Chapter 8 #2
He thought about the conflicting weather reports, which could slow down an emergency response. Although Justin hoped the impending storm had cleared, his weather magic told him that rain and winds were on their way.
Next, he called Peter Kraft, his contact at the Fox Hollow airport. “Peter,” he dove in as soon as the other man picked up. “This is Justin Miller. What do you know about the plane that went down north of here near Platt Mountain?”
“Jesus. That just came in. Let me see what we’ve got from the locator and the transponder,” Peter replied. Justin heard typing and computer sounds.
“I can give you the coordinates that the locator is reporting, but there’s nothing to say why the plane went down.” Peter texted the information to Justin. “Someone you know?” Peter asked.
“My boyfriend was doing some research and photography,” Justin replied. “Was there bad weather up there?”
Peter was quiet for a moment. “Things were clear earlier in the day. They’ve got storms rolling in now and later in the day, but nothing that should have taken a plane down. I’m sorry, Justin. I hope he’s okay.”
“Yeah, me too,” Justin replied. “Thanks.”
Justin passed along the coordinates to Sheriff Armel. He felt himself falling into what he considered first-responder mode, locking down feelings and focusing on essential actions. There would be time to fall apart later.
He called Liam next.
“Wow, miss me already?” Liam joked when he answered.
“Scott’s plane went down,” Justin broke in. “Can any of your witchy connections help us find him?”
“Went down?” Liam repeated, suddenly serious. “What happened?”
“No idea. He texted me that they were going to crash, and the plane’s transponder verified that.
We’ve got a locator beacon, but it’s a big area up there.
” Justin knew Liam could hear the fear in his voice.
“The sheriff is getting a search and rescue team together. At this point, I’ll take all the help we can get from any source. ”
“Let me make some calls,” Liam replied. “I’m so sorry this happened. I hope he’s okay.”
“Yeah, me too,” Justin said. “Thanks.”
It only took fifteen minutes for Liam to call him back. “Justin, do you have anything that belongs to Scott? Amy Criswell is coming over to the library to do a reading on the crash, and she said that would help. She’s a powerful witch and very good at what she does,” Liam told him.
“I’ll be right over.” Justin glanced at his messages but had nothing new from the sheriff or anyone else about the search party, so he figured he had at least a little while to see what Liam’s friend might be able to read.
He looked around and grabbed a hoodie that Scott had left behind on his last visit. Justin buried his face in the soft material, picking up a hint of Scott’s aftershave that made his heart ache.
Justin flipped the sign in his window to “Closed” and locked up the office and his plane, then headed for the library. He managed to keep himself to a fast walk instead of a dead run.
We’ll find him. He’s got to be okay. He hung onto the glimmer of energy he sensed before, sending all the psychic mojo he possessed down that link to help Scott hang on.
Justin hadn’t been able to immediately place Amy when Liam mentioned her name, but he recognized her as soon as he got to the library. Fox Hollow was a small town, so even if he didn’t know everyone, permanent residents were bound to look familiar.
The witch had shoulder-length brown hair and looked to be in her late thirties. Her trim jacket and slacks suggested she had come from work.
“Justin, this is Amy, if you haven’t already met.” Liam brought them both into his office and closed the door. “Amy, this is Justin. His boyfriend Scott and two others were on the plane.”
“I brought this.” Justin held out Scott’s hoodie. “I hope it’s what you need.”
“That’s perfect,” she replied. “Something worn or kept close to the body, like a wallet, has the strongest resonance.”
They took seats around a small table in Liam’s office, and Liam let his assistant know not to disturb them.
“What do you want to know?” Amy asked Justin.
Justin felt his heart in his throat. “Is he alive? Where are they? Why did they crash?” He feared the answers even as he knew he couldn’t do without them. “Scott was with a pilot and a photographer. They were doing research for his work. It was only supposed to take a couple of hours.”
“Take hold.” Amy held out her hands to both men, with one wrist resting on Scott’s shirt. “Close your eyes, and picture Scott. Send me energy drawing on your love and friendship. Don’t say anything. I’ll tell you what I see.”
Justin closed his eyes and forced himself not to jiggle in his chair. He thought about Scott, seeing him clearly in his mind, hearing his voice, remembering the smell of his hair and the taste of his lips.
He drew on his feelings, how it felt to hold Scott in his arms and the way his heart fluttered when they first admitted to being in love.
Justin replayed their most recent conversation, doing his best to recall every word.
He added the impressions of Scott’s emotions and energy he had picked up from his gift, hoping they would help Amy narrow her reading.
“It wasn’t an accident,” Amy said in a quiet, dreamy tone. “Something hit the plane. They went down hard. Blood and death. Only one survived. But…not as a human.”
“Coyote,” Justin murmured. “Scott is a coyote shifter.” His heart pounded, torn between relief and fear and hope.
“He’s in danger,” Amy continued. “Enemies are nearby.”
“How do we find him?” Justin asked.
“Follow the smoke. The plane burned.”
Justin’s imagination conjured scenarios, each worse than the last.
“He’s afraid, alone, hurt. Hoping you’ll find him, scared you’ll be too late.
” Amy fell silent and then squeezed their hands for them to open their eyes.
“He’s alive and safe, for now. But he’s going to need help.
” Her comments verified the psychic impressions Justin picked up through his growing connection to Scott.
Damn, damn, damn. If we had already mated, I’d be able to get so much more. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to focus.
“Thank you,” Justin said, torn between fear and relief. “What do I owe you?”
Amy shook her head. “Something like this is a community service. I’m glad to be able to help. I hope you can bring him home safely.”
Justin’s phone pinged, and he saw a text from the sheriff and repeated it for the others. “Armel has a group together. They’re going up right away.”
“It’s already afternoon. There’s not much daylight left,” Amy protested.
“I’m the only one that matters to,” Justin replied. “Everyone else is a shifter. If we can find him today, that’s less of a chance that whoever caused the crash will get to him first.”
“Dress for the weather,” Liam warned. “It was nice earlier, but there’s a storm coming in. The others won’t mind as much in their fur, but you’re not as waterproof.”
“Thank you.” Justin looked from Liam to Amy. “Please, if you get any other insights, let me know.”
“I will,” Amy said.
“I’m going to do more digging into who’s behind those sedans,” Liam said. “They’re the number one suspects for attacking the plane. I want to know what they thought they had to lose.”
“I’ll talk to my colleagues at the institute and in the magical community,” Amy said. “I have heard concerns about new, dark magic being used near the mine. It may or may not have to do with the change in owners. If we can help reduce the threat, we’ll do what we can.”
Justin thanked them again, then headed for the sheriff’s station, which served as the rendezvous spot for the search party. Without a lake to land on, flying the group up to save on driving time wasn’t an option, and the coming storm meant visibility would be low even if he took the risk.
Justin’s head pounded, growing worse. Swallowing ibuprofen didn’t touch the pain, which centered on the right side of his skull.
That made him wonder if he was feeling a shadow of Scott’s injuries through his abilities.
For the moment, Justin resolutely ignored the pain, focusing all his will and energy on finding Scott.
Please let him be okay. Please let us get to him in time. Justin put his request out to the universe, figuring it couldn’t hurt.
He stopped long enough to get his waterproof turnout gear out of his car, figuring it would protect him against the weather since he couldn’t shift. When he reached the sheriff’s station, he found Russ Lowe and Brandon Davis already there, along with Sheriff Armel.
“Peter at the airport confirmed he got a fix on the plane’s tracker before it went silent,” Armel told Justin.
“He’s going to be our coordinator and keep digging for anything that helps.
The rest of us are the search party. I know the local sheriff up there, and he was more than happy for our help.
He understands there’s a shifter involved and that we have a personal interest.”
“Works for me,” Justin replied. “I can pick up a little about Scott through my psychic abilities. Amy said he’s alive, but he’s hurt and scared.” He paused and made himself take a deep breath and explain himself.
“Liam and I got Amy Criswell to do a reading,” he explained to the group.
“She confirmed that Scott’s alive and that the plane burned.
She didn’t know details, but she didn’t think it was an accident.
She’s also heard of some new, dark magic in the area.
That could mean whoever caused it is still around, which means Scott’s still in danger, and the search party might be too. ”
Armel swore under his breath. “Doesn’t change a thing.” The others nodded. “We take care of our own.”
The other three men were all shifters. Armel was a brown bear, Russ a wolf, and Brandon a moose. Russ was also an EMT, and Brandon was telepathic and a first responder. Justin’s VFD experience was a good fit.
Justin rubbed his head, and Brandon regarded him for a moment, but didn’t say anything.
“Let’s head out,” Armel said. “I’ve got one of the department’s SUVs, and it’s got emergency supplies and search lights. We’ll have phones and radios, and room for Scott to come back with us.”
He looked to Justin. “Once we shift, we can see, smell, and hear better. You could stay here with Liam—”
“I’m coming with you,” Justin replied. “I had planned to fly, but the storm is rolling in, and that won’t work. Please, I can help.”
Armel paused and then nodded. “Do you know how to shoot?”
“I grew up in these woods,” Justin said. “Of course.”
Armel gave a brisk nod. “There’s a rifle in the SUV. Since those are hard to use with paws and hooves, you’re on gun duty. Let’s hope we don’t need it.”