Cole’s face filled with hope. “That sounds good. Thank you, Mattie.”
“Talk to Sheriff McCoy about what you can do next. It’s best for him to advise you.”
Cole nodded, and Mattie reached to open the car door. He stepped forward and got to the handle first, their hands brushing together as he opened the door for her. She pulled herself into the driver’s seat, not knowing what to say—a promise to find Sophie would be useless. If a stranger had taken her, they both knew what they were up against.
Cole was the one who spoke. “I knew you were the first one I should call.”
His words were almost her undoing. “I’ll do my best to find her, Cole.”
As she drove away, she slammed her fist on the steering wheel, wanting to feel anything but this empty helplessness. She vowed to find Sophie, and soon. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if she couldn’t return this child safely to the man and family she loved.
Chapter 17
Mattie fought to regain her professionalism; it was crucial to remain detached and focused. She shrugged her shoulders to try to relieve the knots that had invaded her muscles and touched the button on her steering wheel to activate her hands-free communication system.
She spoke into the receiver. “Call Jim Madsen.”
He answered the phone with a question. “How did your scent lineup go, Deputy?”
The lineup seemed like years ago. “Robo did the job. But Sarge, now we have a missing child.”
“How can I help?”
She explained what they’d found so far. “Is it possible for a bloodhound to follow a scent trail coming from inside a vehicle?”
“There are a few reports of it. I’ve known a bloodhound to be able to track for a while at least, and we can’t afford to not give it a try.”
“Do you have access to a dog that could help us?”
“I do. I can get to Timber Creek in about four hours.”
“I’ll meet you at the site. You’ll pass it on your way into town. Just give me a call when you see the sign that says you’re ten miles out.”
“See ya soon.”
She dialed Sheriff McCoy and gave him the update on Madsen. “It’s best to tell Dr. Walker to keep his dogs out of the area, at least until Sergeant Madsen can get here.”
“Will do. I’m glad you called.”
She knew he was struggling to keep Cole from going off half-cocked, and as she disconnected the call, she’d never been so grateful for the sheriff’s steady personality.
As she drove to the station, she checked the time. Almost six o’clock. Sophie had been missing for three hours, and there was only about an hour of full sunlight left. She found the station surrounded by cars, every space in the parking lot taken. She pulled up to the front door. The lobby was filled with people, so she decided to leave Robo in his compartment.
“You’re staying here. I’ll be right back.”
He stared out the windshield, moving from side to side to get a better view. He knew something was up and seemed to be trying to figure out why so many people were inside his station. Mattie hurried to join the crowd.
Rainbow and Brody were in the middle of it. “Drive slowly and check the barrow ditches on both sides of the road,” Brody was saying, his deep voice booming. “If the grass or weeds are high, get out of your vehicle and check the area more thoroughly. If necessary and if you’re working in a group of three, one can drive while the other two walk along the ditch banks.”
Then he began to call out names of people and names of roads, making assignments for search groups and areas. Mattie caught Brody’s eye, and he acknowledged her with a nod. She’d made her own plans; all she needed was a moment to share them with him.
After receiving their assignments, people left the station in groups, and the crowd began to dwindle. Mattie recognized many individuals, including Garrett and Leslie Hartman, Cole’s good friends whose daughter was murdered last summer. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. And there were Anya Yamamoto and Dean Hornsby from the hot springs resort, along with a blonde she hadn’t met before, probably a new massage therapist to replace the one who had been murdered last fall.
Geez! What’s happening to our community?
Eventually, Mattie spotted Juanita Banks standing across the room with her coworker, Jed, and an older man with gray hair. Juanita looked exhausted and drawn, and Mattie could only imagine the effort it must have taken for her to respond to this community emergency. She must have been motivated by the loss of her own daughter, and Mattie had to admire her for coming out to help search for someone else’s missing child.
“Moses Randall, Juanita Banks, and Jed Franklin. You take County Road Six all the way to the intersection of Buckhorn Road,” Brody said, cueing Mattie that the gray-haired man must be the feed store’s owner. “Follow Buckhorn Road south back to County Road One and return to Timber Creek.”
Randall nodded and gathered his troops. They passed by Mattie on their way out the building, and she followed them outside to the parking lot.
“Mrs. Banks,” she called, catching Juanita’s attention as she approached their group, “thank you for your help. Thank you all, actually, but I know this is hard on you, Mrs. Banks. We appreciate your help.”
Juanita shifted, looking down at her clasped hands. “I can’t sit at home anymore, so I went in to work. When Moses got the alert for volunteers, he closed the store, and we all decided to come.”
“I’m Moses Randall,” the storeowner said, extending his hand.
Mattie introduced herself as she accepted his handshake.
Randall glanced at Juanita. “The little Walker girl was in our store just yesterday, buying baby chickens. I hope we can find her,” he said, giving the grieving mother’s arm a sympathetic touch. “I hope we can make a difference this time.”
Having given voice to everyone’s fear, he scuffed a foot on the parking lot asphalt and looked everywhere but at the others.
Jed turned to inspect her Explorer and appeared to be studying Robo. “Did your dog turn up any clues as to where the little girl might be?”
Mattie wished she could give him an unequivocal yes. “Yes and no,” she said. “When we can’t define the exact area we need to search in, we depend on our volunteers. If you find any trace, we’ll try to pick up a trail again.”
“I hear your dog found Candace,” he said.
Nodding to acknowledge the kid’s statement, Mattie glanced at Juanita, who looked on, sadness sagging her features. She decided to put an end to their conversation. “I guess we’d better get started.”
As the others walked away to load up into their vehicle—a white Toyota Tundra with an extended cab—Mattie headed toward her own, intending to take Robo inside with her. She paused, noticing that Moses Randall took the driver’s seat. The truck was probably his.
Robo couldn’t wait to get inside the building, and Mattie had to correct him, making him slow down and allow her to enter first. Once inside though, she released him to let him sniff the entire lobby, knowing he wouldn’t be content until he’d swept the place thoroughly. He began to do his dog thing, nose to the floor, darting every which way.
The station had emptied out, Brody had gone into his office, and Mattie spent a moment to check in with Rainbow.
“How are you holding up?” Rainbow asked, her brow furrowed with worry.
“I’m hangin’ in. You?”
Rainbow shook her head. “I’m so sad for Candace and so scared for Sophie.”