Chapter Nine #2
“Then why not have ID with him?” the sheriff asked. “There was also this.” He pulled an evidence bag from inside his parka and showed it to Endicott. Inside was a handgun.
Endicott face went even paler. “My poor boy,” he whispered.
“You’re sure you’ve never seen the dead man before?” the sheriff asked.
Endicott shook his head. “Never.”
They retreated from the ambulance. Suddenly, Endicott turned to Scott. “Are you the one who found him?” he asked. “You and your dog?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you found Jackson’s pack?”
“Lily and Shelby found that,” he said.
“Then why haven’t you found Jackson? What do you think happened to him?”
“I don’t know, sir. If he was buried very deeply, that can make things more difficult.”
“How long has it been since the avalanche?” Endicott asked.
“Almost three hours,” Scott said.
“Then if Jackson is under there, he’s dead,” Endicott said.
Scott said nothing.
“Don’t try to shield me,” Endicott said. “If Jackson was buried and you haven’t found him by now, he’s dead, isn’t he?”
Scott nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Endicott stared out across the snow again, blinking rapidly. “We might not find him until spring,” he muttered.
“We’re going to bring heavy equipment out here to dig starting tomorrow,” the sheriff said. “We need to uncover all the evidence we can, and if your boy is here, we’ll find him.”
The sheriff led Endicott away. Scott started toward the parking area, then stopped and scanned the scene for Lily and Shelby.
Lines of volunteers continued to probe the snow, but Adam had agreed there was no need to exhaust the dogs further, now that the chance of finding anyone alive was virtually zero.
Yet there were Lily and Shelby, on the far side of the slide, the dog’s plumed tail waving like a signal flag.
Scott trudged over to them. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “Are you trying to kill your dog?”
She stared at him, wide-eyed. “I’ve been trying to get Shelby to come back to the car for the last hour,” she said.
“But she keeps searching this same section of the slide. She actually tried to lead me into the woods three times, but when I follow her, she loses the trail after about a dozen yards.”
“You’re the one in charge, not your dog.”
“But why is she acting this way?” Lily asked. “She’s never done anything like this before.”
“She’s frustrated because she didn’t find a person, only a pack. And it’s obvious to anyone she’s exhausted.”
Shelby lay on the snow, tongue lolling, though her head remained up, ears alert.
Lily shifted the leash to her other hand. “Come on, girl,” she said. “We have to call it a day.”
The dog rose, but looked back toward the edge of the snowfield, not moving. “Come!” Lily commanded.
Shelby’s ears twitched, but she didn’t move, not even when Lily yanked on her leash. Clearly, Lily hadn’t taught the dog who was in charge. “You’re wasting my time,” Scott said, and bent and scooped the dog up. Then he stalked back across the snow, Lily trailing behind him.
The dog was small for a Malinois, but she still weighed at least fifty pounds. Scott, worn out from the day’s activities, struggled to carry her over the rough terrain. “Put her down,” Lily said. “I can carry her.”
Scott could hardly manage. There was no way Lily, who looked ready to drop where she stood, was going to be able to carry the dog. As for Shelby, she had become an inert mass in Scott’s arms, like a dog cast in lead.
When they exited the avalanche field he did set the dog down. Lily grabbed the leash and stalked ahead, pulling the dog after her. She might be tired, but clearly she was angry, too. She was waiting beside the car when he reached it. “I would never do anything to harm my dog,” she said.
“I don’t believe you would, intentionally,” he said. “But the thing about dogs is that they are so devoted and tenacious that they will literally work until they drop. It’s up to us to see that that doesn’t happen.”
She loaded Shelby into the car, then slid into the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry,” she said as she started the engine. “I was too focused on finding Jackson, and not enough on Shelby. I won’t let that happen again.”
He nodded and fastened his seat belt. She backed the car out of the parking spot. “Nobody feels good about days like today,” he said.
“How could we find Jackson’s pack and not find Jackson?” she asked. “If he was skinning up that ridge, he would have had it on.”
“Maybe he stopped to get something out of it and took it off right before the slide triggered,” Scott said.
He could picture it. Skinning was hard work.
Maybe Jackson wanted to shed a layer of clothing, or put away his gloves, or check the water level in his hydration bladder.
“When the slide released, it would have been torn from his hand.”
“Then where is Jackson?”
“He could be anywhere in that debris field,” Scott said. “Under feet of snow.”
“What if he’s not there?” she asked. “What if he got pushed out of the way to the side? That’s why I kept following Shelby into the woods. I thought Jackson might have run in that direction.”
“If that happened, why didn’t he come back when he saw all the searchers?” Scott asked. “Even if he didn’t know his kidnapper was dead, he should have known there were people in that crowd who would help him.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “And I don’t know why Shelby lost the scent trail every time after only a few feet.”
She stared straight ahead, and he wondered if she was crying. “I’m sorry about Jackson,” he said. “Knowing him the way you do makes this harder.”
She sniffed, but still didn’t look at him.
“I saw his father a few minutes before I found you,” he said. “He identified the pack as Jackson’s. He said he didn’t recognize the man. The sheriff said he hopes they can match the man’s fingerprints to a known person.”
“The sheriff said they’re bringing heavy equipment out to dig tomorrow. They’re looking for more evidence. Maybe he means the pack.”
“Maybe they’ll find Jackson’s body,” she said. “As awful as that is for his family, not knowing for sure what happened to him must be worse.”
When they reached the townhomes where they both lived, Lily had to wake Shelby to get her out of the back seat. “Oh honey, I’m sorry.” Lily knelt and hugged the dog. “I shouldn’t have let you work so long.”
“She’ll be okay,” Scott said. “She’s young, and she doesn’t appear to be limping.”
She kept her cheek pressed to the dog’s fur, not looking at him. “You’re not going to kick me out of the avy dog program because of this, are you?”
“No! What made you think that?”
“You were so furious with me. And I understand why. A big part of our training is protecting our dogs, and I wasn’t doing that.”
“We all make mistakes,” he said. “The lessons we learn by screwing up are the ones that really stick.” He hadn’t been wrong to correct her, though maybe he could have been gentler.
The anguish he had heard behind her question made him feel like the worst kind of heel.
“I know I wasn’t exactly welcoming, but I’m glad you’re in the program.
And you and Shelby did a good job today. She found Jackson’s pack.”
“I wish she had found Jackson.”
“We all wish that.” He patted her shoulder. She looked up at him, and his gaze shifted to her lips. She appeared delicate, but he had seen how strong she could be. Her lips were soft like her, but they would be strong, too. Expressive. Communicating what they wanted.
He took a step back. “Good night.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and hurried off toward his apartment. He was Lily’s supervisor. He had no business kissing her, especially when she was exhausted and vulnerable.
He prided himself on always doing the right thing. But why was the right thing so hard this time?