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Authors: Margaret Mizushima
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excitement contagious. She opened up the door and he bailed out, prancing beside her, eyes locked onto hers.
“Do you want to go to work?” She began the patter she used to rev him up, and he almost levitated in his happiness. After giving him some water to moisten his mucus membranes and increase his scenting ability, she put on his blue nylon tracking harness and matching work collar. He stood at attention, allowing her to adjust his equipment. When Robo finished getting dressed for work, he settled into his responsibilities immediately. It happened that way every time. He watched her while she put on her own equipment, a utility belt filled with her supplies.
Robo walked beside her as they approached, while Brody and Johnson stood at the rear of the car, giving her space to work on the driver’s side. She put Adrienne’s lightweight jacket into a plastic bag and lowered it so Robo could sniff. He thrust his nose into the bag, getting full value for his effort.
“Search,” she told him.
He quartered the area near the car, nose to the ground, head moving back and forth. He searched for several minutes, covering the area of the pullout, the road next to the car, and up and down the roadside for about thirty feet in each direction. He came back to sniff the area more thoroughly, as if double-checking his work. He trotted to the open door on the driver’s side, touched the seat with his mouth, and then sat and looked up at Mattie.
“What’s wrong with him?” Brody asked.
Brody could be a butthead at times, and she was used to biting her tongue to keep the peace. But she wouldn’t let himcriticize her partner. “There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s telling me that he’s picking up her scent on the driver’s seat.”
“Well, what the fuck? Why isn’t he showing us the direction she went from here?”
Mattie felt her patience slip. “It might be because you two tromped around and jacked up the scent trail. Give us a minute.”
She stroked Robo’s head, smoothing the fur between his ears and telling him he was a good boy. She snapped the leash onto his tracking harness and led him about fifteen feet away from the car, checking wind direction as she went. The area was somewhat sheltered by the surrounding forest and a rock face positioned toward the northwest, but gusts continuously stirred the air from both the west and north as if the rock face split and funneled them.
This trail would probably be forty-eight hours old by now and torn up by the wind. Her only hope would be that epithelial cells left by Adrienne would remain trapped in the forest undergrowth beyond the road. Of one thing she was certain: if a scent trail existed out here, Robo would find it.
She led her dog into the forest and started working upwind, quartering back and forth, offering him the scent article, although she knew he probably didn’t need it. Adrienne’s scent would be locked in Robo’s memory for the rest of his life. When he didn’t identify a trail on the upwind side of the car, they started searching downwind.
A dreadful feeling began to build inside Mattie and after an hour, it reached its peak. She paused to reevaluate, knowing that Robo needed a break and some water. Her owns legs had grown tired from following him over the rugged terrain that surrounded the car. As she patted Robo to let him know he was doing his work right, she spotted two riders coming upthe logging road. They must have left their truck and trailer down below instead of risking getting stuck up here. Believing that one rider might be Cole, her mood lifted slightly, and she decided to go back to the car.
She needed to tell Brody what she was thinking, and it wouldn’t be easy news to share. She reached the car about the same time as the riders. She recognized that one of them was Cole. He’d been watching her, and he met her gaze. He wore a serious expression, which she knew matched hers. She wanted to tell him how glad she was to see
“Do you want to go to work?” She began the patter she used to rev him up, and he almost levitated in his happiness. After giving him some water to moisten his mucus membranes and increase his scenting ability, she put on his blue nylon tracking harness and matching work collar. He stood at attention, allowing her to adjust his equipment. When Robo finished getting dressed for work, he settled into his responsibilities immediately. It happened that way every time. He watched her while she put on her own equipment, a utility belt filled with her supplies.
Robo walked beside her as they approached, while Brody and Johnson stood at the rear of the car, giving her space to work on the driver’s side. She put Adrienne’s lightweight jacket into a plastic bag and lowered it so Robo could sniff. He thrust his nose into the bag, getting full value for his effort.
“Search,” she told him.
He quartered the area near the car, nose to the ground, head moving back and forth. He searched for several minutes, covering the area of the pullout, the road next to the car, and up and down the roadside for about thirty feet in each direction. He came back to sniff the area more thoroughly, as if double-checking his work. He trotted to the open door on the driver’s side, touched the seat with his mouth, and then sat and looked up at Mattie.
“What’s wrong with him?” Brody asked.
Brody could be a butthead at times, and she was used to biting her tongue to keep the peace. But she wouldn’t let himcriticize her partner. “There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s telling me that he’s picking up her scent on the driver’s seat.”
“Well, what the fuck? Why isn’t he showing us the direction she went from here?”
Mattie felt her patience slip. “It might be because you two tromped around and jacked up the scent trail. Give us a minute.”
She stroked Robo’s head, smoothing the fur between his ears and telling him he was a good boy. She snapped the leash onto his tracking harness and led him about fifteen feet away from the car, checking wind direction as she went. The area was somewhat sheltered by the surrounding forest and a rock face positioned toward the northwest, but gusts continuously stirred the air from both the west and north as if the rock face split and funneled them.
This trail would probably be forty-eight hours old by now and torn up by the wind. Her only hope would be that epithelial cells left by Adrienne would remain trapped in the forest undergrowth beyond the road. Of one thing she was certain: if a scent trail existed out here, Robo would find it.
She led her dog into the forest and started working upwind, quartering back and forth, offering him the scent article, although she knew he probably didn’t need it. Adrienne’s scent would be locked in Robo’s memory for the rest of his life. When he didn’t identify a trail on the upwind side of the car, they started searching downwind.
A dreadful feeling began to build inside Mattie and after an hour, it reached its peak. She paused to reevaluate, knowing that Robo needed a break and some water. Her owns legs had grown tired from following him over the rugged terrain that surrounded the car. As she patted Robo to let him know he was doing his work right, she spotted two riders coming upthe logging road. They must have left their truck and trailer down below instead of risking getting stuck up here. Believing that one rider might be Cole, her mood lifted slightly, and she decided to go back to the car.
She needed to tell Brody what she was thinking, and it wouldn’t be easy news to share. She reached the car about the same time as the riders. She recognized that one of them was Cole. He’d been watching her, and he met her gaze. He wore a serious expression, which she knew matched hers. She wanted to tell him how glad she was to see
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