Kade heard a noise outside and walked out of the barn as a caravan of sheriff’s SUVs and pickups rolled through the big timber gate toward the ranch house. Carver pulled up in front of the barn and turned off the engine.

He walked right up to Kade. “We’re going to find them.”

Kade didn’t argue. He wasn’t giving up until he brought Ellie and Billy home. He filled Carver in on his search and the theory that the kidnapper had a vehicle parked on the old logging road and was already out of the area.

“We’ll check the road, see if we can find any evidence, but with the rain—”

“The question isn’t if he was there. The question is where would he take them?” Kade took a deep breath and walked away, leaving the search strategy to Wyatt and Carver. He needed to think. Needed to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

He started with the basics, the connection between Keller and Dunstan and the shootings on the ranch. Dunstan had mentioned the mine.

He and Ellie had gone to Mountain Ore Mining in Denver. Murphy, Russo, and Egan all had connections to Keller. Zoe was running DMV records to see if one of them owned a dark green Hummer.

As the search parties dispersed, Kade retrieved Ellie’s cell phone from her purse and hit Zoe’s number. He’d rather be on the hunt, but he trusted Wyatt and his men. If Ellie and Billy were out there, the men would find them.

But Kade believed they were already gone. Finding where the killer had taken them was the only chance they had.

The phone kept ringing, but Zoe didn’t pick up. Kade swore softly and left a message, telling Zoe that Ellie was missing, possibly abducted by the man who’d killed Frank Keller, and urging her to call him as soon as she could.

“Let’s go inside where it’s warm,” Carver suggested. “No use working out here in the cold.”

Kade just nodded. It was getting dark, the clouds a thick low barrier over the mountains. The rain was turning to freezing sleet, and the wind had come up, blowing the frozen rain sideways. By the time he and the sheriff walked into the house, Maria and Dolores were back in the kitchen. Maria rushed toward him.

“Wyatt told us what happened. Señor Kade, I’m so sorry.”

Kade pulled in a steadying breath. “We’re going to find them. We won’t quit until we do.”

Maria touched his shoulder in sympathy, turned, and went back to work. The women had made coffee and sandwiches for the search crew. Webb Fischer pounded on the back door and walked into the kitchen. He spoke to Kade, grabbed a cup of coffee, and joined Carver at the kitchen table.