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“Depends which way you go.” Virgil pointed toward the north end of the property. “East takes you toward my pasture. Past it is a deep draw and a stand of old cottonwoods where the sheep and cattle are sheltering. Two-track runs west along the boundary into the broken country.”

Mac looked at Kyle. “So we know where she meant to go. We don’t know what she did when she didn’t find him.” That was worse. He looked back at Virgil. “If she made it to the opening, what would she see?”

“Cattle tracks. Truck tracks. Two-track running both directions.”

“Then show me exactly where you went.”

Virgil was already reaching for the map as Hank’s truck rolled into staging behind them. He kept it running while he shouted out the rolled-down window.

“What the hell is that?” Hank pointed past them toward the western horizon.

Mac followed Hank’s finger.

At first he saw only the smoke that had been sitting over the western horizon all morning. Then the wind pulled part of it sideways and a darker column showed beneath it, rising hard from lower ground.

Closer.

“Was that there when you came in?” Kyle asked.

Hank shook his head. “No.”

Virgil swore under his breath.

Mac stared at the new smoke. The main fire was farther west. He’d been watching that column since before dawn, watching what the wind did to it, how it laid down and lifted again. This was different. It was lower, narrower, and looked like it was building fast.

Kyle lifted his radio. “Dana, get me whoever you’ve got with incident command.”

She was already reaching for hers.

North fence.

Jodie had gone north, then toward Virgil’s property. Mac looked from the smoke to the board as if the line she’d written might have changed while he wasn’t looking.

It hadn’t. Jodie’s entry was the same, of course.

But then something else caught Mac’s eye.

HAROLD — BLM CH — SOUTH ACCESS — NO SIGHTING

The return time was blank.

“Harold hasn’t signed back in, either, and he’s been gone for hours.” He looked up at Virgil. “Have you seen him?”

“Not hide nor hair of the bastard.”

“Dana!” Mac shouted. “Have you heard from Harold?”

“No, but I think Jodie raised him right before she left.”

“Do you know what he told her?”

“No, I don’t. I’m sorry.”

Dammit.

Maybe she’d gone to check on Harold, too. Mac grabbed his radio.

“Harold, Mac. Do you copy?”