Page 7 of Silent Road

"What kind of student was he?"

"Skilled.Maybe too skilled for his own good sometimes.He liked pushing boundaries, trying tricks above his level."

"Was he alone yesterday?"

Rachel frowned."I saw him in the morning, shooting photos with some fancy camera setup.But I had classes all day.I didn't see him after that."

"Photos?"Tommy asked, looking up from his notes.

"He was always taking pictures," Rachel said."Posted them online all the time.Said he was building his brand or something."

Sheila and Tommy exchanged a look."We'll need access to the resort's security footage," she said."And a list of everyone who was on the mountain yesterday."

"Michael—Mr.Wright—is pulling that together now," Rachel said.Her voice cracked slightly."Sheriff?The way he was posed...it was perfect form.Exactly the position we teach in advanced clinics.Whoever did this...they knew what they were doing."

Sheila studied the ski instructor carefully."What makes you say that?"

"Because it's not just about the position.It's about balance, weight distribution, the angle of the body relative to the slope."Rachel hugged herself."You couldn't just stumble into that pose.You'd have to understand skiing.Really understand it."

Tommy shifted by the door, and Sheila could practically see him adding 'experienced skier' to his mental profile of their suspect.She made a mental note to remind him later not to jump to conclusions too quickly.

She turned her attention back to Rachel."We'll need you to come to the station later to make a formal statement," she said."For now, is there someone who can drive you home?"

Rachel nodded."Michael already called my roommate."

As they left the patrol shack, Tommy fell into step beside Sheila."Should we put out a bulletin for anyone who purchased a lift ticket yesterday?"

"Not yet," Sheila said."First we need to figure out how our killer got up here after hours.Wright said he'd have employee records ready.Let's start there."

She tried not to notice how Tommy's face lit up at being included in her plans, or how his enthusiasm reminded her of herself at that age.Still, his enthusiasm was infectious.

"Wait," Tommy said as they walked."Something's been bothering me about the body.How did the killer keep it upright while it froze?Greenwald's in a carving position—that's not a naturally stable pose."

Sheila nodded, glad he'd picked up on this detail."Exactly.What's your theory?"

Tommy thought for a moment."They'd need some kind of support system.Maybe ski poles?"

"Look at the snow around the body again," Sheila said."What do you see?"

They turned back toward the crime scene.From their new vantage point, subtle patterns emerged in the smoothed snow—small, regular depressions forming a rough semicircle around Greenwald's frozen form.

"Stakes," Tommy said suddenly."They used stakes or poles to hold him in position until he froze solid."

"And then?"

"And then removed them, filled in the holes, smoothed everything out."He frowned."That would take time.Hours, maybe."

"Which means our killer was confident they wouldn't be interrupted," Sheila said."Wright mentioned they do security sweeps, but clearly there are gaps in their coverage."

"Or the killer knew the schedule," Tommy suggested.

Sheila gave him an approving look."Now you're thinking like a detective."

His face reddened at the praise.

As they walked to join Michael, Tommy pulled out his phone, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen.

"Sheriff," he said suddenly."I think I found something."

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