Chapter 2
Zach frowned. "What do you mean, where is Ethan? I thought you two were joined at the hip." She put one hand on her hip and waved a piece of paper with the other one. "He left me a note saying that he had some serious thinking to do, and that he would be gone a day or two." Zach's lips quirked. "Is it so wrong for the boy to want some privacy? Maybe he feels suffocated, though I wish he had chosen to go back to England. I don't think a day or two is going to give him what he needs." Kendall sighed and shook her head. "I'm not worried about him being alone with his thoughts, you idiot. Maybe you've spent too much time in the desert and therefore lack serious understanding, so let me educate you. There is a snow storm brewing and it is going to be major. This is not the time to be travelling, this is the time to be hunkering down with reinforcements."
Zach narrowed his eyes. "You have a point, there." He casually walked past Kendall and into her condo. She followed him. "What do you think you're doing?" He looked around. "Trying to find some clue as to where he went." He walked over to the telephone and picked up a brochure. "Is this yours?" She took it, and shook her head. "No. This is for a place between here and Llanview that has mountain cabins for rent. I thought it was shut down during the winter." Zach took the brochure from her and dialed the telephone. He quickly learned what he needed to know, and hung up. "It looks as if the cabins are for rent in the winter, and Ethan reserved one today." Kendall put her hand to her mouth. "The mountains are the worst possible place to go in a blizzard. He's insane. I have to go after him." She grabbed her coat. "I'll go with you," he said. "You are not wanted or needed," she flung at him. He shook his head. "I may not be wanted, but I am damn well needed. I may have lived in the desert a number of years, but I do know a think or two about storms. It is much better to be in pairs when you are out in one. I won't take no for an answer." She sighed. "Fine. But hurry!"
Zach grabbed his coat and they took off in his Range Rover. They drove in silence, broken by the occasional instruction from Kendall on where to turn. It had been snowing lightly when they left, and when they were halfway to their destination it began to get thicker and thicker. Zach asked her what Ethan was driving, and she told him that he was leasing a Honda Civic. Zach grimaced and noted that it wasn't the best vehicle for driving mountain roads in the snow. Kendall flicked her eyes around the Rover. "I bet this does well on rough terrain. But you know, you could have just bought a Ford Explorer and strapped a 100 grand to the hood." Zach glanced over at her. "You got that from an episode of Murphy Brown." Her eyes widened. "You watch sitcoms?" Zach shrugged. "I had a girlfriend who liked that particular show, and thought it was warm and fuzzy for us to watch it together. I drew the line, though, at Mad About You." Kendall laughed. Then, surprised at herself, she fell into silence.
As Kendall studied the cabin brochure. Zach noticed a car coming from the opposite direction. It was a Honda Civic. He wasn't positive, but he was almost certain that the driver was Ethan. Obviously the boy realized he would be stranded and turned back. "How much further do you think it is to the cabin?" Kendall tapped the brochure. "I think about ten more minutes. Do you think we'll make it there?" Zach surveyed the disappearing horizon. "Its possible we'll make it there, but I doubt we could get back to Pine Valley. Once we get there, we are there until the blizzard is over and some of the snow melts." He glanced over at her. She looked pensive. "I really want to make sure Ethan is okay. It will be worth getting stuck at the cabins if I know he is alive and well." Zach's conscious told him to say that Ethan had already passed them. But his personal demon was insistent that everything was falling into place, and he would be a fool not to at least give it a shot. Zach stared out at the snow-encrusted highway and mused that this must be what the road to Hell looked like.