go. My truck is outside.” Josiah fell into step next to her.
Ella slid a glance toward him, and the sight of Josiah, a former US Marine, calmed her nerves. She knew how good he and his sister were with their dogs at finding people. Robbie would be all right. She had to believe that. The alternative was unthinkable. She shuddered.
On the passenger side he opened the back door for Buddy, then quickly moved to the front door for Ella. “I’ll find Robbie. I promise.”
The confidence in his voice further eased her anxiety and momentarily held the cold at bay. Ella climbed into the F-150 extended cab with Josiah’s hand on her elbow, as if he was letting her know he would be here for her. She appreciated it, but at the moment she felt as though she was barely holding herself together. She couldn’t fall apart because Robbie would need her when they found him. He was probably more frightened than she was. Once, when he was five, they had been separated in a department store, and when she’d found him a minute later, he had been sitting on the floor, crying.
As Josiah started the engine, Ella hugged her arms to her and ran her hands up and down them. But the chill had returned and burrowed its way into the marrow of her bones, even though the temperature was sixty-five degrees and the sun streamed through the truck’s windshield, heating up the interior.
Josiah glanced at her. “David will get enough people to scour the whole park.”
“But so many just came off working Mr. Otterman’s disappearance.”
“That won’t stop us. There are three lost boys. Do you have anything with Robbie’s scent on it?”
“I do. In my car.”
He backed up to her ten-year-old black Jeep Wrangler. “Where?”
“Front seat. A jacket he didn’t take with him to the babysitter last night.” Ella grasped the handle. The weatherman had mentioned the temperatures overnight would dip down into the forties, and all Robbie was wearing was a thin shirt.
“I’ll get it.” Josiah jumped out of the truck before Ella had a chance to even open her door.
She watched him move to her car. She’d only known Josiah and his sister for six months, since they’d begun volunteering for Northern Frontier Search and Rescue, but they’d quickly become invaluable to the organization. Alex had lived here for years, whereas Josiah had only recently left the Marines. They were co-owners of Outdoor Alaska, a company that outfitted search and rescue teams and wilderness enthusiasts.
Although he was a large man, she’d seen Josiah move with an agility that surprised her. He returned with Robbie’s brown jacket in his grasp.
He gave it to Ella. “This will help Buddy find your son.”
The bright light of a few minutes ago began to fade. Ella leaned forward, staring out the windshield at the sky. Dark clouds drifted over the sun. “Looks like we’ll have a storm late this afternoon.”
When Josiah flowed into the traffic on Minnesota Drive, an expressway that bisected Anchorage, his strong jawline twitched. “We can still search in the rain, but let’s hope we find them beforehand or that the weatherman is wrong.”
Ella leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. She had to remain calm and in control. That was one of the things she’d always been able to do in the middle of a search and rescue, but this time it was her son. Now she knew firsthand what the families of the missing people went through. The thundering beat of her heart clamored against her chest, and the rate of her breathing increased. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she scrubbed her hand across her face.
“Ella, I won’t leave the park until we find the boys.”
“There are a lot of trees and animals in the park. What if he runs into a bear or even a moose? They could...” She refused to think of what could happen. Remain calm. But no matter how much she repeated that to herself, she couldn’t.
“How old is your son?”
“Eight.”
“Has he had any survival training in the outdoors?”
“A little. One of the reasons I signed him up for the day camp was to start some of that. We’ve made a few excursions but haven’t camped overnight anywhere.” Robbie was timid and afraid of everything. If she’d left her ex-husband sooner, her son might not be so scared of loud noises, or the dark. At least Robbie wasn’t alone and it was still light outside.
“We’ll be there soon.”
In the distance Ella glimpsed Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, which was north of the park. Maybe the counselors had found Robbie by now. Then she realized that they would have called her if they had. She checked her cell phone to make sure the ringer’s volume was up.
Josiah exited the highway, and at an intersection he slanted a look toward her that made Ella feel as though he were sending her some of his strength and calmness. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“Remember how successful we were at locating Mr. Otterman? The park is big, but it is surrounded on two sides with water and one with the airport. The area is contained.”
“But it’s fourteen hundred acres. That’s a huge area to cover.”
“Can he swim?”
Ella swiped a few stray stands of her blond hair back from her face. “Yes, but why do you ask?”
“I’m just trying to get a sense of what Robbie knows how to do since the park has water and Cook Inlet butts up against it.”
“He loves to fish, so I made sure he learned to swim at an early age.”
“I love to fish. Nothing beats a fresh-caught salmon.”
Ella rubbed her thumb into her palm over and over. “That’s how the bears feel, too. What if he runs into one and forgets everything he’s been taught?” Her heartbeat raced even more at the thought.
Josiah turned onto Raspberry Road. “If he doesn’t run from one and makes noise as he walks, he should be okay. Neither one wants to be surprised. I’m sure the first day the counselors went over how to behave in the wilderness.”
“Yes, but...”
Josiah slowed and threw her a look full of understanding. “You’ve dealt with family members when someone is lost, like Mr. Otterman’s son and daughter-in-law earlier today. I’ve seen you. You always seem to be able to reassure them. Think about the words you tell them and repeat them to yourself.”
“I pray with them. I tell them about the people who are looking for their loved one. How good they are at what they do.”
“Exactly.” Josiah tossed his head toward the backseat of the cab. “Buddy is good at locating people. I know how to track people through a forest. Tell you what—I’ll start the prayer. You can add whatever you want.”
As Josiah began his prayer for Robbie, something shifted inside Ella. The tight knot in her stomach began to unravel.
“Lord, I know Your power and love. Anything is possible
