Before she could change her mind, she moved in and wrapped her arms around him, regardless of who might be watching, and kissed him passionately.
The Search
The Search
Constantly feeling victimized instead of taking the bull by the horns and making something of himself and his situation,
The Search
From their vantage point, they could see Jackson sitting on a boulder with his hands tied behind his back.
The Search
As they made their way quietly forward, they could hear yelling. It was couched in echoes and difficult to understand but clearly the individual was furious.
The Search
A frisson of excitement akin to what a thrill-seeker might feel hit June. It disturbed her as much as anything could have.
The Search
Nigel, had he looked, would have found her gorgeous green eyes enormous, overwhelming her face, the intensity of the situation holding her in its grasp.
The Search
“Your instructions were abundantly clear, and I understand them, I can envision them in my mind. I get that split-second timing is going to be essential. I’ll follow your lead, Nigel. I don’t want to make a mistake that could harm them.”
The Search
Nigel touched her arm, then held on firmly while pointing a couple of feet ahead. He moved closer and whispered, “They’ve been here, and recently. Those broken branches haven’t closed over.
The Search
A couple of years ago I painted a little girl in a sunhat hunkered down beside a stream, wild daisies surrounding her with a beautiful lawn in the background.
The Search
She figured he’d be tenacious and probably a perfectionist to some degree.
The Search
“Possibly. How about you? Any significant other in your life?””Once, a long time ago. A lifetime ago. Like you, work has consumed me, rather I’ve allowed it to consume me.”
The Search
He turned and smiled. Within seconds he was stripping, prepared to enter the waterfall and he grinned when she became aware and pinked up. Delightful! “Won’t belong!”
The Search
“God, I must smell like a horse after a long run. Ugh!” June sniffed.
The Search
“There’s someone back there but it’s blurry, to begin with, then in the next shot, they seem to be heading toward the photographer. It appears in the first photo as if their undivided attention is solely on Jackson. Then in the next shot, as they head toward the photographer you can clearly see they are angry.”
The Search
By the time they’d set up camp, Nigel was on his hand-held device talking with his base camp and when he was done, explained the other crews hadn’t found anything thus far but there had been a development.
The Search
“Nigel, can we take a minute and see if the clues add up to anything? I keep revisiting your idea that the manner he’s dropped them has meaning and it’s teasing my brain; I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it matters.
The Search
“What about Roland, would he leave everything to a trusted friend?”
The Search
They woke early, made coffee, ate snack bars and were on their way quickly.
The Search
“I’ve solved a few of those cases. Sometimes it can be good news, sometimes it’s simply tragic. There’s nothing worse than having a family member disappear off the face of the earth…the not knowing can eat away at the family forever.”
The Search
“If Jackson was the intended target, Roland’s presence might have caught them off guard. Maybe they didn’t know how to handle the situation and took him along too, or maybe they needed him.”
The Search
There’s nothing worse than having a family member disappear off the face of the earth…the despair of not knowing eats away at the family forever.”
The Search
“Yeah, glad to have put that particular chapter of my life behind me.”
“Were you the terror of the neighbourhood, Nigel?” June asked with a grin.
The Search
“Ok, you can get up now.”
June did so, moving slowly. “Where did that come from?”
The Search
“Northwest.”
“A warning shot?”
“Not sure but I’d say we’re getting close enough to make someone nervous.”
The Search
For the remainder of the night, they took turns keeping a constant vigil. The situation was unnerving and June admitted she was relieved Nigel was there.