Fan the Flames (37 page)

“No need.” Callum stood. “I'll go with you. You shouldn't go there by yourself.”

“He won't hurt me,” Ellie protested, although a tiny part of her was relieved not to have to deal with her mentally ill father alone.

Callum didn't answer. He just gestured toward the door. Giving in easily, Ellie slid off her stool and headed toward the exit. She turned her head just in time to see Callum tugging Lou's hand so she leaned over the counter. Meeting her halfway, he gave her a short kiss that was hot enough to make the back of Ellie's neck prickle. She turned away abruptly, not wanting to be caught gawking. As she stared unseeing at one of the empty tables, she thought back to her failed date two nights earlier, with the bland and boring Dylan. That abbreviated kiss between Callum and Lou was in a whole other universe than that date.

Leaning around her, Callum pushed open the door so Ellie could walk through first.

“Bye,” Lou called, and Ellie turned to give her a wave and a smile. “Tell me every single thing you discover, so I can add it to the whiteboard. I'll just be here, bored, while you two have an adventure, but that's okay. One of us has to work and bring home the bacon.”

“Sparks,” Callum said, his voice growly but holding an undertone of amusement.

Lou grinned at him. “Bye, sweet pea.”

He gave her a stern look that softened into a smile before leaving the coffee shop.

“What's the deal with the whiteboard?” Ellie asked almost absently, distracted by the effort of walking without falling on her hind end again. To her relief, Callum seemed to notice her difficulty and took her arm. Her worry about landing on her sore tailbone overpowered any nervousness from being so close to a large, stern, and intimidating stranger.

“Lou set up a murder board when this whole thing started,” he said, catching her as her feet slipped out from under her. He easily supported her weight as she scrambled to regain her footing.

“A murder board? Like on a cop show?” She bit back a curse as her legs threatened to do the splits before Callum pulled her upright again.

“Yep.” When they got to the passenger side of a pickup, he opened the door and pretty much lifted her into the seat.

She opened her mouth to respond, but he closed the door before she could say anything. As soon as he climbed into the driver's seat, she asked, “And Baxter is on there?”

“Yep.”

“He mentioned someone being killed.” Guilt tugged at her belly. “I just thought it was one of his delusions.”

“Understandable,” Callum said, turning onto the main road. “You didn't know about Gray.”

“Yeah. I'm just so quick to dismiss everything he says, though.” She swallowed, trying to ease the tightness in her throat.

“I don't know.” Callum made another turn and slowed as he bumped over a pothole. “You came here.”

“Not because I believed him. Just because I didn't want him wandering around the wilderness in his confused state.”

“Doesn't matter.” Shrugging, Callum maneuvered around a hole in the asphalt that was more of a crater than a pothole. “You showed up. That's the important part.”

It still didn't feel right, but Ellie let it drop. They rode in silence for the rest of the ten-minute drive, until they entered a development marked with a large, engraved boulder, welcoming them to Esko Hills.

“I wasn't expecting anything quite so fancy,” Ellie said, eyeing the large, elaborate houses.

“Wait,” Callum grunted. Although Ellie looked at him curiously, he didn't say anything more.

Sure enough, once they crossed a gravel road at the edge of the development, a rutted driveway led to a sagging, dilapidated cabin crouched in a circle of pine trees.

“He's staying here?” Ellie asked doubtfully. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Callum turned the truck so it faced away from the house and then parked.

Peering at the cabin, she swallowed down bile as her stomach churned. She tried to remind herself that the ominous-looking shack held only her sweet, confused father, but that didn't loosen the clamp that was tightening around her insides. Ellie realized she was nibbling on a hangnail and yanked her hand away from her mouth. Giving herself a mental scolding not to be a chicken, she shoved her door open, almost hitting Callum in the face. He'd apparently circled the truck while she'd been cowering in her seat.

“Sorry,” she said, and he waved off her apology. She appreciated having his help to get out of the truck, especially when she sank up to her shins in snow. He took her arm again as they made their way toward the sloping porch. Ice crystals found their way into the tops of her booties, making her shiver.

When they reached the door, Callum pounded his fist against it in an aggressive knock before Ellie could stop him. She gave him an exasperated look, and he raised his eyebrows.

“What?” he asked.

Shaking her head, she turned back to the closed door. “Dad?” she called, hoping the military-like knock hadn't scared him out the back door. “It's me, Ellie. Are you in there?”

There was no answer. Pressing her ear against the closed door, she didn't hear anything. Then the door swung open, and she almost fell. Callum grabbed her arm before she toppled into the cabin.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a step inside.

“Wait.” Tugging her back onto the porch, he moved in front of her. “Stay here.”

After he stepped through the doorway, she leaned forward so she could see inside. The interior wasn't any more impressive than the exterior—just a one-room cabin with a basic kitchen along one wall and a couch along the other. A cot-like bed covered with an army blanket stood in the back corner, next to an ancient dresser. A wood stove sat in the middle of the room.

“He's not here.”

“Things can never be easy, can they?” she asked, mostly to herself, although Callum gave her a half smile.

“Never.”

As Ellie took another step into the cabin, Callum started pulling open the dresser drawers. Moving to the kitchen area, she opened the single cupboard. “Empty.”

“These, too.” Callum closed the drawers and turned to scan the cabin. “I think he's gone.”

She'd pretty much figured that out as soon as she'd seen the empty structure, so she was braced for his words. “He's headed to Grandpa's cabin, then.”

“You know where that is?”

Ellie patted her purse. “I just got the coordinates from the Assessor's Office.”

“Lou has her laptop at the shop. We'll map it for you.” Callum moved toward the door, but Ellie stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Thank you.” She hadn't expected to find so much help in a town of strangers.

He gave her a brisk nod. “Come on. Let's find that cabin.”

* * *

A blond deputy sheriff was talking with Lou when Ellie and Callum entered the coffee shop. Even though the cop looked friendly and relaxed, Ellie felt her stomach jump with automatic nerves when she noticed his uniform.

“Ellie!” Lou called across the otherwise empty shop. “Chris saw your dad yesterday morning!”

Her eyes widening, Ellie hurried over to the counter. “You saw him? Where?”

Lifting his hands in a calming gesture, the cop gave her a smile, although his gaze stayed watchful. “I'm Deputy Chris Jennings. You're Baxter Price's daughter?”

“Yes. I'm Ellie—Eleanor—Price. Is he okay?”

“Your dad looked fine, although I wasn't able to talk to him,” he said. “I was in the middle of a traffic stop on Burnt Canyon Road by the Blue Hook trailhead. When I saw Baxter, I called to him, but he ran into the trees. By the time I'd returned the driver's ID and headed after him, your dad was out of sight.”

Ellie was equal parts relieved that her dad had been seen alive just a day earlier and worried. “He looked okay, though?”

“Yeah.” Chris gave her another reassuring smile. “A little spooked, but that was my fault. I wasn't expecting to see him, so I acted too authoritatively. I know he has trust issues, especially with law-enforcement types.” He gestured toward his badge. “He was carrying a good-sized pack. Where's he headed, do you know?”

Ellie opened her mouth but then paused and closed it again. If she told the deputy where her father was going, would the entire sheriff's department descend on the cabin, driving Baxter into another episode? As her silence lengthened, Chris's eyebrows twisted into a quizzical expression. Before she could decide what—if anything—to say, she was saved by his radio.

As the dispatcher rattled off information about a traffic accident, Chris handed a card to Ellie and hurried toward the door. “Call me if you see him,” he said, making the request sound like a friendly, yet firm, order. “We need to talk to your dad as soon as possible. His safety depends on it.”

Ellie was glad the deputy left before waiting for her to answer, since she couldn't agree to make that call. If she found Baxter, she wouldn't be giving a cop her dad's location, no matter how cute and charming the deputy seemed. “Well?” Lou demanded, breaking into Ellie's thoughts. “Did you find anything at the cabin?”

A dart of remembered disappointment pricked Ellie. “No.”

“Pull out your laptop, Sparks,” Callum ordered. When Lou gave him a warning look, his voice softened. “Please.”

“Fine,” Lou agreed, retrieving her laptop from under the desk, “but not because you demanded it, Mr. Bossy-Pants. I'm only doing this to help Ellie—and because I'm dying of curiosity.”

As she opened her laptop and turned it so the screen faced Callum, he smiled at Lou. It changed his entire expression from severe austerity to warm humor, and Ellie had a moment of longing—not for Callum, but to have someone look at her with such focus and devotion.

“Thank you,” he said, his dry tone not matching the softness in his eyes.

His smile didn't last long. Soon, Callum was frowning at the computer screen. “That forest service road isn't maintained.”

The map displayed on the laptop made Ellie feel stupid. She could read a normal map, with roads and mile markers and pins at her destination, but this was a confusing mess of shading and dotted lines. “What does that mean?”

“It's not plowed,” Lou offered helpfully. “Which means you're not going to be able to access it in a vehicle.”

“The closest you'll get is the end of County Road 88.” Callum pointed at a spot on the map and then trailed his finger along one of the dotted lines until he reached the spot where the cabin supposedly was. “Then you'll need to go on foot to the cabin.”

“That doesn't look too far.” Ellie examined the few inches he'd just indicated. “Where did the deputy say he saw my dad go into the forest?”

“Burnt Canyon Road.” His finger moved to a solid line that looked very close to the county road she would need to take. Her breath caught as hope surged through her. Her dad had to be headed for the cabin. Even though she'd been pretty certain before, it was good to get confirmation that this wouldn't be a wild-goose chase. If she hurried, he wouldn't be too far ahead.

“How long do you think the hiking part will take?”

“A couple of days.” Callum frowned and eyed Ellie's booties with the same expression George had worn in the parking lot. “Maybe three.”

“Three
days
?” She'd expected hours. Blowing out a sigh, she eyed the map, which suddenly seemed to be mocking her. “I guess I'll have to call my boss and ask for some time off.”

“You're not still thinking about going, are you?” Lou asked, her face serious for once. “That might be a tiny bit insane.” Although Callum didn't actually say it out loud, his expression made it obvious that he thought Ellie hiking to the cabin was a lot more than a “tiny bit” insane.

“I have to go,” she said, trying to hide the way her stomach rolled in protest at the idea. Hiking through the snow for
days
? How was she going to find the cabin when she couldn't even read the stupid map? “My dad's out there. I don't have a choice.”

His scowl deepening, Callum said, “You can't go by yourself. You do that, and we might as well call up search and rescue now, because they'll be pulling your body out of the snow for sure.”

Lou grinned. “I know one search and rescue member who wouldn't mind pulling you out of the snow.” Her grin faded, and a horrified expression took its place. “Not when you're dead, though. That just went to a really weird place.”

Despite feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, Ellie gave a snort of laughter. “George?”

“Actually, I was just joking about Joseph, but George isn't a bad idea. In fact, he'd be ideal.” Lou looked over at Callum. “You know him better. What do you think?”

His face thoughtful, Callum considered it and finally gave a slow nod. “Holloway's the best search and rescue's got. He knows these mountains backward and forward. I seriously doubt he'd be willing to play tour guide, though.”

“I can pay him,” Ellie blurted. It felt like she kept getting closer to finding Baxter and then having him snatched away from her. It would be worth the loss of her savings to know her father was somewhere safe. “And I'll get better boots.”

Both Lou and Callum laughed at that. “You'll need more than boots,” Callum said, sobering quickly. “George might consider hiking to the cabin and checking on Baxter, but there's no way he'd drag you through the wilderness with him.”

With a sympathetic smile, Lou suggested, “Even if you're just staying in Simpson while George does his mountain-man thing, you'll need more practical boots. The Screaming Moose should be able to set you up with those, and warmer clothes, too.”

“That won't work—for George to go alone, I mean.” Ellie was swamped with a feeling of hopelessness, and she had to fight back the urge to burst into tears. “He's suspicious of
everyone
. If I'm not there, he'll just hide from George—or worse.” Memories of being barricaded inside that cabin flooded her mind.