Smitty looked down at the map of the ranch on his desk and then glanced around his office in the barn and caught eyes with the makeshift rescue squad. The fact that his darlin’ girl had been missing all night and he’d been unavailable put a lump in his throat. And the thought of what frozen hell she could be going through had him so choked up he could barely speak.
Smitty swallowed hard, locked eyes on Duke, and asked in a way that sounded more suspicious than intended. “You’re sure they went this way?” He tapped his index finger on an area of the ranch west of the drill site. “Headed for the runway?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Duke nodded. “That was always the plan.”
Smitty glanced around at the others, to find them looking as worried as he felt. As a whole, they weren’t much of a search-and-rescue team, but until Crowley put an official group together, their makeshift posse would have to do.
Smitty looked to Lacey. “If you can go back out to the drill site and post up there, that’d help. Maybe they’ll double back and find it again.” He turned to Crystal and Ike. “I want you two to ride the roads. Nine times out of ten, if a lost person finds one, they’re going to stay on it.”
A look over at Bo, and Smitty ordered, “Go on over to the hangar and turn on all the lights, including the landing strip. They might see them if they’re heading that way.”
Bo looked concerned and Smitty knew why. He’d hinted at his plan on the way over.
“What about you?” Bo asked. “Hope you’re not planning on something foolish.”
“I’m gonna take the Gator and try to follow their trail out in the sandhills.”
There was a collective look of dread from everyone, but Crystal spoke first.
“Babe, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to get Savanah back safe, but I don’t want to lose you too. What if you get turned around out there?”
“I won’t,” Smitty said, although it was purely for show. “Know this place like the back of my hand. Can find my way around it blindfolded. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get good and bundled up. But that Gator is the only way we can maneuver through those dunes. And it’s way too cold to take a horse. It’s either this or I’ll have to walk.”
Smitty knew there’d be no further arguing from anyone. What he was saying was just cold hard facts.
Duke piped up. “What about me? What am I supposed to do?”
Smitty wanted to tell him to leave town and never come back. But he forced a smile and made up a job for him. “Want you to stay here and wait for Vicky. She’ll be back once she’s coordinated a rescue team. Tell her where we all went, so there’s no wasted effort.”
Before Duke could argue, Smitty looked around at the others. “Any questions?” He gave them a millisecond to respond and then clapped his hands. “All right, let’s go.”
Ike turned to Crystal as he drove his black Ford Raptor down the oil field past the Boone 92-H. “You want to stay with Lacey? I know she’s your friend. No problem to go back.”
They’d seen to it that Lacey was set up for the wait at the drill site, which she’d do in her warm Chevy. Ike had her turn the headlights west in case the kids returned.
“I’d rather be on the move,” Crystal replied. “Think I’d go crazy just sitting around.”
Ike tapped on the brakes and pulled his truck to a stop. “Know exactly what you mean. Only really makes sense for one of us to drive these roads. Think I’m gonna try something else.”
Crystal looked at him like he was nuts. “What are you talking about?”
Ike reached back and grabbed his thick coat from the floorboard. “Want to go to that crash site and have a look around. Even if it was the plan to head west toward the runway, I just don’t think they could make it that far. Especially with both kids injured.”
“Going on foot seems like a bad idea.” Crystal’s eyes were pleading. “What if you get lost?”
Ike held up his iPhone. “I’ve got satellite on here. Marked where the wreck was on the map. Then I dropped points at the drill site where we left Lacey. It’ll be cold as hell, but I can find my way to the Polaris and back with navigation.” As she was about to argue, he cut her off. “Plus Ray’s headed out that way in the Gator. Chances are we’ll find each other, anyhow.”
Crystal stared out ahead through the windshield, looking a little frightened. Between the howling wind and swirling icy flakes that pecked at the window, it was clear this was no ordinary storm.
“You sure about this?” she asked. “You heard Duke. Seemed certain they were headed west.”
Ike didn’t know how much he should say about Duke. The kid was a scumbag for sure, but he was still her son. Still, his whole story seemed a bit too polished.
“I know what Duke said,” Ike conceded, “but I also know it’s easy to think you know something for a fact when you really don’t.”
She whipped back around, clearly offended. “So, you think he’s lying?”
“Nope. Just confused, that’s all. And when everybody’s looking to you for answers, particularly when it comes to life and death, sometimes it’s hard to say you don’t know.”
“I can see that happening.” Crystal looked back out ahead at the headlights, which captured a vortex of swirling snow. “Hard to deliver bad news, I guess.”
“Nothing harder,” Ike agreed, thinking of his own situation, right then and there about Duke. Wanting to get the focus off her son, he pivoted back to the strategy. “Ray’s right, you know. If the kids stumble upon a road, they’re going to stay on it.”
“Think so?” Her voice cracked and tears poured. “Because I can’t bear the thought of—”
Ike reached over the console and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I know, Crystal. I know. You just keep driving this road. Back and forth between here and the main barn. With me and Ray out there and you and Lacey along the road, that’ll cover all our bases.”
Crystal quickly wiped away her tears. “If you find our little girl, you take care of her, okay?”
Ike threw on his coat, zipped it up, and opened the door to face an immediate whap of frozen wind that nearly ripped it off its hinges. He pulled the stocking hat over his eyebrows and the hood over his head.
“Make you a deal.” Ike thwacked his knuckles a couple of times on the dashboard and stepped outside. “You take care of my girl, and I’ll take care of yours.”
Crystal smiled as she slid into the driver’s seat. “Black Betty’s in good hands with me.”