by Lee Gregg
“Have to protect their paws from the salt. Dogs are family, you know. William and Harry are the best dogs in the world. Every dog lover will say that about their dogs, but they’re wrong. These two are the very best. It’s not even close. Oh, look.” Penelope pointed at a cluster of trees. Two figures in red jackets were approaching from the trail ahead. Sam’s heartbeat had just returned to normal, but now she could feel it speed up again. They were definitely animal control officers.
Penelope picked up William and gingerly put him in the sled while Sam pulled the blanket over her dog’s head, making sure to leave a little fold open for his nose. Then Harry was carefully placed on top of his shoulder.
“Stay,” Penelope said to her dogs. She put one hand in her jacket pocket and repeated her command. The two dogs froze in place.
The group continued towards the officers on the path. As the trail curved around the cluster of large trees, Sam inhaled deeply, trying to slow her pulse and calm her nerves.
“Hi,” one officer called out with a goofy smile and an enthusiastic wave of his hand. “How are you girls doing today? We’re looking for a rabid dog. Might be with a girl. Have you seen anything like that?”
He seems nice and friendly, Sam thought. The other one had broad shoulders and a square jaw covered with a thick, dark beard. With his brows furrowed and his lips slightly downturned, he had a sour look on his face, like he hated his job, or the outdoors, or maybe just people in general. His cold, hard stare didn’t seem to stem from curiosity — he seemed to be examining them. Not so friendly, that one. Does he suspect something? Does he know? He’s trouble. Better keep an eye on him.
“Hello Officer! We’re good! How are you?” Penelope replied.
Officer Unfriendly’s eyes were now inspecting Sam and she felt a sudden rush of self-consciousness. Could he tell that it wasn’t her ski suit? Did he see how ill-fitting it was? Was he comparing her face to a description from the complaint? Was he picking up on her dog’s stink? Sam’s breathing was shallow and rapid.
“Oh, can’t complain.” Officer Goofy’s lips stretched out into a toothy grin. He cocked his head to the left and squinted one eye at Penelope. “You’re on YouTube aren’t you? I love your videos!”
“I am! You’ve seen them?”
Sam stopped listening. Her pulse was pounding in her ears. She sneaked a peek at Officer Unfriendly. He was still staring. Don’t look at him, Sam thought. She glanced up again. Damn it! I said stop.
Sam sucked up the corner of her lower lip and felt the tiny pinch of her front teeth clamping down. She tried to force her eyes to focus on her boots, but they darted up and stole another glimpse instead. Nothing had changed. Officer Unfriendly stood in the same position and had the same expression on his face. She rubbed her fingers against her palms. Clammy. Penelope came to her mind immediately and she snapped back into listening to the conversation.
“I love your channel! I subbed after I saw the one with William and Harry hugging in front of all those landmarks.”
“Oh yeah, that video went super viral. I never even taught them that trick! Harry was miserable after getting neutered, so William gave him a cuddle. Harry noticed when I gave William a treat for being such a sweet big brother, so he jumped up and gave William a cuddle back to get a treat too. Now they sit there on their hind legs cuddling and trying to get treats all the time.”
Officer Unfriendly started walking towards Sam. He knows, she thought. She looked right into his eyes. It was all over now. There was no point in trying to hide.
Sam held her breath. What was he going to say? Was he going to call for backup? What was he thinking? Why was he getting so close?
“Really? Wow! That is so sweet! Are they from the same litter?” Officer Goofy asked Penelope.
“No. William was found wandering around in West Vancouver. I got him from the shelter and Harry was bounced around in three different homes before I got him. They’re inseparable now, though.”
“I hate irresponsible people who go out and get cute puppies and dump them when they realize how much work they are. I mean, dogs have feelings too! Like in your video where William’s plush toy has to get surgery. His little expressions are too much! What is the name of his toy again? Don’t tell me.”
Officer Unfriendly brushed past Sam and walked directly to the sled. She pivoted to keep her eyes on him. Any effort to remain casual was long gone. She knew she probably looked suspicious, but what she looked like didn’t matter anymore.
Officer Unfriendly bent over and patted Harry on the head. Harry didn’t react. Both dogs hadn’t moved a muscle since Penelope had told them to “Stay.” They were fixated on Penelope’s hand in her pocket.
Sam moved to the back of the sled. She and Penelope had tucked the blanket around her dog so that he couldn’t be seen through the slats on the sides of the wagon. But now she saw that her dog’s paw and arm were exposed. She spotted the little bandage on his arm from the IV and cursed under her breath.
Officer Unfriendly circled the sled slowly. Had he heard her? Sam cursed again, this time silently. He stopped beside her and she watched his eyes. His head tilted as he stared directly at the paw. Had she just given herself away? If this was poker, she had bluffed and he had seen her tell. She had nobody to blame but herself.
“Dennis,” Officer Unfriendly barked.
“Nuk Nuk!” Dennis blurted, smiling at Penelope. “Oh, sorry. Yes?”
Officer Unfriendly flicked his head back, an authoritative “Come here.” Sam’s stomach seized.
“Right, okay. Sorry,” said Dennis, walking towards Officer Unfriendly.
Officer Unfriendly stepped closer to the wagon. “Let’s get going,” he said, using his body to block Dennis’ view of the paw. “Got a lot of ground to cover.”
“Can’t wait to see your next video!” Dennis shouted out to Penelope as the two men continued down the trail.
Officer Unfriendly looked back too. Without smiling, he winked at Sam.
7
Drew McConnell scanned through the large crowd around him, trying to see past fluffy toques decorated with animal ears or pom poms and oversized helmets protecting sun-kissed faces with reverse raccoon-eyed goggle tans. Everyone seemed to be carrying skis and snowboards, or bulky bags filled with gift-wrapped packages, or hot drinks and BeaverTails, or little mini versions of themselves sporting tiny helmets or toques. Drew gave up on his search and turned on his phone’s camera.
“Alright, alright, alright! I am coming to you live on YouTube from the Ice Bridge. For those of you who are not from around these parts, the Ice Bridge is basically the heart of Glacier Village. You can see right through the bottom of this bridge, here, is Glacier Creek, which runs right down the middle of town.”
Drew pointed his camera to his feet to show the lively creek flowing beneath the clear plexiglass walkway. “Along each side of the bridge, you can find all types of stores for your shopping pleasure. And, as you can see as I pull a little 360 in the middle here, it is busy, people! I’m just, oops, sorry, going to move off to the side of the Bridge now and…oops, sorry!”
Drew wove his way through the crowd, his camera capturing the hum of people busily chatting and laughing with friends. “Anyway, I am here outside Bloom’s Equipment and Extras, also known to locals as the BEE, where you can purchase any number of excellent quality products made for the outdoors.”
“What am I doing here, you ask? I am waiting for the one and only Mr. Benjamin Black, now twenty-five minutes late and counting. For you new viewers, Ben Black just happens to be my best friend and the heir to Black Mountain, where, I am sure, we will be camping at some point in the next few days as part of the epic Alpine Survival Challenge. Ben asked me to come out and help him pick out some dope new gear for tonight and—”
Drew stopped short when two men with scruffy beards walked directly into his frame. “Huh? Oh, sorry man, I didn’t see you there. What? No, sorry, I don’t have any money on me. What? No! Are you cr
azy? What the—?” Drew paused to listen to the muffled voices off-camera. “I asked you if you’re crazy ’cuz you’re totally buggin’ out and—! Hey, back off, man. Back off!” Drew made a quick escape through the BEE’s front doors with his camera still recording.
“Sorry folks,” Drew whispered into the camera. “Those guys were cra-zy! Not allowed to film inside, so I gotta sign off. I will try to bring you some more live footage from the Survival Challenge tonight. Alright then, people. Thank you for tuning in!”
Ben entered the BEE just as Drew put his phone away.
“Sorry I’m late, Drew.”
“Oh hey, Benji. Everything okay? What happened? Did your dad find out?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Hi, can I help you guys find anything?” Cara Walker asked with a warm smile.
“Oh hi, Cara! I didn’t know you worked here.” Drew grinned and straightened himself.
“Yeah, for a couple of weeks now. Are you guys looking for anything in particular?”
“We might just browse around a bit first,” replied Ben.
“No, no, no! We definitely need help. We could definitely use your guidance Cara, right Ben?”
Ben gave Drew a lopsided grin. “Yeah, no, you’re right, Drew. I have a huge list, so a little help would be awesome. Do you know where I can find all this stuff?” Ben tapped on his phone and handed it to Cara.
She studied the text on the large screen, walking deeper into the BEE while the boys followed. Drew flashed Ben a grateful smile and received a nudge in return.
Cara led the boys to the backpack section and slowly paced up and down the aisles, her face clouded with intense concentration.
“Ah, here they are. Avalanche airbags. Wow! These are pricey!” Cara said, her eyes widening.
“Whoa. I would have totally walked past these. I did not see those labels for some reason. This would have taken us so long to find without you, Cara. Thank you so much,” Drew gushed.
Cara’s cheeks flushed pink as the corners of her mouth pulled tight to form a shy smile. “Here, try this one on.” She slipped a padded strap up Ben’s arm and onto his shoulder while he weaved his other arm through the second strap. “Let’s buckle you in at the hips. Oops, I forgot to unbuckle it first. Sorry, let me just—”
Cara wrapped her arms around Ben’s waist and reached behind him, turning her head to the side as she pictured the buckle in her mind to help her release it by touch. She miscalculated, tapping Ben’s bum accidentally and Ben jumped in response, making an awkward face at Drew. Cara’s cheeks turned a darker pink. She could feel eyes watching her as she tried to calm her nerves and not come off as an incompetent idiot. “Oh, sorry! Ack! Got it! Okay, this part sits on your hips and snaps together in front here. So if you pull on these little straps, you can make it snug. And these straps up here make this part sit right.” Cara could feel Ben’s breath on the top of her head as she fumbled with the chest straps, trying to push them together. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down her back.
“Yep, that’s pretty snug, alright,” Ben said. “So how exactly does this balloon pack work?”
“Oh, um. I’m not sure. I haven’t…I just started…Let me go get some help,” Cara stammered, her face now a bright red. Before Ben or Drew could say a word, she darted away to the back of the store.
“Thanks a lot, bro,” Drew said.
“Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to be hard on her or anything like that.”
Drew and Ben waited for Cara to return, but after several minutes, Drew lost hope. “I don’t think she’s coming back.”
“I’m really sorry, Drew. I’ll figure out how this works later. Let’s just get the rest of the stuff.”
“You’d better figure out how that airbag works before you need it, brother,” Drew joked.
“Famous last words,” Ben replied.
* * *
Wade Pratt peered through the flower shop window and hoped the old lady inside wasn’t as slow as she looked. He strode up to the cash register and pulled out his wallet. “Do you have anything special?” he asked without looking up as he thumbed through a wad of twenty dollar bills.
“Certainly.” Louise Sterling stepped out from behind the counter and walked over to a colorful display of flowers stacked neatly in rows. “We have this lovely mixed bouquet with lilies. These colors are truly spectacular.” She held up a bunch of lavender and pink flowers.
Wade looked at the price tag — $79.99 for the bouquet. He frowned.
“There are also these gorgeous roses over here and these tulips have been very popular this winter,” Louise pointed out.
$87.49 and $64.79. Wade yawned and turned his head to look around the store.
“Are you looking for anything in particular? Or do you have someone in mind? A special occasion perhaps?”
Wade felt a pang in his heart as he thought about his girlfriend. The image of her from the night before was vivid — the lift at the center of her eyebrows while they furrowed, how her eyes got big, round and glossy with tears, the way her hands fidgeted out of nervousness. He could hear her sobs right now. His chest felt heavy with guilt, like one of his hundred-pound weights had been dropped on him. He knew exactly what he was feeling. Regret. I gotta be more chill, he thought. It can’t happen again.
He looked up from his feet and saw Louise’s smiling face, her eyebrows raised. Clearly, she expected a response. “I don’t know,” he said. “They’re for my girlfriend. Do you have something that makes girls, like, forgiving or something?”
“Hmm. Well, maybe your girlfriend would like a custom arrangement. What are her favorite flowers or colors?”
“I mean,” he said, letting out an exasperated sigh. Custom, he thought, code for rip-off. If Louise had blinked, she would have missed seeing Wade roll his eyes and give his head a quick shake in disgust. “I don’t know. Who cares. Just…Don’t you have anything cheaper?”
“Oh, well, of course. Over here are some of our sale items and everything in this section is always very affordable.”
Wade scanned the prices, which ranged from $7.99 to $35.99. The old lady was really annoying now. Hadn’t he asked her for sale items from the start? Weren’t his exact words “on sale” or “on special” or something like that? It didn’t matter, he knew what kind of person he was dealing with. She was a greedy scammer. He recognized them instantly.
“Never mind,” he said as he left without looking at Louise.
The candy aisle in the convenience store next door had a large selection of sweets and Wade considered his choices carefully for a full minute. Grabbing a bag of five dollar chocolates, he headed to the check-out.
“Is that everything for you today?” the cashier asked.
Wade spotted a small display of protein powders and picked out a five-pound container. “Oh yeah, I’m running low on this.”
“That’ll be $138.62. Want a bag?”
“Sure,” Wade said, pulling out seven twenty-dollar bills from his wallet.
As he looked out of the window, across the Ice Bridge and into the BEE, his eyes narrowed. A wave of heat flooded into his face. With one hand clenched into a fist and the other clutching his bag, he stormed outside and over to the BEE’s display window. His hot breath fogging up the glass just millimeters from his face, Wade stood motionless, apoplectic with rage, watching and waiting for the right time to act.
* * *
“Where do you think she went?” Drew asked, craning his neck around a display case filled with compasses.
Ben sighed. “I should’ve known not to ask any technical questions right off the bat. I’m really sorry. Next time, I’m not saying a word.” He rarely saw Drew act so awkwardly around a girl and didn’t like letting his friend down.
“Naw, man, it’s okay. She’s a bit timid, I think. Ugh. I don’t know. There’s something about her and she doesn’t even….” Drew drifted off, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
“Hey, check this out.” Ben tried to di
stract his best friend with a little yellow device he had picked up.
“That there is an ACR ResQLink. A personal locator beacon,” said a balding man wearing a tag with the name “Jim” and the word “Manager” below. “An excellent idea if you’re out in the back country or even hiking in the local mountains. It’s only one-way, but it works on a different frequency than satellite phones, so it can send out signals where satellite phones won’t work.”
“One-way?” Ben asked.
“Satellite phones enable two-way communication, like a regular phone. You can let rescuers know where you are, what your condition is, what you might need, whatever. You can even send and receive texts. This personal locator beacon just sends a signal. You can’t communicate beyond that,” Jim explained.
“Can’t hurt. Weighs nothing. Thanks,” Ben said as he smiled and added one to his basket. It wasn’t on his list, but he didn’t want to disappoint Jim.
“Hope we won’t need that for the Challenge.” Drew winked. “At least you’re still in it, right? Your dad didn’t ground you?”
“That would be against Jefferson’s agenda,” Ben said in a deep voice, imitating his father’s intonation.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing must damage the image and reputation of Jefferson Black,” Ben continued.
“So, he’s okay with Wesley? The rifle? Being seen with it in the village?” Drew looked shocked.
“Wes is the golden child who can do no wrong. And grounding us would be like pleading guilty before the trial and that is most definitely not in Jefferson’s playbook.”
“Honestly, Benji, I don’t really get it. Your dad seems like such a cool guy. He’s always super nice to me, I mean, letting me drive the red Lambo last summer? Come on! And he’s always on the front page of the Glacier Times, getting recognition from the mayor, getting awards from the town council, hanging out with celebrities.”
“Yeah, you’re right Drew. Jefferson is a great guy,” Ben said.
“Hey, do you have this on your list?” Drew said, picking up an ice axe to inspect it. “You might need it to protect yourself from those sketchy guys outside. Did you see them? They’ve got that ‘I’ll murder you for that sandwich’ vibe.”