Chapter Thirteen
“If I could get a couple of you to help in the search, we could work a lot faster,” Sheriff Shelby Monarch said, looking from Puma to Jag. Since Charley had resigned and she’d been placed in the position temporarily, until the election, Jag had been quite impressed with her accomplishments in catching criminals. And she had no reservations about using the community as a resource.
“How long has the kid been missing on Fire Mountain?” Jag asked.
“Two hours. He wandered off from the tent while Mom and Dad were sleeping. The radar is calling for a torrential downpour in the next couple of hours, which will drop temperatures significantly and the mountain terrain will become slippery, with portions of it likely to flood. We won’t be able to search. We’re at the mercy of time right now. I’ve isolated a perimeter where I think he could be. It’s quite broad because we don’t know which direction he headed. I can’t get my search team beyond a certain point. They’re not trained, and we can’t put any volunteers at risk.”
“I’ll take the search,” Jag said, looking to Puma. “I’ll take Bear and Crow, if that’s okay. They’re our best trackers.” His mind wandered to Mercy. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had tracking experience. “Sounds like a plan,” Puma said. “I wish I could be out there with you.”
“You stay with Bryar. You said she has a doctor’s appointment and she’ll want you there.”
“Glad I can count on you, buddy.” Puma slapped him on the back. “Jag, Bear, and Crow will bring the kid home,” he said to Shelby. “You have three great trackers.”
“I’m grateful. We'd better get going and make the most of the light and clear skies that we have.”
“I’ll let Bear and Crow know we’re packing up,” Jag said.
“I'll meet you men at the entrance of Fire Mountain in thirty minutes,” Shelby said. Jag wasted no time. He contacted Bear and Crow and told them to grab their gear. Then Jag headed to the horse barn. He found Bones brushing one of the mares.
He greeted Jag with a tense nod, tossing the brush from one hand to the other with an uncomfortable motion.
“You come to trade chores?” Bones partially teased.
“Sorry about your luck. Sheriff Monarch had asked some of us to lead a search over on Fire Mountain. I’m taking Crow and Bear. I need to ask a favor.”
“Anything,” Bones said without hesitation.
“Keep an eye on Mercy for me. She’s a bit out of her comfort zone here at the ranch, and I wouldn’t want her to get herself into trouble.” He couldn’t share details, but he knew he could trust Bones.
“Sure. I’ll provide any help I can. I know you’re protective of Mercy,” Bones said.
“We’ll discuss that later,” Jag said. “Just make sure she has everything she needs.” Probably not the right choice of words.
“I’ll help saddle up the horses,” Bones volunteered.
When Jag, Crow, and Brear rode up, Sheriff Monarch was there, speaking with a concerned-looking couple.
Jag slid out of the saddle and approached Shelby.
“Thanks for coming.” Sheriff Monarch greeted him, meeting him halfway. “This is Jonah and Abby Jenson, parents of our missing boy, Jacob. They are traveling through on their way to Texas. They camped over here in the primitive campground last night. They tell me, kid, Jacob, was excited to see the mountain, and I guess he decided to start early and go out on his own. Sometime later, the parents noticed he was gone.” She shot a glance over her shoulder. “Something’s not right in their story, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint it. I’m going to stick around and do some research.”
“Are you the tracker the Sheriff mentioned?” The mother stepped forward. Her red-rimmed eyes made Jag’s chest tighten. The father also looked like he was on the verge of losing his cool.
“Yes, ma’am. Name’s Jag and over there are Bear and Crow.”
“Find my son. I know he must be scared out there all alone. Please,” she pleaded.
“I promise we’ll find him,” Jag replied, trying to stay hopeful, even though he knew the elements could be tough even on a skilled hiker. An eight-year-old was a crisis case. Jag knew if they didn’t find him soon, it was a toss-up whether the mountain would get him or a predator.
Jag was accustomed to finding people in the worst conditions, but he wasn’t familiar with tracking little kids. This heightened the challenge for Jag, Crow, and Bear in their search.
“Thank you so much,” Jonah stepped forward and shook Jag’s hand firmly, subtly pressing bills into Jag’s palm.
“You don’t have to pay us. We’re going to find your son.” Jag gave him back the money.
Jonah’s beard wobbled as he struggled to fight back tears.
Jag would make sure he found the kid because imagining telling the family the worst-case scenario didn’t settle well with him.
“My wife has something to give you,” he said to Jag.
Abby held out a small, blue stuffed animal that looked gently worn. “This is Jacob’s. He sleeps with it every night. He’ll be scared, and maybe this will calm him when you find him.” She broke down into sobs and her husband comforted her by folding her into his embrace.
Jag tucked the stuffed animal into his jacket pocket. He climbed into the saddle and gestured to Crow and Bear to let them know they were heading out.
“We’ll cover more ground going in different directions,” Jag said. “We have our radios in case we need to reach out, but remember, radio service can be hit or miss the further you get into the mountain. Cell phones are useless on the trails. This kid is our top priority.” In a lowered voice, he added, “Temperatures and conditions have been mild on the mountain today. That serves in our favor, but that’ll change when evening comes. We’re expecting a storm to pass through. After all the rain we’ve had, there will be a lot of water, downed trees, and mudslides. Tracking won’t be easy in many areas, but let’s stay hopeful. Instinct tells me he walked off the trail, and that’s why he couldn’t find his way back. But he’s eight, and our horses can cover ground a lot quicker. Just keep your eyes wide open, look for anything.”
As they set out, Crow and Bear curved to the left, and Jag to the right. They shot up their hands in a departing wave and disappeared into the rugged terrain.
*****
“This is your fault.” Cross shot up from the chair behind his desk and peered at the tall, lanky man cowardly staring at his hands. His bodyguards, Ragland and Moose, flanked the man, who looked as though he was about to piss his pants.
“I told you. Mercy doesn’t have any information on you.”
Cross eased onto the corner of the desk. “If you hadn’t fucked up, this merry-go-round would have stopped. We had a deal. You were given a lot of breaks to bring her to me. You’re up to your eyeballs in gambling debt. We could have easily fitted you with concrete shoes and sunk you to the bottom of a river.”
“There’s nothing she can do to bring you down. Mateo is the one you should fear.”
“She got away. I’d like to know where she is. Cross’s pride was hurt.
“What makes you think I’d know?” The man used his thumb to push up his glasses on his nose.” You’re wasting your time trying to find her.”
“She’s like a songbird ready to sing. The biggest mistake a man makes is leaving eyewitnesses behind.”
“If you brought me here to ask where she’s at, I can’t tell you.” One of the bodyguards stepped up, grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him a few feet off the chair. The man cried out, “She didn’t tell anyone. She and Mateo just left. He’s not dumb. He’ll make sure she's somewhere safe and untouchable.”
“Everyone has a price, or makes a mistake,” Cross said, pushing away from the desk and leaning over the scrawny man. “Here’s how it’s going to go. You’re going to put those hacker skills to good use to find our missing lady friend, or you’ll be the one missing next. We might even pay a visit to that lonely wife of yours. Got it?”
He nodded. He knew Cross meant every word that fell from his lips. The jackass never spewed empty threats.
Why had he ever agreed to help Cross? High-stakes gambling had gotten the man into trouble. He’d be dead meat if he didn’t do exactly as he was told. Or worse, his wife and kids would be hurt.
“She’s intelligent, but flighty,” he muttered. “She likes maintaining control over SMH Security and it’s her life. If I know her, and I do, she’ll contact me.”
Cross’s expression changed, as if he were savoring the morsel of information. “How will she contact you?”
“She will probably send an untraceable and encrypted email. As I said, she’s intelligent. She’ll tread carefully.”
“Even smart people make slipups. For example, I thought you said she wouldn’t get past the security system on my system. Maybe she’s smarter than you.”
The man didn’t like this. His eyes turned dark. “I warned you that she’d be hacking your data, didn’t I? If it weren’t for me she would have downloaded enough shit on you to send you away for life. I made sure she didn’t get anything but legal data.”
“You’re in deep shit here, my friend. You still owe us a lot of money.”
“I’ll send her an email asking that she contact me. All we can do is hope she’ll check it.”
“Then do it,” Cross snapped.
“I’ll need my cell phone. Bully Boy took it away,” the man snorted.
“Moose, give him his phone. Just be careful. One wrong move and you’ll be fish bait.”
Once the man had his phone, he typed out an email, showed it to Cross, who nodded his consent, and then pressed the send button.
“Now it’s a waiting game.” Cross grinned. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“I can’t stay here. My wife… We’re trying to get back together. She’ll be worried.”
Moose laughed. Cross shook his head. “Imagine the worry she’d feel if you never came home because of a stupid mistake.”
Sweat poured down his face. He searched his brain, looking for any way out of the mess he’d created.
Then he remembered something…
How had he forgotten?
“I think I know where she could go.”
Cross lifted one brow. “Funny how that works. Information seems to pop right up when someone’s life is on the line.”
“There’s a friend of her brother, someone Mateo knew from his SEAL days. I’ve met him once or twice. Mateo and Mercy will trust him.”
“What’s his name?” Cross asked.
“Constantine Jagerson. Goes by Jag. You find him, you’ll find Mercy. I’d stake my life on it. They’ve got a thing for each other.”
“Find him a computer,” Cross snapped at Moose who took off like an obedient child. “You’ll find this Jag. Put your skills to good use.”