Tahoe Avalanche by Todd Borg

Author:Todd Borg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, detective, tahoe, owen mckenna
Publisher: Todd Borg

THIRTY-EIGHT

Diamond got into his cruiser and got on the radio to make a report.

I turned to the drag queen who was still waiting, shivering, next to Spot. I was still hot from shoveling. So I took off my jacket and gave it to her.

“Here, put it on,” I said. “Let’s get in the Jeep and get you warmed up.”

She pulled on the jacket and got in the passenger seat while I let Spot in back. She shivered. I was sweating. I started the engine and turned the heater on high. I directed the vents toward her and rolled down the window on my side.

“I’m Owen McKenna,” I said.

“So very pleased to meet you.” We shook hands. “I’m Terrance Burns.”

“How well do you know Paul?” I said.

“I was just one of the girls to him. He knows lots of girls.”

“But you said you swung a hammer for him. Did the other girls swing hammers for him?”

“No. So I guess I wasn’t exactly like one of the girls. But he thought of me as a she, not a he.”

“How long did you work for him?”

“Let me guess. You’re a cop?”

“Ex-cop. Private investigator, now.”

“Paul do something wrong?”

“Not that I know of. How long did you work for him?” I asked again.

“About six months, two summers ago. He mostly uses subcontractors, but he was in a jam on a remodeling job. The framing sub was overbooked, and Paul had to do it himself. But he couldn’t get it done on time without help. I used to work for a framing contractor down in Southern Cal, so Paul hired me. But now I’m a banker. I’m actually using my college degree from USC.”

“How long have you known Paul?”

“We met the summer before I worked for him. So three years, I guess. The girls and I had a volleyball thing going at the beach every Sunday that summer. Paul and some of his guy friends used to watch. I was the spike king because, well, you know why. Anyway, they would cheer me on when I would spike the ball. But the girls all agreed that every point won on my spike was only worth a third of a point. It was complicated. So Paul and his buddies would keep track of the thirds. They’d always yell out the score, calling my team The Terrance Girls and the other team The All Girls.”

“Did you ever meet any of his ski buddies?”

“No. That was his winter side. Me and the girls were his summer side. The two parts of him were completely different. He hung with different people in the winter. His personality was like that, too. He’d be all dark one day and sunny and cheery the next. I’d make up names for him that were light and dark. I’d say, ‘Hey, coffee and cream, hand me that nail gun.’”

“You’ve probably heard about the avalanches where people died,” I said.

Terrance nodded, her face serious.

“Did you know any of the victims or hear Paul ever mention them?”

“What were their names again?”

“March Carrera, Lori Simon and Astor Domino.

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