“Is it Ink?” she asked, sounding hopeful.
“Yes, it’s Ink, and some of his friends. I don’t know if you remember Phoenix.”
“It’s hard to forget the leader of the tough guys,” she said in a way only a teenager could.
“He’s coming with some other people, and they’re bringing some of their dogs that can track people by scent,” I told her. “How’s Papa? What did the police say?”
“Papa’s still talking to one of the officers, but there are some others here that are walking around and calling her name,” she said.
“I know you want to go out and look, but it’s important that you stay put so we don’t lose you, too.”
“That’s what Papa said,” she grumbled.
“He’s a smart man.”
“Do you think she’s okay?” she asked, and I could hear the fear in her voice.
“I hope so.” I really didn’t want to give her false hope, but I could tell she needed some kind of reassurance or something to cling to while she waited. “If I had to guess, I’d say she probably fell while she was walking the dog, maybe slid down a ravine or something, and is just waiting for someone to find her.”
“What if she’s hurt?”
“She might be, but that’s okay. We’ll find her, get her back to the campground, and then get her to the hospital.”
“Ariel, we need to show this officer the route you and Nana took yesterday when you walked Frisco,” I heard my dad say through the phone.
“Go with Papa and tell him I’m on my way. You can call me back if you need to,” I told her.
“Okay, Mom. Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Sighing, I relaxed into my seat and closed my eyes.
“Anything new?” Ink asked.
“No. The police are there and looking. It sounded rather casual from what Ariel described.”
“What exactly happened?” Dice asked.
“My daughter and parents are camping for the weekend. My mom took their dog for a walk and didn’t come back. When Dad and Ariel went to look for her, they found the dog, but not my mom.”
“Do we know if anyone put Shaker on standby?” Dice asked.
“I don’t even know what that means,” I said.
“Shaker has a helicopter,” Daphne explained. “If need be, he can fly over the area to search in places we can’t see.”
I turned around and gaped at her. “You’re serious?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “He flew us to the hospital when our daughter was born.”
“She makes it sound special,” Ink added. “He flies that helicopter whenever he has a chance.”
“But I’m not one of you.”
Daphne grinned. “That’s what you think.”
Dice nudged her with his elbow, but before I could ask what she meant, Ink’s phone rang through the speakers. “Hey, Phoenix. You’re on with me, Presley, and the three Ds.”
