Page 24 of When the Silence Breaks

“Viv? What’s she got to do with this?”

“She runs the historical society.”Keep up.“She was going to dig up the history for me. Again, that was three weeks ago. I haven’t heard back.”

Wade’s frown was deep and concerned. “I don’t think you will. Her house has a For Sale sign out front. She moved last week.”

“What? How did that happen so fast? She’s been here fifty years, at least.”

“She’d been here longer than you are old.” Wade shoved his hands into his pockets, fingers brushing past the cuffs and radio clipped to his duty belt.

“Why all of a sudden?” Ryder asked.

“I couldn’t tell you. It’s a free country, Ryder.”

Indeed, it was. Ryder hadn’t wanted to bring Sarah into the mix with the sheriff. Not yet. “I think it’s interesting that I told her—she’s the only person I told—and then someone shows up and steals the part.”

“So you were robbed. You need to file a report downtown.”

Was the man really not tracking with this oddity? “Okay, Wade. I’ll do that.”

“Anything else you want to share?”

Not really.“I’m going to guide a woman up the mountain. She showed up asking about the plane too.”

Wade pursed his lips. Walked around the shop. Looking for clues? Evidence? Then he flicked his eyes to Ryder. “You think that’s wise?”

As if Ryder had never guided before. Or maybe Wade was referring to the fact that Ryder hadn’t guided anyone since his father died on the mountain. Well, in fact, he’d been back up on the trails—and off—preparing to take on Wade’s at-risk kids program by next spring.

Maybe not wise, but ... “It’s necessary.”

Wade knew everything that Ryder could tell him with any confidence. His side of the story, basically. Anything more would confuse the issue. He wouldn’t intrude on Sarah’s right to report or not report that she’d been followed and almost taken last night. Or that she knew a lot more than she had shared. That was her business. Too much conversation could bog down the process and they’d miss their window before the weather turned, and really, they had probably already missed that window. Still, there was always a chance to get in and out before things got snarly up on the mountain.

“The highway’s blocked off temporarily, in case you hadn’t already heard,” Wade said. “A crew’s up there now.”

Inside, Ryder groaned. That would be hard on the businesses during tourist season.

The sheriff left. Ryder returned to the house to face Sarah and learned she was a grumpy non-morning person.

An hour later, Ryder sat in his Chevy Silverado and steered down the long drive, taking Sarah to town to gather supplies for the trek up the mountain tomorrow. The sky was clear, even over Blackspire Mountain with its stark silhouette etched against the morning light. A few glaciers clung to the caldera that crowned the summit. At just over nine thousand feet, Blackspire wasn’t the tallest peak in the Cascades.

Sarah appeared mesmerized as well, her eyes locked on the mountain. “It’s got a presence, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not Rainier,” he said.

“Doesn’t have to be. It’s got a way of holding its secrets close. You could even say it’s brooding.” Sarah covered a yawn.

“That’s poetic of you.”

“I intend to uncover those secrets.”

He just hoped she hadn’t stepped into something they couldn’t survive—because like it or not, he was in this with her now. Secrets aside, he knew better than most how fast things could turn. The weather, sure. But life too.

Maybe this was a bad idea. There was nomaybe. Thiswasa bad idea.

He hated to admit that he was rusty, especially after getting caught off guard by whoever had broken into his home, stolen the item, but he had no doubt the intruder had also been after Sarah Ellison, a woman who couldn’t tell him what was going on. A secret keeper.

“Ryder?”

He suddenly realized Sarah was talking to him. “Yeah?” Had he missed what else she said?