Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

is our biggest weekend of the year. You should have procedures in place instructing her to call the bank back. You should have told her not to leave more than one night’s receipts in the safe. You’re the manager. You can’t leave that kind of decision to the clerks. You should know better.”
    Even though Jessica had been hard on Helen, Kalin couldn’t stand by and let Turner yell at her. “Maybe we could find out what happened before we blame anyone?”
    Jessica eased a step away from Turner. “The majority of the cash is for the floats, not from daily receipts. We probably didn’t make that much in cash on Saturday. Most people pay with debit or credit.”
    “Are you making excuses for Helen and yourself?”
    “No. I—”
    “You what?” Turner swallowed and clenched his jaw.
    “I don’t think Saturday’s take made up a significant portion of the money stolen.”
    Kalin could see from the way Turner’s lips pressed into a white line that Jessica had made him even angrier. To take his focus off Jessica, she asked, “Should I call the bank?”
    Turner shook his head. “Call the RCMP and let them deal with it.”
    “Should I fire Helen?” Jessica asked.
    Wow. Not nice. Planting the seed of blame in Turner’s mind. As Helen’s boss, Jessica should be protecting her, not throwing her at Turner like a camper throwing meat to a bear, trying to change the beast’s focus.
    “Don’t do anything yet. Call the RCMP. Let me know when they get here.”
     
    * * *
     
    “The worst has happened,” Ben said. “The avalanche—”
    “Hang on.” Kalin stopped in the hallway and turned to Jessica. “I’ll meet you in the finance center. I have to take this.”
    Kalin exploded through the administration building’s outer doors and faced the ragged mountain peaks. She heard wind buffeting Ben’s phone. He was somewhere on the hill. “What’s happened?”
    “The avalanche was in the Dragon’s Bowl.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine, but—”
    “But what?” Kalin’s chest rose and fell in rhythm with her quickened breathing.
    “We don’t know for sure yet, but…Oh, crap, Kalin. I don’t even know how to say this. Roy might have been caught in it.”
    Kalin’s heart pounded. Why had they chosen last night of all nights to ask Roy to move out? She’d heard him leave well before dawn and hadn’t tried to stop him. “How is that possible?”
    Ben filled her in on what he knew. “Have you talked to him today?”
    “Not since last night.” Kalin’s mind was on fire, being hit by lightning strikes in rapid succession, processing what Ben said. She couldn’t move. Her brain refused to send instructions to her muscles, so she stood on the path, staring at the snow on the ground. “Roy’s safe. He has to be.”
    “You have to prepare yourself. The avalanche happened at seven thirty.”
    She resented the softness in Ben’s voice. Who cared about the time? Ben shouldn’t be bothering her with trivial matters. He should be searching for Roy. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
    “It’s been too long.”
    “You don’t know that, so stop talking and keep looking for him.” Kalin understood he was only telling her what he knew, but she needed to direct her anger somewhere. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just frightened for Roy.”
    “We’ll find him.”
    “Please be careful.” If anything happened to Ben, Kalin wasn’t sure she’d survive. They’d only been married for seven months. That wasn’t enough time together. “Are the conditions safe for you to be up there?”
    “For now.”
    “I want you to do everything you can to find him, but…”
    “I know. I’ll be careful. I love you.”
    “I love you more.”
    She turned and ran back inside. She’d direct her anger at her boss. Why hadn’t Turner told her about Roy earlier?
     
    * * *
     
    Kalin dashed into Turner’s corner office only to find the spacious room empty. She had every intention of making sure he put