Ink placed his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed. “We’ll find her.”
I knew he was right. Wewouldfind her. What I didn’t know was what condition we would find her in.
It felt like hours had passed while we waited to hear anything from the search teams, but I knew it hadn’t been that long. I spent most of the time pacing between the command center andmy parents’ camper. I understood why they didn’t want me out searching, but sitting still was not an option.
Finally, the lead officer’s radio crackled. “We’ve got a hit,” he said. I couldn’t tell who it was, but I could hear a dog barking in the background.
“Location?” Officer Perkins asked.
As he gave us his location, we moved to the golf carts on standby. “Stay here with Papa while we go see what the dog found,” I told Ariel. I knew she wanted to come with us, but I didn’t know what we were going to find, and I didn’t want her to see something that might traumatize her further.
“Please be careful,” she said.
“I will,” I promised and quickly hugged her before taking my seat.
When we arrived at the spot, all three dogs were there and appeared to be eager to continue the search. Shadow was straining against a leash that hadn’t been attached to his collar when they left. Diablo was alternating between sitting and turning in circles, and Moose was pushing against Carbon’s leg. Any other time, I would’ve laughed at the way the big man was being maneuvered by his tiny wife and her huge dog.
“We don’t have a visual, but all three dogs hit on the same spot,” Dice said. “There are slide marks here, and the brush looks disturbed down there.”
“We called her name several times, but we haven’t gotten a response,” Daphne said.
“She wears hearing aids,” I told them. “If they fell out when she fell, she may not be able to hear you.”
Phoenix clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. I wasn’t sure when he joined our group, but there he was. “Mason, get the ropes and harnesses,” he said, and turned to Officer Perkins. “We’ll send a man down to see if she’s there and what kind of shape she’s in.”
“Hold on a second,” Officer Perkins said. “We’ve got teams that can go down and look for her.”
“Yes, but we can get a man down there and have her located by the time your team gets here,” Phoenix said. “We’re not trying to get in your way or step on your toes. We’re just trying to expedite the process for our loved one.”
“It’s a liability.”
“If you’ve got a waiver, I’ll sign it,” Phoenix said.
The officer sighed. “For the sake of time, I’m going to take your word for it.”
Phoenix leaned down and spoke directly into his body cam. “I, Phoenix Alexander Black, accept any and all responsibility for my actions and the actions of my club members during the search and rescue of Alice Calloway.”
“I suppose that’ll do,” Officer Perkins said.
Mason returned with a large bag filled with ropes, harnesses, and other equipment I assumed to be climbing gear.
Ink picked up a harness and stepped into it.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Going down to look for your mom,” he said as if I should’ve known.
His words caused a panic I wasn’t expecting. I grabbed his shirt with both hands. “You can’t!”
He gently placed his hands over mine. “Presley,” he said softly. “I’ve done this before. Many times. It’ll be fine.”
Releasing my grip on his shirt, I reluctantly stepped back and let him continue putting on his gear. Daphne came over to stand beside me. “I remember when Gabby gave me thethey-know-what-they’re-doingtalk. It didn’t help much at the time, but I’m going to say it anyway. They reallydoknow what they’re doing, but more importantly, they know their limitations.”
“They?” I asked.
She nodded toward Dice, who was wearing a harness and clipping ropes to himself. “I told you, where one goes, the other goes.”
I exhaled heavily and ran a hand through my hair. “I’m not sure I can watch this.”
