have a few minutes?”
“Cassidy! Of course! Oh dear, what’s happened to you this time? Are you in trouble again? And how bad could it be this time? You didn’t call when your house burned down…”
“Mom, I’m fine. I just need some help deciding something.”
“Oh, okay, well what is it?”
“Rusty found a house.”
“Cassidy, that’s wonderful!”
“I’m still trying to decide if it’s wonderful. I was hoping you could help me decide if it is really wonderful or not.”
I described the house in minute detail and it still sounded wonderful. I told her about the layout for the wedding and it still sounded wonderful.
“Cassidy, why are you so worried about this decision? Everything sounds perfect for you.”
Sigh, maybe that was why I was being so wary. I wasn’t used to things being perfect. I was used to things turning into trouble.
“Okay,” I told Rusty, “go ahead and see if Mrs. Morgan will sell us the house and let us move in early.”
He glanced up from his study of the floor plan I’d sketched out. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’m trying really hard to be sure.” I saw the mixture of hope and uncertainty in his eyes. “Okay, I’m sure. Go for it. Just remember that if we have the wedding there the date depends on when we move in. I need time to get the house furnished and ready.”
Strict waited four days before calling me out again. I wondered how they did the searches when I wasn’t there. Did they still try to track the missing person? Or did they just send out a bunch of people to do a broad search of the area? That was one thing tracking was very good for, saving manpower. It narrowed the search down to one trail. I hadn’t lost a trail yet but if I ever did, tracking would still save time because there would be a more specific starting point to the search. This time the search worked the other way. They had searched until they found the last visible evidence and then I needed to figure out what had happened from there.
When I arrived at base camp Landon was there ready to take me in. He was in full backpacker and mountain climbing gear complete with harness, ropes and pitons. What had they been up to while I was gone? I put on my pack and pulled the shoulder pads down snug. I fastened the Fastex buckle and was ready to go. Rosco and Victor appeared with packs ready and side arms. I looked at Landon. He was armed too. I was used to these guys carrying but for some reason their attitudes clued me in that this was no ordinary track. Four officers joined the group and I became even more wary. Rosco, Victor and Landon were all EMTs. As long as they were in the group it was a rescue. Add the officers and it was now an apprehension involving possible injuries. I looked around for Strict. He stood with a group of men who were bent over studying a map. He glanced up and motioned me over.
“Cassidy, will you promise me to listen to the guys up there?”
“What’s up?”
“It started out as a simple traffic stop on the highway. Drugs were found, the driver was arrested. Two passengers took off into the forest. That was yesterday. Backup was called in and a search was started. It’s going to be a fast hike to the last visible sign. After that we are stumped. There’s tracks all over those hills. Two of them belong to our escapees.”
“Will I get a chance to see some examples of their real tracks before I get up there?”
“The guys will do anything they can to help you. Don’t try and be a hero. Find the end of the trail and back off.”
“Okay, I’ll try. Does Rusty know what you are doing up here?”
“I’m sure it’s made the rounds of the station by now.”
“Oh great, if he calls keep the answers nice and general.”
Strict laughed at me, “You’re more concerned about worrying Rusty than you are about getting shot at. Take care up there.”
“I will.”
I went back to the group. “Okay, first things first. I need to see these guys’ tracks. Anybody know where a good example of them can be found?”
We headed up the mountain cross-country. It was rough going. These mountains are pretty much all up and down. To get some place out in the middle of them by trail could take days on foot. I hoped there was a quick way to reach the last known sign. I didn’t want to spend the day hiking and then start the track.
The officers went first, fanning out in front of us. A mile and half from base camp they stopped. One of the officers approached me and he held out his hand.
“Kent Jacobsen,” he said. “In case you need to know, I’m your senior partner today.”
“Cassidy Callahan,” I said shaking his hand.
“Here’s the best set of tracks we can give you. They only hit this trail for about fifty feet but it’ll give you a feel for the chase.”
“Give me five minutes,” I said, getting out my sketchbook. I made a quick sketch of all four tracks and noted irregularities on the soles of their shoes, wear marks and general shape. The guys all waited patiently. Victor and Landon were used to this by now. The others paced nervously. I did a quick measurement of the men’s strides and made a mental note.
“Okay, let me read the trail and then you can take over again.”
I followed the trail absorbing as much information as I could in fifty feet. These were young men, lightweight and fast. They were running and in some haste. It wasn’t a panic run, I concluded. These men knew where they were going. When their tracks headed off trail I let the officers take over again. They led me up a steep canyon. The top of the canyon was lined with rocks. So that explained Landon’s climbing rope. The officers suddenly stopped and fanned out.
“Here’s where we lost them.”
“Did you have a visual?”
“Nope, look here.”
I followed and Jacobsen brought me to a spot where the men had scrambled up into the rocks. Shoot. Rock is the worst thing to track over. I went back to the footprints leading to the rocks. The two men were still together and definitely headed up the rocks just like Jacobsen said.
I stood at the spot where the last footprints were left and studied the rocks for the easiest way up. The guys stood in a knot talking amongst themselves about how best to tackle the rocks at the end of the canyon, which gave me space to work. I appreciated them backing off, but at the same time they weren’t aware of what I was likely to do if left to my own devices. I noticed Landon glance my way every once in a while, just keeping tabs. If any of them knew my tendency to take off on my own it was him.
If the men we were chasing were on the run, they wouldn’t attempt a difficult climb that could result in a fall. They’d look for the easiest way up. They didn’t have ropes, which meant I shouldn’t need ropes to track them. I
