The man stared at the knife buried in the stump.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then he smiled again.

But this time, there was nothing friendly about it.

“You have no idea what you’re holding.”

I kept my eyes on him.

“I know I’m holding a scared child.”

Emma’s fingers tightened around the back of my vest.

The man glanced toward the turquoise necklace hidden inside my pocket.

That tiny movement told me everything I needed to know.

He wasn’t looking for Emma.

He was looking for the necklace.

“What is the stone?” I asked.

His jaw tightened.

“Family property.”

Emma suddenly shook her head.

“No.”

The man’s eyes snapped toward her.

“My mom said it belongs to someone named Daniel.”

He went completely still.

I noticed it immediately.

The name meant something.

“Who’s Daniel?” I asked.

Emma looked at me.

“He was my mom’s brother.”

Then she whispered something that changed the entire situation.

“He’s the reason Mom hid the necklace.”

The man took another step.

I pulled the knife from the stump and held it low.

“Stay there.”

He stopped.

Then headlights appeared between the trees.

Not one vehicle.

Two.

The man looked toward them and smiled.

“They’re here.”

Emma began trembling.

I moved her behind me.

“What did you do?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he called toward the trees.

“She’s with him.”

Branches cracked.

Two more men appeared.

Both wore the same clean tactical boots.

One carried a flashlight.

The other held a radio.

I suddenly understood.

This wasn’t a father searching for his daughter.

It was an organized search.

And I had accidentally become the person standing between them and whatever that necklace contained.

I reached into my pocket and felt the turquoise stone.

It was unusually warm.

Then I noticed something I’d missed before.

A tiny seam ran around the metal frame.

I pressed it.

The center of the necklace clicked open.

Inside was a miniature memory card.

Emma stared at it.

“My mom said the blue stone was a key.”

I looked at the men approaching through the trees.

“To what?”

Emma’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“To the truth about what happened to Daniel.”

One of the men raised his radio.

“Target located.”

I knew we had seconds.

I grabbed my flashlight.

“Emma, can you walk?”

She nodded.

“Then stay behind me.”

We moved toward the old logging trail.

But the man shouted behind us.

“Stop!”

I didn’t.

Because somewhere beneath those abandoned logging buildings was a woman who might still be alive.

And now I knew exactly why they were desperate to find that necklace.