“What?” she yelped, positioning Peaches in order to get a glimpse of the animal. “It can’t be Rags. No way.” She shaded her eyes and muttered, “Sure looks like him, though.” She rode up closer. When she saw that familiar whiskered face peering at her from under a shrub, she scolded, “Rags! What do you think you’re doing?”

  Adam laughed. “I told you he wanted to go with us.”

  She grinned at the boy, eased down off her horse, and approached the cat, who by then was lying in the middle of the trail, panting. “Darn it,” she complained. “You’ve worn yourself out, haven’t you?” She said over her shoulder, “We’d better move him into the shade and get some water down him. Want to give me your water bottle?”

  “He can drink out of a bottle?” Adam asked, handing it to her.

  “Hopefully he’ll lap water from my hand.”

  “Or we can find a rock bowl where he can drink.” When Savannah looked at the boy, he explained, “Indians used to make bowls out of rocks. You told me once that Indians lived up here in the olden days.”

  She chuckled. “Yeah, they did. Good thinking.” She glanced around. “Adam, come down here and sit with Rags, would you? I don’t think he’ll run off; he’s too tired. I’ll tie the horses over there while we deal with this...unplanned situation.”

  “Do we have to take him back?” he asked hesitantly.

  Savannah thought for a moment. “Well, if he seems to be okay, I guess we can take him with us.”

  “On our ride?”

  “Yes, he’s ridden a horse before. He might do all right. Otherwise, we’ll run out of time to ride to the top. You want to ride to the top, don’t you?”

  Adam nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  “Auntie and Max have invited us over for dinner tonight, so we need to be back in time to get cleaned up. So yes, let’s take him with us. I can probably use my sweatshirt to make a sling for him.” She thought for a moment. “Or I can spread my sweatshirt across the saddle in front of me and he might lie there.”

  Adam watched as Savannah poured a little water into her hand and encouraged Rags to drink. When the cat seemed disinterested, he offered, “I’ll go look for a rock bowl. He needs a bowl to drink out of.”

  “Don’t go too far,” Savannah warned. She called out, “Stay near the trail.” She continued trying to entice Rags to drink water by rubbing her wet fingers across his mouth and dabbing a little water on his face and ears, when she heard Adam shout, “No! Go away!”

  She glanced up and saw what appeared to be a wolf walking toward her and Rags.

  “Shoo!” Adam shouted. “Shoo! Go away!” He slapped a hand against his leg to startle the animal.

  Savannah cradled Rags in her arms and stood up. As the animal drew near, however, she relaxed.

  “Look out!” Adam called when he saw the creature walking toward Savannah and Rags. He picked up a rock and was about to heave it when Savannah shouted. “No-no! It’s okay.”

  “He wants to catch Rags,” Adam reasoned. “He might bite you.”

  “It’s okay,” Savannah repeated, leaning down toward the animal with Rags still in her arms. Rags reached his paws out and patted the critter on the nose.

  Adam stood stunned, watching as the animal licked Rags’s face. “He’s friends with a coyote?” Adam asked. “Or is that a wolf?”

  “This is Lucy,” Savannah said, smiling. “She’s a dog, actually. She lives on the other side of this hill and she comes over sometimes to visit Rags.” She petted the dog and crooned, “What are you doing out here by yourself, girl?”

  When Rags squirmed in Savannah’s arms, she placed him on the ground, and Lucy continued to lick the cat. When he didn’t respond with much enthusiasm, Savannah was concerned. “Adam,” she asked, “did you find something for him to drink out of?”

  “Yes. I was just coming to get you.” He pointed. “It’s over there on a big rock. It’s like a bowl on top of the boulder. I’ll show you.”

  Savannah picked up Rags and motioned for Lucy to follow. “Come on, girl, you’re probably thirsty too.”

  “See, I told you Rags needed a bowl,” Adam said, watching the two animals take turns lapping up the water as Savannah poured it for them. When she’d had enough water, Lucy gazed toward a stand of trees off to the right. She trotted in that direction, then turned and looked back at Savannah and Adam, whimpering softly.

  “What’s wrong, girl?” Savannah crooned. She looked into the distance. When Lucy headed out again, then stopped and looked back, Savannah said, “Adam, I think something’s wrong. Lucy seems to want me to follow her.” She instructed, “Stay here with Rags and the horses, will you? I’d better go see what she’s concerned about.” She started to walk away, but turned and added, “Use that whistle I gave you if you need me for anything.” She fondled the whistle hanging on a cord around her own neck. “I have mine, too. And you have your cell phone with you, right?”

  Adam nodded. “What if Rags runs away?”

  “I doubt that will happen; he’s too tired. Just sit tight. I’ll try to be right back.” Savannah walked with Lucy for almost five minutes, crashing through brush and stepping over fallen trees, when the dog suddenly took off at a dead run. After a few seconds, Lucy stopped, sat down, and stared back at Savannah. What is the dog doing? She wondered. She felt a shiver of terror. What is she protecting up there? Savannah walked slowly toward the dog. As she drew closer, she stopped. Oh, my God. She felt a scream making its way toward her throat, but she was able to quell it. “What happened here?” was all she could say.

  Chapter 2

  “I’ve never seen a helicopter this close up,” Adam said a little later. “Good thing we moved the horses away before it got here, or we might get bucked off.” He looked at the cat. “And Rags might have run away when he felt the wind from those rotor blades.”

  “That’s right,” Savannah said. “The animals would probably think it was a big bird flying down to attack them.”

  “But I kinda wanted to see them load up that guy—you know, into the chopper.” He faced her from his saddle as they continued riding up the mountainside. “What happened, anyway?”

  “Well, it looked like Mr. Fenton either didn’t have the safety on his gun and it went off, or it misfired, maybe. He shot himself in the leg. It’s a good thing Lucy led us to him, or he probably would have bled to death.” She explained to Adam, “That’s why everyone should adopt the buddy system when they venture into the wilderness. If someone gets hurt there’s always another person to call for help.”

  “Or dog,” Adam said, “or cat.” He smiled at Rags. “He looks cute in that hammock thing you made for him. He must be heavy. Do you want me to carry him over my shoulder for a while?”

  “Naw, I’m okay. Thank you, though.”

  “What if you hang that sweatshirt over the saddle horn? Do you think that would work? Seems like that would work.” Before Savannah could respond, Adam took his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to get a picture of Rags riding the horse and send it to Dad. Has Dad seen Rags ride Peaches?”

  Savannah nodded. “Yes, a time or two. You’ve seen him sit on her back in the corral.”

  “Yeah, but that’s different than taking a trail ride.” He sent the photo, then laughed when reporting, “Dad says Rags’s is going to have a time-out when he gets home.”

  Savannah looked at the cat. “Yeah, he’ll be ready for a rest by then, don’t you think so? He’ll be happy to have a time-out.”

  “So it won’t be punishment at all,” Adam reasoned.

  Savannah shook her head.

  “Hey, what’s that?” Adam shouted a little while later.

  Savannah began to explain the beautiful formation on the mountain in the distance. When she realized that Adam was no longer following her, she stopped her mare, readjusting Rags’s makeshift sling. “What are you doing?” she called out to the boy when she saw him standing on the ground looking at something in his hands.

  “I found a cell phone. Look, someone lost their phone.” He led his horse to where Savannah waited and handed the phone to her.

  She studied it for a moment, then gave it back to him and shook her head. “You sure have a knack for finding things. You and your brother.”

  “Teddy?”

  “No this one,” she said, smoothing Rags’s fur.

  ****

  “I think this phone belongs to a criminal,” Adam reported later that evening after dinner at Margaret’s and Max’s home.

  Michael looked at his son. “Oh, you got it charged up, did you?”

  “Yeah. We used Savannah’s charger.” More seriously, he said, “Dad, I think the guy who lost it is going to kill someone.”

  “Why do you say that, Son?” Michael asked.

  “Listen to this text. ‘She’ll finally get what she deserves.’ Then someone named Alex asks, ‘When’s it going down?’ This guy says, ‘Eight thirty sharp Saturday at 147 North Kimball. She can’t squirm out of it this time. We’ll get her for sure.’ The other guy says, ‘Okay, let’s dress to kill.’” The boy looked at his father and repeated, “To kill.” He gazed down at the phone again, then said apprehensively, “They’re going to put her on ice. Dad, I think someone’s going to get murdered tonight.”

  Michael thought about it for a moment. “You could be right, Son.” He checked his watch. “Seven forty-five.” He then caught Savannah’s attention from across the room. “Hon, maybe we’d better call Craig.”

  “Why,” she asked.

  “Didn’t you hear what Adam said?”

  She glanced at the boy. “No. I was talking to Auntie. What’s wrong?”

  Adam held up the phone and said cautiously, “I think this guy’s going to kill someone.”

  “What?” she exclaimed.

  “How’d you come to that conclusion?” Margaret asked.

  “The text messages,” Adam said.

  “What did he write, for heaven’s sake?” Max asked, leaning over to pick up a toy Teddy had dropped.

  “We’ll tell you in a minute,” Michael said. “We don’t have much time. The hit is supposed to take place in forty-five minutes.”

  Savannah gasped. She reached for her phone and asked, “What shall I tell Craig?”

  “That there’s a possible homicide about to happen at 147 Kimball tonight.”

  “Yeah, they’re going to give her what she deserves,” Adam said solemnly. “And put her on ice.”

  “Holy moly,” Max muttered.

  Savannah took a deep breath and punched in Detective Craig Sledge’s number. “I’m glad you answered,” she said quickly.

  “What do you expect me to do when you call this number?” he snarked.

  “Craig, Adam found a cell phone on the trail behind our house this afternoon and he and Michael just discovered some suspicious texts on it.”

  “Yeah?” he said, seemingly uninterested.

  “They think someone’s going to get murdered tonight.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Craig, are you there?”

  “Yeah. Murdered, huh? And what makes them think that?”

  “Well, I guess the texting conversation included such phrases as ‘she’s going to get what she deserves,’ and...”

  When Savannah hesitated, Adam blurted, “And she won’t get away this time.”

  Savannah repeated this to Craig and added, “Adam and Michael are quite concerned. It appears to be a legitimate text exchange. And it’s supposed to go down in forty-five minutes. I think you ought to check it out.”

  Craig let out a sigh. “Okay. Are you at home?”

  “No, why?” she asked.

  “I want to get my hands on that phone, that’s why?” he cranked.

  “Oh. We’re at Auntie’s and Max’s. Will you be by shortly?”

  “Heading out now. Be there in a couple of secs.”

  When Savannah ended the call, Margaret asked, “Adam, do you know who that phone belongs to?”

  “No. When I found those messages, I quit trying to find out.”

  “Let me see it,” Margaret insisted. “I want to see what they wrote.” After scrolling through the messages for a moment, she shuddered and handed the phone back to the boy. She then asked, “Vannie, how’s the dude you found in the forest—it was Mr. Fenton, right?”

  “Yes. I don’t know how he’s doing. I hope he’s okay.”

  “So a dog led you to him?” Max asked. “His dog?”

  Adam nodded. “Lucy. She drank water with Rags, then showed Savannah where the man was—you know, the one who was hurt.” He sat up straighter. “I stayed with the horses and Rags.”

  Savannah smiled at Adam, then said, “Lucy’s sure a sweet dog.” She looked at Michael. “We haven’t seen her around our place in a while.”

  “Yeah, just a handful of times since that wolf scare a few years ago,” he agreed. “Maybe Fenton has learned to keep her on his property.”

  “She looks like a wild animal—a wolf or a coyote,” Adam said, wide-eyed. “I thought she was a coyote.” He changed the subject. “You should have seen the helicopter land. It was rad. We weren’t too close, though. We had to stay kinda far away so it wouldn’t scare the horses.” He turned to Savannah. “I think I hear a car outside.”

  Margaret walked toward the front door. “Hi, Craig,” she greeted. “Come in. Want a piece of berry pie? I was just going to serve it.”

  He glanced at his watch. “I’d better not. Sounds like I’m working this evening.” He gazed around the room. “So someone found a cell phone?”

  “I did,” Adam said.

  “Hey, hi there, Adam,” Craig greeted, walking toward him. He squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “Good to see you. You’re going to the beach house with your folks, right?”

  Adam nodded. He handed Craig the phone. “I was looking through it trying to find out whose it is so we could return it.”

  “You couldn’t find the owner?” Craig asked. When no one responded, he said, “That’s an easy one. Just look for a listing in the directory under mom or dad and call that number.”

  “Before we could do that,” Michael said, “Adam found this disturbing series of texts and we thought we’d better let you know.”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, “it sounds like someone’s planning a murder. You’re going to arrest them before they kill her, aren’t you?”

  “Now, I’m not going on any wild-goose chase,” he grumped. “Let me see what it says here.” After reading the text stream, he exaggerated a sigh and complained, “Another good dinner meal ruined.” When he saw the others staring at him, he said, “Iris fixed chicken cutlets and mashed potatoes. I love chicken cutlets.”

  “Send someone else,” Savannah suggested.

  “And miss all the excitement?” Craig said, winking at her.

  Savannah laughed. “Okay then, so you’re going over there?”

  “Yeah. And I’d better hurry.”

  It was nearly eight thirty when Craig and two officers rolled up around the corner from where the suspected hit was scheduled to take place. All seemed quiet. The trio waited in their cars for a few moments before Craig announced to the officers over the radio, “Something’s not right. I think we should go in.”

  When no one answered his knock, Craig tried the knob and the door came open a little. He glanced at the officer to his left, moved to the other side of the door, and pushed it open wider. He was shocked to see lights come on and hear a loud chorus of voices shout, “Surprise!”

  Craig and the two officers stood speechless, all staring at the people standing before them, most of them dressed in formal attire. “What is this?” Craig asked, beginning to feel as though he’d entered the Twilight Zone.

  “What’s wrong, officers?” one man shouted. “Are you telepathic? Did you have a premonition that we were going to get noisy and out of control here tonight?”

  “Yeah, are you going to arrest us before the party even starts?” a woman asked, laughing.

  “Party?” Craig questioned.

  A man of about thirty stepped forward and explained, “It’s a surprise party for my sister. She’s returning from a stint in Iraq.”

  Craig looked at him, glanced at the others, and pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “Is this yours, by any chance?”

  “My phone,” the young man said. “Where’d you find it?”

  Craig cleared his throat. “First I need some answers.” He pulled up the texts Adam had found. “What does this mean here about giving her what she deserves and dressing to kill?”

  Caught by surprise, the young man said, “Huh?” He then chuckled. “Oh, well, Janine, my sister, hates surprises. It’s really hard to surprise her, but she’s so deserving of recognition.” He glanced around at some of the others. “She also loves to do it up fancy and we decided to dress up—dress to kill, you know, man.”

  “And put her on ice?” Craig asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

  “Yeah, she was an ice skater growing up—spent a lot of time at the rink downtown. We’ve rented the whole place for her party later tonight.”

  “Hmmm,” Craig said, handing the phone to him. “I guess this is yours then.” He turned to the officers. “I don’t think we’re needed here. You guys can go on about your business.” He watched as the officers walked out the door. He had started to leave behind them when the young man said, “Hey, thanks for getting my phone back to me. Where’d you say you found it?”

  “Where’d you leave it?” Craig asked.

  “In my Jeep. I took a dip in the water hole this morning. When I hiked back to my car, everything was gone.” He held up the phone. “I guess they tossed this when it ran out of charge.” He creased his brow. “You didn’t happen to find my wallet, did you?”

  “No, but I can tell you where this was found; you might want to look around up there.”

  Suddenly someone shouted, “She’s here! She’s here!”

  Before Craig knew it, he was being shuffled along with the excited crowd of people to the back of the room, where everyone was cautioned to be quiet. The lights quickly went out and within minutes, the door opened. The lights came on and everyone shouted, “Surprise!” Phone cameras went off, one right after the other, as the young woman, dressed in army fatigues, stood stunned. Upon seeing her friends and family members she began to weep, and everyone rushed to hug her.