Jake shook his head at Hattie. "We can't find the boy in a car. The kid's right, but not for the right reason." He paused to take a drag on his cigarette, then continued, tapping off the ash into the snow beneath his boots. "Even with the snow falling like this, if we just drive along we'll miss anything he might have left behind. Besides." He tapped the map he was holding. "Says right here our search area is [i]everything[/i] from Hildon ouskirts outwards. That means we're searching as soon as we leave Jeremy's parking yard."

His radio crackled, and what was said was quite clear to the group. 

"Hey, over/under on this kid being a popsicle?"

"Jesus Jed, you fuckin' kiddin'? We're here to find him, not find his damn body."

"Oh come on, we know how this would end. If the summer had been normal, sure, maybe he'd be about, but in this weather? He's dead. We should face it."

"Fuck off Jed. You think Mary wants to hear you talk about her boy like that?"

"[i]Hey, Hey[/i]!" Deputy Grey's voice cut through the brewing argument. "Jed, that's disgusting. Both of you, keep the airwaves clear, and use the basic shorthand. It's not difficult." The radio crackled for a moment. "If that's [b]everything,[/b] let's keep this professional. Kodiak over and out." 

The radio fell silent.

"Can't say I agree with Jed's tone, but his assessment isn't inaccurate. If we don't find him soon, we're going to have to be preparing a vigil rather than a search party. Let's try to avoid that, eh?" He took another long drag of his cigarette, then, with an eye on the map, began trudging through the snow, taking on the role of group pathfinder for himself.