Chapter 3 #2
At one time, she’d known her sister’s coffee order, what size jeans she wore, and what time she liked to go to bed. But Kori didn’t know what was important to Mackenzie now.
Had she changed? Certainly she had. Kori had changed. Her parents’ deaths and then her estrangement from Mackenzie had affected her in major ways. The only good that had come from it was that she’d returned to her faith.
She’d grown up going to church, but she’d moved away from believing in God while in college.
Yet when everything had been lost, when she’d hit rock bottom, she’d known more than ever that God was her only hope.
She’d found a church, had started reading her Bible, and had begun the baby steps of building back her faith.
With a sigh, Kori decided to try one more password—a date that lived in the back of her mind like a stone she couldn’t move.
November eighth.
The night a drunk driver on I-66 hit her parent’s car, killing them on impact.
Kori had just been offered a job in LA. Mackenzie had been a senior in college after taking a gap year to travel Europe. Kori had been the one to make the call to notify her sister about the accident.
She couldn’t have forgotten that date if she’d tried.
She typed it in and held her breath as she waited.
The screen unlocked.
She blew out a breath. It had worked.
Of all the dates Mackenzie could have chosen, she’d chosen that one. Not their mother’s birthday. Not their father’s.
She’d chosen the worst night of both their lives.
Maybe she and Mackenzie did have something in common—they both thought about that horrible night every single day.
“Wyatt.”
Kori called his name, and Wyatt paced toward the desk, anxious to know if she’d found something.
The laptop was open, and he leaned closer to read the screen.
As he did, he caught the scent of Kori’s perfume. It smelled clean and cottony with hints of coconut.
Coconut . . .
At once, Brynn’s image rushed back into his mind.
She’d always worn a coconut-based sunscreen. The lotion was the all-natural kind climbers used.
For a split second, Wyatt wasn’t in Blue Ridge Hollow anymore. He was back in Patagonia, the wind cutting sideways, Brynn’s braid whipping against her shoulder.
She’d been leading expeditions there for six years when Wyatt had met her. She was far more experienced than he in certain terrain, though he’d never admitted that out loud.
They’d worked the same routes for two seasons before their relationship became something else.
For a while what they’d had together was the best thing in his life. They’d been two people who understood the same language, who wanted the same mornings, and who needed the kind of quiet only nature could provide.
Then Sarah had died, and Wyatt had come home. The geography between him and Brynn became a gap neither could close.
He’d asked Brynn if she’d consider coming with him.
She’d been speechless, which told him everything he needed to know.
He’d hoped she might change her mind. That she might miss him. That she might realize the two of them being together was far more important than the place where they lived.
But she’d never contacted him. She’d moved on, choosing her dreams over him.
Wyatt didn’t hold that against her—but that didn’t mean the choice hadn’t hurt.
Moving back home had been the right call. He knew that. But sometimes he missed his old life.
“Ranger King—I mean, Wyatt. Are you reading this? I was able to access her text messages through an app on her computer.”
He snapped back to the present and read the message on Mackenzie’s computer.
Come alone and come now. Everything depends on it.
He straightened, not liking the sound of that.
“The phone number this message was sent from.” Her voice cracked with desperation. “Can you trace it?”
“I can’t personally, but I know someone who can.”
“Perfect.”
“What about her car?” he asked. “What does she drive? We’ll need to look for her vehicle at the trailhead.”
“It’s a Subaru. A Forrester, I think. At least, that’s what she had last time we talked. It’s dark green, and it would be about five years old now.”
He wondered what that meant. Last time we talked. She’d said something similar to Durbin. Wyatt would ask, but that wasn’t his business.
He jotted those details in his notebook before gently closing the laptop. He’d need to take it with him.
“I’ll need something of Mackenzie’s—a shirt or socks. Would you mind grabbing something from her hamper? It needs to be something she’s worn.”
“Of course.” She disappeared down the hallway and came back with a gray henley.
He opened a Ziploc bag and placed the shirt inside, sealing it to lock in the scent.
Then he turned back to Kori. “I’m not sure there’s anything else for me to find here. I mostly wanted to check for any signs of a struggle or foul play.”
“That text message isn’t a sign of foul play?” Kori stared up at him, her look more of a challenge than a question.
He blew out a breath. “It’s definitely suspicious—and makes it sound like she was coerced into going on this hike. Without more context, it’s hard to know for sure.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She frowned and crossed her arms. “So what now?”
“I’ll talk to my supervisor tonight. We’ll look into this phone number. Put out an alert for her vehicle. It may not seem like we’re making progress, but we are.”
“I appreciate any help you can give me.”
“Do you plan on staying here in your sister’s apartment tonight?”
Her eyes darted toward the short hallway leading to the bedroom, and something passed through her gaze. Then she shook her head. “No, I’d like to find somewhere else to stay.”
“There’s a bed and breakfast a little farther down on Main Street. Hollow House. The owner knows everyone in town. She hosts a book club every Thursday, tea parties on weekends, and even a crochet club on occasion. I think you’ll like her.”
“She sounds interesting.”
“She is. She’ll take good care of you.” He paused. “Would you like me to drive you there?”
She considered his offer before shaking her head. “I’m going to stay here at my sister’s place a little longer. But thank you for the offer.”
“Of course.” He nodded goodbye to her.
He prayed Mackenzie was okay. Being out there in this weather was risky.
But he didn’t dare tell Kori that.