Mattie straightened, and Cole knew what she planned to propose. In a split second he decided to play the card that he’d placed up his sleeve earlier. He spoke quietly. “Robo is exhausted, Mattie. We had to work him to find you, but now he needs to sleep. That’s a powerful drug that was used on you both, and it acts on the nervous system. I think we should stay here and let him rest while the others go up on top. He’s dead on his feet.”
With a frown of concern, Mattie looked down at Robo standing at her left heel. As if on cue, the blessed dog gazed up at her, his sharp teeth gleaming as his mouth stretched open in a huge, squeaky yawn. As soon as I can get my hands on a treat, he’s going to get one for that, Cole thought.
Brody stepped in. “You and your dog wait here, Cobb. We’ll run a quick reconnaissance up above, and then come back for you. Rest now, so if we need you two for tracking, you can be ready to go.”
To Cole’s surprise, she yielded without argument, and she bent to stroke Robo’s head and along his shoulders while the others divvied up roles. Frank rode away with Brody and Lawson while Cole and Garrett stayed with Mattie.
With a slow step, she returned to the sleeping bag, picked it up, and began spreading it beneath a pine tree. Cole hurried to help. She told Robo to lie down, and then she sank against him, pulled him close, and curved herself around him. Cole covered them both with the remaining half of the down-filled bag.
After Mattie closed her eyes, Cole glanced at Garrett who gave him a nod. They both picked spots where they could lean their backs against trees to rest while they sat and watched over her.
Gasping for breath, Mattie lunged upright to sit. Robo rolled onto his chest and stared at her. Cole came from a few feet away, soothing her with a gentle tone. “You’re safe. It’s just a slurry bomber making a pass.”
She spotted the huge plane as it rumbled away, having dropped its payload of suppressant on the forest fire. Smoke lingered in the air, making her throat burn with thirst, and it hurt to swallow. She placed her hand to her sore neck. Cole handed her the canteen.
“How long have they been gone?” she asked, her voice sounding raspy and strange.
“Almost two hours. You slept?”
“Yeah.” She tipped the canteen to sip, and the cool water soothed her throat. Cole’s eyes were reddened, the lines around them showing his fatigue. “You were up all night?”
He shrugged and gave her a half smile. “I had a few things I needed to take care of.”
His presence steadied her nerves, which she needed now more than ever. She rested her free hand on her dog’s shoulders. “How bad was it for Robo?”
Cole winced. “Pretty bad. If Riley hadn’t found him when she did, he would’ve died.”
“You saved him.”
He studied her for a moment, and then a slow smile flirted with the corners of his mouth. “You might say that. Will it earn me any brownie points?”
She felt unsure of how to respond. “I owe you.”
He clasped her hand. “You don’t owe me anything, Mattie. All I want from you is any spare affection you might toss my way.”
“You have that.”
“Garrett brewed some tea. Could you drink a cup?”
“I think so.” She started to get up.
“Stay here. I’ll bring it to you.”
He arose, leaving her feeling uneasy. Her past was an embarrassment to her, and Cole knew only part of it. He didn’t know the extent of the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of Harold Cobb. The life Cole had led was untouched by that kind of degradation—he wouldn’t be able to understand that part of her that had been twisted when she was a child. And much as she wanted to, she had trouble allowing him past the wall she’d built to protect her feelings.
Before the others left to investigate the fire, she’d felt depleted. She’d had nothing left, and Robo looked like he felt the same way. She’d come to the realization that she couldn’t do it all, and she needed to trust that others could handle things in her stead. It was a tough lesson for her—learning to let go—but thinking about Robo’s welfare had tipped the balance.
Cole returned, handing her a steaming plastic cup. He held up an energy bar. “Can you eat this now?”
She realized she was starving. “Sure.”
Robo watched, licking saliva from his black lips.
Mattie nodded toward her dog. “You didn’t bring any food for him, did you?”
“Actually, I did. I bagged some before I left the clinic. C’mon, Robo, I’ll feed you now.”
Her dog looked full of energy as he followed Cole to the horses, which made her feel even better than her own sustenance. She sipped the strong, dark tea, the bitter brew replenishing her energy. While she nibbled on the sweet, nutty bar, she watched Robo scarf down a cupful of dog food. He came back to her, smacking his lips and waving his tail. He heaved a sigh as he plopped down beside her, everything right with his world.
She needed to take another lesson from her dog. You have food, you have water, you’ve rested; there’s no reason to fret.
But there is. Her brother’s killer was on the loose. And now that her battery felt recharged, she needed to take Robo up the trail to see if she could find him. After finishing the food, she scanned the mountain and spotted movement on a switchback up above. Riders. As they drew near, she could see that it was Brody and Frank, and they looked grim.
Brody stopped at the campsite and dismounted, while Frank rode on.
“He’s long gone,” Brody said, looking at Mattie. “Lawson stayed up there to secure the crime scene, and Frank’s headed down to escort crime scene investigators up here. Looks like the fire pit got away from him and lit the forest. Horseshoe prints indicate the two horses panicked and broke their picket line. He caught one of them and rode north away from the fire. We tracked him far enough to see that he turned to ride downhill to the north of this trail.”
“What trail was he on?” she asked.
“He wasn’t on one. He just headed into the timber going downhill.”
“If he has a partner, maybe he’s headed down to meet up with him.”
Garrett spoke up. “You’ve got a trail even farther north that he might hook up with, the one by Lowell Pass.”
“That’s the trail Flynn said he was on the day his horse got cut,” Cole said, his voice edged with tension. “We need to make sure the volunteers have checked that trailhead for a rig, too.”
Brody took out the satellite phone and dialed. After the few seconds it took to connect, he briefed the sheriff on the situation. “Did the volunteers check the Lowell Pass trailhead for a truck and trailer last night or today?”
Mattie felt edgy while she listened. She rolled up the sleeping bag and gave it to Garrett to tie back on his saddle. Robo picked up on her nerves and danced around her.
Still on the phone with the sheriff, Brody repeated what he was saying for the group’s benefit. “No rig there, but this morning they’ve spotted a silver Tahoe at that trailhead with a stolen Colorado license plate. This might be the Tahoe that William’s friend saw in front of his shop.”
Brody looked confused—he’d been out of the loop while guarding William’s crime scene—but Mattie nodded at him that she understood.
“What’s your plan?” Brody asked the sheriff. Mattie watched his frown deepen while he listened. “Hold one minute.”
Brody lowered the phone from his mouth. “They’ve got the Tahoe under surveillance, and they’re watching Redstone and Balderhouse trailheads for activity. But Bret Flynn showed up at his place this morning with his rig and his two horses. Stella’s in the interrogation room with him right now. He says he took his girlfriend on a night ride to the hot springs south of Hightower, and when they got back to the truck, it wouldn’t start. His story checked out with the woman, and Riley has been at Cole’s house all morning, so she couldn’t have taken his rig to him.” His face took on a sour expression. “Looks like he’s not our guy.”