“She left a note saying she was going on the hike. But now I think about it, she didn’t know where the hike was going to be. Did you tell her?”
“I didn’t know she was going on the hike. I promise.” She jutted out her chin, and her lower lip quivered. “Why don’t you ever believe me?”
“Never mind.” He left her to join Gherring in his search.
“No one seems to have seen her. Maybe I should call and see if the girls have heard from her. Maybe she went back home.” Gherring dropped to a rock, rifling though his backpack.
“Spencer?” A petite blond girl walked over to join them. “Are you looking for a girl named Emily?”
“Yes! Have you seen her?”
“No, but... Becca was so mad after you left this morning,” She glanced over her shoulder at Becca and bit her lip. “She was ranting about a girl named Emily, and she said something about the Devil’s Path. I mean, I don’t know for sure. But maybe she went there instead.”
>
Spencer’s rage was building inside him—he could feel the blood pulsing in his head. He turned toward Becca, but Gherring stood, putting a hand on his shoulder. “No. Let me talk to her. Less emotion.”
Spencer followed as Gherring marched to confront Becca. He towered over her, his eyes harsh, his eyebrows furrowed, the muscles in his jaw bulging. “Becca. I’m going to ask you some questions. And you will tell me the truth. Where is my daughter? Did you send her to a different hike?”
She swallowed convulsively, and her pleading gaze darted toward Spencer. But he crossed his arms and glared back without sympathy.
“I... She said she wasn’t going on the hike. She said her sister might go. She told me she just wanted to know where the hike was. I swear!”
“And so you told her the hike was on the Devil’s Path?”
Her mouth dropped open. “How did you... I mean, I didn’t know she’d actually go.”
“And you remember clearly? You told her Devil’s Path? What else did you tell her?”
“I think I told her we were camping at the Devil’s Tombstone. But I didn’t think she’d actually go. I mean, after she had that ruffie, you’d think she wouldn’t go on a two-day hike.”
He pinned her with his eyes. “Who told you that? Who told you she had a ruffie? You were there weren’t you? It was you!”
“No... No, I...”
Gherring loomed over her, his entire body shaking. Spencer wondered if he was going to hit her. “I’m going to deal with you after I find my daughter. Attempted murder is a serious charge!”
He turned to Spencer. “How do we get out of here? We need to get to Devil’s Tombstone now.”
“Don’t you have a helicopter or something?”
Gherring laughed bitterly. “No, only a jet. But I might buy a helicopter after this, just in case.”
“It’ll take us three hours to get back out of here, and over an hour to drive to Tombstone Campground. It’ll be dark by then. I hate to say it, but we need to send Charlie. They could drive straight to the public campground and search from there. It’ll still take them probably two and a half hours to get there.”
“Anne can’t go,” Gherring stated, “and Charlie shouldn’t go by herself.”
“Grace. Grace will go with her. Maybe Charlie can borrow some hiking shoes from my other sisters.”
With a groan, Spencer dropped onto a nearby rock and buried his face in his hands. “That hike... Do you know that hike, Mr. Gherring?”
Gherring sat beside him, pulling out his sat phone. “I do.” He squeezed his lips together, shaking his head. “It’s one of the hardest hikes I know. Maybe the toughest.”
“Do you really think she could make it on her own? I mean, she could be anywhere on the trail. Or off the trail, for that matter.”
“Despite some of her recent decisions, she’s usually a smart, resourceful girl. She’ll be okay. Her note said she had supplies.”
“She just got out of the hospital after almost dying from a drug overdose.”