He gave himself a mental shake. Butterflies? What the hell?
The road angled up to the right, avoiding a cluster of large boulders above the water. “Ellen,” Luke said, stopping. “We haven’t seen any tracks since those first two by the cabin. Let’s turn back. We don’t want to waste time or daylight.”
She nodded, her face pale despite the exertion of their trek. “I can’t stand this, Luke. I keep thinking she’ll pop out from behind a boulder and say boo.”
“I know. So do I.”
“We used to play hide-and-seek as kids.” Ellen inhaled, straightening. “I can’t go there in my mind. It won’t help. What’s next?”
“Back to the cabin and some calls.”
“To the state and local police and my dad and uncle.”
“If there’s anything they can do, your father and Sam will do it. You know that.”
“If something’s happened and there’s a Texas connection, they’ll find it.”
Luke hadn’t put it that way, but it was what he was thinking, too.
Hugh Parker was a Texan. So was his brother in prison.
Walking toward the cabin instead of away from it offered a different angle of the lake and the surrounding woods. Luke noticed that he and Ellen had left few footprints. Someone else coming this way could easily not have left any prints. Most of the few wet spots were on the edges of the road.
Ellen climbed onto a five-foot granite boulder looming on the right edge of the road, bits of mica catching the last rays of sunlight. She stood and looked down through the trees toward the lake. Luke eased to the base of the boulder, spotting her in case emotion and distraction got the better of her. She was fit and sure in her movements, but her concern for her sister was palpable.
She sat down, her knees at his chest as she dangled them off the side in front of him. “Ellen and I were held in a spot like this,” she said quietly. “Boulders, evergreens. It was winter, thought, so beautiful with the freshly fallen snow.” She seemed lost in thought for a moment, then waved a hand. “It was a long time ago.”
“Being here is causing flashbacks for you,” Luke said.
She nodded. “Yes. Probably for Maggie, too. I wonder if that’s why she came here—to force herself to confront what happened. She’s different from me. She needs to process events her own way. I don’t know if she ever had a chance to do that.” Ellen swallowed visibly. “It doesn’t matter right now. We just need to find her.”
She started to jump off the boulder, but Luke caught her by the middle and lifted her to the ground.
“Thanks,” she said with a weak smile.
He knew better than to launch himself into the future, but if something terrible had happened to her twin sister—if Ellen lost her—he couldn’t imagine what she would do. Maggie and Ellen were the tightest sisters he’d ever known, in part because of their experience that winter in the Adirondacks as teenagers.
He batted away another mosquito, this one buzzing around Ellen’s face.
“Maggie won’t stay out here for long if mosquitoes are out.” Ellen took in a breath, looking less pale. “Maybe she’s back at the cabin by now.”
Farther down the road, Luke heard a rustling and crunching in the woods to the left, then saw a movement in the underbrush and ground cover. He got in front of Ellen.
Then came a small cry.
“That’s Maggie,” Ellen said.
Luke shot ahead of her as Maggie staggered onto the road. He reached her first and caught one arm around her waist as she started to sink. “Are you alone?” he asked.
She managed a nod. “Yes.” She clutched his arm. “I’m okay. I’m just…” She seemed to summon the strength—emotional more than physical—to stand straight. “I got myself freaked out is all.”
Ellen leaped to her sister’s opposite side. “Did you see Luke and me pass you a few minutes ago?”
“Yes, I—I didn’t dare say anything in case he was following you. In case he had a gun on you.”
Luke stood back. “Who?”
“The man.”
“What man, Maggie?” he asked.
He saw she was trembling. “I saw him outside the cabin a few minutes after I got here. He was down by the dock. I panicked. I ran out the back door and hid.”
Ellen glanced at Luke, her expression serious, no sign of panic. She shifted back to her sister. “Did you recognize this man?”
“No.” Maggie shook her head as if to reassure herself she hadn’t recognized him. “He was at a distance, though.”
“Did you speak with him?”
“No, I told you. I ran.”
“Did he say anything—give you a shout, call your name, anything at all?”
She gulped in a breath. “He knew my name. He said it’s a nice name.”
“I’d have freaked out, too,” Ellen muttered. “Did he tell you his name?”
“I didn’t give him a chance. He implied he’s friends with the cabin’s owners. I didn’t want to take any chances. I’d been thinking about…” Maggie licked her lips, steadier. “You know.”