Page 56 of High Country Escape

“Yes, but maybe she did that deliberately, to deflect suspicion.”

“Do you have any other proof of a connection between Ms. Percy and William Ledger?” Gage asked.

“No,” Dalton said. “Just a suspicion.”

Gage clapped a hand on Dalton’s shoulder. “We’ll keep that in mind. But first, we have to find both these women.” He turned to Ryker. “Get the drone. Let’s see if we can spot anything with it.”

While an interested crowd of tourists and locals looked on, Ryker launched the drone. Carrie joined them. “If you spot anything worth checking, I’ll direct the nearest searchers to take a closer look,” she said.

Dalton leaned in closer, watching over Ryker’s shoulder as the drone flew over the ridge where the women had disappeared. It hovered over the mass of fireweed before descending the ridge. The ground fell away as it sailed over a drop-off. “Wait!” Dalton shouted. “Back it up. Back it up.”

Ryker maneuvered the drone back over the edge of the drop-off. Dalton pointed at the screen. “That red. What is that?”

The drone dipped lower. Something red—Dalton couldn’t determine if it was fabric or plastic—lay crumpled among the rocks. The drone flew lower still. “Is that long hair?” Ryker asked. “And that white—is that a hand?”

“I think it is,” Carrie said from Ryker’s other side.

“Sarge!” Ryker called. “We think we found something.”

Gage moved in to take a look. “You said Debra had on a red jacket?” he asked Dalton.

“Yes. And her hair is that kind of maroon color.”

“Carrie, get some searchers down there,” Gage directed. “Ryker, get up higher for a wider view. See if you can spot Roxanne.”

Dalton stared at the screen as the drone rose once more and panned to take in the surrounding expanse of tumbled rock. No trees grew on this steep slope and very little other vegetation. But there was no sign of a silver-and-purple jacket, a black ball cap or anything else belonging to Roxanne.

Carrie’s radio crackled. “We’re at the drop-off,” Eldon said. “We can see someone below. We think we saw movement, but they’re not responding to our shouts. We’re going to need to rappel down.”

“I’ll send more people to help you right away,” Carrie said.

Dalton wanted to be there with them—if not climbing down himself, then waiting at the top. But he knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. All he could do was stay here, helpless, and wait.

Ryker continued to fly the drone, searching, but Dalton turned away from the screen. Roxanne and Debra had left together. Why weren’t they together now? Had Ledger decided to dispense with Debra, now that she was no longer useful to him? Had he taken Roxanne elsewhere, to make her his prisoner again?

Or did he have something else in mind for her?

He shuddered, and hugged his arms across his chest, staring down at the ground and not seeing anything but Roxanne’s smiling face as she had waved goodbye to him before crossing the road.

Ryan was fasteron rappel than Eldon, so Eldon set the anchors and took charge of the ropes while Ryan made the descent, a pack of medical supplies on his back. He covered approximately forty feet in minutes. He had scarcely unhooked before he was on the radio. “It’s a woman and she’s alive,” he said. He continued to talk as he moved in to assess her. “She’s unconscious but breathing. Bleeding from a head wound. Lookslike someone hit her with a rock, or she hit her head on the way down. Her arm’s at an odd angle, probably broken.”

“I’m going to get Rand on the radio,” Carrie said. “Hold on.”

Moments later she was back. “We’re calling Life Flight, and a rescue copter,” she said. “I’m going to send Harper and Caleb down to help stabilize and package her for a short-haul extraction.”

Harper and Caleb were stepping into climbing harnesses when Gage and Ryker arrived. “Is she conscious?” Gage asked Eldon. “Has she said anything?”

“Not yet,” Eldon said.

The next few moments were a flurry of activity as more volunteers gathered on the ridge. The scene was calm and relatively quiet, but everyone was busy, gathering supplies, setting anchors, laying out ropes or helping the climbers get ready. After only a few minutes, Harper and Caleb moved out of sight over the edge of the ridge.

Dalton walked down the path to join the other volunteers. He didn’t say anything, but stood with his arms folded across his chest, waiting. Carrie moved over to him. “How are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m holding it together,” he said. “How is Debra?”

“It sounds like she’s pretty banged up,” Carrie said.

Gage strode over to them. “What are you doing here?” he asked Dalton.