Page 43 of Trail to Trouble

“None?” Chief persisted with furrowed brows.

“No. I fell asleep after everyone left for the hike.”

“Did you see anyone else today other than your group?”

Bianca shook her head.

She still hadn’t asked about the status of Alyssa. Was she afraid to ask?

Hannah closed her eyes, and a vision of Alyssa’s lifeless body haunted her. She lifted her lids to rid herself of that sight, then she drew in a long breath and let it out.

“Bianca, Alyssa...didn’t make it.”

“What?”

Hannah shook her head, stepped toward her friend, and embraced her. They took a moment to comfort each other.

“Ladies,” the chief said, “we need to find Hunter.”

Bianca pulled from the embrace first.

Hannah focused on the chief, then glanced at Cap and Cici. Cici wore a large red medical backpack. The large white plus sign on it was the giveaway. Cap sported an orange, oblong bag, hooked over his left shoulder. She figured it to be a stretcher. This group was prepared. Thank God, for Hunter’s sake.

“I’ll lead us to the pool of the falls, Hannah, then you’ll have to lead us from there,” Cap said with urgency in his tone.

Hunter needed medical attention. She knew that and needed to focus. Silently, she prayed she’d be able to find him again. The woods were large, and she’d been so preoccupied with worry for Hunter and running from the shooter, she hadn’t observed her surroundings as well as she should have.

Cap’s long legs led them quickly. He moved effortlessly over the terrain. Cici did, too. It was obvious that hiking and this trail weren’t new to them. Bianca’s labored breaths behind her weren’t a surprise either. She glanced from side to side, and then over her shoulder to the chief, who followed. Worry lines sculpted his face. She suspected, like her, he wondered where the shooter was.

When they arrived at the base of the incline to the top of the falls, Cap stopped and spun to face her. His chestnut irises focused on her. The color matched Hunter’s. Her heart seized for a moment.Hunter.

“Where from here?” he asked.

Hannah’s gaze rose to the top of the falls. A horrible vision of her friend lying atop the falls made her want to cry again.

“Hannah?” Cap said, pulling her attention back to him.

She pointed to the left. “We landed in the pool and then went that way. We went through that clump of cedars.”

“Okay,” he replied as she backtracked a few steps and led them around the pool.

They followed along a stream flowing out of the pool for a bit until he found a narrow area with stepping stones to cross.

It was as if he and Cici didn’t even have to look down to cross. She, on the other hand, placed each step carefully, and when she teetered on the last stone, Cap reached out and grabbed her upper arm, then pulled her toward him. His touch reminded her of Hunter’s.

Once on the other side, she spun to see how Bianca fared. Chief Ricco had her by the arm and kind of pulled her across with him. Bianca was tall, about five foot nine. Still, the chief towered over her.

When they reached shore, he released her arm, then he took a moment to study their surroundings.

He focused on Cap. “I haven’t seen or heard anything unusual.”

“Me either.”

Both men blew out a sigh of relief.

She followed suit, relying on the chief’s skills as a trained observer.

Cap gestured to the area she’d pointed out earlier.