by Sable Hunter
Molly laughed. “God, no. My mother, and later my aunt were housekeepers there. When I was old enough, I worked in the laundry room.”
For a second he thought she’d say more, but she grew quiet instead. Not wanting Tommy to feel left out, Ten spoke to him. “Where are you from, Ranger Ford?”
“Ah, I’m from the big city of Pasadena, just east of Houston. When I decided to major in Forestry, I debated whether to attend Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches or Sul Ross at Alpine. Both were known for their forestry departments. SFA was beautiful, nestled in the land of dense pine forests and blue lakes.” He sighed wistfully. “But once I saw Big Bend, I knew I wanted to work here.” Tommy spread his arms. “And here I am. It’s a lonely life, but I wouldn’t trade it. This place is magnificent. Just look around.”
Ten did and Tommy was right. He’d done a little reading on the plane ride down. Knowing the topography and understanding the region could make all the difference in matters of survival. “I agree. I’m impressed.”
“Drink, be sure and drink lots of water.” The ranger reminded them. “Even with these mild temperatures, your body loses moisture quickly with this amount of exertion.” They’d each brought three liters of water with the intention of refilling at Juniper Spring, just as Ben Hunt would have done.
“Can you imagine being up here without water?” Ten gazed into the distance.
“People think that wild animals would account for most of the deaths in the park.” Tommy explained. “In reality, its car accidents, people driving too fast on the tight curves. After that, its dehydration and hypothermia. All preventable, if a person would just take care.”
“Understandable.” Ten agreed. “If you did get into trouble, help is a long way off.”
“It can be a lonely place.” Molly began to speak in a low melodic voice, as if she were sharing a secret with them. “More than distance separates this place from the rest of the world. I’m probably prejudice, but I think its beauty is unparalleled. Native people avoided these mountains, believing them to be the home of spirits. At night, if you’re still, you will hear the wind whipping around the peaks and canyons, its whistling voice seems to contain strange whispers.”
“Keep your eyes and ears open for snakes, too, Tennessee. There are four types of rattlesnakes in the park.” Tommy spoke over his shoulder.
Ten made a face. “Ghosts don’t scare me, but I do hate snakes.”
“You might run into both.” Molly muttered, almost hopefully.
They rode in silence for a while, the path growing steeper. Tennessee realized they would have to abandon their mounts soon. Sure enough, it wasn’t long until they reached a small pen. Coming to a halt, they dismounted and removed the horse’s saddles so their wait would be more comfortable. There was water and food for the animals. Ten looked around at the remote, rocky landscape. “Considering there are bears and mountain lions in the area, leaving the horses here reminds me of those goats they’d stake out in the Jurassic movies.”
“Don’t say that.” Tommy laughed. “Someone will be after them shortly.”
Tennessee shouldered his backpack and watched Molly do the same. He was tempted to offer assistance, but she did it deftly, stronger than she appeared.
“Okay, let’s head up Boot Canyon Trail. In about a mile, we’ll pass Boot Spring, it’s usually dry this time of year. McCoy, you take the lead since you have the more experienced eye.” Ranger Ford hung back so both Ten and Molly could move ahead of him.
Ten did so, noting there was no agreeing word from Molly. “We’ll watch the surrounding area, try to see if he veered off the path at any point.” Ten adjusted his hat and started out. Their pace was brisk and the grade was constantly upward. He was glad his companions could keep up. After they passed the dry spring, the path dropped and wound through the canyon bottom. There were a few stagnant pools of water and a depression that caught Tennessee’s attention. “Look, one of Hunt’s footprints.” The information sheet he’d filled out when he got the backpacking permit detailed the pattern on the bottom of his shoes. This was normal operating procedure for hiker’s safety.
“He stayed on the trail so far, that’s good.” Tommy bent over to look, then jerked up. “Shit. Snake.” Before he could back away, the serpent struck, hitting the Ranger just above the knee. “Fuck!” Tennessee quickly took a knife from a sheath on his belt, but by the time he got to Ford, the snake had slithered away.
“Rattlesnake.” Molly said. “That thing looked like a diamondback, highly poisonous. I have a snakebite kit.” She put her backpack down and began digging it out.
In a few moments they had Ford on the ground, his pants cut open and were trying to extract some of the poison and administer anti-venom. “I’m calling for a helicopter.” Ten said, taking his radio from his pocket. “We can only do so much.”
Molly checked the area, just in case there were more snakes. “We don’t want to be sitting right on top of a den.”
“God, I hate this.” Tommy groaned. “I’m the one who just warned you of snakes. And I hate being the one to call for help and I hate that you two are going to have to go on without me. Are you going to be okay?”
“We’ll be fine.” Ten assured him, looking to Molly for a second.
She nodded with a smile. “I can stand his company for that long, Tommy. Finding Ben is the important thing.”
They sat with the ranger until a distant whirring announced the arrival of the helicopter. Once it had set down safely, they helped load him up. “We’ll keep you informed by radio. Don’t worry.” Ten held up his hand, waving at the copter as it ascended and flew out of sight.
“Well…” Molly picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder. “It’s just you and me, Flatlander. Let’s hit the trail.” She gestured gallantly for him to go ahead of her.
“Try to keep up, Reyes,” he quipped.
“I’ll do my best.” Molly hid a smile. The view wasn’t bad at all from this angle. McCoy might be irritating, but he had one of the best asses she’d seen on a guy – ever.
Soon they arrived at the junction of Boot Canyon and Juniper Canyon trails. They left the shade and began a steep descent. Ten studied the trail ahead of him. Several times he saw evidence that Hunt had come this way. They’d checked the permits, he was the last one who’d been on the hike so there should be no other footprints to confuse things.
“I used to hike this as a teenager when I wanted to escape the washer and dryer,” she said conversationally. “The silence can be so pervading that you can hear a pounding in your ear, it’s an odd thing when you realize what you’re hearing is your own heartbeat.”
“Did you have friends to hang out with?” Ten was just glad she was making the effort to talk to him.
“Not really. Occasionally another kid would come to stay at the lodge. That didn’t mean we hung out together. Most parents don’t let their children play with the immigrant help.”
“But you’re a citizen…” he said tentatively, hoping he wasn’t making an erroneous assumption.
Molly laughed. “Yes, I am.” She held up her hand. “Skin color. Sometimes the facts don’t change perception.”
“I think you’re breathtaking.”
His voice was deep, the inflection in his tone completely sincere. Molly felt a lump grow in her throat. Not knowing what to do with this emotion, she quickly changed the subject. “Juniper Canyon is supposedly where the Lost Chisos Mine is located.” Molly said conversationally.
Ten was heartened by her tentative gesture of civility. Who knows perhaps this would lead to friendship…or something more? “Tell me about it. My brother Philip is an archeologist, I can impress him with my knowledge.” He failed to mention that his brother was still a suspect in a murder investigation and that somehow it was tied up with the search for another lost mine. He had faith that Zane Saucier and the investigators would find the real killer before Philip’s trial ever commenced.
“Spanish soldiers discovered
the cave while hunting. This was probably in the late seventeen hundreds. According to legend, a rich vein of gold was found. The soldiers imprisoned some Apaches and forced them to work the mine. They were even blindfolded when carried there from the Presidio San Vicente so they couldn’t relate the location to anyone else.”
“Where was this Presidio San Vicente?” Ten asked.
“Do you know what a presidio is?” Molly teased.
Ten started to lie, but – what the heck. “Don’t have a clue.”
Molly giggled and he thought the sound was sweeter than any bird’s song could ever be. “It’s a fortified military settlement and the largest building at any presidio was always the Catholic Church. Anyway, San Vicente was about twenty miles southeast of the peak.”
“So, it was quite a hike.”
“Yes. Legend tells that if one stood in the door of the chapel at Presidio San Vicente on Easter morning, the first rays of the morning sun would strike the peak exactly at the entrance to the mine.”
“So, why is it still lost? Sounds easy to identify to me.”
“Because no one is absolutely sure which fragment of the ruins belongs to the church and there have been countless landslides since then that could have obscured the entrance to the mine.”
“So, what happened, did the soldiers get rich off their gold?”
“The Indians grew tired of the beatings and the mistreatment. One day they revolted, killing the soldiers, then burning down the presidio. The precious metal in the mine held no value to them, so they abandoned it. Some sources think they forced a landslide, some think they just walked away from it. Word passed down from descendants of the Mexican survivors at the presidio about the mine, but its exact location could never be pinpointed.”
Tennessee slowed his pace. “Philip will eat that stuff up. We call him Indiana McCoy.” Ten just hoped his brother would soon be back in the field exploring things like the lost mine for himself. Until the trial, Philip was out on bail but he couldn’t leave the immediate area without permission. His employers at the university believed in him, so he still had job. Ten just hoped Philip regained his peace of mind and was exonerated soon. Seeing grasslands in the distance, he asked. “Shouldn’t the spring be right round here?”
“Yes.” Molly stopped. “There’s a sign here somewhere, and a short spur off the trail.” She looked around. “The grass is so high… Ah, there it is. I almost missed it.”
“I’m glad we found it. I’ve drained my water containers. How about you?”
“Almost,” she agreed. Side by side, they trudged down the path. “There it is.”
Tennessee looked and almost missed it. “Back home we have a slightly different version of springs.” He thought of the blue pools big enough to swim in. This was a mere trickle of water coming out from under a huge boulder. “No matter. Water is water.” Kneeling down, they refilled their bottles. Once Ten was up, he looked around. Apart from a few animal tracks, theirs were the only footprints. “Molly, I don’t think Ben came this way.”
Molly glanced at him, then down at the ground. “You’re right. He missed the trail and in his condition, with so little water, that’s not good news.”
Tennessee saw the look of despair that crossed her face. “We’ll find him. We just have to decide the most likely path he chose and get to him as fast as we can.”
After that, there was a new urgency in their journey. “Logically, what’s the next step?” he asked Molly, knowing Hunt might not have followed the trail for whatever reason.
“Lower Juniper Springs is two miles down the canyon, and much harder to find.”
Ten could hear the worry in her voice. “Yea, if he missed this spring, what hope is there that he found the next?”
They probably walked too fast, stopping only for water and food. Along the way they found their rhythm, helping one another over the rough spots. “Watch your step,” he urged her as the made their way over several large rocks. He couldn’t help it, this woman brought out all of his protective instincts.
Even though it was against her better judgment, Molly found herself holding on to his hand longer than necessary. She didn’t say anything about it, but Rita had informed her about this high-profile fancy professional tracker she was bringing in to find her father. The more Molly had offered to help, the more Rita had insisted she back off. Even after years of living near one another, there was still bad blood between them. She had no idea what had even started the rift, Rita had disliked her from the moment they’d laid eyes on one another in high school. If it were up to her, Ben wouldn’t have given her the job at the Hunt Hotel.
“Isn’t Dodson Spring next? Maybe he found water there.” Tennessee saw Molly’s confused expression. “I studied the map of the park fairly closely.” He smiled at her. “No matter what you think, I don’t jump into these jobs haphazardly.”
“I know you don’t.” When she’d learned his name, Molly had looked him up on the internet. Like Rita said, his reputation was sterling. She knew she’d been sharp with him, not giving him the benefit of the doubt when his only crime as far as she could see was being rich. Other than Ben Hunt, Molly didn’t trust people with money. Their moral barometers didn’t register the way other folks did. “Yes, Dodson Spring is next. I would’ve hoped he’d gone to the road at the end of Juniper Canyon and wait for a car to go by.”
“We’ll see if there is any sign of him there in a few minutes.” Molly couldn’t help but think the worst. “I know he took his insulin, I made sure of that. What if he lost it?”
“Don’t think like that, he’s probably holed up somewhere waiting to be rescued.” Tennessee ran a comforting hand down her back. “We’ll find him.” He’d no more than said the words that his radio went off. “See, this is probably word on him now.”
“McCoy.” He spoke into the radio, listened, then answered. “All right, we’ll be watching for you.”
“What is it?” Molly enquired with concern.
“They think they’ve spotted him hanging off a rope on the Cattail Canyon wall near the falls. I’m going down after him.”
The moment he described the place, Molly knew how dangerous this would be. “Those walls are slick as glass. You’ll never be able to bring him up alone.”
As they talked, Ten got them into the best position for the helicopter pilot to see them. “I’m sure they’ll have someone experienced ready to help me.”
“Yea, they will.”
She sounded a little too sure. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“Tommy was their go to guy for climbing. But since he’s out of commission, they’ll go with second best.”
A sinking feeling hit Tennessee in the gut. “And who’s second best?”
She smiled at him. “Well, that would be me.”
He’d barely had time to process the information before they heard the helicopter. Once they were onboard, he didn’t get a chance to talk to Molly. The pilot was trying to bring them up to speed.
“It wasn’t any of the rescue crew who spotted Hunt, it was two other hikers who were trying to rappel down the canyon wall themselves.”
They could hear the pilot through the headphones. “Was this part of his itinerary?” Ten asked.
Molly answered. “No, it wasn’t. He’s talked about trying it, but that wasn’t in the plan for this time. I’m not sure what possessed him.” She tried to smile. “He can be ornery.”
“You two have a good relationship.” Ten didn’t phrase it as a question.
“He helped me after my aunt passed.” She didn’t add more than that, just looked out into the distance as the rugged landscape went by.
The hour was getting late. “I say we’ve probably got three hours to get him out of there before dark. And that’s not possible, is it?”
“No. I don’t think so.” Molly answered. Her voice sounded full of worry. “How long do they think he’s been there?” she asked the pilot.
“It’s hard to say,” he answere
d. “Initially we thought he’d gone missing earlier on the route.”
“We thought so too, especially after there was no sign of him at the spring.” Ten added.
Molly kept quiet. She seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, she said. “There has to be a malfunction in his equipment. He must be stuck.” Facing Ten, she let out a deep breath. “This is going to be dangerous. But, I’ll help you. You won’t have to go down alone.”
Her sincere assurance touched something inside Tennessee. She wasn’t just concerned about her friend, Molly was willing to risk herself to make sure he made it out safely. “When we get out of here, I hope you’ll let me buy you dinner.”
At his suggestion, Molly gasped and laughed. “Typical man. Let’s worry about surviving this first.”
“Hey, I’m just making sure I have sufficient incentive to stay alive.” He winked at her and the pilot coughed, trying not to be obvious in his eavesdropping.
“I’m going to have to let you all down on the ladder. There’s just no safe place to land.” The pilot began to get in position. “I wish I could just set down on the canyon floor, but the walls are too close, it would be a suicide mission. But once you get him secured on a rope, I’ll come back and airlift you guys out.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Ten helped Molly get ready to descend the flimsy looking ladder that would let them make it to the ground.
Molly wouldn’t look down as she made her way down the ladder. The wind seemed to move it at will and her hair kept blowing in her eyes. She knew she’d sounded cocksure, the reality was that she was scared. No really good map existed of Cattail Canyon or the falls. She and Tennessee McCoy would be descending into relatively unknown territory in the dying light of day.
“Easy, Molly.” Ten cautioned her as he saw she was going to have to jump the last few feet. “Try not to land on a rock.”