Page 37 of Trail to Trouble

“Are you okay? What are you looking for?”

“Police station,” she blew out.

“Follow me,” he said as he pulled ahead of her by a couple of strides.

Up ahead to the right, she spotted the fire station. Easy to notice with a large, bright red truck getting washed on the apron.

The man in front of her stopped at the end of that block and pointed. “Here’s the cop shop.”

He stepped forward and opened the glass door of the old stone building for her.

The receptionist’s eyes widened when she noticed her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, but I need to see the chief right away. I was shot at. My friend was killed. Our guide is in the woods. Hurt bad,” she blurted, and then gasped as if all her oxygen had been used up with those quick statements.

“Chief!” the thin, pretty woman with long blonde hair yelled with a bit of franticness in her tone.

A tall man with dark hair stepped through the door behind the receptionist’s desk. He wore a blue police officer’s uniform. His intense gaze latched onto hers. Within two steps, he stood before her at the counter.

His gaze fell to her arm. The blood had soaked through the headband wrapped around her wound.

He looked at the receptionist. “Mandi, call for medical.”

“No, no. I’m okay. It’s my friend and guide who needs help.”

The man calmly nodded and then directed Mandi to make the call.

“I’m Chief Ricco. Can you tell me what happened?”

“My friends and I were on one of those guided hiking and camping trips through Yooper Adventures and my friend was shot...”

A sob choked off her words.

The chief’s facial muscles tightened and his gaze turned black as coal.

“Mandi, get Dewey in here,” the chief directed.

The woman immediately snatched a handheld radio from her desk and talked into it.

“On it,” she replied.

“Is your friend...”

Quickly, Hannah shook her head, not wanting the chief to say the word.

Tears flowed from her, and Mandi handed her a box of tissues.

“Tell me what happened.”

“We have to get to my friend Bianca and our guide, Hunter, right away. Hunter’s been shot and Bianca. I don’t know if she’s okay.”

“I thought you said your friend had been shot?”

“I was with two friends, and Hunter is our guide.”

“Hunter Samuelson?” the chief asked.

“Yes, I guess. I don’t know his last name.”