The woods closed in around them.
As they followed a path of fading footprints back through the trees, Candy couldn’t help but feel there was another world that existed here when humans weren’t around. The silence of the winter forest seemed to have a sound of its own, an ever-present whisper that came from all around them, disturbed only by the crunch of their boots on the snowpack and the rattle of bare branches in the faint wind. The woodland animals were invisible in the landscape, tucked into their dens or hiding spots, shivering silently as they waited for the visitors to pass.
Or maybe they were hiding from something else.
Ben must have felt it too, because he said nothing. Instead, his eyes scanned the woods ahead of them, carefully picking out the best path for them between the trees, bushes, outcroppings of rock, and fallen branches and trunks, eyes ever watchful.
“Stay close,” he said to her again, in a low tone, as he detoured around a fallen pine tree with an extensive root system that had been plucked out of the ground at some point in the recent past, perhaps during one of the fierce spring storms of the past few years.
Once they were on the other side of the fallen tree, Ben had difficulty picking up Solomon’s trail. There were several sets of footprints here, all moving around and across each other. It was probably a place where the police officers who had searched the woods the previous day had gathered to compare notes and decide their next move.
After studying the area for a few minutes, Ben finally pointed to a set of footprints that angled off from the others, headed back into the densest part of the forest. “It’s just a hunch, but I’d say he came from that direction.”
Candy followed his gaze. “Why that way?”
“Well, the pattern on the bottom of the boots looks fairly well worn. My guess is Solomon doesn’t go shopping much. Plus they’re more indistinct than the other tracks, so it’s likely they were made earlier. And besides”—Ben pointed down at his handheld GPS device, which he’d pulled out of his coat pocket—“they lead off in the general direction of Solomon’s camp.”
Candy whistled. “Wow, that’s impressive. You been reading a lot of mystery novels lately?”
He gave her a boyish grin. “I lean more toward James Bond and old Alistair MacLean adventures. Shall we?” He tilted his head toward the miasma of grays, browns, and dark shadows at the heart of the forest, and they started off again.
The footprints changed direction several times, first heading off in a northerly direction, then angling off to the northeast before swinging northwest. “It’s like he couldn’t decide which direction to head,” Ben said. “He was stumbling around.”
“Maybe he was injured.”
“Or scared.”
“Because he was being chased?”
Ben raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.
They followed the tracks into a low area, where they managed to cross over the thin ice of a frozen stream without falling in, and climbed up the bank on the other side. Here the trees were less dense, and the woods opened up, so they could see all the way to a rocky outcropping a few hundred yards away, at the top of a gradual slope.
But Solomon’s tracks had disappeared.
They searched the high bank in both directions, but all signs of him were gone.
However, they soon came across another set of the large prints in the snow.
“Too big for deer, and not quite the right shape,” Ben said, crouching down to get a better look. “They’re moose tracks.”
Candy felt a chill go through her. “A moose? Out here?”
Ben straightened. “That what it looks like, and from the size of the tracks he must be a big fellow.”
Candy blinked several times and turned in both directions, searching the woods around them, suddenly alert.
“Something wrong?” Ben asked, watching her.
“I don’t know. It’s just… I saw a moose last night.”
Ben grinned. “You did? Where?”
“Behind the farm. I had trouble falling asleep, so I got out of bed to look out the window. And I saw it. It walked right out of the woods and turned up along the edge of the field, sauntering along as if it didn’t have a care in the world. So you think it’s the same one?”
“It could be. What did it look like? How big?” Ben asked, gesturing with his hands.
“Big,” Candy said. “No antlers. And it was white.”
“White?”
“Well, at least that’s how it looked in the moonlight.”
Ben sounded impressed. “I haven’t heard of a white moose sighting in this area for years. I wonder what it’s doing around here.”
“Maybe it senses something strange going on in the woods,” Candy said, speaking before she had a chance to think about what she was saying. “Maybe… maybe it’s here for a reason. Maybe it was drawn here because of—”
She broke off when she saw the strange look on Ben’s face. “But that’s crazy, isn’t it?” she said after a few moments.
“What’s crazy?”
She hesitated but decided she might as well finish what she’d started saying. “That the white moose has something to do with Solomon’s disappearance. That it’s here for a reason. Something drew it here, something that’s not right. It came here to…” But she stopped herself again, as if she’d just listened to what she was saying. “Okay, yeah, that does sound a little crazy.”
Ben let out a breath. “I think we’re both letting our imaginations get away from us. But I have to be honest with you. After what’s happened around this town the past few years, I’ve learned to discount nothing. At least, not until we know what’s going on.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “Come on, let’s keep looking.”
They followed the moose tracks in silence so they could tune in to the sounds of the forest. The woods grew dense again, with thick undergrowth and dark gray branches overhead. Flakes of snow filtered down through the canopy. The day had turned colder. Candy was starting to feel it in her bones.
Ben stopped her suddenly and put a finger to his lips. “Shhh.”
He pulled her aside, behind the thick trunk of a tall pine.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“I think we’re being followed.”
“By who?” Cautiously, she stuck her head out from behind the tree. She studied the woods they’d just come through. “I don’t see anyone.”
“I know. Listen.”
They were both silent as they huddled together against the tree, his arms around her.
When the sound came, from their left, their heads turned toward it in unison.
“I heard that,” Candy whispered, alert for any movement.
“Me too.”
“What do you think it is?”
“I don’t know,” Ben said.
They heard it again, a rattling in the woods.
“I think we should check it out,” Candy said. “It might be Solomon.”
Ben thought about that. The concern was clear on his face. “I’ll check it out,” he said after a few moments. “You stay here. I’ll be right back.”
She grasped his arm. “Where are you going?”
“To investigate.”
“But you said we should stay together.”
“I’ll feel better if you stay here.” He patted her hand. “Don’t worry. It’s probably just a deer or something. I’ll be right back.”
He headed off through the trees and was gone.
Candy found herself strangely calm as she waited, alone. She’d been in these woods many times before. She knew them well. But she also knew there were all sorts of creatures around, including black bears and even a few wolves.
She felt strangely unprotected, and wished she had a weapon. Maybe a knife. Or maybe just a heavy iron frying pan, which she could use to deliver a good blow if she needed to.
She heard another sound, coming from the other direction, opposite from the way Ben had gone.
“Ben!” she whispered loudly. “Is that you?”
There was no answer.
“Ben!” More sharply this time.
She heard the sound again.
It was coming from somewhere off to her right, behind a dense stand of brown bushes.
She saw movement then and jumped back, hugging the tree.
When she looked again, she saw a section of the bushes swaying.
Something’s back there! she thought.
She looked around the tree in the opposite direction.
Ben was nowhere to be seen.
She thought of calling out to him again but hesitated. She didn’t know what was in the woods with her. Best to keep a low profile.
Taking a deep breath, she edged around the curve of the tree so she could get a better look at the surrounding landscape. If she moved off to her right, she could circle around behind the bushes so she could see who—or what—was back there.
She stepped out as stealthily as possibly, placing her boots down slowly to minimize their crunch. The bushes were rattling again. Something was pushing against them and yanking at them.
It took her several minutes to move into position, crossing patiently from tree to tree, taking her time. She heard a snort and the rustle of something pawing at the ground. The bushes snapped.
As Candy stepped behind the final tree trunk, she heard heavy footsteps shuffling nearby, then coming toward her. In a moment of panic she knew she’d been spotted. She thought of running but kept still, until the footsteps stopped.
She slid slightly to her left, cautiously rounding the tree trunk, trying to look beyond the curve of the tree, but at first she could see nothing. Mustering up all her courage, she scooted farther around the trunk.
And found herself face-to-face with the white moose.