Chapter 2

Bo Buchannan rubbed his head tiredly, torn between wanting to believe that his niece might still be alive, but unsure as to how it was possible. He had watched as John had collapsed on the side of the well, insisting on having seen Natalie.

Only it didn't make sense.

They hadn't found a body under the rubble.
CSU was looking for more clues.
But for now, he had to tell the family that the search had yielded nothing concrete.
That as far as the LPD was concerned Natalie wasn't held there.
It was just another red herring.

And yet, there was something nagging him.
A voice insisting that he was missing something.
An instinct insisting that she was alive.

Only there was no proof.

As he walked into the living room of Lanfair his attention was focused on Vickie, who was immediately on her feet. "Bo. . ." she started only to stop at his look. "No. . ."

"We don't know anything for sure. John thought. . . we didn't find a body, but. . . Vickie, I think you should have Clint come. If she's found. . ."

"What do you mean if?" Kevin questioned.

"At this point, it just. . .I'm sorry, we're doing everything we can. We'll keep doing it. But after this much time. With Hayes not talking. . ." he let his voice trail off.

"Are you giving up on my daughter?" Vickie asked.

"No. But I can't keep putting these resources out. It's not that I don't want to. But there is going to be a time when I have to answer to someone else. Besides, my brother should be here. The longer this goes on the more she's going to need the entire family," Bo answered. "In the meantime, I'm heading back to the mountain. I still can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something. That there's a place up there that we've missed. We she could be."

Nodding, Vickie collapsed back into a chair as he started out, with Kevin and Antonio following. As they got to the door, Bo paused. "What?"

"You said you didn't find a body. What happened up there?" Kevin asked.

"John thought she might be in a well. Said he saw her. It caved in. We got most of it cleared out, but haven't found her, or her body."

"But about the heat scanners?" Antonio posed.

"They haven't picked up anything."

"Do you think she's dead?" Kevin asked.

"I don't want to. But if John did see her. . ." Bo shook his head. "We can't get someone down there until it's been shored up. I'm hoping that maybe she managed to roll herself out of the path of danger. But the longer she's down there--- if she's down there. . ."

"And the longer we can't find her or a body. . ." Antonio surmised.

"The smaller our chances," Bo agreed.

"You need an extra set of hands?"

"More like eyes, on McBaine and Rex."

"You got us," Kevin said.

"No, you stay with your mother. Call Clint. Get a hold of Asa."

"What about me?"

"Come on. We're wasting time. And I need to concentrate on this. About what I'm not seeing. There's got to be somewhere up there. . . a place I haven't thought to look. That none of us have."

"I'll call Cord, maybe he'd know. Or Max Holden. Maybe when they were building Serenity Springs. . ." Kevin suggested.

"In the meantime, I could send a couple of men up there. Look through it. He might have locked her in there somewhere, but somehow I can't see that being the place."