Present Danger

rangers, and forest service law enforcement were now searching for a murder weapon.
Sergeant Aaron Brady had officially assigned Jack to the investigation. Then Terra and Jack had left what was now labeled the secondary crime scene and hiked to the top of the granite cliff to the primary crime scene, where they believed Jim was murdered then pushed or thrown off the cliff. The area had been cordoned off to protect the scene until evidence techs were done. They had kept their conversation to theorizing about the investigation rather than crossing over into anything personal, and for that, she was grateful.
This wasn’t her investigation, and she wanted answers about Jim’s death, so she was happy to be involved.
“Another fun fact,” she offered, “which you probably already know. The Gallatin National Forest encompasses almost two million acres and several counties. It seems to me that whoever killed him, stabbed him, and then dropped him out here—”
“Because . . . given the terrain here several miles from the trail, we shouldn’t have found the body so quickly. The killer had hoped by the time we found human remains, we wouldn’t suspect or be able to confirm foul play.”
“At the same time, he or she didn’t go as far as they could have to dump the body.”
“So they didn’t have the time to spend dragging a body around,” he said.
“Or packing on a horse.” Terra picked up her pace. “We spotted the droppings a quarter mile away, remember.”
“Jim also could have been riding, and was killed, then tossed. Or those droppings could have no relationship to this investigation. But we’ll know more once we hear from the deputy coroner.”
Talking about an investigation with Jack seemed completely foreign to her yet natural at the same time. Law enforcement agencies had to work together, especially when covering such a vast area. They continued on in silence until they reached the base of Stone Wolf Mountain’s north face and . . . the Rocky Mountain Courage Memorial.
Terra waited for the dizziness to pass.
“You okay?”
“Yes.” Liar. “I can’t help but think this mountain is a death magnet.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t.” Terra stood tall and drew in a long breath. She’d been the one to lead them in this direction.
Stone columns pointed to the sky and stood like sentinels at the memorial. Each column featured a plaque with names.
Her mother, a forest ranger, had been forever memorialized here, along with the others who had died on the mountain. Some had died for various reasons and at other times, but her mother, along with two others, died while trying to save someone stranded after a plane crash. A SAR team was dispatched, and an avalanche killed three members of that team. The pilot survived the crash and the avalanche. Other plaques memorialized those who had died on the mountain to save thrill-seeking souls who had ventured out in the winter to climb or ski or snowboard in the backcountry. Terra’s mother, Erin Larson’s stepfather, and Alex Knight’s father had given their lives to help others.
Terra strolled forward to look at the larger brass plaque, which provided general information about the memorial. The smaller plaques found on the pillars detailed each individual’s act of heroism.
Their courage was commended as the ultimate sacrifice. Terra read the Scripture verse on the plaque.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
She calmed the emotions that threatened to escape. She hadn’t been back to this memorial since she’d left for her job with the National Park Service in southwest Colorado. Before that, she and Erin and Alex would visit the memorial every year on the anniversary of the incident that had killed their loved ones. At least they’d started out that way, but over time they’d begun coming once a year when they were able to get together. In fact, they were planning to visit the memorial together in a few days.
The pain and grief of losing her mother at fourteen—fifteen years ago—had never truly dissipated. Maybe that’s because she’d lost her dad shortly after her mother died. He’d left Terra in her grandfather’s care. Her older brother, Owen, had already enlisted in the Army by then.
As she remained frozen in place, the memorial served to remind her of her biggest fear—to lose someone else she loved. And, God forbid, on this mountain.
She could skirt the edges—much like she’d done today with Jack. Search for people on SAR missions. Do her job in the entire region, but she hoped she would never be required to go anywhere near where her mother died. Gramps took her and Owen one summer to see the place. She wasn’t sure why—maybe that was more about him wanting to see where he’d lost his daughter, and he didn’t want to do it alone.
Terra had fled down the mountain.
Jack, however, had climbed the summit of this mountain, and probably all ten peaks in this county, if not more. For a few moments, Jack had strolled around the memorial and given her space, but he approached now and remained by her side, silent but there all the same, as if he sensed she needed reassurance. If she needed that from someone, he wasn’t the person she would want it from.
She hadn’t expected to see him today, or frankly, ever again.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Yes. I know. It’ll be dark before we make it the rest of the way.”
She slung her pack over her shoulder. Together they found the path from the memorial that led back to the trailhead and where the incident command center had been located for today’s search for the twins. When they made it to the bottom, they would get into their vehicles and go their separate ways.
“Do you still keep in touch with them?” Jack asked.
She knew instantly who he meant. Terra, Erin, and Alex had been teenagers at the time of the shared tragedy, though Erin and Alex were older than she was. They found support and