Chapter 3
I could only catch bits and pieces of what the old folks were saying in their dialect. After a whole lot of guessing and waving my hands around, I still didn't manage to get anything useful out of them.
As the sun was setting, a middle-aged man approached me.
"Are you looking for two guys who look almost identical?" he asked.
I jerked my head up.
"Yes! Have you seen them?" I blurted out.
I eagerly pulled out a solo photo of Ethan and showed it to him.
The man squinted at the picture, stayed silent, and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
I got the hint.
I emptied all the cash from my wallet—about 350 dollars—and stuffed it into his hand.
The man weighed the cash in his hand, but then his gaze shifted to the silver bracelet on my wrist.
It was a birthday gift from Ethan, something I carried it with me all the time.
The man finally looked satisfied.
He pointed toward the depths of the woods and said, "They went up the mountain out back."
He said that about seven days ago, it had rained recently, and the trails in the woods were still slick and muddy.
"That car had low clearance, not really made for mountain roads. It broke down on a hill," he explained.
"I helped them push their car, so I got a good look at both. They looked almost identical, probably twins," he added.
My heart sank, and I asked urgently, "Which way did they go?"
"That mountain to the east," the man said.
He gestured with his chin toward the east.
"If you cross it, you'll find an old abandoned logging site. The path's pretty rough, almost nobody goes there," he added.
"Did you see them again after that?" I asked.
The man shook his head.
"Never saw them again. There's no cell service up there. Nobody goes up that mountain," he replied.
I stood up, gazing at the pitch-black woods behind the mountain, my heart racing.
Night had completely fallen, and I had no clue how to handle those mountain trails totally unfamiliar with. Heading up there now would be asking for trouble.
I went back to my car, reclined the seat, and made do for the night.
I barely slept at all that night.
All I could think about was Ethan's face.
I kept picturing his smile when he promised he'd protect me forever, the way he comforted me through the pain after the accident, and how he softly told me to be careful before heading off to the mountains.
He said when he got back, he'd take me to see my favorite flower fields.
I buried my face in my arms, tears silently streaming down my cheeks.
What did that guy pretending to be Ethan do to him? My chest was tightening with worry.
I was up before sunrise the next morning.
This time, I didn't stick around by the woods. I drove straight to the nearest police station.
"I need to file a report," I told them.
"My husband and I got separated in the mountains, and he still hasn't come down," I added.
I lied, because that was the only way they'd help me look for Ethan.
Just like I expected, the moment they heard someone got lost up in the mountains, the cop on duty put out a call to his higher-ups.
Less than thirty minutes later, a bunch of officers and police dogs showed up, ready to help.
The team was led by a seasoned cop in his forties. He looked like someone one could really count on.
The police dogs was legit, too. The moment we stepped onto the mountain, it went wild, barking and dove right into the trees.
The deeper we ventured into the woods, the more anxious I became.
If Ethan was really out here, was he even still alive? My chest was tightening with dread.
I followed the police dog and the officers as we searched deeper into the grove of locust trees.
The dog kept sniffing around the woods, but never barked again or gave any clear alert.
We searched from dawn until the sun started to set, scouring every inch of the abandoned logging site behind the mountain.
There wasn't a single clue about Ethan, not even the faintest trace that he'd ever been there.
The lead officer walked over to me, his voice heavy with resignation.
"Mrs. Shaw, the mountain's terrain is tricky, and there's zero cell service. We've searched everywhere we could, but there's nothing, no sign of him at all. We have to wrap things up for now," he said.
I stood there, frozen, as despair washed over me like a tidal wave.
Ethan had to be here somewhere. There was no way he could disappear without a trace. I refused to believe it.
The officers started heading back one by one, but I stubbornly refused to leave.
On the verge of despair, I suddenly spotted a light gray hiking jacket hidden behind a fallen log.
It was the very jacket Ethan wore when he set out for his trek in the snowy mountains!
My heart froze for a moment, then started pounding so loud it drowned out everything else. I could only hear the thunder of my own heartbeat.
I lunged forward, snatching up the jacket. The icy fabric sent a wave of emotion through me, and tears welled up in my eyes.
My fingers trembled as I anxiously rummaged through every pocket of the jacket. When I reached the inside pocket, my fingertips suddenly touched something cold and hard—plastic.
Holding my breath, I slowly pulled out a small black USB drive.