“Piper?” Mitchell taps my cheek with his hand.
My eyelids flutter open. “Why is it that I always seem to pass out directly into your lap?”
“Because I’ve gotten really good at catching you. How do you feel?”
I press my palm to my forehead. “Like someone who was shoved from behind.” I point to the disc golf target. “Louisa was pushed headfirst into that. There has to be traces of blood on it or on the ground somewhere.”
“I’ll call Wallace and have him bring Harry here right away.”
Harry is the K9 we’ve worked with on several cases. Wickedly smart dog, not to mention beautiful, but then again, German shepherds are a beautiful breed.
Mitchell places the call, remaining seated on the ground so I don’t have to try to get up yet. I’m still stunned by the force with which Louisa was hit. Her attacker must have hit her with something. But what? A tree branch maybe. My eyes scan the ground, but that isn’t easy to do with my head cradled in Mitchell’s lap.
He gets off the phone. “On their way.”
“Great. Help me up, please.”
“Are you sure you’re able to stand? There’s no rush. We need to wait for Harry anyway.”
With one hand pressed to the front of my head, I attempt to sit up on my own. “I think she was hit with something. We need to look for a tree branch or a large rock. I might be able to read it if the attacker wielded it.”
Mitchell grabs me by both arms and manages to push me up while getting to his feet. He doesn’t let go once we’re both standing. “Are you dizzy?”
“A little but I’m okay. I don’t feel like I’m going to collapse or anything.”
“Good because you’re only allowed to do that once per case, and you’ve already filled your quota.”
“Always the funny man. Start searching for whatever it was the attacker used on Louisa.” Mitchell keeps one hand on me as we search. I repeatedly give him the stink eye, but he’s gotten too good at ignoring it. I know I’m not going to convince him I’m fine, so I choose to deal with it instead of picking a fight.
“I don’t see anything,” Mitchell says. “But Harry could possibly sniff out the weapon if he’s able to pick up on Louisa’s scent on the disc golf target.”
I hear the sirens in the distance. “Speak of the devil. Did you tell Officer Wallace which direction to go on the path?”
“Yeah, but Harry will follow my scent until we give him another.”
“Really? How?” I ask.
“We all keep a personal item at the station for Harry’s benefit. It’s to help in case one of us gets injured and can’t give our location.”
Not a bad idea. “Harry’s definitely a hero.”
“That he is,” Mitchell agrees.
It doesn’t take long for Harry to find Mitchell. He noses the ground until he’s at Mitchell’s feet. Mitchell reaches down and pats Harry’s head. “Good boy.”
I can’t help wondering if all animals love Mitchell. He certainly seems to have a way with dogs in particular.
I point to the disc golf target. “I think there might be a trace of Louisa Hernandez’s blood on there.”
Officer Wallace walks over to it and taps the bottom of the metal. “Harry,” is all he has to say to the K9. Harry jumps up, gently putting one paw on the target and sniffing. It’s clear to all of us when he homes in on a scent.
“Blood?” I ask.
“That’s his usual reaction to blood, so I’d say so.” Officer Wallace gives a short whistle, and Harry lowers to the ground and immediately start sniffing.
“I’m starting to think we need Harry on every case,” I whisper to Mitchell.
“Nah. You’re like my own personal K9.”
I turn my head to glare at him. “Your?”
“I didn’t mean like you belong to me. Some cops have dogs for partners, you know.”
“Oh, so you’re calling me a dog now?”
His face loses all color.
“Relax. I’m used to your complete lack of ability to keep your foot out of your mouth.” I watch Harry continue to sniff the area. He comes to a tree and gives two short barks.
“What does that mean?” I ask Officer Wallace.
“It means he can’t smell the scent beyond that point.”
“So the trail stops at that tree?” Mitchell asks.
“Looks like it.”
I follow the path Harry walked in and point my finger. “That means the attacker hit Louisa, knocked her unconscious, and dragged her across the path to right here.” I look at the tree and place my hand on the bark. I don’t sense Louisa, so I don’t think she came into contact with the tree. “He must have picked her up and carried her from here.”
“Most likely in the opposite direction of her house,” Mitchell says.
“Yes, but he wouldn’t stay on the trail for fear that someone would see them.” I point to the left of the tree. “He brought her through there.”
“Are you sure?” Mitchell asks.
“No, but it’s the most logical explanation, right?”
“We’ve got a dog and a psychic. Why can’t we be positive about this?” Officer Wallace asks. If any of the other officers had said it, I’d think it was a dig at what I do. But Officer Wallace actually believes in my abilities, so I know he just wants me to keep using them to find a definite lead.
“Can Harry pick up on the attacker’s scent?” I ask.
“Possibly, but it won’t be as strong. He smelled the woman’s blood. That’s a lot easier to track.”
“Can you please try?”
Wallace nods and brings Harry to the area to the left of the tree. Harry sniffs the ground but doesn’t move.
“What is it?” Mitchell asks.
“I’m not sure,” Officer Wallace says.
“I have an idea. May I?” I gesture to Harry. “I want to see if I can read him and see what he’s sensing.”
Mitchell and Officer Wallace exchange a look before they both gesture for me to go ahead.
I walk over to Harry. “Hey, boy. You’re doing a great job.” I lower my hand so he can sniff me. Not that Harry hasn’t met me before, but he’s on duty and I don’t want to startle him when he’s focused on something else. He sniffs me a few times and then meets my gaze. “Would you sit down for me? Sit?” He looks at Officer Wallace, who nods. Harry sits.
I turn to Officer Wallace. “Is Harry your partner?”
“Sort of.”
“Will he let me touch his face?”
Officer Wallace moves toward Harry and nods in my direction. Harry turns to face me again. “Go ahead,” Officer Wallace says.
I bend down so Harry and I are on the same level, and I slowly raise my hand to his face. He leans into my touch, making me smile. “Good boy.” I close my eyes and focus on what he’s sensed so far.
Blood.
Rubber.
Fox.
I open my eyes. “Thank you, Harry. You’ve been very helpful.”
“What did you see?” Mitchell asks as I stand up.
“Well, Harry’s picked up on three scents.” I tick them off on my fingers. “Louisa’s blood, rubber, which I’m assuming is from the attacker’s shoes, and a fox.”
“A fox?”
“Yeah, I think maybe the scent of blood attracted it.”
“Harry might be getting thrown off by the different smells then,” Mitchell says.
“He can still follow the trail,” Officer Wallace says, “but it’s good to know that there are competing scents.”
“I might be able to help him focus on the correct scent. Do you mind if I try?”
Officer Wallace cocks his head. “Are you a dog whisperer, too?”
I smile. “They’re very willing to let me in, so you might call it that.”
He motions for me to go ahead and gives Harry another nod.
Harry is still sitting perfectly still, awaiting his next task.
“Hey, boy. We’re going to catch a bad guy, okay?” I slowly raise my hand to Harry’s face once more. This time I focus on the scent of rubber. And now I know it’s sneakers. Good. Focus on that scent. I try to push that thought into Harry’s mind, but I can’t be sure it works.
I let go. “Okay, let’s give this a try.” I stand and wait for Officer Wallace and Harry to lead the way.
Harry is on the scent of something, so hopefully what I did worked. He leads us for about a mile until we reach the main road.
I groan, knowing there had to be a car waiting here to take Louisa away. “Dead end.”