Page 49 of Silent Road

"We can't just leave him out there."She stared into the whiteness beyond the window.Somewhere in that blank canvas, Mark Davidson might still be alive, might be waiting for help.

"What about the service roads?"Finn asked."They're more sheltered, and the maintenance crews keep them relatively clear.If Mark found his way to one..."

Sheila turned to him, seeing the familiar gleam in his eye that meant he was building a theory.Before he could continue, though, footsteps approached.

"What's going on?"Tommy asked, joining their group.His cheeks were flushed from the cold, snow melting in his dark hair.

"Tommy Forster," he said, extending his hand to Finn."You must be Deputy Mercer.Heard a lot about you."

Finn hesitated for just a fraction of a second before returning the handshake."Likewise."

Standing together, the contrast between the two men was striking.Tommy radiated youthful energy, all earnest enthusiasm, and untested confidence.His dark hair was still tousled from the mountain wind, snowflakes melting against his flushed cheeks.He made Finn look almost middle-aged in comparison, with his stubbled jaw and the tired lines around his eyes that the hospital stay had deepened.

But where Tommy was all forward momentum and fresh ambition, Finn carried the quiet strength of experience.Sheila knew every scar on his hands, each one earned protecting others.Knew how those hands felt when they held her after a rough case, steady and sure.Their relationship had grown from years of shared battles, of trusting each other with their lives.

Finn's eyes met hers briefly, and she saw the shadows there, the unspoken fear of losing her that had haunted him since the shooting.She wanted to reassure him, to bridge the distance that had grown between them during his hospital stay.But she wasn't sure she would've had the words even if they'd been alone.

"Finn was just suggesting we focus our search on the service roads," she said quickly, pushing the complicated emotions aside.

"The service roads are a good start," Michael said, "but we've got six of them criss-crossing this section of the mountain.Even with a team, searching them all in these conditions..."

"We prioritize," Finn said, turning to Sheila."You tracked the prints east, right?That narrows it to these two roads."He traced them on the wall map with his good hand.

"If he was thinking clearly," Michael interjected, "he'd have aimed for the maintenance shed.It's the only shelter up there."

"We already checked the shed," Sheila said.

"Then again, he might have doubled back after we left," Tommy added."If he's injured, moving in circles..."

"How much time do you think he has?"Finn asked Michael.

Michael shook his head."Depends on his injuries, his clothing.If he's moving, generating heat—maybe a few more hours.If he's stationary..."He didn't finish the thought.

"There's something else to consider," Sheila said quietly."Our killer likes to pose his victims in perfect form, preserve them in specific positions.He needs time for that.And with this storm coming in..."

"You think he's working on Mark right now?"Tommy asked.

"I think if Mark's still alive, it's because the killer isn't done with him yet."

The implications of that hung heavy in the air.Outside, the storm intensified, snow whipping against the windows in white sheets.The mountain was disappearing into the gathering darkness, taking its secrets with it.

"If we're going to do this," Michael said, "we need to move now.But Sheriff..."He hesitated."You should know—in conditions like this, search and rescue won't come if we get into trouble.We'll be on our own up there."

Sheila looked around at their small group.A wounded deputy, a security chief, a rookie cop.Not exactly an elite rescue team.But they were all she had.Unless…

"We need more people," she said."If there's anyone else still in the building… tell them this is their chance to save a life."

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

They gathered around the map in the resort's operations center, the storm's constant howl a reminder of what waited outside.Michael outlined possible search patterns while Sheila made notes, trying to work out how to cover the most ground with limited people and time.

"We need more bodies," she said, frowning at the map's vast empty spaces.She traced her finger along a service road that wound past several abandoned structures—remnants of the resort's early days when this had been prime real estate for winter tourism.

"Found some volunteers," Tommy called from the doorway.Diana Pierce stood beside him, along with three maintenance workers in heavy winter gear and an off-duty hotel staffer who'd stayed on site during the storm.

"These folks all know different parts of the property," Tommy added.

"I know these slopes better than most," Diana said, adjusting her radio."And I owe Mark.He was one of my best students once upon a time."

---