Chapter 9

NINE

Trying not to allow his concern for Julie to outweigh his common sense, Kane checked his watch. Taking into account the time it would take to return to the highway, load the snowmobiles, and go and collect Tauri from Wolfe's home, he figured they had approximately one hour to search the immediate area for any sign of life. He went to Jenna as she watched Wolfe go through the motions of collecting and labeling body parts, his face grim with determination. Even though Emily was as professional as usual, tears streamed down her face. Kane turned to Jenna. "If somebody took Julie with them, they must have a cabin close by."

"Close by could be two miles away." Jenna turned tragic eyes to him. "It makes sense they must have had a snowmobile or some form of transport because no one would be carrying her and all that luggage on their back." She hugged her chest and shivered. "What direction should we take? We need more boots on the ground and aerial assistance." She shook snow from her hood. "This snow is endless. It won't give up."

Hearing voices, Kane looked into the distance and spotted Blackhawk heading toward them leading a group of snowmobiles. "Atohi has made it through. That's a good sign. There must be a clear stretch between here and the rez."

"Any survivors?" Blackhawk climbed from the snowmobile and stared at the wreckage. "Julie?"

"She's missing." Jenna leaned against Kane. "Everyone was killed in the crash."

"That's bad news. You all look exhausted." Blackhawk went to his trailer. "I have hot coffee and sandwiches. Eat and then we'll search the area. All of my friends know Bear Peak. We've hunted here many times."

Relieved to see him, Kane nodded. "Am I glad to see you." He gave him the details of everything they'd found. "So we're looking for cabins in the area and any more bodies. It's unlikely he stopped at two."

"This is a very sick mind." Blackhawk handed out cups and filled them from Thermoses. "No one will fly in this weather. The visibility is bad and the wind blowing through the pass would push a chopper into the mountain, just like the aircraft. The way we came through was difficult, but the forest provided cover and the snowdrifts weren't too deep for now. One more day and we'll be unable to get here."

Sipping the hot brew, Kane nodded to Blackhawk's friends, all he knew well. "Thank you all for coming. I need your knowledge. How many cabins would be around here in, say, a two-mile radius?"

"Too many." Blackhawk frowned and pointed to the west. "Two in that direction, hunting cabins. I didn't see smoke when I came down the mountain and I don't smell any. If someone is staying close by, we'd smell smoke. Whoever has taken Julie is outside the perimeter you've considered. When you return to collect the murder victims, maybe bring a drone or two. Look for smoke and you'll find your cabin." He frowned and filled a cup for Wolfe and pushed it into his hands. "I know you are worried but think about what you have told me. Julie is gone, so are her things. Someone rescued her and thought enough to take her luggage and medical supplies. If they meant to do her harm, they'd have done it and tied her to a tree also."

"That's logical." Wolfe took a bite from a sandwich and ate mechanically. "We don't have a clue where to start looking. I figure we take the remains back to the morgue and get a list of next of kin for DNA samples. None of those poor souls are recognizable. We know we can get through from town. We'll bring the snowmobile team from search and rescue with us at first light."

"We can get into town." Blackhawk looked from one to the other. "We'll meet you on the fire road at Bear Peak at first light. Bring the drones." He handed out coffee and sandwiches to Rio, Rowley, and Emily. "We'll scout around on the way back to the rez and see if we can find any tracks but it's doubtful. Look, our tracks are almost covered already. You must keep hope that Julie is in safe hands. We'll find her but not this afternoon."

"What worries me is that we haven't had a call." Rio looked from one to the other. "We all have satellite phones. If someone had called 911 and told Maggie they'd found Julie, she'd have called."

"Not everyone has a satellite phone or even a phone." Rowley looked around. "This is off-the-grid country. People who come here don't want to communicate with others." He leaned against a tree and met Kane's gaze. "My thoughts are, if someone has her, they'll wait for a break in the weather and then get to someone they know has a phone. The cabins on the edge of the forest are all dwellings. People have lived there, rain, hail, or shine. Most would have phones or CB radios for sure."

"Okay." Wolfe looked at the pile of body bags. "We can fit the murder victims on the trailers. All the victims will take days to thaw. Norrell can watch them. She's in charge at the morgue in my absence." He looked at Kane. "Can you ask Maggie to send out a call on the office CB to ask about Julie?"

Handing the cup back to Blackhawk, Kane turned to Wolfe. "I'll call her now. She'll contact everyone she knows. Atohi has a point. Whoever has taken her means to care for her or they wouldn't have taken her things. We must think positive and get back here as soon as possible to search for her. Right now, we have little time to get home before the temperature drops again. I'm just hoping the mayor had the snowplow guys out all day clearing the highway, or we'll be bunking at your house tonight."

"The roads through town and out to our ranch will be okay." Jenna looked at him. "I spoke to the mayor personally and he gave me his word." She stared at the sky. "The search-and-rescue snowmobile team obviously didn't get through, so they can follow us in the morning. The wider the circle we can cover the better." She turned to Blackhawk. "The highway from the top of Bear Peak and into the mountains should be clear. The mayor mentioned keeping a way out of Glacial Heights Ski Resort in case of an emergency."

"That's good news." Blackhawk collected the cups and tossed them into a bag on his trailer. "We will scout around the area for as long as possible and then head home. I'll call if we find anything and we'll see you in the morning." He climbed on his ride and led his team back along the trail.

Worry still curled in Kane's belly but there was little he could do right now. He scanned the area one last time, seeing Blackhawk's team heading opposite to where Rio and Rowley had searched. He took Jenna's hand. "You need to get out of the weather." He led Jenna to the snowmobile. She was blue with cold and had gone past shivering. He needed to get her home. He left her there and went to speak to Wolfe. "Can you manage with the murder victims if we leave Rowley and Rio with you? I'd like to get Jenna back to the office."

"Yeah, we'll be close behind." Wolfe leaned in closer and looked at the team. "We're all cold and heartsore. I feel like tearing out trees to find Julie. Going home and leaving her here is like ripping out my heart but we are doing the right thing." He slapped Kane on the shoulder. "We'll all get through this horrible day. It's tomorrow we should be worrying about."