I’ve identified the exact location and the details of the threat, then the task force might be able to requisition a helicopter. Regardless, I have to investigate in person first before I make that call. I don’t want to waste time finding another guide, especially when you know exactly where to take us. The whole reason these guys grow weed in the wilderness is because it’s hard to stumble upon. Hard to find. We could hike in the general direction and still miss it. Wouldn’t you agree?”
She nodded. “You’re right. You need a guide. Hiking in could be dangerous for you, and I’m the one who found the site.” She folded her arms. “I just wasn’t prepared to hear that from you, is all. I’ll wrap my head around it and be ready.”
Griffin released some of his pent-up anger. He didn’t want to put Alice through this if they didn’t have to. But there really was no other way. The news had upset Griffin as much as Alice. On the other hand, he understood his uncle’s reasoning. It made sense. Total sense. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
“I’ll be there with two of my deputies, and Griffin, who has military experience and training. We’ll protect you.”
Her gaze flicked to him, antagonism apparent on her features. He hoped her resistance had nothing to do with his sudden appearance and the role he played in her past.
“When do you want to leave?” she asked.
“As soon as possible, but let’s think this through. Plan it out first.” He pressed his finger into the map. “You said it took you three days to hike to this point. The closest forest road to that point ends here. Will that get us there any faster than your route?”
“No, it would still take days to hike from that point through the mountains. And half a day to drive the road to even get to there. The designated wilderness region is just outside of fifty thousand acres.” Alice wasn’t telling Griffin’s uncle anything he didn’t already know on that point. “The fastest way I can get you there is to take the same route Marie and I took, though it won’t take quite as long since Marie and I took our time. Regardless we’ll have to gear up and backpack, travel according to the water sources to refill our supply.”
“That’s too long, Sheriff.” Deputy Edwards hiked his pants up by the belt. “There has to be a better way.” He stared at Alice as though expecting her to come up with another solution.
“There is.” Sheriff Kruse eyed his deputy, and then his eyes fell on Alice, his expression weighty. “The river cuts through here. If we take a raft down to this point, Bartlett Creek, and hike in from there, how much time would that save us?”
“Wait. You’re asking her to guide you down the river, too?” Griffin wished he could do much more than ask a question. He wanted to shield and protect her from this whole idea, but his words could do nothing to help her.
“Yes. The river twists and curves through the mountains, but I think it could save us some time. It should be quicker that way. And the faster we get there, the better.”
Griffin’s anger boiled, his indignation on Alice’s behalf skyrocketed. “No, Uncle Davis.” His uncle didn’t like him to address him personally when he was working in official capacity, but so be it. “It’s enough you’re making her go into the woods when she’s been traumatized. But the river...just no. If it takes us three days, it takes us three days.”
His uncle glowered at him, then flicked his gaze back to Alice. “How much time would this save us, Alice, if we stop off at this creek and hike in from this point?”
“It would save us almost two days, maybe a day and a half, depending on if we have to stop before we get to that point or if we run into issues on the river. But there’s a problem. You’ll need a special use permit to enter the wild section of the river.”
“I’ll clear it with the Bureau of Land Management. You’ve got the raft and everything we need here in Gideon to head out right now, don’t you?”
Deputy Edwards shook his head. “We don’t need her to guide us on a raft. We could just take a boat up the river. It would have to be a jet boat to get us over the rapids.”
“I happen to know for a fact the only person who has a jet boat in Gideon is Phil Howard, my cousin.” Deputy Reed scratched his nose. “And he took his boat over to Lake of the Woods for the week, which means we’d have to go all the way to Gold Beach for another one.”
Sheriff Kruse glared at his man. “That’s over a hundred miles up the river. It would take us all day. We’d have to start tomorrow. Using my plan, we could be where we need to be before dark tonight. Hike out before dawn and find that garden and head back. I don’t want to get stuck up there near the operation after dark. It’s the best way.”
Alice sucked in a few breaths like she might hyperventilate. “But the river... I haven’t been on the river in eight months... I...”
Griffin eyed his uncle. What was the man up to? He thought there might be three-parts truth, and one-part manipulation on his uncle’s part. Was he trying to get Alice back into the river for her own good? Or was Griffin reading too much into this?
“Do you mind if I speak with Alice alone?” Griffin asked.
His uncle hesitated, obviously afraid that Griffin was about to talk her out of it, but it was just the opposite actually.
“Go ahead, but make it quick.” His uncle held the door for the deputies. “We’ll be outside. I need to talk to my deputies, anyway.”
Once they were alone, Griffin wasn’t sure what he would say. But he had to somehow talk her down. If Uncle Davis insisted on using Alice, then the very least Griffin could do was instill confidence in her that she could handle this. It might make the difference between life and death. “Look, I don’t like this any more than you do.”
“I don’t think you understand. Just the thought of it gives me panic attacks. I wasn’t the one to drown, but I wake up with cold sweats at night even now from what happened.” Again Alice gulped for air.
He handed her a paper sack he found in a drawer. “Here, breathe into this.”
She took it eagerly. Inhaled and exhaled into the bag.
“You’re the best chance we have of getting there, Alice. You’re the best wilderness guide, the best river guide, regardless of what happened before.”
He tipped her chin up and looked in her eyes. His throat grew thick. Maybe he wasn’t the one to persuade her, but he couldn’t let his fear of getting close to her again get in the way. He needed to persuade her that she was still the best.
“You know how to get us there, where you’re going, where to take us. You’re the sheriff’s best chance of finding and stopping this illegal activity. The whole reason I put myself in harm’s way to get my stories is to shine a light in the dark places. To help right the wrongs in this world. To save people. To save animals and the land, the environment. If people like you and me don’t stand up for what’s right, don’t take a stand against people like these men growing marijuana, destroying ten acres for every one acre of pot they grow, then the problem can only get worse. Only get bigger.”
As he said the words, he watched the increasing anxiety in her face. A crushing sensation grew in his chest as a vise squeezed. Was he doing the right thing in convincing her?
God, please help me.
She averted her gaze and stepped away. “I need time to think it through.”
He was certain that self-doubt had to be the only thing standing in her way. The Alice he knew from before would be all over taking these guys down. If nothing else, Griffin had to encourage her.
“Everyone knows you’re the best white-water rapid guide there is. Everyone except you. What happened before was tragic, yes. Bad things happen to people all the time. I should know. I’ve spent my career taking pictures of those bad things.” His tone grew dark. Anger infused him at the atrocities. “We have a chance