Page 34 of Their Frozen Bones

“I think so. Grab the backpacks. I’ll unload the snowmobiles.” Kane leaped from the Beast and had the snowmobiles on the ground in minutes. He gave Jenna a long look. “Maybe you should ride with me?”

Jenna pointed to the two sets of tracks slowly disappearing under the snow. “It looks like Wolfe followed the snowmobile and Emily went this way just in case. I’ll follow Em. If the killer is down that track, Wolfe will need backup.” She squeezed his arm. “I’ll be fine. The girls need my help right now. We must split up.” She removed her hat and tossed it inside the Beast and pulled out a helmet. “Go now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kane pulled her close and kissed her hard. “Use your com if you need me. He pushed an earbud into his ear, climbed onto the snowmobile, and took off along the winding track.

Jenna attached her earpiece and then pushed on her helmet. She raised the visor, preferring her sunglasses, and sighed with relief when the snowmobile started. She’d find Emily and they’d both be safer riding the snowmobile. Moving off, she ducked under low branches but kept her eyes on the fading footprints. How far ahead had Emily gone? They’d only been ten minutes or so behind them. Concern gripped her as the footsteps were crossed by the marks of a snowmobile. She tapped her com. “Dave, I have snowmobile tracks. There must be a crossover track somewhere close by.”

“Copy, I can see Wolfe. I’ll pick him up and try and find the cut-through. Hang back if you see the snowmobile. Don’t tackle him alone.”

Unable to see far ahead or hear much over the noise of her snowmobile, unease slid down Jenna’s spine. The killer could be just ahead and she’d never know. “Copy.”

The images of the frozen women flashed through her mind. There was no way Emily was going to be his next victim. Throwing caution to the wind, she followed the tracks. After what seemed like forever, in the distance she made out flashes of color. She recognized Emily’s bright yellow hat bobbing along and her orange puffy jacket following the tree line. The wind was blowing the snow in flurries, making visibility difficult. Surely, Emily could hear her coming. The next second, there was a flash of red in the trees. The killer was heading their way. Fear for Emily’s safety gripped her, and she accelerated. The snowmobile spluttered and stalled. Jenna leaped from the vehicle and waded through the thick snow. “Oh, please, let me get to her in time.”

FORTY-TWO

Terror gripped Carolyn as she ran through the trees, the dense forest had shielded the ground to some extent and made the going easier, but a monster was out there searching for her tracks and trying to find a way through with his snowmobile to get to her. She’d ran one way and then the other, ducking down to hide from view, but her tracks in the snow would be easy for him to follow. Her only chance was to confuse him by crossing over her tracks so he couldn’t know which way she’d gone. The roar of the engine came close and she ducked under a low branch piled high with snow and pressed her back to the trunk. Daring to peek around the tree she made him out in the pelting snow, standing up on the snowmobile and peering all around. As long as the snow kept falling, she had a chance to double back. Horrified, the next moment she heard him laugh with glee and take off along a parallel track, when suddenly he parked and started to wade through the thick snow. Not able to see clearly from her position, she moved from her hiding place to stare in amazement as a woman came moving swiftly down the trail, her blonde hair flowing out from under a knitted cap.

Fear had her by the throat. Was he going to grab this poor woman and hurt her too? Seconds later he bounded out of theforest. He lunged at the other woman and grabbed her by the hair. The woman let out a piercing scream and fought back like a wildcat. Watching in terror, Carolyn moved forward with her fists clenched ready to fight, but would she get there in time? The next second, a man came out of the trees bellowing like a charging bull. Amazed, Carolyn gasped as the other man dragged the woman from her captor’s grasp and then punched him in the chest. The stranger was huge, and the monster staggered back and then held up both hands in front of him as if in surrender, and then without a backward glance, he turned and ran back into the forest. The engine of his snowmobile roared as he took off in a cloud of white. As the noise of his engine got louder, terrified Carolyn searched for a place to hide. The snowmobile was coming straight for her. She must get away. Surely, the man and woman would help her if she could get back to them, but how could she get past him?

Panic gripped her as she scanned the white landscape. Everything in the forest looked the same and she had no idea how to get back to the cabins. She must try something or she’d die anyway. Maybe if she tried to run in a circle, she might get back to them. It was her only chance to survive. Exhausted, Carolyn ran zigzagging through the trees, pumping her arms and lifting her knees. She must get away. Lungs burning, she stopped and bent over, hands on knees, and glanced behind her. The snow was falling so thick and fast, she couldn’t see a thing.Think. I could be walking around in circles. What can I do?White smoke surrounded her as she moved off again and then she slowed and broke some branches on the tree beside her. Moving more slowly, she did the same every few trees. In the distance she could hear a snowmobile. It sounded as if it was coming from two different directions. Terrified, Carolyn ran blindly and burst out of the forest onto a wider track. The snow was thicker here and snowmobile tracks cut deep into the cleanwhite crust. She heard a noise and opened her mouth to scream. Her captor was right behind her.

“Oh, there you are.” As if he had all the time in the world, he climbed off the vehicle and grinned at her. “This is a perfect place. Why wait any longer?”

FORTY-THREE

Moving into the forest to avoid the thick drifts, Jenna’s heart had missed a beat at Emily’s screams. Her legs ached from negotiating snowdrifts like quicksand, but she’d seen the huge man go to Emily’s rescue. He was standing with one arm around her waist now, helping her to a fallen log. Not trusting anyone, as Jenna moved closer she pulled her weapon and slid a bullet into the chamber. She held out her gun at arm’s length and approached with caution. “Sheriff’s department. Put your hands where I can see them.” She looked at Emily. “Stand away from him, Em.”

“I’m okay, Jenna.” Emily’s face was sheet white.

“Good to see you.” The man stood and held up both hands. “I’ve been trying to find a way to contact you, but we’ve been isolated by the avalanches. I just found a way through the forest before. My name is John Raven.”

“He saved me from a lunatic that called me Carolyn.” Emily lifted a trembling hand to her head. “He ripped out my hair and this man saved me.”

That name was familiar. Jenna took in the man, the same size as Kane and strikingly handsome. She shook her headin disbelief and lowered her gun. “Johnny Raven? Ex-military medical corp. You know Ty Carter?”

“Guilty as charged.” He indicated toward Emily. “You must be a relative of Julie Wolfe. You could be sisters.”

“Yes, I’m Emily. Julie is my younger sister.” Emily removed her sunglasses and stared up at him unblinking.

Concerned, Jenna didn’t holster her weapon. She stood her ground. “How do you know Julie Wolfe, Mr. Raven?”

“Raven is fine, ma’am. I found her in the plane wreck out at Bear Peak and took her back to my cabin.” Raven narrowed his gaze. “She’s okay, but her leg is likely broken. I’d have stabilized her and then called for assistance, but I couldn’t get through to my other cabin. It has a CB radio but is on the other side of the avalanche. I’ve been going out daily since and trying to find a track wide enough for the dogsled. It’s been an impossible task. The moment I figure I can get Julie through, there’s another tremor and the snow slides again.”

“I can’t thank you enough.” Emily smiled at him. “You saved my life and Julie’s. Is she far from here? Can we go get her? My dad isn’t far away and we have snowmobiles.”

“Yeah, sure. It’s some ways away but I’ve marked the trail. It’s easy to get turned around in the forest.” Raven bent and picked up her hat, brushed off the snow, and fitted it to her head with a tenderness that surprised Jenna. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Emily was staring at him like a lovesick puppy.

Clearing her throat, Jenna holstered her weapon. “Can I remind you, the man who attacked you is likely the suspect we’re hunting down for a triple homicide? He mentioned the name Carolyn? She’s one of the missing persons. He likely kidnapped her and is planning on killing her. Keep your weapon close at hand. I’ll bring Dave up to date. He’s close by with your dad.”

FORTY-FOUR

Kane stopped to collect Wolfe and they hurtled along the pathway following the snowmobile tracks. “This must be the man hunting down Julie. Are you armed?”

“Yeah, and so is Em. She went down the other track. If Jenna went after her, she would have found her by now.”

“Dave, do you copy?”Jenna’s voice came through his com.

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