Into the Wilderness

by Traci DePree

  “I’m going to duck out of here,” Livvy said, heading for the door. “You two try to get some sleep, okay?”

  Kate rose to walk her outside, where the night air was cold and the stars sparkled in a velvet sky. “Take your own advice, okay?”

  Livvy gave her a confused look.

  “I mean get some rest!” Kate said, reaching to give her friend a hug.

  When Kate returned to their room, Rebecca had pulled up Kieffer’s home number they’d found on the Internet and was waiting with Kate’s cell phone in hand to dial it for her mother.

  “Let’s hope someone’s there at this hour,” Kate said. She held up a hand, signaling each ring with a finger. On the third ring, she said, “Hello? Yes, is this Kieffer and Sons Moving Company?”

  The person on the other end said, “Yes, ma’am. May I help you?”

  “You don’t know me, but I’m calling about your son, Mack.”

  “Oh, you mean Marcus?” The woman had a thick New Jersey accent, making his name sound more like “Mahcus.” “He changed it a few years back. Said Mack was too blue collar for a fine actor like him! Where do you know him from?”

  “I’m his girlfriend’s mother,” Kate said. She glanced at Rebecca, who was chewing her thumbnail. “They also work ...worked together in Manhattan at the Empire State Café. They’re both actors.”

  “Girlfriend’s mother—that’s a bit of a stretch! I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend.”

  “And, you’re Marcus’ ...?”

  The woman cleared her throat, then she said, “I’m his big sister, MaryAnne.”

  “Actually, I have some bad news.”

  “Oh?”

  “Marcus has been missing since yesterday in Smoky Mountains National Park.”

  “What’s he doin’ out there?” she asked, raising her voice. “Isn’t that out west, like in Tennessee or North Carolina or somethin’ like that?”

  “Yes, actually. He and my daughter had come out for a visit, and he went camping with my husband and our men’s church group. He wandered off yesterday before sunset, and we’ve been looking for him all day long with search and rescue.”

  “Oh no.” The surprise in her voice was unmistakable.

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you such awful news...,” Kate said. “But we’re doing everything we can to find him.”

  “I can’t believe this. So, do you have any idea where he is?”

  “No. I mean, kind of,” Kate said. “We know what section of the park he’s in, but it’s a big park. Until we find him—”

  “What was your name again?” MaryAnne asked.

  “Kate. Kate Hanlon,” she said.

  “I got your number here on caller ID. Could I call you back?” the woman asked. “I’ve got to tell my brothers and look into flights. Where’s the closest airport? One of us needs to be out there. And my mother’s health isn’t the best.”

  “There’s an airport in Knoxville, I think. I’ll call you if there are developments.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead.

  “Thanks for letting us know,” MaryAnne said.

  Kate said good-bye, then hung up the phone.

  Rebecca stared at her mother, her eyes wide. “So?” she prompted.

  “Marcus’ sister said they’re going to look into flights out here.”

  “This wasn’t how I envisioned meeting Marcus’ family. How did she take the news?”

  “How does anyone take this kind of news? She’s shocked, trying to figure out what to do. I’m sure she feels helpless.”

  “Just like us.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  That night a thunderstorm blew in. At first Kate thought she might be dreaming, but when she lifted her head from her pillow and saw Rebecca’s silhouette against the window that overlooked the parking lot, she knew it was real. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 3:00 AM. Climbing from the bed, she padded over to the window and stood beside her daughter as torrents of rain fell across the landscape. Occasionally, lightning would flash and the mountains would glow, only to return to darkness a moment later. Kate went to the bedside table to flip on the radio. Kate hoped a little music would fill the tortured silence, offering a bit of distraction.

  Discouragement mingled with terror as visions of Paul and Marcus in the cold, driving rain flooded her mind. The radio crackled to life.

  “This weather report just in for the Gatlinburg, Greater Smoky Mountains region: Thunderstorms continuing throughout the day with temperatures dipping into the mid- to low forties. That’s a thunderstorm warning for our entire listening area, folks. Repeat, a storm warn—”

  Kate turned the knob to OFF. “We don’t need to hear that.” She climbed into her bed and prayed for Marcus and Paul as she drifted off to sleep.

  AT FIVE THIRTY the following morning, Kate’s cell phone rang, and she hurried to answer it. She and Rebecca hadn’t been able to sleep since the storm began, so they were both up.

  “Kate, it’s Alan Roberts,” the sheriff said in a gravelly voice.

  “Yes?” She braced herself for whatever news he might have.

  “I just got off the phone with Ranger Morton. He said that they refuse to allow you and your friends out today, at least not until this weather breaks. We don’t want anyone getting lost or hurt. The forest...well, it’s going to be a mess. And the closer we get to Clingmans Dome, the altitude makes getting in and out especially difficult. The streams and rivers will all be up—”

  “I understand,” Kate said, but she felt as if she’d been kicked in the gut. How could she sit around idly while Paul was still out there somewhere? She stared at the rain-drizzled windows. At least the lightning had stopped.

  “We’ll still have a considerable search crew, so don’t feel like we aren’t looking.”

  “Are you going to be staying behind too?” Kate asked.

  “No. I’ll be out there,” he assured. “And if the rain stops, then someone will contact those of you at the motel. We’ll be in radio contact with Sugarlands.”

  “Should we wait there?” At least if she was at the visitor center, she would feel closer to Paul.

  “If you want. It might be more comfortable at the motel, though. Either way, someone will call. In the meantime, Kate, try not to be discouraged.” She could hear the firm resolve in his voice, and her eyes welled with grateful tears.

  She blew out a long breath and finally managed, “Thank you, Sheriff.”

  Kate said good-bye, then hung up the phone.

  ELI DROVE THE VAN to Sugarlands Visitor Center after their complimentary continental breakfast at the motel, with Kate following in the Honda. Joe and Sam were already there with some of the others, looking tired.

  Kate had never felt so unsettled in her life. The staff at the visitor center gave her and Rebecca sympathetic looks as they paced the floor and drank coffee.

  Kate was grateful she had thought to bring her laptop, since she had nothing to do but wait. She set it up on one end of the long conference table and tapped into the center’s wireless service. The computer whirred to life, then Kate logged onto the Internet. She was looking through maps of the surrounding area on the park’s Web site when Livvy approached and sat in the chair next to her.

  “I’m trying to get a better sense of the park,” she explained to Livvy. “I want to see what areas we’ve covered already.” Kate was about to call Rebecca over to join their brainstorming but saw that she and Eli were talking in low voices at the far end of the room, so she let them alone.

  Kate pointed to a spot near the north-central side of the park. “Here’s Elkmont, Liv,” she said. “This is where the men were camping.” She drew her finger down along the trails they’d hiked the day before. “And this is where we found the cave,” she said. The spot was southeast of the turnaround for the trail, not far from a mountain-fed river.

  “And the footprints?” Livvy reminded her.

  “Right. This is where we lost their trail,” Kate went on. “See the
maintenance road here?” She traced a dotted line that led to Newfound Gap Road, which bisected the park.

  “They sure don’t have a lot of roads in this place,” Kate said. “And the whole middle of the park is...empty.”

  “That’s kind of the idea,” Livvy said. “To preserve nature.”

  “It’s aggravating!” Kate complained. She laughed at how absurd she sounded, then went on. “Assuming Paul didn’t find Marcus at the cave and followed him at this point on the map, what would have caused them to go two different directions?”

  “If Paul lost Marcus’ trail, or...” Livvy scooted her chair closer to the laptop. “I’m stumped,” she admitted.

  “Wouldn’t it make sense,” Kate said, “to turn east here, toward Chimney Tops Trail? Maybe that’s why they split up...because Paul knows that the only smart way to travel when lost is downstream, and maybe he wouldn’t even consider that Marcus would venture upstream. That Eagle Scout logic is engrained in him.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Livvy said. “But it makes things worse for our search party.”

  “Exactly. All I know is that if Paul were calling the shots, we would have found them by now. So we have to try to think like Marcus.”

  “Think, think, think,” Livvy said, mostly to herself, as she closed her eyes.

  Kate rubbed her temples where she could feel a headache coming on.

  “Here’s another thought, Liv. We’re pretty sure that Marcus is running from someone, right?” She continued rubbing her temples. “The men who came to the house obviously posed a threat to Marcus. Maybe...maybe he doesn’t want to be found. Maybe he’s being purposely irrational so that he can avoid being found.”

  AFTER HER CONVERSATION with Livvy, Kate went outside to the covered porch. She felt that she needed to move around, release some of the tension in her body. A cold rain fell in a slanting pattern across the parking lot. The cloudy sky muted the autumn trees, which had lost some of their leaves in the night’s storm, and the September wind nipped at her cheeks.

  She stood for a moment, watching the rain, arms crossed to warm her, feeling unbearably lonely for Paul’s company.

  “You said before that my dad helped you through a hard time.” Kate heard Rebecca’s voice and peeked around the corner of the building to see her talking with Eli. They were sitting on a bench with their backs to Kate. Kate found it curious that they were sitting so close to each other, since it was a long bench. It made her pause. On the one hand, she didn’t want to eavesdrop on a private conversation, yet she also felt compelled to hear what Eli had to say.

  “What happened?” Rebecca asked, leaning forward.

  The cool rain-laden air blew Rebecca’s long ponytail, and Kate felt its chill through her wool sweater.

  “I was engaged,” Eli began. “Her name was Diedre. She was this spitfire of a woman—a lot like you...”

  Kate felt her heart go out to the young man. She remembered well the heartache he suffered at the loss of his fiancée.

  Rebecca lightly touched his arm. “Go on.”

  “Well, she got really sick with cancer. There wasn’t a thing the doctors could do. They tried, they really did, but by the time they found it...” He shook his head. “Anyway, she went through chemo and radiation treatments, but nothing worked. She was so young when she died. Man, that was a hard time to live through.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Rebecca said.

  Kate watched as Rebecca reached for his hand.

  Eli lifted his face to the breeze. “We never made it to our wedding day.” He turned to look at Rebecca, his eyes filled with the grief from the memory. “Life would’ve been so different. She died, and I was so angry with God. It wasn’t fair to lose her when we hadn’t even had a chance to start our life together. It just wasn’t fair. And to make things worse, in the midst of my raging, I accidentally set the church on fire—”

  Kate saw Rebecca nod and recalled that she had told her daughter about the fire and a little about Eli’s sad tale.

  “Your dad forgave me,” Eli went on. “That whole amazing group of people at Faith Briar did. It was something I’d never experienced before...the power of forgiveness. It’s a pretty wonderful thing.”

  “I think you’re a pretty wonderful person,” Rebecca said. He bent his head to her, and she leaned toward him.

  Kate pulled back, embarrassed by the intimacy she’d intruded on. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a touch of joy at the exchange. If she and Paul could have handpicked a man for their daughter, Eli Weston would have been the one. He was a sensitive, kind, and spiritual man who understood how to care for and respect a woman as she should be respected. Kate lowered her head at the thought of her own husband and said a prayer for a swift rescue.

  Deciding that she’d eavesdropped too much already, Kate went back inside. People were milling around, talking in small groups. Some were taking catnaps in the conference room’s padded chairs. She still felt too antsy to sit down, so she walked to the next room where the sound of a guitar drew her attention. James Jenner looked up when she came into the room.

  “Hey, Mrs. Hanlon,” he said, still strumming and moving his long fingers from chord to chord with ease. He was a stocky young man with hazel eyes like his mother and curly dark hair like his father.

  Kate took a chair flanking his and listened for a while. “You’re very talented,” she finally said.

  The young man shrugged. “I practice.”

  “Is this one of the songs for your band?”

  He nodded, his gaze flitting to her before focusing on a distant spot. Then he moved into a fingered section of the music, playing notes instead of chords. It reminded Kate of that guitarist she used to listen to in her younger days. What was his name?...José Feliciano, that was it! The melody James played was sweet, not harsh like Kate had expected. She recognized the song immediately; it was a new spin on an old hymn they often sang at Faith Briar: “It Is Well with My Soul.”

  He started singing in his deep baritone voice. He didn’t make eye contact with Kate. She was sure he’d be embarrassed if he did. She realized she didn’t know James that well except for what she’d learned of him through Livvy: He was a straight-A student, played first string on the Copper Mill football team as well as basketball during the winter months and baseball come spring. Occasionally he played special music in church and helped with worship, though Kate knew that was prompted by Livvy’s encouragement.

  As if on cue, Rebecca entered the room, Eli at her heels, and walked directly toward the music. She began to sing with James, and his eyes grew wide. He smiled and began to play even more enthusiastically. Rebecca’s harmonies were beautiful and mixed perfectly with James’ deep voice.

  “That was exceptional,” Kate said when they finished singing.

  “Yeah, thanks, James,” Rebecca added. “I love that song, and it’s been a while since I’ve been able to sing.”

  “You have a gorgeous voice, Rebecca,” James said.

  “Thanks. I’ve had lots of practice. You’re pretty talented yourself.” She paused. “I’m going to grab some water. You guys want anything?”

  “No, thanks,” Kate and James said in unison.

  They watched Rebecca and Eli walk away, then Kate said, “How did you arrange that hymn so uniquely?”

  “Me and Bill, the lead singer in my band, worked on it together.”

  “Really?” Kate said. “That’s a gift, James. I’m very impressed. I’d love to come hear one of your concerts sometime.”

  He chewed on his lower lip for a moment, then said, “I wish my parents were as understanding as you are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He ran a hand through his hair, then leaned the guitar against the side of the chair. “They don’t listen to me. Mom’s been harping on me all the time.”

  “What about?”

  “Beats me. I’m always doing something wrong, making her mad.”

  “Your parents love you, James,” Kate said.


  “Yeah, I know. But they don’t trust me.”

  “You’re still young. Trust will grow with time.”

  “Not soon enough for me. I suppose Mom told you everything about the whole band thing?”

  Kate nodded, and James shook his head.

  “She doesn’t even ask me what we’re all about. She just assumes we’re irresponsible teenagers, out to do...I don’t know.”

  “Give them time,” Kate said. “You’re their eldest child. Every parent learns as they go. None of us does it right the first time around.”

  “So, you’re telling me that by the time Justin’s my age, they’ll have the system down pat, and he won’t have to go through all this? What a rip-off.”

  Kate smiled at his good humor. “You’re a good guy, James. Your parents know that.”

  “I just wish they’d listen to me.” He lifted his eyes as a thought popped into his head. “Do you think you could talk to Mom and Dad about the concert on Sunday? It came up so suddenly, and the band hasn’t had a chance to practice—”

  “Wait a second, James. I really shouldn’t get into the middle of this. It’s between you and your folks. I just wanted to remind you that they believe in you and love you.”

  His shoulders dropped, and he nodded in reluctant agreement. “Okay. I guess I just thought maybe if you told them that it was okay with you, they’d—”

  “Like I said, I can’t interfere.”

  James nodded again, then reached for the guitar and began to strum. “Well, thanks anyway, Mrs. Hanlon.” He paused, then said, “You know, I’m real sorry Pastor Hanlon and that Marcus guy are missing.”

  “I appreciate that, James,” Kate said.

  SHORTLY BEFORE TEN O’CLOCK that morning, the shortwave radio crackled to life. Kate and all of those waiting at the visitor center gathered around to hear the news. It was Sheriff Roberts’ voice that came through.

  “Kate, are you there?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kate answered, as fear and hope mingled in a strange mixture in her throat. “Have you found them?”

  “No, I’m afraid not, and I’ve got more bad news. This storm has erased any trackable trail. We’re completely blind out here.”