The Daughter's Return

by Unknown

  “Nothing gets past you, does it?” He wouldn’t say more.

  “Let me know when you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready now.”

  “Okay. I’ll cut the speed as much as I dare to give you optimum viewing advantage.”

  She maneuvered the Cessna as if it were an eagle gracefully swooping toward earth in search of prey. In awe of her expertise, he was able to settle into his job.

  Somewhere down there amid the pines was a depraved bastard who’d already had plenty of time to commit the most heinous of crimes. In Jake’s mind, to assault an innocent child was the epitome of pure evil.

  The goggles’ magnification ability picked up everything. Their heat-sensing property had already outlined the shape of a moose and several deer. The mountain was alive with nature’s creatures who hunted and killed for food with God’s permission.

  But somewhere down there was another creature more savage than any animal. It killed for an entirely different reason.

  Maggie made several more passes, giving him time to cover every inch of terrain. “Any sign of human life?”

  “Not so far.”

  She called in the report over the radio, then said, “I’ll take us to area two.”

  Once again she demonstrated her skill in a graceful downward arc to the midsection of the mountain. After five minutes, he picked up two adults hiking toward a tiny lake.

  “Fly over the water one more time. I’ve spotted a couple of men.”

  “See anyone else?” she asked after they’d made several passes.

  “No. If they were on the run, they would have noticed us and ducked into some trees by now.

  “I’ll let the sheriff know anyway.”

  With painstaking thoroughness they worked their way down the mountain. The lower elevations revealed more hikers, but all of them were adults. No man or men with one child. Maggie related each find to the sheriff.

  “The other plane hasn’t arrived yet. We’ve been asked to cover grids four, five and six.”

  “Let’s do it,” Jake murmured, keeping his goggles constantly focused on the breathtaking scenery. They made the same methodical sweeps as before, only they started from the base first and worked their way up to timberline.

  Jake had a growing fear that the child had already been killed and was lying in a shallow grave. Some hunter would probably stumble across her remains this fall, or the next. But he kept those thoughts to himself.

  Though he was sure Maggie would never admit it, there had to have been times over the years when she’d been plagued by such an image of her own baby sister. Dear Lord.

  By the time they’d finished searching the last grid, she announced they would have to fly to Evanston, Wyoming, to refuel.

  Once they landed, it felt good to get out and stretch, use the restroom, grab a hamburger. But her mood, like Jake’s, had become more reflective.

  The yawning fear that the girl was dead hovered at the surface of their minds. Neither of them felt like talking, yet Jake was comfortable with her silence. In fact, there wasn’t anything about Maggie McFarland he didn’t like. It was enough just to be with her.

  By the time they were in the air again, the sheriff still had no news. It sent a chill through Jake’s body, so he could imagine how Maggie felt. The sheriff indicated the other plane had arrived and was doing a sweep of the next three grids.

  Jake put the goggles to his eyes and made an adjustment because of the sun’s lower position in the sky. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  “Here we go again.”

  The next two hours were a repeat of their first search. The campgrounds were full, with lots of adults and children nearby. But the higher the elevation of the range of mountains running like a corridor for sixty miles, the fewer the people.

  Once again they returned to Evanston for fuel and dinner, then they flew to Duchesne, the closest point where they could land. No services were available, but there was a police unit waiting at the airfield. They’d provided a Jeep for Maggie’s use with instructions to search grid twenty-two on foot.

  After Jake transferred their gear from the plane to the back seat, they took off for the Mirror Lake road. Soon they passed by the assembly point where the police and search-and-rescue units were parked.

  As they drove along, Jake marveled to see at least twelve Dodge Durangos with the words McFarland Foundation painted on the doors, parked at quarter-mile intervals. Each one could hold seven people. Though there were a few other cars, it was her volunteers who comprised the majority of the search party.

  He turned to her. “You’re amazing, Maggie.”

  “Don’t give me any credit. It’s at times like this I thank my great-great-grandfather McFarland whose money made all this possible. Tragically, with all the funds available, all the people and technology, we’re probably too late to save one child.”

  Jake swallowed hard. “I read your brochure. It’s at times like this you need to think of the seventeen thousand children you have helped save. I don’t believe I know another human being who holds that record.”

  “I needed to hear that about now,” she said in a whisper.

  A quarter of a mile from the last car, she pulled to the side of the road. He got out and helped her on with her backpack. Like his, the bedroll lay tied across the top. Though they were in a hurry, he savored doing this small favor for her. Anything to help her, touch her. There was a palpable sensual tension between them.

  “Th-thank you,” she stammered.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Forcing himself to remember why they were there, he put on his own backpack. The weight created a little discomfort in his shoulder, but it was inevitable after being unencumbered since the explosion. He guessed this trip would prove how well it had healed.

  Right now nothing was more important than finding the little girl, no matter her condition. Her grieving parents would be in excruciating agony until she was recovered.

  The faces of Ellen and Reed McFarland flashed before his eyes. The awful tragedy of their lives had carved lines in their faces. Jake had sensed a sadness engrained in their psyches.

  Maggie’s suffering had produced other telltale signs. Her guard was always up. She was in constant motion, pushing, striving toward some distant mark. It drove her so she couldn’t see those who wanted a close relationship with her, be they male or female.

  If Jake had his way, he would make a few inroads with her before the night was out.

  “When I have another volunteer with me, we usually work apart and keep in touch with each other and the police by cell phone.”

  “Why don’t we stay together this time,” he suggested. The thought of her being ambushed by some maniac never left his mind. “These goggles can do the work of half a dozen people trying to cover the same area. Want to take a look?”

  A faint smile lurked at the corner of her mouth. “You know I do.” She put them to her eyes and trained them on the forested area surrounding them. “Oh Jake—I had no idea.”

  He chuckled quietly. “It’s kind of like looking through a high-powered microscope at a drop of water.”

  “Every volunteer should have a pair of these.” She finally handed them back to him. “I’ve never seen anything like them at a regular store.”

  “You never will” was all he was prepared to say for the time being. “Come on. Let’s get started.”

  He could almost hear her brain working it out as they began their search through the pines and heavy underbrush. The sounds of insects, the screech and cry of birds rent the air. When they heard the chatter of squirrels running up and down trees, indignant to be disturbed, Maggie smiled at him. It lit up his world.

  Occasionally they came across a family or a group of teens hiking around. Jake stopped each person and alerted them about the kidnapping. Hopefully someone might have information that would help.

  She checked in with the sheriff every ten minutes to give their coordinates and find out the latest
status. In an hour and a half they’d covered their sector without finding anything suspicious.

  “Maggie? It’s time to make camp for the night.” Evening came early in the mountains, even in summer. Long shadows striped them as they moved between lodgepoles and firs.

  She looked around. “How about beneath that clump of pines?”

  “You’re reading my mind. All those needles will make a nice bed for us.”

  Bed.

  At thirty years of age, Maggie still hadn’t been to bed with a man.

  She’d dated a lot in college, and occasionally since then. There’d been one or two guys she’d found attractive, but she’d never been able to let herself go.

  Though Jake hadn’t said it with anything more in mind than a good place to stretch out their sleeping bags, she unexpectedly imagined something else much more intimate. Heat rushed to her cheeks.

  A sudden muffled groan coming out of Jake jarred her from her guilty thoughts.

  She’d seen the stress in his facial muscles when he’d reached for the goggles case on the plane. Now that he’d relieved himself of his backpack, she knew his shoulder was bothering him. She also knew he wouldn’t like it if she said anything about it.

  He reminded her a little of her brother Ben. A tough guy who’d go to the greatest lengths not to show weakness.

  Deciding she’d better mind her own business, she pulled out her cell phone and checked in with the sheriff. They talked briefly. Jake watched her hang up.

  “I take it there’s no news yet.”

  “Nothing.”

  She undid her bedroll, then unzipped a side compartment in her pack and reached for her space blanket. Once she spread it out over the needles, she laid her sleeping bag on top of it. Next she removed her boots and socks.

  “There. I’m ready for bed.” On that note, she climbed inside and sat there.

  Jake’s low-bellied chuckle rolled on and on.

  “What’s so funny?”

  His brows quirked. “You’re not a woman who fusses. I find that a very refreshing trait. Please don’t think I was laughing at you.”

  “I wouldn’t mind if you were.”

  He laid out his bag a few feet from her. “I know. That’s what makes you you.”

  Maggie didn’t know whether to be pleased with his comment or not. “What are you smiling about now?”

  “You’ve been a surprise from day one,” he said as he pulled off his shoes.

  “So have you.” She rummaged in her backpack. “Here.”

  The little packet landed at his feet. He picked it up. “Hmm. A strawberry Fruit Roll-Up. How did you know this is exactly what I wanted for dessert?”

  Maybe the comic relief was what she needed because it was her turn to laugh.

  He shot her a glance she couldn’t decipher in the gathering darkness. “I liked the sound of that. I wonder how long it’s been.”

  “Do I come off that morose?”

  “Anything but.” After he’d made an adjustment to his goggles, he set them down close by. Next he produced a water bottle. It gave her pleasure just to watch him drink from it.

  Maggie’s breath caught.

  If she could be anywhere else in the world at this moment, she would choose to be right here, right now, with this man.

  Tomorrow morning she would still feel the same way. And tomorrow night. And next week, next month, next year. The ramifications of that truth shook her to the core.

  “Before I bed down, would you like a drink?”

  “Thank you, but I have my own bottle if I get thirsty.”

  She lay back on her arm, content to watch his movements. He eventually climbed inside his bag and stretched out on his back with a low moan. His shoulder was hurting him.

  If she were his fiancée or his wife, she wouldn’t be afraid to hand him a painkiller. Or give him a massage. What would it be like to really touch him? To be touched by him?

  “I heard that sigh,” he spoke quietly. “If you need to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”

  “Actually I’m restless. Why don’t you tell me about yourself.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Did you love your wife terribly?”

  After a pause, he finally said, “I was crazy about her. She was a cute brunette who stood no higher than my heart. We met after I went into the navy as a commissioned officer. She’d already joined. We’d been married two years when she and three others were killed in a freak accident aboard ship.”

  Maggie clutched the edge of her cover. “Jake—” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “Why not? It’s a perfectly natural question. For a year afterwards, I couldn’t talk about it. But it’s been nine years and that part of my life seems like a vague memory. I can’t even relate to that period of time now.”

  She could barely make him out as he turned on his side toward her.

  “What about your love life, Maggie?”

  “It could be summed up in one sentence. I’ve never met anyone I wanted to marry. You two were lucky to have found each other, even if you only had two years.”

  “I agree. Maybe that’s why it was easier for me to get on with my life after.”

  “Were you born in San Diego?”

  “No. Jacksonville, Florida.”

  “Is your family still there?”

  “I’m afraid not. Both my parents have passed away. Mother died of cancer when I was a boy, so my father raised me. He died of a chest infection a year ago last May.”

  She bit her lip. “How hard for you, with no siblings.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I was a spoiled, selfish only child and I loved my life.”

  Maggie chuckled. “You’re a very healthy person. I envy you.”

  He raised himself up on one elbow. “Meaning you’re not?”

  “Everyone in my family is a workaholic.”

  “Work keeps the demons away.”

  “Exactly. But it covers up some fragile psyches. Every time a child is kidnapped, I cringe for the poor families whose lives will never be the same again.

  “My brother Ben’s marriage almost broke up because of it. It caused their children so much grief. My other brother Cord should have been a rancher. He loves the outdoors so much and loved the time we spent on the family ranch in Colorado. But Mother needed us around, so he stayed here to go to college and started up the shelter.

  “Dad went into politics when he should have stayed in Salt Lake to head his business interests and be with Mom. With their baby gone, Mom needed him more than ever—”

  Maggie stopped. “Forgive me, Jake. I love my family and don’t usually talk about them to anyone.”

  “I’m flattered. Even the great ones have to vent once in a while.”

  “Great ones?” she mocked. “I’m a great big idiot. You have my promise I’ll go to sleep now. Whoever wakes up first, let the other one know and we’ll get going again.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She turned on her side away from him. Convinced she wouldn’t be able to settle down, it surprised her to awaken much later from a deep sleep. When she looked at her watch, it said three in the morning. Something must have brought her out of her oblivion. Probably the chipmunks she’d heard earlier.

  Closing her eyes, she settled down again only to hear a moaning sound too human to be an animal. She shot straight up and looked over at Jake. Not close enough to see him clearly, she crept out of her bag and moved next to him.

  He was thrashing around in his bag, muttering something she couldn’t understand. She knelt at his side and put a hand to his forehead. It felt hot and clammy. His shallow breathing alarmed her.

  “Jake?” She shook his arm gently. “Wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

  “Is that you, Reiker? Vern’s dead. We’ve got to get the hell out of here! Careful, Reiker— Don’t step on that wire! The dump has been mined. Dear God—Reiker!” He screamed in terror.

&nbs
p; Maggie couldn’t bear to see him in this kind of torture. “Jake—you’re having a bad dream. Come on. Wake up!”

  “Please God— Please God—don’t let him be dead. Don’t die on me, Reiker. Don’t be dead. Don’t be dead.”

  Jake was in a place where she couldn’t reach him. His hands grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. He had no idea of his strength. Those deep sobs reminded her of her father’s the other night. Soul-wrenching, gut-wrenching sobs.

  He rocked her in his arms. “You can’t be dead, too—don’t be dead—there’s a chopper coming—hold on—don’t die on me—”

  “Jake.” She cupped his wet face in her hands, but the hands clamped around her upper arms felt like bands of steel, trapping her so she couldn’t move.

  She had no choice but to try to calm him down with tender endearments. “Hush. It’s going to be all right.” Using her thumbs she smoothed the moisture from his cheeks, then kissed his eyelids and temples.

  His body continued to writhe. Maggie smoothed the hair off his forehead and whispered soothing words. Slowly he began to quiet down. Once his breathing sounded more normal, his hands fell away from her arms.

  Realizing the nightmare had passed, she hurried back to her sleeping bag. While she lay there wide-awake and trembling, her mind tried to process what she’d just seen and heard.

  He’d been talking about a land mine that had exploded. No doubt he’d been caught in it, thus the reason for his shoulder replacement. Putting everything together since she’d first met him, she had an idea he was either a navy SEAL or a special-operations officer for the CIA.

  Having spent a lot of time talking to her father about the weaknesses and strengths of the CIA’s intelligence-gathering operations, Maggie felt she wasn’t far off the mark.

  She hadn’t really bought the business about him being a police detective from California. Too many things about his story hadn’t added up. But she assumed he really could read and write Czech in order to work at the genealogical firm.

  Jake had devised a clever cover that would last until he was healed enough to go back to his secret career in January. He was going to leave.

  Nothing’s permanent, Maggie.

  She buried her face in her hands, glad she’d witnessed his gruesome nightmare. Doubly glad she hadn’t been able to bring him out of it. This would be her secret.