Evan Spotted Bright Clothing Below the Forest Overlook — Then Ranger Cole Saw Where the Fresh Footprints Led
Chapter 7 — The Missing Bolts
The photograph was timestamped 5:48 AM.
Almost two hours before Leah contacted Aaron.
Marcus was crouched beside the railing.
His hand was positioned near the support bolts.
Cole enlarged the image.
A wrench was clearly visible.
Aaron stared at it.
“He told me he was checking whether Leah had moved the camera.”
Cole turned toward him.
“You knew he came here?”
“Not until later.”
“Did you know he was worried about Leah?”
Aaron nodded reluctantly.
Leah had discovered one of Marcus’s private trail cameras four days earlier.
She removed the memory card.
She told Aaron she planned to report everything.
Aaron begged her to wait.
He knew he could lose his job.
Marcus apparently decided waiting was dangerous.
Michael looked at the broken railing.
“You think he loosened it because of her?”
Cole didn’t answer immediately.
They needed more evidence.
Then headquarters called.
Aaron’s access logs showed repeated nighttime entries.
But something else appeared.
Marcus Vale’s truck had passed a road camera near the park entrance less than forty minutes earlier.
He was still somewhere nearby.
Cole immediately radioed other rangers.
“Locate Marcus Vale. Do not approach alone.”
Evan looked toward the forest.
“What about Leah?”
Cole’s expression changed.
They had almost forgotten the most important question.
She was still missing.
