Connor grabbed hold of one of the man’s legs. Already it felt lifeless. Unresponsive. He felt under the pants cuff and pinched the ankle, hard, praying for some reaction, but there was none.
“On three.” Anders spoke from the other side of the man, arms wrapped firmly around the other leg. Nina bent awkwardly in front of them, holding onto the tail of a jacket. “One. Two. Three.”
They heaved, and the body shifted. “Again!” Connor shouted.
They heaved again, and again. After the third try, Nina knelt and scooped away loosened snow from around the man’s torso. Another heave, and they were able to free him.
The body emerged face down. They turned him over, and Connor stared into the blue complexion of Jace Dennison.
Jace looked surprised, Stacy thought as she stared into the face of the dead man. She had joined the trio around the tree well as they were working to pull the body free and said nothing until Jace lay on the ground. Only then did she remove her skis and make her way to Connor’s side.
“I saw him just a little while ago,” she said. “He was outside the ski patrol office, looking for you.”
“Why was he looking for me?” Connor asked.
“I don’t know. He said he needed to talk to you about something.” She looked away. “He asked me to tell you to come by the bagel place where he works, after four.”
“When did you see him, exactly?” Connor asked.
“Before the explosion,” she said. “Maybe forty minutes before?”
“Was anyone else with him?”
“No. I tried to get him to confide in me, but he said he had to leave.”
“Did he head to the lift? Or away from the mountain?”
“I didn’t see.”
Anders approached. “I called Doug, and he’ll notify the sheriff. We have to wait to transport him until a deputy arrives.”
Connor checked the time. “It’s after four,” he said. “You and Nina go on down and finish for the day. I’ll wait for the sheriff. And take Farley with you.”
“Come on, Farley,” Nina called.
The dog looked from Nina to Connor. “Go on,” he ordered. “Go with Nina.”
“Farley, come,” Anders said, in a fair imitation of Connor. The dog trotted after him, and Anders and Nina skied away.
“Are you okay?” Stacy asked when she and Connor were alone.
“I’m okay.” He took a few steps from the body and sat in the snow. He looked wrung out.
She sat next to him.
“Where’s your dad?” he asked.
“I sent him back to the condo.” She wanted to touch him—to somehow comfort him. But she was afraid he would pull away.
“What about you?” he asked after a moment. “Are you okay?”
She looked at the body, then away. “I’m a little shook up. That avalanche never should have happened. I should have—”
He squeezed her knee. “Don’t. There was nothing you could do.”
“That isn’t a good enough answer.” She knelt to face him. “I have to do something. This can’t happen again. Today it was just a broken leg, but next time someone could die.”
“Someone has already died.” He looked at Jace.
