"Yes?"
"Thank you for believing me."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I managed, "You're welcome, sweetheart."
The call ended.
I stood in the hallway with my phone in my hand, thinking about the little girl who had walked up to a table of strangers and asked for help because she had run out of other choices.
Cole appeared beside me.
"Ready?"
I nodded.
We walked toward the vehicles waiting outside.
The desert night had settled over Kingman, bringing a chill to the air and a sharpness to the stars. Our headlights cut through the darkness as we joined the state investigators on the road east.
Somewhere beyond the hills, a mining property waited.
And somewhere beyond that, perhaps, was the woman who had hidden the truth inside a stuffed rabbit because she believed her daughter deserved a future free from fear.
We were going to find out.
The road to the mining property narrowed as we moved east.
The paved surface gave way to broken asphalt, then compacted dirt that wound between low hills and shallow ravines. The headlights picked out dry bushes, scattered rocks, and the pale trunks of dead trees.
The state team traveled in a convoy of four vehicles. Cole and I rode in a support truck behind them, following the directions of the lead investigator.
The farther we went, the more isolated the landscape became.
"There used to be a service station out here," I told Cole. "Back when the mine was operating. A few ranchers still use the road, but most traffic goes the other way now."
"Good place to disappear."
"Or a good place to get stranded."
He grunted.
I had ridden these roads in daylight. At night, every turn looked unfamiliar. The desert concealed its distances and made empty ground seem closer than it was.
We reached a fork where the road divided around a rocky outcrop.
Dana's vehicle slowed.
The driver checked the map, then spoke into the radio.
A moment later, the convoy stopped.
One of the officers walked back toward us.
"We've got a problem with the lead vehicle's tire."
Cole got out to help, while I examined the road ahead.
The surface was uneven, with sharp stones scattered across the shoulder. A tire could have been damaged naturally.
But the marks in the dust bothered me.
They showed that another vehicle had turned around recently, cutting sharply across the shoulder before heading back toward the west.
I crouched and examined the tracks.
"They came through here at speed," I said.
The officer looked over my shoulder.
"What makes you think that?"
"See the depth of the rear tire marks? The driver accelerated hard when turning around. There's also a scuff where the vehicle crossed the edge of that drainage channel."
He photographed the marks and sent them to Dana.
A radio call came back from the lead vehicle.
The tire had been punctured by a metal object embedded in the road.
A second object lay a few yards farther ahead.
The objects had been positioned deliberately.
Somebody had wanted to stop us.
Dana ordered the convoy to remain stationary while officers examined the area. A patrol vehicle moved forward to check the road, and another team approached from the side track.
Cole returned to our vehicle.
"Well, that's encouraging."
"At least they're not trying to hide it."
"Whoever did it knows we're coming."
I looked toward the ridge.
The eastern property was still several miles away.
"If they know the route, they could be waiting there."
"Or they want us to think they are."
I nodded.
Dale had taught me something about him without intending to. He wasn't simply a man who wanted to escape consequences. He was a man who wanted to dictate the choices available to everyone around him.
If we moved forward, he might have another obstacle waiting.
If we turned back, the people on the property would gain time.
Neither option was comfortable.
Dana approached our truck.
"We're changing the route," she said. "A second access road joins the property from the south. We'll use that instead."
"Is it passable?"
"The local map says so."
I grimaced.
"The local map is twenty years old."
She glanced at me.
"Can you guide us?"
"Yes, but I recommend sending one vehicle first. The road crosses a wash near the ridge, and the banks can be unstable."
Dana relayed the information.
After the damaged tire was replaced, the team split into two groups. One group remained to document the obstruction and secure the original road. The other followed the southern access route under the supervision of the operations commander.
We moved slowly.
The alternative road crossed an area of loose gravel, forcing the vehicles to keep their distance. Twice, the lead driver stopped to examine the terrain before proceeding.
When we finally reached the ridge, the mining property appeared below us.
The buildings were scattered across a shallow valley: a processing shed, several storage structures, a water tank, and a long building that might once have served as a dormitory for workers.
The site looked abandoned.
But a faint light shone from one of the windows.
Dana's voice came over the radio.
"All units, hold position. We'll confirm the perimeter before proceeding."
I parked the support truck behind a low embankment and stepped out.
The air smelled of dry earth and old metal. Somewhere nearby, a loose sheet of roofing material tapped against a beam.
I scanned the buildings.
A vehicle stood beside the dormitory.
Its rear doors were open.
Fresh tire marks crossed the dust near the entrance.
Then I heard something.
A metallic bang from behind the processing shed.
One of the officers raised a hand.
Everybody stopped.
The sound came again.
Three sharp strikes, followed by silence.
Dana's team moved toward the building, maintaining their spacing and communicating with the officers covering the outer access roads.
Cole and I remained behind the embankment.
I could hear my heart beating.
This was no longer a question of finding paperwork or identifying vehicles. If Elena was here, every minute mattered. If someone knew we had arrived, they might move her before the search was complete.
The radio crackled.
"Possible movement on the north side."
A moment later, a voice shouted from the property.
"Police! Show your hands!"
A door slammed.
Then everything happened at once.
An engine started near the dormitory. A vehicle accelerated around the far side of the building, throwing dust into the air. Officers shouted warnings as it rushed toward the northern access road.
Dana's team moved to intercept.
The vehicle swerved around a barrier and disappeared behind the processing shed.
A second engine started farther down the valley.
Cole grabbed my arm.