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“Will do. Can you take Trisha back to town?”

“Yep. All right. You have your gun?”

“I do.”

“Good. Call us later.”

Trisha’s eyes were wide with fear and question and relief that someone was taking her seriously. In fact, Jenna’s attention and intelligence were good things for Black Vulture, but I wouldn’t ponder that until later.

After I watched the small red car make it safely to the main road, I called Graham, who picked up on the first ring and told me that he’d get to me as quickly as he could.

CHAPTER

21

GRAHAM ARRIVED TWENTY-FIVE minutes later. He and his clothes and cap were caked in grime.

“You okay?” I asked as he came to a stop.

His cheeks and the back of his neck were rosy. “Got a little sunburned, but I’m drinking lots of water.” He held up a large aluminum bottle to prove it.

For a moment, I wondered if maybe I should ask to just use the ATV and let Graham relax inside the trailer, with the air-conditioning on. Not only was the desert wildlife dangerous, so was the heat. People who weren’t used to it could be caught off guard.

As if he was reading my mind, he smiled and said, “I’m good, Hazel. Let’s go look for your guys.”

I grabbed my own bottle of water from the floor of the Jeep and hopped on the back of the ATV, wrapping my arms around Graham.

“Which way?” he asked.

I thought about it for a minute. I had no idea where to look first.

I guessed and pointed to our left. “There and then we’ll grid back and forth as we make our way back here.”

“Got it.”

The ride was bumpy and hot as we went way far afield. As we rode, I kept my eyes peeled, and Graham would stop the ATV every now and then. We’d call out for Jerry and Joey.

Desert silence can be loud, layered with moans from the wind as well as the conversation from the wildlife. The only animal I heard was the distant squawky calls of a woodpecker.

After almost two full hours of searching, I thought we should probably be finished for the day, maybe try again later or tomorrow. But as Graham cut the engine and we both reached for our water bottles, I thought I heard something that sounded like a human groan.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

“Shh. Maybe.”

We didn’t breathe or move a muscle for thirty seconds or so. Finally, I called, “Jerry? Joey?”

Another groan sounded, but it wasn’t easy to tell from which direction it was coming.

“Go right,” I said.

“I think it’s left.”

“Shit.”

“Let’s listen again.”

The ground cover could be thick, but there were also barren spots. There were also spots where it could be near impossible to navigate either on foot or four wheels.