SIX
When Mountaineer topped the last hill, the meadow with its carpet of red flowers took Mattie by surprise. The rainfall had let up, and sunlight warmed the scene. It seemed an odd contrast that they had arrived to search for a body in such a beautiful place.
The rose-tinted ridge rose up sharply ahead, rocky crags jabbing skyward above the ridgeline, while pine and spruce skirted its base.
“Hello,” a male voice called as they broke through the tree line.
Mattie searched out the sound and saw a rider coming from the direction of the trees at the base of the ridge.
McCoy rode forward, and Cole kneed his horse around Mattie to join him. She tightened the reins to hold Mountaineer back while Stella and Lovejoy drew up beside her.
She called Robo and told him to stay. He edged forward before going into a down, pushing the boundary so that he could get a clear view of the action. He waited there, his tongue lolling in a pant, watching the newcomer.
She could hear Cole introduce Sheriff McCoy and Brody to Tucker York.
“Have you seen anything?” McCoy asked.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I didn’t do much of a search, because I thought you’d want to head that up. I just secured the area.” York waved a hand toward the evergreens at the base of the ridge. “I moved over there so that I could watch both the meadow and the sheep. There’s no sign of a body where I’ve been.”
“How about a recent fire?”
“Not even a campfire. I didn’t see any signs of human activity in that direction.”
“I appreciate that you didn’t disturb the meadow,” McCoy said. “We don’t know what we’re going to find out there.”
“It’s wet. I figured you didn’t want me tracking it up. And my main concern was to scout the sheep. I have an appointment back in Denver tonight and didn’t want to delay my return.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t run into any trouble, coming up by yourself,” McCoy said. “You’re free to go whenever you need to.”
“Then I’ll be leaving after I finalize some plans with Ed for our project.” York turned away to consult with Lovejoy.
Mattie’s sore legs told her she’d spent more than enough time in the saddle. She knew that she should dismount on the left side, so after securing the knotted reins at her saddle horn, she swung her right leg over Mountaineer’s rump and stretched it way down, reaching for the ground.
Cole dismounted and led his horse back to join her.
“We might as well get ready to search,” Mattie said, feeling unsteady as she straightened her knees.
“Walk around and stretch,” Cole said. “It’ll help with the soreness. That’ll get better with more experience.”
Mattie followed his suggestion while she scanned the blood-red meadow. “Where did Bruno come from when he brought the boot?”
Cole pointed off to the left. “He came from the far end over there. I think he might have entered the forest, but I don’t know for sure. I thought he was bringing back a chunk of wood.”
She began to untie her pack from behind her saddle.
“I’ll tie the horses here in these trees.” Cole moved to help her, his closeness sending a rush of warmth to her face. She hoped the others wouldn’t notice, and if they did, that they would think the cool air had reddened her cheeks.
Brody came up, leading his horse. “Where do you want to start the search?” he asked Mattie.
She gestured toward the left of the field. “The remains came from that direction, but we don’t know how far out. So here’s as good a place to start as any.”
Brody began untying the ice chest from behind his saddle.
“Robo’s never done something like this before, Brody. We’ve always been tracking someone we thought was still alive and used clothing for a scent article. I’ve never asked him to find a body based on decomposed remains.”
Brody acknowledged her concern with a nod as he worked out the knots in the leather ties. “I expect he’ll know what to do. It’s close enough.”
The rain had most likely affected the scent. A trail from a living human could have been washed away, but the odor of an exposed body might well be enhanced. “I plan to give him the scent and then cast him out into the meadow. We’ll let him search the area without putting too much pressure on him. If he doesn’t find anything out here, I’ll take him into the woods.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
By this time McCoy and Stella had dismounted and tied their horses with the others. Cole had placed Mattie’s pack on the ground nearby.
McCoy was scanning the meadow with a pair of binoculars. “When do you want to start the search, Deputy?”
Mattie slipped off her rain jacket, turning in a partial circle as she tested the feel of the air on her face. “There’s hardly any breeze, so now’s a good time to start. I want to give Robo a chance to search with only me and Brody following him. Later, the rest of you can go in and do a thorough visual search.”
“All right.” McCoy swept the lenses toward the left, adjusting them to zoom in on the tree line.
Mattie opened her pack, removed Robo’s collapsible bowl, and filled it with water from her own drinking supply. He’d drunk freely from streams on the way up, but she wanted him to moisten his mucus membranes now to enhance his scenting ability. Besides, it was a valuable part of their routine.
After he lapped at the liquid, she took off his collar and put on his tracking harness, his signal that it was time to search. Robo assumed his all-business face, adopting a serious attitude for the first time on this outing instead of acting like he was along for a picnic.
“Robo, heel.” Taking the ice chest with her, she led him a short distance from the rest of the group and began to tousle his fur and pat his sides. She used the high-pitched chatter meant to rev up his prey drive. “Robo, are you ready to work? Are you? Let’s find something.”
He waved his tail and looked into her eyes, telling her he was ready to go.
Mattie bent to open the container about two inches, holding the lid firmly so that Robo couldn’t push his nose all the way in. “Here Robo. Scent this.”
The odor of rotting flesh wafted out, attracting Robo like a fly to a carcass. He poked his nose into the open crack as far as Mattie would allow. Then she gently closed the lid, forcing him to withdraw.
She secured the lid on the ice chest and straightened. Raising her hand above her head, she said Robo’s name to draw his attention. After he lifted his eyes to her face, she flung her arm out in a gesture toward the meadow, at the same time telling him, “Search.”
Robo dashed into the meadow with its red flowers. She swallowed the tension that had tightened her throat and jogged after him, Brody following behind.
The grass was slick from the rain, and the ground beneath it uneven and muddy. Very soon, she realized she wouldn’t be able to keep up with Robo on this type of terrain. Placing her feet carefully on tufts of grass rather than sinking into the sometimes swampy muck in between, she did her best to keep up with her swift-footed dog. She’d take a rocky hillside over this any day.
With his larger feet and heavier build, Brody struggled even more than she did. They fell into a strung-out line as they crossed the meadow, Robo out front and Brody bringing up the rear. Robo quartered the area back and forth while his humans stayed on a straight line down the middle. Mattie kept her eyes on her footing, glancing up frequently to see if Robo had hit upon something.
Most of the time Robo held his head up, nose in the air, telling her that he was air-scenting rather than following a ground-track. Occasionally he put his nose down to sniff, boosting her heart rate as she wondered if he’d found a corpse or other remains, but then he would raise his head and dash forward, continuing in a general trajectory toward the forest at the meadow’s far edge.