“Don’t make her suffer.”
Demo version limitation
TWELVE
It took Tyler nearly thirty minutes to drive down the interstate to Monida, and it would be at least two hours before he, his two deputies, and the Feds hit Lakeview. If the snow didn’t fall heavier than the few wisps that started as they left Monida.
He was about to radio Bonnie to patch him into the lodge. The ringing phone had to have been a glitch, or no one could hear it. Phone lines simply didn’t go out in the valley. They were buried, and he’d never heard of a problem.
Bonnie came on almost immediately. “I have Wyatt on the radio.”
“Patch him through.”
A minute later, Wyatt said, “Tyler.”
“Everything okay?”
“Karl Weber radioed me. Jo is on her way now.”
“When did you talk to Karl? I talked to Trixie earlier this morning, but haven’t been able to reach anyone by phone since.”
“About ten, fifteen minutes ago. He was having radio trouble earlier, but it’s fixed.”
Tyler didn’t like the coincidence of radio trouble coupled with not being able to reach the lodge by phone, but at least Wyatt had spoken to Karl.
“Karl didn’t sound worried or distressed?”
“Not really—he asked if I knew about the escaped prisoners, and I told him that we had talked.”
Tyler said to Wyatt, “Don’t tell me that Jo left the lodge alone.”
“No. She brought several men with her. Karl said the weather was too unpredictable for the scouts to hike to the lodge, so we’re going to double up on snowmobiles and probably arrive before you get there.”
“Who did she leave with?”
“Karl didn’t say. Must be guests from the lodge. Any word on the prisoners?”
“No,” Tyler said. “But Nash said two of his snowmobiles are missing.”
“Stolen?”
“Appears so. I wanted to give Jo another warning. She’s a smart woman, but she’s also stubborn.”
Wyatt agreed. “Yes, she is.”
“Is there anywhere other than the lodge where you can take the boys? What about that place near Elk Lake? Or the Worthingtons’?”
“Both places are too difficult to reach with an injured boy,” Wyatt said. “The valley is nearly four hundred thousand acres. The chances that two killers will stumble over us, slim to none. And I’ll hear a snowmobile from miles away. Sound carries extremely well out here. I’ll be cautious.”
“Tell Jo about the theft when you see her.”
“Anything else you want me to pass on?”
“Nothing I won’t tell her myself when I see her. We’re about four miles from Lakeview. We should meet up around the same time at the lodge.”
“Do you really think these guys are a threat?” Wyatt asked.
Tyler glanced at Hans Vigo in the seat next to him. Why would the Feds have come all the way out here unless they thought there was a real threat? There was something to their concerns, and his own fear.
“Just keep your eyes and ears open, Wyatt.”
“Yes, Sheriff.” Wyatt hung up and Tyler winced. He hadn’t meant to sound so bossy. It came with the territory. Was that why he and Wyatt couldn’t regain the brotherhood they’d shared as kids? Because they had both grown up into strong-willed, stubborn men who didn’t like to explain themselves?
Tyler was about to radio Bonnie again to patch him into the lodge—he’d like to talk to Karl Weber himself, tell him about the
personal
threat to Jo—when Mitch Bianchi shouted from the backseat, “Stop!”
Tyler slowly braked. Slamming on the brakes could have put them into a skid or spin. Before they fully stopped, he saw the same thing Mitch Bianchi had.
A car roof.
Tyler motioned for everyone to remain silent as they exited the police 4X4 truck, guns drawn. If there was someone in the car, it was doubtful they were alive. But if somehow a killer had survived, he was trapped, and trapped animals attacked first.
They approached slowly by necessity, the snow soft under their boots. The car was off the road, but barely. Most likely it had
Demo version limitation
TWELVE
It took Tyler nearly thirty minutes to drive down the interstate to Monida, and it would be at least two hours before he, his two deputies, and the Feds hit Lakeview. If the snow didn’t fall heavier than the few wisps that started as they left Monida.
He was about to radio Bonnie to patch him into the lodge. The ringing phone had to have been a glitch, or no one could hear it. Phone lines simply didn’t go out in the valley. They were buried, and he’d never heard of a problem.
Bonnie came on almost immediately. “I have Wyatt on the radio.”
“Patch him through.”
A minute later, Wyatt said, “Tyler.”
“Everything okay?”
“Karl Weber radioed me. Jo is on her way now.”
“When did you talk to Karl? I talked to Trixie earlier this morning, but haven’t been able to reach anyone by phone since.”
“About ten, fifteen minutes ago. He was having radio trouble earlier, but it’s fixed.”
Tyler didn’t like the coincidence of radio trouble coupled with not being able to reach the lodge by phone, but at least Wyatt had spoken to Karl.
“Karl didn’t sound worried or distressed?”
“Not really—he asked if I knew about the escaped prisoners, and I told him that we had talked.”
Tyler said to Wyatt, “Don’t tell me that Jo left the lodge alone.”
“No. She brought several men with her. Karl said the weather was too unpredictable for the scouts to hike to the lodge, so we’re going to double up on snowmobiles and probably arrive before you get there.”
“Who did she leave with?”
“Karl didn’t say. Must be guests from the lodge. Any word on the prisoners?”
“No,” Tyler said. “But Nash said two of his snowmobiles are missing.”
“Stolen?”
“Appears so. I wanted to give Jo another warning. She’s a smart woman, but she’s also stubborn.”
Wyatt agreed. “Yes, she is.”
“Is there anywhere other than the lodge where you can take the boys? What about that place near Elk Lake? Or the Worthingtons’?”
“Both places are too difficult to reach with an injured boy,” Wyatt said. “The valley is nearly four hundred thousand acres. The chances that two killers will stumble over us, slim to none. And I’ll hear a snowmobile from miles away. Sound carries extremely well out here. I’ll be cautious.”
“Tell Jo about the theft when you see her.”
“Anything else you want me to pass on?”
“Nothing I won’t tell her myself when I see her. We’re about four miles from Lakeview. We should meet up around the same time at the lodge.”
“Do you really think these guys are a threat?” Wyatt asked.
Tyler glanced at Hans Vigo in the seat next to him. Why would the Feds have come all the way out here unless they thought there was a real threat? There was something to their concerns, and his own fear.
“Just keep your eyes and ears open, Wyatt.”
“Yes, Sheriff.” Wyatt hung up and Tyler winced. He hadn’t meant to sound so bossy. It came with the territory. Was that why he and Wyatt couldn’t regain the brotherhood they’d shared as kids? Because they had both grown up into strong-willed, stubborn men who didn’t like to explain themselves?
Tyler was about to radio Bonnie again to patch him into the lodge—he’d like to talk to Karl Weber himself, tell him about the
personal
threat to Jo—when Mitch Bianchi shouted from the backseat, “Stop!”
Tyler slowly braked. Slamming on the brakes could have put them into a skid or spin. Before they fully stopped, he saw the same thing Mitch Bianchi had.
A car roof.
Tyler motioned for everyone to remain silent as they exited the police 4X4 truck, guns drawn. If there was someone in the car, it was doubtful they were alive. But if somehow a killer had survived, he was trapped, and trapped animals attacked first.
They approached slowly by necessity, the snow soft under their boots. The car was off the road, but barely. Most likely it had
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