Page 18 of K-9 Prime Target

“I spoke with a deputy last night,” she said. “He didn’t seem to take the threat very seriously.”

Doug spread his hands, almost in a gesture of pleading. “We can’t pull back on the publicity campaign now. I can promise we’ll provide as much security as we can while you’re on resort property. But we can’t do anything to protect you when you’re away from the resort. You really need to work with law enforcement to apprehend this person.”

“If you had been upfront about your past with a stalker when we first interviewed you, we might not even have hired you,” Marlena said. “I’m seriously considering the wisdom of having you here at all.”

“You’d hold the actions of a person who previously tried to harm Nina against her?” Liam snapped. “Try dismissing her now and I’ll make sure every media contact I know hears about it.”

“How dare you!” Marlena stabbed a finger at him. “You’re fired!”

Doug raised his hands. “Calm down, everyone. No one is going to be fired and no one is going to the press.” He sent Liam a hard look. He picked up his phone. “I’m going to call the sheriff right now, and we’re going to come up with a plan to deal with this.”

Marlena, standing now, returned to staring out the window. Snow had begun to fall—fat, fluffy flakes drifting down against still-blue skies. The idyllic scene belied the turmoil inside the office. “Sheriff Howard? It’s Doug Elam. I believe one of your deputies responded to a call yesterday about a note left on Nina Rose’s door.” Pause. “That’s right. Nina believes the note was from a man who previously stalked her and attacked her…that’s right, in New York… I agree, the note doesn’t sound like much, but there was a second one, this morning, left on her mailbox… Yes, it was similar in tone. Not threatening, but it’s attention Ms. Rose doesn’t want. She finds the fact that this person has come onto her property uninvited threatening.” Doug glanced at Nina, who stared back. “Ms. Rose is a very valuable employee, and we don’t want to see her harmed. I’d appreciate it if you would do what you can to track down whoever is leaving these notes and persuade them to move on… Thank you, Sheriff. I appreciate it.”

He hung up the phone and returned his attention to Nina. “He’s going to look into it. I assume you gave the deputy a description of your previous stalker?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m sure the sheriff and his deputies will find the man and send him packing. You shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

She continued to glare at him. Doug stood. “If you receive any more notes or phone calls or you see the man, contact the sheriff right away.”

Marlena moved away from the window. “No more talk of ending the publicity campaign.” She turned to Liam. “When can we see some of the footage you’ve shot?”

“I should have everything for you in a couple of days,” he said.

“Good. Then Nina can go back to ski patrol and we can all get on with our jobs.” She moved past them, out the door. Doug followed behind her.

The door shut and silence closed around them. “What do you want to do now?” Liam asked Nina.

“I’m not holding out hope that the sheriff is going to do much,” she said. Sky came and rested her head on Nina’s knee, and she rubbed the dog’s ears. “Which means it’s up to me to try to stop this guy. I have an advantage over last time. I know who he is and what he looks like, and a little about how he thinks. And the other ski patrollers will help.”

“I can help, too,” he said. “I’m another set of eyes and ears, and I know how to handle myself in a fight.”

She almost smiled, though her eyes reflected no mirth. “I’m counting on it,” she said.

Nina told herself that getting out and circulating on the resort was the best way to draw out Nicholson. At least, this was how he had operated before—showing up to watch every race. At first she had viewed him as just another ardent fan—the kind who cheered her on and made signs with her name and sometimes gave her small gifts like stuffed animals or homemade cookies. Like the sheriff and Doug and Marlena, she had viewed his notes as innocent at first, until he began showing up outside her hotel room or behind the scenes at race events. His insistence on calling her darling left a sour taste in her mouth that turned to fear the first time he cornered her in a dark hallway and refused to let her pass. “I’m so glad I finally got you alone,” he said. He took her arm, and she shook him off and ran. After that, she made sure to keep someone with her at all times. When he couldn’t get close to her, he glared at her, clearly angry at her rejection.

Even then, she hadn’t seen the threat. Until it was too late.

But she couldn’t run away from him this time. Not if she wanted any kind of life. “Let’s finish shooting the video and still footage you need,” she said to Liam as they rode the elevator down from Doug’s office.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

“Yes. Getting out there on the slopes is the best way to burn off some of this nervous energy.”

She stopped at patrol headquarters to kennel Sky, while Angel took up her post in Liam’s backpack. “Marlena mentioned she’d like some shots of you interacting with the ski school kids,” he said as they rode up the lift. “She said she’d make sure all the parents signed photo releases.”

“Good idea.” She scanned the runs below, then pointed. “There’s a group over there.”

They exited the lift at the top and headed toward the group of children in bright parkas and helmets who trailed behind a lanky instructor. “Hey, Nina,” the young man said when she and Liam joined the group.

“Hello, Arlen. Can we take some photos with the kids?”

Arlen—a tall, thin man in his early twenties with a long face and prominent nose—surveyed the group of eight-to ten-year-old boys and girls. “What do you think, kids? Want to take a break and hang out with Miss Nina and her friend? Get your picture taken?”

“Yeah!” a little girl shouted. The others joined in.

Liam moved closer to the instructor. “Do they all have signed photo releases?”