“Which could be easily faked.”
Right. The guy was an asshole. How could she have forgotten so soon? “I do have some experience, you know. I can sift through the bullshit.”
“I’m sure you can. But, whatever their reasons were, it was wrong of them to take off and leave the rest of us without a word about where they were going. And since Joe has most of our food, it’s downright irresponsible.”
“Maybe the food is in their tent. Did anyone search it?” She was willing to give the trappers the benefit of the doubt. They’d been hired for their hunting ability. After Vasily gave them grief about trying to do their job, it made sense they would have slipped away when he wasn’t paying attention. There probably hadn’t been an opportunity to let the others know. At least, that was what Nat hoped. There had to be a rational explanation.
“Not as far as I know, unless Lana did. We were too concerned with finding them. And after Joe nearly took my head off the other night, I certainly wasn’t going anywhere near their tent.”
“Understandable.”
Steven whistled under his breath. “Hey, check that out.”
Nat leaned forward, steadying herself on his arm to get a closer look. Snowshoe tracks. They were on the right path.
“And see the ski trail cutting across? That must be Lana’s. I can’t see her wandering off too far on her own. We should be close.”
That’s what she was afraid of. The skin on the back of her neck tightened, intense enough to make her shudder. “What do you think about what Lana said? About the blood? Do you think—”
“No. I’m thinking they killed something. It’s what they do, correct?”
Praying he was right, Nat followed Steven farther into the forest, focusing on the snowshoe tracks. They were fresh, proving that Joe and Anubha had been fine not long ago.
The trees thinned, and the forest ended abruptly. Directly ahead, Nat could see the remains of a small fire under a towering cedar. Two familiar figures huddled around it, their backs to Nat and Steven.
Relief giving her renewed energy, Nat hurried forward, her mouth open to call out when Steven threw out his arm, holding her in place. He held a finger to his lips. “Don’t move. Something’s not right.”
Then Nat saw the blood. It dotted the ground in ominous polka dots around the fire, circling to the cedar tree. Under the tree was a large, dark puddle, a stain on the snow that stretched nearly as long as the cedar’s shadow.
“We have to go to them, Steven.”
“I’ll go. You stay here.”
“What? I’m not staying here.”
Steven rested his hands on her shoulders, staring at her with those unnerving eyes of his. “They’re dead, Nat. Do you really want to see them like that? The only reason to go over there is to check for supplies we can use. They’re gone.”
“They’re not dead.” Nat tried to laugh, to show how ludicrous the very idea was, but it emerged as a strangled choke. “That’s crazy. They’re sitting right there.”
“Can’t you smell it?”
She hadn’t, until Steven pointed it out. Death. The sweet, iron tang of blood. “It could be an animal, like you said.”
“I don’t think so. Wait here. If I’m wrong, you’ll know in less than a minute.”
Heart in her throat, Nat hugged herself as Steven crept into the clearing, studying his surroundings like a rabbit watching for a hawk. When he reached the fire, he knelt in front of the trappers. She didn’t need to see the grimace on his face to know the truth. Anubha and Joe didn’t move. They didn’t say anything, or turn to wave at her. Either they were asleep, or…
Steven gently removed a strap from Anubha’s shoulder. Nat recognized it immediately. It was Joe’s backpack, the one they’d carried the food and cooking supplies in. Its existence, its very presence in that terrible place, confirmed their identities more than their clothing had. She wanted to wail as she remembered Anubha’s smile, Joe’s quiet confidence. How could they be gone? This had to be a nightmare, a horrible nightmare she’d soon awake from.
In spite of Steven’s caution, the movement was enough to disturb Anubha’s body. The woman fell backward, exposing a swollen face that was purple with bruises. Where her nose and eyes should have been were torn, bloody holes.
Nat screamed.
~ Chapter Ten ~
Nat trembled so violently she could barely push away the plate of spaghetti Steven offered her. Feeling her gorge rise, she covered her nose.
“No thanks. I don’t want any.”
“You have to eat something. I’m afraid you’re going into shock. How about a little coffee spiked with Igor’s finest?”
“I thought you didn’t approve of drinking.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, and these are definitely desperate times.”
Nat wondered how he could be so chipper. Every time she pictured Anubha’s mutilated face, she nearly lost it again. Who could have done that to her and Joe? They were such good people.
She’d wanted their bodies brought back to camp, but Steven had convinced her otherwise, fearing the smell might attract wild animals. Still, it bothered her to think of them out there alone, huddled around their dead fire. She’d make sure they got a decent burial if it was the last thing she did.
Vasily sat across from her, quietly eating his spaghetti and meatballs—the first time he’d shared a meal with the rest of the group. Maybe this tragedy would finally bring them together as a team, or perhaps the guide had just exhausted his supply of dried meat.
Nat never wanted to eat something from Joe’s backpack again, no matter how hungry she was. It felt like stealing.
“I think you’d better tell us about these snowmen.” Nat addressed the Mansi, careful to speak quietly, but she wasn’t quiet enough.
“What are you talking about?” Steven asked. “What snowmen?”
“The ones who rule this mountain. Vasily told me about them when we first arrived at camp, and if they’re the ones who murdered Joe and Anubha, they have a lot to answer for.”
Lana whimpered. Thankfully, she hadn’t ventured any closer to the trappers’ bodies once she’d noticed the blood. She’d been spared seeing the ruin that was Anubha’s face.
“Are they another tribe, Vasily?”
For a moment, Nat thought the Mansi was going to ignore Steven’s question. Then he shook his head. “No, no other tribe. Not human.”
“What do you mean, not human?” Cold fingers crept up Nat’s spine. “No animal is capable of that. Whoever murdered them staged their bodies. They wanted us to find them that way.”
“Sitting around a fire under that cedar tree. Just like Doroshenko and Krivonischenko,” Steven said.
“Who are Doroshenko and Krivonischenko?” Lana asked.
“Two of the Dyatlov victims. The first two bodies the searchers found were sitting around a fire under that same tree, if I’m not mistaken. And they were both badly beaten.”
“It has to be a coincidence. Doesn’t it?” The Olympian’s voice took on a pleading tone, and Nat hoped Steven would be gentle. However, hoping for Steven to be anything other than direct was futile.
“I don’t think so. The placement of their bodies was too deliberate.”
“What does that mean?” Her voice rose, and Nat could see Lana was on the verge of tears. “Are these snowmen going to pick us off one by one? And if they’re not human, what are they?”
“They’re abominable snowmen. Right, Vasily? You’re talking about yetis,” Steven said.
“That’s crazy. You’ve both gone mad. Yetis don’t exist. They’re a children’s story,” Lana said.
Before Steven could open his mouth, Vasily slapped his hide-clad leg, as if to get their attention. “Yes, they do exist. I have seen them.”