Reese knew Ella had to be tired and hungry, but she hadn’t said a word. His view of her had changed completely on this trip. What would things be like when they got back home? He didn’t know. What he did know was that she was worth fighting for.
They came across a small stream that was more melted-snow runoff than anything. But it was a good spot to refill their water and rest a moment. They had no food left, and he was hungry. But they could go without food. They couldn’t go without water.
He slipped off his pack. “Let’s rest here a moment while we refill the water bladder.” He dug around until he found it.
Ella found a log in the sun and sat, lifting her face and closing her eyes. Even after three days in the woods, she was beautiful. The sun caught her brown hair, shooting red streaks through it. He thought of how it felt sliding through his fingers.
He turned his attention back to the filtration system, getting enough water into the top part. “You okay?”
She nodded but kept her eyes closed, face in the sun.
Once the top part was full, he hung the system from a branch and waited for the water to filter. He joined Ella on the log. The sun did feel good, warming his chilled bones.
She turned and smiled at him. “Thanks for the break.”
He touched her cheek. “Arm okay?”
“Yeah. My legs hurt more now, I think. You should promote this as a super workout.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.
He slipped his arm around her. How long could they stay here, just like this? Probably not any longer than the water took to filter.
“So it’s your turn. I told you about my childhood. What are your good memories?”
She let out a long breath. Then smiled. “Fifth grade. That seems to be a pivotal year. One of the reasons I teach it. That’s the year we learn about American history. When I was in fifth grade, we put on a play about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, kind of like the movie 1776, if you’ve ever seen that. Now that I’m a teacher, I have my class put on a play about the gold rush in this area as part of the end-of-the-year project.
“Anyway, I had gotten the part of Abigail Adams. Before the play started, I remember peeking around the curtains on the wings of the stage looking into the audience. I was hoping my dad would be there. This was before he left us, but he’d been busy at work and not home much. Now I know why and what he was really busy with, but back then I didn’t.”
She stretched her legs out and shifted on the log, snuggling a bit closer to him. “Even before opening night, I’d had the best time being in the play. It had been fun rehearsing and being part of a big group with my friends, all trying to work toward the same project. And I was even pretty good at it. I knew I’d miss it when it was over. The only thing that would make it more perfect was if Dad would show up.
“So I was peeking out while the house lights were still on. He’d promised he’d be back in time for my play. I scanned the lines of folding chairs until I spotted Mom and Evan sitting about seven rows back. But no Dad. My heart sank. I searched the people milling down the aisles and in the back of the cafeteria. The lights flashed twice. Two minutes until we would begin.”
He could just picture her. And he couldn’t wait to see the play her class put on this year. She was born to be a teacher.
“Mrs. Goins came up behind me and stage whispered, ‘Ella, get to your place.’ I nodded and gave the room one last look. Just then the cafeteria door opened and my dad slipped in. He spotted Mom and Evan and headed for them. I was so excited. I was able to sneak back to my spot with the rest of the cast. All of our hard work paid off that night. I put on my best performance ever, like I was doing it just for my dad. I felt so special and accomplished.
“After the play, he gave me a carnation—like I was a real actress getting flowers—and we took a family picture. It was the last one we had. He took all of us out for ice cream. It was the most perfect night ever.” She was silent for a moment, then lifted her head and looked at him. “I kept the picture on the dresser in my room for a long time. I still take it out occasionally. But for a long time, I couldn’t look at it. It was too hard, given his later betrayal. I would always wonder why we couldn’t just stay the way we all were that night.”
Reese tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. The older I get, the more I just don’t understand a lot of things about why people do what they do. But I’m glad you had such a great experience. Is Mrs. Goins why you became a teacher?”
“I think so. The advantage of still living in the town you grew up in. I could talk to her any time after school, even when I was in high school. She retired right before I became a teacher, but she’d still invite me over to talk about lesson plans and give advice.”
Reese shot a glance at the water system. It was nearly done. He didn’t want to leave this spot. But they had to. He kissed her forehead then pulled out the map. “Time to head out, but look at this.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “We’re not too far away. This is almost over.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, nearly crushing the map between them. “Thank you, Reese.” Her voice in his ear sent sparks ricocheting around his body. “For everything.”
He held her tight. It wasn’t over yet.
* * *
Tony sat with Shannon in the cab of her SUV with the heat on. They’d settled into a comfortable familiarity he was enjoying, despite the circumstances. Despite a few of his missteps, he thought they might have found a groove they could build on. It was a busy week at church, but this was a good test of if they could make something work with the craziness of both of their schedules.
Shannon shook her head. “I don’t like the report of the dead body at all.” She’d called in the coroner and had them cordon off the area. “It’s likely Brandt. Hopefully it’s him, sad to say. If it’s someone else, someone I’m not even aware of, then that’s a whole other problem.” She ran a hand across her head and down to the back of her neck, underneath where her hair was knotted into a bun. A few pieces had slipped out, giving her a slightly less polished air, more vulnerable.
It was all he could do not to reach over and tuck them behind her ear.
“It’s going to be a long night. I’ll text Donna to order food and have it delivered out here for the team. I missed lunch.”
“I didn’t even think to ask. I should have brought you something.” Tony mentally filed that bit away.
Shannon shook the bag of peanut M&Ms. “My reserves.” She smiled then gave a short laugh. “Donna texted back. This is interesting.” She read the text out loud.
Beckett Lorde called for you. Said he had resources to offer for your search. He could put up his plane. Just let him know. He was happy to help.
“Donna’s not a fan of Lorde any more than I am.” She shot a quick text back. “Thanks but no thanks.” She turned to Tony. “I found a Belle Lumber tag in the lot earlier. It could mean anything. Lorde is good at covering his tracks, and he knows it. But I don’t trust him.”
Her phone buzzed again. “Zach. He wants to go to Isaiah’s house.” She leaned her head against the head rest. “My busiest times usually correspond with Zach’s school vacations, so his dad usually takes him. I don’t even care what the real reason is. It bothers me more that Dan doesn’t find it convenient to spend time with Zach. And it means he’s spending spring break at home playing video games. Which was why it was so great you took him Monday. But he hasn’t seen any of his friends. And he’s not happy about it.”
“So you’ll let him go over to Isaiah’s? That’s the Schillers, right?”
“Yeah.” She waited a beat. “I get it. He was supposed to be with his dad this week. And then he was grounded the week before. I’m sure he feels like he’s under house arrest. But I don’t like him to be anywhere but at home or with his dad when I’m on a big case like this.”
“Why?”
Her fingers clutched her phone, turning her knuckles white. There was definitely something going on under the surface. He hoped she’d trust him with it.
Her voice was tight and snappy with tension. “Because I’m his mother and I want him safe where I don’t have to worry about him.”
“Okay.” He kept his voice calm. This wasn’t about him, though her tone stung.
Her face immediately softened. “I’m sorry, Tony. I’m tired and hungry. And Zach— I know I’m overprotective. It’s just the things that I see…”
“I understand.” He did, intellectually. Though he’d never know what it was like to be a parent. Still, she carried the burden of being a single parent and caring for the town. It was a lot. And she could be expected to be a little emotional and unreasonable at times.
Her phone lit up. Another text from Zach.
Her fingers hovered over the phone. She gave a short laugh. “Here’s what my astute son says.” She lifted the phone to show Tony.
You always get like this on a big case, like somehow it’s going to infect me. I’ll be fine. I’m almost 18. And you like Isaiah’s parents.
He raised his eyebrows. “At the risk of incurring your wrath, he has a point.” He smiled.
She grinned back. “I know. And I’m sorry for snapping.” She held his gaze a moment. “What do you think?”
Her tone was more curious as to his opinion rather than asking for advice. But he’d take what he could get and tread carefully. “Is it true you like Isaiah’s parents?”
She nodded.
“Then I think you should let him go. I don’t have kids, so I want to be careful not to overstep.” Tension touched his voice as he said the words. Every once in a while, the pain would surprise him. Maybe more this week since he’d spent some time with Zach and really liked him, wondered what it would be like to have a kid like him. “But what I see in my family counseling is parents holding on too tight and kids rebelling just to spite them. Sometimes a little loosening up and trust can go a long way.”
She let out a breath. “Can’t argue with that. I’ve seen it too. Zach has definitely been testing limits lately. But if something happened to him… I know in my head I can’t keep him under my protective care forever. At some point I’ll have to risk it.”
“Isaiah’s seems like a safe place to start.”
She nodded and typed on her phone, showing him the text.
Okay. If his mom picks you up and you stay there. Don’t go anywhere else.
Zach’s response came back fast.
Thanks!
“If it makes you feel better, I can check on him later or bring him home if you have to stay late.”
“That’s sweet. Thanks. I don’t know what I’d have done over the years if folks hadn’t stepped up to help me.” She pulled out her stash of peanut M&Ms, took a handful, and offered the bag to Tony.
He grinned at her and took some. Seemed like they’d navigated that successfully.
The radio crackled. He had to listen carefully and still couldn’t make it all out. But the gist of it was two of the feds were going to secure the scene of the body until the coroner’s team arrived. Raul had an idea of where else Reese and Ella might have gone, based on their past camping trips. They wanted permission to check it out.
Shannon gave it. “At this point, any ideas are welcome. The afternoon shadows are getting long, and it’ll be dark sooner than any of us would like.”
A personal vehicle pulled into the trailhead lot. Shannon turned her attention to it. “We don’t need any hikers in this area right now. And it’s a little late in the day to get started.”
Lucas Slater climbed out and headed toward the SUV with purposeful strides. Interesting. He didn’t strike Tony as an outdoorsy type. But he’d been surprised before.
She rolled down the window. “Lucas. What can I do for you?”
“Sheriff.” Then he leaned forward and spotted Tony. “Hey, Pastor. I came to find out what you were doing to find Ella. I told you yesterday she was missing. And also to make sure you planned to arrest Reese when they got back.”
Shannon raised her eyebrows. “Why would I do that?”
“Gross negligence. He never should have taken Ella on this trip and put her in danger. I don’t think she actually wanted to go. I think he either tricked her into it or took her against her will. It’s just not like her.”
“So you’ve said. But everything points to her going on this trip because she wanted to. You even admitted she told you that herself. So do you have any new information to add?”
He shifted from foot to foot. “No. I just wanted to know how the search was going. If you’d started yesterday, she might have been found. If something happens to her…”
Shannon’s gaze narrowed and hardened. Tony didn’t think Shannon would take well to a threat and hoped Lucas had sense enough to swallow what Tony thought he was about to say.
When Lucas didn’t continue, she did. “We have teams out searching for them. The best thing you can do is go home and wait for news.” Didn’t he have a fiancée? His respect for Lucas was plummeting rapidly. What was his game? Why was he so interested in Ella when they weren’t together? Hadn’t he and Ella been engaged? Did he still have feelings for her? Or was it because she was with Reese? Men could be territorial.
Tony leaned over. “Hey, Lucas. It’s going to be okay. The sheriff has the best team out there. Reese knows what he’s doing. If you have any information on who could be after them, that would be helpful. Any ideas?”
Lucas frowned and shook his head. “I didn’t know anyone was after them. I just didn’t think she was safe with Reese. You know he got his men killed in Afghanistan, right?”
Shannon shot Tony a look. Oops. He’d divulged information. True, anyone with a radio or a scanner knew or could figure out what was going on. Since it was a small town, news would travel fast. He was trying to help, but he’d put his foot in it, and Shannon wasn’t pleased. And things had been going so well.
He leaned back, hands raised. “Lucas, I haven’t preached on gossip for a while, but repeating information that you don’t have first-hand knowledge of only creates division and not unity. If you have some concern about information you’ve heard about Reese, you should talk to him directly.”
Lucas glanced away before turning back to them. “Sorry. I’m just worried about Ella. And I don’t trust Reese. No one seems to take my concerns seriously, and now she’s in trouble.”
Shannon used a calming tone. “We don’t know that.” Her radio crackled, and she turned her attention to it.
It was the team of feds checking in. “We found their tents, sleeping bags, and bear canister with food. And one pack. But no sign of them.”
“Location?” She pulled out her map, running a finger over it. She was pointing to a spot farther away from the trailhead and from where Raul had heard from them earlier. Perhaps it was a place they’d camped at earlier in their trip.
Tony’s mind flipped through possibilities. None of them good. Reese and Ella were without food and shelter.
“Document and bring it in,” Shannon said into the radio. “Report any blood or sign of struggle.”
She turned to Tony then realized Lucas was still there. “Lucas, go home. There’s nothing you can do here.”
His face was pale. “Was that Ella’s tent they found? What is she going to do without shelter? It’ll get below freezing tonight.”
“We’re handling it. Reese is an experienced survivalist.”
Lucas stared at them, his gaze begging them for… something. Finally, he turned and headed to his vehicle. But it was a long moment before he actually drove away.
She turned to Tony and rubbed her hand over her face. “I hope that food gets here soon. And I don’t like what the feds and Raul found. Were Reese and Ella chased off by a bear or mountain lion? Or is there another person or persons after them? What would make them leave critical supplies behind?”
“I don’t think we’ll know for sure until Reese and Ella get back and tell us. But what you told Lucas is true. Reese is good at what he’s doing.”
She nodded. “If it were an animal, they would have circled back once the threat was gone. The only thing that would make Reese abandon critical gear would be a significant threat like a wildfire coming at them—which didn’t happen—or someone putting their lives in danger. And given what he said to Raul on the radio, it seems he knows someone is after them.”
Tony leaned back. “So let’s assume two sets of pursuers. The one down here that shot at Raul and the other chasing Reese and Ella through the woods. Reese has to be better than anyone they’d send after him and Ella.”
“But Ella’s the weak link. She’s not as experienced as Reese or as physically fit.”
“True. But we can’t do anything about that. So what does two groups of pursuers tell us?” His role was to support her and be a sounding board. And hopefully make up for his earlier mistake.
“That it’s not some random crazy chasing them. That it’s someone with an agenda. And that makes me think of Lorde.”
“He did offer to help.”
“Yeah.” She scoffed. “To get our intel and find out what we know. If he spotted them, you can be sure he’d try to get his men there first.”
“Any chance it could be anyone else? I’ll admit I don’t like the guy; he’s hiding something. But let’s not rule anything out prematurely. What’s his motive?”
She shot him a glance and a wry smile. “You sound a lot like McCann. He’s always cautioning me against focusing on Lorde. As to motive, I don’t know. But my guess would be that Reese and Ella stumbled onto something he didn’t want them to see. I’ve been convinced he’s behind illegal grows in the national forest. Not my jurisdiction, but it affects my town. If they saw something, he’d be motivated to make sure they didn’t stay alive to say what they saw. And to serve as a warning to others.”
His gaze on her softened. She was under a lot of pressure, and lives were at stake. “Let’s say it is Lorde. What then? You can’t just march into his office and demand he stop going after Reese and Ella. Even Walt Longrin couldn’t do that. There’s no proof.”
“Just my gut. And it’s telling me they’re running out of time.”