“Cash would never leave him. Micah saved him. Cash will protect him.”

“True.”

“Duke, I have to believe he’s okay. So, let’s believe he’s okay.”

He nods, and I’ve gone back to praying when my phone rings.

“Hello?”

“You and Duke are on your way?” James asks.

“Yeah.”

“The ranger said Micah never checked in at the shift change. He was checking one last mile-long trail and was supposed to come in after that. So, they have an idea of where to look, but it’s dark. They are calling in another ranger and the lead conservation officer in the area, but it’s going to take a little while because of the weather. Can you put me on speaker?”

After I do, I hold up the phone so James’s voice echoes in the car. “Brian and I are leaving now, but, Duke?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re probably the best bet for finding where Micah went off trail. You know him, and you two have been on all sorts of adventures. When you get there, don’t wait for us. You go ahead and hit the last trail Micah went on. Meg?”

“Yeah?”

“Be honest. Can you handle this? I know you’ve been running, but the snow is going to make this hike a challenge. It won’t do anyone any good if you are holding Duke back.”

I work at being objective. He doesn’t mean to insult me. Everyone is just worried about Micah, including me. But I have been running. Every morning, on top of teaching at the rink. I really do feel like I can handle this.

“I can do this. I promise I won’t hold anyone back.”

James lets out a slow breath. “All right, then. Don’t stray from the trail. Stay in contact with us. Are your phones charged?”

“Mine is,” Duke says.

“Mine’s plugged in now,” I say.

“Okay. Are you close?”

“About fifteen miles.”

“Check in with the ranger station, load up on safety supplies, and be safe. We don’t need to lose two more people tonight.”

“Okay, Uncle James.”

“I’m praying, guys. We’re gonna find them.”

I hang up, and Duke and I start making plans. Which is the best thing possible. Turns out, Duke has a similar go bag to Micah in his trunk. They play in the woods so much, he’s perpetually prepared. When we arrive at the station, we check in, get our directions, and head back out to Duke’s trunk to load up on gear. The second ranger is on his way in, but we decide to go out without him. I get the impression that the ranger on duty thinks Duke is another search-and-rescue graduate, likely because of his gear.

We don’t confirm or deny. We just hit the trail.