by Patricia Fry
“How are you doing, Kira?” Savannah asked a little while later.
“Good,” she said, smiling. “This is amazing. I’ve seen mountains from my house, but I’ve never been in them like this. It’s so…so…”
“Awesome?” Adam offered.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
Adam turned in his saddle to address Savannah. He leaned with one hand on the horse’s rump. “When are we having lunch?” he asked.
Savannah chuckled. “Hungry?”
“Well, sorta.”
“Can you wait about…” she looked at her watch “…maybe thirty minutes? There’s a nice picnic area up the road a ways. You could have a sip of your water in the meantime and a granola bar or apple.”
“Okay,” he said, changing position in order to reach behind him to dig a water bottle from his saddlebag.
When Savannah saw him struggling to find his apple, she called out, “Stop for a minute and I’ll help you get it,”
They’d been back on the trail for twenty minutes when they heard Kira giggle. Savannah looked back at the girl, who was lagging a bit and smiled. “You got Wilson to trot, did you?”
“Yeah, he sure is bouncy when he runs.” She explained, “He walks kind of slow and when he saw the rest of the horses getting farther ahead, he tried to catch up. That was fun!”
“Kira, want to race?” Adam asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “That might be more fun than I can handle.”
The group traveled quietly for several more minutes, each with his or her own thoughts, when Kira, who had passed up Adam and Beulah, stopped Wilson abruptly.
“What are you doing?” Adam groused. “Get going.”
She put up one hand. “Wait,” she said. “Listen.”
“What do you hear?” he asked.
“Listen, Adam.”
“Is that a wild animal?” he asked quietly.
“I don’t know. Savannah!” she called. When she and Michael turned around, Kira said, “We hear something—like an animal crying.”
“Crying?” Savannah repeated, reining Peaches back toward the kids.
“Yeah, listen,” Kira whispered.
Savannah cocked her head. “Oh, my goodness. Sounds like a dog to me.”
“Maybe a coyote or a wolf,” Michael said. When he noticed both kids staring wide-eyed and not smiling, he said, “Or it could be a dog. Sounds like he might be hurt.”
“Good thing you’re a veterinarian, Dad,” Adam said. “Can you go help it?”
Michael grimaced. “Well, I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t sound too far away, do you think, Dad?”
“No, but it’s straight down that brushy hillside.”
Adam shook his head. “Should have worn chaps.”
“Want me to go down there with Peaches?” Savannah asked.
Michael thought for a moment, then said, “Naw, I’ll go down and take a look.” He then spoke to his horse, “Come on, Delilah. Let’s see if we can find that poor creature.”
The others watched intently as Michael reined his mare over the edge of the dirt road and down through the brush. He stopped every few feet and listened, then launched out again in the direction of the whimpering sound. Suddenly he pulled Delilah to a stop, looked down into the brush, and said to himself, “Good lord.”
“What is it, Dad?” Adam yelled. “A hurt dog?”
“Or wolf?” Kira called.
“Savannah,” Michael shouted, “call that ranger!” He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Tell him we found the boy.” He shook his head in disbelief. “There’s a dog with him. It looks like they’ll need animal control, paramedics, and maybe a helicopter.”
Chapter 3
“Is he conscious?” Savannah asked when Michael and Delilah returned to the road.
“Barely,” he said as he dismounted. He handed her his reins and promptly dug a water bottle out of his saddlebags. “Did you make the call?”
She nodded. “They’re on their way. What are you going to do, Michael?”
“I’ll go down and see if I can get near the boy.” He then remembered something. “Give me one of the ham-and-cheese sandwiches you brought, will you?”
“You think the boy’s hungry, Dad?” Adam asked.
“No, but the dog might be,” he said. When he noticed Adam’s puzzled look, he added, “I want to make friends with the dog so we can help the boy.”
“Oh, good idea,” Adam said, relaxing a bit.
“What do you think happened?” Kira asked Savannah once Michael had headed back down the rugged hillside.
“I don’t know. I can’t imagine a young boy like that hiking up here by himself.”
“How far is this from his house?” Adam asked. “Where did that ranger say he lives?”
“Mason,” Savannah said. “Probably forty or fifty miles.”
Adam thought about it for a moment, then said, “I couldn’t walk that far—could you, Kira?”
She shook her head, her eyes fixed on Michael as he made his way through the brush on foot.
“I’m going to take a picture of Dad,” Adam said, raising his camera.
“Me too,” Kira said. “But we can’t see the dog or the boy.”
“You’ll see them when the rescue team gets here,” Savannah said. “It’ll be interesting, don’t you think, to watch a real rescue?”
Both children nodded rather solemnly.
And it wasn’t long before the activity began.
“That’s a big dog,” Kira said, when she saw Michael working his way up the hillside carrying a rather bushy black-and-brown dog. Kira raised her camera and quickly took a picture.
“Where’s the boy, Dad?” Adam asked. “What’s wrong with him? Is he hurt?”
“They’ll bring him up shortly. I think he has a broken leg. I needed to get the dog away from him so the paramedics could work with him. She was growling at everyone but me.”
“Is that his dog?” Kira asked.
“Yeah, how did he get up here?” Adam asked.
“Does he have a horse down there with him?” Kira wanted to know.
Michael grinned at the children. “You two are full of questions, aren’t you?” He then said, “No, I don’t think he has a horse. I guess the dog is a stray,” Michael explained. “Aaron is weak, but he did tell us that he thought he was dreaming when he saw the dog. Then he thought it might be a wolf. But he was glad when the dog laid down with him. He said she kept him warm at night. He told us that one day a pack of coyotes came snooping around, but they walked on by when they saw the dog.”
“Wow,” Kira said. “That poor kid.” She looked down at the dog, who was lying at Michael’s feet. “Can I pet her?”
“Well, I’m not sure,” Michael said.
“Savannah, would you take a picture of me petting the dog?” Kira asked, sliding down off the horse and handing Savannah her camera.
“Give me your reins,” Savannah said. “You don’t want your horse to wander off.”
“Oh, no I don’t,” Kira said, taking the reins over Wilson’s head and handing them to Savannah.
“Move slowly toward the dog,” Michael cautioned. “In fact, why don’t you stop there and see if she’ll come to you.”
Kira kneeled and urged the dog, who raised her head and finally sort of belly-crawled slowly to the child and laid down in front of her. “Awww, what a sweet dog,” she said, petting her gently.
“Look up here,” Savannah instructed. “Oh, nice shot of you and the dog, Kira.”
“Can you take my picture with the dog?” Adam asked.
“Keep hold of those reins,” Michael warned, when he saw the boy dismount.
It wasn’t long before Adam noticed rescuers making their way up the hillside with the child in a basket stretcher. “Here they come,” he announced.
“Walk your horse over here, Adam,” Savannah said. “Give them some room.”
; The quartet watched as the rescue team carried the stretcher to the dirt road. They noticed that one of the boy’s legs was in a splint and he was hooked up to an IV. He was awake and seemed only a little groggy.
When one of the paramedics noticed the boy looking around at the others, he said, “These folks found you.”
“It was actually Kira, our cowgirl, who heard the dog whimpering,” Michael said, his arm around the child’s shoulders.
“I found his backpack,” Adam explained.
Aaron smiled weakly and looked around. “Where’s the dog?”
“The dog?” Kira said. “Right here.”
“Can we take her with us?” Aaron asked. “I’m sure my mom will want to keep her. And I sure do, if she doesn’t belong to anyone else.”
“Yeah,” one paramedic said. “I’m pretty sure the chopper pilot would let her ride along. But what will you do with her when you get to the hospital?”
Michael spoke up. “How about if we take her with us? We’ll get her to you once you’re safely home and you’ve cleared it with your parents.”
“Would you?” the boy asked.
“We will?” Savannah asked, not quite convinced this was a good idea.
Michael addressed Savannah. “If she doesn’t get along with our critters, I can take her to the clinic until Aaron’s ready for her. It’ll probably be just a few days, don’t you think so?” he asked the paramedics.
They glanced at one another and nodded.
“Here comes the chopper,” the female paramedic said, watching as the helicopter landed in a clearing up the road a short distance away. “Ready to go for a ride, Aaron?” she asked, lifting the basket stretcher in unison with one of the other rescuers.
“Can we go watch the helicopter take off?” Adam asked.
“Oh, I think we’re as close as the horses will allow,” Savannah said. “You see, horses and flying craft aren’t always compatible.”
Adam looked at the horses and then at the helicopter. “Oh, I get it. That noise and that big propeller would be scary to a horse, right?”
Savannah nodded. “Ready for lunch? The picnic area is just over the hill there.”
“Yeah!” Adam said exuberantly. He looked at Beulah and then at Michael. “Can I have a boost, Dad?”
“Sure,” he said, helping his son into the saddle. “What about you, Kira? Need help?”
She nodded. “Yes, please.”
After helping Kira climb onto her horse, Michael picked up the dog and started to lay her across the saddle in front of Savannah. When the dog growled, he said, “Okay, I guess you’re riding with me.” He placed the dog across his saddle, then awkwardly mounted Delilah, who danced around a little before settling down and walking off with the other horses. Michael then adjusted the dog’s position and made room for himself in the saddle.
“Good thing she’s tired,” Savannah said, “or you might not get her to cooperate.”
“Then she’d be walking,” he said, running his hand gently over the dog’s head.
After watching the helicopter lift off, the riders, along with the horses, and the dog headed south and, within a few minutes they arrived at the picnic area.
“Let’s tie the horses over here,” Savannah suggested, helping the children secure their animals. She retrieved the lunch from her saddlebags and placed it on one of the tables. “Kids, see if you can find something to put water in for the dog, will you? She didn’t drink much from the bottle.”
“In the trash?” Adam asked.
Savannah shrugged. “Yeah, if you can’t find anything else.”
Kira pointed. “Here’s a bowl in this big rock.”
“Gosh, you’re right,” Michael said, pouring water from his bottle into the indentation. “That’ll work, won’t it?” He urged the dog toward the water and eventually she drank, while Kira and Adam each took a picture of her.
“This has been quite an exciting trail ride, hasn’t it?” Savannah asked as they ate their sandwiches, chips, and grapes.
“Yeah, but we didn’t really get to go very far on the horses,” Adam grumbled. “I mean, we only really rode a little ways. That’s kind of lame.”
“Lame?” Michael said, looking into his son’s eyes. “You saved a little boy’s life and this dog’s life. I’d say this was a spectacular trail ride. Do you know anyone who has ever had a more exciting horseback ride?”
Kira smiled. “I’m having a great time. I love riding horses and I’m so glad we found the boy. I have a lot of stories to tell my family when I get home.”
“Yes, you do,” Savannah said.
“Yeah, I guess that is pretty rad,” Adam agreed. “We got to see a rescue and watch a helicopter land and take off.”
“And you two are heroes,” Michael said, smiling at the children.
Adam’s face lit up. “I guess we are.” He raised his hand toward Kira and she gave him a high five. “Good job, hero,” he said.
“Yeah, hero,” Kira said, laughing.
“So how did the boy find his way down the side of that hill?” Savannah asked as she and Michael rode side by side after lunch.
He glanced back to make sure the children were occupied and grinned when he saw Adam showing off a little for Kira. “Hey, put your foot back in the stirrup there, stunt boy,” he said. “Safety first, remember?” He then spoke quietly to Savannah. “He said a couple wearing Halloween masks grabbed him when he was on his way home from school and shoved him into an old van. They drove up here with him and, when they saw a helicopter fly over kind of low, they pushed him out of the car and down that hill. It looks as if his only injury is a badly broken leg.”
****
“Yoo-hoo! Iris!” Savannah called as she and Margaret prepared to enter the old Kaiser house after dark on Monday night.
“Oh hi, Savannah,” Iris said when she appeared wearing fashionably ripped jeans, an oversized long-sleeved blouse, and a light-blue bandana tied attractively around her curly red hair. When she noticed Margaret approaching, she said, “Maggie, hi. Come to check out the old place?”
“Yeah. I wanted to see how you’re spending your days.” She glanced around at the living room and up into the stairwell. “Wow! You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“I know. But we’ve made a lot of headway. Well, you saw it before I started the renovation.”
“Twenty years ago when I came out here for that estate sale,” Margaret said. “Looks a lot different than it did then.”
Iris nodded. “I hope so, after all these many weeks. But the improvements will be more noticeable as we start putting the finishing touches on—wallpaper, wainscoting—you know—the detail work.” She motioned toward the ceiling. “I want to replace the crown molding we took down with something tastefully ornate.” She looked at the wire carrier Savannah had toted in. “Got Rags?”
Margaret laughed. “Yeah, don’t you have enough problems out here without inviting the troublemaker?”
“Oh stop,” Savannah grumbled, placing the carrier to one side.
Just then Iris jumped a little. “My phone. Excuse me, would you?”
“Sure,” Margaret said. “Can we look around?”
Iris nodded then said into the phone, “Hi Brian, I haven’t heard from the cabinet guys. Weren’t they supposed to show up today?”
While Iris was talking on her phone, Margaret walked through the living room into another large room. “Dining room,” she said.
Savannah quickly checked on Rags, then caught up with her aunt. She ran her hand over the carving on a pair of large mahogany-stained doors designed to separate the dining room from the living room. “These are beautiful.” She looked around. “I’ll bet this room doubled as a meeting room—I mean for serious discussions. Do you see how thick those doors are?”
“And the walls. Man, this is Fort Knox,” Margaret said, gazing around the room. She thought for a moment before saying, “If only the walls could talk.”
“What?”
“Vannie, creepy things took place in this house. Wouldn’t you like to know what they talked about in here?” Margaret spoke more quietly, “Which politician to bribe, what bank to rob…”
“Oh, they probably discussed the lamb stew they were eating for dinner and maybe which companies to buy and which stocks to sell.”
Margaret narrowed her eyes. “Who they were going to rub out next.”
“Someone’s going to get rubbed out?” Iris asked, joining the others.
“Yeah, in the heyday of this place.” Margaret approached her longtime friend excitedly. “So Iris, have you found any interesting…you know, evidence or anything?”
Iris stared at her suspiciously. “Evidence?”
“Yeah, from the gangster days…an Uzi, cement boots, or a contract, maybe?”
Iris scrunched up her face. “A contract?”
Margaret nodded. “You know, when the mob boss puts out a contract on a squealer to have him…uh…whacked…”
Iris and Savannah rolled their eyes. Then Iris said in a more serious tone, “Well, I did find a bullet hole and…” she leaned toward Margaret. “…I think I saw traces of blood in one of the bedrooms.”
“Really?” Margaret said wide-eyed. “So do you think someone got wasted in their bed?”
Iris waved her hand in front of her. “Oh Maggie, I don’t know. I’m too busy trying to turn this old place into an inviting bed-and-breakfast to let my imagination go wild like that. We sure don’t need to spread any rumors of murders occurring here.”
Margaret’s face lit up. “Why not? Iris, this could be one of those mystery-experience places.”
“What?”
“You know, where guests help to solve the mystery. Some people thrive on murder and mayhem. Heck, I’d sure come to a place like that. Yeah, advertise it as a former gangster hideout and you’ll get all kinds of business.”
Savannah frowned. “But is that the kind of clientele the owners want?”
“Iris!” someone called. “Iris, are you here?”
Iris grimaced, then answered rather cheerfully, “In here, Melody.”
“Oh, you have company.”
“Melody Kaiser-Plumb, this is Maggie Sheridan and Savannah Ivey. Savannah has brought the cat I told you about.”