At first, Kate was terrified by the sound, the chop, the rapids. Adrift in a rubber boat at the mercy of the currents, she was filled with foreboding that she would not survive the River of No Return. But after a day, she surrendered her fate to the river and David’s skill. After two days, she was exuberant. A buoyancy sprang up inside her as she realized she had no control. Even better, she had no illusion of control. She’d let go and accepted whatever there was as long as it kept her moving toward Ruby.
At Salmon Falls, the great rush of water excited the appropriate degree of terror. Per David’s instructions, she clung to the bowlines and shut her eyes. His skill was superb, the river merciful. They proceeded rapidly, scanning beaches, groves of trees, elevated mountain pastures. At each campsite, they stopped to inquire if anyone had seen a young brown couple.
No one had seen them.
They stopped at Bargamin Creek to camp. A large rafting party was spread along the beach, tents pitched, dinner in preparation. Passengers relaxed with cold beer and chilled wine. Laughter, singing, mandolin, and guitar floated over the water. An osprey soared above them, a trout in its talons. On the high ridges, bighorn sheep grazed beneath the gray rumbling sky.
Kate and David picked their way around the rookery of egg-shaped rocks to a secluded area of beach near the confluence of river and creek. They ate a simple dinner of nuts, raisins, and cheese, and collapsed on the sand.
Kate stared at the stars. “The firmament,” she said.
David smiled with exhaustion. “Between firmament and firmament, Jehovah created earth.”
“Bible studies, doctor?”
“Torah,” he said. David had given up the God of his fathers. At thirteen after his Bar Mitzvah, he declared himself an atheist.
Their eyes roamed the night sky’s wonders. He took Kate’s hand. It was her wonderment that refreshed him. If not God and heaven, he guessed she believed in something.
The following afternoon, David pulled ashore at the Lazy OK, a working ranch of fifty acres on the south side of the river with cattle, sheep, trail horses for guests, chickens, pigs, goats, and dogs. Ten years ago, the third-generation descendant of the original settler froze to death in a late spring snowstorm. When the Lazy OK was put up for sale, Gus Odegard sold his sporting goods store in Coeur d’Alene and bought it.
David and Kate climbed the rock stairs to the lodge. A beautiful spot in a succession of beautiful spots. Odegard pointed behind the screen door to a cooler of ice cream and beer, shelves of candy, chips, and gum. There was also the dining area for a late lunch or early dinner. On a chalkboard was printed Grilled Mountain Trout, French Fries, Coleslaw, Chocolate Pudding.
Ice cream in hand, they took seats beside Odegard in rocking chairs that overlooked the river and far mountain ridge.
“I was here twenty years ago,” David said. “Glad to see it hasn’t changed.”
“We used to bring our kids out every summer. When my wife died and the old timer passed away, I figured out a way to buy it. You might say I bought a dream. Not many men claim that.” Odegard sipped his coffee. “Where you two from?”
“Land of Enchantment,” Kate smiled. “New Mexico’s got stiff competition here in Idaho.”
Odegard was surprised. He figured them for big city people.
“I got a couple of guests from New Mexico staying here right now. I expect they’d agree with you, especially the kid.”
“Kid?” Kate trembled.
“Folks coming from as far away as France and Japan, they never seen beautiful like this.” Odegard’s eyes misted.
“Kid, you said?” Kate repeated.
“A college kid.”
“Quinn Bass, would that be his name?”
“No, Dominic.”
The trio gazed over the river. In the canyon, light dwindled slowly. Even with the mounting layer of clouds, dusk would last a long time.
“Didn’t happen to see a raft hung up?” Odegard asked. “Dories come through and reported a couple of kids lost theirs going over Salmon Falls.” He snapped his fingers. “There’s always trouble when a youngster gets on the river and thinks him and God going to figure everything out.”
Kate gripped the arms of the rocking chair. “Where are they?”
“Bargamin Creek, you would have passed it,” Odegard said. “Prettiest spot on the river after this one. Of course, everyone’s entitled to an opinion. They should have brought them down here. But they refused to come. They’ll show up when the food runs out. That, I guarantee.”
“We were just at Bargamin,” Kate said.
“You two welcome to stay here. We got two empty places since my New Mexico fellows went up to Bargamin today.”
“We’d like to try to get back to Bargamin ourselves,” David said. “If we can hire out your jetboat to run us up there, we’ll go right now.”
“Seems like Bargamin is the charm of the day.” Odegard rubbed his chin. “Once Mr. Ryan heard about the accident, all he could jaw on was Bargamin.”
“Ryan?” Kate dug her fingernails into David’s thigh.
“Edwin Ryan and his nephew, Dom, the ones from New Mexico. Mr. Ryan ain’t my kind of people, but it takes all kinds. The kid’s an extra nice fellow except he don’t eat meat. Some crazy thing out in the world every day. That’s why I like it right here.”
“Ryan?” David caught Odegard’s eye. “Edwin Ryan, you’re sure?”
“Sure, I’m sure. That’s what I’m telling you. Ever since the dories was here, big Ryan got possessed. He hadn’t moved from the porch the whole time on account of a busted knee. But this morning, nothing could stop him. He had to go hiking if it was the last thing he did.”