In the corner, a man sporting a checkered flannel shirt with a pair of overalls rocked back and forth. He clutched a pipe in his teeth and peered over the top of his glasses at Hawk.
“What brings you to this neck of the woods?” the man said aloud.
Hawk cocked his head to one side and turned toward the old man. “What draws anyone to this part of the world? The thirst for adventure? A desire to take in the amazing beauty of these mountains?”
The old man grunted. “I find most people who come here are running.”
“Running from what?”
“The past, the present. Hell, some people even run from their future. This is a great place to hide if you want to.”
“We’re not here to hide. I can assure you that much,” Hawk said. “We’re here to drink in all this place has to offer.”
The old man shook his head. “What we have to offer is a great place to hide. The rest of the postcard snapshots are rare moments that we hardly ever see around here, especially in the dead of winter when Mother Nature is having her way with us. When there’s ten feet of snow on the ground, you’re only going to see what she wants you to see.”
“I understand you’re having an unseasonably warm winter this year,” Hawk said.
“Yeah, only about two feet on the ground right now, but I hear a howler is coming from the west. Those are the worst. You need to watch out for them if you’re going to be venturing into the wilderness area.”
“We’ll be careful, sir, but thanks for the heads up.”
“Good luck,” the old man said.
Hawk helped unload their vehicle and ushered Alex and Black to the two rooms facing Highway 93, which was heavily trafficked by tractor trailers hauling cattle, timber, and oil. Once the team settled in, they grabbed a late lunch from the only option available: a dingy diner connected to a gas station. Instead of enjoying the ambiance, they piled back into their SUV, stopping for a short spell to rent a trailer with two snowmobiles at a local outfitter company.
“Make sure you take an extra gas can with you and something to serve as a shelter in case you get stuck,” the owner advised. “Snowstorms can sneak up on you out here.”
Hawk nodded. “An old man at the motel we're staying at told me that a big storm was coming, but I didn't see one forecast for this area.”
“That was probably Gordon Gentry. If he said there’s a storm a’ comin’, you better believe him. He gets an ache in his knee when a blizzard is brewin’—and he’s never wrong.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hawk said before they paid and left with their snow vehicles in tow.
They bumped along the U.S. Forest Service roads that had been plowed by local logging companies. Hawk rolled along, driving cautiously on the slick surface.
“Glad you got those snow tires with this SUV?” Black asked.
Hawk nodded. “We’d be walking by now if we hadn’t.”
He glanced up the side of the mountain, inspecting the sparse cabins nestled up against the hillside. A few of them pumped smoke through chimneys.
“You wonder what would make a person live out in a place like this,” Alex said.
“Maybe these folks just want to get away from it all—and the beach isn’t their thing,” Hawk said.
“Obviously, people aren’t their thing either,” Black said.
“There are days I wouldn’t mind disappearing into the mountains never to be seen or heard from again,” Hawk said. “This job will do that to you.”
They continued along in silence until they reached the spot Alex had designated for them to set up their first reconnaissance mission, which was a side road that hadn’t been plowed. Hawk checked his watch. It was just past 3:00 p.m.
He climbed out of the SUV, his feet sinking in the thick snow as he hit the ground. Traipsing through the powder, he walked around the front and helped Alex out. She glanced around the area, which was marked by a thick mass of tall pines and low-hanging clouds that settled over the top of the forest. A crow sat on a tree overhead and squawked at the trio of intruders.
Hawk looked skyward in the direction of the bird. “You sure you’re going to be all right while we’re gone?”
“I’ll be monitoring you every step of the way,” she said. “Besides, you know I can hold my own. I figured you’d rather have me here so I can come save you when you two get pinned down.”
Black chuckled and pointed his index finger at Alex while looking at Hawk.
“She’s got quite the sense of humor,” Black said. “Don’t let go of her.”
“Maybe I don’t appreciate it as much as I should since I’m usually the butt of her improv comedy routines,” Hawk said.
“Yet you still have to admit that she's hilarious,” Black said.
“Maybe I’ll have her roast you a few times and see how you feel.”
“Wait,” Black said, his mouth falling agape. “The great Brady Hawk has feelings? I thought you were a tough guy. Tough guys don’t have feelings.”
Hawk clenched his fist and shook it at Black. “You’re gonna feel this if you don’t stop. We’re on a reconnaissance mission, remember?”
“How could I forget,” Black said as he climbed on top of a snowmobile and fired up the engine.
Hawk followed suit and backed down the ramp into the soft snow.
“Test, one, two,” he said. “Test, one, two.”
“I’ve got you loud and clear,” Alex said. “I’ve also got several more one-liners for both of you after you get back.”
Hawk sighed as he and Black worked to unload the snowmobiles. Once they were on the ground, the two agents mounted up and rode off. After cruising along for five minutes, Alex gave them directions over
