"Wallace. Heard you got married." No preamble, typical Kane directness.
"News travels fast." I continue my equipment check.
"Small town." He hands me an additional radio. "Jordyn saw the courthouse filing."
Of course she did. Jordyn Kane McCrae might be on maternity leave, but the journalist misses nothing that happens in Crimson Hollow.
I finish checking my gear, irritated at being the subject of town gossip, however minimal. "We focusing on the rescue or my marriage?"
Micah grins, unaffected by my tone. "Multitasking." Then, serious again: "Team briefing in five."
The briefing is efficient, as expected with Micah leading. Six of us will make the ascent to North Ridge. The plan is to reach the cabin before nightfall, assess the trapped hikers, and determine if extraction is possible immediately or if we need to wait until morning.
"Weather's the X-factor," Micah concludes. "Next system is accelerating. Could hit as early as midnight."
"Which means we move fast and stay flexible," I add, studying the topographic features. "Primary concern is triggering a slide during approach."
The team nods in unison. We've all done this before. The mountains surrounding Crimson Hollow are beautiful but unforgiving in winter. Every year, someone underestimates them. Sometimes we reach them in time.
As we load equipment into the specialized rescue vehicles, I catch Silas watching me with an odd expression.
"Something on your mind, McCrae?"
He hesitates. "Jordyn asked me to check if everything's okay. With your new wife."
"She's fine." I secure a pack of emergency medical supplies. "Why wouldn't she be?"
"You left her alone on the mountain during her first blizzard."
I straighten, meeting his gaze directly. "She's not helpless. And I wasn't exactly given a choice about this rescue."
"I know." He holds up placating hands. "Jordyn just wanted to make sure she knows what to do if the generator fails or something goes wrong."
"She has instructions. And the satellite phone if there's an emergency." I close the vehicle's rear doors with more force than necessary. "We done with the domestic interrogation?"
Silas studies me for a moment. "You know, for a business arrangement, you seem awfully defensive."
I don't dignify that with a response, climbing into the passenger seat of the lead vehicle. Micah takes the wheel, and we head out, the convoy snaking through Crimson Hollow's main street. As we pass Bean & Bloom Café, I notice the elaborate Christmas display in its windows. Miniature trees frosted with artificial snow, little wrapped presents, and a sign advertising their special holiday menu starting December 1st.
My thoughts drift to Judith again. Would she want to celebrate Christmas? Part of our contract specified maintaining appearances in public if necessary. Would that include attending local holiday events together? The annual Crimson Hollow Christmas market opens in two weeks, followed by the tree lighting ceremony. Would she expect to participate in these rituals of small-town life?
"You're quiet." Micah's observation breaks through my thoughts.
"Always am."
He chuckles. "Fair enough. But you're quieter than usual." When I don't respond, he drops it, but knowing Micah he’ll pick it back up at some point.
The rescue operation proceeds according to plan until it doesn't. We reach the stranded hikers by mid-afternoon. Three college students, inadequately prepared for the weather, but miraculously uninjured. The cabin has protected them, but aquick assessment confirms what I suspected: the snow pack above the structure is dangerously unstable.
"We need to move them now," I tell Micah after checking the slope. "That won't hold until morning."
He nods, having reached the same conclusion. "Extraction route?"
I point to a narrow ravine east of our position. "That's our best option. Less exposure to the unstable zone."
"Longer route."
"Safer route," I counter. "And we've still got daylight."
