Taking a minute, Josh strode quickly to his room, Katie on his heels. Inside, he went to his lock box, pulled out his handgun and holster. The sound of Katie’s gasp had him stopping short, the gun in one hand and holster in the other. “There’s no telling what we’ll find out there.”
Her hands on her mouth, Katie’s head bobbed up and down, her eyes wide with fear and yet, he could see the wheels turning in the back of her mind, the understanding of all a lost child in the West Texas landscape could entail.
Quickly, he clipped the holster and gun inside his waistband and strapped a knife to his calf. Knowing there was no time to spare, but seeing how raw the weapons had left Katie, he pulled her into a quick embrace. “We’ll find him. It will be okay. He’s probably tucked away in a quiet place just waiting for us to find him.”
Her head in his shoulder, she nodded, sucked in a deep breath, and pulled back, drawing from a strength he hadn’t expected to see. Should have, but hadn’t. “I know, it’s just thecity girl in me that was a little surprised, and trying very hard not to think of what dangers could be out there.”
Gently, he ran the back of his knuckles under her chin, shoving the same visions of a hurt little boy out of his head. “We’ve got this.”
Another deep breath and she retreated another step. “You need to hurry.”
A few feet down the hall, Raider was seated patiently under the line of hanging leashes.
The sight brought a half-hearted twitch to corners of his mouth. Not really a smile, but quite the sight.
“I think Raider wants to come too.”
Josh shook his head. “We don’t know what we’re up against. He’s not strong enough yet.”
The dog shifted his sit, stared at Josh, and for a second there he could almost hear the dog threatening Josh if he left without him.
At that moment, Benny blew through the back door, Brady at his side. “Here he is. Interesting dog. All I said is there’s a boy in trouble, and I’d swear he understood.”
Josh nodded. “No swearing. I’m sure he understands.” Brady had been one of the best K9s he’d ever worked with. The animal had saved his and others in his team’s lives more than once. A slight whine—not quite a whimper, more of a dog’s version of clearing his throat—came from Raider, reminding Josh he was ready and able too. “All right. You both come. But you,” he pointed to Raider, “stay with Katie until you’re needed.”
Katie’s one brow shot high on her forehead. “Did he just nod at you?”
Leads hooked on the two collars, Josh lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Probably. Now let’s go find a little boy.”
The drive to the Millers’ home just outside of town had seemed to take an eternity. As they passed through town, people could be seen, much like the other day, wandering around looking down alleys, scattered about the park, the playground, in and around neighbors’ yards and fences and so far nothing on the boy or his treasured security blanket.
The Miller’s home had become a command post. Police from neighboring towns had joined the search. Organized in grids, concerned friends, strangers, everyone scavenged carefully for any signs of Luke. Wide vacant prairie spread out around the homestead, neighbors and officers, at double arm’s length, meticulously searched every inch of ground.
Josh pulled the truck to a stop by the tables set up in the front yard. Alice Sweet reached the truck before anyone could finish descending. Katie kept a tight grip on Raider’s leash, Josh had control of Brady. The dog, still highly trained, stood firm, tense, waiting for his instructions.
Katherine Miller, Luke’s mother, came running from inside the house. “Thank you!” she shouted at Josh, her pained expression squeezing at his heart like a vise. “This is his pillow and his jacket. I wasn’t sure which would be better.” She sucked in a deep breath. “If we still had it I would give you his lovie, but we don’t.” The poor woman was clearly holding it together by a very thin thread.
“The jacket will work.” Josh took it from her hand, and held it in front of Brady. “Take a good sniff boy. We need to find Luke.”
The dog sniffed. Looked up at Josh then sniffed the jacket again. Katie held her breath, hoping this worked. Another second and Brady lifted his nose to the air and took off, practically dragging Josh across the yard.
“I knew it,” Alice almost cheered then turned to the mother. “It’s going to be all right. I know it.”
“I’d better keep up.” Katie tightened her grip on Raider and trotted over to Josh’s side, praying Jackie’s mother-in-law was right. “Alice told Mrs. Miller that Brady’s going to find Luke.”
“I heard.” His focus remained on the ground and the dog. The way the muscles in his jaw twitched, she’d bet he was as worried as she was that Mrs. Sweet may have made promises none of them could keep.
Moving at twice, maybe three times the pace that a little boy could wander, especially if, like a normal boy distractions slowed him down, Josh and Katie followed Brady’s lead. By the time they’d left the Miller property it was just the two of them following Brady as the rest of the search crew fanned out in other directions.
With every passing minute, the wind had picked up, whistling through the scrub brush with a low, mournful howl that masked the sounds they desperately needed to hear.
“Keep your eyes on the ground.” Josh moved just ahead of her, his flashlight beam sweeping the terrain. On a long lead ahead of him, Brady kept his nose to the dirt, moving with a grim determination.
Walking for over an hour, Katie worried about Raider. The animal’s determination was mind boggling. For all she knew, he was hurting like hell but that wasn’t going to stop him. Suddenly, with Josh only a few steps in front of her, Raider froze. The hairs on his neck rose and the animal lunged forward, almost dragging Katie with him.
She heard rather than saw what had the dog riled up. The shaking sound of a baby’s rattle out in the middle of the West Texas prairie had the hair on Katie’s arms standing on end. Coiled in the deep grass—only a few feet away from them—a rattlesnake. One decisivecracksplit the air. The snake’s body jerked, then went limp and her knees almost did the same.
Beside her now, Josh holstered the weapon and reached for her hand, his thumb brushing hers. “You okay?”
