Page 66 of Finding Forever

I stopped and glanced at my watch. It had been ten minutes since I left the shelter, but I still hadn’t found the path Alex showed us. Taking a deep breath, I searched the rocky bank above me. The cave couldn’t be too far away. I needed to start climbing.

“We’re going up,” I whispered to Sherlock. “Help me find the cave.”

His ears twitched, and he scrambled to his feet, sticking to my legs like glue. I peered over my shoulder, hoping the person in the SUV hadn’t come into the forest. The trees were thick enough to camouflage most things, but my bright red T-shirt was a dead giveaway. There wasn’t much I could do about it; I didn’t bring another shirt, and the foil survival blanket in my backpack would be just as easy to spot.

Pushing through the undergrowth, I found a narrow path leading upward. It wasn’t as broad or flat as the one Alex discovered, but it would have to do. The farther we went, the narrower the track became. In places, it fell away, leaving a three-inch ledge of rock to scramble across. Sweat trickled down my forehead, but I kept moving, kept rising through the canopy of trees.

The higher we climbed, the more worried I was about being seen. I looked at my T-shirt and sighed. Walking around like a moving target wouldn’t keep us safe. Sliding my backpack off my shoulders, I knelt beside Sherlock.

“It’s time to go shirtless,” I murmured.

Sherlock sat quietly, watching as I stuffed my T-shirt into the backpack. Within seconds, I was back on the ledge, moving along with Sherlock following me like a mountain goat.

Fifteen minutes later, I stopped to catch my breath and looked across the valley. The view was just as spectacular as it was the other day, but the midday sun burned into my bare skin. Sherlock’s tongue hung out, and his breathing was labored. With his thick black coat, he must have been feeling the heat even more than I was.

I moved along the ledge until I found some shade under a spindly tree. It took the edge off the sun but didn’t lessen the brutal heat. Opening my backpack, I pulled out a water bottle. Sherlock needed a drink. I emptied a container of snacks into a bag and used the bowl for water. He lapped up the warm liquid as fast as it poured out.

“We should be at the cave soon,” I told him, patting his back. Saying it made me feel better, even though I had no idea where we were. The scenery looked familiar, but the path seemed wrong. I just hoped like crazy we weren’t lost.

When the water was gone, I returned the bowl to my backpack. “Come on, boy. Let’s get out of this heat.”

This time, Sherlock took the lead. His paws padded across the uneven ground, moving along the narrow path. I glanced at my watch. Alex’s security system should have alerted him that a vehicle had driven through the main gates. If he left Broomfield right away, he should be getting close to the property by now.

If I’d brought the satellite phone, I could have called Alex, told him where we were, and warned him about the SUV. Who was I kidding? If I had the phone, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Its GPS would have taken me straight to the cave. I wouldn’t be walking on a ledge, trying to find a hole in the wall of rock.

Sherlock stopped and looked at me.

“What is it, boy?” I studied the path in front of us and then looked up. Relief flooded through me. We’d found the cave.

forty-eight

ERIC

I gripped the edge of my seat as Alex’s truck flew down the dirt driveway. I’d talked to the troopers a few minutes ago. With no one in the house or the SUV, they were about to search the barn. If Riley and the driver weren’t there, they’d wait for more backup before searching the forest.

I checked my watch. It had been forty minutes since the security system’s alarm was triggered. Even if Riley and Sherlock had gone into the forest, it didn’t make sense that they hadn’t returned. Unless they’d seen the SUV.

As soon as Alex stopped the truck, two troopers were waiting for us.

The first held out his hand. “I’m Trooper Ray Winchell, and this is Trooper Moira Sanderson.”

I shook their hands. “Have you found them?”

“Not yet. The barn’s clear. The NYPD has spoken to the woman who rented the SUV. Gloria Torrington works for Craig Sturgess. Mr. Sturgess flew into Broomfield Airport this morning.”

I ran my hand through my hair. “I can’t believe it.”

“You know him?” Alex asked.

“He’s my literary agent.” I turned to Trooper Winchell. “Did Gloria say why he’s here?”

“He wanted to make sure you’re all right.”

My jaw clenched. I appreciated Craig’s concern, but he should have called. “Riley must have seen Craig and decided to stay away.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Or he could have hurt himself while he was with Sherlock.”

I looked around the property. “It’s possible but unlikely. Riley isn’t reckless. He wouldn’t do anything that could harm him or Sherlock unless it was a life-and-death situation.” The dry grass surrounding the house shimmered in the hot afternoon sun. “He left the house to take Sherlock outside. It’s hot. Unless Sherlock was on his leash, he would’ve looked for shelter under the trees.”

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