“Not much but she doesn’t sound like a wimp either. They take their grandkids camping and she’d always told them that if they got lost they should find a place that was safe and wait to be found. Hopefully she listened to her own advice.”
“Grandkids? How old is she?”
“Fifty eight.”
Rusty answered on the second ring.
“Hey there.”
“Hi, I’ve got a call. It doesn’t sound like a long one but I thought I ought to let you know. Base camp is Elk Meadows. I’ll be heading into the hills behind the meadows. You know the area. Tracking should be about average for the mountains. She’s been gone overnight but she sounds very level headed so hopefully she found a rock somewhere and she’s just out there waiting for me.”
“You take care of my girl out there.”
“I will, I miss you already, but I shouldn’t be gone long.”
I met Landon at the compound. He smiled broadly as I stepped out of my Jeep, shouldered my pack and made my way over to the car he had packed and ready to go.
“I doubt you need me on this one,” he said. “But at least I get to go on a hike in the mountains with a beautiful girl. I can’t knock that.”
If there was anybody I’d rather go tracking with besides Rusty it was Landon. He was an EMT and very capable, but more than that, he was good company, he looked out for me. In fact, he was loyal to a fault. When I got so involved in the trail that I forgot the time he reminded me to eat. When I pushed too hard he slowed me down. When things turned out badly he was there, first to take over medically, then as emotional backup. That wasn’t part of his job but he was always there for me. When a search ended badly I tended to withdrawal and blame myself. He never let me get away with any negative thinking and he knew the routine. Landon drew me out, encouraged me, and beat down my guilt trip before calling in the troops, which meant Rusty, and then… then he sat back and wished it could just be him.
Victor was the other EMT I got paired up with a lot. But oddly enough, it was because Victor didn’t do all those things that made me like working with him. Victor was Steady Eddie. He followed me and stepped in when I got to the end of the trail. And he let me be. He was good company and he always needed a tale of my latest catastrophe, even if he’d heard it before, but we worked more independently, and I appreciated the space. Victor wouldn’t be on this search. He was a family man, with an outside job and wouldn’t be needed. We didn’t need Landon either, except that Strict wouldn’t send me out alone and Landon was a willing participant. Rosco and Thez would be willing to go out, too, but Strict chose wisely when he paired me up with Landon or Victor. Tracking with Rosco was like pulling a trailer behind me. And Thez was entertaining but always brought along too many surprises.
“I got a new toy,” I announced as I loaded my gear. “I hope it doesn’t scare our ten sixty-five, but I wanted to take it for a trial run.”
I handed him the rifle Rusty had given me for Christmas. Landon took it from me and looked it over, hefted it. It definitely wasn’t the gun for him, but he admired the work that went into choosing a gun that was right for me. The public expects the officers to carry weapons. They see the uniform, the attitude and the rifle fits in. Not so with me. They wonder if I know which end is which. And this rifle didn’t help in that department. It was more of a commando style. But the fact that it wasn’t made out of heavy wood and metal made it extremely light and the molded stock and butt were tailored to a smaller person, so it made the rifle a perfect fit for me.
“I’ve been going to the range about once a week. I still aim a little high on the first shot. So I skip the first shot and go for the second one instead.”
“That works. You’re probably just rushing your first shot.”
Elk Meadows was green with melting spring snow. The grass of the meadows, usually a dull yellow, looked alive with new growth. I almost expected to see elk grazing but knew they rarely came this close to the campground.
Strict hugged me in greeting.
“You’re looking good,” he said. “You ready?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while. You didn’t call me to tromp through the snow like you did last year.”
“That’s because we could see the tracks though the snow. When we need a real tracker we call you.”
“So you need a real tracker?”
“It would help.”
“Where’s the campsite?”
Strict took me over to a camping spot with a large cabin tent. The picnic table had a red and white checkered tablecloth clipped down to it. A lantern stood at one end and an ice chest sat comfortably on the picnic table bench. A white Suburban was parked next to the campsite. A large golden retriever mix strained at the end of a chain wrapped around a tree. He barked, half warning and half greeting. This couple was settled in their outdoors ways. A man sat at the picnic table, head in hands. He stood as we approached.
“Peter? This is Cassidy Michaels and Landon Wilson. I’m sending them out to find Alisondra.”
Peter looked at us dubiously.
“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’m more capable than I look.”
“Cassidy is our tracker,” Strict said. “She’s why we don’t have twenty people up here ready to canvas the hills. She’ll stay on Alisondra’s trail until she’s found. Landon is here for medical support. If Alisondra did as you expect and found a place to wait for searchers we should have her back safe and sound soon. If she tried to find her way back it might take some tracking. We’ll maintain radio contact so we can check the progress whenever we want. Cassidy needs a few things before she heads out. If you have a pair of Alisondra’s shoes, a picture of her, and a sample of her tracks it would help.”
I began walking around the campsite. I’d already noted the kind of shoes Peter wore so I could distinguish Alisondra’s tracks from his. Peter ducked into the tent and came out with a pair of canvas tennis shoes.
“She wears these around camp. She wears sturdier shoes for hiking.”
I took the shoes from him and noted the wear patterns. She must wear these shoes around the house too. The insides of both soles were worn smooth. The inside of the right shoe had a hole worn through it. The laces were ready to break. This lady wasn’t into the latest styles either. She was all business, but a pleasant, comfortable business. I thought she must have a lot of fun with her grandkids. I put the shoes down and walked around camp trying to pick up the tracks of Alisondra’s sturdier hiking shoes. I located a good track and squatted down to study the tread pattern. The wear marks that I had seen on her canvas shoes didn’t show up on the hiking shoes. Perhaps the hiking shoes were newer. It helped that the tread was crisp and recognizable. The tracks would show up easier in the rougher terrain of the mountains.
“Are you ready?” I asked Landon.
He walked to the car and shrugged into his pack in response. I took out my own pack and shouldered the rifle. Peter looked alarmed. I looked to Strict and he was just as curious. I’d never taken a rifle with me before.
“Rusty got it for me for Christmas. I’m just seeing if it packs well on the trail. You wanted me to have one for scouting. Well, now I’ve got one.”
“I’d like to take a look at it when you get back.”
“Okay, show me what we’re up against. Peter, you and Alisondra hiked out of here and she headed back early. You can save me some tracking time if you can show me on the map where it was that Alisondra turned back. Do you know where it was?”
He