remembered Abby saying that she and Jay had a great view of the lake from up there, so we’re assuming the slope’s on the east side of the mountain. The only way to get a good view of a clearing is by helicopter. Maybe it’s premature, but I’ve asked the Benton County Sheriff to lend us their air search-and-rescue team.”
“How could requesting a helicopter to search for a girl who didn’t come home last night be considered premature?” Jill Beth said.
“Darlin’, we’re not even sure that Abby is missing. Her relationship with Kate has been strained ever since she started looking for Ella. Maybe Abby’s deliberately trying to worry her mother. Or just wants attention. She wouldn’t be the first teenage girl to engage in passive-aggressive behavior. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about teenagers, it’s that they’re unpredictable on a good day.”
“But that doesn’t sound like the Abby I know,” Jill Beth said.
“I agree. That’s why I have an APB out on Jay’s truck and have called in air support. I’d rather be guilty of doing too much, too soon than too little, too late.”
There was a knock at the door, and it opened slightly. “Sheriff, it’s Kevin. You want me to come back?”
“No, come in,” Virgil said. “My sweet wife just brought me lunch.”
Kevin walked into his office and nodded in acknowledgment at Jill Beth.
“What’s up?” Virgil said.
“Great news: Duncan just found Jay Rogers’s truck parked in the woods half a mile north of Fox Trail Road and Summit. It was unlocked. No keys in it. At first glance, Duncan didn’t see any signs of foul play.”
“Other than the truck’s parked in the middle of nowhere?” Virgil said. “Is there a grassy slope nearby?”
“There’s a meadow, but it’s flat and not even close to the side of the mountain. The helicopter’s on the way. Maybe search and rescue will spot something. I’ve dispatched investigators to go over the truck for evidence.”
“Good,” Virgil said. “We also need to get with Kate Cummings and Sue Ann Stump and fetch a piece of Abby and Jay’s clothing. Maybe the hounds can pick up their scents.”
Chapter 26
Kate had been sitting so long, she almost felt as if she were part of the living-room couch. She heard the front door open and close. Seconds later, her dad came over and sat next to her. They shared the silence for half a minute, and she felt no urge to fill it with words.
Finally Dad said, “How’re you doin’?”
Kate tucked a flyaway lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m numb. I can’t deal with any more pain. I just can’t.”
“Heard anything from Virgil?”
“Yes,” she said. “He called about thirty minutes ago and said the Benton County Sheriff’s office was sending their helicopter to search the mountain.”
Dad took her hand. “That’s a good thing. With all those capable folks out lookin’ for Abby, they’ll find her.”
“Alive?” The instant Kate said the word, she wished she hadn’t.
Her father squeezed her hand.
“You can’t go thinkin’ the worst. There’s bound to be a logical explanation for this.”
“Dad, we don’t even know what this is. My mind is racing with a dozen possibilities, none of them logical. Abby wouldn’t worry me like this on purpose. Something’s wrong.”
Her father didn’t say anything. What could he say? He had to be as scared as she was.
“It’s not like I don’t have a valid reason for thinking the worst,” Kate said. “I never thought anything tragic could happen to this family. Five years ago I found out it can.”
Hawk came down the stairs and stood looking at them. “Did you get bad news?”
Kate reached out and clasped Hawk’s hand. “No. Virgil is borrowing a helicopter from another department and is going to search the mountain by air.”
“I passed my afternoon tours off to Eduardo,” Hawk said. “I’m fixin’ to take the jeep up yonder and look for Abby myself.”
Kate gazed into her son’s somber dark eyes. “Virgil’s people are doing everything they can.”
“Well, they haven’t found her. I can’t just sit around and do nothing like I did before.” Hawk swallowed hard, his jaw set. “When Daddy and Riley Jo disappeared, I let everyone convince me to wait on the authorities. I’m not making that mistake again.”
Of course you’re not. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” Kate said.
Hawk kissed her cheek. “You know I will. I’ll call you.”
Kate’s cell phone rang, and she glanced at the screen.
“It’s Virgil.” She felt as if her heart were falling off the side of a ridge. She