good enough for him, though she never said so. He knew. No one would ever be good enough for him. Mom had been there, of course, when Rae brought her college roommate home for spring break, the purple bruises still visible. No one had said anything. They’d all welcomed Zoey, fully knowing she needed comfort, safety, security, and most of all . . . love.
Alan had fallen, and he had never looked back.
“Alan, I took the liberty of going through the mail you haven’t looked at since . . .”
He pressed his head into his folded arms on the table.
“Alan, pay attention.”
“I’m here.”
“Sit up. You need to see this.”
He lifted his head. “What could be so important?”
Mom shoved an envelope toward him. “This came for Zoey. It has no return address. The postmark date says it was sent the day she disappeared—and from a post office in Wyoming.”
Hope surged at first, then died just as quickly.
He eyed the yellow padded envelope. A million possibilities raced through his mind, none of them good.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
11:54 p.m.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Geared up in a snowmobile suit, Rae assisted Liam in getting the snowmobiles off the trailer.
This is what I would call an extreme stakeout.
But given DEA agent/cowboy Liam McKade, she shouldn’t expect anything less. And in truth, she hadn’t been surprised when he’d laid out his plan.
In fact, his idea had confirmed she’d made the right decision in coming to him in the first place. He was fully invested in finding Zoey. Her friend’s disappearance had many tangled layers. Now, if Rae could somehow separate those layers. She had a feeling about tonight. Her reporter’s instinct? Dad had nudged her to pay attention to that. But even if they found nothing, that would tell her to move to another lead.
She couldn’t recall participating in anything so adventurous before. Liam had made her practice riding the snowmobile in front of the house at Emerald M, and they’d left tracks all through the snow. The main concern was to keep from getting stuck in the deepest snow.
After the traumatic experiences of the day, she needed this midnight ride to draw her thoughts away from that terror, and so far it was working. Adrenaline pulsed through her.
He put on his helmet and paused. “Don’t worry, Rae.”
“Do I look worried? I’m not worried.”
“Listen. Do you hear that? Other snowmobilers are out. The moon is out, and the sky is clear. Groomers like to clean up the trails at night to avoid higher snowmobiling traffic, but there are pockets of snowmobilers here and there. I knew someone would be out here tonight.”
“Is there a thrill-seekers anonymous group they can attend?”
“Ha. Funny. Seriously, are you sure you’re up for this?”
“If you’re going, I’m going. End of story.”
“I hope you’re right and this is the end of the story. I hope we find answers.”
She pulled on her helmet and secured it, then hopped on the snowmobile and turned it on. Piece of cake. She was glad she’d practiced riding the snowmobile at his ranch before they tackled the ungroomed areas.
Liam positioned his snowmobile on the road in front of her. The snow was packed down a bit from activity earlier in the day. His snowmobile lurched forward, and Rae’s full concentration remained on the red lights at the back of his machine. Her goal was to keep him a few yards ahead of her, but not too close.
On a treeless, snow-covered hill in the distance, snowmobile lights buzzed around. Fireflies in a synchronized dancing light show.
They continued along the road, passing the hill as Liam led them deeper into the woods. He slowed his machine a bit as the forest grew denser and the road narrowed, and they traveled at a slower pace until he stopped in the middle of the road. When Liam got off, she did too. He gestured at the wall of snow up ahead. “I think it’s too risky. I don’t want to get stuck. I just want to get in and out.”
“In and out? Where are we going?”
“Time to put on the snowshoes.”
“We’re hiking the rest of the way?” Though her tone sounded incredulous, the scenery at night—the brilliant moon creating an entirely different kind of snowy landscape—captivated her. This was some kind of crazy beautiful that she’d never experienced.
Plus, she was in this with Liam, of all people.
She focused on donning her snowshoes. He finished putting his on and waited for her. Finally, she was ready to go. Her heart drummed as she hiked behind him.