Page 55 of Two Couples

We rushed to the rock where she’d been standing and looked down. The ground sloped before it broke into a sheer drop that rivaled the other. Luckily, she’d slid into another pile of rocks. Her right foot was caught between two, wedged into the crevice by the force of her body sliding down. “I can’t get it out.” She sounded surprisingly calm considering her hysterics over the rabbits.

“We’ll get help,” I called.

“That’s what you should have done at the start!” Jordan shouted.

“Don’t move.” I walked carefully, aware of each footstep, back to where Emily and Keith were waiting.

They looked as if they didn’t want to be there. Maybe they’d given up hope. But if they had, which their expressions seemed to suggest, why weren’t they rushing to report that Patrick was missing? I suddenly felt very alone in my fear.

How could a man vanish like this? If it hadn’t been for the day pack, I’d be wondering if he’d called an Uber before dawn, and left our mountain home, returning to our life in Sacramento, having decided he couldn’t tolerate people with such misaligned moral compasses. He’d gone on so many hikes during our marriage, driving miles from our home to find new trails every month. He often went with fellow firefighters, but he didn’t let the availability of companionship stop him. If none of his friends could join him, he went alone.

Sometimes, he and I went hiking together, but often, the desire to get outside, to push his body closer to limits that were far greater than mine, drove him to places I’d never been. That desire to push hard, to find trails with steep inclines and difficult terrain, was not what I wanted, so he left me behind—my own choice. I hiked to enjoy the natural beauty. He hiked to exert himself, to test himself.

But I’d always known where he was going and how long he planned to be out. This was so unlike him.

“We need to get help.” I was short of breath even though I hadn’t exerted myself.

Keith nodded. “Sure. It wouldn’t be smart to climb down after her.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “Call 911? Although it’s not a life-threatening emergency, so, maybe there’s a search and rescue number we’re supposed to call?”

“I think it is an emergency,” Emily said. “She could fall farther. Or a coyote could find her.”

“Coyotes aren’t prowling during daylight,” Keith said.

“But the sun is almost down,” Emily said.

“I don’t have any service.” Keith took a few steps away from us, checking his phone again. “Nope. I’ll start back and as soon as I get a decent signal, I’ll find the right number and call.”

“I’ll go with you,” Emily said.

Keith didn’t respond. I’d hoped she would offer to stay with me. Emily took Keith’s hand, and they started back toward our property.

I returned to the edge of the rocks, looking down to make sure Jordan was still okay. She’d twisted her hair into a coil and was holding it on top of her head. Her face was red, despite the cooling air as the sun sank behind the Sierras.

“They’re going for help!” It sounded like I was screaming. Maybe it was my feeling of helplessness, the sense that everything was going wrong, forcing my words out in a shriek of panic.

“Hey!”

I stumbled back at the sound of Patrick’s voice.

FORTY

SAMANTHA

I moved close to the edge again and looked down. From somewhere below the spot where Jordan was trapped, Patrick emerged into view. He stood on a small boulder, his head tipped back, his baseball cap shielding his face.

“Oh my God! Patrick!” I was crying again, but I didn’t care. “Where were you? We⁠—”

“Don’t move, Jordan. I’ll be there in half a minute.” He disappeared from view, becoming visible again a moment later on another flat-ish rock that extended from the cliff like a diving platform. He began climbing from rock to rock, headed toward the place where Jordan was held captive.

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” I cried. “I was so scared. Why didn’t you tell me where you were going?”

Again, he didn’t respond, hyper-focused on moving from rock to rock, climbing to the place where Jordan was trapped.

I ran back to the trail, shouting for Emily and Keith. After I called their names a few times, they came into view, walking toward me again.

“Patrick’s here! He heard me calling to Jordan He’s helping her now.”

Emily clapped her hands. Keith gave her a look that seemed almost disapproving, but I didn’t care what was going on between them. I raced back to the edge of the cliff.