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to peer into the car.
    He‟d kicked the snow from the plates, so he was expecting to find a couple of frozen tourists in there. The couple Byers had been concerned about. His gut was knotting at the prospect.
    But all he could see in there was darkness. And the frost crusting the opposite windows.
    Makenzie took a step back and his gaze hunted around.
    He‟d popped his holster as soon as he‟d stepped from his truck; they‟d had a world of trouble with coy-dogs this past week, packs of them even scavenging in the town. But everyone knew, Makenzie had made sure of that. Surely to Christ these folks would have the sense to stay in their vehicles and wait for help. Get busy dialling on their cellular phones.
    Makenzie worked his steady way along the small convoy, but as he scraped the ice at each window he thought he should be searching the wooded slopes instead. Down to the lake, or up towards Mount Shaw. Made no difference either way, none of these folks would have made it very far in this weather.
    They‟d gone though. All of them.
    As Makenzie stalked past the lead truck he was almost hoping to find a body in the wreck Laurie had found. He didn‟t feel like hurrying his approach though. She was waiting on him by the upended tail.
    „Oklahoma plates,‟ she said. And that was like a bolt through Makenzie‟s chest.
    Dear Jesus, no. He had to inspect them for himself, to be certain. His eyes were permanently narrowed anyway, against the swirl of flakes hitting his face, but he knew his frown had just got a whole lot tighter. Along with the knot in his gut, which was never going away.
    „Where the wind blows,‟ he tried a joke, for his own sake.
    „What about the others. Chief?‟ Laurie was reading all kinds of stuff in Makenzie‟s face.
    „Nothing.‟ Makenzie gestured up and down the road and the hillside. Seems none of them were for sitting still but if they‟d followed the road we‟d have seen them.‟
    Wherever they‟d thought they were, they had to know Melvin Village was closest. Laurie bit her lip and was probably running through the same thoughts as Makenzie.
    „I‟ll go take a look up the slope, Chief. The trees are pretty dense up there, might have kept the worst of the snow off their tracks.‟
    Makenzie didn‟t like it, but he wanted to have a good dig round inside this upended Buick. Now there was a more personal worry to add to his growing list. Laurie took his nod for a green light and Makenzie watched her go for a second or so before walking around the wreck to the driver‟s door. It was hanging open.
    The inside was a mess: cigarette packs, take-out cartons, a flotilla of plastic cups down by the passenger seat. The glove box was hanging open like the door. And when he swung around to pop the trunk, he found the worst of omens waiting for him: an untidy pile of boxes, all shiny gift-wrap and ribbons. Makenzie gritted his teeth and delved in there to grab one of the boxes. He knew what he‟d find on the label but he needed to read it anyway.
    „Happy Thanksgiving. To Amber With Love, Daddy.‟
    The impulse to throw the box back in the car was strong, but Makenzie weathered it, holding the package clumsily for a while and thinking about collecting them all. He wouldn‟t need help carrying them to his truck, but he‟d sure as hell need Laurie to talk to on this one.
    „Laurie!‟ he called. „You haven‟t got anything yet, I think we should be heading back!‟
    Makenzie looked up. Laurie‟s silence was all wrong. Badly wrong.
    „Laurie!‟ Only a cold echo came back at him, sounding angry now. „Laurie!‟
    But his deputy was lost in an ocean of white.
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    White Shadow operated as a platoon-sized unit, trimmed and pruned to fit its role. Three squads plus a headquarters squad of key specialist personnel. McKim‟s squad, Delta, was stationed with the vehicles. That still left plenty of orders to be issued and Captain Shaw was out doing his