Chapter 40

FORTY

Unable to wait for news, Wolfe and Emily headed for the forest warden's station. It was the closest one to Bear Peak and they wanted to make sure they'd been informed about Julie's disappearance. With the phones out, he'd go and tell them personally. The wardens could ask any hunters who came by if they'd seen any signs of her. It was a shot in the dark as he figured no one would be stupid enough to be out in this weather. They'd gotten almost to the parking lot when his phone buzzed and his truck's screen lit up with an incoming call. It was Maggie from the sheriff's office. "Wolfe."

"This is Maggie, I had a call from search and rescue to say Julie had walked into a cabin up near Bear Peak but there's a problem. The woman that called it in said a man on a blue snowmobile with a yellow stripe was chasing her down. The poor girl had to run out the back door while the woman distracted him. He knocked her down and searched her house. She grabbed her shotgun and ran after him and fired a warning shot. I've notified the sheriff and they're on their way. I'll text you the coordinates of the cabin."

Wolfe tossed his phone to Emily and accelerated toward Bear Peak. "We're close by, contact Jenna and tell her we're going after her." He waited for his phone to signal a message and then disconnected.

"Okay, I've punched in the coordinates." Emily waited for the GPS to recalibrate and glanced at her dad. "The off-ramp to the fire road is just ahead. It should be clear. Jenna told me earlier the snowplows are working around the clock to keep them open."

Wolfe punched a fist on the steering wheel. "We should have thought to bring the snowmobiles."

"The snowplow attachment you have will help. We'll go as far as we can and walk." Emily gripped the door as the truck slid sideways down the off-ramp. "If Julie can run through the drifts, then so can I."

Pushing his truck as fast as possible, Wolfe drove along the fire road. "I can see snowmobile tracks. Whoever is chasing her came this way."

Ahead, a cabin appeared out of the flurry and Wolfe pulled to a halt. He slid from the truck, strode to the door, and banged on it with his fist. When the door opened a crack and a woman peered out, he nodded to her. "I'm Dr. Shane Wolfe. You called search and rescue about a missing girl and a man chasing her? Which way did she go? I'm her father."

"Oh, thank goodness. She didn't get time to mention her name but she was blonde like you." The woman opened the door, one hand clutching a shotgun. "She went north toward the mountain." She pointed in the direction. "There's a trail behind my woodshed. You can drive along it with the snowplow on your truck. She went that way but that man was on her tail."

Wolfe nodded. "Thanks. The sheriff is on her way. Point her in the right direction." He hurried back to the truck. "I know where she's heading but she's smart enough not to stick to the trail. She'll hole up somewhere until the guy goes past."

Spinning the wheels, he took his foot off the gas a little and eased the truck forward. The trail was just where the woman had indicated, and from the marks in the snow, the guy chasing her down had found the trail as well. He pushed the truck as hard as possible, the deep snow giving way to the snowplow attached to the front of his truck. When the trail ended in a clearing, he turned the truck around facing the way back. In front of them were two smaller trails, one to the right and one to the left. The snowmobile had gone right. He looked at Emily's determined face. "Grab a backpack and the snowshoes from the back of the truck. I'm following the snowmobile."

"I'll go left." Emily jumped out and was dragging on snowshoes. She grabbed a backpack and tossed it to him. "I know her. She'll go through the forest if he's on her tail. She might be down here and hiding somewhere."

Reluctant to let his daughter go alone, he shook his head and suited up. "It's not safe."

"It's safer than you think." Emily patted a bulge under one arm. "I'm carrying. Just like you. I'm not planning on taking any risks." She pressed a kiss to his cheek and took off bounding through the deep snow.

Emotion welled up inside Wolfe as he watched her go. "Please, God, don't let me lose two daughters out here today."