Every Precious Thing

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

“The path arcs through these trees, then past a couple of large rocks, one on top of another,” Diana said. “After that, it’s almost a straight line into the park.”

They’d been moving as quickly as they could through the woods, but whatever tracks Sara might have left behind had been filled with muddy water.

“We should spread out,” Logan suggested. “In this weather she could be thirty or forty feet on either side of us and we’d never see her.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Richard argued.

“Stop it, Richard. He’s right,” Diana said. She pointed into the forest beside her. “You go that way about twenty yards. Logan, you do the same on the left.”

Logan tucked his gun into the waistband of his pants at the small of his back, and headed into the woods.

“Sara!” Diana called out.

“Sara!” Richard echoed.

Logan wanted to yell, too, but Sara wouldn’t know his voice, and if she heard him, she might run instead of stop. He plunged between the trees, his head swiveling back and forth, scanning as wide a range as he could. Every few seconds, he glanced at the ground, hoping to find some sign of her passage.

It wasn’t long before he realized he was moving faster than the others. Their voices fell farther and farther behind him, but he didn’t slow his pace.

Every few steps he wiped his forehead, the water flying off to the side. Though the tree cover did shelter him from some of the rain, it didn’t really matter. He was as soaked as if he’d just climbed out of a swimming pool.

Somewhere ahead were the two stacked rocks Diana had talked about. Once he reached them, he’d have to wait for her so he’d know which direction to go next.

As he stepped around another tree, his foot landed on an old branch and snapped it in two. He stumbled, but quickly regained his footing. As he looked up, he saw a flash of movement ahead.

Even with the reduced visibility, he knew it wasn’t a deer or some other animal living in the forest. It was a person.

Sara.

He started to run.