Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) by Kristina Stanley Page A

he knew she’d been reprimanded by the previous president for not securing keys. She’d taken the blame for Fred and scored a few points with him.
    “Did the thief enter through a window?” Kalin asked.
    Miller turned away from the frosted pane and faced her. “We don’t believe so. There aren’t any marks in the snow, and without a ladder, a person couldn’t climb to the window.”
    Even though on the same floor, the offices on the ski hill side of the building were at ground level, whereas the offices on the parking lot side were one level up. The shape of the building with the higher altitude wall built into the mountain meant employees often used the hallway as a shortcut from the parking lot to the mountain ops building, especially after a big dump of snow.
    “Could the safe combination be read from the hallway?” Turner motioned to the door that reached halfway up the doorframe. Both halves were locked after office hours. The top half was designed to stay open during the day, allowing employees access to the cashier without needing to enter the room.
    More than once, Kalin had seen staff chatting with Helen as she prepared daily floats. Roy often stopped to talk with her before his shift started. She seemed to make him happy. Kalin could hear his laugh echo off the walls and see him wink at Helen before he strutted along the hallway full of confidence. Why had Roy dated Jessica and not Helen?
    She was hit with the awkward moment of realizing Miller and Turner were staring at her. “What?”
    Turner curled his lip. “You moaned.”
    “Oh. Sorry. What were you saying?”
    “I asked if the safe combination could be read from the doorway,” Turner said.
    Miller mimicked punching a keypad. “It’s possible. Even if they couldn’t see the entire pad, a person watching the cashier’s fingers could memorize the order the keys were tapped. I’d like to interview everyone again to find out if anyone noticed someone hanging around the finance center in the mornings while Helen opens the safe. And speaking of Helen, is she around today?”
    Turner circled Miller. “She won’t be in until Friday. She asked for some personal time off. Why?”
    Miller jutted his chin and slowly twisted, keeping his face toward Turner. “We haven’t taken her fingerprints yet. Do you have her home contact information?”
    “Kalin can give that to you.” Turner cracked his knuckles. “Did you speak with the bank manager?”
    “I did. No one from the bank called the resort on Saturday. The drop box wasn’t broken,” Miller said.
    Kalin interrupted the male dance for power and asked, “So the call was just to get Helen to leave more money in the safe?”
    “Looks that way.”
    “So it’s irrelevant,” Turner said. “Let’s get back to the real point. Even if someone had the combination, they still needed a key. That limits the suspects to a small group.”
    “Not necessarily. In November, Jessica Scott requested a replacement key. Your locksmith’s records show she lost hers and had a duplicate made.”
    Kalin stared at the useless deadbolt. What else had Miller found out about the inner workings of Stone Mountain? “Let me guess, she broke protocol and didn’t have the locks changed.”
    Miller nodded.
    Turner ignored him and spoke to Kalin. “How is it possible Jessica could have a new key made without you knowing?”
    The resort’s locksmith, Ted Brightman, was technically strong, but his thought process didn’t include sharing. If she didn’t ask him a specific question, he wouldn’t provide additional information. “I only review the key list quarterly.”
    “Not the answer I was looking for.”
     
    * * *
     
    Jessica pressed her back into the corner of her office as if that would keep her standing. Roy had spent the night on the mountain, and with the fierce cold and wind, her hope diminished.
    “I have a few more questions,” Constable Miller said.
    Without moving from the wall, she kicked her