Melanie never felt so hopeless in all her life.
The search concentrated on the area where they’d found Hope’s sweater. Faces she hadn’t seen in years popped in front of her, encouraging her . . . then took their posts to search.
Even Zane showed up with Zoe’s mom to help. Zanya stayed behind at the inn preparing food for the volunteers who checked in every couple of hours for food and water.
The FBI was en route, which made Melanie feel equal parts crazed and hopeful. Much as she loved and trusted Jo, her exposure to missing persons wasn’t vast.
Still the search was impressive.
Wyatt never left her side. Never suggested she slow down or stop. He’d hand her water, shove something in her hands to eat during the search . . . but he didn’t falter one step.
Once it was apparent that Hope’s sweater wasn’t anywhere near her daughter, Melanie started back in the direction she’d been searching with Bella before they’d been called away. Search parties tightened up to look for any signs of Hope’s recent presence, and not just the girl.
It never occurred to Melanie that they’d find a piece of her. Even a sweater. Now the possibilities of finding something other than her entire daughter threatened her sanity.
She was cold, shivering under the oversize coat Wyatt had placed over her shoulders at some point in the cool day. Every muscle in her body ached, and her head felt as if it were splitting in two under the weight of it all.
Melanie did what any mother would . . . she pushed on.
The sun kept a steady pace toward the horizon no matter how much Melanie willed it to stay high.
“This is about where we were when they found the sweater.”
Maaco agreed with a nod.
The handler knelt next to Bella for the hundredth time that day, said a few things to his dog while holding Hope’s baby blanket.
“C’mon, Bella,” Melanie heard Wyatt say at her side.
A half a dozen volunteers stood beside them, all focused on the K-9.
Bella ran in a couple of circles before heading in a western direction.
“Isn’t that the way we came the first time?” Melanie asked.
Wyatt was the only one listening to her. “Maybe Hope turned around.”
By now, Jo was beside them, no longer able to stay behind and direct traffic. “Spread out,” she told those around her. “Same procedure. Anything, no matter how small.”
A mumbling of voices agreed and the group took spaces beside each other, some twenty to thirty feet apart, all of them headed in the same general direction of Bella’s lead.
It wasn’t until the hillside started a steep descent that the team slowed its pace.
Melanie knew the hill would eventually find its way to a cliff, which was why this route was off-limits for Hope to explore. At the bottom of the cliff was a ravine, but it was far too dangerous for those with only two legs to traverse. Hope, being the rule follower that she was, would never have ventured here on her own.
And that scared Melanie even more.
While the others held back, she followed Bella, Maaco, and Jo down the hill. Wyatt held her hand to keep her from falling. At some point, Bella disappeared and Melanie panicked.
When the dog started to bark and Maaco took that as a sign to move faster, Melanie followed. At some point, she shook off Wyatt’s hand and damn near crawled on all fours to keep herself upright.
Maaco reached Bella behind a rock that protruded from the side of the cliff. The obsessive barking shot Melanie’s heart rate higher.
She scrambled faster, felt a sharp rock cut the palm of her hand when the ground beneath her feet let loose and had her gripping the side of the hill to keep from tumbling down.
“Oh, God!” Maaco shouted over the bark.
Melanie froze.
“She’s here!”
Every nerve ending in Melanie’s body stood at sharp attention, waiting for his next words.
“Alive.”
Tears were close, but she didn’t acknowledge them as she followed Maaco’s voice. Once she caught sight of Bella, Maaco looked uphill, waved both hands in the air. “Stop . . . stop!”
She couldn’t see her. Couldn’t see her daughter behind the rock.
“It’s unstable.”
“Hope?” Melanie called out.
“She’s out cold. Breathing. Nice and steady. Looks like she hit her head. Maybe a broken arm.”
Jo rushed up beside Melanie and Wyatt, heard the last of Maaco’s words.
“I need to see her.” Despite Maaco’s warning, Melanie started down the hill.
Wyatt grasped her arm. “Don’t be reckless now. We found her, she’s safe.”
Melanie looked to where her daughter lay and knew he was right.
Jo called into the radio, “We found her. I repeat, we found her. We need medical. Head trauma . . . I want a helicopter.”
“Late in the day for a chopper, Sheriff.”
Melanie caught Jo’s eyes.
“I don’t care. Make it happen.”
It felt like forever to be so close and yet not see her daughter.
Search and rescue were on them in minutes with pulleys and ropes. Everyone was moved to higher ground to keep them safe while the crew secured Hope into a basket and hoisted her to the top.
Once there, Melanie rushed to her side.
“Oh, sweetie. What happened to you?”
Hope was still unconscious, a nasty bruise already had five shades of color on her forehead.
Melanie leaned close, felt her daughter’s breath on her cheek, and kissed her. “Wake up, baby.”
“We need to move her, Miss Bartlett,” one of the medics told her.
Melanie gripped the side of the basket and didn’t let go. She’d never let go again.