reach, only to catch it in his fist and pull his hand away.

"Not so fast, Alec. You're headed up to the mountain again, aren't you?

Up where you had your accident?"

Alec glowered't him.

"Does it really-matter to you?"

"Yeah, it matters." Reid stuck the keys in his pocket. "It matters to me

because I can't sit back and watch you do this to yourself."

Alec started to protest, but Reid interrupted him "Don't try to snow me with some half-ass explanation. Caroline told me everything. Jeez, Brody, I'm not some insensitive boot. I understand a lot more than you give me credit for." He kicked at a nonexistent rock in the driveway.

"Hell, I understand a lot more than most people give me credit for. But

what I don't understand is why you're willing to put yourself through the pain of losing her ... again."

Alec stared into his friend's perplexed face.

"I wish I could explain it to you, Reid. I can't even explain it to

myself.

All I know is I have to go."

After studying his shoes for an inordinate amount of time, Reid reachedinto his pocket and retrieved the ks. He flipped them into the air, andAlec fielded them with one hand. He rewarded his friend with a tightsmile.

"Thanks."

"Be careful."

Alec opened the door to his own car and whistled. Her-mitt ambled out ofthe passenger seat and followed him to the truck. The dog hoppedobediently into the cab and took his favorite position on thefloorboards.

Reid helped Alee transfer. gear from the car to the track. "You know,you never told me why you got this mutt." Alec sic rugged "Tin not surewhether I got him or he got me." He stared at Hermitt, who was alreadyembroiled in a fidgety dog dream.

Reid shifted from foot to foot.

"Well, do you think you have everything you need?"

"Yeah." Alec held out his hand.

"Thanks, Reid. I appreciate it."

His friend's face reddened, and he kept his fists stuffed in the pocketsof his jacket.

"TII shake your hand when you come back and all this mess is over." Heaimed again at the phantom rock.

"And by the way ... if you scratch my Bronco, I'll kill you."

Alec returned his friend's sheepish grin.

"I'll keep that in mind.

See you later."

A Killer Smile A Killer Smile A steady stream of traffic accompaniedAlec on his westward trek.

Judging by the ski racks on the car roofs, he knew almost eveq, body hadone main activity in mind. Although he'd grown up in the heart of theRocky Moun- tsin resort area, somehow the magical appeal of skiing hadpassed him by. Obliged to accompany "the guys" on numerous weekend tripsduring his high school and college days, Alec hadn't been on skis in theten years since and hadn't missed it at all.

In typical Colorado fashion, a late-spring snowstorm had given the localskiers one last wild weekend to practice their sport before the slopesclosed. Alec grimaced as the traffic slowed before the EisenhowerTunnel, the expedient solution concocted by the interstate highwayde-padment engineers who had taken the phrase "traveling through themountains" to heart.

A few miles past the tunnel, he turned off the interstate, following astate highway which became a series of switchbacks riding the topographyof the landscape. He passed through the small town of Copper Springs andcontinued north.

Snowplows had heaped tall banks of dirty snow along the roadside,creating an inadvertent barrier between the edge of the asphalt and thehundred-foot drop-off. Looking out the window at the magnificent butdeadly view, Alec wondered how he could have handled the vehicle on thesame curves only one day after being released from the hospital. Thesense of purpose which had driven him that day must have allowed him thedegree of oblivion he'd needed to succeed at such a monumental task.

Succeed?

He couldn't in all honesty use the word. He'd won the battle but lostthe war. He'd lost Ellen.

Alee parked at the trail head, feeling an eerie sense of dij/i vu.

The last time he had parked there, hope and an-ficipafion had filledhim.

This time, expectation had already broken under the burden of mourningand grief. Alec hefted the backpack onto his shoulders. At least I cansay goodbye and let that chapter of my life end.

"C'mon, boy."

Hermitt roused and stumbled from the car. The old mutt stretched, thenhis black nose lifizzl. He sniffed and became suddenly alert.

"You know where we are, don't you?"

The dog's taft hung low and he gave a small whimper. "There won't be anyfire this time, old buddy. No one's going to hurt you." Alec reached.down and ran his hand along the dog's back, then clipped the leash tohis colhr.

"We're just saying goodbye."

A few cars dotted the sloped parking area, but Alec saw no one elsealong the trail. He paused by the path that branched off to the rangerstation. Some small irritating sense of propriety urged him to followit. The irritation grew to the point where Alee felt compelled to atleast acknowledge, but not eessadly explain, his presence on themountain to the ranger. After all, the Pembroke man had been her friend.

Hermitt sniffed at the cabin door, his tail wagging' ex-peetanfiy.

Alee knocked. No answer.

"No one's home. C'mon, dog." Hemfitt remained rooted to the porch,refusing to budge when Alee stepped A Killer Smile away. He fought theurge to jerk on the dog's lead.

"You heard me.

Come!"

Not even Hermitt could miss the sense of rigid corn-maud in Alec's tone.The animal gave the crack beneath the door one last sniff, thenobediently followed his master back to the main trail.

The sun skimmed the bare treetops, casting skeletal shadows on theground.

In the city some of the trees had begun to bud, but on the mountainwinter still reigned supreme, except for the places where patches ofsunshine had melted some of the snow-packed trail. In those spots, firmfooting had turned into treacherous mud, creating areas which seemedinstinctively to draw Hermitt's attention. The dog plowed through themuck, his attentive nose and tail betraying his growing sense offamiliarity.

When they rounded the final curve, Alee wondered why the scene stoppedhim cold once more.

Nothing had changed.

The stone foundation still delineated the original boundaries of thecabin.

The monolithic. fireplace still stood at one end of the ruins.

AH the site lacked was a curl of smoke to duplicate the first time he'dwitnessed the evidence of destruction.

Hermitt roused Alec from his uneasy reverie. He reached down andunclipped the leash, letting the animal free. Hexmitt draq around, butAlec ignored the dog and concentrated on the volcanic emotions eruptingfrom deep within his soul. The intensity surprised him, and he foundhimself suddenly searching for someone to blame.

Who had the right to tear him away from something that had been so good,so right?

Why did Ellen have to die?

A Killer Smile Why did he feel as if her death was on his hands?

Alec stripped off his pack and knelt, laying it on the ground. Heunfastened the top flap and reverently lifted out the flowers. Red roses.

The type of flower he would have loved to have given her in person.

Flowers were supposed to signify love and hope, but expectations hadturned to regret long before the blossoms had started their hothouselife as small green buds.

He stepped over the small wall of stones and picked his way to thefireplace, where the charred mantel had survived partially intact. Heplaced the flowers on the scarred wooden planlr. When he heard a noisebehind him, he spun around and spotted a figure standing beside thecabin's crumbling foundation.

The man wore a guarded expression.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Conditioning and control allowed Alec to. keep the surprise out of his

voice.

"That's okay." Alec sized up the man in an instant, figuring much of his impressive build came from the bulk his thick green jacket added to his frame.

The man remained polite in the face of Alec's obvious circumspection.

"This is private property, sir."

Alec stepped over fallen beams and moved closer to the man, noting with

a small sense of relief the emblem on the man's ball cap: U. S. Forest Service.

"Tm just here to ... to pay my final respects."

The ranger stared at the bouquet of flowers on the mantel and nodded.

"I understand." The authoritative note dropped from his voice.

"Haven't we met somewhere before?" 220 A Killer Smile A Killer mue Alee looked at him carefully. The man was right. They had met. But where?

Before Alec could respond,-the man smiled. "i remember you--the lost hiker from last fall." He paused.

"So you knew Ellen?"

Alec nodded, unable and unwilling to verbalize just how well he knew her.

The man released a sigh.

"She was a real special lady. I miss her."

"Me, too." It was a noncommittal answer, test rained enough for

decorum's sake and close enough to the truth to satisfy Alec's needs.