Maya frowned. “This is the right place, isn’t it?” She knocked on the wall next to the area that should be a door.
Gideon rapped as well, then dropped his hand to his side. “Nothing sounds hollow. Huh.”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” Maya muttered. “They must have closed it up.”
“Guess we could knock it down,” Lila said, “but we’ll have to get permission. Of course, I have a feeling the manager would be just fine with that if it meant we could get out and find some help.”
“Let’s go back to the map,” Gideon said. “I know you have a picture on your phone, but I want to see the whole thing again.” They followed him to stand in front of the drawing, and he said, “Okay, so here’s the entrance that was uncovered by the avalanche.” He ran a finger over the lines. “That tunnel doesn’t appear to be connected to this side. It’s totally separate, but it does lead to another maze of tunnels and this one”—he jabbed the map—“looks like it leads out.”
“But it might not be safe. You didn’t go that way originally.”
“No, we’ll have to do a little exploring, but it’s our best shot.”
Lila nodded. “Let’s go tell Grant Paulson. He’s the resort general manager.” They made their way back up the steps. “He’s been here for about two years and does a great job. He’s been out there organizing the digging shifts and making sure people stay hydrated and careful not to overexert themselves.”
“One thing before we go. What’s with the landlines?”
Lila raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
“When I mentioned them before, you and Ethan exchanged a look. Why?”
She sighed. “Okay, yes, it looks like they’ve been tampered with. I’m not a phone line expert, but even I could see that it’s possible someone messed with the wires and stuff. The VoIP cabinet is in the back of the lodge where the main office is. When we first looked, you really couldn’t see anything was wrong. But when you traced the primary line feeding into the resort’s phone, it was missing. Without one to replace it, there’s no way to get the phones working again, even when the internet’s restored. Not only that, but security just learned that there was a flash drive inserted into one of the open USB ports. Looks like a jammer that emits a low-level interference signal. Its job is to disrupt any attempts to reestablish communication remotely. Like if anyone tried to reroute calls through a backup system, all they’d get is static.”
Maya gaped. Then snapped her lips shut. “Wow. That’s clever, but ...why?”
Lila scowled. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”
No, it definitely couldn’t be good.
Eight
MAYAFOLLOWED THEMout of the basement to wind their way through the restaurant, then out into the cold. Snow had started falling again, and Maya suppressed a groan. Snow was the last thing they needed. It would just cause them to have to do more digging.
They climbed into the resort Jeep with four-wheel drive, and Lila transported them to the entrance. Maya got her first up close look at the damage and swallowed a gasp. She had been so involved in helping with the medical clinic that she had left the digging to others. But to see it now...
The snow and ice were still piled high, and Maya had to say she agreed with Gideon. Trying to dig out was a hopeless task. At least out any time soon. It was going to take a long time at that rate.
And yet, men and women persevered with tools and gloved hands. Tractors and their operators were doing their best to move the snow and ice, but it was so packed they needed people with shovels, rakes, and other tools to separate it before they could move it. “Have they made any progress at all?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Lila said, “believe it or not. They’ve actually made a good dent in it. But even going at the rate they are, it’ll be another couple of days before it’s open. At least that’s my guess.”
She frowned. “I don’t think Mr. Webb has another couple of days, Gideon.”
“I know.”
Ben was working alongside several other men and looked up at their approach. He waved and joined them. “Here to pitch in?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Lila said. “Do you know who Grant Paulson is?”
“The resort manager? Sure, he and I were fraternity buddies. He’s over there.”
Maya spotted him and then saw Vance working as well. “I’m going to ask Vance about Ellie while you talk to Grant,” she told Lila and Gideon. She made her way over to Vance, conscious of Lila’s gaze following her. The woman took her protector status seriously. Maya could honestly say she appreciated it.
She reached Vance’s side. “Hey,” she said, “how’s Ellie?”
He jammed his shovel into the snow and leaned on it, breathing hard. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his sweatshirt. “She’s all right. Feeling a bit better after the meds, thanks. Told me to get out here and do my part to dig us out. She really wants to leave.” He shrugged. “Either that or she’s just tired of my hovering.”
She offered him a sympathetic smile. “I understand.”
