Page 50 of So Dark

Despite her terror, she chuckled at that. Her laughter was short-lived, though. Turk still hadn’t picked up the scent, and they were miles from anywhere. She wasn’t worried about getting them home safely. They had satellite phones, compasses and guns. She was worried that if they lost Kelly’s trail now, they might not pick it up again.

She decided to call Wyatt. If they could get more eyes here looking for the trail, then they would have a better chance of finding it. It might be hours before they got here, but that would be better than waiting. Damn it, she should have called him the moment Turk found the trail.

She dialed the number, and a moment later, Wyatt said, “Hello. Got something?”

“Yeah. We followed Kelly’s trail south from the Tazlina River for six miles along what looks like a hiking trail or a game trail of some sort. Turk lost the scent now, and he’s trying to find it again. Can you send some people over to help look for her?”

“Sure, but you should know that we’re a long way from you right now. It’s going to be at least two hours before we reach you.”

Faith sighed. That’s what she was afraid of. “All right. Just get here when you can. Nothing on your end, I’m assuming?”

“Nothing. If your dog picked up a scent, then she’s probably closer to Tazlina Lake than St. Anne’s Lake. We’ll keep searches throughout the area, but we’re going to focus on the area you three are looking. Call me if Turk picks up the scent again.”

“Okay. Will do.”

He hung up, and Faith looked at Turk. He was about forty yards ahead of her, moving slowly over the frozen dirt and sniffing at the ground. A shiver ran through her, not from the cold, but also, her heart rate had calmed, and the cold was starting to be a problem again.

“Come on,” she told Michael, “let’s dress up.”

Michael nodded and began pulling his parka back on. Now that she wasn’t overexerting herself, the outfit was a welcome shelter from the shockingly cold air.

When they were dressed, they caught up to Turk. The dog didn’t seem to mind the cold, but he growled in frustration everyfew seconds when his efforts still failed to turn up any sign of Kelly’s scent.

Faith shone her flashlight beam around, looking for any sign of her, but what was she going to find? Surely, the cold hadn’t killed the scent so much that Turk wouldn’t pick it up from the remains of a camp. Of course, Turk didn’t actually know what Kelly Connor smelled like.

That thought chilled Faith again. For all she knew, they had just run six miles into the wilderness following a trail that had nothing to do with Kelly Connor. And she had just called all of their resources to look for her out here.

"You don't think Turk might have picked up another scent, do you?" Michael asked. Apparently, he was thinking the same thing.

“I hope not,” she replied. “He’s normally pretty good. He knows we’re looking for a person, so odds are he’s following a human scent. It might not be Kelly, though.”

“Could be the killer,” Michael suggested.

“May we get so lucky,” Faith replied. “Either way, we’re kind of stuck trusting his nose.” Turk gave her an injured look, and she explained, “but like I said, he’s usually pretty good.”

“I know,” Michael said. “I’m just worried.”

“Me too.”

They walked for another ten minutes or so before Michael said. “Here’s another sobering thought. What if there are traps out here that we don’t see?”

Faith frowned. “Shit. I didn’t even think about that.” She scanned her flashlight slower and more purposefully over the terrain ahead. “That would be some ironic ending, wouldn’t it? Two FBI agents killed by traps set by the very killer they were chasing.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Michael quipped. “I always say there’s nothing like an exceptionally morbid train of thought when we’re looking for a missing person and a murderer.”

“Youdosay that humor sometimes helps ease the tension in situations like this.”

“Am I drunk when I talk like that?”

Once more, she laughed in spite of her own anxiety. “I miss hanging out with you.” She didn’t mean to blurt that out either, but she didn’t try to backpedal away from the conversation this time. “I think that’s what’s going on with me. I mean, you’re married, and I’m with David. There’s a lot going on in my life, and I think that’s part of what’s making me go crazy, but also I miss being your friend.”

“You are my friend. That never stopped.”

“I know, but… it kinda did.”

“How?”

“Well, we don’t see each other anymore unless we’re at work.”

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