The trail was firm, with the snow piled on either side. I was surprised how steep the incline was and felt my heart rate start to climb as I kept a steady march up the path. After a few hundred yards I was glad we’d left Bart on the porch of the cabin. He seemed happy to let us go on our way, and I knew he’d be safe there.

Natty started to complain as the path entered the thick woods and continued to go higher. Every once in a while I could see remnants of the old resort and where a road off to the side followed the path. The road would be tough to navigate in winter, but in summer it seemed wide enough for any kind of vehicle. Unless you had a snowplow—then it could be open year-round.

The cold wind whipped down off the mountaintop and made me shiver even though I was working pretty hard. Natty’s breath became more ragged as his lifestyle started to catch up with him.

Natty said, “What are we doing out here in this frozen tundra?”

“You know exactly what we’re doing: looking for Bailey Mae.”

“You don’t think this is a little crazy? We go from asking people if they’ve seen a missing teenager to trekking through the woods behind someone’s cabin? This seems pretty thin and a waste of time.”

“You don’t have to be here.”

“Mom said I did. Besides, I can’t leave you out here alone. I just think our time could be spent more efficiently. There’s nothing out here. We’re following some kind of old hunting trail.”

We cleared a rise in the trail and stopped, amazed by what we saw.

In front of us, about a hundred yards away, was a small cabin with the lights on and smoke coming from the chimney. I had never seen it or heard anyone mention a cabin all the way back here. It was more like a shack, hastily constructed to protect people from the weather.

I had to look at Natty and say, “What were you saying about nothing being back here?”

Then Natty mumbled, “Maybe you are a good investigator.”

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

We carefully moved around to the front of the shack, which had a window on each side of the only door. As we got closer, we could see one guy inside, sprawled out on the couch with a computer on his lap. He was in his thirties and kind of pudgy but looked like he’d been in pretty good shape at one time. Now he just looked like a couch potato. The fireplace made the room look cozy, and for some reason it pissed me off.

Natty eased up beside me and took a peek.

Then I realized what was on a plate next to him on the couch: a piece of Bailey Mae’s coffee cake.