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Chief Blake arrived then, as did Fin and Nash.
“I brought Bee. She can scent anything.”
The fur ball who was related to Buzz wiggled her butt at everyone. She leapt at Luke, her paws on his leg, tongue on his clenched fist. Opening them, Luke placed them on her head briefly.
“Let’s go. Take us to the rock face, Ivan,” Chief Blake said.
They jumped in the four-wheel drives and took off. Ten minutes later, the mountains drew closer.
“There’s tracks,” Jack said pointing out the windscreen. “Someone has been here recently.”
Chief Blake’s cruiser stopped ahead. Joe pulled in behind.
“There is a river below the ledge up ahead, and the rock face beyond that,” Mr. Harper said as he started limping on his crutches. Luke sprinted by him with the others.
The ledge dropped away, and beneath was the river. They shone their torches, but there was no sign of Quinn or her ATV.
“Are those markers?” Dylan pointed.
“Looks like it,” Chief Blake said.
Levi started barking behind him. Luke saw the dog take off with Bee, the way they’d come.
“You go down there!” he roared. “I’ll follow them.”
He ran. The dogs were faster, but Levi was yapping, so Luke could follow where they went. He heard the thud of feet behind him.
“Levi!” Luke roared at the dog. He appeared, with Bee, then spun in a circle and took off again, with her on his heels.
“He’s heading for the trees,” Fin yelled from behind him.
Luke veered left and saw the shadows silhouetted in the night sky. The dogs were there. A light shining over his shoulder picked up the ATV.
He reached it in seconds. The back was caved in; in fact, it was a mess.
“She was driving that,” Luke said, his voice cold and hard. “Look around. She had to have been thrown clear!”
Levi stuck with him, nose to the ground, as did Bee. Then he took off. Luke followed again. They veered right this time and led him to a well.
Pulling out his phone he turned on his torch, and shone it around the base of the well and saw the footprints.
“Here!” he called.
Joe and Fin arrived, and they shone their torches down. He saw Quinn sprawled at the bottom. His heart stopped; ice filled his body.
“Quinn!” She didn’t move. He leapt onto the rim.
“We need to secure a rope around you,” Joe said. “You can’t go down there without it.”
“Just give me light.” Luke found the wooden rungs and began to make his way down.
“Careful, they could be rotten,” Fin said.
He knew his friend was right, but all he wanted was to reach Quinn. She had to be breathing. Had to be all right. Had she fallen in here? Had someone thrown her? Could she survive a fall like that?
Thoughts ran through his head as panic clawed at him. He descended as fast as he could, and finally he reached the bottom. It was tight, the space small. He straddled her body, then bent to press his fingers into her neck.
“She’s breathing!” he roared, relief making him lightheaded.
