return later? She would assume, but maybe it involved a tour of the area before taking to the slopes. How long were the tours? A day? Half a day?
Rae turned off the vehicle and composed herself. This one conversation could mean everything, and Rae needed to be calm, collected, and confident before she came face-to-face with Mrs. Davidson. She had to remember to use Zoey’s real name—Tawny—with Mrs. Davidson, though Rae could only think of her as Zoey.
Shouldering her bag holding her tablet, paper, pen, and cell, she left the vehicle and hiked across the plowed parking lot, maneuvering around a few expensive-model cars. She should expect heli-skiing was a sport for the well-to-do sorts. Or thrill seekers, at the very least, who spent every last dime on extreme sports. Was heli-skiing an extreme sport? She would have to find out. She could use the information in the travel article she hoped would land her that job when this was over. Pushing through the doors of Mountain Valley Adventures, Rae found a reception counter.
A young woman wearing a beautiful cream sweater stood behind the counter and smiled. “Welcome to Mountain Valley Adventures. How can I help you?”
Her name tag read “Kelly.”
“Hi, Kelly. My name is Rae Burke. I’m here to see Samara Davidson.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“I’m here to talk to her about a private matter.”
The statement didn’t move Kelly.
Rae lowered her voice. “It’s about her daughter.”
Kelly’s eyes widened slightly. Was her reaction simply from surprise, or did she know that Tawny, aka Zoey, was missing? She must know. Surely the police had figured out Zoey Dumont was Tawny Davidson. They would have beaten Rae here, wouldn’t they have?
“One second.” Kelly left her post and headed down a hallway. Rae was surprised that someone who ran a heli-skiing business would be locked in an office, but then again, business owners often got stuck with the daily grind that had nothing at all to do with the fun or the very reason they got into the business to begin with.
“Sam, someone’s here about Tawny.” Kelly kept her voice low, but it still echoed enough for Rae to hear.
She emerged from the hallway and smiled again. “She’ll see you now.”
At the entrance to Samara Davidson’s office, Kelly pushed the door open wide and gestured for Rae to enter.
A woman stood with her back to Rae, arms crossed, in front of a striking window view of the mountains.
Tension rolled off the woman and slammed into Rae. She was definitely intruding. Shoving past the awkward moment, Rae fully entered the office and waited for Kelly to shut the door behind her. Zoey’s mother didn’t turn to greet her. Rae would give Mrs. Davidson time to compose herself.
Seconds ticked by. Had she forgotten someone was in her office?
Finally, Rae spoke up. “Mrs. Davidson, my name is Rae Burke. I’m sorry for my intrusion. I’m here . . . I’m trying to find Zoey . . . um . . . your daughter, Tawny.”
This was all kinds of awkward—Zoey and her mother had been estranged, or so Zoey had told her. Did Mrs. Davidson even know Zoey had married? Did she know she had a grandchild? Rae was wholly unprepared for this exchange.
Zoey’s mother turned to face Rae with red-rimmed eyes. “The police were already here to inform me she was missing and to ask their questions. Who are you, exactly? Another detective?”
“No. I’m . . .”—Steady your voice—“I’m Tawny’s sister-in-law. I was her roommate in college.”
Mrs. Davidson stared at her with her unusual blue eyes—contacts, for certain. Rae wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but now that she’d met Zoey’s mother, it all made sense. This woman ran a business for the well-to-do and managed heli-skiing backcountry guides, mostly people with medical emergency certifications and a long list of skills and education in everything about snow science—glaciology, avalanche forecasting, and explosives. They were thrill seekers. Tough. Rugged.
This woman supervised that crew.
She was tall and regal like a castle, striking like her daughter. And somehow she managed to make the backcountry ski garb she wore seem elegant and like she was ready to take to the slopes all at the same time. A chill crawled over Rae as she had a sudden vision of Zoey standing in front of her—twenty or so years into the future.
Mrs. Davidson crossed her arms. “And?”
Oh boy. She wasn’t going to make this easy. “Mind if I sit down?”
“Go ahead.”
Rae had hoped sitting would allow the tension to ease from her body,