Page 52 of Colorado K-9 Rescue
“They did catch him. His name was Toby Hanson,” Mckenna answered. “He was released a couple weeks ago.”
“Then can’t that agent go arrest him? He promised justice for Autumn.”
“He wants to,” Mckenna said. Should she tell Lily that Toby was dead? She didn’t want to scare her, so she’d keep a few details out. This was what Evan was doing for her. In a way, it was protecting someone by omission. She was still annoyed with Evan, though. Shoving that thought aside, Mckenna continued. “The thing is, now we’re not sure Toby was my kidnapper. He may have been falsely convicted.”
“Oh. I’ve heard about things like that on TV and stuff.”
“It happens. I want to ask you a few questions because no one has been able to find where we were taken and held captive. Maybe if we could figure that out, we’d know who the kidnapper was. It could be as simple as he owns the property.”
“Okay,” Lily said. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you remember seeing a grove of aspen trees with funky, curved trunks?”
Lily’s eyes widened. “I do. I thought I was seeing things.”
“I did too, but I researched it.” Mckenna brought up some pictures on her phone and showed Lily. “I thought the drugs made them seem weird or something, but it turns out there are aspen groves like this due to avalanches. When an avalanche happens, the soil can shift the trees. Those trees still needsunlight, so they get a curve in their trunks. It doesn’t happen often, so I think this could help narrow things down.”
“There was a smell too,” Lily said. “Like rotten eggs.”
Mckenna nodded. She remembered the distinct odor as well. “Yes. I remember that too. I thought at first that it was a sick joke. Like the man was leaving bad eggs for me to eat.”
“It was so gross.”
“It was.”
“What do you think that was from?” Lily asked.
“I think wherever we were kept was near a mine. Sometimes fool’s gold or pyrite can smell like that. If there was an old mine and we were kept in an old mining building, then we might catch whiffs of rotten eggs.”
“I know about the ghost town, but that agent said he’d checked it out.”
“I know,” Mckenna said. “I’ve been doing research today and I found a second ghost town. One that’s not on a map and very few people know about. It’s on Forest Service land and there’s no easy vehicle access to it. And because of the mines, the Forest Service tries to keep the area closed. But doing that in the mountains is impossible. Someone can always find a way in. And the other thing about this mine is that there’s a creek. I think that’s the one you followed.”
“So now what?” Lily asked.
“I’m going to go there. I want to see it for myself. If it’s the right location, then I’ll call Evan.”
“Evan?”
“The agent,” Mckenna answered.
“Oh, are you two like, you know? A thing?”
“I’m not sure. It’s complicated.”
“Always is,” Lily said.
“You’re wise for your age.”
“Thanks. You should have Evan go with you.”
Mckenna heaved a deep sigh. Lily was right. But for some reason, Mckenna wanted to do this on her own. She doubted anyone would be up there now and it was part of facing her fears. “I’ll see if I can find it first. Could be that it’s so old, there’s nothing there.”
“How will you get to it?”
“The same way I think our kidnapper did. If you drive to the edge of the ghost town, you can hike in. It’s a short hike although there’s rough terrain in the area, at least based on the map. Driving a vehicle in would be harder,” Mckenna said, standing. “Thanks, Lily. I appreciate your help.”
Mocha saw Mckenna on her feet and hopped off the couch, ready to get back in the car and go on with his next adventure. They said their goodbyes and headed out to the car, where, after loading Mocha, Mckenna sat in deep thought. She was certain she’d found the place. Lily was right, she should have called Evan, but to be honest with herself, that scared her too. What if he was just a one-night stand? Or wanted a quick fling before he headed on to his next assignment, wherever that was. Mckenna had fallen for him, and she didn’t want to be hurt. But she also believed what she’d told Cassidy—that it was worth it and her decision to be with Evan. It wasn’t like she hadn’t wanted last night or had not played a willing role. If it was a fling, she’d be crushed, but she would also learn from giving in to her feelings.
