I’d never been back here, just heard about the three cabins that had been part of a resort back in the sixties. The front cabin was clearly the main residence. It had been remodeled, and an asphalt driveway ran up to it. The carport connected the detached garage to what appeared to be a three-bedroom building. Behind it on each side were smaller cabins that were more run-down and had no carports.

A Ford sedan was parked in the driveway. As we approached the front door, I touched the hood of the car to feel if it had been driven recently. It was ice-cold.

I let Bart out of the car to get some exercise and do his business. There were a few patches of grass around the house, but the snow got thicker heading up the hills.

The front porch creaked as we carefully stepped up to the door. This time I’d thought ahead and had my pistol tucked in my pants. My knife was safely in my pocket. I was tired of getting surprised and abused by strangers.

Natty tapped on the door like we were visiting a relative. There was no immediate answer so I pounded on it with my left fist. When we got no answer for a second time, I tried the handle. It was locked.

The deadbolt hadn’t been turned, so I pulled out my Navy knife and flicked it open with my thumb. The sound of it clicking into place caught Natty’s attention, and when I wedged it into the door to jimmy the lock, he started protesting.

Once the door was open, I stepped inside.

From the porch, Natty said, “Are you crazy? We could get arrested for this.”

“That’s funny coming from a drug dealer.”

“With two convictions. I can’t risk a simple breaking and entering. They’d send me upstate for five years.”

I walked farther into the house, looking for any clues about the people who lived there.

Reluctantly, Natty followed me inside. “We could both be killed. Is that what you want?”

I didn’t turn to face him when I said, “All I want is to find Bailey Mae.”

When I got to the rear of the cabin I noticed Bart in the backyard. He was sniffing something and interested in it.

I went out the back door and Natty followed. When I got to Bart, I kneeled down to pat his back and said, “What did you find, boy?” That’s when I realized there were several sets of tracks in the snow from the rear of the cabin heading up into the hills. It was a well-used path and the latest set of tracks was fairly fresh.

Without a word I started the trek up the hill, following the tracks. Natty started to protest, but then just followed me.

Chapter 24

Chapter 24