by Kathi Daley
“Should we ask Dani about using the chopper?”
I shook my head. “She has a charter today.” I glanced at the clock. “She’s actually already in the air. She’ll be out of town until tomorrow afternoon. I suppose we can call her to come up when she gets back if we decide her presence would be useful. Based on what I saw in my vision, there’s a lot of tree cover in the area where the cabin is located, and unless they decide to use wood for the stove rather than the generator, we’ll never find them. We wouldn’t have found them the last time if we hadn’t caught a break by following the trail from the smoke.” I got up and began tidying up the kitchen. “I wish we could use the chopper, but I think this rescue mission is going to need to be accomplished the hard way.”
“You mean by wandering around in subfreezing temperatures looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“Exactly.”
Chapter 9
By the time Houston returned, I’d packed my bags, walked the dogs, fed and provided fresh water to the animals in the barn, and made all my calls. Jake assured me he had things handled at Neverland and made me promise to check in with him. Serena was fine at the shelter, and Justine was fine to stay at my place and look after the kids. Jake offered to check in with her as well. Denali was a protective dog, so I couldn’t ask just anyone to stay at the cabin, but he loved both Justine and Jake, so I was sure they’d be just fine.
The road heading north out of Rescue was desolate. There was one small waystation with a bar and a gas station about eighty miles north, and then there’s nothing until you hit Huntsville, the small town where Houston and I planned to stay. Although Houston had filled his tank before we’d left Rescue, there was an unwritten Alaskan law that basically stated that when traveling in this part of the state, you never passed up a chance to top off your tank.
“There’s a truck stop on the map that’s about thirty minutes from here. Should we stop?” Houston asked after we’d been driving for a while.”
“We should. We’ll top off the tank, grab some coffee, and use the restrooms. If you’re hungry, grab a snack. While it appears that the next little town isn’t all that far down the road, it’s a rough road to travel in the winter, and you never know what might happen along the way.”
Houston nodded. “Okay. We’ll stop. I could use a refill of coffee and a chance to stretch my legs.” He looked into the back seat where both dogs were riding. “I think the dogs would appreciate the chance to stretch their legs as well.”
The truck stop was really little more than a bar, gas station, and mini-mart. The owner lived in an apartment over the bar and the only employee, other than the owner, lived in a wilderness cabin not far away. I headed toward the ladies’ room while Houston topped off the tank. I figured we could both take the dogs for a quick walk and refill our coffee before continuing.
“By the way,” I said after we’d let the dogs out and headed across the dirt lot. “Did you have a chance to do a search for other missing girls in either Alaska or Canada?”
“I did. I didn’t find any other girls who went missing in Alaska during the last year, but I did find three girls in Canada who were taken three years ago. They never did turn up.”
I really, really hated to hear that.
“It occurred to me that our kidnapper might work in different areas, so I searched other states and found two girls missing from Oregon and one from Washington State last winter. All were either eleven or twelve, and none were ever seen again.”
“Sounds like this guy has a contract to kidnap these girls, but he moves around so as not to be easily caught. Anything before that?” I asked as we returned to the truck and piled in.
“I didn’t find any missing girls from the Pacific Northwest, Western Canada, or Alaska prior to three years ago, but I didn’t have a lot of time to look. I did find an eleven-year-old boy named Jeremy Taylor from North Pole, Alaska, who seems to have gone missing four years ago. Well, sort of.”
“What do you mean by sort of?”
“I’m not absolutely sure the boy is actually missing. The report I read stated that the eleven-year-old girl who lived next door to Jeremy told her parents that she was afraid something had happened to him. I guess she used to see him on a daily basis, and then all of a sudden, he was gone. The girl’s parents called the police, who spoke to the boy’s father. Jeremy’s father told the police officer who interviewed him that Jeremy was simply visiting an uncle. The police officer had no reason to question his statement, but he made a note in the file that something seemed off.”
“If Jeremy had been kidnapped, why would his father lie?” I asked as Houston pulled onto the highway. “Besides, a boy doesn’t necessarily fit the pattern of the missing girls you’ve identified.”
“That’s true, but I did some checking, and Jeremy never did return to North Pole. The whole thing feels off to me.”
“So, you think Jeremy is the fifteen-year-old boy Bella told us about, and I’ve supposedly been connecting with?”
“Maybe. According to what I could find, Jeremy seems to share a similar coloring and build as the boy Bella described. I also found it interesting that Jeremy was born deaf.”
“That has to be him. I’ve suspected that it might be possible the person I’ve been connecting with is deaf. And if Jeremy is the boy I’ve been channeling, being deaf might explain why the kidnapper is able to control him so easily. Did you find any other information about the boy?”
“Jeremy’s mother died when he was an infant. He was raised by an abusive man who didn’t think it was worth the time and effort it would take to send a deaf child to school, so he basically just made use of his height and strength to assist him with his lumber company. Based on information gained from the interviews that were conducted by the police at the time of his disappearance, it seems that Jeremy’s father treated him more like an object than a person. He was never able to have friends, and he never seemed to learn how to interact with others.”
I thought about the boy I’d connected with. It had been hard to read his thoughts since he didn’t “think” in words, but he didn’t seem like the sort of person who would kill someone. I did wonder how he’d gotten hooked up with the man with the ski mask. Had he been kidnapped, or had he gone with him willingly in an effort to escape his abusive father?
“So, as far as you know, Jeremy had no friends?” I verified, even though Houston had just said as much.
“None, except for Laura, the girl who lived next door and reported him as missing in the first place. According to Laura, Jeremy never spoke to her or anyone for that matter. She told the officer who interviewed her that she would sometimes sit with him and talk about her day.” Houston sped up a bit as the road flattened out. “Laura shared that even though she knew Jeremy couldn’t hear what she was saying, he seemed to enjoy just sitting with her. She also told the investigator that he’d watch her intently as she spoke, and felt that she might have been able to teach him to communicate if they would have had more time together.”
“What did Laura look like?”
“Laura was an eleven year old with blond hair at the time of Jeremy’s disappearance.”
“So maybe Lily reminds him of Laura.”
“Maybe.”
Jeremy. I rolled the name around in my mind. Perhaps when I next connected with the boy, I’d try out the name and see what sort of response I got. Of course, if Jeremy was deaf and had never been taught words, then he probably had no idea he even had a name. Still, it couldn’t hurt to try to connect again. If Lily reminded Jeremy of one of the only people in his life who was ever kind to him, then maybe, just maybe, he’d be willing to do whatever it took to rescue her.
“Do you have a photo of Laura?” I asked.
“I have a photo of her four years ago when she was interviewed. At least, I have a photo in the file which I can access from my laptop.”
“The boy I’ve been connecting with thinks in images and intentions rather than words. I’m
going to try to conjure up a picture of Laura in my mind the next time I connect with him and see what happens. If nothing else, his reaction will probably tell us whether or not it’s Jeremy who is currently with the girls.”
“I’ll pull up a photo when we get to the room. Did you have any trouble getting reservations?”
“No. The place has a lot of vacancies at this time of the year. As I indicated I planned to, I booked two rooms for two nights, but the man I spoke to said that if we needed to extend, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I remember that you told me that when you came north with Shredder, the Grizzly Inn was filled to capacity, and you had to share a room.”
I nodded. “We did have to share, but it was Christmastime, and the town was bursting with visitors. We just happened to ask about a room shortly after someone had called and canceled, or we wouldn’t have gotten the room we had.” I found I was actually looking forward to staying at the inn again. I remembered that the place was warm and comfy, and I remembered the food as being excellent.
“I have to admit that I’m starving,” Houston said as he sped up just a bit. “Perhaps I should have grabbed something from the little store at the gas station while we were there, as you suggested.”
“Yeah. It’s going to be a while before we arrive at our destination. The road only gets worse from here. It’s a straight shot, which helps, but it’s also icy and filled with unseen potholes. The only way to get there in one piece is to take it slow.”
I’d only traveled this road a handful of times in my lifetime, but, generally speaking, my memories of this particular stretch of pavement were fond ones. There was the time I’d come with my parents, and we’d happened across a herd of wild caribou just before Christmas. I was sure they were Santa’s reindeer. And then, when I came with Shredder three Christmases ago, there was the mystery of the mysterious handoff to keep my mind engaged. I supposed I had felt a certain amount of stress when I’d come with Shredder, but the stress I’d felt then was nothing compared to the stress I felt now, knowing that the lives of innocent children were at stake.
“Are you okay?” Houston asked. “You keep grimacing and rubbing your head.”
“I’m fine.” I continued to rub my head. “I guess I’m still feeling the after-effects of my efforts to connect with the boy this morning, but I’ll be fine.” I looked out the window as the snowy landscape sped past. “I’ve always enjoyed this drive.”
“It’s beautiful,” he agreed.
“Have you thought about how we’re going to proceed once we reach the inn?”
He hesitated. “The only advantage we seem to have is your connection with the boy. I did pull up all sorts of maps: topographical maps, maps of seasonal cabins, roads, snowmobile trails, even dog sled routes. I suppose that will give us a place to search, but I really think our best bet is if you can connect with him again. Maybe you can convince this boy to really work with us to get those girls to safety. At the very least, maybe you can confirm that the group is still in the same cabin where they were this morning.”
“Yeah.” I cringed as a pain that felt like a knife sliced through my brain. “Connecting will really be the secret to a successful trip.”
Houston turned and glanced at me. “I really hate that you have to do this when it’s obvious that it causes you so much pain. Maybe we can figure out another way.”
“There is no other way. Not without an endless amount of time to look around, which we both know that we don’t have. I’ll be fine,” I assured him.
He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t try to talk me out of it either.
Bearpaw Peak could be seen in the distance as we neared the town. We still had a few hours of sunlight left, and I wondered if maybe we shouldn’t make use of it while we had it. There’s an old road that wasn’t maintained but was used by those living in the area. I suspected that with Houston’s heavy-duty truck, we could travel at least part of the way down the road for a closer look. I doubted the cabins were accessible by motorized vehicles other than snowmobiles or a Snowcat, of course, but it still seemed that it might be a good use of the light we had to get as close as we were able to before checking in at the inn. I suggested as much to Houston, and he agreed.
“You’ll need to tell me where to turn,” Houston said.
I paused as I tried to remember exactly where the old service road was located. “The turn is going to be on your left. The road won’t have been plowed, but it should be packed down by snowmobiles and local traffic. I’d say the road should appear within the next ten to fifteen minutes, based on our current speed. I’ll help you watch for it.” I turned around and looked at the dogs, who were sitting up and looking out the windows on either side of the back seat. “You do have tire chains, don’t you? Just in case.”
“I have chains. Hopefully, we won’t need them.” He slowed down just a bit, so he wouldn’t pass the road. “How’s your headache?”
“It’s okay,” I lied. I narrowed my gaze as I focused on the landscape to the left. The road wasn’t a main highway and wouldn’t be marked by a sign. If we didn’t want to miss it, we were going to have to pay attention.
As the road approached, Houston slowed even more. We made the turn and then followed the road as far as it felt safe, given the condition of the hard-packed snow. Once we’d gone as far as we felt comfortable going without using the tire chains, Houston pulled over and parked. We let the dogs out of the truck, and then we followed them down the road. At this point, the mountain was clearly visible. I tried to get a feel for the cabin’s location, based on the angle from which I’d viewed the cabin through the boy’s eyes.
“This feels wrong,” I said as I looked toward the mountain. “We’re looking at the mountain from the south. I feel like the boy looked at the mountain from the north.” I paused and looked around. “Once we get to the inn, we’ll take a look at the maps.” I thought back to what I’d seen. “There’s this little gully on the mountain. I assume an avalanche created it at some point. The gully is deep enough that you can really pick it out. It sort of looks like a crooked cross. Based on what I remember, I was looking right at that cross when the boy looked toward the mountain, or when I did through his eyes. I’ll have to look at a map to know for sure, but I do seem to remember that the cross is on the northern side of the mountain, which means we’ll need to travel north of town.”
“Is there a road?” Houston asked.
I laughed. “Yes, if you can call it that. It’s going to make the road we just traveled seem like a freshly paved expressway. Still, as long as it doesn’t snow, we should be fine. It’s actually been pretty dry all week. Once we get lined up, we’ll need to take the snowmobiles and continue toward the cabins. We’ll want to bring our snowshoes with us as well.”
Houston looked toward the sky. “It’s getting dark. I guess we should continue to the inn.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. The short days of winter really did make it hard to get much done when what needed to be accomplished really couldn’t be done in the dark.
Houston called the dogs and loaded them into the truck. I settled into the front seat and closed my eyes. My head was already pounding, and I hadn’t attempted to connect for a second time as we’d discussed. I probably should have brought Moose with us, but he hated riding in cars, so I supposed I’d have to dig deep and find the strength to do this on my own.
Chapter 10
The Grizzly Inn, which catered to hunters and fishermen during the summer, spring, and fall, was rustic. During December, the inn played host to people who came to the small town looking for the magic of Christmas, but it was mostly empty during the remainder of winter, which meant we had our choice of rooms. I remembered from my trips in the past that all the rooms were nice, so I simply asked for adjoining rooms, each with a fireplace and attached bath.
Houston and I split up after registering. We decided to take a few minutes to wash up and settle in, and then we planned to meet in the lobby, f
rom which we would head out to find a meal. When Shredder and I’d been here, we’d had pizza, which actually sounded really good, providing, of course, that the same little pizza parlor was still around two years later.
I supposed I could simply ask the desk clerk if the little pizza parlor was still around. It would save us a trip if it wasn’t.
Once I settled into my room, I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to fall asleep, but I really did need to find a way to quell the pain in my head. I supposed I should get up and take a couple painkillers. Not the prescription kind that made me drowsy since I still had work to do before I could rest, but the over the counter sort I had tucked away in my bag. Of course, getting up off the bed required effort. Perhaps I’d just lay here for a minute before getting up.
If not for the fact that Yukon jumped up onto the bed just as I was beginning to drift away, I would most likely have done the exact thing I’d vowed not to do. Swinging my legs over to the side of the bed, I grabbed my overnight bag, found the headache medication I’d decided to take, and then headed into the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face and run a brush through my hair. As I considered myself in the mirror, I realized that everyone was right – I really did look awful.
I hadn’t thought to bring makeup, so there was no fixing my state of exhaustion by covering it up. I guessed Houston would simply have to deal with the real Harmony Carson during dinner, whether the image I currently projected was the image I wanted to or not.
“I remember this town as being so cheery and festive,” I said as we walked through the town toward the pizza parlor the desk clerk had assured me was still there. The fresh air had helped, and I really did feel less groggy. Even my headache was less intense than it had been, but it certainly wasn’t gone. “The place feels sort of drab and dreary without the lights and decorations to brighten things up.”
