Page 8 of Devil's Lair

Devil’s Glen.

I saw read signs for it. She probably went hiking there and fell in the canyon. Maybe she broke and ankle and can’t climb out…. It was almost dawn as I quickly dressed and shoved my bare feet into old tennis shoes.

I pressed the gas pedal hard on my rental as I followed the GPS to Devil’s Glen.

The sun was just breaking over the canyon’s cliffs as I slammed the car door shut.

I hugged myself to find warmth against the early morning chill. “Rose!” I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted as I started down the trail. My voice echoed back to me other then that there was an eerie silence.

“Where are you?” I muttered, swatting a branch out of the way as I continued.

Something shiny flashed in the dirt as the sun’s ray’s reached higher and higher. I rushed towards it, gasping as I felt in the dirt my hand shaking as I lifted the thing gold chain that matched the one I wore around my neck.

“Rose.” I breathed as I held her necklace in my palm. My throat closed as I shook. I took out my cell, dialing the Sheriff.

“Hello?”

“This is Kennedy. Rose’s sister…?”

“Ummm hum….”

“I’m at Devil’s Glen-n-n,” my voice broke. “I found her necklace. Rose’s.” I swallowed hard.

“Don’t move. Don’t touch anything else. If there were DNA on that necklace that’s not hers it’s corrupted now. Dammit, you might’ve just trashed our crime scene. I’m sending out deputies.”

I fell to the ground, crying and stunned. I had found the first clue to my sister’s disappearance and it wounded me to my core.

“Hailey?” My friend answered my call by the second ring. “I=I messed up. I followed my gut to a place called Devil’s Glen. It’s a popular hiking area. I found Rose’s necklace off the trail.”

“The one that matches yours?”

“Yes.” I shut my eyes but a tear still squeezed out.

“Beck is an hour out with his crew. Stay put. Do whatever the sheriff says. You’re not alone, Kennedy.”

“But she is,” I whispered after we disconnected.

I was frozen. Numb. I couldn’t tell how many minutes went by before the sounds of sirens and helicopter blades penetrated my awareness.

“Ma’am? Ma’am?”

I turned slowly, still shaking as a deputy gripped me by the elbow. Dozens of law enforcement finally arrived two help find Rose.

Another person wearing gloves carefully opened a bag and dropped her necklace inside.

“Wait here. Don’t move. This is a potential crime scene.”

I was ushered into the back of a cruiser. My nails dug into my palm. She’s been gone too long without a trace until now. Whoever took her is long gone. Something drastic needed to happen at this point and I found the first clue but gussied up the scene in the process.

“Hello?” I answered the unknown number that flashed across my cell.

“Kennedy, it’s Beck. My chopper just landed where are you?”

“In the back of a cruiser?”

“My crew will take some live shots and we want to interview you so we can process the videos and can them online and on air.”

“Okay. Let me just compose myself.”

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