She winced at Scott’s words. Maybe he was right, but did he have to dash Denny’s hopes so plainly?
“That’s why I asked for proof that Jackson is okay,” Denny said. “I want to believe he’s alive, but after yesterday…” His voice trailed away.
The door opened and Sheriff Howard entered, accompanied by the undersheriff, Tricia Dees. “What’s this about another note?” the sheriff asked.
Denny showed him the note and told him about the phone call that had followed. “If they won’t give me proof Jackson is alive, does that mean he really is dead?” he asked.
“Mr. Endicott, you must know the odds of your son having escaped that avalanche yesterday afternoon were slim to none,” the sheriff said. “I’m sorry, but I won’t lie to you.”
Denny nodded.
“I think this is a desperate attempt by the kidnappers to get what they want, even though they know they’ve lost Jackson,” Howard said.
“Have you been able to identify the man who was killed yesterday?” Denny asked.
“Not yet,” the sheriff said.
“What about the excavation at the avalanche site?” Denny asked. “Has that started?”
The sheriff looked as if his shoes were pinching his feet. “We’ve run into a snag there. The avalanche occurred in a designated wilderness area. The Forest Service doesn’t want heavy equipment in there tearing things up.”
“We’re trying to get a special permit,” Tricia said.
“So far, no one’s budging,” the sheriff added.
“What else are you doing to find my son?” Denny asked.
“We’re reviewing footage of all the video at the resort,” Howard said. “We’re trying to find the man whose body we recovered. We hope that will help identify him or find his connection to Jackson. We’re still interviewing people who were at the resort that day and might have seen Jackson with someone. We’ve sent the man’s fingerprints and image to the CBI and the FBI for help in identifying him. We’re analyzing records for any similar crimes. We’ve put the word out to the public, asking anyone with information to contact us. We have Jackson’s picture on social and traditional media.”
“But you’re not physically searching for Jackson,” Denny said. “Why not?”
Lily was thankful she wasn’t facing the hard look Denny gave the sheriff, but the lawman didn’t wilt. “We’re a small department, assisted by two agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. We’re doing everything we can, but we don’t have the manpower to continue a ground search. We have to focus our resources on where we have the chance of getting the best results.”
He didn’t saywe can’t waste our time looking for a body, but Lily thought that was probably what he meant.
Denny’s expression hardened. “I’m going to use every resource atmydisposal to find out what happened to my son,” he said, then left the room.
Doug was the first to break the silence that blanketed them after Endicott’s departure. “I think we all need to get back to work,” he said.
“Come on,” Scott said, and headed for the door.
Lily followed. She caught up with Scott at the elevator. “Do you really think Jackson is dead?” she asked.
The look he sent her stung—a mixture of pity and impatience. “You know the statistics about surviving an avalanche. I’m sorry, but that boy is buried under feet of snow right now.”
She bowed her head, not wanting him to see the disbelief in her eyes. He would think she was foolish. Everyone else clearly thought Jackson was dead, killed by that wall of snow that had broken away from the ridge yesterday afternoon. Everything in Lily’s training told her that, too, but she couldn’t give up. Not on the boy she had fed and bathed and played with from the time he was a toddler. Jackson wasn’t any missing child. He was part of her. And she couldn’t give up on him, no matter how foolish that might seem to some.
SCOTT LOOKED FORLily at the end of the day. Not finding Jackson had hit her hard, and he wanted to make sure she wasn’t blaming herself for what had happened. Shelby wasn’t in her kennel at patrol headquarters, so that probably meant Lily had taken the dog out for some exercise. He released Hunter from his kennel as well. They could help sweep the runs for any stragglers and look for Lily and Shelby at the same time.
He spotted Connor as he exited the lift office and flagged him down. “Have you seen Lily and Shelby?” Scott asked.
“I saw them headed up Lift 4 a few minutes ago,” Connor said. “I was just headed up 2 to start sweeping Buttermilk Basin.”
“Good,” Scott said. “I’ll see if I can catch up with Lily and we’ll head down the front side.” This section of beginner and easy intermediate runs was often the last of the day to clear of eager skiers hoping to get in one final run.
The last few skiers were boarding Lift 4 when Scott and Hunter arrived. The liftie, a lanky blond from New Zealand, grinned as the pair approached. “How’s it going, mate?” he asked.
“We’re doing okay, Noah,” Scott said as he looked back at the approaching chair. “How are you?”
