Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Vance
What were the odds of a woman going missing from a trailhead that we suspected had been used to dump our victim’s body? I’d been convinced Serena McGrath was our killer, but a second victim would change everything.
We’d been looking for people who had a connection to Katelyn. But maybe we’d been wrong from the beginning.
Even though my legs were longer than hers, I had to quicken my pace to keep up with Claire as she marched toward the barn. Her feet seemed to know the path by heart, because her head stayed buried in her phone as she fired off messages in rapid succession.
Rhett and Cheyenne were already waiting in the barn when we got there.
“What’s the scoop?” Cheyenne asked, arms crossed. The look on her face said she was ready for battle.
“Missing hiker last seen at trailhead around seven this morning,” Claire answered. “Was expected back early this afternoon and didn’t take supplies for an overnight. Female, age twenty.”
Only one year older than Katelyn.
“Hiking alone?” The disapproval was clear on Rhett’s face.
“Not sure yet. I’ve got the number of the guy who made the report. I’ll give him a call and get more info on the way. I’ve alerted Hank. He’s heading there to set up base camp.”
“Rendezvous point?”
Claire flinched. “Lost Creek Trailhead.”
The realization hit Rhett and Cheyenne at the same moment. They knew the area as well as Claire did—even without knowing our theory, they knew how close that trail ran to our crime scene.
“Shit,” Rhett muttered as Cheyenne looked up at him with dismay on her face. But she quickly wiped it away, and turned back to Claire.
“Horses?”
Claire nodded. “We’ll need horse teams to cover ground quickly, especially since she wasn’t prepared to spend the night out there.”
“Got it.” Cheyenne nodded. “We’ll load up Shadow for you, then head to our place to grab Wildfire and Diablo and meet you there.”
Rhett was already moving toward the tack.
“What about me?” I asked.
Claire turned, like she’d forgotten I was there. “What about you?”
“I’m going with you.”
Her head jerked back. “Like hell you are.”
I shook my head. “We’ve got a missing woman who disappeared near the same place our victim’s body was found. This isn’t your call. I’m coming.”
Claire’s face turned red. “Can you even ride a horse?”
“Of course I can ride a horse.” I rolled my eyes.
“I mean actual experience. Not just attending the Kentucky Derby or whatever your mom does for entertainment.” She scowled, but her lips twitched like she wanted to smile.
I grinned. “Yes. Actual experience. I may not be a cowboy, but I know what I’m doing in the saddle.”
She eyed me up and down, then shook her head. “Until I’ve seen you ride, I can’t approve you to ride with the horse team. If you’re not a skilled rider, you could get us all in trouble. But”—she held a hand up, seeing that I was about to protest—“it’s fine. You can come.”
She turned back to Cheyenne. “Skip Shadow. Just get your horses. You’ll be lead on the horse team anyway. I’ll be a ground pounder today.”
Cheyenne smiled. “Got it, boss.” Then she turned and jogged toward where Rhett had disappeared.
Claire turned toward me. “I need to change, and I’ve got to get my badge and my gear. Go back to your cabin and change into hiking gear if you have it. Grab your coat, gloves, hat—whatever you have. It’s going to be cold tonight. Meet me back here in fifteen.”
“Got it, boss,” I said, echoing Cheyenne’s words. I winked at Claire and thought I saw a little hint of pink flood her cheeks before she turned and marched toward the house.
Claire’s truck rattled as she flew down the highway, one hand on the wheel and the other on her phone.
“Take notes for me,” she said, pointing toward the glove compartment before putting the phone up to her ear.
I opened the compartment and found a notebook and a pen tucked inside. I pulled them out and waited.
“This is Deputy Claire Hawkins with the Sage County Sheriff’s Office,” she said to whoever had answered her call. “I’m following up on a missing person report. Who am I talking to?”
She switched the phone’s audio to speaker and put it in the console with a silent warning to me to be quiet.
A male voice came on the line. He sounded nervous. “Mitch. Mitch Donaldson.”
“Hi, Mitch. You can call me Claire. Are you the one who made the report?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what happened?”
“My friend Robin Frey went hiking this morning. She left at seven and said she would be back after lunch. But she never showed up and she’s not answering her phone.”
“Okay. Dispatch said her last known point was Lost Creek Trailhead. Is that correct?”
“Yes.” But there was hesitation in his voice.
Claire heard it too. She shot me a look.
“What are you not telling me?”
He didn’t answer right away. “Look, I don’t want to get her in trouble.”
“Being lost in the wilderness means she’s already in trouble,” Claire said. Her voice was firm but soothing. “I’m only here to make sure she’s safe, okay? That’s what I do. So tell me the whole story.”
His words came out in a rush. “Robin has a true crime podcast. She wanted to get some footage of the place where Katelyn was found. But the campground was closed. She looked on the map and saw that the trailhead runs right through there. She thought she could cut over, take a look at the crime scene, and get back without anyone knowing. Worse case, she would get told to leave, but she could say she was just a hiker who wandered off the trail.”
Claire’s lips flattened. I could see her visibly fighting back the responses she wanted to make, instead responding calmly.
“Okay. Have you heard from her at all since she began her hike?”
“No.”
“Where was she supposed to meet you after?”
“Back at the motel. I’ve been here all day—she’s never come back.”
“I was told her vehicle is still parked at the trailhead. I’ll need to confirm that. What kind of vehicle was she driving?”
“A white Honda Civic. Wyoming tags.”
Claire gestured for me to write it down, but I already had. She gave me a brief smile.
“Does your friend Robin have any hiking experience?”
“Some,” he said doubtfully. “Like, day hikes and stuff. But not backpacking or anything like that.”
“Does she have any medical conditions that you know about?”
“She has asthma,” he said eagerly, like he was glad to finally be helpful.
I noted it down.
“Do you know if she has her inhaler?”
“Of course. She never goes anywhere without it.”
Claire nodded, relieved. “Tell us what she looks like and what she was wearing, the best that you can remember.”
“She’s beautiful,” he said, emotion washing through his voice. “Um. She’s shorter than me, like five four maybe? Long blonde hair. She had it in a ponytail today, with a red baseball cap. Regular workout kind of clothes. Sneakers, white sweatshirt, and a blue jacket.”
“That’s good,” Claire said, encouraging him. “What all did she have with her? Do you know? Food, water, first aid kit…”
“She had a backpack, but it was mostly her podcast stuff. Cell phone for filming, extra mic, some makeup, notebook, you know. She did take water and a Snickers bar. But I don’t know what else.”
“Do you have any of her other clothes? Unwashed. Just in case we need to get a scent.”
“A scent?” His voice became fearful.
“We probably won’t even need it,” Claire soothed. “Our local team is going to handle the search on the front end. But if we get stuck, we’ll call in a canine unit from the next county over. And if they come in, they’ll want a scent pack. That’s all.”
“Uh, yeah… I mean, her suitcase is here.”
“Great. Don’t touch anything in it, okay?
Leave it uncontaminated in case they need it.
And keep your phone on. I’ll call you if I have any more questions.
If you hear from her, call me right away.
This is my personal number. If I don’t answer, it’s because I don’t have reception.
In that case, call dispatch again and they’ll get the message to me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to do everything we can to find Robin and bring her back safely.”
“Thank you.” As another wave of emotion crashed through his voice, he hung up the phone.
Claire grabbed the thermos of coffee that sat in her cupholder and chugged it down like her life depended on it.
“Drink up,” she said, nodding toward the one she’d brought for me.
“My gut may not be as good as Cheyenne’s, but I have a feeling we’re in for a long night. Robin Frey. That name ring any bells?”
I shook my head. “No. I Googled her while he was talking. Looks like she’s new to the game, doesn’t really have many followers. Her podcast only has a few episodes, and they’re all about Katelyn. But get this: she’s a student at UW.”
“ That’s interesting,” Claire mused. “She may have known Katelyn.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
Then she let out a long sigh. “I hate that she’s blonde.”
“I know.” I’d had that same thought.
“This could totally change our case. And if Serena’s not guilty? Sheriff McGrath is going to kill us for putting in that search warrant.”
I didn’t have to answer for her to know we were on the same page. The look we exchanged said it all. I grabbed the second thermos of coffee and started chugging it the way she had.
I’d never been on a SAR call. But I had a feeling Claire was right. It was going to be a long night.