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really wanted to check mine because I was hoping Ivy had gotten back to me. But we were back out in the snow where I was afraid my rapidly-numbing fingers would drop it, so that would have to wait.
    Speaking of which, the shock of the cold air almost took my breath away; a sharp, clear Arctic blast that made you totally not believe it was July.
    “ Damn —is it always this cold here?” I asked them, shivering. My breath hung in the air. “I mean, is there always snow on the ground year-round? It’s like being in Antarctica.”
    Kev laughed. Off duty, he seemed to relax and become more likable—I could sort of see what Brittany saw in him. She shook her head.
    “ No way. I used to come here sometimes when I was a kid and help out in the ski shop,” she said. “In the summers, the snowline retreated almost all the way up the mountain, and we had to use the snow machines. That’s why there’s an outdoor pool. Everything’s changed since Mr. Jaeger died a few years ago and Mrs. Jaeger took over. Now, it stays snowy all the time—I think we’re supposed to get another big storm in a couple days, right, Kev?”
    And she glanced shyly at him.
    “ Brittany’s going to take this place over someday,” he said, still grinning. “She knows everything about it.” Uh oh , I thought. I mean his tone’s affectionate, but he sounds like her brother. Poor Brittany .
    We walked silently beneath the motionless ski-lift line. Then the snow-covered Douglas firs parted, and the Annex Chalet came into view under the starlit sky. It was a smaller, much humbler version of the main lodge, and only had a few lights on.
    “ It looks almost deserted.”
    “ That’s because most of the day employees are asleep,” said Kev. “Wait staff, shop staff, maids, cleaners, maintenance workers, security...there must be thirty or forty of us peons on the two-day shifts, maybe another dozen or so working the graveyard—and hey, speak of the devil! What’s up, Conrad?”
    A tall, ghostly figure that looked like Mr. Schreich’s Ichabod Crane-like son materialized out of the gloom ahead of us, wearing a uniform just like ours, his eyes as reflective as mirrors. He nodded a few times like a night-bird and scuttled off.
    “ Conrad does room service all night—that’s where all the big tips are.”
    “ You mean we get tips, too?” I said.
    “ Sure,” said Brittany. “That’s a third of our salary.”
    No one had tipped me even a dime.
    Like the lodge, the annex had two wings; in this case, divided into men’s and women’s dorms, and once we were inside, I said goodnight to Kev and followed Brittany upstairs. Luckily, I didn’t have to share her room; Marisa’s was unlocked, so I gave the place the once-over before I unpacked. It was really Spartan. Tiny, with just a bare-bones single bed in it, along with a small chest of drawers and a cheap bedside lamp—it looked more like what you’d find in a youth hostel than at a luxury resort. I put my bags down and checked my phone. Three text messages from Ivy, one from Bernice, and one from Smithy.
    Ivy’s were all just “ ??? ”.
    Bernice’s said, “ Heard about what happened with Donna. OMG. I’m so sorry! Call me. ”
    Smithy’s was just his cell phone number. It was too late to call Bernice or the detective back, but I tried sending Ivy a text.
    “ U there? ”
    The reply came back after a minute: “ U ok?? U in that loj place??? ” She meant ‘lodge’; typing long words wasn’t exactly Ivy’s thing.
    “ S ure. I’m fine, have a job here now, LOL. But Marisa the grl who called me is gone & Mil can’t find her soul anywhere. so maybe she’s still alive. In her room now .”
    “ Wish cd b there w/ u now. Wll send all my warding powrs ur way .”
    “ That would be gr8, babe .”
    I sighed. Right now it would be even better to have her here in the flesh to give me some backup. Ivy could be a pain in the butt sometimes, but I could have really used her powers added to