that.”
He said nothing.
This door also slid on rollers, but wasn’t as large as the one in the front. Similarly, it wasn’t kept up, and it took Flynn an effort to get it to grind open. As he did so, ice showered down on him.
Behind the barn was a mostly bald hill, topped by a few twisted trees. Close in, he could see a faint indentation in the snow. Further out, it was deeper. “That’s a buried track,” he said, moving forward. He drew his gun.
The further up the hill they went, the deeper and clearer the track became.
“Why would she come out here?”
“She was running. She saw that horse, and when she did, she ran.”
As they approached the trees, Flynn felt the same indefinable sense of menace that had saved him in deceptive situations before. “Let’s take our time. We want to watch those trees pretty closely.”
They were taller than they had appeared from the barn. The snow made distances seem longer, but the trees were under a hundred yards from this end of the barn, and he was soon among them. He was careful, though, never to lose sight of her. He didn’t want to lose her, God no, but she wasn’t only important as a human being and a fellow officer. Without her, he had no idea who he was working for because she was too secretive to tell him. Probably didn’t even have the authority.
In among the trees there was less snow, but every movement brought a fall of the stuff off overhanging branches. It got in around his hood and dripped through his clothes in the form of freezing cold water.
Just beyond the stand of trees they found an area about thirty feet in diameter where the snow had been blown away right down to the grassy hillside.
“Something landed here,” Diana said.
He estimated the grade of the hill at a good thirty degrees. “Wasn’t a chopper,” he said, “not on a slope this steep.”
“It must have hovered.”
“The pilot is a real expert, then,” Flynn said. “Very well trained.”
“You think she was taken from this spot?”
“Maybe. Thing is, the snow was blown back from here well after these tracks were made. Hours. If they took her, they took her frozen solid.”
“We’ll need to tell him she’s lost in the snow.”
He had his doubts about that. “Maybe.”
Flynn turned and headed back through the trees. Diana stayed close.
As they walked, he said, “I don’t think we’re forming an accurate picture of what’s going on here. If you think about it, it just doesn’t make sense. Not a damn bit of sense. Some kind of cult group in possession of highly classified equipment, including an exotic aircraft? Hardly seems likely.”
“That’s what it looks like, though.”
They reached the back door. “It’s what you’ve been telling your team. It’s not what you know. Question is now, what do we tell this old guy?”
“His wife is lost in the snow. Won’t be found till the melt. If then.”
He entered the house. The old man sat in his wheelchair. He looked up with the dead eyes of a man who already knows that he’s defeated.
“We didn’t find her,” Flynn said.
“She’s dead. Froze by now.”
“We don’t know that. Could she have gone to a friend’s house?”
“She’s not in that barn, she’s froze.”
“There’s been predator action in the barn, sir,” Diana said.
“Oh, Lord.”
“One of the horses has been killed. Looks like coyotes.”
“The hell, it’s them damn wolves! The Fish and Wildlife owes me for that horse.” His face suddenly screwed up. Flynn knew the way tragedy can roll past you at first, then come back and hit you like a boulder dropping from the sky.
“She’s still breathing, mister,” he said. “Count on it.”
Diana glared at him.
“What’s she shaking her head for? Don’t hold out on me!”
Flynn heard noises on the front porch, the crunch of boots in snow. “She’s back,” he said.
Diana’s eyes widened.
A voice called through the door, “Hey, Lar, I got your thermos refilled,
He said nothing.
This door also slid on rollers, but wasn’t as large as the one in the front. Similarly, it wasn’t kept up, and it took Flynn an effort to get it to grind open. As he did so, ice showered down on him.
Behind the barn was a mostly bald hill, topped by a few twisted trees. Close in, he could see a faint indentation in the snow. Further out, it was deeper. “That’s a buried track,” he said, moving forward. He drew his gun.
The further up the hill they went, the deeper and clearer the track became.
“Why would she come out here?”
“She was running. She saw that horse, and when she did, she ran.”
As they approached the trees, Flynn felt the same indefinable sense of menace that had saved him in deceptive situations before. “Let’s take our time. We want to watch those trees pretty closely.”
They were taller than they had appeared from the barn. The snow made distances seem longer, but the trees were under a hundred yards from this end of the barn, and he was soon among them. He was careful, though, never to lose sight of her. He didn’t want to lose her, God no, but she wasn’t only important as a human being and a fellow officer. Without her, he had no idea who he was working for because she was too secretive to tell him. Probably didn’t even have the authority.
In among the trees there was less snow, but every movement brought a fall of the stuff off overhanging branches. It got in around his hood and dripped through his clothes in the form of freezing cold water.
Just beyond the stand of trees they found an area about thirty feet in diameter where the snow had been blown away right down to the grassy hillside.
“Something landed here,” Diana said.
He estimated the grade of the hill at a good thirty degrees. “Wasn’t a chopper,” he said, “not on a slope this steep.”
“It must have hovered.”
“The pilot is a real expert, then,” Flynn said. “Very well trained.”
“You think she was taken from this spot?”
“Maybe. Thing is, the snow was blown back from here well after these tracks were made. Hours. If they took her, they took her frozen solid.”
“We’ll need to tell him she’s lost in the snow.”
He had his doubts about that. “Maybe.”
Flynn turned and headed back through the trees. Diana stayed close.
As they walked, he said, “I don’t think we’re forming an accurate picture of what’s going on here. If you think about it, it just doesn’t make sense. Not a damn bit of sense. Some kind of cult group in possession of highly classified equipment, including an exotic aircraft? Hardly seems likely.”
“That’s what it looks like, though.”
They reached the back door. “It’s what you’ve been telling your team. It’s not what you know. Question is now, what do we tell this old guy?”
“His wife is lost in the snow. Won’t be found till the melt. If then.”
He entered the house. The old man sat in his wheelchair. He looked up with the dead eyes of a man who already knows that he’s defeated.
“We didn’t find her,” Flynn said.
“She’s dead. Froze by now.”
“We don’t know that. Could she have gone to a friend’s house?”
“She’s not in that barn, she’s froze.”
“There’s been predator action in the barn, sir,” Diana said.
“Oh, Lord.”
“One of the horses has been killed. Looks like coyotes.”
“The hell, it’s them damn wolves! The Fish and Wildlife owes me for that horse.” His face suddenly screwed up. Flynn knew the way tragedy can roll past you at first, then come back and hit you like a boulder dropping from the sky.
“She’s still breathing, mister,” he said. “Count on it.”
Diana glared at him.
“What’s she shaking her head for? Don’t hold out on me!”
Flynn heard noises on the front porch, the crunch of boots in snow. “She’s back,” he said.
Diana’s eyes widened.
A voice called through the door, “Hey, Lar, I got your thermos refilled,
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