Page 107 of Silent Bones

Bill’s eyes closed for a moment. “Those kids… they didn’t mean for any of it. It was the weather.”

“You told us that Dale reported that the teens pulled warning signs from the area,” Noah said, not cruelly, just plain. “Sounds to me that had they not, that family would have not been camping there. So while they didn’t cause a landslide, they were responsible for the death of that family. The DEC covered it up and the community never knew the truth. But Dale did.”

Bill leaned against the wall, the truth hitting like another blow. “We were all so focused on protecting their futures… we never thought about the past catching up.”

Noah stepped closer. “Dale did. He lost everything. His job. His pension. His reputation. His family. All because he was the one who sounded the alarm. And no one listened.”

“He wanted to blame them. The accident could have occurred even if they weren’t there.”

“Come on, Bill. Again, you know if those signs hadn’t been tampered with, that wouldn’t have been the case. That family wouldn’t have camped there.”

“None of us wanted to admit the kids were responsible,” Bill said softly.

“They were and he wants us to know that,” Noah said. “He’s leading us. That cairn was a message, 'Start here. Follow the story backward.' He wants us to pay attention to the past, to walk through what happened. He wants us to understand it. Feel it.”

“And then what?” Bill asked. “What’s at the end of the trail?”

Noah didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. They both knew. If Dale wanted to be found, he would, but he had a purpose. And it likely ended in blood.

A door opened down the hall. McKenzie strode out, already holding keys, already moving. Noah met him halfway.

“Media’s eating itself alive,” McKenzie said. “Whitaker wants a second briefing this afternoon. The DEC’s in panic mode.”

“Let them panic,” Noah replied. “We’ve given them something to chew on.”

McKenzie glanced at Calder, then back at him. “You sure you’re good to walk away from this circus?”

Noah didn’t hesitate. “I already have.”

They stepped into the parking lot, the cool morning sun just starting to burn through the cloud cover. Noah slid into the passenger seat as McKenzie started the car.

As they pulled out, McKenzie said, “So what now?”

“We have secured Dale’s property. From what we can tell he’s not there. I didn’t think he would return. Still, we are just waiting on SWAT before we check. I have a few things to grab from the office, then we go to Calder’s property,” Noah said. “Bill said he would meet us. I want to see it in the daylight. Just in case Dale left behind any other messages. He said Dale’s beenout there before. Maybe he left something. A clue. Hell, maybe the whole path.”

McKenzie nodded. “You really think he’s stringing us along on purpose?”

“I think he wants us to see. All of it. The truth. The cost. The reason.”

They drove in silence for a while, the road unfurling ahead like a taut wire. Then Noah said, almost to himself, “He wants it to end where it started.”

McKenzie glanced over. “Wallface?”

“No, or he would have been there,” Noah said.

McKenzie frowned. “Then where?”

Noah looked out the window, the forest blurring past. “We’ll know soon enough.”

28

His stomach sank at the thought of what was to come. The gravel drive leading to the Calder family home crunched under the SUV's tires as Noah pulled to a stop beside Bill's silver Ford pickup. The house sat modest and weathered against a backdrop of second-growth pine and maple. A thin curl of smoke rose from the chimney, and Noah could see Bill's silhouette moving behind the kitchen window.

McKenzie climbed out of the passenger seat, adjusting his tactical vest. "I can’t imagine what he’s going through."

"Hell," Noah said, pulling his own gear from the back. "I told him we needed to search the perimeter."

Callie pulled up behind them in her cruiser, the engine ticking as it cooled. She stepped out carrying a field kit and digital camera, her breath visible in the cold morning air. “Do you think he blames Bill specifically?”