“As soon as we get out of this canyon, we’ll decide on a plan.” Brody reined his horse back down the trail. “But for now, we stick together.”
Mattie disagreed with his decision and chafed at the fact that he was the one in charge. She kept her eye on the left side of the canyon, and another quarter mile down the trail, she spotted a gap in the wall that looked promising.
Brody saw it too, and picked up the pace. The gap turned out to be the mouth of a dry streambed that looked steep but passable. “We’ll try to go up here.”
“Lean forward on the uphill,” Cole reminded her as she nudged Mountaineer forward. “Heels down and squeeze your legs tight.”
Pebbles and stones rattled and rolled down the incline as each rider entered the dry bed. The horses tucked their hind legs under themselves as they strained and heaved up the fifty- foot incline. The herbal scent of sweet sage being crushed under their hooves infiltrated the air.
Mattie clung to the saddle, feeling Mountaineer move beneath her, and she admired the power harnessed in the body of this animal, one so willing to do whatever she asked of him. Even though she’d once feared being on top of him, she seemed to be getting the hang of it.
When she gained the top of the rim, a view of the mountainside opened up to an expanse of evergreen forest, dotted with boulders and rugged outcroppings—perfect cat country. She pulled a set of binoculars from her pack and used them to scan the hillside. Mist covered the high crags, concealing anything that might be hidden.
The last one to reach the rim, Glenna pulled up beside them and dismounted to grab Moose by the collar. “Let’s take Moose to the rim where we spotted the tiger and set him on the trail from there.”
Mattie knew Robo’s strengths far better than anyone, and she knew he could find human scent left by the shooter. She looked at Brody. “When we see which way the tiger went after he left the rim, I need to take Robo across country from there, so he can find the shooter’s trail.”
“Let’s split up, two and two,” Glenna said. “We’ll have a better chance of taking that tiger alive if we find whoever’s hunting him.”
Mattie could tell Glenna’s focus was on saving the tiger, and that was good; Mattie wanted it taken alive, too. But above all, she wanted to catch the person who’d killed Nate Fletcher and Wilson Nichol, and splitting up made sense for her plan as well. “Chances are the four of us are going to end up back together anyway.”
“Who’s the best shooter?” Glenna asked. “I’ve never tagged a cougar with a dart. Someone else handled that job.”
“Brody’s the sharpshooter in our department,” Mattie said.
Brody eyed Cole. He looked like he was thinking it over. “Can you keep up with Cobb if she takes to the ground?”
“I think so.”
Mattie knew Cole had stepped up his fitness program a few months ago to include running the foothills around his house. He wouldn’t slow her down. “We can stay together.”
“Okay, you and Cole go after the shooter,” Brody said to Mattie. “We’ll track the tiger. Stay in touch.” He tapped his pocket where he’d put his cell phone.
Glenna got back on Honey and chattered to Moose about finding the cat, taking him with her as she reined uphill. Mattie urged Mountaineer forward, and Cole rode up beside her. They dodged between trees and rocks as they trotted upslope, and Cole called out to the others: “That tiger is going to go up high if it’s being chased. Watch your backs when you ride under anything.”
Within a quarter mile, Moose charged forward, leaving Glenna’s side to circle around an area at the edge of the canyon rim. He bayed a few times, obviously excited by the freshness of the cat’s scent. The Rhodesian ridgeback paused only long enough to vacuum up the scent, then headed uphill, nose to the ground.
“Brody, we’re going to split off here,” Mattie shouted, reining Mountaineer away from the edge of the canyon rim.
Brody lifted his hand in acknowledgment as he nudged his horse into a trot to follow Glenna and Moose.
“Come, Robo. Let’s go find a bad guy.” Robo fell in beside her as she set a diagonal course away from the rim and downhill, keeping one eye on the ground for tracks while taking quick glances to scan the tops of boulders and promontories.
Cole rode close behind. “The shooter is probably on horseback instead of on foot. Look for horseshoe prints.”
Robo sped forward and came across the track first. He circled around, sniffing as if he didn’t know whether to go uphill or down, and they hurried to catch up with him. The open-ended ovals of horseshoe prints could be seen plainly in the coarse soil.
Cole dismounted to check the prints. “Only one horse, headed uphill.”
Mattie slipped off Mountaineer and reached to get Robo’s search harness out of her pack. “I need to be on the ground with Robo, Cole. That’s what he’s used to.”
Cole took her reins. “I’ll stay on horseback and lead Mountaineer. I’m not leaving him tied to a tree out here, not with a tiger on the loose.”
Mattie buckled the harness on Robo and gave it a quick tug to settle it into place. She let him lap water from her canteen out of her hand and began the chatter that he loved. Unable to contain his excitement, he performed a pirouette on his hind legs while she patted his back. “Come on, let’s find a bad guy.”
With a toss of his head, Robo hit the trail, following the horseshoe prints uphill. The prints disappeared for a long stretch in the stony soil, but when they reappeared, it assured Mattie that Robo had kept them on the right track. Her body warmed as she jogged after him up steep grades, and her breath came in uneven cycles. She was used to running the foothills every morning, but this steep mountainside challenged her lungs.
The track led into a dense part of the forest, and she heard Cole unsheathe his rifle from about ten paces behind her.
A few seconds later, Robo bristled. What lay ahead? Human or tiger?
Mattie came to a sudden stop, her heart pounding in her ears. She kept her voice barely above a whisper. “Robo, wait.”
He stopped and turned to look at her, his mouth open in a pant.
Cole swung out of the saddle and was beside her in one quick stride, rifle in hand. “What is it?” he murmured.
“Something ahead. Look at Robo’s back.”
Cole swept his gaze past Robo uphill and then back to the horses. “The horses aren’t afraid. We’re downwind. I don’t think it’s the tiger.”
She followed his reasoning and agreed. “Must be the shooter, and I think he’s close. Could you stay here with the horses? I’ll scout on ahead with Robo.”
Cole dropped the reins of both horses so they trailed the ground. “They’ll ground-tie unless something spooks them. And they’ll be able to get away if the tiger comes. I’ll back you.” He held his rifle ready in both hands, his face set with determination.
Mattie was used to trailing fugitives, and she knew the danger of stumbling into an ambush; however, she wasn’t used to putting Cole in harm’s way. She didn’t like it one bit. Even though she’d caught her breath, her chest tightened with anxiety.
She wished she could argue or order him to stay back, but she knew there wasn’t time and he wouldn’t listen. Robo pressed against her legs as if trying to drive her forward. His prey was near, and she couldn’t put him on hold any longer. She used a whisper, but it was every bit as intense as a shout. “Go ahead, Robo. Find the bad guy.”
Robo raised his nose and sprang forward at a lope, air-scenting the person they were following, which told Mattie he must be near. She surged after him, pine boughs whipping past, their needles pricking through her shirt to sting her skin. When she caught up to Robo, she whispered for him to wait so that he would slow his pace. The hair on his back stood on end, and the hair on her neck prickled.