The Rambling Wombat’s Kids’ Club didn’t look at all like the other buildings at Charlotte Pass village. The octagonal windows were adorned with metres of butcher’s paper boasting the children’s latest crayon masterpieces. Inside the colourful space, twinkling fairy lights dangled from a high raked ceiling.
Vanessa Bell smiled as she watched four-year-old Jake spoon mouthfuls of wobbly green jelly from his Frog-in-a-Pond dessert into his mouth. He was seated at the end of the table closest to where Libby Marken stood, a noticeable gap between him and the other children.
‘He has a life-threatening nut allergy,’ Libby whispered to Vanessa, turning away and taking an EpiPen from her pocket.
Vanessa looked at the curly-haired little boy with a Harry Potter scarf looped around his neck. ‘Must be hard for the parents to relax,’ she said in a hushed voice. ‘I got lost on the farm once—it traumatised my mother for life. She’d still be checking up on me every day if she could, and I’m thirty-three.’
Libby opened a cupboard and took a plastic box labelled ‘Medicines’ off the top shelf. ‘They’re confident he’ll be well looked after here,’ she said, putting Jake’s EpiPen inside before returning the box to its place.
‘Oh, I’m sure they know. You do a fantastic job running this place, Libby, everyone says so.’ Vanessa checked her watch for the umpteenth time. ‘How long do you think it will be before those detectives want to talk to me?’
‘I have no idea.’ Libby gave a shudder. ‘You poor thing. It’s enough to give anyone nightmares.’
Like Vanessa needed any more of those after what she’d found in the snow.
‘You can put the presentation off until tomorrow if you like,’ Libby offered. ‘It’s been an awful shock for you.’
‘Thanks, but I need something to distract me.’ She reached for the silver snowflake around her neck and ran it up and down the chain. ‘I keep wondering who it was. And how did they die—was it quick, or slow and agonising? And what about their poor family?’
‘I know. Why don’t you give your sister a call when you’re done here? She’s close by, isn’t she?’
Vanessa nodded. ‘Thredbo.’
They turned back to the tables and began clearing away the used paper plates, soggy napkins and plastic glasses. ‘I really don’t want to burden Eva this late,’ Vanessa said a few minutes later as they dumped the scraps in the garbage bin. ‘She has her hands full with Poppy and running the lodge. How about we go to the bar when you finish here? The instructors are always up for a fishbowl cocktail.’
Libby grinned. ‘That’s a hangover, not a distraction.’
‘Doesn’t matter. The thought of going to sleep tonight is freaking me out.’
‘The kids will take your mind off it for a bit,’ said Libby, leading the way out of the kitchen. ‘Listen up, guys,’ she called out, clapping loudly as they walked back into the main room. ‘We have a very special guest this evening. Everybody, say hello to Vanessa.’ Libby waited until the chorus of hellos had died down before proceeding. ‘You might have seen Vanessa out on the mountain, or maybe the other ski patroller she works with. You’ll recognise them from the super-cool red jackets they wear.’
‘Like Santa!’ yelled one of the kids.
As the group erupted in laughter, Libby moved aside so Vanessa could take centre stage. Because this was her first season working at Charlotte Pass it was her job to give the safety talk to the kids’ club while the other staff headed to the bar at the Charlotte Mountain Inn. Not that she minded. She enjoyed spending time with the kids, and Libby had become a good friend.
‘It is the same colour as Santa’s!’ Vanessa feigned surprise, as if it were the first time she’d heard that comment. ‘But mine has this symbol on the front and back.’ She spun around so the kids could see the white cross on her red zip-up fleece. ‘This cross is the medic symbol. It’s also on my ski parka. If you or someone you’re with gets sick or injured while you’re out on the slopes, or maybe you don’t know where to go, just look for me or my co-worker Johan in our red jackets. We’re always around.’
‘And if you can’t find a ski patroller, ask a ski instructor or, failing that, an adult,’ said Libby.
‘Are you a policewoman?’ asked a little girl with huge blue eyes and blonde pigtails.
Vanessa smiled. ‘Not exactly. But I’m the next best thing.’
‘You’re the boss?’ the little girl persisted.
‘Out on the mountain I am. My job is to make sure the resort is safe for you to have fun in, and to help people who might be injured or in trouble.’
‘Or lost!’ a boy yelled from up the back.
‘That’s right. You won’t get lost if you stay inside the boundary fence.’ Vanessa looked around the group of children ranging in age from five to twelve. ‘As we all know, skiing and snowboarding are major fun, but there are safety rules we need to follow when we’re out on the mountain. Does anybody know of a rule from the Skier’s Code of Conduct? It’s on the back of every bathroom door and on the back of your lift passes. We have lollies if you get one right.’
A young girl in a pink tracksuit put up her hand. ‘Give way to people below you.’
‘Correct.’ Vanessa smiled. ‘What’s your name, sweetheart?’
‘Audrey.’
‘As Audrey says, you must give way to people further down the slope than you. They don’t have eyes in the back of their heads.’ Vanessa curled her hands into fists as though she were holding her stocks and made an exaggerated skiing movement with her hips. ‘There you are, skiing away, minding your own business, then boom, someone below you on the slope turns right into your path. Carnage! Blood and guts everywhere.’ She paused, waiting for the excited giggles to die down. You could always count on the kids to laugh at the gruesome stuff. ‘That’s when I get a call on this,’ she said holding up her radio. ‘So, it’s very important to keep an eye on the people below you, and to give them plenty of space. Well done, Audrey. Anyone else know a ski rule?’ Vanessa looked around the group as Libby handed a lolly to Audrey. The sweets usually won the kids over. Pretty soon the boys would be making up all sorts of stuff.
‘Don’t jump off the poma lift halfway up!’ yelled a boy who looked to be about eight.
‘Woohoo! Good answer. You must never jump off the poma until you reach the unloading area. If a piece of loose clothing gets caught—’ she laid her hand lightly on Jake’s shoulder ‘—like this super-cool Harry Potter scarf, it will drag you up the hill. And you can imagine what might happen.’
One of the boys put a hand to his throat and made a choking sound.
‘Exactly.’ Vanessa pointed at the boy. ‘If something horrible like that happens in the unloading area, the lift operator can hit the emergency switch and stop the lift. But if you jump off where no one can see you, you could be in all sorts of trouble.’ Vanessa leaned over and high-fived the young boy. ‘Give this handsome dude a Freddo, Libby, and—’
‘Excuse me.’
Vanessa wheeled around at the sound of a deep voice. A man—tall, wearing a suit, which was definitely not the standard look at Charlotte Pass—was standing inside the door, flecks of snow speckling his dark hair. The wind had blown his tie over his shoulder, but he hadn’t noticed or didn’t seem to care.
He slid his hands into the pockets of his overcoat, his dark eyes on her face. ‘I knocked. You couldn’t hear me over the din.’
Heat warmed Vanessa’s face. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘No need to apologise. Vanessa Bell?’
She nodded. He was here, finally.
‘Detective Sergeant Pierce Ryder.’
There was a collective intake of breath from the children. The detective glanced at them briefly but didn’t come any further into the room, nor did he whip out his badge like they did in the movies. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt, but would you be able to come down to the inn, please?’
‘Go—you’re needed.’ Libby shooed Vanessa away, her gaze never leaving the detective. His attention had shifted to two boys who’d lost interest in the conversation and were now wrestling on the floor.
‘Guys, listen up.’ Vanessa smiled at the kids. ‘I’ll come back and finish our talk another time, okay? In the meantime, study the rules for the chance to win more treats. And if you’re nice and quiet, I’m sure Libby will let you watch Frozen.’
Chair legs scraped across the linoleum floor as the kids fell over each other in their haste to secure prime position in front of the flat screen.
‘See you, Jake,’ Vanessa leaned over and ruffled the little boy’s hair before walking over to the detective.
‘Is Jake your son?’ he asked when they were out in the corridor.
‘No.’ Vanessa took her ski parka from a hook on the wall. ‘He’s one of the kids in Libby’s care.’ She pushed an arm into one sleeve, then felt her face flame when the detective reached for the jacket and held it for her so she could slip her other arm into the sleeve. ‘He has a serious nut allergy,’ she went on as she shrugged the jacket onto her shoulders and turned up her collar. When she turned around, he was already waiting at the door.
Not bothering with the zip, she pulled her parka across her chest and hurried towards him. It was a short walk to the Charlotte Mountain Inn. If he could do it in a business suit and overcoat, she could do it with her ski jacket open.
‘Does he have an EpiPen?’ he asked, holding the door open.
‘Of course.’
Ryder nodded. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem, then.’
Vanessa looked around the familiar suite while Detective Ryder hung his overcoat in a closet by the door. A tarpaulin was spread over the carpet beneath a wall half-painted with undercoat, and wooden planks and trestles were stacked neatly into a far corner.
‘Sorry for the paint smell,’ he said. ‘This was the best they could do at short notice.’
‘You’re lucky this was available. A section of roof blew off in a storm a while back. This suite was water damaged.’
‘So the owner said.’ The detective dragged his tie from his shoulder and made a cursory attempt at straightening it. ‘My partner’s downstairs in the staff quarters. Normally, we’d like somewhere more private, but the place is booked out for Winterfest.’
‘I like this suite.’ She pointed to the heavy drapes. ‘In the morning you’ll have an awesome view over the mountain, and there are only one or two suites here that have two bedrooms and a kitchenette like this one.’
‘You seem to know the place well?’
‘I helped them out with some cleaning at the start of the season. They were having trouble getting staff.’
‘I see.’
‘They were hoping it would be fixed up and ready for guests in time for Winterfest, but I heard on the grapevine the plasterer held things up—’
‘Christ, it’s hot in here,’ Detective Ryder said suddenly, shrugging off his suit coat and tossing it over the back of a sofa. ‘Do you think it’s hot? That’s the thing I hate about the snow. It’s freezing outside and then you come inside and roast in the central heating.’
So, the detective wasn’t a fan of the snow—or small talk. Vanessa doubted he’d even registered her comment about the plasterer.
‘They turned the second bedroom into an office for me.’ He strode across the suite, beckoning for her to follow. A brown leather holster criss-crossed his back emphasising the width of his shoulders. ‘Come on in and take a seat.’
He waved a hand towards a straight-backed chair that Vanessa recognised from the hotel dining room. ‘I’ve read the report you gave to the uniformed police, but I’d like to hear in your own words how you came to discover the bones.’ He rolled out a wonky-looking typist’s chair for himself.
‘Where would you like me to start?’ she asked, slipping off her jacket and draping it over the back of the chair. She sat down, her gaze drawn to the handgun hugging his left side. She hadn’t been this close to a firearm since she’d left the farm.
He turned the swivel chair a little so that he was sitting at an angle to her, hiding the pistol from view. ‘Anywhere you like. I’ll interrupt or ask for clarification if I need to.’
Vanessa took a deep breath. ‘Well, given the slow start to the season, we only have a thin cover, so it’s patchy in a lot of areas. That makes the groomer’s job difficult. He has to shift snow around. Mostly, he’s been putting it into the loading areas, so people can get up the mountain.’
He leaned on an elbow, thumb under his jaw, one long index finger resting beneath a full lower lip. Vanessa stared at the deep vertical crease between the detective’s brows. He’d spent a lot of time concentrating. Or worried. Or in pain.
She waited a couple of beats. When he didn’t comment, she went on. ‘So, the groomer asked Terry Harrison, the mountain manager, if ski patrol could build some snow fences up on Mount Stillwell. I’ve worked a lot of seasons in the northern hemisphere but it’s my rookie year here, so of course I got the job. Terry told a couple of the lift operators who weren’t rostered on to give me a hand. We went out early, before the first lifts.’
‘What are snow fences?’
‘Oh, they’re just posts with plastic mesh hung between them. The snow builds up behind them, so it’s easy for the groomer to pick it up and distribute the snow where it’s needed. The mesh lets a little bit of snow through, though, so the weight doesn’t push the fences over.’ She paused, realising that most of what she’d just said couldn’t possibly be relevant to what he was interested in.
The detective didn’t seem to mind, though. He nodded, then asked, ‘And while you were doing this, you found the bones?’
‘Yes. I was rolling out the plastic fencing. It got away from me and rolled down the slope a bit. I called for one of the young lifties to come and help me roll it back up. That’s when I saw them. The liftie said they were probably animal bones, but I knew they were human. I radioed Terry, and he called the village doctor.’
‘The doctor said you were adamant they were human bones. And he did confirm that to be the case.’
‘Yes,’ she replied, watching the detective. He hadn’t written anything down. Maybe he was one of those people who committed everything to memory.
‘Was it because of your training that you were able to identify them as human?’
Vanessa shook her head. ‘We only need first aid. Our most important skill is being able to ski all over the mountain in any sort of weather. We have to be able to reach people and bring them down safely so they can get proper medical attention.’
He frowned. ‘So, despite limited medical knowledge and the absence of a skull, you were convinced they were human?’ He quirked an eyebrow. ‘Lucky guess?’
Vanessa smiled. He was smart. Perceptive, too. ‘This is going to sound ridiculous. But I grew up on a farm, and our family doctor in town had one of those full skeletons in the corner of his surgery. I was fascinated by it as a kid. Every time I went in there, I’d study it. He appreciated my interest and began showing me parts of the skeletal system. It went on for years. Sometimes he’d quiz me to see if I remembered.’ She shrugged. ‘Maybe he hoped I’d go into the medical field.’
The detective leaned back. The typist chair groaned under his weight. ‘I’ve heard a lot of ridiculous things in my time but that isn’t one of them.’
Warmth crept back into Vanessa’s face. Serious he might be, but the detective had a nice way about him. She liked his old-fashioned manners, too, though he was probably only half a dozen years older than her. He was nothing like the guys she had dated. ‘Do you have any idea who it is, Detective?’ she asked, forcing her mind back to the subject at hand.
He sighed. ‘A couple of people have gone missing over the years and never been found. We’ll know more once the pathologist gets here in the morning.’
He consulted what looked like a police report. ‘Tell me one thing …’ He looked up. ‘Earlier, I had to walk up the slope to get to the site. It’s steep and treacherous. If you’re carrying fence posts and rolls of fencing, do you take it all up on the triple chairlift and come down that way? How on earth do you get down there?’
The detective’s words dragged her back in time and brought her wailing six-year-old self into sharp focus. ‘How did you get all the way down here, Vanessa?’ Strong arms reached for her and she clutched her Jemima doll closer to her chest. The man had a kind face and wore a uniform. Her arms went around his neck as he settled her on his hip and brushed leaves and twigs from her hair and cardigan.
Strange—usually it was the subtle scent of eucalypt or the faint aroma of a dried-up creek bed that awakened her earliest childhood memories.
A gust of wind slammed against the inn’s windows and she jumped. The detective glanced at the creaking roof like he feared it might be torn off again. His eyes returned to her face. ‘How did you get down there?’ he asked again.
‘Normally, if I was going up there without any extra gear, I’d take the triple chair up to Kangaroo Ridge and then hike across the top towards Mount Stillwell and ski down. But this morning the groomer took the posts, fencing and us as far up the hill as he could, and we carried them the rest of the way.’
‘Was anyone else around?’
‘I don’t remember anyone in particular.’
‘Yes. He was smoothing out the section of hill underneath where the old chairlift used to be, not far from where the fencing was going in.’
‘Old chairlift? There was another one here at some stage?’
Vanessa nodded. ‘It used to run at right angles to the present one. The trees are sparser under where it used to be. It’s the perfect place for the new inflatable tube run to go in.’ She and Libby were looking forward to having a go in the giant inner tubes that would shoot them down the slope. The instructors were already placing bets on who would make it to the bottom first.
The detective’s frown deepened, and his gaze moved to the file on his desk. ‘When did the old chairlift operate?’
Vanessa shrugged. ‘Ages ago.’
‘How close is the run under the old lift to the site where you found the bones?’
‘About fifty metres, I guess.’
‘Can you take me?’
Vanessa blinked. ‘I’m sorry … what?’
‘Can you take me up there, I mean, in the morning? Show me where the tube run’s going in.’
‘Oh, sure.’ Vanessa swallowed. ‘I’m probably not the best person to help you, though. I think the Alpine Ski Club have lots of historical information on the area and a ton of old photographs. They’ve put together a display for Aidan Smythe’s return.’
Aidan Smythe needed no explanation. The skiing legend’s return to Charlotte Pass after his incredible European season fifty-something years ago was bigger news than Eddie the Eagle returning to Calgary thirty years after his famous ski jump. The detective might not be a fan of snow sports, but he would have to have been living under a rock not to have heard of the celebrations.
‘I’ll speak to the alpine club,’ he said, his gaze lingering on her face.
‘There is one thing I can show you.’ Vanessa stood and moved to the window. Drawing aside the heavy drapes, she listened to the sound of him sliding his firearm into one of the desk drawers. She tapped a fingernail on the window as he joined her. ‘That building over there, where the lights are on, it’s called “Long Bay” because the rooms are the size of jail cells. It’s staff housing for ski instructors, ski patrol and mountain operations.’
‘Is that where you’re living?’
‘Yes, if you could call it living. It’s more like boarding-school accommodation. Shared bathrooms, claustrophobic and overcrowded. Anyway, that’s not the reason I’m showing you. See how it’s the only building on that side of the creek? All the lodges and hotels are on this side. That’s because Long Bay was originally the bottom station for the old chairlift that went up Mount Stillwell. I don’t know when it operated, but there are people here who still remember it. I can write their names down for you if you like?’
‘Okay. That would save me time. Thanks.’
‘Of course.’ Vanessa took a deep breath. The anxiety that had kept her on edge all day was slowly seeping away. The wait was over, and now she could do something to help. ‘I want you to find out who the bones belong to, Detective. Their family’s torment …’
His eyes cut to hers and he gave a brief nod. ‘I understand.’
Vanessa watched his reflection in the glass as she closed the drapes. He was turning back to the desk, where he picked up a pen and finally jotted something down.
‘He’s arriving tomorrow, right?’ he asked when she turned to face him.
‘Who?’
‘Smythe.’
‘He’s already here, at the inn.’ And then the words slipped out before she could stop them. ‘Going to ask for his autograph?’
He shook his head. ‘No. I’m worried about the media. I don’t want them reporting anything about the case. We may have relatives to contact.’
Heat crept up Vanessa’s face, and she silently berated herself for her silly remark. ‘Of course. It would be awful for them to hear something on the news.’
He didn’t say anything more or sit down again.
‘Well, if that’s all …’ she said, taking that as her cue to leave.
‘Yes, you’ve had an eventful day. You should try to get some sleep.’ He stood aside so she could lead the way out of the makeshift office.
As Vanessa stepped into the living room, she couldn’t help but glance into the main bedroom, where a black overnight bag and zip-up suit bag sat on the end of the bed.
‘Where should I meet you in the morning?’ she asked, turning to face him. ‘There’s patchy mobile reception in the village. They’re working on improving it, though.’
‘Hmm. Quaint.’
‘You can thank the National Parks and Wildlife. Still, a lot of guests like it. They come here to unwind. Part of that is unplugging for a week.’
He nodded. ‘I’m sure they do. What’s the earliest you can meet up?’
‘Around seven-thirty, after I’ve had a look at the mountain. The bridge over the creek is a good place to meet.’
‘That suits me. I’m sorry I had to interrupt your presentation.’
‘Oh, the kids will keep,’ she said, surprised he’d given her safety talk a second thought. ‘And one other thing. I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this but the wi-fi has a habit of crashing around four when everyone comes inside and logs on. If you need to use the internet, do it while everyone’s out on the hill.’
‘Thanks for the heads-up.’
She smiled. ‘See you bright and early at the bridge, Detective.’
‘You will indeed.’