by Cindi Myers
Her eyes filled with tears, making the world look blurry. She tripped on something and fell hard. Pain shot up her knee and she cried out. She had fallen so often since she had run from the camp the night before last. Was it really that long ago?
She crawled to the base of a big tree and huddled there, tears streaming, nose running. She wiped at it with her sleeve. Stop crying! she ordered herself. Crying didn’t help anything. She closed her eyes and tried to think.
Aunt Maya was here. Casey had seen her, with the big policeman. Or maybe not a policeman. What did you call them when they wore brown instead of blue? A sheriff? A sheriff’s deputy had come to their school once. He was Alexa Steiner’s dad, and he had told them when they were in trouble, they should find a law officer to tell.
Was Aunt Maya in trouble? Was that why she was with the deputy? Or maybe he was protecting her from the men with guns. He had pushed her down when the men began firing.
And Casey had run. She had to run. She was so afraid of the men—more afraid than she had ever been. So afraid it made her shake, just to remember what had happened. She didn’t want to remember. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them and shut her eyes. If only she could go to sleep and wake up to find this was all just a nightmare.
But she had slept last night—curled on the ground under a tree that looked a lot like this one—and when she woke in the morning, she had been scared all over again, not knowing where she was. Everything here looked so different from home—so many rocks and trees, and the big open sky and no buildings or streets or people she knew.
“Mommy,” she whispered.
But her mommy wasn’t going to come back again. Neither was her daddy. She had seen them lying on the ground, bleeding, and the bad men looking in the tent—the tent that Casey had crawled out of when the men had grabbed Mommy and Daddy and tied them up. Then she had run again, as long and as far as she could. She had to stay away from those bad men.
Her tummy growled and she raised her head again. She was so hungry. She had drank water from a stream last night and again this morning, but she didn’t have anything to eat. When she saw those buildings, she thought she might find some food, but instead, the bad men had come and scared her away.
A bird screeched overhead. She looked up and followed its flight, into some bushes with red things on them. She stood and went over to the bushes. The red things were berries—raspberries. She picked one and popped it into her mouth. It was little but so sweet! Hurrying, she picked more, stuffing the berries into her mouth until her hands were covered with the bright red juice and her arms were covered in scratches from the prickly bushes. She moved from bush to bush, eating as many of the berries as she could find. They tasted so good—better even than candy.
When she had eaten all the berries she could hold, she walked until she came to another stream. She crouched down beside it and washed her hands and face, then scooped up water and drank. Now that she had eaten, she was so tired. But she couldn’t just lie down out here in the open—the bad men might see her.
She looked around and saw a hole in the middle of a clump of bushes—like the door to a little cave. She went over to it and looked inside, at the smooth carpet of leaves. It was just big enough for her to curl up. She crawled in and did so, and thought of a storybook Aunt Maya had read to her and the picture in the book of the little squirrel curled up in its nest. She was like that squirrel, safe in this nest. She closed her eyes and thought of the squirrel, and of Aunt Maya. Maybe she would come soon and take her away—far away from the bad men.
* * *
DOZENS OF PEOPLE were swarming around Angela and Greg’s camp when Maya returned with Gage and Travis. The blue tent still stood to one side of the fire pit, with the clothing and sleeping bags inside. Maya wondered if they had left everything in place as a landmark for Casey to hone in on. She was surprised to see Paige there, standing with a pretty brunette. Gage’s brother, Travis, moved ahead of Gage and Maya and kissed the brunette on the cheek and she smiled up at him—the kind of smile only people in love exchange.
“Lacy and I brought some food up for the volunteers,” Paige said. “And we thought we would help with the search if we could.”
“I saw the gate over the trail, over by Hake’s place,” Gage told her. “I shot the lock off, so it’s open now.”
“The county says they’ll order Henry Hake to take it down,” Paige said. “As soon as they find him. I tried calling his office, but nobody answers.”
“Somebody must be running the business in his absence,” Gage said.
“Where is he?” Maya asked. “Why can’t you get in touch with him?”
“No one knows where he is,” Paige said. “He’s been missing about a month now.” She held out her hands, palms up. “He just disappeared.”
“We’ve been looking for him,” Travis said. “But if someone doesn’t want to be found, it can be tough.”
Paige took Maya’s hand and squeezed it gently. “How are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m hanging in there.” Later, when this was all over and Casey was safe, she would probably collapse, but so far, she was managing to stay strong thanks in part to all of these people—none of whom she had known before yesterday—who were helping to search for Casey.
“We’re going to find her,” Paige said. “You can’t give up hope.”
Maya nodded. Hope was the only thing keeping her upright.
“We need to warn everyone to stay away from Hake’s place,” Travis said.
“Why is that?” Lacy asked.
“Somebody took a shot at Maya and Gage when they were over there just now,” Travis said. “As soon as I spread the word here, he and I are headed back over there to investigate.”
“Be careful,” Lacy said, then bit her lip, as if wishing she could take back the words, but Travis only squeezed her hand.
“I always am,” he said.
“Someone shot at you?” Paige stared at Maya, openmouthed. “Who?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.” Gage turned to Maya. “You’ll be okay here while I’m gone? If you want to go back to town, I can find someone to take you.”
“No. I want to stay here. I can’t leave until we find Casey.”
“And here come more recruits,” Paige said, looking over Maya’s shoulder.
She turned to see two men approaching. The shorter of the two was also the more muscular, with bulging biceps and a shaved head. His companion was tall and lean, with a weathered face and short blond hair.
“We closed up early and came to see what we could do to help,” the blond said.
“Maya Renfro, this is Brock Ryan.” Gage indicated the blond. “And Wade Tomlinson. They own Eagle Mountain Outdoors.”
“We brought our climbing gear in the truck,” Brock said. “Just in case.”
“Speaking of climbing gear,” Gage said. “Somebody stole a climbing rope from the high school last night. Any ideas who would take something like that?”
“Maybe some kid who was into climbing?” Wade answered. “Good gear is expensive—more than most high schoolers can manage without help from Mom and Dad.”
“Can you think of anybody we should question?” Travis asked. “Maybe a kid who’s been hanging around your shop?”
The two men exchanged looks. “I can’t think of anyone,” Wade said.
“Me, neither,” Brock agreed.
“Go talk to Tony with search and rescue,” Travis said. “He’s coordinating the volunteers.” He turned to Maya. “I think you should stay here in camp, so people know where to find you if they have any sightings. Casey is probably afraid, and she might not readily come to anyone but you.”
She nodded. “Of course I’ll stay. I—”
“What’s the reason for all this commotion? I’ve had people tramping all over my land a
ll day and I want it stopped now!”
They all swiveled to see a big, hawk-nosed man with a striking cascade of snow-white hair past his shoulders stalking toward them. He halted in front of Travis, though he practically vibrated with rage. “These people don’t have any right to come on my property. What are you going to do to stop them?”
“Hello, Ed,” Travis said. “I went over to your place yesterday to talk to you, but you weren’t home. Or at least, you didn’t answer the door.”
“Just because somebody comes to my door doesn’t mean I have to talk to them,” Ed said. “What are you going to do about all these people invading my privacy?”
“We’re looking for a little girl.” Travis took one of the flyers that had been distributed to all the volunteers from his pocket and unfolded it. “Have you seen her?”
The flyer featured a picture of Casey—the one from her birthday party that Maya had given to Gage to use. She watched the old man’s face as he studied the picture. After a few seconds, he thrust the flyer at Travis. “I don’t have anything to do with kids,” he said.
“Except that young woman in the park in Pennsylvania,” Travis said.
Ed’s face flushed a dark red. “That was fifteen years ago. I leave everybody alone and I ask that they do the same for me.”
“So you didn’t see a young couple—this little girl’s parents—over here next to your property and wonder what they were up to?” Gage asked.
Ed glanced around at the crowd. Everyone within earshot had stopped to listen to the exchange. “I saw some people over there,” he said. “But I didn’t talk to them. I keep to my property and they kept to theirs.”
“Did you see anyone else over here?” Travis asked. “Any strangers? Or did you hear anything? Any shouting or gunfire?”
“No.”
“Would you have called us if you had?” Gage asked.
Ed just scowled at them.
“Do you own a gun?” Travis asked.
“A man has a right to protect himself.”
“We’re going to want to search your place,” Travis said. “The one in town and the one up here.”
“You can’t do that without a warrant.”
“Then we’ll get one.”
“You have no right! I’ll—”
But a shout and the sound of running feet interrupted him. A young man and woman raced up, breathless. “We found this,” the man said, and held up a small pink sock.
Maya swayed, fighting dizziness, her gaze fixed on the bright pink sock—so tiny in the man’s hand. A strong arm came around her shoulders, and she looked up into Gage’s concerned face. “Do you recognize it?” he asked.
“I...I don’t know. I mean, it’s so small. But Casey loves pink. She always wears it.”
“Where did you find it?” Travis asked.
“It was caught in some bushes, beside a creek down there.” He pointed to the north. “I marked the spot with my bandanna.”
Gage’s hand tightened on Maya’s shoulder. “That’s on your land, isn’t it, Ed?”
Chapter Seven
Gage’s arm around Maya’s shoulders was warm and strong, holding her up and silently encouraging her to hang on. “I’m all right,” she said, her eyes fixed on the sock. As long as she looked at it, she didn’t have to look at the old man. Had he hurt Casey? But then, why come into camp and call attention to himself this way?
“I’m going to get someone to take you back to town,” Gage said. “I know the waiting is hard, but we want to do this right, get the warrant, make sure we don’t overlook anything.”
She nodded, and her shoulders straightened. “All right.”
“We’ll take her back with us,” Paige said.
“We’ll do our best to distract you,” Lacy said.
“Is that okay with you?” Gage looked her in the eye. That steady gaze made her feel stronger—calmer.
She nodded. “Just call me as soon as you know anything.”
“I promise I will.”
Paige drove the three women back to the Bear’s Den. “Make yourselves comfortable,” she said, showing them into a sun-filled room on the top floor of the three-story house. “I’m going to open a bottle of wine.”
Lacy settled on the end of the sofa, legs curled beneath her. “One thing you should know about the Walker men,” she said. “They don’t give up. They’ll find your niece.”
Maya sat at the opposite end of the sofa. “I know they’re trying,” she said.
Paige joined them, a bottle of white wine in one hand, three glasses in another. She handed them each a glass and poured the wine. “What we really want to know is all about you,” she said. “Who is Maya Renfro?” She sat in an armchair across from the sofa. “You’re not just Casey’s aunt or Angela’s sister. It’s too easy to put people in those little boxes.”
“Paige doesn’t like boxes.” Lacy sipped her wine and smiled.
“I’m guessing someone with blue hair doesn’t like boxes, either,” Paige said.
Maya sipped the wine, buying time to think. “Maybe I just haven’t found the box I fit in yet,” she said. “I’m single. I’m from Denver, and I teach school.”
“I’m studying to be a teacher,” Lacy said. “I’m hoping to go into elementary education.”
“I teach high school. Teenagers are practically a different species. Challenging, but I think that’s why I like them.” She fingered the blue ends of her hair. “I never would have done this if my students hadn’t challenged me. I told them if they improved their test scores, I’d dye my hair. They did, so here I am. But I’m thinking of keeping it. It unsettles some people and I’m enough of a rebel I like it.” She shrugged.
“What else?” Paige prompted. “Any hobbies? What do you do for fun?”
“I perform at poetry slams.”
“One of the women I knew in prison did that,” Lacy said. “Not slams, really—but she wrote poetry and performed it for the rest of us. She was really good.”
Maya stared at the pretty brunette over the rim of her wineglass. “Prison? Did you work there?”
Lacy laughed. “No, I was in prison for three years. I was wrongfully convicted of killing my boss.”
“Travis Walker got her out,” Paige said. “He proved she was innocent, then found the real killer.”
“I take it you and the sheriff are involved?” Maya asked.
Lacy’s smile made her seem to glow from within. “We are. And believe me, I’m the last person I’d ever expect to fall for a lawman.”
“The Walker brothers are both easy on the eyes,” Paige observed. “And even though Gage says he’s not interested in a relationship, I’ll bet he would change his mind for the right woman.”
Maya felt both women’s eyes on her, even as she studied the contents of her glass. “He’s been very kind,” she said, determined not to betray the flutter in her stomach when she thought of Gage.
“They come from one of the town’s founding families.” Paige leaned over to tip more wine into Maya’s glass. “You should see if Gage will take you to visit the Walking W Ranch some time.”
“It’s pretty spectacular,” Lacy said. “Like something out of a Ralph Lauren ad—big log ranch house, rolling pastures right up to the base of the mountains.”
“Why did they go into law enforcement instead of running the family ranch?” Maya asked.
“Oh, they’re still involved with the ranch,” Lacy said.
“Their dad is only in his early fifties, and he’s one of those men who seem like he could still be going strong for another thirty years,” Paige said.
“Travis has never come right out and said so, but he really wants to help people,” Lacy said. “It’s important to him to make a difference in his hometown.”
“He could make a difference in a city, too,” M
aya said.
“Sure he could. But this is home.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Maya said. “But I never understood that—feeling so tied to a place. I mean, isn’t it kind of, well, limiting to live in the same place all your life, with the same people who know everything about you?”
“I know what you mean,” Lacy said. “And I used to feel the same way—especially when I was a teenager, dying to get away.” She shrugged. “But then I went away, and I couldn’t wait to get back. There’s something special about this place. It kind of gets under your skin.”
“But you’re from here,” Maya said. “I’ve never lived anywhere but the city.”
“That was me, before I came here,” Paige said. “I always thought a small place would limit me, but it’s the opposite. I’ve really grown here and been able to try new things. In the city, there is always someone who has done what you’re thinking about doing and they’ve done it better. That can be inspiring, but it can also be paralyzing. Here, if you want to do something, you may be the first to try it—like starting an environmental group, which is what I did.”
“Or a poetry slam.” Lacy nudged Maya with her toe. “We don’t have that here.”
“I’m not sure Eagle Mountain is ready for poetry slams,” Maya said. She didn’t bother to point out that she wouldn’t be staying in town long enough to get involved in anything. As soon as Casey was safe, Maya would need to take her back home. They would need time to heal in the place that was familiar to them both.
“How long do you think it will take them to get the warrant to search that man’s place?” she asked, unable to tear her thoughts away from that topic for long.
“I don’t know,” Lacy said. “Probably not long. The judges know Travis and he has a good reputation. They trust his judgment, and he wouldn’t ask for the warrant without proof.”
“I had no idea old Ed had a record,” Paige said. “I just thought he was a grouchy old hermit—another town character.”
“Maybe that’s all he is,” Lacy said. “He may not have anything to do with any of this.”
