Twenty-Three

I was alone in the car with Samantha. She was tense, but not afraid.

She and I watched the frantic scurry of men and women in long, heavy coats hauling hoses around. They were doing what people do, and it made me impatient. I could have sorted them out, herded them into one group, kept them safe.

But I knew that wasn’t the most important thing right now. I had something else to pay attention to. Soon I would have to do Search. Or Bring Me the Rope, maybe. It had been such a long time, but I was ready!

I needed to do what I do, which was to be out there helping Ben.

I whined.

“Are you okay, Ripley?” Samantha asked.

I scratched at the door and stared hard at Samantha. Ben had forgotten me, but Samantha would understand. She’d know what to do.

“Oh,” Samantha said quietly. “Oh, Ripley. But I need…”

She reached out and put a hand on the back of my neck, holding tight to the fur there. “Oh, Ripley,” she said again.

I wagged a little for my name, but I was staring hard out the window again. I could glimpse Ben in the chaos, and Roxie, and there was Willets, towering over them all. “But you need this,” Samantha said. “Okay, Ripley. I understand.” She loosened her hold on my scruff. “Okay.”

She reached past me and pushed the door open.

I bounded out and raced over to Ben, who turned in surprise. Then he looked up at Samantha. I glanced back too and saw her waving reassuringly.

Ben looked down at me. “Okay, Ripley. Okay!” I danced around him, too excited to stand still. “But it’s not clear what we’re going to do just yet.” Ben turned to Alvis. “Where’s Hutch?”

Alvis gestured toward the big building. “He went in.”

“Oofda. Who’s acting commander?”

Alvis blinked. “Yah, well, I guess you are, Ben. You’re rankin’ officer on scene.”

Ben nodded. “Ten-four. Radio Hutch. See what he needs in there.”

Alvis spoke into a big phone and nothing happened. He spoke again and then looked at Ben and shrugged. “He’s not answering.”

“How long’s he been in there?”

“No more’n five or ten minutes.”

Ben looked around. “All right. Got the snorkel going. The ladder is up,” he noted. He seemed to be thinking hard and I kept my eyes on his face, waiting for a command. “Question is, how far has this fire penetrated?” He gave Alvis a grim look. “We got anybody in there besides Hutch and the firefighters on the roof?”

Alvis shook his head. “Nope.”

“Why would he do that? Go in on his own?”

Alvis shrugged. “It’s just what he does, don’tcha know.”

Ben turned and looked down at me. “Oofda,” he decided. “I’m acting scene commander. Ripley and I are going in. I’ll grab his mask from my car. Get me one, will you, Alvis?”

“Yah, but…” Alvis frowned. “Lieutenant, isn’t that exactly what Hutch is doing? We can’t have the whole command structure inside a burnin’ building. We need you ta control the scene.”

Ben shook his head. “I’m the only one who can handle Ripley, and we need a dog. I’ll get his mask.”

Ben ran back to Samantha and I followed him, wagging. I had no idea what we were doing, but I was ready to do it.

He popped open the back door, reached in, and grabbed a case. He dug around in it and I wagged excitedly because I recognized my mask. I let him slide it over my nose. I still didn’t like the thing on my face, and I probably never would. But I liked what it meant: we were going to work, Ben and me!

“What’re you doing?” Samantha asked.

“The scene’s a little messed up. More trucks are on the way, but right now I’m the ranking officer. Hutch secured the scene, but then he went inside himself to search for people, even though that’s my job. Mine and Roxie and Ripley’s. So we’re going in.”

Samantha’s eyes widened. She turned and gazed anxiously at the burning building. “The whole thing’s on fire,” she protested a little shakily.

“Yah, but I’ll keep Ripley safe, I promise.”

“It’s not just Ripley,” Samantha told him. Anxiety was building inside her, and I wished I could help, but when I had my mask on, that wasn’t the job I should do.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said.

Ben paused for a moment. “Thank you, Sammie. I won’t let anything happen to me, either. Yah?”

Samantha swallowed and nodded.

“Remember, anything at all happens, keep the doors locked, call nine-one-one. It’s going to be okay. We good?”

Samantha nodded again. “Please be careful.”

We ran back to Alvis, who handed Ben a mask and a heavy coat. Ben shrugged into these, and as he did so, I saw Roxie and Nance running up.

“I’m going in,” Ben told them curtly. “Nance, would you keep an eye on Samantha? She’s over there in my car.”

“Where’s Hutch?” Roxie demanded, slipping on a mask.

“He’s inside, doing what he always does—not listening to anybody.”

“Be careful, guys,” Nance urged.

If anyone was surprised to hear Nance say something out loud, they didn’t react.

I followed Ben and Roxie into the smoky house.

It was huge, with a big open area filled with counters and people who weren’t really people—they were stiff and made of white plastic beneath their clothes. They reminded me of the fake man Roxie and Samantha had punched in the chest when we were all in the back room of Captain Bee’s house, and they were not the kind of people I should do Search for.

I stayed close to Ben, doing Heel.

“Hutch!” Ben yelled, his voice muffled inside his mask.

“Captain Hutchins!” Roxie shouted.

We were followed by some people I’d never met before, all dressed like Ben, pulling hoses and heading up the stairs. Lights were on, but there was so much black smoke it was as dark as night. I trudged behind Ben and Roxie up the first set of stairs, and then another.

Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound from above.

“It’s broken through!” somebody yelled.

I was panting inside my mask. Ben and Roxie proceeded slowly and I could hear the roar of the fire above us, heat pushing us back. The smoke choked out all light.

“Somebody bust out those windows!” Ben called.

I heard smashing glass and felt a sudden puff of air behind me as the smoke rushed to find its way out into the open.

“Anybody seen Hutch?” Ben demanded as he grabbed a firefighter who was running past. The man pointed up.

The next floor was impossible. Water poured from above in a torrent, and steam hissed over the crackle of flames. I focused on separating the scent of people from the violent jumble of odors coming at me from every direction.

Ben kept saying “Hutch.” Even though he hadn’t given me the right command yet, I knew that we were doing Search for Hutch. It was the first time Hutch had ever played any games with us, but I still knew his scent very well.

Ben was afraid. So was Roxie. The men and women running past us were afraid as well. This was a dangerous place; more dangerous than any place we’d ever been.

I wanted to leave, to return to Samantha, but we were doing Search, so I remained by Ben’s side.

“Find Hutch, Ripley!” Ben urged me. “Search! Search for Hutch!”

At last!

I turned my head one way and another, concentrating on locating one single person in the cauldron of odors.

The air pouring in through the broken windows pushed a cool wave against the oppressive blast of steam and heat from the fire upstairs. The currents swirled like the river where the boy clung to the rock, strong and forceful. I couldn’t see much, and there was no scent of Hutch anywhere.

Ben led me patiently back and forth, letting me focus my nose on small sections of the room at a time. Finally, we arrived at the corner farthest away from the stairs.

Here there was a black mess where the fire had been particularly strong. Water had reduced it to a smoldering, dripping jumble of sagging beams and fallen debris.

Above us I could see into the open sky, and hot air surged past us in a powerful wind, pulling all the smoke and the smells and thrusting them up toward the clouds. It was as if someone had cut a hole in the ceiling and dropped it down onto the tiles beneath our feet. Now the steam and smoke were using the hole like a chimney.

My nose twitched. My ears were on alert. Here. Somehow, Hutch was here. Despite the rush of air clearing all the odors from the area, I could smell him, and I could smell something else: blood.

I turned and pawed urgently at Ben’s leg. His face swam into view as he leaned down to peer at me. “Ripley?” he shouted through his mask. “Do you have the scent?”

He turned to Roxie. “There’s someone here!”

I stared pointedly at the wreckage of the collapsed ceiling. Hutch was hiding underneath the burned timbers.

Roxie grabbed her big phone from her belt. “We found something, probably a person. Fallen ceiling. We need people now. Fourth floor, southwest corner. It might be Captain Hutchins. Hurry.”

I waited expectantly, as tense as Ben and Roxie, peering into the gloom while the heat beat at us, water pelted us, and flames hissed and roared from above like an angry animal. Within moments, two men and two women joined us out of the smoke. I had never met any one of them. They reached down with metal rods and began chopping and prying at the burned wood.

“Watch out with those rods!” Ben urged.

“Got him!” somebody shouted.

I saw a gloved hand and I knew it belonged to Hutch. The people in the heavy coats stooped and pulled, tugging on the hand, then the arm, and then the body.

Hutch was still wearing his mask, but his head lolled on his shoulders, and I could see something desperately wrong with his other arm. A thin stream of blood dripped from a wound.

“His arm!” Roxie called.

“Careful,” Ben warned. “It’s broken. Let’s get him out of here.”

We followed as the people surrounded Hutch and gently lugged him across the big room to the stairs. With each floor we descended, the air cleared and the thunder of fire diminished. They carried Hutch all the way out and into the sunshine.

People grabbed Hutch and carefully placed him on a bed. He drove off in a car like Roxie’s, with two people I didn’t know driving it, a piercing wail splitting the air behind it.

Ben pulled off his mask and wiped his gritty face. “That was close, Ripley,” Ben gasped in relief.

“More trucks are here,” Roxie said, looking around, her own mask in her hand.

Willets came up to greet us, walking a little oddly. Ben frowned at him. “Why’re you limping?”

“Something fell on my foot,” Willets replied with an easy grin. “Didn’t see what it was and it didn’t leave a note. Chief just arrived, and Captain Steadman from Station Two.”

“Good. They can take command.”

“How’d our dog do in there?”

Ben reached down and pulled off my mask, and the cool air was like a kiss. He didn’t give me a treat, but I knew I’d done Search right. I wagged because I was Good Dog Ripley.

“Ripley did exactly what he was trained for,” Ben said. “He found Hutch and he signaled. A whole section of ceiling collapsed right on the captain, and if it hadn’t been for Ripley, Hutch wouldn’t have made it.”

“You’re a hero, Ripley!” Willets exclaimed.

I wagged harder.

“Yeah, well, not sure that Hutch will agree with that assessment,” Ben replied.

“Want me to look at your foot?” Roxie offered.

Willets shook his head. “Nah. They told me to deliver the message that they had the scene, and I’ve done it.” He looked to Ben. “I’d like to go back in, if it’s okay with you, Lieutenant.”

“Sure, but let’s have Roxie take a look at your injury when this is over.”

“Yes, sir,” Willets replied.

Ben walked over to where Samantha was in the car with her window open. “Ripley found Hutch. Ceiling collapsed on him.”

“Will he be okay?”

“Not sure. He’s breathing, but not conscious. Don’t know how long he was pinned under there. How are you, Sammie?” Ben asked gently. “With the fire and everything.”

Samantha gave him a calm look. “I was scared for you and Ripley, but not like when my house was on fire. It didn’t panic me because I didn’t let it.”

I jumped into the car to squeeze next to Samantha. Now that I was done with Search, I could give all my attention to my girl.

“Oh, Ripley!” Samantha laughed. “You’re so wet. And you stink! Like smoke, ugh.” She hugged me tight, letting her love flow over me, and I loved her back. “Oh, Ripley,” she said, very softly into my fur.

We soon left that big building. I could smell that the fire was mostly out, but the smoke was so thick on the air I could taste it even when we’d driven all the way to Samantha’s house.

A few days later there came a morning when Ben arrived to eat breakfast with us. I was unhappy because his scent told me he’d been at Captain Bee’s house but had once again forgotten to take me. And after I’d done Search so well, and found Hutch when he was hiding in that particularly difficult place!

“Ripley’s a working dog. He needs a purpose. He’s depressed,” Samantha observed. “I’ll go take him for a walk.”

I knew that word, and it definitely cheered me up. Ben was still sitting with Mom and talking and laughing, so I followed Samantha, on-leash, at a trot.

We headed down the sidewalk. Just as we passed Mrs. Larson’s house, Samantha halted, a hand to her mouth.

Mrs. Larson was lying sprawled across her front steps.

“Mrs. Larson!” Samantha screamed.