Chapter One

      Snow hid a lot of things, Colorado State Patrol Trooper Ryder Stewart mused as he watched the wrecker back up to the white, box-shaped clump near the top of Dixon Pass. Christy O’Brien, a sturdy blonde with chin-length hair beneath a bright red knit beanie, stopped the wrecker a few inches from the snow clump, climbed out and brushed at the flakes with a gloved hand, revealing the bumper of a brown delivery truck. She knelt and hooked chains underneath the truck, then gave Ryder a thumbs-up. “Ready to go.”

      Ryder glanced behind him at the barrier he’d set up over the highway, and the Road Closed sign just beyond it. Ahead of Ryder, a cascade of snow flowed over the pavement, part of the avalanche that had trapped the truck. “You’re clear,” he said.

      Slowly, Christy eased the wrecker forward. With a sound like two pieces of foam rubbing together, the delivery truck emerged from its icy cocoon. When the truck was fully on the pavement, the wrecker stopped. The door to the delivery truck slid open, clumps of snow hitting the pavement with a muffled floof. “Took you long enough!” Alton Reed grinned as he said the words and brushed snow from the shoulders of his brown jacket.

      “How many times is this, Alton?” Ryder asked, looking the driver up and down.

      “First one this year—fourth overall.” Alton surveyed the truck. “Got buried pretty deep this time. I’m thinking it’s going to be a bad year for avalanches.”

      “The weather guessers say it’s going to be a bad snow year.” Ryder studied the pewter sky, heavy clouds like dirty cotton sitting low on the horizon. “This is the second time this week we’ve had to close the highway. Might not open again for a few days if the weather keeps up.”

      “You people ought to be used to it,” Alton said. “It happens often enough. Though I can’t say I’d care for being cut off from the rest of the world that way.”

      “Only four days last winter,” Ryder said.

      “And what—three weeks the year before that?”

      “Three years ago, but yeah.” Ryder shrugged. “The price we pay for living in paradise.” That was how most people who lived there thought of Eagle Mountain, anyway—a small town in a gorgeous setting that outsiders flocked to every summer and fall. The fact that there was only one way in and out of the town, and that way was sometimes blocked by avalanches in the winter, only added to the appeal for some.

      “Guess I’ll have to find a place in town to stay until the weather clears,” Alton said, eyeing the cascade of snow that spilled across the highway in front of them.

      “You ever think of asking for a different route?” Ryder asked. “One that isn’t so avalanche prone?”

      “Nah.” Alton climbed back into his van. “After the first scare, it’s kind of an adrenaline rush, once you realize you’re going to be okay. And this route includes hazard pay—a nice bonus.”

      Ryder waved goodbye as Alton turned his truck and steered around the barriers, headed toward town. He and the other commuting workers, delivery drivers and tourists trapped by the storm would find refuge at the local motel and B&Bs. Ryder shifted his attention to Christy, who was fiddling with the chains on her wrecker. “Thanks, Christy,” he said. “Maybe I won’t have to call you out anymore today.”

      “Don’t you want me to pull out the other vehicle?” she asked.

      The words gave him a jolt. “Other vehicle?” He turned to stare at the snowbank, and was stunned to see a glint of red, like the shine of a taillight. The vehicle it belonged to must have been right up against the rock face. Alton hadn’t mentioned it, so he must not have known it was there, either. “Yeah, you’d better pull it out, too,” he said. “Do you need any help?”

      “No, I’ve got it.”

      He shoved his hands in the pockets of his fleece-lined, leather patrolman’s jacket and blew out a cloud of breath as he waited for Christy to secure the vehicle. When she’d brushed away some of the snow, he could make out a small sedan with Colorado plates.

      Wedged farther back under the packed snow, the car took longer to extricate, but it was lighter than the delivery van, and Christy’s wrecker had tire chains and a powerful engine. She dragged the vehicle, the top dented in from the weight of the snow, onto the pavement.

      Snow fell away from the car, revealing a slumped form inside. Ryder raced to the vehicle and tried the door. It opened when he pulled hard, and he leaned in to take a look, then groped for the radio on his shoulder. “I need an ambulance up at the top of Dixon Pass,” he said. “And call the medical examiner.”

      Even before he reached out to feel for the woman’s pulse, he knew she wouldn’t be needing that ambulance. The young, brown-haired woman was as cold as the snow that surrounded them, her hands and feet bound with silver duct tape, her throat slit all the way across.

      He leaned back out of the car and tilted his head up into the cold, welcoming the feel of icy flakes on his cheeks. Yeah, the snow hid a lot of things, not all of them good.

      * * *

      DARCY MARSH RAN her fingers through the silky fur of the squirming Labrador puppy, and grinned as a soft pink tongue swiped at her cheek. For all the frustrations that were part of being a veterinarian, visits like this were one of the perks. “I’d say Admiral is a fine, healthy pup,” she told the beaming couple in front of her. High school teacher Maya Renfro and Sheriff’s Deputy Gage Walker returned the smile. “We’ll keep an eye on that little umbilical hernia, but I don’t expect it will cause any problems.”

      “Can Casey hold him now?” Maya asked, smiling at her young niece, Casey, who was deaf. The little girl’s busily signing fingers conveyed her eagerness to cuddle her puppy.

      “Yes, I think he’s ready to come down.” Darcy handed over the pup, and Casey cradled him carefully.

      “You’ll need to bring him back in a month for his second set of puppy vaccinations,” Darcy said as she washed her hands at the exam room sink. “If you have any concerns before then, don’t hesitate to give us a call.”

      “Thanks, Doc,” Gage said. The family followed Darcy to the front of the office. “Are you all by yourself today?”

      “It’s Dr. Farrow’s day off,” Darcy said. “And I let Stacy go early, since you’re my last client for today.”

      “Not quite the last,” Maya said. She nodded toward the open waiting room door. An auburn-haired man in the blue shirt and tan slacks of a Colorado State Patrolman stood at their approach.

      “Ryder, what are you doing here?” Gage asked, stepping forward to shake hands with the trooper.

      “I just needed to talk to the vet for a minute,” the officer, Ryder, said. He looked past Gage. “Hello, Maya, Casey. That’s a good-looking pup you have there.”

      “His name is Admiral,” Maya said as Casey walked forward with the now squirming dog.