On Thin Ice by Jerry Cole

Author:Jerry Cole [Cole, Jerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-05T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning dawned clear and bright. Birds were singing, the sun was shining. The cheerfulness of the day seemed to mock the black mood Jack was in as he readied his plane.

“Taking another run at Elias?” Otis asked on his way past to his own plane. “I heard they're getting severe winds out there later. Be careful!”

Jack gave a grunt of acknowledgment but didn't answer. He was not in the mood to talk right now. Neither was Calder apparently, who stood not far away, his back to the plane and his hands in his pockets, his gaze as stormy as the sky was not and his jaw set with a bitter determination. He hadn't spoken to Jack except in clipped, angry orders all morning. Jack couldn't exactly blame him for being upset, but he'd hoped by the morning Calder would have calmed down more. Calder being in this kind of mood wasn't going to make the flight pleasant.

After getting caught in that storm he was going in a little better supplied this time. He'd even dragged a passenger seat out of the mess hall and reinstalled it for Calder's comfort, though he resented the extra weight. It wasn't like he was hauling packages or a big group though, so he figured it would be fine. The bay was empty except for a few extra canisters of gas and the emergency gurney he kept strapped to the wall.

When the plane was ready, Calder climbed silently into the passenger seat and proceeded to ignore him throughout take off and the entire flight. Jack was used to flying in silence. He didn’t press Calder to talk to him. But the steady, angry presence to his right was a continuous, low grade distraction that he couldn’t shake. Part of him desperately wanted to talk this out. But he knew it was for the best that he didn’t. Calder would calm down eventually, but the distance between them would make it easier when it was time for them to part permanently.

As they neared Mount St Elias, Jack turned them toward the treacherous Abruzzi Ridge. He felt Calder tense as soon as the mountain was in view.

“Are you going to be all right today?” Jack asked, unable to help himself from worrying about the other man.

“I'm fine,” Calder said, not looking at him.

“I'm serious,” Jack insisted. “I can't have you flipping out or running off today. It's too dangerous. Whatever happens, I need you to stay calm.”

“I'm fine,” Calder repeated. Jack sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get any more out of the other man.

Using the information he'd gathered yesterday, Jack followed the previous rescue pilot's last recorded headings, sweeping low over the climber's projected routes, angling toward Abruzzi as the other pilot had. He began doing slow passes, working his way over the mountain with thorough patience. He was going to do it right this time. No half-assing it just because he still didn’t think there was much of a chance of finding Avery alive.

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