But at the bottom of the run, Stacy was waiting for them. “What are you two doing together?” she asked when they met up in front of ski patrol headquarters.
“We’re enjoying the beautiful day,” George said. “What are you up to?”
“I sent off the bottle you snagged for testing. I labeled it Priority, but you know it will be days before we get any results.”
“Did you find out anything about Shane?” Connor asked.
“His full name is Shane Greer. He owns a ranch in the area. Nothing particularly large or famous. Apparently, his family has been in the area for generations. The original ranch was sold a decade ago, and Shane was able to buy back a portion of it last year. He has no criminal record that I could find, but if they pull prints from that bottle we might learn something different.”
“That’s a good morning’s work,” George said. “Not that I expected anything less.”
“Dad, I need to talk to Connor. Alone.”
“Never say I can’t take a hint.” He shouldered his skis. “I’ll see you later, Connor.” He strode off across the plaza, never looking back.
Connor turned to unlock the door, and Stacy moved in closer. “What did Dad say to you?” she asked.
“He said he was trying to stay out of your way today.”
“No. I mean, what is he doing here? In Colorado? Does he think I’m that incompetent?”
“He said you were a good and capable agent.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. No poker face for her. “Then why is he here?”
“He thinks your superiors are underestimating the danger.” He pushed open the door and shooed Farley inside but didn’t follow right away. “And he regrets not being around more when you were growing up.”
“He told you that?”
“He did. And I think he just misses you in general. And maybe he misses the excitement of being an agent working a case.”
“This isn’t his case to work.”
“He knows that. But it couldn’t hurt to have someone with his experience on your side.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did he pay you to say that?”
He shook his head and started to go inside, but she didn’t follow. “It’s busy around here today,” she said.
“It’s a Saturday. And everybody wants to be out on a bluebird day like today—sunshine, good snow, but not too cold.”
“Hey, isn’t that Jace over there?”
He turned and followed her gaze to a pair of snowboarders by the ski racks. “Yeah, I think that’s him,” he said. “And the guy with him looks familiar, too.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s Nate Lee. He’s the guy who gave you a hard time at the Trail’s End the other night.”
The night he and Stacy had met. “Yeah. I remember now.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Let’s go talk to them.”
Connor followed her over to the ski racks. Jace looked up at their approach. “Hey,” he said.
“It was good to see you last night,” Stacy said. “I was afraid I wouldn’t know a soul there.”
Jace glanced at his friend, who was watching them. “Go on up, Nate,” he said. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”
Nate met Connor’s gaze, a challenge in those dark eyes. “I think I’ll stay.”
