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“But he’s been gone for two, maybe three hours by now?”
“Yes, I suppose.”
Ian felt adrenaline kick in. He knew what it was like to feel lost and alone, even if his situation had been more mental than physical. “Send your friend back to her house. Tell her she needs to be there in case the boy returns unannounced. I’ll grab some gear upstairs and be on my way.”
When he came back down five minutes later, Bella stood by the front door, crutch-free, her face pale and her chin outthrust. She had managed to put on tennis shoes, despite her injured foot. Before he could say anything, she held out her hand. “You can’t make me stay here. I’m going. So get used to the idea. The foot’s not broken. It’s only a sprain. I’m fine.”
Ian grimaced, torn between the need to protect her and the knowledge that she was right. He did need someone who knew the area. “If you end up slowing me down, I won’t be able to carry you. A child spending the night outdoors on an early autumn night like this runs the risk of hypothermia. Every minute will count.”
“I understand.”
Hell, who was he kidding. If he had to, he would search for the boy with Bella on his back. She didn’t need to know that, though.
They exited the house without further argument. Bella walked gingerly, but with increasing confidence. She must have taken a pain pill. Otherwise she would never have been able to tolerate abusing her injury.
The hilltop was heavily wooded. Cinnamon liked to roam around up there. They brought her along, although the large dog had no formal search and rescue training. Nevertheless, her canine hearing and smell could prove to be helpful if they could keep her youthful exuberance under control.
Because of the nature of their search, they moved around Finley’s house in ever-widening circles, careful not to miss a single square meter. After an hour and a half, they had seen no sign that anyone had been in the area recently.
Winded and sweaty, they sat down together against two trees and reconnoitered. Ian had slung a small backpack over his shoulder. He offered a bottle of water to Bella and opened one for himself.
She was quieter than usual. He knew she was worried. “Someone will find him,” he said. “He couldn’t have gone far.”
“It’s not a friendly place in the dark,” she fretted. “Cliffs and water are a terrible combination for a kid with no fear.” She took a long swig of water and wiped her mouth. “What’s that thing you’ve been using?”
He finished his water, capped the bottle, and stowed it in his pack to be recycled. “It’s a prototype I’m working on. It uses infrared technology to pick up heat signatures. The military already utilizes a form of this, but my design integrates GPS and algorithms that filter out distractions like squirrels and other animals. It’s keeping track of every inch we’ve searched and will be able to tell me if we missed anything.”
“Impressive.”
“It’s only good if it works. Come on. Unless you need to stay here?”
He made it a question. No harm would come to her.
Bella sprang to her feet with little grace but lots of determination. “I’m right behind you.”
* * *
Bella’s heart sank with each passing minute. Her cell phone remained silent in her pocket. She had explained to Hilda exactly what she and Ian planned to do. Hilda would have called if Jackie had been found.
They were running out of places to look. On the backside of Finley’s hill, the land sloped sharply toward the water. They were forced to cling to trees in order to make their way downward. It was slow, tedious progress.
“Stop here,” Ian insisted. “The dirt is loose. If you fall again, you could seriously damage your foot.” He looked at the dog. “Stay with her Cinnamon. Understand?”
The dog whined, indicating agreement. Either that or a request for a doggie treat.
Bella knew that what Ian said made sense, though she didn’t like it. She dared not look at her ankle. She could tell it was swollen like a small blimp. Her bottom lip throbbed where she had bitten it repeatedly, a nervous habit. It was impossible to imagine what Hilda and her husband were going through.
Though it was dark, Bella could see Ian’s shadowy figure descending carefully. Without warning he stopped and called out to her. “I need your help. Get down here. But easy. Hold on to everything you can.”
She and Cinnamon hurried to obey the urgency in Ian’s voice. When they finally made it to his side, he was crouched, using his prototype to scan the area below. “What is it?” she whispered. There was no particular need for discretion, but her stomach was in a knot.
“I see something about twenty feet below us. It looks like a clump of bushes growing out over the water. I’m picking up a heat signal that’s fairly large. It could be him.”
“But if he’s asleep or unconscious, we can’t startle him.”
“Exactly. If he moves, he could fall. I can’t tell how much farther it is to the water, and I don’t know if he can swim.”
Bella gripped Cinnamon’s leash until her fingers were numb. “What are we going to do?”
