Page 101 of Shadow Sabotage
I didn’t have to answer for her to know we were on the same page. The look we exchanged said it all. I grabbed the second thermos of coffee and started chugging it the way she had.
I’d never been on a SAR call. But I had a feeling Claire was right. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vance
Claire threwher truck into park at the trailhead and hopped out, taking long strides toward a middle-aged man who was setting up a table underneath a pop-up tent.
“Hank,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand. “You made good time.”
He shook his head, grimacing. “Helps that I live so close, but I don’t know how to feel about someone going missing right in my own backyard. This is a well-marked trail. Makes me worried she got hurt.”
“I know,” Claire agreed. She angled her body, inviting me into the circle. “This is Special Agent Vance Weston. He’s working with me on a case right now. Vance, this is Hank. Hank runs our base command. He’s practically a legend in SAR circles.”
Hank’s weathered face broke into a sheepish smile. “Not a legend. Just someone who likes to push himself. My knees don’t cooperate with search ops anymore though, so I help out here.”He grabbed my hand, giving it a hard shake. “Honored to have you here, Agent Weston.”
I liked the guy immediately. “Call me Vance. Nice to meet you. I hope I can be of some help tonight.”
Claire tossed me her keys. “You can start by grabbing my gear from the truck while I help Hank set up. There’s an orange hiking backpack, plus a smaller black pack. Grab both. They’re in the back of the truck”
“Got it.”
While I retrieved Claire’s things, several other vehicles arrived, including Rhett and Cheyenne, who were towing their horse trailer behind Cheyenne’s truck. Before long, the trailhead parking lot turned into a full-blown staging area for the search, with map boards and floodlights and a flurry of activity as people checked radios and prepped their packs.
Eventually, Claire’s voice called out above the commotion. Everyone instantly grew quiet and looked at her.
She gave them a brief rundown of who we were looking for and the circumstances surrounding the search before giving assignments.
“So, we know where she was headed, but we don’t know if she made it. That gives us a starting point, but there’s a lot of terrain to cover. I want to run a modified Type II grid. We don’t have enough light for a full sweep, but we’ll work high-probability zones and hope we get lucky. Sound good?”
There were nods around the group.
“Team One, I want you to conduct a hasty search at the campground where she was heading, in case she made it through. There’s a park ranger at the entrance who has been briefed and will let you in. Start with the primitive campsites, since that’s the location she was aiming for. He’ll be able to escort you down to her target destination.”
Three people nodded. “Got it,” one of the guys said. “We’ll radio if we see anything.” They broke away and headed to one of the vehicles.
Claire turned to Rhett and Cheyenne. “Team Two, I want you to cover the loop trail on horseback. I know her friend indicated that she was going to take a shortcut, but the terrain’s a hell of a lot easier on the trail. Sticking to it would have added some mileage to her hike, but it would have eventually taken her right into the campground and she could have doubled back to her target on the road instead of blazing her own way. That’s a lot of miles on foot though—too many for most hikers to cover in a single day. Let’s hope that’s why she hasn’t made it back yet. She might still be walking. See if she’s still out there and if you can bring her home.”
Rhett and Cheyenne nodded. “On it,” Cheyenne said before they turned and walked toward their horse trailer.
Claire turned to me and the three other people who remained waiting for orders. “The rest of us are going to investigate possible shortcut routes. We know where she was headed, but we don’t know where she may have left the trail to try to cut over. Team Three, you take the lower forest.” She gestured to an area she had marked on the map. “It’s dense through there, way too easy to get lost, but since she isn’t familiar with the area, she might have thought that was the easiest short route to the campsite.”
One of the guys gave her a high five and a grin. “Dense forest. My favorite. Maybe I’ll have a chance to use my new machete.”
She laughed. “Glad you’re excited about it, King. But watch that ankle. You’re still recovering. Don’t push too hard.”
“I will. Aren’t you heading out with us?” He gave her a curious look.
“Of course I am. But I’m with Agent Weston today. We’ll be Team Four.” She nodded my way.
The guy flicked his eyes to me, surprise registering. “Oh. You’re going out on the search? That’s cool.”
“I am.” I felt an odd jealousy at the easy chemistry between the two of them. I was out of my element as Claire's partner in this situation, and I liked it about as much as I liked the idea of her going to Cheyenne’s wedding with another man.
“We’ll be heading toward the campground perimeter through the ravine. It’s the most direct route from the trail to where she was going,” Claire said, grabbing her hefty backpack and swinging it onto her back. She gave her radio one last check, then grabbed the black backpack and shoved it into my arms.
King whistled. “Most direct, but also most dangerous.”
