Chapter 14
14
W yn gaped in horror as she watched the snow machine roar away from the property. Had that been Eli sitting in front of the driver? She turned toward Chase. He’d lobbed the red ball into the air for Rocky, but then turned to sprint toward the trailer.
Obviously, he was getting the snowmobiles. She took off after him, running clumsily in her snow boots. Rocky galloped alongside them with the red ball in his mouth, seemingly thrilled to have won the search game. While she was glad to know Eli had been there, her heart ached for her son. Eli would be at a loss without his stuffed horse, especially after losing his building block.
She could only pray that they’d catch up to him sooner than later.
Yet even as she slowed to a stop at the side of the trailer, she wondered where the kidnapper was taking him. Why had the kidnapper killed George, brought Eli way out here, only to take off again on the snow machine?
Chase had the trailer disconnected from the SUV. He’d pushed it back several feet and had lifted the cover. Seconds later, the first snow machine roared to life. He drove it off the trailer and onto the snow. Then he did the same with the second snow machine.
“Hand,” he said sharply to Rocky.
Surprisingly, the dog dropped the ball into Chase’s hand.
“Good boy.” He rummaged in one of the bags. “Here, take this helmet and face mask. You’ll have to keep up with me, understand?”
“I can do it.” She donned the face mask first, then the helmet, tightening the strap under her chin. “I just need a quick lesson.”
“I know.” Chase tugged his face mask and helmet on, then gestured to the sled. “Jump on. It’s relatively easy.”
She straddled the seat.
“Here’s the key.” He turned it, and the engine roared to life. “You give the engine gas using the thumb button on the right handgrip. The brakes are just like those found on a bicycle. This is the switch for the hand warmers.” He flipped it on. “They’ll help battle the cold. And don’t forget to lean into your turns. But be careful not to turn too sharply or you’ll risk landing in the snow.”
She tested his instructions. The sled surged forward when she used her thumb to give it gas. She used the brakes to make it stop. He was right, driving the machine wasn’t too complicated.
“Rocky, search! Search for Eli!” Chase shouted the command loud enough to be heard over the sound of the engine.
She wasn’t sure why he’d asked Rocky to search since they could simply follow the tracks in the snow, but she didn’t waste time asking. This could be Chase’s way of keeping his K9 engaged. Whatever worked was fine with her.
When Chase hit the gas, sending his sled forward, she quickly followed him across the snowy landscape toward the outbuilding. Under normal circumstances, flying across the snow like this would be exhilarating.
Instead, she felt sick, her stomach twisted into double knots. They were close on Eli’s trail, but she instinctively knew this wouldn’t be as easy as asking the kidnapper for her son back. This guy had taken him for a reason. In truth, she was scared to death to learn why Eli had been put in harm’s way.
She pressed her thumb harder against the gas, increasing her speed to catch up with Chase. He was going fast, but not so much that he outpaced his K9. She was impressed with how Rocky moved through the snow, lifting his snout to the air and sniffing intently. She couldn’t see anything beyond Chase’s machine, but as they went deeper into the wilderness, she belatedly realized there were other snow machine tracks, going off in different directions.
What if they followed the wrong tracks? It had taken Chase at least ten minutes to get the sleds off the trailer.
Ten minutes of the kidnapper going anywhere from twenty to thirty miles per hour across the snow with their son. Moving him to yet another unknown destination.
Why? The word reverberated through her mind as she drove. They went from open fields to a wooded area. And when she narrowly missed a tree, she slowed her speed and focused on driving.
It was harder to keep track of Chase and Rocky once they entered the woods. She prayed the kidnapper wouldn’t fall off his snowmobile with Eli. These things didn’t have seat belts, and Eli hadn’t been wearing a child-sized helmet.
When she turned around a cluster of trees, she saw Chase and Rocky weren’t that far ahead. Chase had stopped his snow machine and was examining the ground. She gunned the engine to catch up.
“What’s wrong?” No point in trying to keep her voice down, the engine noise would alert Eli’s kidnapper that they were closing in.
“Lots of snow machine tracks here.” He turned to Rocky. “Search for Eli!”
Rocky stood and sniffed the air for a few long moments. Then the dog turned left on the trail, sniffing at some brush along the way. He stopped near some slender tree branches that were about waist high. Then Rocky sat and let out a sharp bark.
His alert! She rose to a standing position with her booted feet on either side of the sled seat. “What is it? What did Rocky find?”
“I don’t see anything obvious.” Chase had gotten off the sled and was examining the ground. Then he seemed to notice the same thing she did. The way Rocky’s nose was practically touching the tree branch. “Is that what you smell?” Chase asked with a frown. “Are you telling me Eli came through this way?”
Rocky gave another sharp bark and continued to stare up at Chase as if willing him to read the dog’s mind. Chase glanced at her, shrugged, and climbed back up on his sled. Then he rummaged in a duffel clipped to the back of the seat. He filled a collapsible bowl with water and set it on the ground for the dog. Rocky slurped the water eagerly, obviously needing a break. When Rocky finished, Chase put the bowl away and turned to face her.
“I’m not sure why he alerted on those branches. But I trust Rocky. His nose has not failed me yet.” He raised his voice. “Good boy! Search! Search for Eli!”
Rocky jumped up from his sitting position to bound along the left-hand trail, following some invisible scent only he could identify. The dog was excited to play this game, which was a good thing.
Chase gunned the engine of his sled to follow, so she did too.
Navigating the snowmobile through the woods was harder than she’d anticipated. Not just because they often had to take unexpected turns, forcing her to use all her upper-arm strength to get the skis to shift directions. But also because she had to keep the tips of her skis from being snagged on trees and bushes.
While staying focused on the trail ahead of her, low-hanging branches slapped her in the face. She wondered if that’s what had happened to Eli. It would explain why Rocky had alerted on her son’s scent back there.
She tried to see it as a positive thing that they were on the right track. Yet as they threaded their snowmobiles through the woods, she couldn’t help but worry about what they’d find when they reached the end of the trail. They’d made it this far; she couldn’t bear to find Eli just in time for the kidnappers to harm him in some way.
She swallowed hard against the seemingly endless panic. She needed to remain calm. To stay positive. To trust in God’s plan.
And to pray.
Please, Lord Jesus, keep Eli safe in Your care!
* * *
Loud. Eli wanted to cover his ears with his hands. The machine they were riding was too loud.
But that wasn’t the worst thing. He was sad he’d lost his stuffy. It was all Scary Man’s fault. He’d fallen asleep in the truck and woke up when the scary man grabbed him. He’d had his stuffy in his hand as the scary man carried him outside. Then the scary man yelled something, startling him. Eli realized that’s when he must have dropped it. He’d wanted to use his words to tell Scary Man to go back and look for it, but there wasn’t time when the scary man turned to go inside and started working on the loud machine.
Then Scary Man plopped him on the seat of the loud machine, and they were moving outside and across the open snow.
He still had the hard thing in his other hand. He’d managed to get the small cylinder into his palm under his mittens. He was glad to have the hard thing cupped in his hand, but he also felt off balance again.
He squeezed his hand.
Hard. Hard. Hard.
He tried to rock, but the scary man yelled at him to knock it off. Eli wondered if his rocking might cause them to fall off the loud machine, so he’d stopped and sat as still as possible. The scary man was holding him tightly across his tummy, which made him feel a little safe.
His nose was running across his face. He swiped at his cheek with his sleeve as the branches scraped past. They had been out in the open, but now they were in the woods. He couldn’t tell where they were going. And it wasn’t easy to concentrate without his stuffy. He opened and closed his empty hand, wishing he had the stuffed horsey. Then he closed his fingers around the short, hard thing. That helped. He liked holding something in his hand.
The movement of the loud machine also made him feel a little better. The rocking was more side to side than back and forth, but that was okay. He didn’t mind the machine carrying them across the snow. If it wasn’t so loud, and if he wasn’t with Scary Man, he might have had fun.
But he was tired of being with Scary Man. Smelly Man had been nice to him, but Scary Man yelled a lot. He wanted to go home. He knew his mommy was coming for him. Every time he’d started to cry, he could see his mommy’s face smiling down at him and telling him not to worry. She loved him and would be there soon.
So he hadn’t cried. Or yelled. Or let the scary man know how upset he was. He stayed quiet because that was his superpower.
And he hoped his mommy was waiting at the place where the scary man was taking him.
* * *
Chase couldn’t see much beyond the trees. He didn’t like knowing that by taking the snowmobiles, they were announcing their arrival for everyone to hear. He’d much rather sneak up on the kidnapper, but that ship had sailed.
He slowed his speed to keep pace with Rocky. From what he could tell, Rocky was doing okay. The K9 had incredible stamina. Still, he kept a wary eye on his partner. If it looked as if Rocky was getting tired, he could always carry the dog in front of him on the sled. The only way to keep Rocky safe was to have the dog facing him with his front legs draped over Chase’s shoulders.
Rocky wasn’t a fan of that method of traveling, but he’d cooperate. Yet Chase was hoping that wouldn’t be necessary. Their short break seemed to have rejuvenated the K9’s desire to find Eli.
Chase hadn’t rewarded Rocky for alerting on the bushes because the game wasn’t over. Those in-between alerts were hard to manage sometimes. Watching the way Rocky darted between the trees, he’d decided it was better he hadn’t taken the time to reward the K9.
After he turned around a large pine tree, he saw the dark building in the distance. He released the gas and clamped on the brakes, coming to a stop. “Rocky, heel!”
The dog slowed to a stop, glanced back at him as if to ask why. He killed the engine on the snowmobile, and that was enough for Rocky to turn and trot back to them.
Wynona brought her snowmobile to a stop behind him. “What is it?”
He gestured to the dark-brown cabin located almost two hundred yards away. “I think that might be our destination.”
Wyn’s eyes were wide behind her helmet. “What are you going to do?”
That was a good question. Chase eyed the cabin, trying to figure out a way to approach without being seen. It’s not as if the occupants probably hadn’t heard the snow machines. They weren’t quiet. The tracks of the sled that had taken Eli from the last house cut directly across the open land. There were trees behind the cabin, so maybe he could go around.
Rocky stood beside the snow machine patiently waiting.
After a long minute, he took off his helmet and turned to face Wyn. She removed her helmet, too, so they could communicate better. “I need you to call Griff to let him know where we are. And wait here for him to get here. I’m going to head through the woods on foot with Rocky to approach the house from the back.”
“I’m coming with you.”
He narrowed his gaze. “Wyn, I need you to call for backup. Do you have any idea where we are? Because I don’t.”
“Not really.” She jumped off the snowmobile. “We can call Griff, but there’s no reason to sit here to wait. Griff and the tribal police don’t have snow machines.”
He had to admit she was right about that. It was unlikely that Griff and the tribal police would get here in time to be of any help.
Still, he needed to try. Maybe once he found a way inside the cabin, he could stall long enough for help to arrive.
He pulled out his phone and stared at his screen. One lousy bar.
He should have anticipated there wouldn’t be good cell service out here. Rather than calling, he sent a text. In his experience, text messages often got through even with limited service.
Then he dismounted from his sled and gestured to the woods. “Let’s head this way. The goal is to stay hidden within the trees as long as possible.”
“I understand.” Her tone was subdued. “Griff and the police are not going to get here in time, are they?”
“They might.” He grimaced, knowing that was a lie. He wished he’d asked Doug Bridges, Maya, and his other siblings to come to the reservation earlier. Now it was too late. He’d left Doug a message but knew they were hours away by car.
Unfortunately, they were on their own. And Wyn deserved to know the truth. “Probably not. That’s why I wanted you to stay back here. If I get into trouble, you can take the sled back to the SUV and drive out to meet with Griff from there.”
“I can’t leave, Chase.” Her brown eyes pleaded with his. “Don’t ask me to. Eli is probably scared and confused. He won’t understand what’s going on. And I’m worried about how he’ll react to another stranger taking him away.”
He wouldn’t be a stranger to his own son if she hadn’t kept her pregnancy a secret. But there was no point in rehashing the past. He forced himself to nod in agreement.
“Try to stay behind me in case they start shooting.” He winced, and quickly added, “I just want you to be safe. I’m sure we’ll figure something out once we get there.”
“We will.” She didn’t sound confident, and that only made him feel worse. As they stayed within the shelter of the trees, he tried to think of a way to get additional support. He pulled out his phone again, took off his gloves, and texted Doug as a follow-up to his earlier message. He kept it short.
We’re heading to a cabin ten miles outside Pavillion to rescue Eli. If you don’t hear from me in an hour, send a search team.
Since he needed to make sure his hands were free to pull his weapon if needed, he dropped the phone into his coat pocket without waiting for a reply. Knowing Doug, his soon-to-be brother-in-law would likely hit the road the minute he received Chase’s text, which wasn’t a bad thing.
His plan was simple. Do everything in his power to keep Eli and Wyn alive long enough for Doug, his siblings, or Griff and the tribal police to get there.
He kept an eye on his K9 as they walked through the trees. Rocky seemed fine; he didn’t hold up his paws in a way that indicated the pads were sore. He should have brought the booties along, even though Rocky hated them and did everything he could to get them off.
Between Rocky, Wyn, and Eli, he battled a sense of failure. He should have waited for Griff to get there before taking off on the snowmobiles to follow Eli. Maybe they could have approached the cabin from another direction.
Although without Rocky’s alerting along the way, they wouldn’t even be this close to Eli. So he swallowed his fear of failing and pressed on.
A solid fifteen minutes passed in silence. Then the trees thinned, and he realized they’d reached the end of the woods.
They’d gotten at least a hundred yards closer to the cabin. From there, he could see the snow machine parked off to the side as well as smoke rising from the chimney. A sense of unease snaked down his spine.
It almost seemed as if the cabin owners were waiting, anticipating their arrival.
A trap? He glanced at Wyn, who stared at the cabin with a hint of fear, desperation, and resolve.
Rocky sniffed the air. Chase hadn’t told him to search, but the way Rocky’s nose was going, he knew his K9 would dart straight toward the snowmobile to alert on Eli’s scent.
“Easy, boy,” he murmured. Then he turned to look at Wyn. “Stay back just long enough for me to reach the side of the house. If anyone starts shooting, you turn back and get to the sleds.”
She didn’t want to, but she reluctantly nodded. “If they don’t start shooting, I’ll run over to join you.”
“Okay.” He debated leaving Rocky behind with Wyn, then decided it was better to keep him. Wyn was a rookie on the snowmobile, she wouldn’t be able to ride back with Rocky sharing her seat. Plus, Rocky only listened to him when he felt like it. No way would his K9 take orders from Wyn.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was it. He gave Wyn a quick kiss, then darted across the clearing. “Come, Rocky,” he called softly.
His K9 eagerly followed.
Chase half expected the front door to bang open and for bullets to fly. But there was no sound other than his breathing and his footsteps crunching on the snow as he ran.
When he reached the side of the building, he edged toward the window. It was covered by a curtain, making it impossible to see inside. He forced thoughts of Eli being locked in the room or tied to a chair out of his mind as he continued along the side of the cabin until he could peer around the corner toward the front door.
Still nothing.
That didn’t make sense. He knew the snowmobiles must have been heard by the kidnapper. Rocky stayed close as if sensing the threat.
He glanced over his shoulder in time to see Wyn making her move. When she broke from the protection of the trees and ran toward him, he quickly turned to watch the front door, anticipating a reaction from the kidnapper.
Nobody came outside.
A chill that had nothing to do with the cold temperature slid down his spine. What in the world was going on here? Was it possible they’d mistakenly followed the wrong trail? Had he imagined the smaller figure of a child on the snow machine?
No, Rocky had alerted to Eli’s scent. He was convinced Eli was inside the house. Rocky nudged him, as if silently agreeing.
“What’s wrong?” Wyn’s voice was a whisper.
“Not sure.” They needed to do something to catch the kidnappers off guard. “Let’s go around to the back side of the house.”
“Right behind you,” she agreed.
He quickly crossed to the opposite corner. Rocky stayed close, as did Wyn. When he peeked out, he didn’t see anyone outside with a gun. He stepped forward, edging along the side of the cabin. He almost wished there was a major snowstorm or something that would help hide their presence.
There was nothing but the whistling wind.
Chase made it all the way to the back door when it abruptly opened, and a tall, thin, dark-skinned man stepped out with a gun. “It’s about time. We’ve been waiting.”
Chase froze. This was a trap. He abruptly realized that if this guy intended to shoot them outright, they’d already be dead. He didn’t glance at his dog, too afraid to call attention to his K9 partner. “We’ve come for Eli.”
“This way.” The tall Native American stepped back, the gun still leveled at Chase’s chest. “As I said. We’ve been waiting.”
Every one of his instincts was on high alert, but Chase knew they had no choice but to come inside. He crossed the threshold first. Rocky followed along with Wyn.
“Don’t be stupid,” the tall, thin man said. “If you try anything, your son will suffer.”
His son. The words hit hard. Chase didn’t know this man, but it almost seemed as if the Native American knew him.
“What do you want from us?” Wyn asked, speaking for the first time. “Is this about the audit I was doing for the tribal leaders? If so, you should know I quit my job. I’m no longer employed by the council. In fact, once I have Eli back safe, I’ll be leaving the reservation, forever.”
There was a long silence. With this man holding them at gunpoint, their chances of getting out of this alive were slim.
But he wouldn’t give up hope.
A quick glance around the living area didn’t reveal any sign of Eli. Then he noticed Rocky had disappeared too. Had the dog slipped past the kidnappers to find their son? Maybe. He found himself hoping the big dog didn’t scare the little boy.
Either way, not finding Eli safe and unharmed was sending Wyn over the edge.
More than she already was.
“What do you want?” Wyn abruptly shouted. “Tell me! I don’t even know you! If this isn’t about the audit, then why did you kidnap my son?”
“A child for a child,” a flat female voice said.
Chase turned to see who had spoken. A woman stepped from the shadows. She, too, held a gun.
Her gaze locked with his. The woman standing before him was thin and gaunt, her long dark hair now streaked with gray, but despite those differences in her appearance, he instantly recognized her.
Tonya Redstone.
Alecia’s mother.
And the way she was pointing the gun at him, eyeing him with frank hatred, Chase understood that this was about him. About Tonya wanting to kill him for failing to find her daughter alive.