the cold from the cozy inner sanctum, hadn’t worked, although she had to admit she’d dallied far too long before the massive log fire. The tumbling overnight temperatures on the mountain usually had most people tucked up in their rooms well before midnight. Now, she understood why. Apprehension gripped her as she stared around getting her bearings. The resort appeared very creepy at night and, having no sense of direction, if she made one wrong step, she’d be lost.
Ahead, dark shadows fell across a winding pathway that broke into a spiderweb of trails leading through a thick wooded area to the numerous chalets. A shiver of uncertainty crept up her spine and she hesitated before making her way to the main pathway. The track was lit by a line of small lampposts with round globes. They resembled a string of miniature moons and offered a muted glow over the snow. Along each side of the pathway the blackened trunks of tall pines appeared to guard an eerie, endless mass of black spreading out into nothingness.
Pushing her fears of dark confined places to one side, Dakota peered at the signpost directing her to the chalets and looked all around, before taking a few hesitant steps into the tunnel of gloom. Snowflakes brushed her cheeks as she hurried through a wooded area, her boots sliding on the icy layer beneath the snow. Ahead, she spotted another signpost and slipped and slid in the direction of her chalet, a fancy name for a cabin in the woods. On arrival that morning, the scene had resembled a Christmas card from Switzerland. Her chalet was a gingerbread house sitting in a small clearing beside a partly frozen pool, fed by a trickle of water running from one of the many falls in the area. As she passed the small stream running alongside the pathway, the ice-packed banks and black ice-covered water sent chills down her spine. Falling in there would mean instant death.
A noise in the darkness stopped her midstride, and heart pounding, she turned in a circle, seeing nothing in the inky blackness between the trees. Did animals hunt at night? A loud crack came close by and she pressed one hand to her chest, sure her heart would break out of her ribs. All around her the dark pines creaked as their limbs froze, sounding like a wild beast crashing through the forest. Breathing so hard her chest hurt, she left the main path and headed for her chalet. The next moment the light outside her cabin exploded in a shower of glass, plunging her into darkness. Panic gripped her and she madly searched her pockets for her phone. With trembling fingers, she accessed the flashlight and, taking a steadying breath, headed for the door.
Before she had time to pull out her key, the muffled scrape of boots came from behind her. Her eyesight blanked out from a blow to the back of her head. Dakota stumbled forward, turned, and aimed her flashlight, but the blow to her wrist sent her phone tumbling to the ground. Sheer terror gripped her as a shadowy figure loomed over her. She scrambled back, slipping in the snow and falling to her knees. Fear had her by the throat and her scream came out in a husky whine. It was her worst nightmare and, struggling to her feet, she tried to gasp out a few words but hardly recognized her own strangled voice. “What do you want?”
No answer came in the night, only pain.
One
Black Rock Falls, Montana
Sheriff Jenna Alton headed for the shower after a grueling workout with Dave Kane
, her second-in-command at the Black Rock Falls Sheriff’s Office. So many things had changed since she’d left DEA Agent Avril Parker and the FBI behind, and entered witness protection as Jenna Alton. She should be safe, but the drug cartel she’d given evidence against was never far from her mind. Although all had been killed in a shootout with the police, being undercover for so long, Jenna understood just how far the families of the cartel stretched. Even with extensive plastic surgery to disguise her and hiding in plain sight in a backwoods town in Montana, she never really relaxed. Especially now that her once sleepy town had become the center of attention of late and, it seemed, a magnet for every type of murdering psychopath. Since the homicides, a series of novels had been written about Black Rock Falls and throughout the week a book convention was being held at the ski resort at Glacial Heights. Authors, agents, publishers, and readers from all over had descended on the town. The fact it was snowing hadn’t deterred the inquisitive visitors, and a variety of tours to the gruesome scenes of murder and mayhem had been booked out for months.
After showering, she dressed in warm clothes and headed toward the smell of fresh coffee and bacon. As usual, Kane had gotten ready before her and was busying himself with breakfast. As Jenna heated the maple syrup in the microwave and placed the fixings on the table for the coffee, her black cat, Pumpkin, weaved in and out of her legs, waiting for a tasty morsel from her plate. Jenna smiled at Kane as he flipped the hotcakes. He made such delicious hotcakes from scratch and liked them with crispy strips of bacon and floating in maple syrup. She took the maple syrup from the microwave and heated two plates. “The bacon smells so good.”
“Yeah, it’s smoked. I had some at Aunt Betty’s Café the other day and asked for the name of their supplier. The order came in yesterday with the other supplies. If we get snowed in, we can survive the winter.” Kane looked over one shoulder at her. “Ready to eat?”
Jenna smiled at him. Since moving into her house, he’d taken over the laborious chore of ordering supplies. He was the most organized person she’d ever met and knew exactly what they needed for themselves or the animals at any given time. “Yeah, let’s get at it. The snowplow guy just went through and, by the way it’s snowing up a storm out there, the roads will be blocked before we make it to town.”
“I’ll attach the snowplow to the Beast in case we run into trouble.” Kane slid hotcakes onto plates and added a stack of bacon. “Remind me to grab another coat for Duke as well. He got wet yesterday and his teeth were chattering like castanets on the way home.”
Jenna nodded. The snowplow attachment Kane had purchased for his tricked-out black truck, affectionately known as the Beast, had been worth its weight in gold during the long winter months. “Sure.” She poured the coffee. “I guess we should wander up to the convention and make sure everyone is behaving themselves.”
“Ha.” Kane poured cream into his coffee. “You just want to meet the authors.” He grinned at her. “You’ve had your head in a book for the last few weeks.”
Jenna nodded. “They’re kind of addictive, you know, reading about our town and the crimes we solved. I’d love to get my copies autographed and there’s a book signing this morning.”
“Uh-huh.” Kane tossed a strip of bacon to Duke, his bloodhound. “Personally, I like to forget the murders once we have the killer in jail, but I’m a sucker for a good thriller or a historical novel. They’ll have books for sale there as well, I assume?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, from the flyer, a group of publishers are promoting a ton of authors.” She cleared her throat. “I hope Rowley and Rio can handle the office for a couple of hours. Although nothing has come in on the 911 line overnight.”
“I’m sure they can handle any accidents caused by the weather.” Kane ate slowly. “We have snow every year and yet people still drive unprepared. It’s hard to fathom.” He gave her a long thoughtful look. “Although, with all the visitors in town just now, anything is possible.”
Shaking her head, Jenna swallowed a mouthful of food and then sipped her coffee. “I figure the roads in town will be fine unless we have an unexpected weather event. A blizzard is always in the cards, but because the ski resort brings so much revenue to the town, this year the mayor purchased a ton of snowplows and salt spreaders. He’s hired more drivers and has them working practically around the clock to keep the roads clear for the tourists. Most visitors are flying in for the convention and staying for a couple of weeks. The ski lodge is almost full and so are most of the cabins.”
“Those chalets are growing like a small city up there.” Kane leaned back in his chair and sighed. “The building is nonstop. I figure finding your way around there now will be like negotiating a maze.” He took a long drink from his cup and eyed her over the rim. “I wonder if we could sneak a couple of days up there? Two days skiing and staying one night would be a nice break.” He grinned at her. “But I so want to go to Hawaii next summer or maybe Florida. Somewhere hot.”
“Oh yeah.” Jenna chuckled. She enjoyed being in a relationship with Kane. It had been a long time coming. “Somewhere hot with a beach and palm trees is my dream vacation, but with our luck, something will happen to keep us tied to town.” She sighed. “It’s been ages since we last hit the beach.” She finished her coffee and stretched.
“You done eating?” Kane stood, collected the plates, and stacked them in the dishwasher. “We’d better head off or we’ll never make it to work on time. The roads might be okay in town but we still have to get there.” He bent and kissed her on the head. “You’d better bring your books. From the flyer, the book signing is at ten.”
Jenna’s phone chimed and she glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Carter.” She raised an eyebrow and put her phone on speaker. “Morning.”
“Hi there, Jenna. Just calling to touch base. With the snow and all, we have nothing to do. Any cases you want to share?” Special Agent Ty Carter out of Snakeskin Gulley, an ex-navy Seal, super-detective, and bomb expert, sounded bored.
Glancing out the window at the threatening snow clouds, Jenna bit back a laugh. “Sorry, we have nothing either. It’s all quiet here, thank goodness. How is Jo?”
They’d met behavioral analyst and Special Agent Jo Wells when she and Carter became their local go-to FBI office. She liked Jo and her little girl, Jaime, and they’d all become friends. She figured working on murder cases created a close bond between people. She had a close-knit team: Deputies Jake Rowley and Zac Rio and the medical examiner, Shane Wolfe. He and his daughters were like family. In fact, the entire team were all close friends and worked together like a well-oiled machine.
“She’s fine. How are you since the break-in?” Carter cleared his throat. “Having any flashbacks?”