Page 76 of Runaway
By then, Benjamin jogged up. He shook his head.
“Not there.”
I yanked my phone out of my pocket and dialed Justin as I crouched next to Atticus. The strange smell emanating from the bone wasn't on Atticus's breath. He appeared normal as he pushed against me with a low whine.
Justin answered with a quick, “Hey Mark.”
“Joshua's here, and he's got Stell. I think he tried to poison Atticus, but I don't think Atticus took it. Get my dad and whatever officers you can and get up here now.”
“Where's Stella?”
My voice sounded grim when I muttered, “I don't know.” My gaze darted to Ben. “We're going to go find her now.”
Benjamin immediately nodded.
“On our way,” Justin said.
Justin hung up and I straightened. Something didn't look right here. It wasn't until a splash of out-of-place color caught my eye that I realized it.
“Son of a—”
Benjamin pointed across the lake, his eyes landing on the exact same thing as mine. “That canoe supposed to be there?”
“Definitely not,” I muttered. “You going to help me take this bastard down?”
Benjamin spread his arms. “Say when.”
* * *
Benjamin, Atticus, and I jogged along the perimeter of the lake. Snow fell in sheets now, occluding the view of the other side. Skirting some marshy areas, an arena where we did campfires in the summer, and thick bracken along the banks slowed us down. By the time I reached the canoe, at least twenty minutes had passed. Sweat ran down my back, staving off the cold.
The haunting silence of the mountains taunted me.
You're too late.
Joshua maybe had a twenty-minute head start at most. Benjamin and I could easily close that gap. He'd kept up with me so far. MMA fighter or not, living up here conditioned me far better for speed than he would be right now, but at least he wasn't a liability.
Carefully, I worked my way to the canoe through the reeds. Benjamin followed, not surprisingly agile amongst the slippery snow and bracken. The snow fell fast enough that any tracks were faint, but it was clear that two people had clambered out of the canoe. What appeared to be water droplets dotted some parts of the snow. Was Stellawet? Surely Joshua wouldn't be stupid enough to get in the lake.
Or would he?
No, that didn't make sense, but my dread tripled anyway.
“What's up?” Ben asked, puffing.
“I think he pushed her in the lake,” I murmured.
“What?”
I pointed to the water droplets. “This is water. See how the snow is gone? The holes in the snow, but not by the lake edge? Doesn't make sense. The paddle is in the canoe, so it's not splashing.”
“But why?”
“Silence her, probably. You didn't hear anything, did you?”
“Nope.”
“He got her out right under my nose somehow. She’d be too shocked from the cold to scream if he pushed her in, and it could happen quietly.”
