Chapter 55
55
SUMMER
“What the hell?” I strode to Asher’s side and read the note. “This is from the same person as the other one.”
Officer Mehrtens nodded. “I suspected as much. But what does it mean?”
I stared at the awful words, wondering what their purpose was. “Both notes mentioned being afraid. Perhaps this person is trying to scare Asher and that’s why they took Marcy.”
“It’s a possibility,” Mehrtens agreed. She pulled the note away. “Or perhaps they want to scare Frannie, and Summer’s Ute was simply a convenient place to leave the note. I’ll get this tested for fingerprints immediately. Meanwhile, you two should meet Connor at the information center. I hear that’s where he’s giving instructions for the search.”
She breezed out of the room, leaving us in a state of shock. I searched Asher’s face. His expression was drawn, and the set of his mouth was grim. No doubt he was blaming himself for all of this.
“If someone is doing all of this just to scare me, I’m going to fucking end them,” he growled. “She’s a baby, not a tool to be used in someone’s vendetta. Not to mention it’s snowing worse than it has in years. So many things could go wrong.”
I took his hand. “Let’s find her before they do then.”
He allowed me to lead him out of the house and to my Ute. We drove to the information center. A light was on inside and several figures were silhouetted against the window. Cars lined the side of the road, so we parked half a block back and walked to the center.
Asher pulled the door open and held it for me. I entered, getting out of the cold wind, even though it wasn’t exactly warm inside. Connor was standing at the far end of the room, his broad shoulders and height making him immediately obvious. He nodded to me and Asher.
“Sorry to hear about Marcy,” he said gruffly. “If she’s out there, we’ll do everything we can to find her.”
We waited a few excruciating minutes for the rest of the search team to trickle in. Once we’d all arrived, Connor called the room to order. He shifted from one foot to the other when we looked at him, uncomfortable with the attention.
“We’re searching for Marcy Gunn. She’s nine months old with dark hair and brown eyes.”
A rumble of discontent rippled through the room. No one wanted a baby to be in danger.
“Marcy was last seen at her parent’s place on Watson Road. She can’t walk, and there was no sign she’d attempted to leave of her own accord. Because of that, we’re treating it as a possible kidnapping. If you find her, and she’s not alone, please do not approach. Whoever has her may be dangerous. Radio me with the location and I’ll advise the police.”
Asher sucked in a breath. I grabbed his hand and squeezed, trying to anchor him in the moment so his mind couldn’t run wild with worst case scenarios.
“We’ll focus on buildings, since it’s unlikely anyone is outdoors in this weather,” Connor continued, raising his voice to be heard above the muttering. “I’ll assign each of you a search quadrant and I want you to clear all buildings within that quadrant.”
Nervously, I raised my hand.
Connor’s eyebrow shot up. “What is it, Summer?”
I rubbed my lips together, hoping I wasn’t asking something obvious. “If someone local took her, then what’s to have stopped them from just taking her home?”
To my relief, Connor nodded. “Good question. There’s every possibility that’s what happened, but if so, it’s a matter for the police, not us. They are in charge of the search of Destiny Falls township, and that includes private homes within it. They aren’t legally allowed to enter without a warrant, but if anyone refuses entry, that’s suspicious in itself.”
“True.” I supposed all I could do was tag along with Asher and be glad I was allowed to contribute at all. If not for him, I doubted anyone would let me join the search. I had no training. Sure, I knew the trails around the area well, but that didn’t mean I had the skills to search for a baby in a snowstorm.
Connor began to shout assignments and hand out maps. The search and rescue team had an app where they could record places they’d visited so others wouldn’t double up, but the maps would be useful for anywhere outside of internet service range.
We were given an area near the Castle Valley trail and assigned three buildings to check: a holiday home that should be empty, a rental studio that was awaiting renovation, and an old hunting cabin.
“Do you mind if we use your Ute?” Asher asked, perusing the map. “I can drive if you’d like.”
“I’ll be fine.” I might not know much about search and rescue, but I was perfectly capable of driving in bad weather.
We waited to make sure we didn’t miss any instructions and then headed out. We checked the holiday home first. It was a large glass-walled building set just off the highway. I parked outside and Asher and I made our way to the door together. I rang the doorbell, but it didn’t make a sound, so I knocked instead.
There was no response.
“Let’s circle around the building and see if there’s any sign someone is inside,” Asher said. “If they are, don’t engage.”
“Okay.” I pulled my hands inside my jacket sleeves, wishing I’d thought to wear gloves when we’d left my cottage this morning. The air was bitterly cold, and my fingers stung because of the temperature change from the warm car to the frigid outdoors.
I picked my way around the house, testing the ground before putting my foot down for each step. I didn’t want to accidentally step over a ledge and fall, or trip over a stair.
Thanks to the massive windows, it was easy to see the house’s interior, and it looked uninhabited. The furniture was in place, but it was too bare for anyone to be staying there. Asher must have moved faster than me because I’d only got a third of the way around the building when he met me coming the other way.
He pulled his hood more tightly around his face. “Nothing?”
“No.”
He jerked his head toward the Ute. “Next one then.”
As I drove to our second stop, the rental studio, Asher recorded our visit in the app. I scanned our surroundings, keeping an eye out for anything that wasn’t where it ought to be.
The rental studio was down a narrow road that came off the highway. I drove slowly, worried we might encounter someone coming toward us. If so, I’d have to reverse all the way out. Fortunately, we reached the unit without issue.
It was a small, black building, dark inside with snow piled around. We checked it the same way we had the holiday home and, not finding anything, we left.
The hunting cabin was the most difficult building on our list to get to. It belonged to a national hunting and fishing organization, and maintenance was undertaken as needed by local members. It stood empty for weeks at a time during winter months.
We carried on down the same sideroad the rental studio was on, then turned onto a gravel road, which ended before we reached the cabin. We’d have to walk the last few hundred meters.
I parked, being careful not to slide into a ditch on the side of the clearing. Asher took the radio Connor had given us and shut the passenger door. I jumped down and locked the car out of habit more than anything else. I doubted anyone would be out here to break into it.
A narrow gap between the trees showed where the trail must be. If not for that, it would be impossible to know for sure. The wind buffeted me, and I hunkered down, doing my best to withstand it. I lifted my feet with each step, hating the way icy liquid seeped through my shoes and socks. I’d need to change my socks soon. I should have brought a pair of waterproof boots but as with the gloves, it hadn’t crossed my mind.
A sudden, sharp crack stopped me in my tracks.“What was that?”
I hadn’t felt anything break under my foot. Asher stopped too, and all around was silent.
Eerily so.
“I don’t think we’re alone,” I whispered.