Chapter 18

Jakob

Searching without a direction was getting frustrating. Not as frustrating as sitting at home doing nothing, but almost.

By the third day, searching on three different trails a day, it was starting to feel pointless. I spent two days trying out new routes within a half hour of home, and I was bordering on harassing the hikers with my phone by showing images of the Hinder brothers from Hansel's social media.

No one had seen them.

Of course people on the trail days later hadn't seen them. I shouldn't be so surprised.

But… I couldn't shake the feeling Helga had tried the abandon-them-in-the-woods trick again. She was manipulative, and not stupid, but also not very clever.

Hansel's school and the police said they still wouldn't consider them missing, since Helga had told the same story about the brothers working and being out of cell range.

Everyone bought it, but I didn't.

They'd been missing for over five days, and I wasn't giving up. My boss could wait.

When I went into a bigger town a bit further away to get more supplies, a car near the store caught my attention. It wasn't a full dealership, but there were a few used cars lined up for sale.

"What can I do for you?" A mustached man in a blue suit greeted me when he saw me wandering toward one in particular. "Are you interested in this red one, or something bigger?"

"How long have you had this one on the lot?" I asked, gesturing to the polished, but old compact car, which looked a little too familiar.

"Just in," the man gushed, trying to make the sale but coming across as genuine. "Not too worn-in as it was mostly driven only in a small town up the road."

The little red car was the same make as the one Helga had driven before she returned without Rhett and Hansel. And we lived in a rather small town.

"No, but thanks for your help." I gestured toward my old pickup truck across the lot. "I think I'll stick with what I've got, since I have to haul wood for work."

The man gave me an appreciative look up and down from my broad shoulders to my worn boots and back again. "A man who works with his hands…"

Another time, if I hadn't met and grown so fond of Rhett, I might have asked for his number. Despite the mustache, he was a good-looking guy. Slighter than me and clearly checking me out. But he sparked zero interest for me.

Maybe I was a little more than fond of Rhett.

After sorting my food and drinks into my backpack, I got out a map of the area. I'd checked all the official and unofficial trails, and even had a gun pointed at me when I wandered onto private property, but it was time to refocus.

Helga's car told me I was on the right track.

Pulling up the satellite image of the area, I focused in on the woods. Helga must have gone further than the first time. And possibly avoided a busier trail. There were mostly rivers and roads labeled, but then I found something odd.

There was an odd spot off a small main trail, deep in the forest where it was dark. Not thick woods or deep water, but as if hidden. A prickle of something ran down my spine and I rubbed at the back of my neck on instinct.

With no better idea, I decided to head that way.

If it turned out to be some government installation where military men would arrest me for trespassing? Well, at least I'd have their attention.