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“And that’s where you came in?” His smile broadened.
“Yeah. Let’s just say I’m a sucker for animals. I seem to . . .” She let her voice trail off. No sense in scaring this hunk away with her woo-woo stuff. At least not yet.
“You seem to what?” Gaines encouraged her to continue.
“Oh, nothing.”
He tilted his head. “I’m an investigator. Don’t make me interrogate you.” He chuckled.
“My brother. Cullen. He calls me Dr. Doolittle. Talk to the animals. Like that.” She was keeping it together as best she could. There was a very disarming attraction she was feeling coming from him.Maybe that’s what made him good at his job. His chemistry. A secret weapon.She gave a slight smile.
“I get it. Animals are very smart. They have to use their instincts to survive. Their sense of hearing and smell can mean the difference between life and death.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get so dramatic.”
Luna giggled. “No. No. It’s perfectly fine. A lot of people don’t understand how intuitive animals are.” She looked down at Wiley. “Right, pal?” He woofed in response.
Gaines chortled, then touched the back of her shoulder. “Come, follow me. I’ll get you signed in.”
Luna’s legs turned to rubber and the hair on her arms stood at attention. She thought she was going to faint.
Gaines took a tight hold of her forearm. “Are you OK?”
“Yes. Yes. I’m fine.”And stupid, and clumsy, and a total idiot.“I’m just a bit tired. Had a long night of paperwork,” she lied.
“I know what that’s like.” He still kept his hand on her arm. “I’ll get you a bottle of water while you sign in.” Gaines guided her to the table. “Minnie? This is . . .” It was then that he realized they hadn’t introduced themselves to each other. Quick-witted, he continued and pointed to the dog, “Wiley.” He hesitated for a second. “And this is his mommy.”
Minnie looked up from the clipboard. “Hello, Wiley. And you are?” She turned her head toward Luna and continued in her Yorkshire English accent.
“Luna Bodman, or Bodhi. It depends on what day it is.” She laughed nervously.Shut up. You sound like an idiot.“Kidding.” She flashed her best smile at Minnie. Wiley sat obediently.
“Oh, hon, I have those kinds of days myself.” Minnie winked conspiratorially at Luna and spun the clipboard around. Marshal Gaines set a bottle of spring water on the table and headed toward the tent being used as their base.
“Just print and sign your name. You can read it, of course. Just says you won’t hold anyone responsible, including property owners, if you should fall on your face or other such problems with coordination. Also includes falling tree branches, bee stings, or getting sprayed by a skunk.”
Luna laughed. “Oh, that would be so gross.”
“Wouldn’t it, eh?” Minnie replied. She handed Luna a bright yellow vest and a lanyard with a laminated card that readVOLUNTEERand a whistle attached. Pulling a second vest out of the box, she slid it across the table. “Now, let’s see if we can fit one of these on your pooch.” Wiley wagged his tail with enthusiasm. He, too, would be part of the official search party.
“Marshal Gaines is about to give everyone an update and instructions.” Minnie nodded in the direction of a tent. “By the EMS truck.”
Wiley stood proudly as Luna managed to wrap the extra vest around him. “Thanks very much,” she said to Minnie.
“Thank you, hon. And thank you, too, Wiley.” He gave a little bark and followed Luna on his leash.
Luna approached the group that had gathered inside the tent. There was a screen on the far wall with a satellite photo of the surrounding area. Gaines began speaking. “Avery Tucker was last seen at her home playing in the yard. He pointed the laser pointer at the map. “As of now, there haven’t been any ransom demands; but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an abduction. Local police officials conducted a search in the nearby area. Yesterday, we had helicopter surveillance, which turned up no sign of the little girl. The density of the trees and the rolling hills made it difficult for them to get a good look. Today, we are extending the perimeter as far as we think she might have wandered on her own. We need to cover all of the ground area in grids. Minnie tells me that there are twenty-three of you. I want you to split up into six groups of four. I’ll be the fourth in one of the groups. Each group will be issued a tablet with a map and grid. If you spot anything that could be a clue, tap that spot on the tablet, and an agent will meet you.
“Avery Tucker, age three. She is approximately thirty-nine inches tall, with short brown curly hair and is wearing a pink romper, white T-shirt, and pink sneakers. She could be frightened and hiding somewhere, so keep calling her name. Any questions?” There were none. The seriousness of why they were there surrounded them like a black cloud.
“Brennan’s Deli has provided box lunches. We also have water, but let me remind you, there are no bathrooms in the woods. And, gentlemen, I suggest you keep it zipped.” A small chuckle moved through the crowd. “OK, folks, please break up into groups of four. Thanks again for your help.” He was articulate and well-spoken, and the authority in his voice garnered respect without making him sound like Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco. Luna was reading his body language.Nothing to hide. Self-assured.
Luna took a deep breath, pulling in as much positive energy as she could suck in. She was determined to find the little girl. Her gut told her she could find her.But how?Well, that was always the fifty-million-dollar question.Or had it inflated to a hundred million?Luna felt that Avery was hiding somewhere. Scared, hungry, and most likely dehydrated. Luna spotted a small sweater on one of the tables. “Is that Avery’s?” she asked.
“Yes. We were counting on a tracking dog for today’s search, but owing to budget cuts, we have to wait another day for them to bring him over from Charlotte.”
Wiley made a bit of a whining sound and jumped up and sniffed the sweater. Luna tried to pull him back. “Wiley, behave yourself.” He looked at her and wagged his tail.
“You said he was trained to be a tracking dog?” Gaines eyed the sweater.
“Apparently he didn’t like to hunt,” Luna said apologetically.
