Page 13 of Wilderness Search (Eagle Mountain: Unsolved Mysteries #2)

“That’s what I need to figure out.”

Instead of driving to search and rescue headquarters, Willa headed straight to Caspar Canyon, a popular rock climbing area where her patient was reportedly stranded on a rock face with a possible broken leg.

Tony and Caleb were already there, and half a dozen other volunteers soon arrived. Climbers gathered around them.

“He was almost to the top when something went wrong and he slipped,” an agitated man in a red climbing helmet said. “He was trying to hold on, but he slid about forty feet down the wall and landed on that narrow ledge.” He pointed up to the sheer rock face above them.

There were several ledges that didn’t look wide enough to hold anyone. Willa couldn’t tell where the injured climber lay, but Tony said, “I see him.”

“I was up top and looked down and could see his leg was bent at this awful angle,” the other climber said.

“And he was just screaming and screaming.” He swallowed.

“That stopped. I think he passed out or something. I thought about trying to get down to him, but I was afraid I might push him off the ledge trying to get to him.”

“We need to come down from the top and lower him to here,” Tony said. He started giving orders, using terms Willa couldn’t understand.

“What can I do to help?” she asked.

“I’ll radio you as soon as I get to him with a report on his condition,” Tony said. “You can talk me through what I need to do.”

She stood back and waited as others moved in to rig ropes and pulleys and assemble gear.

Tony left and moments later appeared at the top of the cliff, descending toward the narrow ledge where Willa could just make out a slumped figure.

No one spoke as Tony moved down the face of the rock.

She found she was holding her breath as she watched him make the descent.

Could she ever do something so risky to help someone she didn’t even know?

She had joined search and rescue primarily to lend her medical expertise, and her license that allowed her to prescribe and administer certain medications.

But she had told Danny on her first day that she wanted to go through the regular training, like any rookie.

She wanted to be a working member of the team, not merely someone on the sidelines.

When Tony reached the ledge, he hovered beside it for several moments before perching on the edge, leaning back against his ropes for balance.

Willa’s radio crackled. “His leg’s at a forty-degree angle in the wrong direction,” Tony said.

“I’m going to cut open his pants to get a better look.

” There was a ripping sound, then a loud moan.

“Easy,” Tony said. “I’m with search and rescue.

We’re going to take care of you.” More moaning and the brush of fabric against rock.

“Not a compound fracture,” Tony said. “I need an air splint for this leg. I’ll need to straighten it and that’s not going to be any fun for either of us.

His shoulder is injured, too. I can’t tell how much.

It’s going to take two of us to get him into a litter and lower him down. He could use some pain meds.”

“I’ll send up an injection for him.” She got more information about his approximate weight, then retrieved the lockbox of drugs and drew up the appropriate dosage of painkiller.

She placed this in a plastic case that snapped shut and handed it off to Ryan Welch, who was going to make the descent with the air cast and other first aid supplies.

A tense half hour followed. Ryan reached the other side of the ledge and handed off the painkiller.

Tony gave the injection and they waited for it to take effect, talking with the semiconscious climber and doing their best to make him comfortable.

Then they worked together to get the injured leg in the air splint and assess the shoulder.

Willa listened in as they relayed details about the climber’s medical condition, and she was able to suggest some things they could do to make transport easier.

Then they began the awkward task of moving him from the ledge to a litter, first fitting him with a cervical collar and strapping the shoulder to immobilize it.

A Rayford County Sheriff’s Department SUV escorted the ambulance into the canyon. Willa stiffened, then let out a sigh of relief when she saw the deputy was not Aaron, but a woman. She introduced herself as Deputy Jamie Douglas.

“How’s it going?” Jamie asked, and nodded toward the suspended litter.

“They’re getting ready to lower him down,” Willa said.

One of the paramedics joined them. “What have we got?” he asked.

Willa explained the situation and what they had done to care for the man, including all medications administered.

“Sounds like all we need to do is get him to the hospital,” the paramedic said.

It seemed to Willa to take forever for the man to arrive safely on the ground, though by her watch only another twenty minutes passed.

Ryan and Tony descended alongside the litter, keeping it steady and helping it over any outcroppings.

By the time everyone was on the ground, Willa noticed the men were sweating from the exertion.

“You did a great job,” she told them.

“He’s going to be okay,” Tony said as they watched the paramedics load the climber into the ambulance. “Thanks for your help.”

“You did all the hard work,” she said.

“Everyone’s contribution matters,” he said.

She stayed to help load equipment, then headed home, feeling calmer than she had all day. It had been good to focus on something else for a while. To remember that hers were not the most pressing concerns in the world.

She drove toward home, but on the edge of town found herself behind a familiar black pickup truck.

Her gaze focused on the sticker on the left side of the bumper, advertising a popular Waterbury restaurant.

She studied the driver’s silhouette through the truck’s rear window.

She would know that erect, dark-haired figure anywhere.

She let her foot off the gas and slowed.

The last thing she wanted was for Aaron to think she was following him.

But when he put on his blinker and turned onto a side street, she found herself making the turn also.

Two-thirds of the way down the street, he headed into the drive of a dark brown A-frame and parked.

She sped past, catching a glimpse of him getting out of the truck as she did so.

The house was small, like hers. A rental?

Or had he purchased it? Did he live there alone, or with a roommate?

A woman? The idea that he might be living with a woman made her stomach twist.

Not because she was jealous. But maybe because it hurt to think he had gotten over the pain of their parting so easily.

She gripped the steering wheel harder and made the block and headed home. What Aaron Ames did with his life was none of her business. All she cared about was taking care of Gary and herself.

She was surprised to see that Gary’s truck wasn’t in the driveway. He almost always got home before she did. Once inside, she texted him. Everything OK? But he didn’t answer.

He’s probably out with friends, she told herself. Except that Gary hadn’t gone out with anyone during their short time in Eagle Mountain. He wasn’t the type to party and almost always came straight home from work.

Half an hour later, she called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She was on the edge of panic. Had the sheriff picked him up again?

With trembling hands, she searched for the nonemergency number for the sheriff’s department, but her call went to voicemail.

She hung up, then tried to think what to do.

She could go to the sheriff’s department, but was anyone even there after hours?

Or rather, was there anyone there who would let her in?

She stared at her phone again. She had deleted Aaron’s number from her contacts a year ago, but she could still remember the digits. She dialed it, only to have an unfamiliar woman answer. That shook her. Did he had a girlfriend? A wife?

“Is Aaron there?” she asked.

“Aaron don’t have this number anymore,” the woman said, and hung up.

Willa tucked the phone away. She didn’t know Aaron’s new number, but she did know where he lived. And she was desperate to make sure Gary was safe.

Aaron’s truck was still in the driveway of the A-frame. Willa parked her Toyota behind it, then forced herself to get out and walk up to the door. She knocked and waited for an answer.

She was about to turn around and retreat to her car once more when the door opened.

Aaron, barefoot and shirtless, wearing only joggers and the St. Michael medallion his mother had given him when he became a police officer, opened the door.

His dark hair was damp and he smelled of herbal shampoo and shaving soap.

She had a horrifying vision of walking right into his arms and resting her head on his shoulder, surrendering to the comforting sensation of his strong arms around her.

“Willa? Is something wrong?”

She stared at him, embarrassment heating her face. What was she doing here? “I… I can’t find Gary,” she said. “I thought maybe…maybe you had arrested him again.”

He stepped back, and the door opened wider. “We haven’t arrested Gary,” he said. “Come in and I’ll help you find him.”

She followed him into a small living area. He picked up a T-shirt from the end of the sofa and pulled it on. She stared, distracted by the ripple of his back muscles as he pulled the shirt over his head, but unable to look away. When he turned to find her watching him, her face heated again.

“Why did you think we had arrested Gary?” he asked.

“Because that’s what happened before. You took him in for questioning and let him go, but the next day you arrested him.”

“That was a different case,” he said. “Sit down. Please.”