Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“ S hit.” Sloan watched the storm pop up on the horizon, just as sudden as you please, and he didn’t like the look of those clouds at all.
Where he came from, sudden thunderstorms brought flash floods, but here in Tornado Alley? Flash floods and twisters could happen in a heartbeat.
He got on the radio. “Dispatch, this is unit eighteen. We got any scuttlebutt about tornado warnings?”
“At least once a day,” Eileen said, her voice wry. “But yeah, coming in from the north. Be on the alert. I’ll put out a broad call.”
“Thanks, lady.” Hell. He squinted at the clouds. Okay, he needed to make a plan on where he wanted to be if that mother got bad. Driving into it because he wasn’t paying attention was the height of stupid.
He found himself a place to park that was high enough to move if he needed to and low enough to not be blown off the road.
“Lord have mercy.” He shook his head and took a long drink of the Coke. He hoped folks were smart. He would have a damn busy afternoon if they weren’t. The firemen and EMTs would have their hands full too.
Sloan didn’t figure he was ever going to get used to that freight train sound, that ominous green tinge to the sky.
Then again, it wasn’t a giant haboob or a tsunami or something…
Still, he hit the gas and headed for an overpass, waiting there with a handful of his other clever motorists.
Time for that funnel cloud to get gone. It wasn’t going to do anybody any good.
He tracked it, listening to the chatter on the radio band. Sloan breathed easier when he managed to stay out of the way, and from what Ella said, the thing bounced out of the county pretty quick, never touching down for more than a few seconds at a time.
Hallelujah.
“Unit eighteen, what’s your location?”
Sloan called it in, giving major roads.
“Copy that. Can you check on a call about roof damage at FM 2101 and Linney? Fire and EMT are on their way, but I need to make sure no one is buried. The neighbors called it.”
“On my way.” He would head out there, and then check in at Matt’s ranch, because that was pretty damn close, he thought. And that made him twitch.
He dialed Lance’s phone, but he didn’t stress it too much when he didn’t answer. He knew Lance had plans with the guys, so he’d try again later.
The roof had crashed right in on the front room of the house he was called out to, but thankfully, the lady and her son were in the bathtub in the master bath.
“Hey, you two okay?”
They looked pale and shaken, but uninjured.
The boy, who was maybe twelve, started to tear up. “I don’t know where my dog is. ”
“Okay, let’s get you all out of here, and while emergency has a look at you, I’ll look for the pup. What kind of dog is it?”
“She’s a pit. She’s black and white and her name is Rosie.”
He got them outside on the stable front porch, wrapped in blankets that he pulled out of their house, and settled.
Then he went around back and started whistling, calling Rosie’s name, praying with all everything he had that he found either a wiggling pup or nothing at all.
He didn’t know if he was going to be able to keep his shit together if he found her dead. The chances were pretty good he wouldn’t.
Though, there were no indications that the tornado had touched the ground—just skimmed the roof and tore up some trees. The chances were she was out here wet, cold, and terrified.
Sort of like him.
Well, he was less terrified, more wet and cold and worried.
“Come on, Rosie girl.” He whistled again. “Come on, your boy is looking for you.”
Sloan headed around the side of the house, shaking his head at the sight of the roof of the shed, sitting pretty as you please on top of the swing set.
Huh.
He took a picture because, damn…well, he’d want to show Lance, but that would be kind of pointless.
But he could show everybody else and tell Lance about it.
He’d walked up to the shed to see if he could see if there was any way she’d gotten in there when he heard a low whimper.
“Rosie. Rosie, are you there?”
All right, that was a bark, and it came from underneath the shed.
“Girl, if you stay underneath there, you’re going to drown. Come on. ”
He found the hole where she had undoubtedly been digging out to go hide or hunt or get out of the sun when she was outside.
It was slick and muddy, but there was a little white and pink nose peeking out as she tried to get herself out of the muck and the mire.
“Well, sweetheart, you’re just about stupid, aren’t you? Good thing I’m already dirty. Let me get a shovel.”
He peeked in the shed, finding what he needed, and then he started digging.
The kid came running. “Mister, did you find her?”
“I did. She’s underneath here. We’re going to have to get her out. Can you call her and see if maybe she can work harder to get to you?”
The boy started calling, “Rosie, Rosie, come on, Rosie Posie, come on. Rosie, come on. You can do it. Come on.”
Between the digging and the calling and the dog wanting to be with her person, out she popped. She was filthy and had a couple of little cuts on her, but besides that she was fine.
Thank God for that.
Thin arms wrapped around him for a second, and he patted the kid’s back. “All right, well, if your momma’s got some towels and stuff, you should get her dried off.”
The boy nodded. “Momma says Daddy’s coming home. He’ll be here in a minute. Thank you. She’s my girl.”
He nodded in agreement. “I understand. I have a pup of my own. His name is Maynard. He’s a bloodhound.”
And suddenly, Sloan wanted to go home and get his dog. He thought maybe he would just go—stop and get Maynard.
That way he knew Maynard was okay.
Damn it, that was what he was going to do. Maynard loved to go for a ride, no matter what the vehicle.
He’d passed his rental house on the way here. He knew it was fine, so it wasn’t like he was being ornery. There might be a chance that Maynard could help. And if nothing else, it would allow him to be able to focus, to know that his dog was all right.
He walked back around to the front of the house. “We found her, ma’am. Do you need me to stay?”
She shook her head. “I can see my husband’s truck. He’s coming, so we’ll clean up, go to my momma’s. I’ve already called her too, and then they’ll start working on the house. Thank you for your help.”
“No problem. I’m sorry about your front room.”
She snorted. “My husband will be more upset about the shed. Thanks, officer.”
“You’re very welcome.”
He got back in his car and headed home, just long enough to get Maynard, who was a little bouncy and stressed. “Want to go for a ride, buddy? You have to be good.” He clipped the leash to Maynard’s harness, then wrangled the big guy into it.
Just rubbing those long old ears made Sloan breathe easier. He’d made the right choice. And it wasn’t like anyone at the department would give him hell for it on a day like today.
Hell, Maynard was good with kids. He was good with people and other dogs, and to be honest, having Maynard with him made him feel better.
Now he had to get out there and see what the next catastrophe was so he could help out.