“We should pull back now. Wait for assistance,” Rachel spoke into the silence.
They were so close. She could feel it. Ava couldn’t let him go. “Call for backup, but we keep pressing. I want him found.”
Rachel’s reaction was clear, but she grabbed her cell phone to call it in.
The wind shifted, carrying on it the faint scent of smoke and wax. Shadow’s ears snapped forward. He snarled at the sound of footsteps running away.
Ava’s stomach tightened. “He’s on the move.”
Caleb didn’t hesitate. “Then so are we.”
Chapter Five
A Trail of Shadows
After Ava gave the dog the command to hunt, Shadow bolted into the trees while she struggled to keep up with the dog’s pace. The K-9 was quick on his feet even in this rough terrain.
Caleb did his best to stay close to Ava, but it was difficult given the weather conditions and the almost non-stop trek they’d been on since leaving the crime scene.
They reached the black pine grove.
“There’s no cell service,” Rachel said after trying repeatedly to make the call for backup.
“Here.” Caleb tossed her the sat phone. “Use this. Call the first number. It’s for Ranger Larabee. He can radio our location to your people. Tell him we’re north of the Hidden Lake Trail just off Going-to-the-Sun Road, approximately a mile and a half upslope into backcountry terrain. Have them station at the Logan Pass Visitor Center.”
She conveyed their location to Larabee and Caleb’s suggested staging point. After she’d finished, she held the phoneaway from her ear. “I lost the signal. I sure hope he got enough of that to find us.”
“Larabee knows the area well. He’ll get help rolling our way.” Caleb accepted the phone back and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.
As they entered the thick woods, a piercing darkness overtook them. Caleb clicked on his flashlight and shone it down the path where the dog was working. He noticed Shadow appeared to be circling. “What’s going on? Did he lose the trail?”
Ava shook her head. “Wax is deliberately trying to confuse him.”
Caleb searched the ground with his trained guide’s eye. A set of footprints covered the fallen snow. “He’s heading uphill toward rocky terrain. Once he reaches the boulders, we’ll lose his tracks.”
The frustration on Ava’s face was unmistakable. “We can’t let that happen. This is as close as we’ve ever been to capturing him.”
When she would have kept going, Caleb stopped her. “It’s too dangerous. It’ll be completely dark soon. Exhaustion and stumbling around in the darkness will get us killed faster than Wax.”
Her frustration made it clear that falling back was the last thing she wanted to do. Shadow barked, breaking the tension between them. The dog pulled Ava toward one of the nearby pine tree trunks that glistened faintly.
“What is that?” Rachel asked as they neared.
Waxy residue streaked the bark. Caleb’s stomach churned. Ava was right. Wax was playing with them.
Shadow nosed at something else near the wax. He focused the light on a scrap of paper folded and pinned beneath the wax.
Using her gloved hand, Ava carefully peeled it free and unfolded the paper. A shocked gasp escaped as she scanned the words.
Caleb leaned over her shoulder. “You disappointed me once, Ava. But this time, you’ll be perfect. My saint eternal.” His blood ran cold. Wax made his intentions clear.
He was coming after Ava, and this time, he didn’t just want her to be part of his sadistic games. He wanted her dead.
The weight of the words was undeniable. The monster who had destroyed her life once now wanted to end it.
And for Caleb, it confirmed his worst fears. Ava was in the crosshairs of a deviant killer. If they continued to chase him now, they might be playing right into his planned ritual.
Shadow growled low once more, his nose lifted to the wind.
