Page 10 of The Catcher
“And the couple who found him. What were they doing out here?” Callie inquired.
Jake scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “That’s the crazy part. He was looking to propose to his girlfriend.”
“Out here?” Callie echoed.
“That’s what I said,” Jake confirmed, a hint of doubt in his voice. “You’d think he would have picked a pleasantspot. But this was where it was meant to be. Well, not exactly here, a few yards away. Above,” he said, pointing up the cliff. “Geocaching.”
“Geo what?” Callie questioned, unfamiliar with the term.
“That’s what brought him out. It’s an outdoor treasure hunt. It’s played all over the world. People hide stuff, and others find it using GPS coordinates. The caches are all over the world. People sometimes get rewarded for finding them,” Jake explained.
“Quite the reward,” Callie muttered.
“I’d say so. At least they’ll never forget it. The guy had a ring, a picnic, a speech, the whole nine yards,” Jake continued.
“Well, did she say yes?” Callie couldn’t help but ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Jake chuckled at her question. “Would you?”
“Hell no,” Callie replied without hesitation, her gaze drifting away from the deceased as she contemplated the strange circumstances surrounding the teen’s untimely demise. “Now, where was this geocache?”
“Above,” he said. Turning away from Callie, Jake reached for the radio, the click of buttons and the crackling of static breaking the stillness of the forest. As he called out for information, the gruff voice on the other end responded with a hint of irritation, the words blending with the ambient sounds of the wilderness.
“The what?” A voice crackled over the speaker.
“The container the couple mentioned,” Jake repeated.
“Buddy, we’re dealing with searching for the girl.Danvers was meant to handle that,” came the response, the words echoing faintly through the clearing.
“Danvers isn’t here,” Jake replied, his tone growing terse as he struggled to maintain control of the situation.
“Well, shit, Jake. What am I supposed to do? Do you need me to hold your hand?” the voice snapped back, its harshness cutting through the air like a knife.
“Story of my life,” Callie muttered under her breath, her words barely audible over the static-filled silence that followed.
Lowering the radio, Jake turned to face Callie, his expression grim as he gestured towards a path deeper into the woods. “I’ll find out. We were told it was at the top of the cliff,” he said.
“Is the couple over at the trailhead?” Callie asked.
“The station. They’re pretty shaken up,” Jake confirmed.
While Jake contacted the station, Callie took the opportunity to step away and check her phone. She texted McKenzie, hoping to get an update on his whereabouts. Her concerns about responding to the call without Rivera’s approval bothered her, and she needed to ensure there were no misunderstandings.
Her texts yielded no response, making Callie increasingly uneasy about the situation.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of investigator Declan Porter emerging from the woods, his presence accompanied by the soft rustle of leaves and the crackling of twigs underfoot. Callie turned to face him, theshifting light casting shadows across his features as he approached.
“Did I miss anything?” Declan’s voice cut through the stillness.
“Noah not with you?” Callie’s response was full of concern.
“Unfortunately, not,” Declan replied.
“I thought you were in training?” Callie pressed, remembering her brief encounter with him during the investigation into her sister’s death.
“I was until Noah landed that suspension,” Declan explained, his expression troubled. “Though I don’t think it will last for long.”
“How so?” Callie asked.
