A merciless headwind battled Mattie’s every step as she followed Robo up the mountain. Its icy chill bit at her cheeks. Typically, this type of climb wouldn’t have taken much out of her, but today she was worn out. She struggled up the last few steps toward her goal, the leeward side of a massive boulder, treading carefully on the barely visible path. Rocks, exposed tree roots, and tufts of grass all threatened to turn her ankle. Finally, she reached the boulder, leaned against it, and whispered a thank-you for its shelter.
Robo had forged ahead, so she called to him to come back. “It’s time to rest,” she told him, taking out the GPS tracking unit she’d placed in her utility belt. While she waited for Brody to catch up, she read the data to see how far they’d come. Just under two miles . . . it seemed like twenty.
She spotted Brody, winding his way up the trail not too far below. She guessed he was just about done, the lack of sleep and likely poor nutrition over the past few days taking their toll.
Her watch told her it was half past noon. She shucked off her backpack, took out Robo’s collapsible bowl, and drained some water from her supply into it. He slurped it greedily.
When Brody reached her position, their eyes met for a split second before he looked away. He slipped out of his backpack and sank down into the boulder’s shelter, looking spent. She could tell he felt bad about her kicking his butt on the climb . . . or maybe he just felt bad. She searched and found a couple energy bars, gave one to him, and peeled open the other one for herself.
“I’m not sure I can eat,” he said, taking the bar but not opening it.
“You have to. That’s why you’re struggling. That and the fact that this is the damnedest trail I’ve ever had to climb. And that wind. Shit!”
He threw her a look that was almost grateful, one that she’d never seen from Brody. He must have realized she was trying to encourage him.
“Do you think Adrienne would’ve hiked up here?” she asked.
He shook his head, peeling back the paper on the bar. “Not this time of year. And not alone.”
“This trail might be used by a few hunters, but that’s about all.”
“Yeah.” Brody took a bite, staring out across the tops of pine as he chewed.
Mattie might have enjoyed the spectacular view under other conditions. From their boulder, they could look down on miles of pristine forest wilderness, layers rolling away toward the horizon. The wind blew a dust devil from the patchy trail, and she watched it rise upward like a ghost. She shivered.
“The directions say to leave the trail and head due west about a half mile down from the lake. How the hell can we tell when we’re a half mile down?” Brody said.
“Yeah. That’s a problem. But I’ve been able to plug the total distance into the GPS from state forest department maps. I set it for a half mile down, so I’ll be able to tell when we get there.”
“Shit, Cobb. You’re quite the techie.”
Brody didn’t hand out compliments. “And this unit allows Rainbow and the sheriff to track us.”
“When did you get this stuff?”
“A few weeks ago. Sheriff McCoy authorized it from the K-9 fund.”
“Just in time.”
“Yeah.”
They both finished their bars, and Mattie stood to pull on her backpack. Brody did the same. Although she doubted Robo needed it, she took the scent article from her utility belt to refresh his memory. As they neared the spot where they would leave the trail, she wanted him to remember the reason they’d come up here was to look for Adrienne.
Robo led the way out from the boulder’s shelter, a blast of wind flattening his ears and rippling his fur. Bracing herself, Mattie followed, and Brody brought up the rear. They toiled up the path with Mattie stopping frequently to check the GPS and to allow Brody time to catch his breath.
As they breached another steep rise, Robo came to a sudden stop. He paused with his ears pricked forward, nose up, sniffing the wind. When Mattie drew up beside him, he turned to look into her eyes. He shifted, stood at attention, and looked down into a draw off to the west. She recognized the stance: Full Alert.
Her heart pounded from exertion, but this gave it an extra jolt. She glanced at the GPS and figured they were near the mark. She scanned the draw, realizing it funneled the wind up to their current position. Brody struggled up the last few steps to reach her side.
“Robo’s got a hit,” she told him, pointing down into the draw. “Wind’s coming from there. We’ll leave the trail now.”
Brody’s brow shot upward and the familiar penetrating look came into his icy blue eyes. Mattie realized she’d missed it the last few days when he’d looked so whipped. He nodded, still puffing to catch his breath.
“I’m going to change Robo’s gear.” She slipped his tracking harness out from a pocket on her utility belt and put it on him, knowing that he would now be in full tracking mode. He’d proven lately that he would match her pace, so she opted not to use the leash.
She looked at Brody, and he nodded. “Let’s go,” she said. And then to Robo: “Search.”
Robo spilled down the steep edge into the draw, sliding part of the way on a small rockslide. Mattie sat and slid on her butt, feet first, digging them in to slow her momentum. Brody followed off to her left, so he wouldn’t cover her with rocky debris. They reached the bottom of the draw a little dirty but none the worse for wear. Robo started uphill, nose up, obviously air scenting.
At the bottom of the draw, the footing became tricky, with deadfall and rocks blocking the way. Robo entered a dry streambed made by spring runoff from snowmelt and continued upward, ears moving forward and back as he checked on Mattie behind him.
Brody seemed fueled by newfound energy, and he stayed close to Mattie, sometimes clearing dead branches or fallen timber to let her pass more easily. It was slow going for humans, and Robo paused frequently to let them catch up. One thing the draw provided was more shelter from the wind, although Mattie could hear it roaring through the boughs up above. They must be downwind from whatever Robo was scenting.
Steep sides eventually flattened out and opened into a wider space filled with boulders, rocky outcroppings, and pine. Robo picked up speed. Mattie rushed to keep up with him, breaking into a jog. Brody fell behind.
Robo darted toward a large pile of rocks. He pinned his ears as he approached—hunkered and slinked up, poking his nose into a crack in the mound. Mattie hurried toward him as he turned. He made eye contact . . . and he sat. Robo’s signal to indicate a find.
She felt her chest tighten, unable to catch her breath. She could read Robo’s distress in the tightness around his eyes. His two-day search for the missing woman had come to an end.
This must be Adrienne’s grave.
Typically Robo would be bumping his nose against the pouch that held his tennis ball, signaling it was time to play. But not this time. He uttered a short whine and lay down, looking up at Mattie for reassurance. She’d heard about dogs feeling depressed when long search missions failed to turn up a living person. She knelt beside him to stroke his head, telling him what a good boy he was.
Brody slowed as he approached, obviously reading the situation. Face stony and grim, he circled the grave, going to the opposite side where there was sign that a scavenger had been digging. Mattie stood and walked around to join him.
An appendage—an arm—flesh torn, bone and muscle exposed. “Come away, Brody.”
The pain in his eyes tore at her heart. “I have to see if it’s her.”
“Robo says it is. Come away. This is a crime scene. We’ve got to treat it like one.”
He looked down at the desecrated grave and moved to where she would guess the head was located. He reached for the stones.
“Brody, wait,” Mattie said, taking out her cell phone. She knew she couldn’t stop him. “At least let me get pictures and then we’ll uncover her face. If you need to make sure.”
Brody stepped back while she snapped photos of the site from all directions. He approached when she finished and knelt, gently removing stones and placing them aside. Pine boughs were next, and Mattie photographed those. Blonde hair appeared first and then Brody brushed aside more dirt. He revealed Adrienne’s face, stained deep maroon from lividity, marred and swollen from the beginnings of decomposition, jaw gaped, eyes closed. At least the makeshift grave had protected her eyes from the birds.
“That’s enough,” Mattie said. “We’ve got to get Detective LoSasso and a crime scene unit up here.”
Brody rocked back on his heels, staring at Adrienne’s face. He reached out and placed a hand tenderly on her hair, picking up a strand to hold between his fingers. Robo came and nudged Mattie’s hand. She squatted down and hugged him close. They stayed together like that for a very long time, giving Brody some space, waiting for him to move.