Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 3) by Kristina Stanley Page A

news from Oliver about the weather, seeing Ben look miserable, speaking with Jessica and having Kalin almost reprimand him, Turner stared at his office phone, dreading the call he was about to make.
    Phoning Roy McCann’s mother and saying her son was missing was one thing. Telling her the rescue team had shut down the search, that her son was probably dead, was another matter entirely. He could have asked Kalin to tell her mother, but he wouldn’t shirk responsibility.
    He’d been caught off guard by Kalin and forgotten to talk to Jessica about the lost key. That discussion would have to wait. And Kalin. What the hell was he going to do about her?
    He knew how his wife would react to the upcoming call, and it would be horrific. Crystal took the slightest negative comment a doctor made about their son as a personal attack. He couldn’t count the hours he’d spent consoling her after a difficult discussion with one of Warren’s doctors. Warren’s condition hurt him, too, but Crystal’s needs came first, and the emotional demands exhausted him.
    Turner completed a few unrelated calls, asked his assistant if anything needed his attention, and when he couldn’t procrastinate any further, he picked up the phone. Still, he sat, contemplating the words he would use.
    Constable Miller hadn’t stated it outright, but Turner thought the police suspected Roy of stealing the finance center money. Once the weather cleared, Turner would order the team to resume the search. They might find the missing money or at least Roy’s body, but he would tell Mrs. McCann none of this.
    He took a deep breath and dialed. “This is Paul Turner calling from Stone Mountain.”
    “We’ve been waiting for your call. You’ve found him. I knew he would be okay.”
    Even though he couldn’t see her face, he could hear the desperation in her voice. “I’m sorry. We haven’t found him.”
    “Then why are you calling?”
    Turner clutched the edges of his cell, stretching the skin over his knuckles, making the bones protrude. “I need to inform you I called off the search this morning. There is a treacherous storm, and it’s too dangerous for the rescue team to be out in the current weather. The risk of another avalanche is high.”
    “You still don’t know the avalanche buried Roy. What does Kalin say?”
    “I’ll talk with her.”
    “You didn’t include her in the decision?”
    “She’s not part of the search and rescue team.”
    “What about Ben?”
    “Ben and his boss made the recommendation. I agreed with the assessment.”
    “I don’t believe you. Ben wouldn’t do that. Roy is still alive.”
    “The temperature has been well below zero since the avalanche, and two and a half days is a long time to be out there.”
    “I don’t care what the weather is. Roy’s strong. He cycles, he kayaks, he skis. He’s in good shape. He’ll have set himself up on the mountain. Made a snow cave to protect himself. You can’t call off the search. Roy is still alive. He’s waiting for you.”
    “I’m very sorry. Once the weather improves, I’ll instruct the team to resume the search, but I think you need to prepare yourself for the worst.”
    “You don’t know Roy.”
    “I am sorry, Mrs. McCann. There is nothing more we can do right now. This is a tragedy, but I need to stress that Roy entered a closed area. The signage was explicit, and the run was roped off. I can’t put the rescue team in any more danger. I will call you when I have any further information, and please call me if you want to talk or check on the status. I’m here to help you.”
    “I don’t need your help. My son does.”
    Oh hell, what else was he supposed to do? Roy was almost certainly dead, and he needed to focus on the theft. The stolen money would lower his bonus, and he could not afford the loss of income. He had his son to care for.
    The bills grew monthly. Every time they drove to Calgary for treatment, the extra costs for hotels, food and gas were