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Sheila gave him a blank look. "Who's Frank?"
"Frank Reed? Marcus's father? He was a journalist, covered the copper mine collapse back in '61. Good man. Died a few years ago."
Sometimes Sheila forgot just how deep her father's connections ran in this town. Thirty years as a cop, half of that as Sheriff—he knew everyone's story, everyone's history.
"Jim?" Gabriel said into his phone. "Need a favor. Looking for Marcus Reed... Yeah, that's right… Okay. You think she'll know where he is?" A pause. "Sure, text me her number. Thanks, Jim. I owe you one."
He ended that call, waited for Jim's text to come through, and then dialed another number. "Calling Marcus's sister, Amy," he said to Sheila. "Apparently, the two of them are close."
Sheila nodded, trying to read her father's expression. There was tension there, but also something else. Pride, maybe? He was in his element, working his connections, using decades of relationships to get what they needed.
Just like the old days.
"Amy? Gabriel Stone." He paused, listening. "Yeah, it's been a while. Listen, I'm trying to reach your brother Marcus... When?" He clenched his jaw hard. "Which entrance?... No, don't start blaming yourself. I'm sure he's fine—we're just trying to be extra cautious… Yes, we'll make sure to have him reach out to you when we find him."
So much for not offering false promises, Sheila thought.
"It's best if you just stay where you are," Gabriel continued. "We'll call you as soon as... Yes, I understand. Just don't—" He pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it. "She hung up."
"What did she say?"
"She dropped Marcus off at the mine entrance an hour ago. Same one Tyler Matthews disappeared from. He wanted to retrace Tyler's steps, figure out what happened to him."
"Damn it." Sheila accelerated. "He's walking right into—"
"I know." Gabriel's voice was tight. "She tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen."
They crested a hill, and Sheila could see the mountain range spread out before them, peaks still capped with snow despite the warm day. Somewhere in those hills, Marcus Reed was walking into a killer's trap.
"Take Carson Road," Gabriel said suddenly. "It's faster."
"Carson Road adds three miles."
"Trust me." There was that tone again, the one that said he knew better. "It bypasses the switchbacks. I used to patrol these roads, remember?"
Sheila hesitated only a moment before making the turn. Her father had his faults—God knew he had his faults—but she couldn't deny his knowledge of these mountains.
The road curved sharply upward, and before long, Sheila had to grudgingly admit her father was right. This route might be longer in distance, but they were making better time without the endless switchbacks of the main road.
Sheila still felt uneasy, however, despite making good time. There was no guarantee that if Marcus was in danger, they would have two nights to find him. If the killer was targeting Marcus, it was not at all unlikely that he would short his hunt considerably for fear of being apprehended by the police.
"There's something you should know," Gabriel said as they climbed higher into the mountains. "About this road."
"What?"
"It passes near another mine entrance. One that's not on the official maps."
Sheila glanced at him. "How do you know about it?"
"Found it back in '92. Group of teenagers had been using it to throw parties." He shifted in his seat, grimacing. "Had to drag three drunk kids out of there one night. After that, we tried to seal it, but..."
"But people kept finding ways in."
"Exactly." He pointed through the windshield. "Look there. See that old logging road?"
Sheila nodded. A narrow dirt track branched off from their route, disappearing into the trees.
"Follows the original mining company access road. They used it to bring in equipment before the main road was built." He was using his teaching voice now, the same tone he'd used when training her as a rookie. "If our killer knows these mountains as well as we think..."