Chapter 4
Kori listened as Wyatt’s footsteps faded down the stairwell. As soon as he’d opened the door, the alluring scent of something sweet and buttery floated through the air.
Most likely Flo’s pie.
Then the door closed, and the apartment settled into silence.
Kori stood in the middle of the living room for several seconds and listened to the quiet. The refrigerator hummed. Pipes shifted somewhere in the walls. Snow tapped faintly against the windows.
She should probably leave. Grab some dinner. Buy some clothes since she’d packed none. Get some sleep.
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to do that yet. She wanted to stay here another moment. She wanted to feel close to her sister, even though Mackenzie wasn’t here.
Even though the two of them hadn’t been speaking.
The thought pressed on her again.
She circled the small living room, looking for anything she hadn’t noticed before.
She saw nothing that was obviously wrong or out of place.
Then she moved into Mackenzie’s bedroom.
Her sister’s bed was unmade. Her closet door stood half open. Her dirty clothes were piled into a corner hamper.
Was there anything in this room that might offer a clue about what was going on?
She doubted it.
But she’d kick herself if she left any stone unturned. She’d always been thorough. It was why people hired her to be their attorney.
She looked through the closet. Through the dresser. On top of the dresser.
Nothing.
She searched the bathroom.
Still nothing.
She had one more idea . . .
Kori knelt and peered beneath the bed.
She sucked in a breath. Something was there.
She pulled out a black backpack.
Slowly, she unzipped it. Inside sat a second laptop.
Kori stared at it.
Why would Mackenzie have two laptops? What sense did that make?
She sat on the bed and opened it.
Just as she did with the other laptop, she typed in the date their parents had died.
It worked.
The laptop screen unlocked.
When it did, the last website her sister accessed popped up on the screen.
It was a video image of snow-dusted trees and a narrow path cutting through forest.
Kori squinted. Was this . . . trail footage?
Her pulse ticked faster. Why would her sister have trail footage?
She pressed Play.
The image remained the same for several seconds, other than the wind pushing lightly through branches. Then a figure stepped into the frame—a woman bundled in a heavy coat with a hat on her head.
Kori couldn’t make out any details about her, but she didn’t appear to be Mackenzie. The woman was too tall, too thin.
The timestamp in the corner of the screen read seven days ago.
So this was a week-old video showing trail cam footage of a strange woman hiking. What an odd thing for her sister to have.
She continued watching until the footage abruptly ended.
Kori closed the video and scanned the screen. Dozens of files were posted there, with dates and times.
Was this for Mackenzie’s job?
Kori had so many questions.
The crash of metal outside made her head snap up.
She rushed into the living room.
Just as she reached the couch, she saw headlights sweeping across the living room wall as a car passed on Main Street. Light slid over the window then disappeared.
Her pulse continued to race.
She moved toward the glass, curious about the sound she’d heard.
Something beyond her reflection caught her attention.
A darker shape just outside the edge of the window frame.
She stepped closer.
The building had a narrow metal fire escape running along the back, she realized. She hadn’t noticed it earlier from the street. The stairs hugged the brick, descending toward the alley beside the building.
As her eyes adjusted, she noticed the snow on the metal landing wasn’t smooth. It was disturbed and compressed . . . as if someone had been standing there. Recently.
She leaned down for a better angle.
That was when her gaze caught an impression on the glass.
A handprint.
The shape was unmistakable—the heel of a palm, fingers spread slightly apart.
Someone had stood on the fire escape.
Touched the glass.
Looked inside.
If she had to guess, this had just happened while Kori had been in the apartment.
She slowly straightened as dread dripped into her stomach.
The apartment no longer felt safe.
And Mackenzie’s disappearance no longer felt like an accident or mistake or even a spontaneous extension of her hike.
Something was wrong. Kori was sure of it.
Graham Griffin lived in one of the Forest Service cottages assigned to district staff—a modest place two streets over from the station, with a small porch facing the mountains.
Wyatt knocked, and the door opened within seconds.
His boss stood there wearing a dark flannel shirt with reading glasses hooked in the collar. “Wyatt. If you’re here at this hour, there must be something brewing.”
“Yes, sir. Hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
“Not at all.” Graham stepped back to let him and Thunder inside.
The house was warm but spare. A fire burned low. Maps covered one wall instead of framed art.
The two men sat a comfortable distance from each other on the well-used blue couch. Meanwhile, Thunder made himself comfortable in front of the fire.
“What’ve you got?” Graham asked.
He was straight to business, which Wyatt appreciated.
“We have a missing hiker. She’s twenty-six. Name is Mackenzie Hutchins. She left five days ago for Lost Hollow Trail. Was due back yesterday.”
Graham’s expression narrowed. “Lost Hollow.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Experience level?”
“A rookie at best.”
Graham nodded slowly. “So she could’ve underestimated the terrain.”
“Most likely.”
“That’s never good.” Graham leaned back and let out a grunt. “You know how I feel about that trail.”
“I do.”
Graham had been trying to get it shut down. Too many people had gotten lost on it. A rockslide in the fall had made the path harder to follow. One particularly rocky area had landed several people in the hospital when they’d fallen.
Influencers made it seem like anyone could do the trail, and that a hidden waterfall and cave just off the path would make it all worth it. Wyatt didn’t agree—and neither did Graham.
Those “influencers” were just making the ranger’s jobs harder and putting people in unnecessary danger.
“As you know, the storm is supposed to hit tonight,” Wyatt added. “In fact, it’s already starting. They’re projecting twelve inches by the time it’s through.”
He raised his shaggy eyebrows. “That trail won’t forgive that.”
“No, it won’t. I’d like approval for a first-light search.”
Graham nodded once. “First light. I think that’s reasonable. I know you’re new with us, but I’d like you to take the lead.”
“I’d be happy to, sir.” Relief filled him.
Now Wyatt just needed to make sure he had everything lined up and ready to go.
If Mackenzie was out there, he and Thunder would find her. He promised himself that.