didn’t know why she’d flown two thousand miles on her own dime to find out what had happened to Scott? That wasn’t completely true. Did she share a half truth? That Adele Sheldon’s letter pulled her heartstrings? Stirred her curiosity? She couldn’t stop thinking about him, or shake the deep belief that she could uncover the truth.
But lying wasn’t something that came natural to her. Too many people in her life had lied—either to her face or by omission. She spoke the truth, but kept it simple.
“My best friend disappeared when we were in college,” she said. “Her body was never found. I know she’s dead, just like my instincts tell me Scott Sheldon is dead. Except with Karen, there was evidence that she’d been murdered.” She paused, wished she had ordered a second glass of wine, but she sent the hostess away with a look ten minutes ago. “Her family still suffers with the unknown. I see them every year, and the pain—it’s never left. But they still harbor an ounce of hope. That hope is trumped by the pain they feel with her loss—not the loss specifically anymore, but the not knowing. When I heard about this case, when I talked to Adele— I think I can help her find peace. I don’t want her living with the unknown, like Karen’s family. If Adele knows what happened, she can grieve and be there for her daughter.”
Karen’s sister had lived in the shadow of Karen’s disappearance for the past seven years. Laura would have graduated from college last year if her life hadn’t been turned upside down. As it was, she barely graduated from high school, never went to college, was in and out of rehab. Scott’s sister wasn’t Laura, but Max had seen firsthand how the pain of grieving parents forever marked the surviving children.
“Do you have the proper clothes and footwear for a prolonged search?” Chuck asked.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Be at ranger headquarters by oh-eight-hundred, properly geared up. Like I said, there’s one more grid to search. If Scott’s body is up there, Trixie will find him.”
At the sound of her name, the golden retriever perked her ears up. She stood as her master rose. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Thank you, but I’m already late getting home. My wife is a patient woman, but I need to get back.”
Chapter Six
On Wednesday morning, Max arrived at the ranger headquarters at quarter to eight. The morning was cold but completely clear, and the weather report had said it would warm to the fifties.
Chuck introduced her to Tim and Ann Callow, volunteers with search and rescue. They were both lifelong residents of the area and had been part of the initial search team. Older than Chuck, but both appeared fit.
“Chuck told us you’re a reporter from New York,” Ann said, overtly curious. “Sounds fascinating.”
“You won’t catch me dead in a city like that,” Tim said with a grin.
“I’m a city girl at heart,” Max said. “Though I enjoy the mountains. My cousin owns a ski resort in Vail, and I try to visit every year.”
They chatted as they loaded up the four-wheel-drive truck and Chuck checked provisions. Chuck drove and asked Max, who sat in the passenger seat, “Is that a map of the search area?”
“Partly—I printed it from the park service Web site and marked it up based on the information I learned from the police reports. They parked here—” She put her finger on the map, then traced it south. “—and camped here.”
“We’ve been focusing on the area between the campground and where they parked. The witnesses said he walked toward the car. But at night, he may have inadvertently left the trail. We’ve covered every area between, but now that we have had warmer weather, Trixie can be of more use. She’s still young, not fully trained, but our last cadaver dog died.”
From the backseat, Ann said, “We owned Mickie, Trixie’s mother. She died six months ago, cancer. We still
But lying wasn’t something that came natural to her. Too many people in her life had lied—either to her face or by omission. She spoke the truth, but kept it simple.
“My best friend disappeared when we were in college,” she said. “Her body was never found. I know she’s dead, just like my instincts tell me Scott Sheldon is dead. Except with Karen, there was evidence that she’d been murdered.” She paused, wished she had ordered a second glass of wine, but she sent the hostess away with a look ten minutes ago. “Her family still suffers with the unknown. I see them every year, and the pain—it’s never left. But they still harbor an ounce of hope. That hope is trumped by the pain they feel with her loss—not the loss specifically anymore, but the not knowing. When I heard about this case, when I talked to Adele— I think I can help her find peace. I don’t want her living with the unknown, like Karen’s family. If Adele knows what happened, she can grieve and be there for her daughter.”
Karen’s sister had lived in the shadow of Karen’s disappearance for the past seven years. Laura would have graduated from college last year if her life hadn’t been turned upside down. As it was, she barely graduated from high school, never went to college, was in and out of rehab. Scott’s sister wasn’t Laura, but Max had seen firsthand how the pain of grieving parents forever marked the surviving children.
“Do you have the proper clothes and footwear for a prolonged search?” Chuck asked.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Be at ranger headquarters by oh-eight-hundred, properly geared up. Like I said, there’s one more grid to search. If Scott’s body is up there, Trixie will find him.”
At the sound of her name, the golden retriever perked her ears up. She stood as her master rose. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Thank you, but I’m already late getting home. My wife is a patient woman, but I need to get back.”
Chapter Six
On Wednesday morning, Max arrived at the ranger headquarters at quarter to eight. The morning was cold but completely clear, and the weather report had said it would warm to the fifties.
Chuck introduced her to Tim and Ann Callow, volunteers with search and rescue. They were both lifelong residents of the area and had been part of the initial search team. Older than Chuck, but both appeared fit.
“Chuck told us you’re a reporter from New York,” Ann said, overtly curious. “Sounds fascinating.”
“You won’t catch me dead in a city like that,” Tim said with a grin.
“I’m a city girl at heart,” Max said. “Though I enjoy the mountains. My cousin owns a ski resort in Vail, and I try to visit every year.”
They chatted as they loaded up the four-wheel-drive truck and Chuck checked provisions. Chuck drove and asked Max, who sat in the passenger seat, “Is that a map of the search area?”
“Partly—I printed it from the park service Web site and marked it up based on the information I learned from the police reports. They parked here—” She put her finger on the map, then traced it south. “—and camped here.”
“We’ve been focusing on the area between the campground and where they parked. The witnesses said he walked toward the car. But at night, he may have inadvertently left the trail. We’ve covered every area between, but now that we have had warmer weather, Trixie can be of more use. She’s still young, not fully trained, but our last cadaver dog died.”
From the backseat, Ann said, “We owned Mickie, Trixie’s mother. She died six months ago, cancer. We still
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