Mysteries in Our National Parks: Wolf Stalker: A Mystery in Yellowstone National Park. Gloria Skurzynski

thing Jack noticed was Mike’s expression. He looked very surprised to see all of them. “What’s with the kids?” he asked.

      It was Olivia’s turn to look surprised. “Didn’t you get my messages? I called and left several voice messages on your answering machine—that we were bringing our own two kids and an extra one.”

      “Shoot, Olivia,” Mike exclaimed. He took off his cap and scratched his head. “You wouldn’t believe the kind of day this has been! I’ve been out of the office all day because of all the trouble—demonstrators picketing, and about a zillion news reporters—”

      “We heard about it,” Steven told him.

      “I never even had a chance to check my voice messages,” Mike apologized. “Anyway, I figured it was just the two of you coming, so I only brought three horses. I wish we could take the kids with us—kids have such sharp eyes, they might notice things we miss—but there’s no time now to go back for more horses. If we don’t get started, we’re gonna run out of daylight.”

      The tall horses were already saddled and waiting, stamping, snorting, and touching each other neck-to-neck. Their reins were looped around hooks on a red trailer that was hitched to a Park Service truck.

      “That’s OK,” Steven said. “I’ll just stay here with the kids while you and Olivia ride up to the site.”

      “No, Steve, that won’t work. I need you to take pictures of the scene. And we need to get there as fast as possible.” Mike tugged the brim of his cap, pulling it down to his eyebrows. “Not just because of the light, but because of scavengers getting at that dead dog’s remains. Every minute we wait, another raven comes to feed on the carcass. If we don’t get there soon to examine the area and take some good pictures, the evidence will be gone.”

      Jack interrupted, “It’s OK, Mom and Dad. Us kids’ll just hang out here till you get back.” Before he even finished, he saw Steven shake his head.

      “Can’t do that,” Steven said.

      “Why not?” Mike asked. “They’re big kids.”

      “No. Definitely no,” Olivia declared.

      Troy scowled. “Because of me, right? You think I’m gonna run. Where would I go, around here?” He gestured at the steep hills that rose into even steeper mountains, covered with pines and thick scrub.

      No one answered, because all of them knew that the road they’d driven in on cut through those mountains, right back to the highway only a couple of miles away. Troy could easily hike back and thumb a ride. With the grown-ups gone, there was no way Jack and Ashley would be able to stop him.

      “Tell you what,” Mike said. “Since you brought your cell phone, I’ll call over to headquarters and have one of the park rangers come by to get the kids. Nicole,” he said to Olivia. “That’s her name. In fact, right now she’s not far from here, at Roosevelt Lodge. She can drive here in ten minutes.” When Olivia unfolded the small phone and handed it to him, Mike dialed the number.

      They couldn’t hear what he was saying into the phone because Steven gathered the three kids around him and started talking. “I don’t know how this is going to work out for you guys,” he said. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone.”

      “Probably four or five hours,” Olivia broke in.

      “Ask Nicole to take you straight to Roosevelt Lodge,” Steven decided. “She’ll stay with you until we get back. I’ll give you money so you can get something to eat.” Jack and Ashley nodded.

      Mike snapped the phone shut and gave it back to Olivia. “It’s all set,” he told them. “Nicole’s on her way. You kids wait right here beside the truck.”

      “How will we know it’s Nicole and not a stranger?” Ashley asked.

      Mike grinned at her. “Because she’ll be wearing a national park ranger’s uniform with a name tag that says ‘Nicole Hardy.’ That’s how you’ll know. OK?”

      Ashley smiled back at him. “Just checking.”

      While Steven loaded his camera equipment into the saddlepacks of one of the horses, Olivia adjusted the stirrups on another one.

      “I forgot you’re a short person,” Mike teased her, “or I would have pulled those stirrups way up high.” He looked at his watch. “We need to mount up and get moving. Nicole should be here in about two minutes. The kids’ll be all right for that long.”

      From high in her saddle, Olivia looked down at Jack and Ashley. Jack could tell his mother was worried. “Mom, we’ll be fine,” he echoed. “We’ll stay right here till the ranger comes. Promise.”

      With a creak of saddle leather and the crunch of hoofs on gravel, the three horses moved out of the parking lot, toward the banks of Slough Creek. Steven was already deep in conversation with Mike. Olivia turned to wave and called out, “Take care, OK?”

      After the adults were out of sight, Troy kicked at some rocks. Then he picked up half a dozen stones and threw them, one at a time, hitting a metal sign that showed a circle with a crossbar across a picture of a dog on a leash. “No dogs,” it meant. Not even on leashes.

      Bored with that, Troy climbed onto a fender of the horse trailer and peered inside. Next he tested the door of the Park Service truck, but it was locked. “How long are we supposed to wait here?” he grumbled.

      Ashley was rummaging through the tailgate of the jeep, searching for something to eat. “Look, Jack,” she called out. “Here’s my parka and your parka and here’s Dad’s old red one. I bet Mom packed that for Troy, ’cause it’ll get cold tonight.” She held it up for Troy to see.

      Troy sniffed disdainfully. “You think I’d wear that? No way! It’s red!”

      “Just wait,” Jack said, “till the temperature drops really low and we’re in a cabin tonight and you have to go to the bathroom—which is about a block away from the cabins. You’ll wear it.”

      “I wear black,” Troy said.

      It wasn’t worth arguing about. Jack didn’t have a watch on, but it seemed to him that Nicole, the ranger, should have reached them by now. Tree shadows were beginning to lengthen; the sun hung halfway down the sky.