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—Banks—
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The instant I checked my ringing phone, my heart dropped. Work didn’t call me on my off days unless it was important.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey Banksy, Dana here. I’m going to cut straight to the chase, is Simone with you?”
My back-and-forth pacing halted. “No. Why?”
“Darn,” Dana hissed. “Wendy at the LP called in. Simone planned to walk the Saddleback by herself today and hasn’t checked in as planned. She was meant to be back this afternoon but, like I said, she hasn’t contacted Wendy.”
“Has someone called her?” I asked, trying my hardest to remain calm despite warning bells going off like crazy in my head.
“Phone’s dead,” Dana explained.
“Fuck. Okay, what time was she expected back?”
“4 p.m. at the latest.”
I checked my watch. “She’s almost two hours late. How long ago did the call come in?”
“Just got it,” Dana stated.
“Fuck! Is the team assembling?”
“As we speak.”
My decision was easy. “I’m coming in.”
“I didn’t ring you for—"
“Dana, I’m coming in regardless. Especially because it’s Simone. Give me twenty, and I’ll be there with Pepin.”
“I’ll add you to the team delegations,” she declared, knowing there was no changing my mind. “See you soon.”
“Yep.”
As soon as I plucked Pepin’s harness from the hook by my front door, she clicked into work mode. Ears and eyes alert, she sat at my heel ready for instructions.
“Good girl,” I praised while clipping her harness into place. “It’s work time.”
Her head cocked to the side in recognition of the term ‘work time’, and by the time I’d laced my boots and shouldered my grab bag, she was scratching at the door ready to get started.
I called Leif as Pepin and I jumped into my truck and the call automatically connected to hands-free when I started the engine.
My brother picked up as I reversed onto the road. “Hey, what’s up, Banksy?”
“Hey, man. Where do you keep the spare key to the cottage? Simone went hiking today and appears to have not returned, so a SAR has been called. I’m taking Pepin with me and need something with Simone’s scent on.”
Leif’s voice brimmed with concern. “Shit, of course, dude. The key’s at mine. I can let you in remotely.”
“Thanks, man.” I drove to his place, half a mile up the road into the cedarwoods.
“Is she missing missing, or just ‘forgot to turn up to work’ type of missing?” he asked.
“She’s pretty diligent, bro. It’s not something that would easily slip her mind. Besides, she planned to contact her boss this afternoon when she got back. Her boss was the one who called it in.”
“Ah fuck,” Leif hissed.
“Yeah.” I slowed to wind my way up his swanky as fuck driveway. “I’m here now.”
“Cool. I see you, but I don’t want to see your ass this time, Banksy.”
Snorting, I allowed a hint of humor to rise through the worry, then pulled up at the grand front entrance of his home.
“Let me in,” I demanded, while flipping off his security camera.
His voice came wry. “I’d make you beg any other time. The keys are hanging on the hooks; it’s the one with an old leather strap attached. The door will automatically relock behind you when you leave.”
“Thanks, bro.”
“Anytime. Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
I disconnected and left Pepin in the truck while I rushed into my big brother’s house and snatched the spare cottage key from its allocated hook.
Making sure the door was indeed re-locked behind me, I flipped off the camera knowing he’d still be watching me from his office in town, then did a tight circle in his front yard. Not speeding down his winding driveway and out onto the road was impossible, and I reached the cottage in record time.
Pepin barked once when we came to a stop in the driveway, and I swung the driver’s door open while issuing the command, “Pepin, come.”
She jumped from the cab and ran by my side to the front door. The key let me in without protest, and I immediately felt like I was entering a forbidden area.
Simone’s fragrance assaulted me from every angle, as if physical tendrils reached out and pulled me farther into her space. I paused at the threshold of her bedroom, knowing this was the best place to find a strong-scented item, but unable to shake the strong immoral sense.
“Pepin, seek,” I commanded, then followed her into Simone’s room. I let her sniff around and was happy when she nosed a discarded hoodie tossed on the edge of the bed.
I plucked it up, and my heart dropped. We couldn’t use this. Simone’s scent would be all over it, but it was Reagan’s hoodie. It wouldn’t be right if I took it.
After praising Pepin, I asked her to seek again, happier when she nosed a pair of soft sweatpants that were discarded on the floor by Simone’s drawers.
“Good girl, Pep.” I made a quick fuss over her, then rushed her from the house.
I quickly locked up and raced Pepin back to my truck. While I reversed onto the street, Pepin stood on the passenger seat and sniffed over Simone’s pants. She barked sharply, letting me know she knew who we were searching for.
“We’ll find her, Pep. You haven’t let me down yet, and I know you won’t this time either.”
We pulled into work in a helluva hurry and found a spot in the brimming parking lot.
All heads in the briefing room turned my way as Pepin and I entered. After a quick round of greetings and acknowledgments, I got Pep settled in her corner with Simone’s clothing, then pulled up a seat at the large oval table. With time stopping for no one, everyone in attendance was well aware that we were rapidly approaching nightfall.
Dana clapped her hands to get the briefing underway. “Simone Jamison, believed to be mid-twenties—”
“She’s twenty-six,” I cut in.
“Twenty-six, thank you, Banks,” Dana acknowledged. “Simone’s suggested and therefore assumed hiking route was the Saddleback loop. It’s believed that she is not equipped for an overnight in the mountains, as she had told her employer to expect her back this afternoon. She has not shown up, nor has she made contact.
“The plan from here is to split into two teams; Aaron’s team will head up the Western branch, and Sam’s team will veer off to the Falls as a precautionary search just in case she ended up there. Banks, you and Pepin go with Aaron; I’m hoping Simone is located before the actual saddle as we all know that’s not a great place to spend the night.
“If the search of the Falls comes up empty, Sam’s team will then commence walking the Saddleback loop from the East. However, we need to be mindful that more people on the track means more scent-sorting for Pepin, so we might downsize your group, Sam, if it comes to that.”
Bile pushed my heart into my throat. The thought of Simone floating in the falls had me biting back nausea that pitched without warning. Surely, she wouldn’t be silly enough to swim in the Falls by herself... Surely.
Dana continued, unaware of my internal turmoil. “I’ll remain here coordinating HQ. SAT phones need to be set to channel one and tested before we depart. Does anyone have any questions?”
After a resounding no, Dana declared the mission active. With my heart pounding in my throat, we broke into teams to finalize the smaller details, then set out.
With Pepin and the gear loaded, we converged en masse at the parking lot at the start of the Falls and Saddleback track and set out no more than thirty minutes after I’d joined the team at HQ.
I gave Pepin a reminder sniff of Simone’s pants, then commanded, “Seek.”
With her nose to the ground, Pepin led the search party into the cedarwoods. The long lead attached to her harness pulled tight as she systematically searched the trail ahead of us, seeking any hint of our missing girl.
Despite knowing this wasn’t a process we could rush, I willed Pep to pick up on Simone’s scent sooner rather than later. The barest hint was all it took for her to be nose-down and following it.
Every hundred yards we stopped to shout, then listened with frozen breaths for a reply. Each attempt came back fruitless. With Hilary’s death and funeral still sharp in our minds, our desperation to find Simone increased as evening waned into night.
~
We reached the Saddleback summit just after 9 p.m. after following Pepin’s quick pace for the last hour. She sniffed thoroughly around the rocky outcrop, indicating that Simone had spent some time there in the last twelve hours. Our concern over the theory of Simone falling over the side of the cliff vanished when Pepin picked up on another scent trail that led us along the ridge, then reentered the tree line.
On the descent, we repeated the search process: let Pepin search, stopped every hundred yards to call out, then listened.
All was futile until finally, mercifully, a high-pitched sound, barely audible and carried on the breeze, reached my ears. For a second, I thought I’d imagined it until I glanced at Pepin; her ears were pricked in the downhill direction and her entire body, from snout to tail, stood streamlined and alert.
“Was that her, Pep?” I asked, feeling hope welling.
Pepin looked at me briefly before chuffing. She took another quick sniff on Simone’s pants when I offered them, then pulled hard on the lead.
“Guys, Pepin’s got something. And I swear I heard someone calling.”
Aaron shifted closer. “I thought I heard something too, so I think we’re getting closer. Eyes and ears open, everyone,” he instructed.
Pepin pulled and tugged on the lead as she zig-zagged along the track. Another hundred yards on, we all stopped, yelled, then listened with bated breath.
“Help,” carried along the still night air, making Pepin bark and tug at the lead.
Being the designated lead, Aaron yelled back, “We’re coming, Simone!”
I had to bite down and hold my tongue when all I wanted to do was tell my team to hurry the fuck up; we sure as hell weren’t dawdling.
Minutes on, we came to a place where obvious scuff marks marred the side of the trail, indicating that someone had slid down.
“Simone?” Aaron called.
“Down here!” came her small voice.
Pepin barked and tugged, and when I unclipped her lead, she catapulted over the edge without hesitation. Despite us not reaching Simone yet, knowing Pepin would find and wait with her was a huge relief. My girl wouldn’t be alone in the dark any longer.
I was first to drop down into the rocky stream bed. The beam of my headlamp bounced off the undergrowth and along the boulders bordering the stream until Simone and Pepin became illuminated.
My heart dropped. Simone lay curled on her side with one arm around Pepin, keeping her tucked close, no doubt for warmth. Pepin, being her usual careful self, whimpered and nuzzled Simone until her eyes reopened.
Simone’s pale complexion was amplified by the headlamp light, and she squinted against the brightness. “Banks?”
“Hey, baby, I’m here. You’re going to be okay,” I murmured. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
I immediately set to work wrapping her in a woolen blanket from my bag while the rest of the team descended from the track.
My eyes scanned Simone’s body as I worked. “Whatcha doing down here, babe?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light while I carefully felt around her head for obvious injury.
“Thirsty...”
“We’ll give you some fluids in a moment...” I trailed off when I touched a wound, then winced when I saw tacky, dark blood on my fingertips. “You’ve hit your head. Is there pain anywhere else?”
“My leg,” she whispered, tapping the offending leg under the blanket.
“Okay, we’ll look at that too.”
My fingers found her wrist, and I quietened while I counted. Once all the others arrived at the scene, I gave them a brief rundown.
“She appears to have slipped. Dazed, obvious injury to the left side of her head; however, no fresh bleeding. Complaining of a sore leg, also the left one. Pulse is weak but steady. I’d say core temp is low.”
Aaron flicked back the blanket and gently moved to her leg. Simone groaned when he gently felt down her shin to her ankle.
I held her hands and squeezed. “It’s okay, babe. Aaron’s just trying to pinpoint the injury.”
His headlamp found me. “It’s her ankle. Visibly swollen and bruised. Shoe has been removed, and I’d say it’s a severe strain or break.” Aaron’s eyes then flicked to Jacko standing over my shoulder. “Jacko, radio HQ with the update. The helo is on standby, and I think we’re gonna need it.”
“On it.”
I shifted closer on my knees and gently searched through Simone’s hair for the gash. She groaned and inhaled sharply as I got close.
“Sorry, babe. You’ve got one helluva bump here.”
“Headache,” she murmured.
I ran a hand down her face and kept smoothing my thumb across her cheek. “I know, sweetheart. We’ll give you something for the pain in a minute.”
She hugged Pepin tighter and nodded.
“Aaron,” Jacko called, “Helo is ten minutes out. Let’s get her prepped.”
The team moved around us while I explained the plan to Simone. “A helicopter is on its way to pick you up. They’re going to lower a stretcher and we’ll need to stabilize your neck, then roll you onto your back and lift you onto it. A helicopter crewman will be winched up with you and accompany you to the hospital.”
Simone’s eyes flew open. “No hospitals.”
“You need to go. Not just to get your head and ankle seen to, but you’ll be dehydrated and perhaps a little hypothermic.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to go to the hospital.” Her fingers clawed my hand in surprising desperation. “Please, Banks. Don’t make me go.”
“I’m afraid it’s not optional, Simone,” I soothed. “You need to.”
Tears sprang and gathered in the corner of her eyes and for the first time since we arrived, she cried. “Hospitals are where people go to die.”
My heart bottomed out.
Reagan.
I smoothed my thumb tenderly across her cheekbone. “I’m sorry, baby. It’s gotta be done. You could get really sick from this, and you need to be checked out.”
More tears rolled out from under her closed eyelashes. “I need to call Wendy, she’s expecting me.”
“Wendy’s sorted. She called us.”
Simone gritted her teeth and tried another deflection tactic. “She might need me to work tonight.”
“The hell you’re going to work!” I snapped, unable to tamp the rising burst of frustration. I wasn’t angry; just worried out of my goddamn mind. Her going to work was going to happen over my dead body.
Thankfully, Aaron diffused the tension. “Simone, I’m going to need you to wriggle your toes for me, darlin’.”
She winced but managed a small movement. “It hurts.”
“And if I touch here, is the pain the same, or worse?”
Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated. “Same.”
“And here?”
“The same.”
“What about h—”
“Ouch!” Simone yelled.
Aaron nodded. “All right, I’m going to put an immobilizer around it for the journey, but I think it’s a strain rather than an actual break, and it’s definitely not a dislocation.”
Beating helicopter blades sounded in the distance.
“Couple of mins out,” Jacko informed us, shining a spotlight skyward as a reference point for the pilot.
I leaned in and kissed Simone’s cheek, not caring that the team was unaware of my informal relationship with her.
“You’re gonna be in safe hands, babe. And I’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as I can.”
“I don’t want to be there alone,” she sobbed.
“You won’t be. I’ll make sure of it,” I promised, deciding to call Mom straight after this.
Simone gripped my hands harder as the helicopter hovered overhead. “Please! Please don’t make me go. I— I c—”
I gritted my teeth to remain staunch. Her beggin’ tore strips off my heart. “You can, and you will. But you must relax. If you’re not calm, it’s unsafe to winch you.”
Her breath came harder and faster. “No! I can’t!” She gripped her throat and panted, eyes wide, wild, and panicked.
Aaron and I exchanged a look. One that relayed silent decisions. She needed to be sedated as a matter of safety.
With a nod, he came to Simone’s head. “Simone, are you taking any prescribed medication?”
She looked at me, then at Aaron when he leaned close. “Yes.”
“Which is?” he pressed.
Her expression scrunched as she thought. “I can’t remember what it’s called. It’s for depression and anxiety.”
He nodded again, then looked to Olivia, one of our paramedics in charge of the medical bag. “Low dose sedative, Olivia.”
Olivia worked in calm silence, then came to Simone’s side and took her hand from mine.
“Hey, Simone. I’m Olivia, Banks’s friend. I’ve got fluids here plus a little something to help settle your nerves. Are you okay if I administer both via an IV line?”
Simone nodded while keeping her eyes closed. “Yeah.”
“I’m going to need your arm, hon,” Olivia explained as she gently reached under the blanket. Pepin being Pepin, she didn’t move, so Olivia calmly worked around her.
A spear of heartache shot through me when Simone’s arm unfurled; it was the one that bore the brunt of her self-harm. Olivia immediately saw the marks and glanced at me with alarm filling her expression.
“I know,” I whispered close to her ear.
With a sad, understanding nod, Olivia turned back to the job at hand. “Sharp scratch, hon,” she murmured.
Simone, bless her, didn’t flinch at the first needle, then barely winced when the second, larger IV line was inserted.
Olivia packed away the used equipment while I monitored Simone’s vitals. By the time Freddy winched from the helicopter with the stretcher, Simone had calmed considerably and dozed alongside Pepin.
Once the stretcher was stabilized, I gently roused her. “Simone, darlin’, we need to move you now. We’re going to fit a neck brace to you first, then turn you onto your back, then lift you onto the stretcher. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” came her sleepy voice.
She remained dozy as we got her prepped and strapped, and I made one last promise before Freddy winched my girl into the helo hovering above.
“You’re in safe hands. I’ll see you soon, babe.” I leaned over and pressed my lips to hers, then spoke under my breath against the shell of her ear. “I love you, baby.”
