Page 91 of One Last Chance

Right.

“Check on Barry.” Echo waddled to the island and slid onto a stool, picking up her phone from a bowl in the middle of the island.

Flynn hustled back down the hallway and found him standing at the window, staring out as if he could see through the veil of clouds, talking to someone. “They had already picked up the climbers, according to Moose. I think they must have gone down just above Motorcycle Hill, but who knows?”

“I’ll alert the rangers at Camp Three,” said the voice. “See if they can get down to them.”

“Keep me posted. Thanks, Hank.”

He clicked off.

She walked into the office. “I know Hank. Over at the ranger station in Copper Mountain.”

Barry looked at her, seemed to focus on her. “He got the call from one of the guides going up Squirrel Hill. Said the chopper was intact, just sitting in deep snow.”

“And . . . Axel?”

“They didn’t say.”

She nodded. “Okay, well, we have other problems—Echo is in labor.”

“Oh no. Did she call her mom?”

“She’s doing that now.”

“Okay. You help Echo; I’ll stay here,” Barry said.

“And do what? We need to send help or . . . maybe send up another chopper or?—”

He held up a hand. “There’s nothing we can do. There are planes on the ground at base camp. They can fly over if they need to, and the rangers at Base Camp Three can climb down to them. We haven’t even heard from Moose yet—it could be that the chopper just needs to be dug out.”

“Or it could have dragged Axel off the mountain—he wasn’t even in the bird yet!”

Barry had taken a step toward her and now put his hands on her shoulders. She was shaking her head. “What am I even doing here. This is . . . I should be . . . doing . . . finding . . .” She looked at Barry, found his blue-eyed gaze on her. “I’m a detective from Minnesota. I came here to find my sister—or at least what happened to her. And maybe hunt down a serial killer. I . . .” She put her hands to her face. Shook her head. Lowered them. “What am I doing here? I . . .” She sighed. “I don’t do helpless. This . . . this waiting thing . . . This is not me.”

“Have a little faith, Flynn. I know we can’t see what’s going on, but it wouldn’t matter—we have no control over what’s happening on that mountain right now. None. We just have to trust that God is with them.”

“And that he’ll rescue them?”

“Yes. If that’s his plan.”

She stared at him. “Okay, see that’s why I don’t . . . I’m not . . . Faith is not something I’m signing up for. I need?—”

“Assurances?”

“Maybe, yeah. I need to know that who I’m putting my faith in is going to?—”

“Do what you want?”

“Yes!” She shook out of his grip, not trying to be a jerk, but—“Why should I have faith in God if he’s not going to help me out?”

Barry just nodded.

“Listen. I know that God exists, okay? There’s no dispute there. But . . . the world is a dark place, and I’ve seen too much to put my life into the hands of a God who seems largely absent.”

“Really.” Barry folded his arms. “Seems to me that according to Dodge, you’ve been intricately involved with a God who hasn’t been absent.”

And suddenly, Axel’s words filled her head.Fine. “Axel said that God has a reason for why it was me on the other end of the radio. But I’ve never . . . I mean, after my sister went missing, I prayed a lot, you know? And nothing.” She swallowed. “I’m not sure God cares.”

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