Maya peered around again, looking at the rock formations around the lake. There was a spot that led to a trailhead. Not the way they had come up, but ratheran easier trail, relatively speaking, that most visitors would hike. Maya kept thinking. What was the best way to ambush Abigail?
Hope was petting Juniper and the dog was happily leaning up against her leg. It pleased Maya that Juniper could bring Hope some comfort, but she needed Juniper. There was an area where the rocks formed almost a mini canyon. It was the last part of the easier hike. If she put Juniper on a down stay on one side and Maya stood on the other, she might be able to lure Abigail through that area.
If she did it right, Abigail would be walking through the canyon away from the lake. That would give Hope a chance to get to where the helicopter would land. Maya and Juniper could then take on Abigail and hopefully arrest her. Feeling better about her plan, Maya pushed the button on her shoulder mic. “FS 28.”
They waited and then Maya heard the dispatcher answer her. She breathed a sigh of relief. She thought she’d have a radio signal here, but wasn’t one hundred percent sure until now.
“I have Hope Dawson. I repeat, I have our missing girl. We are safe. But we’re going to need a ride out of here.”
“Copy that, FS 28,” the dispatcher said. “What’s your location?”
“Clear Lake, but heading east.”
“Negative, FS 28. No way to get you a ride there with the fire.”
“We need to go east. I’ll radio a new location soon. Please get the bird headed in the direction.”
“Copy that, FS 28. We’ll wait to hear from you.”
Maya hesitated. She wanted to know about Josh and yet, if the news was bad, she didn’t think she could keep going. She couldn’t do that to Hope. Instead, Maya signed off.
Hope stared at her with wide eyes that reminded Maya of a skittish horse. “We’re going to hike into the fire?”
“No,” Maya said. “Juniper and I are headed that way. You’re not.”
“What do you mean? I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know,” Maya said, in a calm soothing voice. “But I need to keep you safe and to do that, we need to go opposite directions. I am going to draw Abigail away from you.”
Tears started streaming down Hope’s face.
“You’ll be fine,” Maya said. “I promise.”
But she had to admit, Maya wasn’t certain that was a promise she could keep.
Chapter Forty-Two
Large embers were landing near them. Some of them were hot enough to glow orange. Maya knew they needed to get out of there, but she had to make sure Hope would be safe. She needed to keep the promise she’d just made.
“I have a plan to draw Abigail in my direction,” Maya explained. “While I have her distracted, you can go the other way. There’s a good spot for the helicopter to land. I’ll make sure that dispatch knows where the helicopter can find you. You just need to make it around the lake. You see those two large fir trees on the other side?”
Hope nodded.
“That’s another trail. It’ll take you down to a meadow where the helicopter can land.”
“No, I want to stay with you. I don’t want to be on my own.”
“I understand that, but it’s not safe to be with me.”
“What if something happens to you? I already saw my grandfather shot.”
Maya could feel Hope’s anxiety building. She didn’t blame her. No one at fourteen should be faced with something like this. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll haveJuniper. And your grandfather is fine. It wasn’t him who was shot.”
“What?”
“An FBI agent came in posing as your grandfather,” Maya explained. “He was trying to distract Abigail so the FBI could save you.”
“Really?”
