He still wasn’t himself. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just wishing we could have had our weekend together.”
“We’ll find another weekend,” Maya said. Maybe he was stressed about running for sheriff.
“We will. Stay safe.”
“You too.”
They each headed in their own direction. Maya watched Josh back out of the driveway first. She didn’t know what she’d do without him. He was everything to her. And yet, their jobs were dangerous. Every time they headed to work, it could be their last goodbye. Even though this was a fire and they wouldn’t necessarily be close to it, she knew it was a worthy opponent that was dangerous and volatile.
Maya followed the winding road up to the first campground. Green trees flashed by her window and for a moment, all she could see was blue sky and fluffy white clouds. Sometimes the mountains hid the view of smoke and even thunderstorms. More than one hiker had been surprised by a storm rolling in because they couldn’t see the thunderheads until it was too late.
Right now, there was a single plume that could only be seen from certain areas. Overnight, the smoke would drop down and the air quality everywhere would become bad, making it more obvious there was a fire.
Maya made quick work of getting the first campground evacuated. Juniper made clear that she thought she should be doing something. Every time Maya got out of a vehicle to talk to campers, wait for them to pack up and then close the gate behind them, Juniper would yip and howl to make sure everyone knew she was unhappy.
After locking another gate, Maya climbed back in the vehicle and let Juniper stick her head through the compartment door to the cab. “Sorry, girl. I know you want to do something. Today might be really boring for you.”
Juniper let out a big sigh and then slurped Maya across the face.
“Thanks for understanding. We have one more campground to clear.”
Maya and Juniper pulled out onto the road. The last campground was the closest to the fire but usually had the least amount of campers. Maya had debated starting there and working her way back, but had decided to go to the busiest areas first. As they drove, they climbed a bit in elevation. Juniper kept her head through the compartment door, staring straight ahead. Her expression said she was still optimistic she’d get to work at some point.
About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination. This was a smaller camping area. Only a couple of RVs could fit at a time and there was a trail to another spot to pitch tents. No one had a permit for the tent camping areas, but Maya still planned on getting Juniper out to check them. That way Juniperwould get some energy out and Maya would feel better knowing there wasn’t anyone back in the woods who would be surprised by this fire.
As she parked, she heard over the radio that air support was gearing up if the winds cooperated. Hopefully it wouldn’t get too gusty and the tankers and helicopters could do their jobs. There was nothing more impressive, or scary, than watching a tanker dive down close to the fire and open the chute, drop the retardant, and then go back up and do it again. The pilot’s precision was an amazing skill.
Getting out of her vehicle, she only saw one RV, making her glad for her decision to stop by the busy camping areas first. She walked over and knocked on the door, staying off to the side. Even though she wasn’t here to arrest anyone or for any other law enforcement duties, she still followed protocol. You never knew who was up in the wilderness or what they were trying to escape.
The camper door opened. A fit middle-aged lady with her hair tied back in a braid answered. Maya hoped this woman would understand the risk and leave without any argument. As Maya was about ready to speak, a man came up behind the lady. Maya moved to the side so she could see both of them. She didn’t think they were armed or dangerous, but you never knew.
“Sorry to bother you folks. I’m US Forest Service Officer Thompson and I am working on evacuating the campgrounds due to a fire that’s started just westof here. I need you both to pack up and head out as soon as possible.”
“We thought we smelled smoke,” the man said. “But we didn’t see anything so we figured it was maybe another campfire close by.”
“Unfortunately, it is a fire. How soon do you think you could be out of here?”
The man glanced at his watch. “I just need to shut down everything in the camper, hook up and then we’ll be gone.”
“Shouldn’t take us long,” the woman said in agreement.
“I’ll wait for you so I can close the gate behind you,” Maya said. “If you need an extra hand, just let me know. Otherwise, I’ll be in my vehicle so I can keep up on the fire response.”
“Thanks for letting us know,” the man said.
Maya turned around to walk back to her patrol SUV after they shut the door. As she approached her Tahoe, she heard the camper door open and close again. Then footsteps behind her. She could see the lady’s reflection in the window of her patrol vehicle. Juniper, not liking anyone getting close to her handler without permission, started barking. The sound was muffled since the windows were up because she was in her air-conditioned compartment.
Maya turned around, hand staying near her duty belt and gun until she knew why the lady was approaching.
“Sorry to startle you,” the woman said. “It’s just,well... there was a strange thing earlier and I don’t know. My husband says I worry too much, but there was this family. Something seemed off. They were near the outhouse and after they left, I went inside to use the bathroom and there was a message in what appeared to be blood. It said ‘Help.’”
Chapter Six
Maya didn’t know how to respond to what the lady had just told her. A message written in blood? Could it be a hoax? Wouldn’t be the first time. She’d heard about a similar case with a message written in blood on a hotel room wall. It had turned out to be a joke.
“If you don’t mind, can you show me really quick?” Maya asked. “I’d like to see what you’re talking about, but I don’t want to hold you up. And sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
