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He helped her take the pack off her back and then rifled through it until he found her inhaler. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She placed the plastic between her lips and took a puff. Her chest expanded as it filled with air, and she held her breath. As she released it, the tightness in her chest loosened.
“I’m in these hills every day. I forget that not everyone is used to the terrain.” Malachi scraped a hand across his neatly trimmed beard.
“I’m guessing you don’t lead many group hikes.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Grumpy introvert?”
His eyes shone with laughter. “Lone wolf.”
“Same thing.”
“The few groups I’ve led didn’t appreciate my sense of humor.”
She tilted her head and smiled. “I find that hard to believe.” Not true. She absolutely believed it and wished she could’ve been on the hikes to see it for herself. In the short amount of time she’d known him, she already sensed he had a similar personality to her older brothers.
It had probably been about a minute. Time for a second inhale. She breathed in the medicine and held the breath before slowly releasing it. “I think I’m okay to keep going, but if you would slow your pace a tad, my lungs will thank you.”
“Sure thing.” He studied her a few seconds longer. “You sure you’re okay to keep going?”
“I am.”
“The trail is wide enough here that we can walk side by side.”
True to his word, five minutes later they arrived. The pecking noise from a pileated woodpecker filled the air, and she searched for it among the barren forest. A tree stood nearby, lifeless and stripped of branches, but the bird found enjoyment in it. The song of a chickadee contrasted with the relentless banging, and she smiled as it tilted its head at them curiously.
They cautiously approached a rocky ledge, and she stared into a dark cleft in the rock. The strong odor of bear remained, but the air around it was cool. If the mother bear occupied the space, warmth would’ve emitted from it. Any cubs she’d had wouldn’t have survived being left alone without their mother’s body heat.
Cate went into a coughing fit. It would be another hour before she should use her inhaler again, so she waited for the coughs to subside on their own. When they did, she pointed her Maglite into the narrow cavern then scooted inside to inspect the den.
“You sure that’s a good idea, Ms. Garrison?”
“It’s Cate. And, yes, it’s my job, Mr. James.” She handed him her flashlight. “Hold this for me. I need to inspect the area.”
After taking several photographs, Cate scooted back out through the small opening and showed Malachi the photographs she’d taken with her digital camera. “The amount of fur left behind along with the nesting material suggests she gave birth. And see these indentations?” She indicated the shallow dents in the nesting material.
He nodded.
“They’re from her cubs. The evidence suggests there were three of them.”
“What kind of monster kills a sow while she’s in a den with her cubs? Do you think he killed the cubs?” A strain in his voice revealed his deep concern for the wildlife that inhabited the park where he worked. It had bothered her when he declined to hike out here with her the afternoon before, but now that she knew the distance to the site, she acknowledged to herself he had made the right decision. However, this wasn’t the moment to contemplate Malachi and whether or not she concurred with his decisions. Right now, she needed to keep her focus on their conversation.
“It is impossible to determine what transpired with them. Another predator may have happened upon the den and taken them.”
He frowned. “That part is my job. I’ll find the guy who did this on park land, then find out from him if he left the cubs here or took them with him.” He cracked his knuckles. “And I’ll see that he’s prosecuted for it.”
“Or she.”
“Doubtful.”
“But possible.”
“Admittedly, yes.”
“I hope you catch whoever did this.” She took some more photos of the area surrounding the den and marked the waypoint so she’d be able to find the location again.
