Page 35 of Wilderness Search
Bethany and Scott headed back the way they had come, and the other three pushed forward once more. Willa was more aware now of Aaron staying close to her. Once, when she lost her balance on a rolling log, he took her elbow to steady her. He released her as soon as she was secure, but she hadn’t flinched from his touch.
“Thanks,” she muttered, and moved on.
She slowed down after a moment, and let him get in front of her. She liked being able to watch him as he broke a trail through the thickest brush. The black T-shirt emphasized his muscular shoulders and arms. He wore a gun in a small holster on his hip, a badge clipped beside it. Even though he was out of uniform he was still on duty, she reminded herself.
“Do you remember the day we climbed Mount Hunger?” he asked.
She groaned. “That last mile was so hard. I was beginning to wonder if you were trying to get rid of me.”
“But the view at the end was worth it.”
“Yes.” The end of the hike offered a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. But it wasn’t the view she remembered most—it was the kiss they had shared, and the euphoria of having conquered something difficult together. She had neverfelt closer to anyone in that moment and had been sure she could face anything with this man. But that feeling had been a mirage. They had climbed that mountain together, but when the most difficult thing she had ever endured in her life happened, Aaron wasn’t beside her; he was opposing her. He was the one responsible for her problem.
They had coveredevery inch of their search area by 6:00 p.m., and returned to the lodge dirty, bruised and worn-out. The other searchers looked the same. No one had found any sign of Olivia.
“Maybe you were wrong about that shelter,” Bethany said when she found Aaron eating dinner catered by the lodge. She slid onto the picnic table bench beside him and helped herself to a potato chip from his plate. “I was talking to Scott and he said that wilderness course they take the kids on didn’t have anything about building brush shelters, just instructions on basic first aid and how to use a compass and the importance of staying put if you’re lost.”
“There was a shoe print just inside the shelter,” Aaron said. “The same size as Olivia’s foot. And a label from the same brand of water bottles we found in camp.”
“That’s something, I guess.” She ate another chip. “You were sticking pretty close to Willa today,” she said. “Does that mean the two of you are going to get back together?”
“Not much chance of that.” He crunched a chip. “I’ll settle for her tolerating my presence.”
“Oh, I think she more than tolerates you,” Bethany said. “She was checking out your butt when you were hiking ahead of her.”
He laughed, at the disgusted expression on his sister’s face as much as at the idea that Willa had been ogling him. “Don’t tell me you don’t check out Ian’s backside sometimes,” he said.
“Well, yeah, but that’s different. Ian isn’t my brother.”
“I’m not Willa’s brother, either.” And he wasn’t exactly her friend. He hoped he wasn’t her enemy. It wasn’t all he wanted from her, but it was better than he had hoped for.
Jake approached the table, plate in hand. “Do you have room here?”
“Sure.” Bethany scooted over to allow him to slip in beside her. “Where were you searching?”
“I was with a group searching the area where we found the shelter.” Jake bit into a sandwich and chewed.
“I guess you didn’t find anything,” Bethany said.
He shook his head.
“I wish we knew why she ran away,” Bethany said. “If we knew that, we might have a better feeling for where she would go. I mean, is she trying to get away from someone or to someone—or something?”
“Good question,” Aaron said. Why hadn’t he thought of that?
“If she was in that shelter, she didn’t go that far from camp,” Jake said.
“And that water and stuff was taken from the storage shed after she was reported missing,” Aaron said. “So she was still close to camp, then.”
“It’s like she’s sticking around to see what happens,” Bethany said.
“If she’s just playing a game, it’s time to stop,” Aaron said.
“There’s still that shirt with the blood on it.” Jake spoke quietly. He cut his eyes to Bethany. “And you didn’t hear me say that.”
“It’s not a secret,” she said. “But it’s good to hear the rumor confirmed.” She leaned toward them and spoke in a whisper. “Was the blood really Olivia’s?”
Jake nodded.
