Read Online Stalking Ground by Margaret Mizushima - Free Book Online
Authors: Margaret Mizushima
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Grace Hartman, and she hoped today wouldn’t end in the same kind of tragedy.
She’d thought Robo’s discovery of a body was nothing short of miraculous; he’d never been trained in cadaver work. But a phone call to his trainer Jim Madsen had cleared up the mystery. He’d said, “Hell, Deputy, that must be the smartestdog on the planet you’ve got there. We tested him once on cadaver work before we decided to train him for narcotics detection. The way I figure it, the damn dog must’ve remembered what to do.”
It didn’t surprise Mattie; she already knew her dog was a genius.
The GPS guided her onto a little-used road deformed by signs of washout. Steep walls of timber defined the sides of Dead Man Gulch as the road followed a narrow stream upward. Groves of aspen provided color ranging from yellow to gold to orange, their leaves quivering in the wind that plucked them from limbs and sent them skittering along the roadbed. Her outdoor temperature gauge said forty-four degrees, then forty-two. The nighttime plummet had begun.
Robo stood behind her in his compartment, watching out the windshield.
“We’re going to work,” she told him. He pricked his ears, licking his lips in anticipation.
She found the next turn and swung onto a small logging road. It wouldn’t be far now, and she felt anxiety mingle with the sandwich she’d consumed. The narrow road grew steep and even more rugged. Remembering that Adrienne drove a compact sedan, Mattie wondered why she would drive all the way in here. It could be done—Brody’s cruiser was also up ahead—but why would she want to expose her car to the possibility of damage? She could’ve parked down below and hiked up this way if she was interested in exercise and scenery.
Mattie glanced at the clock. Twelve thirty. They were still on Daylight Savings Time, so the sun would set around six thirty. Twilight might last for another hour if they were lucky. Brody’s silver and blue cruiser appeared between the trees. She’d reached the right spot.
As she pulled up behind Brody’s cruiser, she could see Adrienne’s charcoal-colored Escape. And it looked like Brody and Johnson had already been all over it. The front doors and hatch back were open. Johnson stepped back from where he’d been searching inside the back compartment and straightened his long, lean form to full height to wave at her. In his bulky winter jacket and cap with earflaps, the rookie looked like a kid. A kid who happened to be six foot two.
Mattie gave him a frown instead of a wave. She might not be able to reprimand Chief Deputy Brody for sullying her scent trails, but she could let the rook know he’d done wrong. Since the pullout could hold only the two vehicles that were in it, she parked on the road, set her emergency brake, and exited the SUV, taking her heavy coat with her. Arctic air hit her broadside, chilling her body immediately. She pulled on her coat while she walked to join her fellow deputies.
“I hope you haven’t disturbed a scent trail,” she said to Johnson by way of greeting.
Brody exited the back seat of the car. His head was uncovered, his coat unzipped, and his face haunted and hollow. “We’ve got to get a move on this, Cobb. We’re running out of time.”
“Not a time to skip protocol, Chief,” she said. “Did you find anything useful in there?”
“Nothing. It’s clean. No blood stains in front or back.”
His reply spoke volumes about what he feared most. “How about her cell phone?”
“No. There’s nothing in here except the car’s documents and manuals in the glove box and her music and a few personal items in the console. Her jacket’s in the back seat.”
“Great. Leave that right where it is and don’t touch it. I’ll use it for a scent article.” She turned to go back to her Explorer.
Robo was watching for her out the side window of his compartment, and he bounced on his front feet when she approached. Mattie grinned at him, his
She’d thought Robo’s discovery of a body was nothing short of miraculous; he’d never been trained in cadaver work. But a phone call to his trainer Jim Madsen had cleared up the mystery. He’d said, “Hell, Deputy, that must be the smartestdog on the planet you’ve got there. We tested him once on cadaver work before we decided to train him for narcotics detection. The way I figure it, the damn dog must’ve remembered what to do.”
It didn’t surprise Mattie; she already knew her dog was a genius.
The GPS guided her onto a little-used road deformed by signs of washout. Steep walls of timber defined the sides of Dead Man Gulch as the road followed a narrow stream upward. Groves of aspen provided color ranging from yellow to gold to orange, their leaves quivering in the wind that plucked them from limbs and sent them skittering along the roadbed. Her outdoor temperature gauge said forty-four degrees, then forty-two. The nighttime plummet had begun.
Robo stood behind her in his compartment, watching out the windshield.
“We’re going to work,” she told him. He pricked his ears, licking his lips in anticipation.
She found the next turn and swung onto a small logging road. It wouldn’t be far now, and she felt anxiety mingle with the sandwich she’d consumed. The narrow road grew steep and even more rugged. Remembering that Adrienne drove a compact sedan, Mattie wondered why she would drive all the way in here. It could be done—Brody’s cruiser was also up ahead—but why would she want to expose her car to the possibility of damage? She could’ve parked down below and hiked up this way if she was interested in exercise and scenery.
Mattie glanced at the clock. Twelve thirty. They were still on Daylight Savings Time, so the sun would set around six thirty. Twilight might last for another hour if they were lucky. Brody’s silver and blue cruiser appeared between the trees. She’d reached the right spot.
As she pulled up behind Brody’s cruiser, she could see Adrienne’s charcoal-colored Escape. And it looked like Brody and Johnson had already been all over it. The front doors and hatch back were open. Johnson stepped back from where he’d been searching inside the back compartment and straightened his long, lean form to full height to wave at her. In his bulky winter jacket and cap with earflaps, the rookie looked like a kid. A kid who happened to be six foot two.
Mattie gave him a frown instead of a wave. She might not be able to reprimand Chief Deputy Brody for sullying her scent trails, but she could let the rook know he’d done wrong. Since the pullout could hold only the two vehicles that were in it, she parked on the road, set her emergency brake, and exited the SUV, taking her heavy coat with her. Arctic air hit her broadside, chilling her body immediately. She pulled on her coat while she walked to join her fellow deputies.
“I hope you haven’t disturbed a scent trail,” she said to Johnson by way of greeting.
Brody exited the back seat of the car. His head was uncovered, his coat unzipped, and his face haunted and hollow. “We’ve got to get a move on this, Cobb. We’re running out of time.”
“Not a time to skip protocol, Chief,” she said. “Did you find anything useful in there?”
“Nothing. It’s clean. No blood stains in front or back.”
His reply spoke volumes about what he feared most. “How about her cell phone?”
“No. There’s nothing in here except the car’s documents and manuals in the glove box and her music and a few personal items in the console. Her jacket’s in the back seat.”
“Great. Leave that right where it is and don’t touch it. I’ll use it for a scent article.” She turned to go back to her Explorer.
Robo was watching for her out the side window of his compartment, and he bounced on his front feet when she approached. Mattie grinned at him, his
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