Canyon Walls Read Online Free PDF Page A

on the glow of her alarm clock: 1:38 a.m. Her fingers fumbled for the aspirin in her nightstand drawer, but the banging returned.
    The front door. She grabbed a sweatshirt off the back of the chair and pulled it over her tank top and pajama bottoms.
    The banging on the door got louder and caused her head to throb even more. Someone was losing patience.
    â€œI’m coming,” she yelled. “Hang on.”
    Through the peephole, she saw a chin and a neck but no face. “Who is it?”
    â€œIt’s me,” Will said.
    She placed her hand on the doorknob but stopped. “This is the second time you’ve woken me up since we’ve met.”
    â€œCassie, I need your help. Please open the door.”
    The shakiness in his voice made her throw the door open.
    He stepped inside the entryway, his face pale and his lips tight. “A couple of my boys are missing.”
    The fog of sleepiness lifted from Cassie. “What? How?”
    â€œThey’re gone,” he said. “I’m such a light sleeper. I don’t know how it could have happened.”
    Cassie didn’t need to hear any more. She was already pulling on her hiking boots with her pajama pants.
    â€œI’m sorry to wake you, but I figured you might know where to look. Should we call the cops? Should I wake up the other counselors?”
    She almost enjoyed seeing Mr. Calm frazzled, not knowing what to do next. Unfortunately, there was no time to revel in the moment. “I’m sure they just snuck out. Don’t worry. We’ll find them.”
    â€œShould we check if anyone else is missing?” Will asked.
    â€œNot yet. If we wake up the counselors, the campers are going to wake up, too.”
    A few minutes later, Cassie knocked on the door of Beth’s one-room cabin, and soon Beth’s face was peering out the window. Her eyes were hardly open, and her forehead was scrunched like a shar-pei’s. She opened the door wearing a robe and carrying a baseball bat.
    â€œExpecting someone?” Cassie asked.
    Beth held her hand over her heart. “I watched a movie about a stalker before I went to bed.”
    Cassie took the baseball bat from Beth and leaned it on the front porch. “We have some boys out of their cabin. Can you help us look?”
    â€œOf course. Let me change out of my pj’s.”
    â€œWill and I will check the hiking paths. You check the other popular places.” Cassie motioned for Will to follow her.
    â€œI’ll be right behind you,” Beth said, going back into her cabin.
    Cassie headed across the open grassy area to the canyon wall on the other side of the tabernacle. She trudged under the weight of her sweatshirt and dreaded the march through the wilderness with Will Overman. On the other hand, being with Will could possibly bring her some insight into his motives, but she’d need to be careful not to give up any information about the camp.
    Will jogged to catch up to her. “Did you say we’re going hiking?”
    â€œWe have to whisper, and please, trust me,” Cassie said, not wanting the missing campers to hide from them. “I’ve done this before, and they are almost always at one of a few places.” Cassie pointed the unlit flashlight at the canyon wall. “The top of the canyon is one of them.”
    â€œYou’re suggesting we hike up the canyon with only that little flashlight?” Will asked.
    â€œNo. We won’t use the flashlight until we find them. We don’t want them to spot us before we see them.” Cassie concealed her smile. “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”
    â€œAfraid of the dark?” Will stepped in front of her. “I’ll lead.”
    It didn’t take them long to reach the open gazebo behind the tabernacle. Small groups met there when they didn’t mind going without air-conditioning, which wasn’t often these days. When Cassie had been a camper,