***
Russell could no longer stand it. Something is horribly wrong. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and ran from the office.
"Get the jet, Rhonda. I have to get to Colorado."
Rhonda nodded and picked up the phone, knowing there'd be no way to even slow her husband down. She was just as worried.
Chapter 16
Emily quickly arrived at the old riding trails on the property. They were overgrown with weeds but at least she wouldn't have to do too much dodging which would slow her down. As she got close to the water, she stopped and looked around for any clues. She didn't find any until she reached the lake. Near a big boulder were food wrappers blowing around on the ground. He's been here. She turned off the four-wheeler and yelled for Parker. The echoes came flooding back to her. Starting it back up, she headed east where the overgrown trail continued. Emily was careful to stop frequently and tie the orange tourniquets in visible places, not for herself, but if Parker found them, he'd know where to go. The markers would lead him back to the lake.
***
Russell called for a helicopter while in transit to Colorado, from the same company he used to scout the Carson property before the purchase. With a lot of financial incentive, he got them to agree to fly over the area and look for his brother. He'd never been so worried and terrified in his life.
After an hour and a half, Russell was handed the phone on the jet.
"We didn't spot him. The pilot covered the area your brother could have reached, but we didn't see him, just a woman riding a four-wheeler. The pilot returned. Sorry, Mr. Davis."
"Put him on the phone!" Parker waited impatiently for the pilot. He didn't even give the man a chance to say hello. "Get your ass back out there before we lose daylight!" Russell slammed the phone down.
Emily saw the helicopter and figured that Davis Enterprises had gotten someone in the air. Hopefully they could spot him. But if Parker was in the pines, they wouldn't have any luck. Emily didn't even wander there. Even though she was experienced, she knew that one could quickly become turned around if they didn't use markers. She stopped again and yelled. She cranked up the speed, grinding into fifth gear, hoping the noise would carry. He has to be in the woods or the chopper would have spotted him. Emily climbed off the four-wheeler when she reached the end of the clearing. She grabbed her supplies, the handful of markers, and entered the acres of pines.
Parker heard the sounds of a helicopter. He took off in a run to find a clearing. Soon, the sound of hope became farther away. I'm not getting out of here. Then he heard the distant sounds of an ATV. Come on, come on, come on! He wasn't able to tell which direction they were coming from. Then the sound stopped. They left. Parker felt absolutely hopeless.
"Parker!" Emily frequently yelled.
Parker heard the voice and yelled back. "I'm here! I can't get to you!"
"Parker, it's Emily! Don't move, I'll find you! Talk to me!"
Parker couldn't tell who it was or what they said, so he sang every song that came into his head, making up the words when he didn't know them.
It was darker in the pines, so Emily turned on her flashlight. The sound seemed to still be far away. Looking at her hand, she was dismayed to find she only had two more tourniquets left.
"I have to go back out! Stay where you are, I'm going for more help!"
He could only hear echoes and unclear words. Parker was aware that someone knew he was in the woods, and that was comforting to his panicked mind. He hoped they wouldn't stop looking for him. He continued to sing; his voice was getting pretty worn out. He no longer heard the sounds of someone yelling. They left too.
Emily ran back out to the clearing and, as fast as she could, she gathered stones, tinder, and kindling to start a fire. It took her a while to find the materials and get a fire going of decent size. Hopefully if the chopper came back they'd spot it, or someone would see the smoke over the tree lines. The sun was going down, and Emily knew the window for finding Parker was getting smaller.
It was dark where Parker was. Not as black as the night he'd experienced when he got turned around, but definitely on its way. No one is coming. He was losing hope as the thoughts of being there another night began to set in. He could no longer sing; his voice had gone a while ago. His throat was dry, hurting, and he never needed water so badly. Standing here isn't going to get me home. I have to get out of these trees. Parker used the rest of his energy to walk.
***
Emily knew she had to leave, but if she did that she'd have to extinguish the fire. She didn't want Gerald to worry about her and get a search party to come find her when she wasn't the one lost. Then it hit her. I'll stay out here. Hopefully help will come. She kept the fire fed and propped herself up against the tire of the four-wheeler.
***
Gerald waited until an hour past dark. Emily should have been back and knew better than to be out there in the dark. True to his word, Gerald phoned the sheriff.
"James, this is Gerald Wilkerson."
"Evenin', Gerald. What can I help you with?"
"Emily Carson went out looking for a lost friend. She's still out there, James. I need someone to look for her."
James listened to as much information that Gerald could provide. James Dyle went to high school with Emily and was more than willing to help find her.
"I have horses if you need them. I'm too old to ride now, but if need be, I'll do it."
"I'll get some men out there. It'll be too difficult in the dark. We'll wait until first daylight, then head out."
Gerald sat at the kitchen table until two in the morning, hoping Emily would come through the door. He startled awake in the chair, then got up and put a pot of coffee on.
***
Emily heard the chopper blades again in the distance. She hadn't let the fire die down, even using her flashlight to go gather more wood. Come on you guys, see the fire! The sound grew louder as the chopper got closer, then the spotlight blinded her. It continued past and hovered over to another spot farther in the clearing, where it landed. Emily kept her eyes covered. The motor shut off on the chopper and the pilot climbed out and ran to her.
"I saw your fire."
"Good, that's why I made it. A man named Parker Davis is lost out in the pines. They go on for about five thousand acres before there's another decent clearing. We need to get him out of there."
"Russell Parker sent me up in the air. I didn't see anything the first go through, so he sent me back up. Good thing he did." Alex was glad he had something to report. He certainly didn't want to get yelled at again.