In the other hand she held a big flashlight, as did everyone else.

Hollis was, predictably, the first to speak to Nellie.

“That’s some transmitter,” she said.

Nellie was startled. “Did I—?”

“Loud and clear. From you and Bishop.” She eyed her unit chief. “Didn’t know you could do that.”

“Saves time.” He didn’t add anything else to that, instead saying, “We have a couple of collapsible shovels in the SUV.”

“We need more,” DeMarco said.

They had all arrived so quickly that it was only then that the B and B’s night man appeared behind the registration desk from his office in back, his eyes wide and startled. “What—”

“We need shovels,” Bishop told him. “And a crowbar or two.”

“It’s Simon, Jim,” Nellie said quickly. “I think I know where he is.”

Jim didn’t hesitate. “The outside utility room’s around the side. I’ve got the key. Come on.”

There were several shovels, a pick, two big claw hammers, and a crowbar. The tools were quickly distributed among them, along with two large battery lanterns, and they followed Nellie as she led them toward the parking area of the B and B.

“I can—” Jim began.

“Call EMS,” Bishop instructed him calmly. “Get an ambulance, but tell them no lights or siren, and have them wait right here.”

As most did when Bishop gave an order, Jim obeyed without argument, turning to hurry back to the building.

Quentin said, “Think the unsub might be watching?”

“He has to sleep sometime, but best not assume anything where he’s concerned,” Bishop replied. “If we can keep him in the dark about anything we do, it could give us an edge.”

Diana’s voice was tight. “If Simon’s been buried underground all this time—”

“It’s getting harder for him to breathe,” Nellie said, her voice equally strained. “But he’s alive.”

“Can you—” Hollis began.

Nellie cut her off with a shake of her head. “I can sense him, I know he’s struggling, but I can’t talk to him.”

“Figures,” Hollis said, resigned.

Diana started to say something, then exchanged a grim glance with Quentin and merely shook her head.

Nobody questioned Nellie as she led them away from the building in the direction of the mountain slopes to the east, or when she stopped abruptly and turned toward the parking area’s entrance, where a Salem police Jeep was turning in.

Finn parked the Jeep and turned off the engine, then got out along with two of his deputies. All three looked wide-awake, and all three were armed and carried flashlights. The two deputies pulled two large backpacks from the Jeep and shrugged into them as they followed Finn to join the others.

“This way,” Nellie said, and immediately hurried through the parking area and then picked a vague path that meandered up the gradually steepening slope.

“Is he close?” Bishop asked.

“Pretty close, I think. But not easy to get to. We can take this path for a while, but then it’s straight up the mountain.” Nellie would have said more but decided to save her breath for climbing. The flashlights the others held made it easier than she’d expected to find her way, especially when Leo moved from his automatic heel position to go ahead of her, his nose to the ground almost constantly as he ranged back and forth but kept heading in the direction Nellie knew was the right one.