“Caleb,” I called softly. “Look at this.”
He limped over as I pulled out a metal detector. It looked expensive, with the price tag still attached.
“That’s brand new,” he observed, taking it from me. “Jake isn’t the treasure-hunting type.”
“Maybe he knows more than we thought,” I suggested.
Caleb thumbed the power button, and it turned on immediately. “I’m surprised the batteries haven’t corroded. We should take it with us. Might come in handy. And before we venture further, let’s bed the animals down for the night and grab that — he pointed to the UTV — It has a snowblower attached to it, so it will make this a lot easier than walking.”
Chapter 5
Lana
Together, we fed the animals, and when that was done, we gathered our supplies and settled into the UTV with Caleb at the wheel. He started the engine, and the noise filled the shed.
“Have you ever driven one of these?” I shouted over the rumble.
He grinned at me and shook his head. “Nope, but it can’t be that hard.”
I called Scout to jump in, and he settled at my feet.
“Put your seatbelt on,” Caleb said, reaching for his. “Don’t want to go flying out of this thing if someone decided to chase us.”
The UTV lurched forward, sending me grabbing for the roll bar in one hand and Scout’s collar in the other. Caleb’s grin widened as he guided us out of the shed and into the snow-covered field.
“I thought you’d never driven one of these before,” I yelled over the engine, eyeing him suspiciously.
“I haven’t driven this specific model,” he shouted, navigating around a fallen branch with surprising ease. “But the principle is the same for most off-road vehicles.”
Scout seemed to be enjoying the ride, his nose lifted to catch the wind, ears flapping. I checked the map coordinates on my phone and directed Caleb toward the creek.
“Head east about two hundred yards,” I said, pointing. “The first marker should be just beyond that stand of pines.”
The UTV handled the snow better than I expected, the tracks cutting through the white blanket with minimal resistance, so well that Caleb hadn’t engaged the snowblower. Still, I noticed him wincing each time we hit a bump, his injured leg jostling despite his efforts to brace himself.
“You okay?” I asked when a particularly rough patch made him inhale sharply.
“Never better,” he replied through gritted teeth. “Just focus on those coordinates.”
The creek came into view, partially frozen over, its banks lined with snow-dusted rocks. According to the map, the first X was located near a distinctive bend in the water.
“Stop here,” I said as we approached the area. “It should be close by.”
Caleb killed the engine, and the silence of the winter landscape enveloped us immediately. No birds sang; even the wind had momentarily stilled. The only sound was our breath and Scout’s panting.
“Let’s start with the metal detector,” Caleb suggested, reaching for the device. “If there’s anything metallic buried here, it should pick it up.”
I nodded, grabbing the shovel while he awkwardly maneuvered out of the UTV. His face was pale from the ride, but determination kept him moving. Scout jumped out andimmediately began sniffing around the area, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
Caleb powered up the metal detector and began sweeping it over the ground near the creek bank. I followed behind him, ready with the shovel. We worked methodically, moving in a grid pattern away from the water.
“Nothing yet,” he muttered after ten minutes of searching. “Let’s try closer to that large rock formation. If I were hiding something, that’s where I’d put it—somewhere with a natural marker.”
We shifted our search to the area around a jutting outcrop of granite, only it wasn’t just a bunch of rocks. Within its circle was a small cave. Scout had wandered a bit farther upstream but remained within sight, occasionally glancing back to check on us.
“Should we go in there?” I asked, hesitantly. “What if it’s a bear den?”
He shone the flashlight inside and swept the area. “Nah, too small. I’ll go first.”
