Page 48 of Double Exposure

“What do you mean she’s gone?”

“She took off this morning. Her pack is gone, camera equipment, she’s just gone and her father is already prepped for surgery. I have to go to the hospital.”

“Can you ask him—”

“He’s sedated, he’s out. He told her not to go into the cave.”

My heart skips a beat then slows and finds its rhythm again. “They had a discussion about finding the bears?”

“Ken confessed late last night that he told her to set up on the other side of the ravine and shoot from there, out of the way.”

“Are you sure she isn’t doing just that? From a distance? Early start?”

There’s silence for a moment and then Ruth’s voice is thin. “The scope is here. She didn’t take it because she’s not going to use it. She’s going in. She is just like her father.”

I grip the phone while pulling on pants. “Do you know where the cave is?”

There’s a catch in her voice. “She took the only map.”

“We'll find her. I’ve got your number now. I’ll text when we have news.”

Shoving my arms into a long T-shirt, I yank it down and rummage for my wool sweater. I take a deep breath and text Brock.

Helicopter. Now.

In a second, I get a thumbs up. Brock needs no details. He has no idea what or why he's doing what he's about to do. But he's got my back. I grab my emergency go-bag and race out the door, snatching my snowshoes off the porch. In the early pre-dawn light, Brock is silhouetted against the Bell.

Then Ryan and Jace snowmobile over the meadow.

“We’ve got half a tank, says Brock as I climb into the passenger side. Ryan and Jace are in the back jump seats.

“You good to do this?” I ask, my voice low. He nods. I know enough not to ask again. This is a big ask for so many reasons.

Brock lifts off and heads straight up. Not an easy thing to do. My brother's former military and for him to do this for me, to be back in the pilot's seat after only flying again for a couple of months is extraordinary. I’m very grateful.

“What are we doing?” Brock shouts before slamming the headgear into place.

My three brothers look at me.

“Bear cave.”

“Where?” asks Jace.

“Near where we found Ken Choi.”

Ryan’s instincts land true. “She’s after the bears.”

I nod.

“I’m on it,” says Ryan and whips out his phone to call someone. Both he and Jace look like they literally just rolled out of bed.

“To finish her father's work?” says Brock.

I nod again and look out the window. The sun is just starting to breach the top of the Rockies. It's gorgeous. Sunsets are not often rosy-red here for very long, a couple of minutes maybe, but they can be spectacular. The orange of the sunrise is far longer leaving a tangerine kiss across white caps.

Brock knows all about finishing a father's work. When our father died, Brock had to step in and become our father when he was seventeen. I was fifteen, Ryan twelve, Jace ten and Codie only five.

So, Brock, more than the rest of us, gets it. Dad used to say that we were all works in progress. Whoever was the youngest could be found on top of his shoulders. He was a tall man and broad—muscular.