Luke leaned on the shovel. “Hell,” he muttered. “If something’s there, it’s deeper.”
Jenkins tugged lightly on Ruger’s lead. “Come on, boy.”
Ruger didn’t move.
He stayed planted exactly where he’d alerted.
Rosie stayed beside him.
Scout frowned. “They’re not leaving.”
Jenkins tried again.
Ruger stepped away a few feet, then circled back and sat again.
Right on the same spot.
Burke watched the dogs for a long moment. “Those dogs aren’t confused.”
He glanced toward the houses lining the street. “I’m not bringing county equipment out here with half the neighborhood watching.”
Scout nodded. “Yeah.”
Jenkins wiped dirt from his gloves. “Grant’s got a Bobcat up at the horse farm.”
Burke nodded slightly. “He does.”
Luke looked up. “He could trailer it out here easy enough.”
Scout gave Rosie a scratch behind the ear. “Yeah, he could.”
Burke thought about it for a moment, then nodded once. “Call him.”
Luke pulled out his phone. “What do you want to tell him?”
Burke looked down at the spot where both dogs still sat. “Tell him to bring the bobcat.”
He glanced toward the quiet street. “Tomorrow morning. Early.”
Luke understood immediately. “Before everyone’s out walking dogs.”
“Exactly.”
Burke gave the ground one last look. “We’ll do it before the town wakes up.”
Riverbend Greenway — Early Morning
Low fog hung over the greenway as Grant backed his trailer slowly into the entrance of the trail.
The bobcat sat strapped behind his truck.
Scout and Luke stood near the flagged spot from the day before.
Ruger and Rosie both sat nearby, watching the ground like they hadn’t forgotten where they’d been.
Grant climbed out of the truck. “You boys digging a pond out here or something?”
Luke nodded toward the flags. “Dogs hit here yesterday.”
