If she lived.
Shivering again, Elena turned up the heat and was happy to hear the furnace kick on. She figured that homeowners had left the heat on low so that pipes wouldn’t freeze. As she warmed up, her stomach rumbled and she went to the kitchen, opening the pantry. There wasn’t much, although there were some stale crackers, peanut butter and bottled water. Right now, that looked like a gourmet meal.
Feeling better after eating and warming up, Elena figured she had better find a route back to Pinecone Junction. There wasn’t a phone, but there was a computer. What were the odds that she could contact the local sheriff through the computer? Would there be internet? At this point, she wanted to try anything that didn’t involve going back out into the cold and tromping through snow again. On the off chance she had to do that, she took the rest of the water and food. That way she at least had a couple of necessities. She spied some waterproof matches and packed those as well.
Elena booted up the computer and the screen came to life. Her hope was once again dashed when the password box came up. Opening drawers and sifting through the desk, Elena hoped that she could find a list of passwords, but there was nothing except a few paper maps of the surrounding national forest and town. She took those and stashed them in her backpack. If she couldn’t get into the computer or find a phone, then at least she would have some way of knowing where she was out in this remote area.
Now that she wasn’t so cold, exhaustion was starting to set in. Maybe she could get a quick nap and, in the morning, find her way back to town. Would the two men searching for her give up by then? Maybe they’d assume she was dead from being out in the elements. That could work to her advantage.
Going over to the couch, Elena sat down and was ready to take off her shoes and try to rest when she noticed light shining through the window. The vehicle was down the street. Maybe there had been a silent alarm and a deputy was coming to investigate. She rushed to the window, although still cautious, stood behind a curtain, waiting for the vehicle to get closer. Maybe someone had found Amber and this was an officer out looking for Elena. Or maybe just doing a home welfare check.
Then the spotlight came on. And she saw the single headlight.
“Crap.”
Elena stayed behind the curtain as the vehicle approached. They wouldn’t be able to see the broken window since she’d entered through a back door. How had they figured out where she went? Maybe they knew the area and guessed she’d end up here from the road leading to the mountain pass. It didn’t matter. She just needed to hide and wait them out. Then she could figure out her next move.
The dark SUV parked and she could see the men staring at the house where she was hiding. How did they know? Then it hit her. The computer screen. The light was like a beacon shouting out that someone was in a house that was otherwise unoccupied. It was too late to pull the cord. They knew she was there.
Sprinting toward the back door, she grabbed her backpack and another water. Then she escaped once more into the desolate area where she was the prey being hunted.
CHAPTER TEN
The next day, Maya was up early and went out to play with Juniper and Finn. The sun was shining on the snow-covered peaks, creating a pinkish glow to the morning. The temperature had dropped the previous night, but daytime was supposed to warm up and be nice. So far this morning, it wasn’t too bad outside as she threw the Kong for Juniper. Finn had decided to go lie in the snow and chew on his toy. Not only did she want to get both dogs’ energy out, but she also wanted to get her own nerves calmed down—Josh’s family was arriving today.
They were all going to meet for breakfast at the Black Bear, and Maya wasn’t certain how this was going to go. But Josh’s dad, Spencer, was going to represent Pops in his trial so she kept telling herself that it would be okay. Pops would get a fair trial and Spencer would do a great job representing him. It was Josh’s mom, Natalia, that she wasn’t too certain about. Josh had said he’d talked with her, but Maya knew Natalia wasn’t a big fan of their relationship.
“Morning. I have some coffee inside if you want to come out of the cold,” Josh said, poking his head out the back door.
“I’ll be right there,” Maya said.
Both dogs seemed happy, so she left them in the yard to chew on their toys. Josh handed her a cup of coffee and they curled up on the couch together, watching out the window. Juniper often needed supervision. Finn too, but Juniper was more likely to dig a hole in the backyard or try to tear a branch off a tree.
“Any word from Amber?” Maya asked.
“No, she hasn’t called and neither has the other person whose phone she used.”
Maya shrugged. “That’s good, I guess.”
“Yeah, my mom said they ran into some friends at the airport. They were also coming to Pinecone Junction for a vacation. I guess my parents invited them to join us…”
“Again?” Maya asked thinking that the last time Josh’s mom brought a “friend,” it was Amber.
“Yes, but I made her swear it wasn’t Amber or anyone in her family. She promised.”
“Did she say who?”
“No.” Josh shook his head. “I was trying to get off the phone, so I figured I’d let it go. We’ll both be working this week anyway, and I think it’s good for her to have someone to be with.”
“What about Bianca?”
“She’ll be flying in later this week to spend time with us and celebrate Pops being acquitted.”
“I like your optimism. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Maya said, snuggling closer. “Or without you.”
“Let’s get the dogs in and get ready to go.”
She sighed. What she wouldn’t give to spend a little longer drinking coffee and relaxing with Josh. But she had to face the coming week no matter how hard it was. Time didn’t stop.
