Page 24 of Haunted By the Mountain Man
"Helping you with what?" The giant one—Neil—asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.
Shane took a breath. "There's someone living here. An elderly man with dementia named Walt Harrison. He was the maintenance supervisor when the lodge was operational. He never really left after the fire burned down the place."
Dead silence.
Then everyone talking at once.
"What the fuck—"
"Two years?"
"Is that legal?"
"Why didn't you tell us?"
Shane held up his hand. "Let me explain. Please."
So he did. Finding Walt when he bought the property. The old man's complete break from reality, living in 1993 in his mind. The suicide attempt when Shane tried to get him into a facility. The decision to care for him here, alone.
"Two years?" Sam said, frowning. “And you never mentioned this to us.”
“I think Tonya’s grandmother took care of him before she died.”
“Oh,” Tonya said, her brow furrowed.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Kevin said. “Mary took care of a lot of people.”
"I NEED YOUR HELP."The words seemed to physically hurt Shane to say. "I've been managing the situation, but I can't do it alone anymore."
"You've been coming here every day for two years to care for a confused elderly man, and you never said anything?" Neil sounded hurt by this.
"You would have insisted on a facility," Shane said.
"Of course we would have," Sam said. "That's the logical thing to do."
"Shane?" Walt's voice carried from the dining room. "Are the corporate inspectors here? I heard vehicles."
Everyone froze as Walt appeared in the doorway, wearing his faded maintenance uniform, clipboard in hand. His weathered face was creased with worry.
"Mr. Harrison," Shane said gently. "Yes, the inspectors are here. These are my colleagues. They're helping with the evaluation."
Walt's face brightened. He turned to Kevin with professional pride. "Welcome to Wildfire Ridge. I'm Walt Harrison, head of maintenance. I've been getting everything ready for your inspection. The heating system is running perfectly, and I've prepared a full report on our preparations for the holiday season."
Kevin looked at Shane, then back at Walt. Shane gave him a meaningful look and Kevin caught on.
"Thank you, Mr. Harrison," Kevin said formally. "We appreciate your dedication. Perhaps you could show us the main systems?"
"Of course, of course!" Walt beamed. "Right this way. Mind the third step—it's been creaky since that big storm last year."
“Last year?” Tonya said.
“1991 was a doozy for storms.”
“1991,” she said faintly.
As Walt led the Kevin and Tonya deeper into the lodge, chattering about occupancy rates and ski conditions from thirty years ago, I saw Shane's brothers exchange looks again. The hurt was still there, but understanding was beginning to dawn.
Kim, Neil's tiny wife, moved closer to Shane. "Walt Harrison. I've seen that name in the historical records I've been digitizing. He really never left after the fire?"
