Jack Frost: Detective Jack Stratton Mystery Thriller Series Read online

  Jack could tell that Bree’s hand was gripping something in her jacket pocket. Most likely a knife; probably the same one she stabbed Ollie with. He hoped he could keep her talking and defuse the situation peacefully.

  “Why kill Eric?” he asked.

  “Because Mr. Know-It-All convinced everyone to search for Charlie in the wrong place! Charlie was suffocating, and only Frida and Chiri were digging where he really was.” Her eyes darkened and she started running one hand along her pant leg, smoothing it over and over. “I put myself in the right place at the right time for Eric. I met him at the gondola, before Ollie arrived to take him off the mountain. I stabbed him in the back, and I made sure to puncture his lung. I wanted to guarantee he suffocated, so he died experiencing the same pain Charlie felt. An eye for an eye. That’s why I smashed the generator. I wanted everyone to lie in the cold and dark, waiting for death to come. That’s what Charlie felt. Alone in the dark. Cold. Waiting to die.”

  “Charlie’s death was an accident, Bree. Charlie shouldn’t have been bullied to do that stunt, but—”

  “That avalanche was not an accident! Do you know what really triggered it?” Bree’s eyes were wild with rage. “It wasn’t the helicopter—it was greed! Ryan and Gavin thought an avalanche in the background of the shot would make the scene more dramatic. More drama bumps up ratings and the bottom line. Ollie and Mack, the helicopter pilot, planted avalanche charges, but they used too many and planted them too close together. They got a much bigger avalanche than they intended, and it ended up coming straight for Charlie.”

  There was a moment of silence while Jack processed the information, but he had to press on or she’d clam up. “And then Mack died. What happened to him?”

  “When the show was on hiatus, I went climbing with him. It was easy to climb ahead of him and set off an avalanche charge.” She drew a long, jagged breath. “An avalanche for an avalanche. I made things right.”

  Jack shook his head. “There’s no way to bring Charlie back, so there’s no way to make it right. You should have gone to the police.”

  “I talked to a lawyer. He said the most they would get was manslaughter and that it would most likely be negligent homicide. Nothing would happen to them. They wouldn’t spend a day in jail. These materialistic dirtbags took Charlie’s life—and mine, too. People need to pay for their actions.”

  “Then your revenge is complete. It’s over.”

  Bree shook her head and pulled a pistol from her pocket.

  He hadn’t expected that. He took his hand off his ax. “I thought there were no guns on the mountain.”

  “Have you forgotten already? Ollie didn’t search my bags thoroughly. I told him I just bought feminine products, and he backed away like a frightened rabbit. Typical male.”

  “What happens now, Bree?” Jack asked, trying to defuse the situation. “Are you going to shoot me?”

  “No. I only want to kill the people who killed Charlie. But I’ll shoot you if you get in my way. I have one more to go. Leah. I want her to feel everything Charlie did. I want her to feel all the pain and fear he felt.”

  “Leah wasn’t even on set that day; she was in town.”

  “You were in the Army, right, Jack? You know the commander is always responsible. Besides, Leah knew Charlie was filling in for Gavin, and she didn’t say anything.”

  “Neither did you.”

  Bree winced as if Jack had slapped her. The gun in her hand shook. “You’re right, neither did I. And I intend to make that right, too.”

  That’s why she confessed to all of it. She has no intention of leaving here alive. She’s going to kill Leah, then she’s going to kill herself.

  The door opened, and Harvey took two steps into the room before he saw the gun in Bree’s hand.

  Bree aimed the gun at Harvey’s chest. “Don’t move, Jack, or I’ll kill Harvey where he stands.” She stood. “Hands up, both of you.”

  Jack and Harvey slowly raised their hands.

  “I’m sorry, Harvey,” Bree said. “Shut the door, grab that rope, and tie Jack’s hands behind his back. Jack, turn around and put your wrists together.”

  Jack held his hands behind his back and let Harvey tie his arms. Jack kept his arms rigid after Harvey made the first loop of rope, to create slack so he could try to untie himself later. He knew he had to keep Bree talking.

  “Would Charlie want you to do this, Bree?”

  “Shut up, Jack, or I’ll shoot you right now. Take off his climbing belt and tie his arms down, too,” Bree instructed Harvey.

  Harvey’s hands shook, but he did everything she said. When he was done, Jack turned back around.

  “I really am sorry, Harvey,” Bree whispered through clenched teeth. “You’ve always been on my side—and you were on Charlie’s side, too. He liked you, you know. Don’t make me have to kill you.”

  Harvey stared at the gun, speechless, while Bree waved it toward the bureau. “Move this dresser back in front of the hall door, and move the other one away from the side door. We’re going out the back way.” Harvey did as he was told.

  “Now go to my backpack. In the side pocket are cable ties. Take them out, stick them together, and put them around your wrists.” Harvey took out two cable ties, joined them together in a circle, and awkwardly tried to tighten them around his own wrists.

  “Use your teeth,” Bree said. If it weren’t for the gun in her hands and the steel in her voice, she might have been a schoolteacher trying to help a student.

  Harvey managed to pull the cable ties tight.

  “Don’t either of you make a sound, or the others will come and I’ll have to kill them all. Keep quiet, and only Leah has to die.”

  Jack turned to Harvey. “Do what she says.”

  “Get moving,” Bree ordered.

  Jack walked into the stairwell first, then Harvey, and Bree prodded them forward to a lone door next to the exit. It opened into the electrical room; a small cement room with a circuit panel on one wall, two metal cabinets against another, no windows, and a metal door. The perfect prison.

  With Harvey between Jack and Bree, there was no way to get the gun away from Bree without the risk of Harvey getting shot—and as big as he was, he’d be hard to miss.

  “Jack. Walk to the far wall and don’t turn around. You too, Harvey.”

  “Bree, please don’t—”

  Bree pressed the barrel of the gun against Harvey’s ear. Harvey looked like he was about to pass out, gulped in air, and took two unsteady steps forward. Bree stepped back and slammed the door closed, plunging them into darkness. As Jack’s eyes lost the struggle to see even the wall he was touching, he wasn’t sure if it felt more like a prison or a tomb.

  59

  Cliff-Hangers

  Harvey was panting and grunting, his breathing speeding up.

  “Harvey, listen to me.” Jack nudged the man with his shoulder. “Calm down.”

  “I am. I’m trying to get my flashlight. It’s in my jacket pocket.”

  “Turn your back to me,” Jack said.

  Harvey shifted around until Jack could reach back with his fingertips and grab the flashlight from Harvey’s pocket. Jack managed to turn it on, giving them enough light to see.

  “Harvey, those cable ties are easy to get out of.”

  Harvey struggled against the plastic ties and shook his head. “I’m not strong enough to break them.”

  “You don’t have to be strong. Just listen to me. You’re going to raise your hands above your head and then bring your arms down onto your hips.”

  “My belly’s in the way.”

  “You’ll hit your hips. Just keep your elbows out so you don’t elbow yourself in the gut. You have to do it fast and hard.”

  Harvey nodded.

  “Harvey. Look at me.” Jack waited until Harvey met his eyes. “Leah’s going to die. You’ve got to put everything you have into it.”

  Harvey’s expression changed. He planted his feet like an Olympic weightl
ifter readying himself to go for the gold. “Hard and fast,” he muttered. “Hard and fast.”

  Harvey raised his hands over his head and slammed his arms down. His battle cry turned into a shriek, but the plastic ties flew off his scraped wrists.

  “Now untie me.” Jack turned his back to Harvey.

  “I did it!” Harvey said.

  “Great. I saw. Untie me.”

  Harvey fumbled with the ropes for a minute. Jack pushed his hands together to give him slack, but Harvey still struggled.

  “Just undo the knot.”

  “I can’t.” Harvey plucked feebly at the rope.

  “Check the cabinets for something to cut the rope with.”

  Harvey dumped a box on the floor and found a utility knife.

  Pain raced up Jack’s arm as Harvey sliced his skin.

  “Sorry,” Harvey mumbled.

  “Cut the rope off, not my arm.”

  Harvey yanked the ropes off, and Jack rushed to the door. Not surprisingly, it was locked. Jack scanned the room for something to use on the door.

  “Safety laws require the lock to open from the inside,” Harvey whined.

  “That lock is twice as old as you,” Jack said as he began rummaging through the cabinets. “They didn’t have safety features then.”

  Harvey picked up a fire extinguisher. “Can we use this to bash the knob off?”

  “No, that only works in the movies.” Jack grabbed a wrench and a screwdriver. Using the wrench as a hammer and the screwdriver as a chisel of sorts, he went to work removing the hinge pins from the door. After ten minutes of pounding, he’d knocked all three pins free, and he and Harvey lowered the metal door to the floor.

  Jack raced back to Abe’s room. Vicky and Wally were standing just outside the door, which was wide open.

  “There you are,” Vicky said, exasperated. “What the hell is going on? Why is Abe all alone in here?”

  Jack ignored her questions. “Have you seen Leah and Bree?”

  “Bree called Leah on the walkie-talkie, and then Leah said she had to go and would be right back. She said it would be best if she went alone. I figured it was about Abe, that maybe he had… died. So when she didn’t come back after a few minutes, we came up here—and found the door wide open. What’s going on?”

  “Harvey, fill them in.” Jack grabbed Abe’s climbing belt, turned, and bolted.

  “Wait! She has a gun!” Harvey called after him. But Jack didn’t need to be reminded.

  The snowfall had stopped, and Bree’s and Leah’s footprints were easy to spot. But Jack didn’t need the trail to know where they were going.

  I want Leah to feel everything Charlie did. I want her to feel all the pain and fear he felt.

  Bree was taking Leah to Grandma’s Field. Where Charlie died. Bree had a gun. Jack had an ax. He had to find some way to even the odds.

  He stopped following the footsteps and took a different trail. He pushed ahead as fast as he could. Cornelius’s camp wasn’t very far out of the way, and he could use the old man’s help. As he stumbled down the slope, his lungs ached and his thighs were on fire. He hoped the hard going was slowing Bree down, too.

  When Cornelius’s tent came into view below, Jack had to force himself to slow so as not to tumble down the icy slope. His boots slipped on the rocks, and he had to use his climbing ax several times to keep himself from losing his footing altogether.

  “Cornelius!” Jack called out as he rushed to the tent. “It’s Jack! I need your help!”

  He ripped the flap open, and Cornelius shot back to the far side of the tent, his eyes wild and his shaking hands clutching his spear.

  “What’s the matter with your brain?” Cornelius yelled. “I just peed myself.”

  “I need your help.” Jack grabbed a water bottle and gulped some down. “Bree’s the killer.”

  Cornelius shook his head. “You sure? She’s cute as a button.”

  “Yes, I’m sure! She’s going to kill Leah in Grandma’s Field. I’m going to cut them off, but I need your help, and we have to move fast. You’ll have to climb.”

  Cornelius grabbed his gear. “You’ve seen me. I ain’t much on land, but climbing, I can soar like an eagle.”

  Grateful to be on board the helicopter, Alice peered out of the window as they lifted off from the ranger station. An EMT sat on either side of her, a policeman across from her. They hadn’t wanted to bring her along at first, but she convinced them she could help. She knew the layout of the mountain and the lodge, and the identity of everyone on set. Besides, once she found out they were going up there, she would have hung from the chopper’s skids if she’d had to.

  The copter lurched sideways, buffeted by the wind. The pilot lowered the nose and followed the gondola wires up the slope. The pilot turned his head and yelled something back. Alice only heard one word over the loud thump of the helicopter blades: wreckage.

  The pilot hovered over what looked like a crumpled tissue box. It took Alice’s mind a second to reconstruct the image. The mangled blue-and-white stripes straightened out, and she remembered Jack waving back at her as the gondola disappeared up the mountain.

  The gondola…

  They started moving again, and the pilot pointed straight ahead, toward the lodge. As they approached and hovered, ready to land, a woman with flaming red hair rushed out of the lodge, waving her arms.

  Jack was confident that despite his detour to Cornelius’s tent, he had gotten ahead of Bree and Leah, and he figured that Leah was probably slowing Bree down. He glanced back over his shoulder, praying his footprints weren’t visible here. The blizzard had swept the north face clean, and only a thick icy layer remained. This just might work.

  The path to Grandma’s Field ran right along the middle of a steep cliff face, about halfway up. It was little more than a narrow ledge, with the rocky cliff soaring up on his left and a hundred-foot drop on his right. A good spot for an ambush.

  When he reached a rocky outcropping that could work as a hiding place, he ducked behind it. Bree would be able to spot him before she was on top of him, and he had only the climbing ax to use as a weapon, but if Cornelius could provide a distraction at just the right moment…

  It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was all he had. He pictured Alice and tried to drive what she’d think about his idea out of his head.

  Did Cornelius get into place yet?

  He crouched low and waited. His breath came in shallow puffs, but his mouth was bone dry. He grabbed a handful of snow and let it melt in his parched mouth. It tasted good, and his head cleared.

  He heard footsteps and cautiously peered out. Leah was still about twenty feet away, and Bree walked ten feet behind her with the gun pointed at Leah’s back.

  Not yet. Wait till they’re a little closer…

  “Hey, Bree!” Cornelius shouted from above.

  Jack swore under his breath. It was too early.

  Bree and Leah both turned their backs to Jack and peered up the cliff at Cornelius, dressed in Jack’s Planet Survival crew jacket.

  “Stop!” Cornelius yelled, lowering his voice and doing his best to sound like Jack.

  Jack kept low and crept along the path toward the two women, quiet and fast, sticking close to the rocks.

  “You don’t understand!” Bree shouted back. She squinted upward. “Cornelius? Is that you?”

  I’m out of time.

  He broke into a sprint. Hearing the crunch of his boots on the ice, Bree turned, and Jack’s long legs covered the remaining distance in five strides. Leah broke off to the side and clung to the cliff face as he lunged at Bree.

  She fired her gun and its echo rolled across the rocks.

  Jack’s shoulder caught Bree just below her sternum, and her breath exploded out of her lungs. He wrapped his arms around her thighs and yanked her legs out from under her. Momentum carried them across the narrow path. Bree groaned as she landed hard on her back with Jack on top of her. The gun skittered across the rocks and disappear
ed over the edge.

  “No! No!” Bree shrieked. She arched her back and struggled to shove Jack off, but he wouldn’t budge. “No!”

  Bree’s screams echoed and then merged into a rumble that turned into a roar. Jack cocked his head to the side, praying it wasn’t what he feared. He looked down at Bree and saw joy in her eyes as the mountain began to shake with thousands of pounds of moving snow and the deafening thunder became unmistakable.

  Avalanche!

  Jack yanked Bree to her feet.

  Cornelius bellowed down from the top of the cliff, “It’s headin’ right at ya!” He pointed at the space between them, where the snow on the cliff seemed to be shifting like a living thing, a monster devouring everything in its path.

  “Go!” Jack grabbed Leah’s shoulder and pushed her forward, casting a glance over his shoulder. Bree wasn’t moving. She stood on the path with her eyes closed and her arms out—waiting for the avalanche to take her.

  “No, Jack!” Cornelius called out, but Jack was already running back. Though he’d never felt the pull of self-survival as strongly as he did at this moment, and a thousand reasons not to rush back into an avalanche flashed through his mind, he shoved them aside as he raced to rescue Bree.

  What sounded like a freight train was getting louder, and the ground began to shake.

  Bree opened her eyes and bolted away from him, but he grabbed her arm and yanked her into him.

  “Let me die!” she sobbed.

  “You won’t make it!” Cornelius cried.

  Jack pulled Bree back with him against the rock face. He tore the rope off her climbing belt and used carabiners to attach it to both her belt and his. Snow was now washing down like a waterfall on top of them both. Jack grabbed a cam, wedged it into the rock, and tethered himself to it. He pressed himself and the squirming Bree as tightly against the rock as he could. The deafening roar of the avalanche drowned out all other sound, a boulder smashed on the path to their left, and Jack’s world disappeared in a sea of white.