Page 71 of Thunder Pass

“You can’t marry until you’re eighteen in Alaska,” Maura pointed out.

Ruth shook her head. “He doesn’t care about things like that. He doesn’t answer to any other type of authority.”

“He had to answer to the federal government,” Bear growled. “They put him in fucking prison.”

“For a while, but look at him now. It’s like he’s untouchable.” Ruth closed her eyes, remembering the look on Luke’s face when she’d first seen him after his time in prison. It had been almost…gloating, as if he’d known all along that he wouldn’t be behind bars for long. How had he known that? Maybe there was more to the story of how he’d gotten released. “He’s working with someone very high-powered. I bet that’s who got him out of prison.”

Lila had gone behind the bar to help Bear, but now she hopped up and down. “Charlie can find out about that. Her father was in prison too, and she’s an expert at hacking into systems. Want me to ask her?”

Ruth nodded, and Lila took out her phone and hurried to the back door, where there was a stronger signal.

“Let’s get back to Sarah’s situation,” Gunnar said. “It’s good to know she’s not in immediate danger, if Lila’s right.”

Ruth stamped her foot on the floor, startling everyone. “Even if she isn’t in danger, we have to rescue her! She doesn’t want to be holed up with some strange older man eating rice off a camp stove!”

“Well, there you go, that’s our first clue,” said Bear. “She’s somewhere in the wilderness.”

“That’s no help!” Ruth cried. “There’s wilderness all around us! That could be anywhere!” She realized how rude she sounded, and buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re upset. And you’re right.” Bear’s gruff voice held an apology. “We need more than that.”

Just then, Lila stepped back into the room. “That was weird. I barely had a chance to get my question to Charlie out before the signal dropped completely. Hopefully it’ll come back.”

“It’s okay,” Ruth said quickly. “None of that matters right now. We’re trying to figure out where Sarah might be. Was there anything else in your vision?”

“My blip? Let me try to remember.” Lila closed her eyes as she tried to summon more information. “She’s in a small space, but I think it’s more of a cave instead of a human-made structure. It’s not a cabin or anything like that. It feels earthy.”

“What’s the earth like?” Everyone turned to look at Lachlan, who hadn’t said anything up to now, instead choosing to listen intently. Maura often talked about what a great observer Lachlan was, as a scientist.

“Dark.” Lila shrugged. “That’s about all I can see.”

“Is it wet? Any groundwater?”

“No. Quite dry.”

“How about any colors embedded in the walls? Anything sparkling?”

“Actually, yes,” Lila said slowly, opening her eyes with a smile. “I see little bits of sparkle in the dirt, like glitter.”

“Does it have a color, this glitter?”

“It’s…sort of light, translucent. Like pearls.”

“That’s extremely helpful.” Lachlan looked around in triumph, but apparently he’d forgotten that no one else in the group was a geological expert. “That sounds like muscovite, also known as white mica. The only white mica in the stone in this area is to the north.”

“So she’s somewhere to the north.” Bear shook his head. “Narrows it down a little, but not much.”

Gunnar straightened suddenly. “Lachlan, do you know if there’s white mica in Thunder Pass?”

“Most likely. It’s in the right general area, though I haven’t looked myself.”

Gunnar slapped his hands together. “Then I’ll bet you my brand-new four-by that she’s in Thunder Pass.”

Ruth had come to the same conclusion at almost the same moment. “Does white mica have anything to do with gold?”

“Oh, those old stories?” Lachlan laughed. “As a matter of fact, the chemical composition of white mica can be a tool to help locate a gold deposit. If there was any. Of course there’s gold around here, but nothing significant.”

Ruth felt Gunnar’s curious glance, but she didn’t want to take the time to explain right now. “How do we get to Thunder Pass? I’ve never been out that way.”

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