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grimaced. “What was he doing here?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Nancy replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe he came to check out his competition.”
    Rob’s appearance at Tall Pines was definitely strange, and Nancy couldn’t help wondering whether it was connected to the theft. Shedoubted Rob would have stolen the money himself but thought he could be working with a Tall Pines employee.
    Kendall brushed off the question with a shake of his head. “I doubt it.” Then he paused and studied her curiously. “Is there a reason you’re here so late?” he asked Nancy.
    â€œActually, th-there is,” Nancy stammered, searching for an excuse. The last thing she wanted was for Dave to think she was snooping around his office. She quickly explained about the accident in the sauna.
    â€œI’m sorry that happened to you,” Dave said, showing obvious concern. “I’ll tell the attendant to be on guard.” Nancy thought she heard Dave mumble something about “not again.”
    â€œWhat was that?” she asked.
    Dave looked at her carefully, squinting his eyes. “I don’t want this to be published—”
    â€œOff the record,” Nancy assured him.
    â€œWe have a prankster here at Tall Pines,” Dave confessed. “Nothing serious, but this isn’t our first incident. I was just dictating a short memo to Karl about it.”
    He opened his mouth as though he was going to say something more but stopped instead and took a breath. When he spoke again his words were measured. “I hope you understand that none of this is to get around,” he said. “If Karl finds out I told you, he’ll fire me.”
    Nancy nodded. Though she might need to tell Karl about the blocked sauna door, she had no reason to divulge Dave’s confidence. Maybe hewas right. Maybe it had just been a prank and not meant specifically for her and Bess.
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    Before nine the next morning Nancy met Jody at the rental office to pick up her skis, boots, and poles.
    â€œI wish the new equipment had come in,” Jody said when she handed Nancy her gear. “You’d go crazy over the new boots and bindings. They’re state-of-the-art material. Really lightweight. Plus the boots go up over your ankles, which offers extra support.”
    â€œI’ve heard about them at Tracks ,” Nancy fibbed. “I’ve been dying to try them.”
    â€œWe’re expecting a shipment any day,” Jody told her. “With a little luck it’ll arrive before you leave, and I’ll make sure you get a set.”
    â€œMorning, Ben,” Nancy said, spotting the instructor in the entrance alcove. “Ready for my lesson?”
    Ben smiled and pushed a lock of his jet-black hair off his forehead. “You bet,” he said.
    Picking up her skis and poles, Nancy followed him outside to the trail head. A small crowd of guests had gathered by the trail map. Ben greeted several people by name before hooking his boots into the bindings. Nancy noticed that he had new bindings, and his boots were higher than hers.
    â€œReady?” Ben asked.
    â€œDon’t expect a lot,” Nancy said as she slipped her hands into the pole straps. “This is my first time out this season.” She looked down at herclothes. She was wearing a cherry-red outfit. “When I first learned to ski we wore jeans and parkas. Now it’s neon speed suits and high-tech equipment.”
    Ben chuckled and led the way to what he said was one of the most popular trails. “I like to ski this one before it’s crowded.”
    Though a light snow had fallen overnight, the tracks, which had been set the previous day, were still visible. As Ben gracefully skied into the left pair of tracks Nancy placed her skis in the right ones. “Not all our trails have two sets of tracks,” Ben explained, “but it’s easier to teach