“You insane? I’m here to find my family.”
“You sleep through the evacuation from Byron?”
Nate nodded. “Something like that. Most of my family, however, was taken to a temporary shelter on Winsor Road.”
“The Victory Sports Complex?”
“That’s the one.”
“That may be, but Byron ain’t the only town using us as a depot, amigo. Apparently, there’s been such a huge influx, the city’s running out of space to house everyone who’s showing up. As it was, Rockford was struggling to keep its own citizens from dying even before the charity cases started flooding in. And the cold ain’t the only thing bumping people off, if you know what I mean.” Sanchez didn’t need to wink, but he might as well have.
Nate understood perfectly well. Small as it was, Rockford had something of a reputation for criminal activity. With the normal structures of authority crumbling around them, it was a wonder the city wasn’t in flames. Then Nate understood the reason. The cold. Stuff tended to rot a lot quicker the warmer things got. The same could also be said, for the rule of law.
“Listen, have you seen a young girl on a horse?”
“Sure have,” Sanchez said without hesitation. “A chick on a horse ain’t something you come across every day.”
For some reason, the word ‘chick’ struck Nate like a pinprick between his lower ribs. But why? Was he already thinking of her as something of a daughter? He remained stoic. “You see which way she went?”
Sanchez motioned behind him. “I saw her come this way and head around the corner. She was talking to a couple guys by an SUV at some point. I assumed they were cops.”
He must have noticed the flash of concern streak across Nate’s features. Sanchez stepped out of line and both men headed in that direction. They were nearly there when they spotted the horse emerge from around the corner, walking slowly and without purpose. When they reached the horse, Nate saw one of the stirrups was up near the saddle. Dakota, however, was nowhere to be seen. The PI part of his brain was kicking into high gear.
It was starting to look as though someone had come along and abducted her.
But why?
They searched the area where she had likely been attacked, Nate’s heart pounding wildly in his chest. He was just as terrified by what they might find as by what they might not.
The snow here was mostly undisturbed, save for a single spot where a mash-up of horses’ hooves and human footprints gave the impression of a dance party. Kicking a light dusting of snow aside, Nate spotted a few droplets of blood.
“Last night we were camped out between Rockford and Byron when two men and a woman showed up. We thought they were friendly at first, but that was before I noticed the things they were saying weren’t adding up.”
“Cop’s intuition, man,” Sanchez bellowed. “It’s a real thing. No one believes you when you tell them, but it is.”
Nate went on to describe precisely how things had gone down the night before.
“A wolf?” Sanchez said, his gaze focused on a point somewhere over Nate’s shoulder. “It look anything like that?”
Over near the street, Shadow stood, staring back at them. There was blood on the top of his head, like he’d been struck with a weapon of some sort.
“You two know each other?”
Nate frowned. “You could say that. Although I’m not entirely sure we’re on speaking terms.”
Sanchez didn’t know what that meant, and Nate wasn’t interested in filling him in on the backstory.
“Who’d you come here to see?” Nate asked, referring to the endless line.
“A cousin of mine tried to leave town and got stuck in his car overnight. Had to walk back on foot. Hands and feet were all frostbitten. The doofus didn’t have the sense to bring mittens and proper boots in the off chance that his master plan flew off the rails. Anyway, I promised my aunt I’d check up on him.”
“I could really use your help,” Nate said, hating to call in the favor under these insane circumstances, but feeling like he had no other choice. “When I first found this girl, she was locked in a cage.”
Sanchez’s chin dropped, his mouth hinging open. “These guys wanted her awfully bad. Any idea why?”
“Can’t say for sure,” Nate replied, his mind recoiling from a host of sick and demented possibilities. While the ticking clock marking their escape from the exclusion zone had recently ended, he now realized another clock had suddenly taken its place. This one was much shorter and far more forbidding. Letting that particular timer run out guaranteed a terrible fate for his young traveling companion.
But Nate’s motivation wasn’t merely fueled by the simple fact that it was the right thing to do. Back on the trail he had inadvertently made Dakota a promise. If anything happened, he would come find her. And if there was one thing Nate tried never to break, it was his word.
Sanchez drew Nate’s attention. “I think I know someone who might be able to help.”
Chapter 35
Sanchez led them about five blocks from the hospital to meet one of his old contacts. It was rude to ride next to someone without a horse and so Nate had opted to lead Wayne on foot.
They were headed down a street with houses on each side when Sanchez glanced over his shoulder. “Your dog’s still following us.”
“Wolf,” Nate amended. “And he isn’t mine.” Handing the reins to Sanchez, Nate pulled to a stop. He lowered himself onto one knee and held out a hand. Hesitantly, Shadow approached close enough for Nate to see someone had struck the animal’s head with a club or a telescoping baton. It stood to reason that after trying to intervene, the wolf had been whacked in the skull for its efforts. But animals didn’t normally show pain, not easily. The wolf’s amber eyes stared back at him intently.
“Got any food on you?” Nate asked Sanchez.
Sanchez reached into his pocket and then put something in Nate’s hand.
“A granola bar?”
Sanchez shrugged. “Hey, man, that’s all I got.”
Nate tore away the wrapper and held it out. Much to his surprise, the wolf came closer still, took the food from his hand, chewed it briefly and then let it fall to the ground uneaten.
Sanchez let out one of his famous cackles, spooking the wolf. Shadow backed off a few feet. “He’s no vegan,” Sanchez observed. “I’ll give him that.”
“You know, last night he wouldn’t come near me without growling,” Nate said, marveling at the sudden change.
“He wants something from you, man,” Sanchez explained, matter-of-factly. “Can’t you see that?”
“It’s an animal. Most of the time, all they want is food.”
Sanchez handed the reins back and ran his hand down Wayne’s powerful neck. “I had the same problem with our miniature Schnauzer, Fonzie. Then one day Suzie brings home another named Chachi and wouldn’t you know, Fonzie was suddenly my best friend.”
Someone there is obviously a fan of Happy Days.
They continued walking while Nate pondered Sanchez’s story. “So you’re saying your dog was jealous?”
“I suppose that’s one way to put it. Another was that he realized he suddenly had some competition. Up until then, the Fonz and Suzie outnumbered me. Don’t ask me how, but the little guy realized the only way to avoid an all-out turf war was to get me on his side.”
Nate grinned. “I think you put way too much thought into this.”
“Spoken like a man who’s never owned a dog.”
“Amy’s allergic,” Nate shot back defensively.
“Laugh all you want, man,” Sanchez derided him, throwing up his hands and spooking the horse, who flared his eyes and bobbed his head. “But I’m telling you. These things are smarter than we give them credit for.”