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Just as he’d decided his best course of action was to go back to the cabin and hitch a ride with the chopper, he heard the sound of its rotors fading as it headed toward Houghton. Too late. Jon would have to figure this out without Annie.
Thirty-One
It was after 5:00 a.m. by the time Jon made his way out to his car. He’d parked it where the road ran out and the fire trail began. He’d already wasted so much time, and he didn’t want to drive to Houghton and back again if he wasn’t going to get anything out of Candace Hussert.
His car appeared to be untouched. He checked his phone and discovered five messages from Mason. He started to call him back, but his phone rang with another call from the sheriff.
“Hey, where are you?” Mason sounded worried. “I thought you’d be at the hospital before now.”
Jon slung himself behind the wheel and started the car. The cooling rush of air over his hot cheeks gave welcome relief. “Uh, I had a little trouble finding my way back to the car.”
To his credit Mason didn’t laugh. “I already talked to Candace and told her what was happening out there. She is positive you are right where Glenn and his buddies always went hunting. It’s one of the most remote tracts left in the U.P. Rather than come back here, you might search out there. But be careful. If a hunting group is out there tracking Annie or Sarah, they’ll be dangerous.”
“What about the dog teams?”
“Too dangerous. Most of them are women with small children. I don’t want to put them in the middle of a dangerous hunt with the possibility of bullets flying. I’m calling in the state police for assistance. They understand the danger.”
He didn’t like it, but the sheriff was right. Though the dogs might have been able to find Annie, Jon didn’t want to see Naomi or some of the other ladies in the crosshairs of a scope. He ended the call and rummaged in his backpack for a bottle of water. Even though it was warm, the wetness soothed his irritated throat. He’d been so focused on finding his way out of the forest that he hadn’t paused for anything. Every second he wasted was one too many when he knew Annie might be facing the fight of her life.
He finished his water and thought about what to do while he watched dawn touch the shimmering forest leaves with light. He’d be able to see better, but so could the hunters. And if he did find Annie, how did he defend her? He had her gun, but nothing more. He’d give anything for a couple of big-game guns. And if this search went on until night, he’d love to have night-vision goggles. The hunters would have every tech at their disposal.
Were there any cabins nearby? He hadn’t noticed any on the way in. He launched the browser on his phone and found a topo map of the area. There weren’t any cabins for miles. It would be faster to ask someone to bring him some rifles.
He called his father. “Dad, I have a problem.” He launched into explanations but didn’t get very far before his dad interrupted him.
“I’ll be right there with some rifles, son.” His dad sounded alert even though it was barely dawn. “And I bought some night goggles the other day on a whim so Martha and I could watch the wildlife at night from the cabin. I’ll bring them too. Give me your coordinates.”
Jon rattled them off. “Leave them in my car, and I’ll circle back to get them. And Dad. Be careful.”
“I’m not in any danger, but you are. Praying for you all. Stay safe.”
Jon put his phone away and opened his trunk to see if he could find anything of value he could use in the search. He stuffed a pair of binoculars, a small foldable shovel, rope and string, a warm throw, and bottles of water into his backpack. There was a hunting knife and fishing string in his tackle box, so he took that too. He almost didn’t see the can of bear spray in the back, but he grabbed it. He tossed in some jerky and nuts as well, then zipped it up and slid his arms into the loops. After stuffing Annie’s gun into the waistband of his jeans, he surveyed the trunk one last time.
His golf clubs caught his eye. The nice heft of a metal driver might come in handy. He pushed as much of it into the backpack as would fit and angled what stuck out along his side and out of his way. He was as ready as he’d ever be. If only he had a real GPS, one that didn’t depend on cell service. But he was stuck with what he had.
Where in this huge tract of land did he focus? What would make sense for hunters? He downloaded the topo map before he lost cell service again and studied it. It would need to be the least accessible and least likely to run the risk of having regular hunters wander into their domain. So not near water sources that might pull in game that would be a draw for regular hunters. Nor near fishing spots.
One area stood out to him. The beach along Lake Superior was rocky and not welcoming to boaters. No river or stream running through most of it. And it was about as far away as possible. If he was wrong, he’d hike for hours in the wrong direction, but if he was right, he might land right in the middle of all of it.
And he might need the rifles his father was bringing. If he headed to where his gut was leading him, he couldn’t easily circleback and get them. But if he found Annie, they could beat feet here as fast as possible and would have the guns waiting for them.
He couldn’t stand here and worry all day. Annie could be in trouble even now, and he needed to find her. All he could do was trust that God was leading him in the right direction. He shut his car door and headed for the hum of mosquitoes and the shadows of deep woods.
Hang on, love. I’m coming.
***
Though Annie wasn’t hungry, she choked down the breakfast of a cold omelet left inside her door. She would need every bit of strength and cunning she possessed if what she thought was going to happen this morning transpired.
She’d prayed off and on all night, but she felt alert and refreshed in spite of the broken sleep. The plastic fork would be of no use to her, so she left it on the paper plate. There was no weapon of any kind she could spot in the tiny cell.
But she knew the woods. She’d find something out there, and she would beat these men who took her. When the door opened, her confidence faltered. Joel West stepped into the room. He wore a Hawk tee.
“We meet on my turf this time, chickie.” He tossed her a backpack. “Put that on.”
Her gaze went to the big rifle dangling from his left arm. A Mauser with a Swarovski scope. A tingle between her shoulder blades made her feel as if he was aiming it at her back even now.
She didn’t move. “Where do you want to take me?”
