The Romanov Ransom

8

Sam and Remi left before dawn the following morning. Rain wasn’t expected until late in the afternoon, giving them some hope that they’d have a chance to find the Hoffler brothers before the height of the storm. And though Sam wanted to believe that Karl and Brand were merely running behind schedule and that nothing was wrong, between their frantic voice mail message, and then the theft of Remi’s purse last night, his instinct told him that the best-case scenario was a rescue mission and the worst-case was a recovery mission. As much as he hoped for the former, he and Remi were prepared, the back of their Toyota four-wheel drive filled with climbing gear and a trauma kit, as they followed behind Durin and Zakaria in Durin’s silver Nissan X-Trail.

The drive took them through the countryside, where the fields of cactus seemed at odds with the Atlas Mountains in the distance. Eventually, the desert landscape gave way to rolling foothills, which turned to craggy peaks and valleys before leveling off to a high-desert plateau. After several hours on the road, Durin slowed, then stopped on a road that paralleled a steep ravine to their right.

Sam pulled up behind him. He and Remi got out, joining Durin and Zakaria at the edge of the roadway. Durin lit a cigarette, though it took him a few tries as the wind whipped across the plateau. He nodded toward the mountains in the distance. “That’s where they went.”

Sam took his binoculars to have a look, but saw nothing on the other side except high-desert scrub. “Mind narrowing it down a bit?”

“Across the gorge. You see that rock that looks like a giant camel’s head on the crest of that ridge?” Durin stepped closer to him, pointing. “Looks almost like it’s balancing on the edge.”

Sam saw an outcropping of rock that jutted up and out. Not quite a camel’s head. More like stacked wedges of Swiss cheese. “Got it.”

“That’s what the boys were talking about. Something called Camel Rock. It’s where they were heading when I left them here.”

Sam adjusted his focus, noticing it looked more like a camel’s head when it was blurry. He glanced over at Remi, who was searching for it with her own binoculars. “See it?”

She nodded.

He glanced at Zakaria. “We should probably get started.”

Zakaria eyed the steep cliff leading down to the valley below and the steeper climb up the other side. “That’s a long fall. You sure they went that way?”

“Ja.” Durin Kahrs used his cigarette to point out a possible path to their left. “Series of steep switchbacks. You can see the zigzag of a trail on this side leading down. That’s the path that Karl and Brand took. I’d guess a day and a half to get there and back.”

“Sure you don’t want to go with us?” Zakaria asked.

“If my sister were better, I would.” He looked at his watch. “I really have to get going. Good luck to you.”

As Durin drove off, Sam peered through his binoculars following the route Durin said the brothers took. The trail seemed treacherous, the switchbacks steep in some places, with a sheer drop down to the ravine below. At least a several hours’ trip to the bottom. Going up the other side didn’t seem much better, and he turned his attention to the sheer rock wall below so-called Camel Rock. Durin was right. There didn’t appear to be a direct route to the rock formation. The trail Durin pointed out would end up way above it. That left a lot of places that Brand and Karl could have fallen.

A movement near a boulder to the west of the site caught his eye as he panned the area. Mountain goat, he thought, trying to find it again until he spied something red on the rock below that. Adjusting the focus, he took a better look. “Wasn’t one of Albert’s nephews wearing a red jacket in the photo he showed us?”

Zakaria put his hands over his eyes, trying to see for himself. “Brand wore a red jacket. But if it’s his, where are they?”

“That,” Sam said, “is what we’re going to find out.” He studied the area from top to bottom. “For that jacket to be there, we at least know they made it to the other side.”

Remi surveyed the area. “There’s got to be a quicker way across this gorge than going down that trail.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for,” he said, sweeping his binoculars across the far side. “Over there.” He pointed in the opposite direction than the one Durin had indicated. “I think if we approach from the east instead, we can rappel down that rock wall and cut the time in half getting to the bottom of the gorge.”

“Starting from where?” Remi asked.

“About a half mile from here. See those two trees below the crest near that outcropping of rock?”

She turned her binoculars in that direction. “Got it.”

“Let’s drive over for a closer look.”

The area was even farther from the road. There was about a fifteen-foot descent to the trees, where they could anchor. An easy rappel from there to the bottom would cut significant time from their journey. “This’ll work.”

“What about when we get to the other side?” Remi asked.

Sam pointed. “We could scale up that rock face to the ledge where the jacket is. Or close to it. There’s a fairly even vertical crack running up from the bottom.”

“You think we can get to the ledge?” she asked, lowering her binoculars.

“Possibly, but that’s not what we’re aiming for.” He lifted his glasses, studying the crack line leading up the cliff.

She took another look, adjusting her focus. “What then?”

“If we climb past the height of the ledge and come in from above, we’ll have a better view.”

Zakaria stood near them. “What if they’re not there?” he asked. “Maybe they’ve already started back.”

They could only hope, but Sam doubted it. “If so, there should be some signs — assuming we can get there before the rain starts. We’ll see if we can track their direction. If they’re there, we should find them.”

A solid plan, he thought, glancing over toward Zakaria, who looked a bit pale as they slid into their harnesses and buckled on their helmets. “You’re sure you’re going to be okay here by yourself?”

Zakaria nodded as he eyed the gear hanging from their harnesses. “I’m more worried about you. That way seems dangerous. And the storm is coming in much faster than anticipated.”

“If they’re hurt,” Sam said, sliding his pack over his shoulders, “we need to get to them as soon as we can.”

Zakaria gave a dubious glance toward the sheer rock wall on the other side of the gorge. “How will I know if I need to go get medical help?”

A good question, since they had no idea if they’d have cell coverage at the bottom of the gorge or on the other side. This side was sketchy, the signal strength depending on where they stood. Remi had also packed a satellite phone, but they’d have to be out in the open. The last thing they wanted to do when time was of the essence was discover they had no way of calling for help.

“If,” Sam said, raising his arms above his head, then crossing them into an X, “you see either of us doing this, it means we need medical assistance or help getting to them.”

“And if you find them and they’re okay?”

“You watch American football?”

“Touchdown!” Zakaria’s eyes lit up as he raised both his arms over his head. A moment later, his expression turned serious. “Let’s hope you score.”

Sam tossed him the key fob, and Remi left him her extra pair of binoculars, before they started out. The dry red dirt crumbled beneath their feet as they made their way around the large boulders to the trees where they anchored their ropes. Just before they started down, Sam glanced back at Zakaria, and then the horizon, eyeing the dark clouds gathering in the distance.

Zakaria was right. The storm was coming in fast.