Chapter 39
39
It took a week to dig out of the four feet of snow that had fallen. Maura’s arm muscles ached from so much shoveling, but she also loved every minute of it after being cooped up in the house for two days.
Pinky took advantage of having two strong younger people in the house and directed them to shovel the paths to the woodshed and his rigs, at least the ones he used the most—his Chevy truck and his two snowmobiles, one of them old and one of them ancient. Meanwhile, he monitored the emergency band on his CB radio.
Every time Lachlan and Maura came into the house for a break, pink-faced and sweating, he’d give them a report.
“Eve Dotterkind lost one of her sheep. Then she found it in the bed of her truck. No one can figure out how it got up there.”
And, later, “The folks out at the Community did something called ayahoo-atta during the blizzard and ran naked into the snow and one of them filmed it. You know what that is?”
“Ayahuasca? Isn’t it a hallucinogen?” Maura downed a glass of water and wiped sweat off her forehead.
“Oh. I get it now. I ain’t going to see that film.”
“You mean they’re actually showing it to people?”
“At The Fang next week. They said it’s called The Blessing of the Blizzard . They’re charging five bucks!”
For their next update, Pinky filled them in on Lasse Ulstrom—“His dogs are itching for a run, but he’s still digging out. Did you know them Siberian Laikas are fine all the way down to a hundred below zero? Those are some tough dogs. He’s hoping to bring ‘em for a run later today.”
And finally, the Chilkoots. “Ain’t no one heard from them. They’re keeping awful quiet. Hope everyone’s okay out there.”
By the time the driveway was cleared of snow, along with the turnaround next to the house, the snowbanks rose well above their heads. “It’s a drive canyon now, not a driveway,” Maura joked.
“A bit of a drive wind tunnel, too. We might have another Wind Valley on our hands. Speaking of which…” Lachlan climbed onto the seat of the snowmobile and turned the key in the ignition. “This might be the ideal time to check it out. We won’t go into the valley, just to the top of the ridge.”
“Do you think we’d be able to see if the Reeds left something behind? Everything’s buried under several feet of snow.”
“Maybe not, but I’m still curious. Anyway, it’ll be a fun ride. We can stop in town and fuel up first and see who’s up and about.”
That sounded more fun to Maura. “I should decide when school will start again, and post a sign at Granny Apple’s.”
Since there was only room for two people on the snowmobile, Pinky told them to go ahead without him, even though Maura could tell he was dying for some oldtimer company. “If we see any of your buddies, should we tell them to come out and visit?”
He brightened immediately. “Tell them I’ll bring out the good whiskey.”
“By the way,” Maura told Lachlan as they bounced across the snow in the Skidoo, “the good whiskey is more accurately described as the less-lethal whiskey. Just in case he ever offers it to you, which he probably won’t because it’s only for his best buddies.”
“So shoveling out his driveway doesn’t put me on his least bad whiskey list?” Lachlan shook his head. “Tough crowd.”
Traveling through the snowy landscape offered one wonder after another. Alder branches arched over the road, buried under the weight of so much snow, their tips pinned to the ground. Spruce trees looked more like towering wedding cakes. A startled magpie triggered a small avalanche of snow cascading toward earth. This much snow had a muffling effect on sounds; even the drone of their engine seemed softer. And the fresh, pure scent of the snow made the world seem washed clean.
They followed the road, because it was the clearest pathway toward town, although occasionally Lachlan made a detour into the forest just so they could experience what it was like to travel five feet higher than normal. It was magically whimsical to witness the entire world covered in white fluff. Maura couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
Lachlan drove because he was more used to operating snowmobiles, and she sat behind him, her arms looped around his waist. Heaven , she thought. Gliding across the snow with Lachlan McGowan, safely in the middle of the wilderness, that was her idea of heaven.
She closed her eyes and soaked in the sensation of movement, the feel of Lachlan’s strong body against hers, the scent of snow and spruce and a hint of gas fumes…and then jerked them open when Lachlan throttled down abruptly.
“Something’s going on up ahead,” he muttered.
Peering around his shoulder, she saw that they were about to reach Pioneer Road, the main artery through town. It had already been plowed, and a snow berm marked the juncture of the two roads.
Just past the berm, she saw a barrier blocking the entrance to the road. “What is that?”
“It looks like a checkpoint.”
“Is that a normal thing here after a snowstorm?”
“Definitely not.” He slowed the snowmobile as he got closer to the intersection. “Jesus. Is that…”
She peeked over his shoulder and gasped at the sight of that damn yellow and green beanie. “Oh my God. It’s him. How on earth did he even get here?”
“He’s with a Blackbear police officer who’s been out here before. Officer Cromwell. He must have joined up with him. That’s the Forest Service rig the police use when they fly here in the winter. They keep it by the airstrip.”
Her heart pounded and she couldn’t think straight. SS was here. In Firelight Ridge. Mere yards away. “What do we do, what do we do?”
“You’re wearing Pinky’s snowsuit and goggles. Can you pretend you’re Pinky? I’ll say you’re sick and I’m taking you to see Ani. It’s an emergency.”
She zippered her suit all the way up to the top and tucked her chin inside. Between her hood and her snow goggles and the neck gaiter that covered half her face, no one would recognize her—so long as she didn’t have to get off the snowmobile.
Resting her face against Lachlan’s back, she tried to imagine being a sick and feeble old man and tried out a hacking cough.
“Hello, officer,” she heard Lachlan call as the Skidoo slowed. “How far is the road plowed? I’ve got a sick passenger onboard. Old Pinky might have come down with pneumonia.”
She gave a deep, phlegmy cough and groaned softly.
“It’s pretty good all the way through town, but some of the side roads are still impassable to cars.”
Good, she thought. If these guys were in a Forest Service truck, they wouldn’t be able to follow them onto side roads or the forest.
“Thank you, sir,” Lachlan said with a salute.
“Hang on.”
Maura steeled herself for some kind of inspection and let loose another dreadful-sounding cough that she hoped would encourage anyone to stay far away.
“We’re looking for a suspect,” said the officer. “We got a tip they might have fled here before the storm hit.”
“We haven’t seen a single person until you. What’s his description?”
“It’s a woman.”
Maura felt a chill shoot through her, and fought not to show a reaction.
“Any more details than that?” Lachlan asked. “There aren’t a lot of women living out here, I’d probably spot a stranger. Do you know her name?”
“She wouldn’t be using her real name. She’s familiar with the territory out here. White woman, brown hair, but she might have dyed it. Blue eyes.”
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Had SS managed to twist things around and make her out to be the criminal? Maura debated whether she should jump off the snowmobile and make a run for it.
“If I see anyone like that, I’ll definitely let you know. Right now I need to get Pinky some help. Can I ask what she’s suspected of? Is she armed?”
“Unknown, but better to be safe than sorry. She’s suspected of industrial sabotage.”
Industrial sabotage? What crazy story had SS made up?
“That’s a new one,” said Lachlan. “I wish I had time to get the whole story, but I have a patient here.”
“The whole story is above my pay grade anyway,” said Officer Cromwell. “We’re just staking out the town. Keep your eyes peeled.”
“Will do, officer.” As Maura huddled against his back, doing her best eighty-year-old man impression, Lachlan maneuvered the snowmobile over the berm and onto the road.
As they passed him, SS spoke up for the first time. The sound of his voice so close to her made her sick to her stomach. “Seen Maura Vaughn lately? The new teacher?”
Ugh, did he really know that much about her time here?
“I heard she left and isn’t coming back,” said Lachlan. “And that was before the snowstorm. She’s probably in the Lower Forty-Eight by now. Word has it she didn’t like using an outhouse.”
She squeezed her arms around his chest to give him a “stop talking now” message. Lachlan wasn’t enough of a practiced liar to know that less was more.
SS said nothing else, but Maura felt him staring daggers into her back as they zoomed down the road toward Firelight Ridge.