“Launch a damned search-and-rescue helicopter right effing now,” Peevy snarled.

“Who’s lost and say last known location,” a deep, stern voice cut into the channel.

Griffin lurched. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was Admiral Duquesne’s voice. The old man was a SEAL and had a reputation for being a top-notch operator back in the day. He must’ve been monitoring the wrap-up of Hell Week from his office.

Ray answered, “Missing trainee is Tate. We tracked her to a pit trap two klicks west of checkpoint six. She was taken out of the pit by several men on foot. I’m heading back there now to see if I can find vehicle tracks and give you more to go on.”

“I’ll make the phone call to launch a chopper,” Duquesne said tersely.

Thank goodness nobody was questioning Griffin’s and Ray’s sanity. About a hundred yards beyond the pit trap, the canyon petered out, its high walls fading back down into the desert floor.

Ray hopped out and swung his flashlight back and forth in front of the Jeep. In a matter of seconds, he muttered, “Gotcha, jerkwads.”

In an agony of impatience, Griffin waited while Ray crouched beside whatever track he’d found and took pictures. Then Ray jogged back to the Jeep. “They drove her out of here in a heavy-duty truck. Dual rear wheels.”

“Can you tell what color it was?” Griffin asked half in jest.

“Nah, but I can tell you it went north and then peeled back to the east.”

Ray swung into the Jeep, and Griffin stared at him. “How the hell do you know that?”

“Look that way. You can see a line of dust hanging in the air from where the truck kicked it up.”

Griffin looked to the north and saw nothing but desert and darkness. “I’ll take your word for it. I swear, you have bionic eyes.”

The moment of levity helped Griffin focus on what had to happen next. “Can you follow the truck’s trail?” he asked Ray.

“Head that way. I’ll call the turn.”

The suspended dust trail ended at a paved highway several miles beyond the pit trap where Sherri had been taken. And even Ray couldn’t tell any more about where the truck had gone once it hit dry pavement.

Sherri was gone.

Chapter 21

Sherri woke up slowly, so groggy she could hardly string thoughts together.

Small room. Dark. Only the faint sound of wind rustled around her. She felt alone. Horizontal strips of faint light gave her the vague impression of a decrepit cabin.

No surprise, her ankles were tied to the legs of a chair, and her arms were tied behind her and secured to the chair back. It was uncomfortable, but she was blessed with flexible shoulders and the position wasn’t unbearable.