Tears stung Mitch’s eyes.
His best friend was dead. Dean was dead.
It didn’t seem real or even possible. Dean Calder, an elite climber, had survived war in Vietnam and made it to the top of the world’s highest mountains only to die on El Diente Peak, forty miles from his home.
How were they going to tell Beth and his two little kids?
The firefighter reached them first, assessed the situation at a glance and spoke into his radio. “We have a deceased climber. This is no longer a rescue. This is now a body recovery.”
Beneath the overhang, Megs was still holding Dean and sobbing.
Megs hatedcrying in front of people, but she couldn’t help the tears that spilled down her cheeks, the pain of Dean’s death as raw as it had been so long ago. Mitch came to stand behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, offering her the only comfort he could. Gridwall had tears on his face, too.
“The coroner said he’d died of hypothermia sometime around four in the morning, around the time the storm stopped and the stars came out. God, what a lonely way to die.” She willed herself to meet Kurt’s gaze, saw the tears on his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Kurt. I’m so sorry. If we had stayed…”
Kurt stood and walked over to kneel before her, Dean’s eyes seeming to look up at her. “If you had stayed, you probably all would have died together.”
Megs sniffed. “I won’t lie. There are times I would have preferred that.”
“I’m sure. Survivor guilt is tough.” Kurt managed a sad smile. “My dad was an expert climber. He knew what he was doing. Now that I’ve heard the whole story, I believe he sent you to get help, not because he expected you to get back to him in time, but to spare your lives. He didn’t want you to die up there with him. That’s why he insisted that youbothgo for help. I’m sure of it. Those last words he said to you, his message to my mother and to us—they were his way of saying goodbye.”
Megs had never thought of that, and it brought a fresh rush of tears.
Megs fought for composure. “Your father was the first person who took me seriously as a climber. His approval made other climbers respect me. He was my first friend—and one of my best friends. I loved him. We all did.”
“I know. He loved you, too.” Kurt took her hands. “I don’t blame you for my father’s death, so please quit carrying that weight on your conscience. You created the Team so no one would die like that again. How many lives do you think you’ve saved through the years? Dozens?”
“Hundreds.” She didn’t want him to think she was exaggerating. “It’s in a spreadsheet somewhere.”
For some reason, that made everyone laugh.
“Because of my father’s death, you went on to form what has become the premier mountain rescue team in the country, maybe the world, and you have saved hundreds of lives. You two have given his death meaning. He couldn’t ask for a more profound legacy. You turned tragedy into a chance for life for so many.”
Megs tried to accept the absolution Kurt was offering, but after years of blaming herself, it wasn’t easy. “Thank you for saying that.”
Kurt stood and went to sit next to Jennifer, who was wiping her eyes. “I didn’t just say it. I mean it.”
“I know.”
Gridwall handed Megs a tissue. “The kid is right. You probably would have died with Dean. We all wondered how the hell this could have happened, but now that I’ve heard the details… I don’t see what else you could have done. The terrain was slick and steep, and he couldn’t walk.”
Megs wiped her eyes, still fighting to pull herself together. “Dean was only the first to go. Six months later, Baker was dead.”
He’d fallen five hundred feet while free soloing in Utah.
“The following spring, Yoder got caught in a slab avalanche on Annapurna.”
He was still up there, buried in a grave of ice and snow, the mountain as his monument.
“François died when his charter plane crashed above Telluride.” That had hit Megs hard, too.
Mitch squeezed her shoulders. “W-we … are all… th… that’s left.”
“That’s a reason for a drink, if you ask me.” Gridwall glanced around, as if searching for something.
Megs put her hand over Mitch’s. “The booze is in the kitchen.”
“Come.” Mitch motioned for Gridwall to follow him.
