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Benson.”
    “Hello.
What did you find out?”
    “I
had two of my deputies go out in the truck and investigate the area down the
mountain side from your rental cabin. They found an area of the road leading
southwest near a hotel and restaurant where the guard rail was broken. Skid
marks there led them to believe that there had been an accident and that a car
went over the edge of the cliff. At the base of the mountain they discovered a
2014 BMW 428i xDrive Coupe, color silver.”
    “My
God, that is my husband’s car! Is Stephen ok? Was he trapped inside the car?”
    “What
time did you say that your husband left from the cabin in the car?”
    “He
went out last night around 10:15 just after we got back from dinner. He just
left to run a quick errand and never returned.”
    “Ok
so we’ve located the vehicle. It must have skidded and crashed into the guard
rail and then took a long fall from the roadside. It fell hundreds of feet down
the mountain, was completely totaled, and partly covered in snow. My deputies
cleared the car as best they could to have a look inside.”
    Tammy
swallowed hard and sounded on edge. “And? Is my husband dead?”
    “Mrs.
Worthington, I don’t know how to tell you this. Nobody could have survived a
fall like that. But when they looked inside the car, it was completely empty.
We have a car identified that was in a terrible accident, but there’s no body.”

FOUR
    Tensing her body, Tammy
leaned forward, staring at the cell phone in astonishment. She had a morbid,
sinking feeling, and her heart was racing. It took her a lot of effort just to
breathe in the cold, smoke-filled air. What on Earth is going on here, she
thought, and why the hell is everything going so wrong. She spoke with
trepidation into the cell phone. “How the hell can a car go over a cliff with
nobody in the damn thing? Where then is my husband?”
    “Ma’am,
I don’t have any further explanation at this time. All I can tell you is that
with the rate the snow is falling right now, we won’t be able to dig that car
out until the weather changes.”
    “But
then he must have been thrown from the car somewhere before it crashed. Could
he be buried in the snow? Did you call the hotel and restaurant down the road
from here? Maybe he’s there and can’t get through to me! I need to know where
in the hell he is.”
    “We’re
doing our best and making plenty of inquiries. Do you have supplies in your
cabin?”
    “I
have some food and water. I already dang well told you that the heat is out! I
lit a fire in the fireplace this morning and nearly died from inhaling smoke.
Can you frickin’ understand that?”
    “Yes,
I can understand everything. Our trucks can’t easily get that far up the
mountain. My best advice for now is to stay inside the cabin and use blankets
and extra clothing to keep warm. What is most important is that you stay safe,
right where you are, and not panic. We’ll locate your husband, Mrs.
Worthington.”
    Tammy
ended the call abruptly and hurled the cell phone at the sofa cushion. Then she
lay on the living room floor with her head pressed against her hands. She felt
a bolt of pain shoot up her spine and made every attempt to calm herself and
avoid one of her paralyzing headache spells. She was completely frazzled and
wanted some answers.
    After
a few minutes she walked into Maria’s room. Maria was wrapped in blankets and
seated near the window. “Are you warm enough and breathing ok?”
    “I
guess so. But who was that calling you? Was it dad?”
    “No,
honey, it was the police calling me back. They’re looking around for his car. I’m
sure we’ll know more in a little while.” Tammy sounded anxious. “I need to
clean things up in the rest of the cabin. Why don’t you go outside and play in
the snow. After all, that’s what you’ve been waiting to do, right? We can keep
this window open while you’re outside until the rest of the smoke clears out of
the room.”
    Maria
nodded. She