Page 60 of Only One More Lie

“I mean, someone called in sick, so my dad went in. I can’t help but wonder if he had said no, if we’d still have him with us right now.”

Andi leaned back in her seat. Interesting thought.

Had someone followed Anderson to work, waiting for just the right opportunity to strike?

Or would whoever had been working at the garden center that night have been the victim?

The question lingered in Andi’s mind.

Ranger drove the UTV down the icy trail, surrounded by snow-laden spruces on either side. Duke sat beside him, scanning everything in hopes of finding a clue about Caleb.

Gibson had cleared them to join in the search and given them a radio so they could communicate with everyone in the process. Three other pairs of searchers on UTVs had gone out, each covering a different section of the camp.

So far, no one had reported finding anything. Duke’s best guess was that someone had a vehicle waiting somewhere outside this forest and that was how Caleb had disappeared. The jury was still out as to whether or not he had left on his own or if someone had forced him away.

The fact that Duke had seen that blood earlier raised all kinds of alarms in his mind, however.

He and Ranger had been out here for an hour so far but had discovered nothing. Not only that, but the temperature was dropping and the darkness was growing deeper. The fact they weren’t familiar with this landscape made everything more dangerous.

He hoped the gang back at the cabin was having more luck questioning the Carswell family.

“Do you think we can squeeze down that path?” Duke pointed to a small opening between the trees. The route didn’t appear to be an official path, maybe a game trail, but he thought the UTV would fit.

“Let’s try.” Ranger jerked the wheel, and they turned onto the path.

This one was definitely narrower and steeper. But he thought the UTV could handle it.

He kept his eyes peeled for signs of anything of interest. Though there were no fresh tracks down this trail, that didn’t mean it hadn’t been utilized recently. A fresh snow had begun to fall.

As they continued down the path, Duke prayed that they weren’t wasting valuable time.

Then something out of place caught his eye. He strained for a better look through the trees. From his current vantage-point, it almost looked like . . . a small building.

“Do you see that?” he asked.

Ranger narrowed his eyes. “It looks like an old cabin.”

“I think we should check it out.”

“I agree.”

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of the place.

Duke got a better look. It was definitely a cabin. The wood covering the exterior was gray and a several pieces were crooked as if dry-rotted. If Duke had to guess, it was maybe four hundred square feet inside.

They climbed off the UTV to take a closer look.

Ranger scanned the building. “I’d guess this place goes back a good eighty years, maybe to when gold miners were out here looking for their next big hot spot. I know there’s a stream not far away. Maybe they were panning there.”

“I wonder if other people are aware this building is here.”

“Hard to say,” Ranger said. “Even if they know, I’m not so sure it would matter. This cabin doesn’t look inhabitable, especially in this cold.”

“It does have a fireplace.” Duke pointed to the pipe rising from the roof.

He noted how the snow right around the pipe had melted.

Was that indicative that someone had had a fire inside recently?

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