Page 6 of No Hope of Rescue

“Codie—you’ve met her right?” I know Luke knows Brock—we all worked together—but I’m not sure about Codie.

Devon nods.

“I think they were going climbing yesterday.”

I unlock the snowmobiles and start to dust off snow, when Carter asks me a question; he makes sound like a statement.

“Boss never checked in,” he says.

I shrug. “He’s with Codie. She probably used up his cell phone showing him stuff on YouTube.”

“It’s gorgeous today,” Devon says, looking at the trees and sky. She takes a deep breath. “I so miss the smell of western pine.”

“Well, enjoy it now,” Carter says. “We had a squall last night, and now a blizzard is coming in. With luck, we’ll all be snowed in for a few days. Got the special s’mores pack ready to go.”

“And beer?” asks Luke.

“And beer.”

The four of us settle onto the vehicles, Carter and I separately on ours, and Luke and Devon doubling up. After a few false starts, we head up the mountain.

΅

The moment we dismount and look at the cabin, I know for a fact something is wrong.

First, Savi is frantically pawing at the door. As soon as I open it, she bolts and pees right on the deck.

Luke laughs, watching her. “Maybe they’re sleeping in.” He rubs her head.

Devon catches my expression. “Since when?” she says, moving inside.

Second, the place is freezing. Not stopping to take off my boots, I step inside, whip off my gloves, and feel the stove. It’s cold to the touch.

Devon immediately tries to figure it out. “Are you sure they came here? Maybe they decided to stay in Morrison. Or Echo Falls.”

Morrison is a much bigger town, with lots to do. Echo Falls is where Brock’s house is—and the rest of the Westons.

The three of us immediately spread out, shedding snow everywhere. “Food in the fridge,” Luke reports, adding, “Coffee filter full of grounds in the sink. Old breakfast dishes too.”

Devon moves to the thermostat on the wall and turns it up. Her instructions are taped to the wall. Please set to 45 when out of the cabin, to keep pipes from freezing.

“That means—” she starts.

“That means they’ve been out all night.”

“Where’s the Whitefox?” says Luke and we all glance out the window. It has a built-in tracking device. We can find them.

For a split second, relief leaves me practically dizzy. Then I realize it’s there on the deck. I pull out my phone, find the Wi-Fi, and call Kelly. No answer.

“Well. Maybe the three of them went out together,” says Luke.

My phone vibrates. It’s Kelly. She must be someplace she can only text.

What’s up? Luke and Devon make it in ok?

I answer and add a question.

Yes. At the cabin. Where are Brock and Corie? Not here since yesterday?