Finding Answers

by Kathi Daley

  “Seem?”

  “Did he seem distracted or nervous? Perhaps he was more preoccupied than usual, or maybe he didn’t smile as much as he usually did.”

  Serena shook her head. “He didn’t seem different at all. His sermon was about forgiveness. It touched on the concept of not just forgiving others but forgiving yourself for something you may have done in the past that you felt deep remorse for. It was very moving, and I got a lot out of it.”

  “I wonder if there’s a way to know who Pastor Brown had dinner with on Sunday,” I said.

  “His secretary would probably know, although now that I think about it, I’m almost certain Jolene Pinewood mentioned he was going to be dining with her family. Is it important?”

  “It might come in handy to know where Pastor Brown was last seen alive,” I answered.

  Serena took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll call Jolene. If Pastor Brown did dine at her house on Sunday, is there anything specific you want me to ask her?”

  “Just ask her whether he seemed to be stressed or worried about anything. And find out what time he left and if he mentioned where he was going next.”

  I spoke with Chloe while Serena left the room to make her call. I could see how difficult this was for her, but I was sure it was important for her to do what she could to help. Action, I’d learned through my own life, was the best way to deal with grief that was too large to bear.

  After a few minutes, Serena returned. “That was rough. Jolene hadn’t heard about Pastor Brown, so I had to explain things. The poor thing is really upset.” A tear slid down Serena’s cheek. “We all are.”

  I waited in silence for her to continue. I didn’t know Pastor Brown well, but I was sure that for his flock and friends, this was devastating.

  “The pastor did dine with Jolene’s family on Sunday. He came over right after the service let out, which was around one o’clock, and stayed until around four. Jolene invited him to stay and watch a movie with them, but he declined, mentioning he’d arranged to meet with a man who used to live in Rescue a long time ago and was back for a visit that evening.”

  “Did Jolene know what the man’s name was or where they were meeting?” I asked.

  “Pastor Brown didn’t say. Jolene told me that while he didn’t seem stressed exactly, there was something—a hesitation in his voice—when he mentioned the man, as if he wasn’t entirely thrilled to be meeting with him but at the same time seemed curious about why he wanted to see him.”

  “It seems Jolene picked up quite a lot about the meeting and Pastor Brown’s feelings about it, considering the pastor didn’t really say much.”

  “You know how Jolene is,” Serena replied. “She’s really sensitive and very good about picking up subtle clues. I suppose being observant served her well when she was a social worker.”

  “Yeah, I remember hearing she was good at her job. I wonder if she picked up any other clues that might help us figure out what happened.”

  “If you think she might be able to tell you more, you can call her later, after she calms down a bit.”

  “Thank you. I might do that. For now, why don’t you go home to be with your family?” I suggested. “I’ll stay here until the next volunteer arrives.”

  “Thanks. I think I’ll do that. I want to be the one to tell Mom before she hears it from a neighbor.” Serena went into the bathroom to wash her face, then headed home.

  “I guess I never stopped to think how folks were going to react to the news,” I said to Chloe. “I mean, I knew it would be a shock to the community, but it sounds like Pastor Brown was an important friend to a lot of people.”

  “Yeah. I feel like an idiot. I knew who he was, but I didn’t really know him. Still, I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. It was thoughtless and insensitive and completely childish.” Chloe sat down next to me and put her head on my shoulder. She took my hand in hers in a gesture of apology. “I just can’t imagine who would do something like this. It must have been someone passing through. Surely no one who lives here would be capable of such a brutal act.”

  I sat up straighter and looked at Chloe. “The person who killed Pastor Brown may very well have been a transient passing through, or it might have been the former town resident he was meeting, but it could just as likely have been someone who lives here in town. Someone we come into contact with every day. You never know what’s going on behind closed doors. I want you to be careful. Lock up when you’re home alone, and make sure you leave the restaurant with your staff in the evening. I don’t want you to be alone. Ever.”

  Chloe narrowed her gaze. “You’re scaring me.”

  “I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just warning you to be careful until whoever did this is caught.”

  Chloe opened her mouth, I was sure to argue, when my phone buzzed. “Dang it,” I said.

  “What is it?” Chloe asked.

  “It’s Jake. I’ve been called out for a rescue. He wants me to stop by my place to pick up Yukon.” I looked around the office. “I told Serena I’d stay here until the next volunteer arrived.”

  “I can stay,” Chloe offered.

  “I don’t want you to be alone.”

  Chloe looked at the staffing chart. “It looks like the next volunteer is Anne. She’s the only one scheduled this afternoon. Are you trying to say it will be okay for her to be alone but not me?”

  I shook my head. “No, I guess not.”

  Chloe put her hands on her hips. “You’re freaked out and overreacting. There’s no reason to think the person who killed Pastor Brown would have any interest whatsoever in me, or anyone else for that matter. In most murders, the killer turns out to have a personal agenda.”

  I let out a breath. “You’re right. I’m being ridiculous. I’m sure none of us are in danger.”

  Chloe hugged me. “I do appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine.”

  “I know you need to get back to the restaurant, so if you have to go before Anne gets here, it’s fine. I’ll give you the numbers of a couple of the guys who plan to come by this evening to see if they can come in early. That way Anne won’t have to be alone.” I grabbed my backpack, which I’d left hanging on a hook. Most of the gear I’d need for the rescue was in my Jeep, and it wouldn’t take long to grab Yukon and meet Jake and the others at Neverland. “Jake didn’t provide any details about who’s missing or where they were last seen, but if it turns out to be a quick and easy rescue, I’ll come back when we’re done.”

  “Harm,” Chloe said as I hurried toward the exterior door.

  “Yeah?”

  “Be careful. Despite what I just said about none of us being in danger, I have a bad feeling about things.”

  “I know. Me too,” I agreed before I headed out to my Jeep. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t get the woman from my dreams out of my mind.

  Chapter 4

  It turned out the search-and-rescue request had come from Officer Houston, who’d been contacted by Nolan White to find his wife, Silvia. She was sixty-two and had lived in Rescue for as long as I could remember. She’d been a doctor, serving the community for decades before she retired this past winter. According to Nolan, Silvia had gone to her yoga class at around eight o’clock that morning. She’d called him a short time later to let him know she’d made plans to have breakfast with an old acquaintance and would be home well before noon, when they were driving to Fairbanks for a movie. When she hadn’t gotten home by one, Nolan began calling her friends, who said Silva had left yoga at about nine-fifteen with a middle-aged man driving a dark blue Ford Focus. The man had brown hair cut short and was wearing a dark-colored, long-sleeved shirt.

  “Okay, I think I understand the situation, but I’m not sure where I come in,” I said to Jake, who was sitting alone in the bar with Officer Houston. “While this is a missing persons case, and we do quite often look for missing persons, it isn’t like we have an area to search. It sounds like Silvia left by car with a man she knew. She could be anywhere, and w
e don’t know for certain that she’s in any sort of trouble. I mean, she did take off with some guy. Maybe there’s simply hanky-panky going on and she lost track of time.”

  “I agree,” Jake said, “which is why I didn’t call in the others. At least not yet. I did speak to Jordan, and she said Silvia isn’t at all the sort to either cheat on her husband or to forget about time and worry everyone. We wouldn’t normally put much stock in a report from a husband saying his wife is an hour late getting home, but after what happened with Pastor Brown, we didn’t want to brush it off either. If Silvia is in trouble, I hoped you might be able to make a connection. I know it’s a long shot, but it seemed like one worth exploring.”

  I glanced at the town’s newest police chief. I thought he was probably a few years older than Jake, handsome in a rugged sort of way. He had thick hair he wore short, dark eyes that didn’t show much emotion, a firm jaw, and a scar that ran from the outer corner of his left eye, across his forehead, and close to his hair line. He’d been in town about a month, and while I’d certainly noticed him, and even worked with him, I’d never talked to him outside my place on the S&R team. Our team had participated in several rescues since he’d come to town, including the search for Vinnie yesterday, so I suspected he had an inkling of my unique gift, but we hadn’t worked closely enough together for me to be sure what he thought about it.

  “Okay,” I said. “If you both think this is a good idea, I’m willing to try.” I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and focused. I tried to see Silvia’s face in my head as I let her name roll over and over in my mind. It took several minutes, but the longer I meditated, the more certain I was that I could feel something. “I sense fear. No, not fear, terror. It’s dark, and Silvia is unable to move.” I paused as I tried to come up with additional details. “I think her hands and legs are bound. I don’t sense physical pain, but I feel a great degree of emotional distress.”

  “Can you see where Silvia is being held?” Jake asked.

  I shook my head. “It’s dark. Totally dark. And cold. I’m guessing she must be in a cave, or maybe some sort of an underground cellar. I get the feeling she doesn’t know where she is.” I concentrated harder. “I think she may have been knocked out and when she awoke, she found herself in a location totally devoid of light.” I opened my eyes. “If she can’t see where she is, or if she doesn’t know, there’s no way I can know.” I looked at Houston. “I can only see what she sees and know what she knows. And even that’s pretty random.”

  “Just tell us what you can,” Houston responded in a deep and surprisingly gentle voice.

  “Is she alone?” Jake asked. “Do you sense another person? Her captor, perhaps?”

  I closed my eyes again. I had to fight the panic that wanted to bubble up from my core as I remembered my dream. I knew I hadn’t been connecting with Silvia in the dream I had during the night. Silvia hadn’t turned up missing until this morning. Still, there were eerie similarities. “I don’t sense anyone else. Silvia’s really scared. Her fear is so predominant in her mind that it’s hard to pick up on anything else.”

  “If we’re going to save her, we need more,” Jake encouraged. “Is there anything at all that might tell us where to look?”

  A flash of something went through my mind. “There’s a sign. Not where she is now, but where she was before. I can’t be certain it’s from anywhere she even was today, but I sense she was looking at it or thinking of it when everything went black.”

  “What does the sign say?” Jake asked.

  I focused harder. “It’s a trailhead sign. One of the brown ones that are scattered around the area.” I tried to bring the sign into focus, but Silvia had only glanced at it or thought of it for a heartbeat before everything went dark. I opened my eyes. “I can’t read which trail the sign is marking. I think whoever Silvia was with brought her to the trailhead, then knocked her out and took her to the place she’s being held.”

  “Can you pick up on anything she remembered before that?” Officer Houston asked.

  “No. She was too scared. She wasn’t thinking about the past, only the present. The sign was a brief flash in her mind, and she didn’t hang on to the memory or image long enough to place it in context. Signs like the one I sensed are all over the place, but…” I paused. “This one was damaged. A corner was missing.” I looked at Jake. “The lost mine trailhead.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed. “There are dozens of mines in the area.”

  “Call in the others.” I said, and then I looked at Officer Houston. “Have one of your men go by Silvia’s house. Have them get clothing from her husband. Items she’s worn recently. Put them in plastic bags, then have as many men as you can round up meet us at the trailhead.” I looked back to Jake. “If she’s being held in one of the mines, we might not know where to look, but Yukon and Sitka should be able to pick up a scent.”

  Jake called Wyatt and had him call in the other team members. Officer Houston offered to go fetch Silvia’s clothing himself, so Jake, Sitka, Yukon, and I could set off for the trailhead. The parking area was deserted, seeming to indicate that if the person who’d abducted Silvia had driven her to this location, he or she was long gone by now.

  Jake and I got out of his truck and looked around. We’d need to wait for the others, but it wasn’t a bad thing to take a moment to get the lay of the land. The dogs were happily sniffing at everything in sight, but they didn’t yet know who they were looking for.

  I sat down on a log and tried to focus on Silvia while Jake called Wyatt for a status update.

  “Anything?” Jake asked after a minute.

  I shook my head. “I sense Silvia is alive, but I think she might be unconscious now. It isn’t a restful state, like sleeping. She’s struggling. And while I wasn’t able to pick up any physical pain before, now that her mind has calmed a bit, I can sense physical distress. If Wyatt hasn’t already thought of it, you should have Dani stand by for a medical extraction. Have Jordan standing by at the hospital as well.”

  “Wyatt is on it and the others are waiting for our call. Wyatt and Landon are on the way out with Officer Houston. He has the clothing we requested. I’m not sure how many backups Houston was able to track down, but we’ll find out when he gets here.”

  “What do you think about Officer Houston?” I asked in an offhand manner.

  “I like him. He worked for Boston PD for ten years and, from what I can tell, was a highly regarded officer before making detective two years ago. When the opening for chief came up in Rescue this past May, he applied for and got the job.”

  “Sounds overqualified. I’m sensing a story of some sort behind his move from Boston to Rescue.”

  “Probably, but he seems like a good guy and his story is his to tell or not.”

  I didn’t disagree with Jake, but I found I was a lot more interested in the story behind the man than I probably should be. I was considering the wisdom of asking Landon to do a background search on him when the man in question pulled up with the two bags of clothes we’d been waiting for. By the time Jake and Houston had agreed on a strategy, Landon and Wyatt arrived as well. Given the terrain of the area, it was decided that four teams would search the area in a grid formation. I was to take grid one, with Yukon and Officer Houston. Landon was going to take grid two with two of Houston’s men, Jake grid three with Sitka, and Wyatt grid four with Austin, who had called in just as the team was ready to roll out.

  Each team had identical maps and two-way radios tuned to the same channel. We hiked over to our grid, gave Yukon the scent, and Houston and I prepared to follow.

  “What happens if the dog picks up the scent and follows it into a different grid?” Houston asked.

  “We’ll follow. We start off sort of spread out so we can cover more territory, but once one or both dogs pick up a scent, we’ll probably all end up in the same place. It’s important to maintain constant radio contact so everyone has the same information.”

  “Have you been doing
this long?” Houston asked, as Yukon led us off the trail and into dense forest that was steep and rocky and made walking difficult.

  “Unofficially, since I was a teenager. My sister, Val, was married to Jake. She was a member of the S-and-R team, so I spent a lot of time hanging out in the bar manning the radio while the others were out. When I turned eighteen, Jake let me join officially.”

  “I wasn’t aware Jake was married,” Houston said as we slowed to climb over a rock formation.

  “He’s not anymore. Val died during a rescue when I was seventeen.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been hard on you.”

  I told Yukon to wait and then took out my binoculars to scan the area. “It was,” I said as I looked for a likely place for Silvia to have been stashed. “We’re going to hit a natural cliff if we continue east,” I said. “It doesn’t appear Yukon has picked up Silvia’s scent, so I suggest we double back to the spot where we took the left fork and try going in the other direction.”

  Houston shrugged. “You’re the expert.”

  I used the radio to call Jake and let him know what we were doing. He informed me that Sitka had alerted twice since the beginning of the search. He seemed confused at first but finally headed upriver. He followed the scent for a while but seemed to lose it after a bit. He seemed to want to double back, but Jake was pretty sure Silvia and her captor had taken the river route at least for a while. I told him that we’d head in his direction, then signed off.

  “We’re going to change our search parameter,” I informed Houston. I pulled out my map and laid it on a rock. “We’re here.” I pointed to a location. “Jake’s team is about here.” I pointed to a second spot. “Jake thinks Silvia and her captor would have taken the river route. We’re going to head northeast. We should intersect them right about here.”

  “What is this here?” Houston pointed to a hilly place that wasn’t all that far from the parking area.

  “Low-lying mountains. Steep, but not particularly large. Easy to traverse in the summer, a bear in the winter.”