downpour huddling under the trees. When things eased up, we looked for the others."
"How long before you found them?" Clauson asked.
"About half an hour. We found the kids and started wondering if Ray had been caught at the top. We were almost to the top, coming from the other side of the mountain, when I saw a clump of people down a slope of loose rocks. I called to Mrs. de Beers and the kids to stay put and I climbed down to see what was happening."
"So you never made it to the summit," Clauson said.
"No," Mrs. de Beers said. "Nobody made it to the top except Ray. We were evacuated—me, Ray, and Ms. Reilly and Mr. Hallowell. You met us at Boulder Hospital. You know the rest."
"The kids and I came down in a second helicopter," Tarrant said. "I didn’t realize I would be billed for the rescue. Anything we can do about that?"
"You can pay it in installments." Clauson took the non sequitur in stride.
"But it’s a fortune!"
"Leo, don’t worry about it," said Sarah. "I’ll take care of it. You shouldn’t have to pay. This was our fault. "
"It wasn’t our fault!" Molly said. "It was meant to be or it never would have happened." Sarah patted her on the arm, but Molly moved away, as if the touch stung. The experience had been traumatic for Molly, Nina thought. But she didn’t seem grief-stricken, either, just nervous and moody. People handled such things so differently.
"Any of you see anybody else on the mountain near the summit?"
"We saw hikers at the lower elevations," Nina said. "Nobody else near the top. I guess they had more sense.
"We didn’t see anybody else," Jason said. "Molly and I stuck together. We were trying to get up the other side, but I doubt if we got within two or three hundred feet of the summit before the storm broke."
"Okay," Clauson said. "I’m going to use the discretion vested in me to certify this case as an accidental death due to a direct lightning strike. Statements you made today will be kept on file in case you get any hassles from insurance companies, ma’am. Many policies pay double if the death is accidental. Your husband have that kind of insurance?"
"I haven’t looked into that," Sarah de Beers said.
"I’ll expect a call from a claims adjuster, then. The deceased is hereby released into your custody. You picked a funeral home?"
"Chapel of Memories. Mr. Mooney."
"Nice fella," Clauson said. "Anything else?" He got up briskly, gathering his papers, his mind apparently already moving on to other matters, this one being such a no-brainer. "Okay, meeting’s adjourned."
Out in the parking lot, Jason and Molly took off in a copper-colored, sparkle-painted Jeep, looking like movie stars in their sunglasses. Sarah de Beers and Leo Tarrant climbed into a cherry-red Nissan Pathfinder, with Tarrant driving.
By the time Nina caught up with Collier he was unlocking his own car, a nondescript beige model. "Will you just wait a minute?" she said. "I need to talk to you."
"Sorry. I need to get back to the office." He opened the door and got in, but at least he didn’t slam it in her face.
"Are you embarrassed that you had a bad moment up there on the mountain in front of me? Is that it? Because I hope you know me better than that," Nina said. "Jesus, Collier, you were suffering from exposure, exhaustion. You’d been blowing air down a dead man’s throat for half an hour!"
He didn’t answer. He sat in his car, looking down, hands slack on his thighs.
"Come on. Let’s get a cup of coffee," Nina said.
"I can’t."
"Then talk to me."
"What do you want to know, Nina?"
His tone came too close to sounding hounded, even hostile. He was breaking off with her before they’d even started. She didn’t want things to fall apart because he’d had a moment of ordinary human weakness.
"I want to know that we’ll keep on seeing each other," she said, trying so hard to keep the pleading out of her words that they sounded almost businesslike.
"I don’t know."
"Why? Because of the
"How long before you found them?" Clauson asked.
"About half an hour. We found the kids and started wondering if Ray had been caught at the top. We were almost to the top, coming from the other side of the mountain, when I saw a clump of people down a slope of loose rocks. I called to Mrs. de Beers and the kids to stay put and I climbed down to see what was happening."
"So you never made it to the summit," Clauson said.
"No," Mrs. de Beers said. "Nobody made it to the top except Ray. We were evacuated—me, Ray, and Ms. Reilly and Mr. Hallowell. You met us at Boulder Hospital. You know the rest."
"The kids and I came down in a second helicopter," Tarrant said. "I didn’t realize I would be billed for the rescue. Anything we can do about that?"
"You can pay it in installments." Clauson took the non sequitur in stride.
"But it’s a fortune!"
"Leo, don’t worry about it," said Sarah. "I’ll take care of it. You shouldn’t have to pay. This was our fault. "
"It wasn’t our fault!" Molly said. "It was meant to be or it never would have happened." Sarah patted her on the arm, but Molly moved away, as if the touch stung. The experience had been traumatic for Molly, Nina thought. But she didn’t seem grief-stricken, either, just nervous and moody. People handled such things so differently.
"Any of you see anybody else on the mountain near the summit?"
"We saw hikers at the lower elevations," Nina said. "Nobody else near the top. I guess they had more sense.
"We didn’t see anybody else," Jason said. "Molly and I stuck together. We were trying to get up the other side, but I doubt if we got within two or three hundred feet of the summit before the storm broke."
"Okay," Clauson said. "I’m going to use the discretion vested in me to certify this case as an accidental death due to a direct lightning strike. Statements you made today will be kept on file in case you get any hassles from insurance companies, ma’am. Many policies pay double if the death is accidental. Your husband have that kind of insurance?"
"I haven’t looked into that," Sarah de Beers said.
"I’ll expect a call from a claims adjuster, then. The deceased is hereby released into your custody. You picked a funeral home?"
"Chapel of Memories. Mr. Mooney."
"Nice fella," Clauson said. "Anything else?" He got up briskly, gathering his papers, his mind apparently already moving on to other matters, this one being such a no-brainer. "Okay, meeting’s adjourned."
Out in the parking lot, Jason and Molly took off in a copper-colored, sparkle-painted Jeep, looking like movie stars in their sunglasses. Sarah de Beers and Leo Tarrant climbed into a cherry-red Nissan Pathfinder, with Tarrant driving.
By the time Nina caught up with Collier he was unlocking his own car, a nondescript beige model. "Will you just wait a minute?" she said. "I need to talk to you."
"Sorry. I need to get back to the office." He opened the door and got in, but at least he didn’t slam it in her face.
"Are you embarrassed that you had a bad moment up there on the mountain in front of me? Is that it? Because I hope you know me better than that," Nina said. "Jesus, Collier, you were suffering from exposure, exhaustion. You’d been blowing air down a dead man’s throat for half an hour!"
He didn’t answer. He sat in his car, looking down, hands slack on his thighs.
"Come on. Let’s get a cup of coffee," Nina said.
"I can’t."
"Then talk to me."
"What do you want to know, Nina?"
His tone came too close to sounding hounded, even hostile. He was breaking off with her before they’d even started. She didn’t want things to fall apart because he’d had a moment of ordinary human weakness.
"I want to know that we’ll keep on seeing each other," she said, trying so hard to keep the pleading out of her words that they sounded almost businesslike.
"I don’t know."
"Why? Because of the
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