Aronson’s response was clipped but congratulatory. “Good work. Backup and tech support on their way.”
Cassidy looked up to find Jake staring at her. “Number three,” he said with a slow nod. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and sniff them all out.”
She gave nervous harrumph of a laugh. “Wouldn’t that be great?”
“We strive for greatness,” he said as he gave Max a pat. “What do you say, partner? Wanna go hunting?”
Max responded with a short, sharp bark and they moved to the edge of the ride. Jake turned back before he leaped and was surprised to find she’d followed them. He had to go. Time was passing. Plus, he wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted from him. Comfort? Reassurance? In the end, he settled for saying simply, “Hang in there, Cass. We’re going to figure this out.”
With that, he hopped down. The moment his boots hit the ground, she called after him. “Keep me updated on what they found!”
Jake shielded his eyes with his hand, looking in the direction of the ride designed to look like a pirate ship swung like a pendulum. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything, but you can figure no boom is good news.”
When she swung by him again, he caught her pointed scowl. Snapping off a smart salute, he hollered, “If they can’t disarm it, they may opt for a controlled detonation. If they do, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Yes, please,” she said as she circled past. He’s almost cleared the temporary fencing before she shouted an anxious-sounding, “Hey, Jake?”
He reeled around, pulling the lead taut in an attempt to curb Max’s impatience. “Yeah?”
“Look out for my friend Max, will you?”
He smiled and gave the dog a few inches more on the lead. “You obviously don’t know him well. He’s the one who looks out for me.”
Without allowing himself one more glance back at her, he broke into a trot, his partner easily keeping pace at his side. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he headed up the hill to the string of barns designated for cattle. Judging had been underway for days, according to Bud Thompson. The moment he started up the hill, Jake’s nose was assaulted by proof.
He slowed to a walk, giving himself time to adjust to the combined scents of cow, hay and manure. By the time he and Max stood at the opening to Cattle Barn 3, he was almost acclimated to it.
Almost.
Jake’s stomach roiled, but the dog was drinking it all in, his snout held high, damp nostrils flaring as his superior olfactory receptors took in every layer of the pungent odor. He could almost see Max’s mind working as the dog sniffed and snuffled, pawing the straw-strewn concrete as he parsed the pungent cocktail.
“Ready?” The question was completely inane. His partner was fairly quivering with excitement. He was a stink glutton at the world’s smelliest buffet. A massive brown-and-white heifer chewed methodically as she eyeballed them from the nearest stall. At last, he unclipped Max’s lead. “Okay, have at it, but try not to get trampled.”
He hung back, watching as his partner moved from one stall to the next, unperturbed by the massive occupants, and undeterred when an Angus objected to his nosiness. Jake followed as Max methodically made his way down the long, narrow section. When they reached the opening at the end, the dog circled back to work his way along the other side of the building.
Max truly was the more useful of the two of them.
When they ended up back where they’d started, Jake clipped the lead to his partner’s harness again and stepped out into the magically fresh air of the breezeway. Eying the length of the aisle they’d inspected, Jake herded the dog toward the concrete steps. “Sorry, boy. I need a little outside time.”
They made their way down the path to the next cattle barn, where once again, Jake let Max take the lead. The dog hadn’t made it two stalls in before he let out a sharp bark and bolted for a stall currently occupied by a Texas longhorn.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Jake moved closer, his eyes narrowing.
The enormous bovine chewed contentedly on a mouthful of Bermuda hay, despite the sign indicating the next feeding time for cattle would not take place until six in the evening. The animal’s fabled horns stretched at least two feet in each direction. Not as big as some he’d seen on TV, but still impressive. Perhaps she wasn’t fully grown, he speculated as he stepped cautiously around the opening of the stall.
The heifer was tethered and didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by the dog dancing around the bales of straw piled inside the wall. Jake eyed the cow’s rear hooves and massive hindquarters. She was obviously accustomed to people moving in and out of the stall, but they were not her people, and he could write everything he knew about handling cattle on his thumbnail.
His partner sat down next to a stack of baled straw and gave three short barks.
“Gotcha.” He whistled for Max and fell back a few steps before pressing the button. “I have a K-9 positive ID. Cattle Barn 4.” He tipped his head and verified the stall number. “Stall 2. Currently in use by a Texas longhorn by the name of…Augusta. Owned by Samuel Perkins, 4-H Hempstead County.”
There was a moment of crackling static, then someone guffawed. “No bull?”
Jake rolled his eyes as he headed for the barn’s opening. He recognized the voice of one of the leads from the State Police Tactical Unit. He also knew the boss would recognize the cocky tone as well. “Sounds like I have a volunteer. Come on down, Winter.”
“No one here by that name.”
“Got a sweet little heifer waiting for you at Cattle Barn 4,” Jake said. “See you in a minute.”
