Midnight Reckoning (Leave No Trace Book 1)

by Jannine Gallant

  Raine smiled. “I definitely need to visit you. Here come the others. Shall we go?”

  Levi set a steady pace, following the zigzagging trail up the steep granite face until they reached the cables at the base of the final climb. Dropping to the ground, he exchanged his boots for the rock climbing shoes in his daypack and pulled on gloves. While the others got ready, he stared in anticipation at the cables attached to the megalithic rock.

  “Holy shit.” Matt stepped up beside him and let out a ragged breath. His tie-dyed orange T-shirt stuck to his sweat-dampened back. “I forgot how difficult this part is. It didn’t seem so freaking gnarly when we were in college.”

  “I’m having second thoughts.” Camille ran a shaking hand through her sleek hair. “That last section was enough for me. I kind of wish I’d stayed in camp with Ava.”

  “If you want to chicken out, I’ll go back with you.” Matt narrowed his eyes on a pair of climbers fifty yards up the nearly vertical incline and grimaced. “Maybe I have a touch of whatever is bugging Ava since I’m low on energy this morning.”

  “I should have brought a harness to strap myself to the cable.” Camille pointed to the climbers ahead of them. “Those people were smart.”

  “Make a decision.” Rosa bounced on her toes and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m ready to go.”

  “I’m heading back.” Camille took a swallow from her water bottle. “I’ll hang out here and take some photos, then see you all in camp for the hike down to the valley floor.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Matt flashed a broad grin at Camille then turned toward the others. “Have fun and stay safe. I don’t want to hear about any casualties.”

  “We’ll be careful.” Levi waved a hand. “Why don’t you go first, Rosa, since you seem to be brimming with energy this morning.”

  She gripped the cable with one gloved hand and smiled. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Levi waited for the others to go ahead of him and fell in behind Raine. The last four hundred feet to the top made him glad heights didn’t bother him. Still, the sheer drop was intimidating, and he avoided looking down.

  “How’re you doing?” he called.

  “I’ve got this.” Raine paused when she reached one of the boards attached between the poles placed every ten or so feet, and her legs trembled slightly. “The view will be worth my current terror.”

  He couldn’t help smiling. “You’re not going to fall. You have a death-grip on that cable.”

  “You bet I do. We’re halfway up. We’re totally crushing this climb.”

  “Damn right.” He moved a little closer as she stopped again. “Almost there. Rest on the boards as long as you need to.”

  “Nope. I just want to reach the top. Look at Rosa go. She’s like a freaking mountain goat. Jake and Willow are keeping a nice pace, too. I feel like the weak link.”

  “No way.” He risked a glance over his shoulder. “The group that started after us is way back there.”

  “Okay.” She let out a ragged breath. “One hundred feet to glory.”

  Five minutes later, they crested the top. Levi gripped Raine’s hand and held it up over their heads. “Victory!”

  Her laugh shook a little. “Wow. Amazing. Look at that view!”

  Granite domes and cliffs beneath a cloudless blue sky stretched in every direction. As they followed the others toward a lookout point, the verdant valley far below came into view.

  “Good God, does Bobby have a death wish?” Raine shuddered and looked away from the big man perched on the tip of the overlook, videotaping them as they approached.

  “Did you get some good footage?” Jake called.

  “Unbelievable. I was up here at first light. Freaking amazing!” He put his Nikon in his daypack and came to meet them. “I filmed you guys climbing up the cables, too.”

  “Great. My sheer terror will be memorialized for everyone to see.” Raine took a long look around at the other early hikers strolling across the rock. “Where’s Cooper?”

  “What do you mean?” Bobby’s brows drew together. “He wasn’t on the cables with you. I saw Camille and Matt heading back down the subdome, so I assumed Cooper and Ava didn’t even make it that far.”

  Levi pulled a granola bar from his pack and ripped open the package. “Ava wasn’t feeling well and stayed in camp. Didn’t Cooper hike up with you?”

  “Nope. I didn’t see anyone when I left this morning.”

  “That’s weird.” Raine’s green eyes widened beneath the brim of her old Leave No Trace ballcap. “Ava said he was gone when she woke up.”

  Rosa shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “Maybe he took off for the valley.”

  “He wouldn’t have left his backpack.” Levi took a bite of his bar and chewed. “My guess is he went for an early hike and didn’t get back before we left. Maybe we’ll run into him on the way down.”

  “You’re probably right.” Raine held up her phone. “Can we take a group photo?”

  After recruiting a willing hiker to take their picture, they crowded together for the photo op. Levi squeezed in between Willow and Raine and slung his arm across Raine’s shoulders, enjoying having her tucked up against his side. Smiling, they posed while the man took several shots.

  “Thank you.” He gave the hiker a thumbs up as Raine shared the pictures with the group.

  Strolling over to the cables, he checked out the descent off the subdome. Matt’s orange shirt stood out on the switchbacks, and after a moment, he identified Camille quite a distance ahead of him. Narrowing his eyes against the glare from the early morning sun, he searched for Cooper on the open terrain but didn’t see any sign of him.

  When Raine stepped up beside him, Levi turned to smile at her. “Ready for the trip down?”

  She shuddered. “Don’t remind me. I’d stay here all day to avoid those cables, but we have a long hike back to the valley this afternoon. I’d love to camp again tonight, but I doubt I’ll be lucky enough to get a spot a second time without a reservation.”

  “I booked a hotel room. You can stay with me. I figured I’d be ready for a shower and a bed after four days on the trail.”

  “Serious?”

  “Yep. Usually, I go with the flow, but this time I planned ahead.”

  “Smart.” She hesitated, and her eyes grew slightly wary. “I might take you up on that.”

  He rested his palm on her shoulder. “No pressure, Raine. Promise.”

  “I appreciate that.” She leaned against him. “I’ll see how I feel when we get off the trail. I’m supposed to work tomorrow, which is why I originally intended to drive back to the city. But I might bail on that and take another day off.”

  “You have plenty of time to decide.” He ran his hand down her arm before threading his fingers through hers. “Let’s take another look around before we start down. Who knows when we’ll have a chance to come back?”

  She let out a shaky breath. “Since I’ve grown more cautious with age, I may never be brave enough to tackle those cables again.”

  They circled the top of the dome, taking pictures of the view from all angles, occasionally stopping to chat with one of the others before heading back toward the cables. When they approached Jake, he held up a pair of binoculars and pointed. “There’s a bald eagle perched on that dead tree down there near the bottom of the subdome. Take a look.”

  Levi pinpointed the bird and drew in a breath as the details of his hooked beak and white feathered head came into sharp focus. “Amazing.” As he panned out, movement caught his eye. “There’s a vulture circling on an air current in the direction of the campground. Check it out.” He handed the binoculars to Raine.

  She adjusted the lenses, and her mouth formed a round O. “The vulture just dived down and disappeared from view. He must have gone after a squirrel or something.”

  “Only if it was dead. They feed on carrion.” Jake took his binoculars when she handed them over. “Here come the others. I guess we sho
uld head out.”

  “Yeah. We want to beat the day hikers coming up from the valley, and the cables are fairly clear right now.” Levi put on his gloves and shrugged his pack onto his back. “Who wants to go first?”

  “God. It looks even scarier going down.” Raine wiped sweaty palms on her shirt before donning her gloves. “Go ahead, and I’ll follow you. Although, if I fall, I’ll take you out with me.”

  “You aren’t going to fall. Turn around and go backward. Hold on tight and focus on your feet instead of the view. We’ll be down in no time.”

  He grabbed the cable and stepped over the side, his shoes gripping the granite as he maneuvered downward. When Raine followed, he sighed in relief. She moved steadily from one board to the next, clinging tightly to one cable when two hikers passed them going up. Reaching the bottom a short time later, he pulled Raine into his arms.

  “You made it.”

  She collapsed against him, her body quivering. “That was terrifying. I nearly peed my pants when those people brushed by us.”

  Willow stepped down beside them and let out a long breath. “That got my heart rate up for sure.” Her smile was a little shaky as she squeezed Raine’s arm. “But we did it.”

  “Damn right.” She gave them each a high five. “Here comes Jake, making it look like a walk in the park.” She tilted her head to squint up at the others. “Bobby looks slightly petrified, though. I don’t feel so bad, now.”

  Levi laughed. “Misery loves company, right? Let’s put on our boots. If we get moving, we should reach the campground before noon. We still have all our gear to pack up, and it’s a long hike down.”

  “I just hope Cooper’s back from wherever he disappeared to.” Raine smiled as Rosa joined them. “Ready to get off this rock?”

  “Yep. Let’s go.”

  They’d been hiking for over a half-hour when Raine paused and pointed. “I wonder if that’s the eagle we saw earlier.”

  Levi shaded his eyes. “No, that bird looks like a vulture. There are two more lower down in that ravine. They may not be as majestic as eagles, but they’re still impressive birds.”

  “Definitely.” She took two steps and stopped. “Hey, there’s Matt. What’s he’s doing out here?”

  Up ahead on the trail, Matt waved and hurried toward them. “How was the view from the top of Half Dome?”

  “Incredible.” Raine’s gaze followed the vultures. “Jake brought binoculars, and I was amazed at the details we could see.”

  “Did you miss us?” Bobby B flashed a smile. “I figured you’d be hanging out at the campground, eating lunch.”

  “I wish.” Matt grimaced. “A couple of early hikers returned to camp not long ago, and Ava asked if they’d seen Cooper with you up on the Dome. When they told her you were alone, Ava totally freaked out. At that point, I offered to go look for Cooper.”

  “We thought for sure he’d be back at camp by now.” Levi paused with his water bottle halfway to his mouth. “No one’s seen him?”

  “I guess not, and he isn’t answering his cell. Of course, reception is totally hit and miss, but Ava’s in a panic. I hope he didn’t fall and hurt himself.”

  Rosa frowned. “Do you think he headed down to the valley by himself?”

  Matt’s eyes were sober. “Doubtful. His pack is in their tent.”

  Raine turned away from the still-circling birds. “I can’t imagine he would simply take off without telling one of us. He might be a jerk sometimes, but he isn’t totally irresponsible. I’m worried.”

  “Maybe we can track his phone, even if he isn’t answering it.” Willow pushed her long braid over her shoulder and frowned. “I have a friend finder app on mine, and my sister and I track each other. I hike alone a lot, so it’s a safety precaution.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past Ava to keep tabs on him, even without his permission.” Rosa waved an arm. “Let’s go ask her.”

  Uneasiness settled in Levi’s gut. “If he wandered off and somehow got lost, we’ll need a full search party to look for him.”

  They picked up their pace, no one saying much as they headed back to the campground. When they reached their tents, Camille hurried up from the river to meet them.

  “Any sign of Cooper?”

  “Afraid not,” Jake answered. “Where’s Ava?”

  “She’s been talking to other hikers to see if anyone spotted him on the trail. I’m not sure where she is right now.”

  “Has she tried to locate his phone?” Raine set her daypack on the ground. “It’s too bad the trackers I gave everyone only record milage. They don’t have GPS locaters.”

  “I thought of that, too, but she doesn’t have Cooper on her find your friend app.” Camille’s dark eyes were sober. “Maybe it’s time to contact a park ranger to help look for him. If he hurt himself . . .”

  “He’d better have at least sprained an ankle, or I’m going to kill him.” Rosa pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. “Leave it to Cooper to ruin our trip. But first—got it!”

  “What?” Raine walked over to her side.

  “His cousin’s phone number. He came into the gym with Cooper a few times, and we had a beer together once after they worked out.”

  “Do you mean Seth?” Bobby asked. “Those two are pretty tight. You think he might be able to track Cooper’s phone?”

  “Let’s hope. I’ll call him and ask.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Except I don’t have any service right here. I may have to hike up to a more open area to get reception.”

  “Who are you calling?” Ava approached from out of the trees. The skin around her eyes was pink and puffy, and her fingers were curled into fists at her sides. “I’ve talked to a dozen hikers, and no one remembers seeing Cooper this morning.”

  “His cousin, Seth.” Rosa walked off as Ava dropped onto a rock.

  “Are you okay?” Willow knelt beside the other woman. “You don’t look so good.”

  “I’m sick with worry, and I didn’t feel great to start with.”

  “Why don’t you go lie down for a while. I’m sure Cooper is fine. Did you check to see if he left a note?” Taking her arm, Willow led Ava toward her tent. “Maybe he didn’t want to wake you up if he left early.”

  “I didn’t see anything, but a piece of paper could have gotten buried under our sleeping bags.” Her voice held a note of hope as she crawled inside.

  “I don’t like this.” Jake spoke quietly. “Cooper wouldn’t have taken off for this long unless something is wrong. My guess is he’s injured with no cell service and can’t get back. If Rosa doesn’t have any luck tracking his phone, we need to ask the park rangers to organize a search.”

  “You’re right. I heard someone talking in the middle of the night and thought it was Cooper. I’m not sure what he was doing, but someone was with him.” Raine glanced around the circle.

  Matt shrugged. “Wasn’t me.”

  The others shook their heads.

  “He was talking with a woman at the group bonfire last night.” Levi rolled his eyes. “Flirting, despite Ava sitting two feet away from him. Maybe he hooked up with her.”

  “I know who you mean. A cute redhead.” Bobby B pointed toward a cluster of tents, one of which was decorated with a bride-to-be banner. “Those girls are here for a bachelorette party. I remember passing them hiking up the subdome when we were coming down.”

  “Cooper definitely wasn’t with them.” Raine frowned. “But if he was walking around in the dark last night, maybe he fell and hit his head. He’d probably be pretty close to camp if that were the case.”

  “Good point. Let’s spread out and look for him.” A chill slid down Levi’s spine as a cloud covered the sun. “I’ll check along the river. If he tripped and fell in . . .”

  “Shit.” Matt’s blue eyes opened wide. “I’ll look with you.”

  With Matt following him, Levi headed toward the river. “I’ll go downstream, and you can go up. Yell if you see anything.”

  “I s
ure hope I don’t.”

  Levi didn’t answer. His stomach churned just thinking about what he might find caught in the rocks, and he was glad Raine wasn’t with him. He’d gone about a quarter mile when a shout echoed. Turning, he squinted against the sun.

  Bobby B stood on a rocky outcropping, waving his arms. Hope surged as he ran toward him up the slope away from the river.

  “Did you find him?” he shouted.

  “Rosa just got back. She talked to Seth, and he was able to track Cooper’s phone.”

  “That’s great.” Levi was slightly out of breath as he reached Bobby.

  Matt approached from the opposite direction. “Where is he?”

  “Off the trail leading toward Half Dome, not too far from camp. The ranger who was checking passes at the subdome showed up when she was on the phone with Seth. He was able to pinpoint the location and went to check it out.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Levi took off toward camp. “The ranger might need help if Cooper’s hurt.”

  “Rosa said he’s in a steep, rocky area. The ranger sent her back to get the ropes we use to hang our food away from bears.”

  Levi met Bobby’s gaze. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Camille convinced Ava to stay in camp with her. “I came to get you two since we might need more muscle power to hoist him up.”

  They reached camp, and Levi squeezed Raine’s shoulder. Her face was pale, and her lips were pressed into a tight line. Sobs sounded from inside Ava’s tent.

  “Maybe you should stay here, too.”

  “No, I’m going. So is Willow since she used to be a paramedic.”

  After a moment, Levi nodded. “Let’s go get Cooper.”

  Chapter Five

  Raine brushed tears off her cheeks as she sat on a fallen log some distance from where Cooper’s body lay. Hours had passed since Jake and the ranger who’d been first on the scene had descended down the rocky cliff to where Cooper lay wedged behind a bolder. But they’d been far too late to save him.

  Leaving the scene untouched, the ranger had immediately radioed for the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Park Police and told them all to sit tight and wait until the authorities arrived. While the CSI team did their thing and eventually retrieved Cooper’s body, the detective in charge had started his investigation, questioning each of them in turn.