Chalet Shenanigans

The studded winter tires bit voraciously into the snow, chewing down to the underlying denser pack to drag the two and a half metric tons of Bentley Bentayga Speed up the road towards the dark grey clouds that blanketed the sky above them.

Michele risked a quick glance at the navigation screen to check his progress. The road was unnamed, but to the Volkswagen Group’s credit it was present and he could see that they still had two more switchbacks to navigate before they reached the GPS coordinates he’d been given by Jethro Blacker. In the passenger seat to his right, Kara leaned back in the Linen and Imperial Blue leather-trimmed bucket seat, rapidly typing on her iPhone. Michele was surprised there was cellular reception in what seemed like such a remote place, but then it was Switzerland.

“How many people are coming?” Kara asked.

“As I understand it, the invitation was an open one,” Michele replied. “Though I am not sure how many fratelli will brave this weather.”

They had left Milan hours earlier and the trip had been generally uneventful until they turned off the expressway and onto the back roads. As they climbed into the Alps, the weather turned colder and wetter, with rain turning to sleet, wet snow and now the fine powder which matched the Ghost White pearlescent paint.

“I see a light in the distance,” Kara noted after they rounded the second switchback and Michele could see a soft glow that looked like it clung to the face of the cliff. As they approached, it resolved itself into a significant chalet dominated with large windows on all sides and an open-air hanging deck that extended out into the void and ran almost the entire length of the building.

“Now that is impressive,” Michele noted.

“Yes,” Kara agreed. “Looks like we might be the first ones here,” she added as they pulled into a large open parking area. After parking, Michele and Kara quickly deployed an automotive cover over the windshield and both front doors to protect against the snow that would surely be falling. Kara also removed an automotive snow brush and stashed it under the car on the front passenger side where she could recover it when it was time to leave.

After securing the Bentley, they walked around to the rear of the chalet and approached the main door. Michele pushed the button of the smart video doorbell.

“Welcome! I’m in the bar and Monty is out on the deck,” Jethro Blacker’s voice greeted, followed by the click of the door locks disengaging. Michele pushed forward and they walked into a large entry atrium which extended upwards both floors of the building.

“Like I said, impressive,” Michele repeated as he stepped into the main living area dominated by concrete, stone, glass and light woods. Also prominent was bare rock where parts of the mountain came through into the interior. Michele felt the subtle influences of Mid-Century Modern and Danish functionalism, though the “ufo” fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass walls behind it brought to his mind the French designer Dominique Imbert and his “Focus” line of fireplaces, specifically here the “Gyrofocus” at the deer observation center in Dovrefjell national park in Norway. Beside him, Kara’s eyes took in the knick-knacks that likely represented the Blacker’s various missions undertaken for the SWA: a stone Egyptian Pharaonic statue, a child's rocket toy and a detailed mahogany model of a Grumman G-21 Goose flying boat.

Both had a silent chuckle at the red fez on a marble bust.