Double Black Diamond
was a survival skill at this point. Most of the way down the hall, an inconspicuous door said Head of School. A voice inside answered when I knocked, so I pushed it open.Dr. Muth’s office was compact and not all that grand. At least, not as grand as I’d expect from the head of a private ski and snowboard academy. It smelled like fresh soil and for good reason: green plants of all shapes and sizes sat on the desk, cabinets, floors, and windowsills. They hung from the ceiling and crept over bookcases. I might have heard a monkey screech. It was an alpine jungle.
Other than the greenery, everything in the office was orderly. To the left was a closed door. File cabinets lined the wall to the right with matching containers labeled with things like Staples/Paper Clips and Printer Supplies evenly spaced on top. A wide wood desk held only a computer monitor, telephone, and a ceramic coffee cup with an illustration of an umbrella and towel that said I’d rather be at the beach!
A man rose from behind the desk. He wore crisp jeans, a sport coat, a burgundy and black scarf, and loafers. His hair was cut short on the sides and carefully gelled into a brown wave on top.
“May I help you?” His voice was clipped but his expression polite.
Hmm, he looked younger than the photo Brown had sent me. I strode forward, hand out. “Dr. Muth, I’m Nicole Rossi.”
The man’s eyes shot toward the side door, and his white smile wavered. I followed his gaze. An older man in slacks and a collared shirt stood in the second door I’d seen, hands in his pockets and his lips thinned.
“I’m Dr. Daniel Muth.” He gestured to the first man. “This is our dean of students, Mr. Newman.”
Heat rushed between my shoulder blades. I’d forgotten they had a dean. Other than having sort of the same coloring, they didn’t even look much alike. Great entrance, Nic. Smooth.
I shook Muth’s hand. His expression warmed, but only slightly, like a full plate of food nuked in our sputtering microwave back home. “Please come in, Miss Rossi.”
Muth’s office was a lot larger than the dean’s. An enormous, polished desk posed in front of a wall of windows framing the ski mountain. Two mahogany brown leather sofas and a glass coffee table were grouped in front of the desk. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases stood against the walls, filled with hardcovers. A couple of diplomas hung on the far wall, and under them, a small, framed photograph of a man on skis flipping through the air off a jump. The photograph was fuzzy, and the ski outfit looked dated, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was Muth himself, back in the day.
“Can I get you something to drink?” the first guy, Newman, asked me.
I declined and he left, easing the door shut behind him. Muth waved me to one couch, and he sat on the other, crossing his legs. I started to speak, but he talked over me.
“I’ve met with Mr. Brown several times, and I’ve been told your role here,” he said. “Miss Venkatesan’s family has received threats, and her parents are concerned Veena might be in danger.”
“That’s right.”
“As I’ve assured your supervisor, our faculty and staff are of the highest quality,” Muth said. “They have had the most stringent background checks, and our board pays them well to be here. It’s an honor to teach and work at Vail Mountain Academy. No one on my staff takes that privilege for granted.”
He pulled out a handkerchief—an honest to God rectangle of clean white cloth with his initials embroidered on it—and began to polish his glasses.
“Additionally, our students are serious athletes who worked extremely hard in their studies and sport to be admitted here. Many educators and athletes would love to be part of our school. To be frank with you, Miss Rossi, as I was with Mr. Brown, I can’t fathom anyone among us being involved.”
“We aren’t sure where the threats are coming from, and we aren’t here to investigate. Only to protect Veena.”
He pushed his glasses onto his nose, his blue eyes unblinking. “I understand that, young lady. This is your first assignment—correct?”
Young lady? I was tired of this particular conversation after having it with the team yesterday; I didn’t want to have it again.
“Yes, it is. I might be new to my profession, Dr. Muth, but I graduated at the top of my class at Juno Academy, which has just as stringent requirements for its staff and students as VMA.” I might have been overselling it, but I was sick of being looked down on by these guys. “I can assure you, Veena’s safety is my only concern. It’s our entire team’s only concern.”
He leaned forward, eyeing me over the rims of his specs. “That is precisely the problem. I’m also worried about Ms. Venkatesan”— to his credit, Muth looked like he meant it—“but her safety isn’t the only issue. I have the security of an entire school—over 150 people—to ensure. I can only hope that your presence on campus won’t bring additional risk to Veena, my staff, or our students. I assume Mr. Brown shared with you that carrying weapons on campus is strictly forbidden?”
“He did.” Now if only someone would share that rule with whoever had made those threats.
Of course, I wouldn’t tell Muth about my pepper spray, the tactical pen, or the flashlight that extended out to create a forearm-shattering baton. At Juno, we also learned to use all kinds of everyday items from dry spaghetti to succulents as weapons if we needed them. A lot of my training revolved around being prepared but also fostering the ability to be spontaneous.
“You should know that only myself and Mr. Newman will be aware of your, er, status on campus. To the rest of the school, you are a new Academy student, and you should conduct yourself accordingly. A copy of our student handbook was placed in