Page 100 of Shadow Sabotage
“Back at the motel. I’ve been here all day—she’s never come back.”
“I was told her vehicle is still parked at the trailhead. I’ll need to confirm that. What kind of vehicle was she driving?”
“A white Honda Civic. Wyoming tags.”
Claire gestured for me to write it down, but I already had. She gave me a brief smile.
“Does your friend Robin have any hiking experience?”
“Some,” he said doubtfully. “Like, day hikes and stuff. But not backpacking or anything like that.”
“Does she have any medical conditions that you know about?”
“She has asthma,” he said eagerly, like he was glad to finally be helpful.
I noted it down.
“Do you know if she has her inhaler?”
“Of course. She never goes anywhere without it.”
Claire nodded, relieved. “Tell us what she looks like and what she was wearing, the best that you can remember.”
“She’s beautiful,” he said, emotion washing through his voice. “Um. She’s shorter than me, like five four maybe? Long blonde hair. She had it in a ponytail today, with a red baseball cap. Regular workout kind of clothes. Sneakers, white sweatshirt, and a blue jacket.”
“That’s good,” Claire said, encouraging him. “What all did she have with her? Do you know? Food, water, first aid kit…”
“She had a backpack, but it was mostly her podcast stuff. Cell phone for filming, extra mic, some makeup, notebook, you know. She did take water and a Snickers bar. But I don’t know what else.”
“Do you have any of her other clothes? Unwashed. Just in case we need to get a scent.”
“A scent?” His voice became fearful.
“We probably won’t even need it,” Claire soothed. “Our local team is going to handle the search on the front end. But if we get stuck, we’ll call in a canine unit from the next county over. And if they come in, they’ll want a scent pack. That’s all.”
“Uh, yeah… I mean, her suitcase is here.”
“Great. Don’t touch anything in it, okay? Leave it uncontaminated in case they need it. And keep your phone on. I’ll call you if I have any more questions. If you hear from her, call me right away. This is my personal number. If I don’t answer, it’s because I don’t have reception. In that case, call dispatch again and they’ll get the message to me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to do everything we can to find Robin and bring her back safely.”
“Thank you.” As another wave of emotion crashed through his voice, he hung up the phone.
Claire grabbed the thermos of coffee that sat in her cupholder and chugged it down like her life depended on it. “Drink up,” she said, nodding toward the one she’d brought for me. “My gut may not be as good as Cheyenne’s, but I have a feeling we’re in for a long night. Robin Frey. That name ring any bells?”
I shook my head. “No. I Googled her while he was talking. Looks like she’s new to the game, doesn’t really have many followers. Her podcast only has a few episodes, and they’re all about Katelyn. But get this: she’s a student at UW.”
“That’sinteresting,” Claire mused. “She may have known Katelyn.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
Then she let out a long sigh. “I hate that she’s blonde.”
“I know.” I’d had that same thought.
“This could totally change our case. And if Serena’s not guilty? Sheriff McGrath is going to kill us for putting in that search warrant.”
