A chill rippled over the nape of Beth’s neck. “Don’t worry,” she assured Jewel. “I’m watching her like a hawk. She’ll call you soon.”
“Okay, honey. Take care.”
“You, too.” Beth hung up the phone. Then she hurried up the stairs, stopped at the bathroom door and knocked on it. “Dawn?”
No answer.
She pounded this time, then tried the knob. It was locked, but Dawn wasn’t answering. Beth stood back and delivered a sharp kick to the door. The lock consisted of a small bolt that slid into a bracket on the frame. The bracket was held in the door casing by two screws, and her kick was stronger than the wood that held them. The door popped open, and Beth stared in at the bathtub brimming with water and the open window beyond it.
“Dammit.”
Beth raced along the hall, checking bedrooms until she came to her own. Dawn wasn’t there. “At least I know where to start looking,” she whispered. “Be okay, Dawn.”
Beth went to the window to fling it open. “Dawn! Dammit, Dawny, you wait for me or I’ll kick your ass when I catch up!”
“What’s going on?” Arthur Stanton’s voice came from behind her, and Beth turned to see him standing in the hallway.
“Dawn sneaked out to go looking for Bryan. I’m going after her.” She yanked open a drawer, searching for the items she had managed to get unpacked. Tugged out two unmatched gloves and a knit hat. Then she grabbed her thickest surviving socks and pulled them on, as well, turned and headed down the stairs.
“You should stay put,” Arthur said. “I’ve got men ten minutes out, I can send them as soon as they arrive.”
“I’ll leave a breadcrumb trail for them.” She opened the closet door and found Maude’s winter boots. She’d bought the hot namebrand, long before they were the favored footwear of inner city youths. Probably five years old, barely worn and likely worth three times the purchase price at the moment. Leather on bottom, waterproof rubber on top, fleece lined and heavily laced.
She stomped her feet into them, jerked the laces tight and tied them, then grabbed Maude’s parka off the hanger and put it on. She headed into the kitchen and opened the cupboard where Maude had kept emergency supplies. First aid kit, candles, flashlights, lanterns. She grabbed a flashlight and dashed out the back door and across the lawn, ignoring Arthur, who was chasing after her and shouting at her to wait.
She went to the edge of the woods, stopped and snapped on the light, looking around. Stanton was beside her within a second. “This is where she and Bryan first encountered Mordecai,” she told him. “They took off running—that way, I think. She’ll take the same path they did then, I imagine.”
“Look, Beth, if I don’t wait for my men, they’re not going to know what to do when they get here, much less where everyone is.”
“You got walkie-talkies?” she asked.
He frowned. “Yeah. In the car.”
“Get me one. I’ll go after Dawn. You wait here for your men and then come after us. We can stay connected by radio.”
He nodded. “It’s a good plan.”
“I’ll wait sixty seconds for that radio, Arthur,” she said. “And then, if you’re not back, I’ll go without it.”
Joshua trudged steadily through the darkness, up the steep hill, following the stream Dawn had pointed out. The dread in his belly grew with every step he took. It was so big now, he felt close to vomiting. But he couldn’t let himself stop long enough.
God, if anything happened to Bryan…
He couldn’t take it, that was all.
When he reached the place where the stream bed curved sharply right, at the beaver dam and the little pond, he went straight and began looking for Dawn’s signal. He found it after walking a good distance—maybe close to the fifty yards the girl had estimated—thanks to the beam of his flashlight. He shone it around the ground, locating the pile of deadfall where Dawn had been hiding.
Hell of a man, his son was, hiding her and leading the maniac away. God damn, he better be all right.
From there, Dawn said Bryan had gone up the slope on an angle that veered to the left. Josh followed, but he disliked not having an exact idea of where his son was. Bryan could have changed direction at any time, and probably had, to try to lose Mordecai.
He had the most hollow, horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. The temperature had dropped to a bone-numbing level, and the fluffy snowflakes had by now become a heavy snowfall. Just what they needed.
“Hold on, Bryan. I’m coming, I promise. Just hold on.”
Bryan had hiked about as far as he figured he was capable of hiking. He was so damned cold his teeth kept starting to chatter, and he had to clamp his jaw hard against it, for fear the insane man would hear. He was shivering so hard he thought he’d strained some muscles. God, it was cold.
His fingers were numb and burning. His feet felt like heavy lead lumps as he pushed on, stomping over uneven ground, tripping more often than he had before, and landing harder. And yet every time he paused to catch his breath and strained his ears to listen, there were sounds. Snapping twigs, rustling brush, swaying limbs. Some of it might have been the wind or animals scurrying through the forest, but he couldn’t be sure. One thing he did know: he couldn’t go on much farther.
He had started scanning the forest for a place to hole up about the time the snow started falling. He estimated it had been maybe three hours since he’d sent Dawn for help. And the fact that he wasn’t seeing any sign of help on the way made him worry about her. God, he hoped she’d made it back okay. Maybe it had been a mistake to send her off on her own. Maybe something had happened. She might be lost or hurt or…
He closed his eyes, and before he could prevent it, the thought rushed through his head that he wished his father were there. He reminded himself that he was angry at his father, that none of this would be happening if not for his father screwing everything up, just like he’d screwed up when he shot Beth in the first place.
Yeah, trying to do his job and eaten up with guilt ever since.
He’d screwed up again by taking on this job of protecting her without knowing all the facts.
Probably out of guilt again. Protect an innocent to make up for having killed one. Even though he really hadn’t.
Screwed up even more by not telling her the truth.
Out of fear of losing her. Dawn’s right about that. The idiot loves her and doesn’t even know it.
And he screwed up even more than that by trying to send Bryan away when things got dangerous.
Yeah, to protect me.
He glimpsed a fallen tree up ahead. Its roots had pulled up from the ground when it toppled, and they formed a plate the size of a small flying saucer at its base. Bryan glanced behind him, then walked around to the underside of the upright root platter. A huge hollow in the ground marked the spot where the roots had once rested. White snowflakes were beginning to gather and stick on the blackened earth. Up close to the base, where the bottom of the root plate rose up from the ground, long, twisting tendrils tangled in thick masses.
Making his decision in that instant, Bryan crawled into the tangled mass. He sat on the cold, damp ground, his coat around him, drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He tugged his hood tighter around his head and bent his head to rest it against his knees.
And then he waited and he worried. He probably shouldn’t have stopped. He really shouldn’t rest for very long. He could easily freeze to death if he spent the night, so he would only rest for just a short while. Maybe give Mordecai time to move on past him in the darkness, and then he would get moving again. Keep his circulation going, keep his body temperature up.
He yawned. God, he was tired.
What if Mordecai found him? Did he really want to sit there and just wait for the man? Did he really think that lunatic wasn’t going to see right through all this?
Maybe he should move now.
No. No, he had to wait. Wait it out. He had to rest, and he w
asn’t going to find a better place than this. He was even starting to feel a little less cold than he had before.
God, he wished his father were there. He sure hoped Dawn had made it home okay. He hated to think she might be outside in the cold, in the dark, hiding out the way he was. So he just wouldn’t think it. He would picture her safe and warm, instead. He would picture her rallying the troops to come after him.
Yeah. That was better. And her crazy bastard of an old man wasn’t going to find him, either. His guides weren’t going to tell him shit, because if a buggy fuck like Mordecai had spirit guides, then a decent human being like Bryan must have some, too, right? Maybe he couldn’t hear them. Maybe they didn’t impart secret information to him, but they must be out there. And if they were, then this would be a real good time for them to get active. Maybe toss some kind of a veil over his hiding place and outmaneuver the other guy’s guides.
Yeah, right. Now he was thinking like the lunatic. He didn’t believe in any of that crap.
He yawned again. It was hard to stay awake. At least he was far less cold than he had been before. How long had he been out here now? Six, seven hours? Maybe he was adjusting to it. Like when you went in swimming and the water felt cold at first, but then you got used to it, and it started feeling warmer. It must be like that.
He sighed and let his eyes fall closed. This was really much better than trudging through the woods and freezing. Just resting, just for a few minutes. He would feel a lot better later on.
Chapter Twenty-One
Josh heard motors rumbling and turned toward the sound to see a beam of light far in the distance but bouncing ever closer. It picked its way through the trees, and he moved cautiously toward it.
Then another light came behind the first one, bounding and jumping, the motor sounds growing louder. He took cover behind a tree and watched, until the light from the rear showed him the source of the light in the lead: an ATV. He realized that was what both vehicles must be and kept watching until the front one stopped. The rear vehicle pulled up beside it and stopped, as well, and then the motors went silent.
Voices rose, calling for Bryan. And then they called out for him, as well. “Joshua!”
Among them, he heard women’s voices—Beth’s voice.
Josh stepped out into the open and shouted back at them. “I’m here,” he called, and trudged closer to where the vehicles waited. As soon as he stepped into the glow of the headlights, Beth ran toward him, and he caught her in his arms, amazed at the power of her embrace. How tightly she clutched him. How good it felt. How much he’d managed to miss her in spite of everything else. Or maybe because of it. Maybe he needed this woman to get through the crises in his life.
“Is there any sign of Bryan?” she asked, searching his face, her cheeks pink, eyes glistening.
“No, not yet. You shouldn’t be out here, Beth, it’s cold, and Dawn is—”
“Dawn is with us.” She released her hold on him, so she could look him in the eye. “I can’t keep her home, Josh. She sneaked out and took off to join the search the first time I turned my back. I went after her on foot, and then Frankie and Arthur caught up with us on the ATVs.”
He looked past her to see Arthur Stanton on one of the four-wheelers. The man was sixty; it had to be a tough ride for him. On the other was Chief Frankie Parker, looking as comfortable as if she’d been born bounding through the woods on a four-wheeler. Dawn was riding behind her.
Frowning, Joshua slid an arm around Beth’s shoulders and walked over to the waiting vehicles. “What’s the situation?” he asked.
Arthur said, “We’ve got twenty locals with ATVs combing the woods. I split my men up among them. Other groups are searching on foot. One person in each group has a radio. A local hardware store owner brought us a bunch of extras for the civilians. We’re coordinating on channel nine. What’s the range on these things, Chief?”
He didn’t address her as if he were doubtful of her skills or humoring her, but like one professional addressing another. A colleague.
“Five miles, give or take,” Frankie said.
Josh focused on her. “Did you check out the house where Mordecai was staying?”
Frankie narrowed her eyes, and her face went tight.
“I insisted on it, Joshua,” Beth said. “I know you said not to, but I thought Mordecai might try to take Bryan back there, if he had him.”
“Cagey bastard was ready for that, though,” Frankie said.
“What do you mean?”
“He torched the place. That house was engulfed before we ever got there. A neighbor had called it in, but the fire department couldn’t do much but keep it from spreading to the surrounding houses. Burned to the ground. More than a century old, a landmark. It’s still too hot to dig around, but I’m betting he had it rigged. Might have even set it off by remote control.”
“Jesus.”
“That’s not entirely bad news,” Arthur said. “If he torched the house, he likely didn’t do it from up here on this mountain. He would have had to get closer. Probably gave up chasing after the boy hours ago.”
“That’s small comfort, Art. My son is still out here somewhere, and it’s getting colder by the minute.”
“We’re going to find him.” Arthur got off his ATV. “Take this one and go on. I’ll catch a ride with the next machine to come by.”
Joshua wasn’t going to argue. He got on the four-wheeler, unsurprised when Beth climbed on behind him.
“Chief, you go with him. You know these woods better than any of us,” Arthur added. “But don’t go too fast, now, or he’ll never be able to keep up.” He leaned over Josh. “The way she rides that thing, I suspect she races them cross-country on her days off.”
“You sure you’ll be all right here, Art?” Joshua asked.
Arthur nodded, holding up his walkie-talkie. “I’ll be fine. Beth’s got a radio, and so has the chief. Contact me the minute you find Bryan.”
Josh nodded, looked at the controls in front of him, turned the key and hit the start button. The machine roared to life. He kicked it into gear and started forward as Beth’s arms tightened around his waist.
Bryan was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming, because he was warm and safe, and because his mom was there. And even though in some part of his mind he knew the past six months had happened—she had died, and he’d lost everything—it felt as if they hadn’t. As if all of that were just a dream, and he was home in his own bed, and she was leaning over him, the way she used to do when he was smaller. Kissing his cheek and whispering, “Wake up, Bry. It’s time for school.”
He smiled a little. His mother hadn’t woken him that way since fifth grade. As he got older, she’d started treating him older. She would open his door and call softly to him, and later still, she would just knock. But when he was little, this was always the routine. Her soft kiss on his cheek, her warm breath tickling his ear. “Come on, honey, wake up now. You don’t want to be late.”
Smiling, Bryan lifted his head, opened his eyes.
He wasn’t in his own bed. He was in a dark forest. The damp ground had soaked through the bottom of his coat and his jeans. His arms were wrapped around his knees and covered in a light coating of snow. It was cold. He could see his breath.
And he could hear something. A dull, distant roar.
Bryan looked at his watch, but there wasn’t enough light to tell the time, and it didn’t have one of those light-up dials. He made a mental note to get one that did, then tried to clear his head and make a guess at how long he’d been sitting there, huddled under the mass of roots. A while, judging by the snow that now coated everything in the woods. An hour, at least, maybe more. Man, it was really coming down.
Was the madman still lurking out there somewhere?
The sounds of the motors grew louder. Then they faded, maybe stopped, and he heard voices. People…calling his name.
Frowning, he sat up straighter, and the roots around him rustled as puffs of snow fel
l around him and down the collar of his coat.
In a moment the motors started up again.
God, that had sounded like…
“Dad?”
Hell. He couldn’t stay here. Even if Mordecai Young was lurking out there somewhere, he had to risk it. He had to get the hell out of here.
He started to move, only to realize that movement brought pain. His muscles had tightened and cramped. Probably too long in his huddled position in the freezing temperature. He forced his legs to unbend, wincing at the throbbing in his knees but otherwise ignoring it.
Move, he commanded his limbs. And they did. It hurt, and it took a long time, but he managed to work himself free of his shelter, and by the time he was out and able to stand upright, the motors were louder, closer.
God, he thought, keep coming in this direction. Please.
Step by painful step, he began moving toward the motors. It seemed to take forever, but eventually he saw lights. No sound from behind him. He was almost afraid to think he’d given the bad guy the slip, but it was starting to seem as if he might have done just that.
The motors stopped, but the lights stayed on. Voices called his name again. He heard his father’s. He heard Dawn’s. He called back, but the only thing that came out was a hoarse croak. Swallowing, he cleared his throat and tried again with slightly more success. This time it was a squeak. And still he lumbered forward.
Finally he stepped into the beam of one of those lights.
“Bryan!”
“Hi, Dad.” He sank to his knees.
And then his father was there, bending over him, lifting him up, talking so fast Bryan couldn’t really follow the words. But his arms were around him, tight and hard, and in the headlights’ glow, Bryan saw something he didn’t think he had ever seen before. He saw his father cry.
Beth watched Josh turn with his son in his arms and carry him slowly toward the ATVs. In the twin beams of the headlights, the tears on his face glittered like diamonds. And that was the moment, Beth thought, when she realized that she didn’t care what secret he was hiding: she loved him. The emotions swamping him…she knew them well. They were her own. She’d felt them, and she knew their depth.
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