Page 15 of K-9 Prime Target

“The filming wasn’t bad.” She dropped into a plastic patio chair against one wall. “The videographer, Liam, is an old friend of mine. Working with him is easy. But there’s something else going on.”

“Oh?” Connor raised one eyebrow in question.

She looked down at her hands, knotted in her lap. “I think I have a stalker,” she said.

Connor sat up straighter. “Somebody’s harassing you?”

“They’ve left a couple of notes. Nothing expressly threatening, but still creepy.”

“So, is this like a fan? Or an ex or something?”

“I think it’s someone who did this before. He ended up going to jail, but only for a matter of months. He’s out now and I think he’s back here, though I haven’t seen him. But these notes are just like the ones I received before.”

Connor grabbed a legal pad and a pen. “Tell me about this guy. I’ll let everyone on the team know to keep an eye out for him.”

“He’s very ordinary looking. White, in his late thirties, five-nine and maybe 160 pounds. Thinning brown hair when I saw him last, and clean-shaven, but that could have changed. He’s not the sort of person anyone ever notices. In a helmet and goggles he’d be really hard to differentiate from hundreds of other skiers. Nothing about him stands out.”

“Have you notified the sheriff?” Connor asked.

“I had a deputy at my house last night.” She told him about the unsatisfactory encounter. “I’m going to talk to Doug this morning. Maybe he can put pressure on the sheriff’s office.”

The door opened, and patrollers Anders Iverson, Raz Rasmussen and Chase Sergeant filed in. Anders’s dog, Thunder, a black Lab, joined Farley and Sky in roughhousing in the middle of the floor. “All right, you three, that’s enough,” Anders, a tall blond with a faint Norwegian accent, ordered. “Get in your kennels.”

Nina stood and helped usher the dogs into their kennels, then Anders began dishing out breakfast for all the canines. A pet food company donated the high-protein formula for active dogs, helping to offset the expense of running the avalanche dog program.

Nina returned to her chair. Livi “Raz” Rasmussen settled beside her. A tall redhead with a riot of short curls and a dusting of freckles across her pug nose, Raz had been with SkyCrest Ski Patrol longer than anyone other than Connor. “How’s life as a movie star?” Raz asked.

“I’d rather be back on patrol,” Nina said. “We should be done shooting in a couple of days.”

“I wouldn’t want to spend my day in front of a camera.” Raz ran a hand through her curls. “Not that anyone’s asking.”

“It’s definitely not that glamorous,” Nina said. Especially if you considered “fans” like Aaron Nicholson.

The rest of the patrol crew began to file in. None of them questioned why Nina was there. Renee Castro, petite with dark curly hair, was the last patroller to arrive, and Liam stepped in just after her, Angel peeking over his shoulder from the pack on his back.

Liam took a position by the door, arms folded across his chest. Connor nodded at him, then began the meeting. Nina let the familiar instructions and updates wash over her. This was the world where she was comfortable and safe. She was part of a team where no one was out to harm her.

“Just one more thing,” Connor said, and set aside his clipboard to focus his attention on the men and women gathered around him. “While you’re patrolling today, keep an eye out for anyone who’s paying too much attention to Nina.”

“There’s this photographer who’s following her around,” Raz said, and grinned at Liam.

Some of them laughed, but Connor’s expression remained sober. “I’m serious. There’s a guy who’s been harassing her. A stalker. If you see anyone watching her while trying not to make it obvious, or anyone following her around the resort, report it and we’ll get security or law enforcement in to deal with them.”

The others exchanged looks, then stared at Nina. She shifted in her chair but kept her head up. Raz leaned toward her. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I am,” she said. “But I want to put a stop to this before it goes too far.”

“We’re on it,” Brian said, and the others murmured agreement.

“That’s all I’ve got for you this morning,” Connor said. “Let’s get to work.”

Liam waited with Nina until the others had left, then he followed her out the door. “You told Connor about what’s going on,” he said. “That’s good.”

“I had to tell him,” she said. “There was another note taped to my mailbox this morning, and I was still pretty upset when I got here.”

“Your mailbox? I didn’t see anything like that when I pulled in last night.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t there last night. Which means Nicholson came back after you and the deputy left.”