She heard more movement, but the door stayed closed. When she went back to the window, she heard the sound of an engine, and Oliver’s van came down the narrow lane.
She put her hands on the window. “Bernard, run! Go hide!”
The old man shuffled back to the window. “I caught the biggest fish right out back of this cabin. We should go fishing.”
The van stopped, and Oliver got out. He smiled when he saw Bernard. “Good to see you, my friend. Would you like to fish today? Come inside, sir.” He tugged the old man toward the door.
Eve heard the key slide into the lock, then the door opened and Oliver shoved Bernard into the cabin.
“Sit,” Oliver ordered, pointing to the chair.
Bernard sat on the chair with his hands on his knees and looked up with an expectant smile. When Oliver said nothing more, the old man glanced around and picked up one of Eve’s flip-flops, which she’d kicked off.
“Don’t move.” Oliver left the cabin. The bar on the door clanged into place.
Eve turned to see what he was doing. Jogging to the van, he opened the side door. A handicap access ramp came out, and he stepped in only to emerge a few moments later with a woman lying on a gurney.
Eve couldn’t make out much detail, only straggly blonde hair at the top of the sheet. Oliver wheeled the bed to the cabin, then placed a piece of plywood over the steps in front of the door. After the scrape of the bar being lifted again, the door opened, and he pushed her up the jerry-rigged ramp inside.
When he rolled the gurney past Bernard, the old man walked out the door while Oliver’s back was turned.
Eve turned her face away, hoping Oliver wouldn’t notice. Now all she could do was pray Bernard remembered where they were and lead someone back to help.
“HE’S JUST DISAPPEARED.” BREE LEANED HER head against the rough bark of an oak tree. At least the rain had stopped, but slogging through the mud had left her muscles sore and wobbly.
Naomi looked as bedraggled as Bree felt. Her hair had dried, plastered to her head, and twigs sprouted from her scalp. She was breathing hard as she selected a spot on the downed tree near where Bree sat.
“We need to rest,” Bree said, though her nerves strummed with the urgency to keep going.
“Maybe we could just climb in the Jeep and sleep an hour,” Naomi said.
“The Jeep is miles behind us,” Bree said, shading her eyes to help focus on the truck that rattled up the fire lane. “It’s Kade.” He must have tracked her GPS unit. Though she was tired, she stood and went to meet him.
He strode to meet her, and she went into his arms, the safe haven she’d craved.
“No luck?” he whispered into her hair.
“No.” Lifting her head, she searched his face. “He’s been gone all night, Kade. Eve too.”
“It wasn’t that cold last night. He’s probably fine.”
“Samson still seems to have a trail. We just can’t go fast enough. Everyone is tired, including the dogs.”
“I brought them some food.” Kade kept his arm around her, and they walked back to his truck, where he lifted a bag of dog food from the back.
Bree caught a glimpse of Nick in the truck. He was on his phone. “Hard night for you guys too.”
“Yeah. Nick is sick with worry. Just like you.”
“Nothing on Eve at all? Any leads?”
“Nope. We even checked out the Job’s Children compound.” He hesitated.
“What is it?”
“They were all sick. We think it’s botulism. Patti was with them. Since the food was in them so long before help arrived, they may all die.”
“Oh no,” she whispered. “You know, they both looked a little pale when we saw them.”
“Yeah, they were in a bad way when we got out there. Patti is already on a respirator. Will too. They seem the sickest.”
Eve would hate to hear this. In spite of the trouble Patti had caused, she was still Eve’s sister. “What about Eve? Have the dogs gotten a scent?”
Kade shook his head. “She’s vanished. None of the other dog teams have gotten a whiff of her scent either. He must have hauled her out of town with the windows shut.” Kade carried the bag to where Naomi lay on the fallen tree with her eyes closed.
The dogs got up and stretched when he dumped some food for them. The truck door slammed, and Bree turned to see Nick walking toward them with slow steps.
“You didn’t find your dad?” he asked.
“No.”
Nick handed her a bag. “Here’s some food for you two.”
Bree pulled out a beef pasty. Even though it was lukewarm when she bit into it, it was the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten. The beef juice exploded on her tongue with flavor, and her fatigue began to fall away.
“I needed that,” she said. “I was even out of pistachios.”
“I brought you more of those too.” Kade smiled and handed over another bag.
“A man after my heart,” she said, tucking them into her ready pack.
“That’s the idea.”
Naomi was still sleeping, but Bree knew her friend needed food. She poked Naomi’s leg with the toe of her shoe. “Hey, sleepyhead, grub’s here.”
Naomi opened one bleary eye. “Food? Do I smell food?”
“You do indeed.” Bree shoved the bag into Naomi’s hand. “Kade and Nick are here.”
“They found Eve?” Naomi asked, sitting up with a hopeful glint in her eyes.
“No.”
The light in Naomi’s face faded. She opened the bag and took out her food. “Bliss,” she said when she took her first bite. “What time is it?”
“Nine,” Nick said.
“The geocachers should be out in force by now,” Bree said. Maybe they’d stumble across evidence of Eve’s or Bernard’s whereabouts. Bree was beginning to worry that her dad was lying dead under a bush somewhere. She didn’t want to even think about what was happening to Eve.
“I think I’m going to go talk to Oliver,” Nick said. “He knows a lot about the criminal mind. Just maybe he’ll have an idea of where Gideon would think to take Eve.”
Bree nodded. “How are the kids?” she asked Kade.
“I called Anu on the way out here. They’re doing fine.”
“They don’t know what’s going on, do they?”
Kade shook his head. “She’s kept the TV off.”
That was a relief. Bree had been afraid Davy and Keri would see Eve’s face on the morning news. Kade kissed her. “I’ll stay with Nick. We’re praying for you. Call me when you find him.”
“I will.” Bree watched the men jog back to the truck. Kade turned the vehicle around, and the truck rolled away.
Birds chirped overhead, and the sun began to burn off the fog left by the rain. Bree’s hope lifted with the sunshine. “You ready to get going again?” she asked Naomi.
Her friend nodded and held up her hand for Bree to haul her to her feet. “I can’t understand how he could have gotten this far. He’s an old man.”
“Have you ever seen his stride when he’s on a mission? He’s got long legs and loves to walk. He’s probably covered twice our distance.” Not for the first time, Bree regretted the slowness of searching. Whenever the dogs lost a scent, it took time to find it again.
Bree called Samson to her and rubbed his head. His dark eyes stared up soulfully. The dogs were even more exhausted than she and Naomi were. They might even be following the wrong scent by now.
“Maybe we should freshen their scent.” She dug in her backpack and rooted until she found the bag with her father’s T-shirt. She held it open for the dogs to sniff, then closed it and put it away. “Search, Samson. Find Grandpa.”
Samson’s tail wagged, and he set off the way they had just come. She locked gazes with Naomi.
“If we’ve been going the wrong direction all this time, I’ll shoot myself,” Naomi muttered.
Bree could have kicked herself. Samson was an awesome search dog, but any dog
could get distracted by other scents. They may have wandered far off course. The dogs didn’t seem to have a scent now. They crisscrossed the area with their noses in the air. Samson turned and looked back at Bree as if to ask what had happened.
Bree sighed. “I think we’d better head back a ways and see if we can figure out where we went wrong.” The minutes ticked by, and Bree swatted at black flies that came buzzing out of wet vegetation.
This was her fault. She should have refreshed the scent every hour or so. Stupid, stupid. The sort of thing an amateur would do.
After walking about an hour, Samson’s ears went on alert. Just to make sure she wasn’t misreading her dog, Bree had him and Charley smell the T-shirt again. Both dogs began to wag their tails and bound off toward the east.
“They’ve got it!” Naomi ran after the dogs.
Bree jogged after them. Samson laid his ears back and raced down a lane that barely cut through the vegetation. From the dog’s body language, she thought her dad must be very close. She almost called Kade, then decided to wait until she actually found her dad.
Samson, followed by Charley, leaped over a fallen tree and disappeared over a hillside. Moments later, Bree heard happy barking.
“They’ve found him!” She kicked up her speed a notch and ran to the top of the hill. Looking down, she saw both dogs licking her father, who sat on a tree stump. “Dad!”
Her father looked up. His eyes were alert, though he looked tired. He stood, and she neared and hugged him. “You had us worried sick.”
“I just went for a walk,” he said. “Me and Eve.”
Bree ended the hug and stared at her father. “Eve? Did you see Eve?” He was probably confused. A trek that long with no food or water would disorient anyone.
“She lost her shoe,” Bernard said, holding up a flip-flop.
It was hot pink. Bree had seen Eve wear these sandals. “Where is Eve, Dad?” she asked. “Can you take us to her?”
“I thought I’d go fishing,” her father said. His blue eyes clouded.
“Eve, Dad. Where’s Eve?”
Her father stared off into the trees. “I caught the biggest fish out of that pond,” he muttered.
Bree’s eyes stung. He knew where Eve was, but how could she get through to him? She got out her phone and called her husband. “I found Dad, and he’s got Eve’s shoe. Can you meet us at the nursing home? I’m taking Dad there now, then we’ll come back here.”
30
Nick paced the sidewalk outside the nursing home. Kade waited in the Durango. Bree still wasn’t back yet, but he knew it would take awhile. They’d have to hike to the Jeep before returning to town. He should have gotten her coordinates and started looking for Eve, but without the dogs it wouldn’t do much good. He’d have no idea which direction Bernard had wandered.
Popping a Rolaids into his mouth, he paced some more until he finally saw her red Jeep round the corner. He jogged to the vehicle as Bree got out with her dad and Samson. “Where is Eve?” he asked.
Bree shook her head. “He’s confused again.”
“How do you know he even saw her?”
Bree held up a hot pink flip-flop. “Recognize this?”
“Yeah.” He took the sandal in his hand. “So we know she’s in the woods somewhere. How do we find her?”
“We’ll go back out as soon as I take care of Dad. I marked the coordinates where we were. I left Naomi there. She was going to have Charley follow the trail until we get back.”
At least they had a jump start. “I should have gone straight out there with her,” Nick said.
“I’ll be right back, and we’ll go. Did Oliver have any ideas?”
“I can’t reach him. He might be out fishing though. I’ll try his phone again while you get your dad settled.”
Bree nodded and guided her dad toward the building. “Stay, Samson,” she said. The dog lay down at Nick’s feet and closed his eyes. “He’s exhausted,” she said. She and Bernard disappeared inside.
Nick got out his phone and dialed Oliver again. The voice mail came on almost immediately. Where could he be? Nick hoped everything was okay.
He started to put his cell phone back when it rang. “Andreakos here.”
“Nick, I got the information you wanted,” his dad said. “Uh, it’s a little strange.”
“What is?”
“Well, this Miranda you wanted me to find? Her name is Miranda Harding.”
“That’s right, I remember now. Harding is a common name. Were you able to trace her?”
“This is where it gets weird. She’s been catatonic for seven years. Her husband recently moved her to Rock Harbor. Nick, her husband is Oliver.”
“Oliver? Our Oliver?” Nick stammered.
“Yeah. And get this. She’s missing.”
Nick’s mind raced. He hadn’t spoken to Oliver since before Eve disappeared. Miranda’s husband could want revenge. It would be understandable. “He’s got her, Dad.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I’m on my way to the bed-and-breakfast where he’s been staying now. I’ll call you if there’s any clue to where he’s gone.”
“Get a scent sample.”
“Will do. Oh, and, Nick? I just heard from IA. You’ve been cleared of the charges. This is your investigation. Not that you ever really lost it.”
Still in shock, Nick disconnected. He couldn’t believe his friend would betray him this way. The news about his job paled in comparison.
The door opened, and Bree stepped out. “Let’s go,” she said. “Any luck raising Oliver?”
Kade exited the Durango and joined them.
“He’s got Eve,” Nick said.
“What?” Kade stared at him. “Who has Eve?”
“Oliver. Miranda’s last name is Harding. She’s Oliver’s wife.”
Bree held up her hand. “Wait, who’s Miranda?”
“A woman Eve hurt a long time ago. She’s been in a hospital ever since. This is all about revenge.”
“Oliver is Gideon?”
“Yes!” Nick grabbed her arm. “We have to find them.”
“Can we get a sample of Oliver’s scent?” Kade suggested. “Maybe the dogs could pick it up.”
“I already told Dad to get a sock.”
Bree shook her head. “The dogs led us in the wrong direction for a while. My fault though, not theirs. I won’t make that mistake again.” Bree prodded Samson with the toe of her boot. “Come on, boy.” The dog stood and stretched, then hopped into the backseat when she opened the door. She shut it and got behind the wheel while Nick climbed in. Kade offered to go get Oliver’s sock from Cyril, and Nick tossed Kade his keys to the SUV.
“The easiest thing to do would be to drive out the fire road until we get where we found my dad. Or wherever Naomi is. Your dad can send out Oliver’s sock, and we’ll try that scent once we get it too.”
“I’ll call Naomi. What’s her number?” Nick punched in the numbers Bree rattled off. Naomi’s voice mail came on. “Dead spot, I guess,” he said, closing his phone. “I got her voice mail.”
“I’ve got the coordinates where she started.” Bree gunned the Jeep through a narrow opening in thick brush. “We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“Why don’t you pull over and I’ll drive? You’re beat.”
“I’m okay. Got my second wind.”
Nick leaned forward in his seat and scanned the forest as it passed. What were the chances Eve was even still alive? He didn’t want to consider the possibility she was gone, but he couldn’t ignore the facts. Still, he’d thought she was dead once before. Until he saw her lifeless body with his own eyes, he would keep the faith.
“Here we are.” Bree pulled the Jeep off into the waist-high weeds. “We have to hike about a quarter of a mile into the brush.” She let Samson out.
Nick scrambled out and struck off through the thick brush. Brambles tore at his pants and shirt. He battered down the vegetation as best he could to make the going a littl
e easier for Bree, but nearly half an hour passed before Bree held up her hand.
“We’re here.” She knelt on the ground and rummaged in her pack. Samson crowded her, poking his nose into the contents. “I already fed you all the food I had,” she said. “Want some water?” She dug out a small plastic bowl and a water bottle. Samson lapped the bowl dry, then she shoved everything back inside and opened a bag for him to sniff. “Ready, boy? Search, Samson. Find out where Grandpa was.”
The dog sniffed the air, then started back the way they’d come. “The other way, Samson,” Bree told him. “Backtrack.”
The dog stopped and looked at her, his dark eyes hesitant. “This is something new for him,” she told Nick.
Great. Eve’s life was dependent on the dog learning something new. Nick was tempted to strike off on his own. “Which direction was he walking from?”
“We don’t know. He was sitting when we found him.” Bree took the dog’s head in her hands. “You can do it, Samson. Back. Where did he walk from? Go the other way.”
Samson nosed around the fallen log, then took off east and north of his original heading. “I think he’s on to something,” Nick said.
“Yes, I think so.”
They ran after the dog, but he quickly paused to nose some wildflowers. “He still doesn’t understand,” Bree said. “He wants to follow the freshest scent because that’s the way he’s been trained.”
They tromped all afternoon. Kade brought them sandwiches and Oliver’s scent, then returned to the sheriff’s office to check on the progress of the other searchers. Nick almost went back with him. This felt like a total waste of time. Eve probably wasn’t even in the woods. It was hard to say where Oliver had taken her. They could be back in Cheboygan for all he knew.
He rubbed his burning eyes. His fight against despair grew more and more feeble. Eve had been gone now nearly twenty-four hours. What were the chances she was still alive? Oliver had shown no mercy to any other woman. He would be unlikely to show any to the woman he hated most in the world.
Even in the daytime hours, the deep woods never got brighter than twilight. Dark clouds had begun to cover the sun, and the shadows lengthened. Every tree seemed to hide a figure watching them, though Nick knew it was his imagination.