Page 26 of Twin Jeopardy

“We don’t know for sure. And there appears to be at least one passenger. But until search and rescue takes a look, I don’t have any more information.”

She scribbled notes she hoped she would be able to read when she sat down tomorrow to write the story. “I saw Ryan Welch descending into the canyon,” she said.

“He and Eldon Ramsey are going down to stabilize the vehicle so rescuers can free the people inside the truck and assess their injuries,” Shane said. “Bud O’Brien has his biggest wrecker out for the job.”

The boom wrecker, lit up by the spotlights, would make an excellent shot for the paper. And Bud might like to have one to hang in his office. She started to move closer to take more photographs when Shane’s next words stopped her. “I heard you got a note that was supposedly from Vince Shepherd’s long-lost sister.”

“I turned it into the sheriff,” she said. “Do you know if he’s learned anything more about whoever wrote it?”

“I don’t think so,” Shane said.

“Then I don’t know any more than you do.” She pushed away from the side of the SUV. “I’m going to get more photographs and talk to some of the rescuers.”

She fired off a dozen more pictures, then climbed onto a boulder, which gave her a birds-eye view into the canyon. A couple of scraggly trees partially blocked her view of the wrecked truck, but she could see enough to feel a little queasy at the prospect of anyone trying to work around the smashed-up vehicle.

The loud chop of helicopter rotors drowned out the rumble of the wrecker’s engine and the conversation of the volunteers. The rescue helicopter swept in and hovered on the edge of the canyon, the backwash from the rotors flinging loose gravel at onlookers and whipping back their hair. People tried to shield their eyes, but none of them looked away as a cable slowly lowered from the belly of the chopper. A few tense minutes later, the cable rose again, a litter bearing the figure of a person, wrapped like a mummy. A cheer rose from the crowd when the litter was safely inside.

Moments later, the cable lowered again. This time the trip was faster, as was the return journey. Another litter rose, but this one carried no securely wrapped figure—only a black plastic bag. The body bag meant one of the occupants of the truck hadn’t made it.

Tammy moved in to speak with SAR Captain Danny Irwin. “Was there just the one fatality?” she asked.

“Yes. The passenger,” Danny said “But the driver—a man—has a good chance of making it.”

“Do we know who they are?” she asked.

Danny met her gaze. “We checked for ID, but I can’t reveal that until their families are notified.”

“Just tell me if they’re locals,” she said.

“They are not,” he said.

Some of the tension that had been building since she had gotten the call about the accident lessened. The fatality was a tragedy, but not as wrenching as if it had been someone she knew. “What can you tell me about the rescue efforts?” she asked.

Danny straightened. “This was a highly technical rescue that put our training to the test,” he said. “The truck was in a dangerous position, and our volunteers risked their lives to stabilize the vehicle and free the driver and passenger from the wreckage. This rescue involved everyone on-site, from those doing the climbing and rendering medical aid, to the volunteers who monitored the rigging, to those who provided backup support. This was an example of the teamwork Eagle Mountain Search and Rescue is known for.”

“I got some great photos,” Tammy said. “Everyone who lives here already knows how lucky we are to have such a great search and rescue group, but this kind of thing reminds them how awesome you all are.”

“We’re not doing it for the glory,” Danny said. “But all that training and equipment isn’t free. Anything that might net a few more donations is welcome.”

Laughter from a group just beyond them distracted her. She looked past him. Was that Vince?

“Looking for someone?” Danny asked.

“Vince Shepherd. Is he here tonight?”

Danny looked around. “Vince is here somewhere.”

“I’m sure I’ll find him.” She hurried away before Danny could ask why she wanted to speak with Vince. Even she wasn’t completely sure of the answer to that question, except that she liked Vince a lot. She wanted to know him better. And she wanted him to like her.

She hadn’t seen him since they had parted company after their interview with the sheriff Sunday morning. He hadn’t followed up on his dinner invitation. She had picked up the phone to text him half a dozen times but had stopped herself from following through on the impulse. She wasn’t going to chase a man who wasn’t interested in her. Whatever happened between them would have to happen in its own time. If it didn’t, well, maybe it wasn’t meant to happen at all. Was that the coward in her, making excuses? Maybe so, but she was reluctant to let go of the notion that a real love should be strong enough to overcome the obstacles life put in its way. If it wasn’t, what was the point? Life was so fragile and fleeting, why risk grabbing hold of something that was even more unreliable?

VINCESHOVEDTHElast duffel of supplies into the back of the search and rescue vehicle known as the Beast. Six volunteers had snagged a ride to the scene in the specially outfitted Jeep, but he wasn’t one of them. Instead, he and the rest of the crew had driven their personal vehicles. He had left his truck parked down the road from the accident site.

“I’m parked right behind you.” Grace Wilcox fell into step beside him. Grace had been with the team a few months longer than he had, but he didn’t know much about her, except that she was an environmental scientist and she was dating a new deputy with the sheriff’s department.

“That was an amazing rescue tonight,” he said.

“I’m in awe of people like Sheri and Ryan, who make those dangerous climbs,” Grace said. “And in the dark. I’m literally just learning the ropes, and I don’t ever think I’ll be that skilled and confident.”

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