Page 44 of Silent Road

Before Sheila could respond, commotion erupted in the hallway.Raised voices, hurried footsteps.

The door burst open.Officer Martinez stood there, slightly out of breath."Sheriff?Sorry to interrupt, but there's someone here about a skier who was at Mountain Peak Resort this morning.Says he missed a morning meeting and isn't answering his phone."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Megan Wright, Mountain Peak Resort's Head of Marketing, had clearly come straight from a meeting.Her blazer was impeccably pressed, her makeup perfect, but her hands shook as she pulled up Mark's Instagram profile on her phone.

"He never misses executive meetings," she said, pacing the small conference room."And he always, always answers his texts.We had the winter campaign to discuss this morning—new promotional videos, content calendar planning.Mark's our biggest asset right now.He wouldn't just..."

She stopped pacing abruptly and pressed her fingers to her temples."God, I sound like I'm worried about marketing when he could be..."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Tommy said gently."Walk us through this morning."

Megan sank into a chair."Mark goes out early to film.He likes the morning light, and there are fewer people on the slopes.He was supposed to meet me at nine to review footage and plan the next series of promotional posts."She glanced at her watch—almost noon now."When he didn't show, I tried calling.Straight to voicemail.I checked with patrol, with the lift operators, with everyone.Nobody's seen him since first light."

"Could he have gone off-trail?"Tommy suggested."Found some new location to film?"

"It's possible, but—" She stopped abruptly, as if struck by a new idea.

"What is it?"Sheila asked.

Megan's fingers flew across her phone screen."He was livestreaming.He always tells his followers exactly where he'll be filming.It's part of his brand—total transparency, bringing people along for the ride.I don't know why I didn't think to check before."

She held up her phone so they could watch alongside her.The video showed Mark Davidson adjusting the camera angle, his breath fogging in the cold mountain air.Despite the early hour, his energy was infectious as he spoke to his virtual audience.

"Morning, snow fam!Got some sick tricks planned for you today.We're up at Lower Cascade, gonna hit that sweet jump series I showed you yesterday.Perfect lighting, fresh powder, let's go!"

The camera flipped to show the slope ahead as Mark glided into position.Sheila recognized the terrain—intermediate run, popular with freestyle skiers for its natural features.The first few tricks were flawless, Mark's running commentary punctuated by the soft schuss of skis on snow.

Then, halfway through a rotation, something changed.A shadow fell across the screen—too fast, too solid to be a cloud.Mark's voice cut off mid-sentence.The phone tumbled, snow and sky spinning wildly before the screen went white, muffled by powder.

A shout, distant but distinct.

Then nothing.

"My God," Megan whispered, covering her mouth.

"Can you replay that?"Sheila leaned closer."From just before the shadow."

Megan rewound.This time, Sheila caught it—the distinct silhouette of another person, cast stark against the morning snow.Not a fellow skier's smooth approach, but a sudden presence, an interrupted arc of motion like someone lunging.

The livestream went on a little longer before ending.Dead battery, perhaps.Or perhaps the cold had affected it.

Tommy was already pulling up a trail map on his tablet."Lower Cascade's a big area.Multiple access points, connection trails, tree runs..."

"And a three-hour head start," Sheila added grimly.

Megan hugged herself, looking small, almost childlike."You don't think...with everything that's been happening..."

"We're not thinking anything yet," Sheila said firmly.But her mind was already racing through the possibilities, the similarities.Another young influencer targeted.

"We need to get up there," Tommy said."But where do we even start?That whole section of the mountain..."

"I know someone who might be able to help."Sheila was already heading for the door."Someone who knows every inch of that terrain."

She just hoped Diana Pierce hadn't left the resort yet.

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