With a hum, Miranda didn’t argue.

“Where did they go?” Sarah asked.

“Where did they go?” Mina parroted. “Camping. Off-grid. They took a satellite phone for emergencies and left strict instructions not to be contacted unless it was an emergency.” That was sort of true. They had indeed asked not to be bothered unless it was an emergency, but they took a long-range radio, not a satellite phone. When I spoke to Christine Bartles, she said she would try to relay a message to them, but I hadn’t heard if she was successful.

Sarah studied us, and I did my level best to keep a straight face and maintain eye contact. She needed to believe my half-truths.

Finally, she looked away at Miranda and Walter. “That should give us a few days to figure out what to do. Even if someone reports them missing tonight or tomorrow, it’ll take time for them to get back from the backcountry.”

Her gaze slid past them to the water. No boats went past, but this time of year, it wouldn’t be long before someone came by on their way into Juneau from a day’s excursion. “Let’s get off theshore. We still have a bit of a hike, and I want to get there before it gets too late.”

She waited while Miranda and Walter moved ahead of her, then motioned for us to follow.

Once more, I glanced at Luke. His normally expressive face had closed off into a stoic mask. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Hopefully, it was about a way to get us out of this mess.

Because I had no idea how to do that.