Holly Haynes took a shaky breath and let it out again. Um—

You know him? Kate said. She thought of the steel-toed boot, the boot of someone who worked around heavy equipment. Someone from the mine?

Haynes hesitated, and shook her head. I was going to say, what happened to that hiker that the ranger was so upset about?

What hiker?

Remember, in the café? Memorial Day weekend?

Memory came flooding back, of the wannabe backwoodsman in Dan‘s office on the Step, of his raggedy-ass gear and his romantic notion to hike up to Bright Lake. If anyone had gone missing, everyone would have heard before now. And Dan‘s guy— She hesitated, thinking back. The toe of one of his boots had been punctured. She shook her head. No, it was the right boot. This guy had his left one. She looked at Old Sam. But it couldn‘t be, anyway. Dan‘s guy said he was headed for Bright Lake.

Old Sam snorted. Bright Lake‘s in about exactly the opposite direction from here. If this is him, bastard sure took the scenic route.

Haynes persisted. It‘s been a month. I know it‘s a long way, but anybody can go pretty far in a month.

True enough. Kate compared her memory of the man in Dan‘s office that day to the one sleeping in Johnny‘s bed. If memory served, this guy seemed to be about the same height. His own mother wouldn‘t have been able to identify him from the mess of his face.

Probably should get him to Anchorage, have him checked out, Haynes said. I‘ve got a pickup. If we put some padding in the back we can take him in in that. Let him sleep, Auntie Vi said. Best thing for him.

Damn straight, Old Sam said. Dumb bastard.

Ten

It‘s not Davis, Dan said that evening.

Why not?

Dan‘s eyes were red-rimmed, his face sported a grayish red stubble, and his clothes looked slept in, but regardless he spread his arms and burst into song. He once was lost, but now is found . . .

Kate flinched. Old Sam winced. Mutt put her nose up in the air and howled. Thanks, Mutt, another country heard from, Dan told her, and looked up again. Davis did go missing. Wasn‘t anything we didn‘t expect. You saw him, he said to Kate. He was either gonna die or get rescued.

He got rescued?

He‘s three days out and he stumbles over his own feet, falls down a couloir on the trail up to Bright Lake, and breaks his leg. He trips his beacon and I had to call in the goddamn Air Guard out of Eielson to pick him up. Cost sixty fucking grand. Our tax dollars at work. This guy ain‘t him. I personally put him on a plane for Anchorage and told him to stay the hell out of my Park.

There was a brief, charged silence. Kate and Old Sam looked at each other. You aren‘t missing anyone else? Kate said.