Page 61 of Race to Save Her

Katie kept her attention on the dog as well as glancing from side to side. Her gun belt felt heavy with her weapon as she trudged along. In some places, the weeds and undergrowth came to her hip and Cisco became lost for a moment.

Chris was in position behind her and to the right. They were moving downwind and a slight mist seemed to sprinkle their faces. Katie knew sometimes light rain or mist could affect the dog’s receptors, making finding the scent a bit more difficult.

Katie suddenly stopped. Both Cisco and Chris followed. She realized they were heading into overgrown territories that wouldn’t make sense. The killer wouldn’t have been able to walk through without there being some type of evidence: flattened weeds, broken twigs, or footprints. And she thought he was too clever for that. She decided to move into the next sector that would lead to the back road.

They resumed their search. Katie liked that Chris stayed quiet and didn’t interrupt the flow. The more time she spent with him the more she liked how he handled himself. She expected good things in the future for him.

They came to a cluster of large trees and Cisco seemed interested and slowed his pace. Katie followed his attentiveness. She couldn’t know for certain why the dog was compelled. He actually looked cautious instead of curious. The weeds were lower and she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but that didn’t mean Cisco couldn’t.

Chris closed the gap and was close behind Katie. Cisco continued to be wary and stopped about ten feet in front of her. His body was rigid, head directly forward, ears perked, and his tail low. The dog resembled a statue, not moving an inch.

Katie remained still and didn’t pull the dog away. Her vision seemed to become slightly dizzy trying to ignore it. She studied the ground and could see what looked like a fissure. It was common in earthquake areas where there could be narrow to wide long trenches.

But that wasn’t what bothered her.

There was a stack of underbrush and some dead limbs that didn’t seem organic. It appeared to have been placed carefully and strategically. Several situations from the past came roaring forward, attacking her brain, making her swallow hard—waiting for the worst to happen.

Just as she was about to say they should retreat and backtrack their steps, it happened.

There was a rush of water across the ground, but it was unclear where it came from. Katie could only think about the raging storm last night bringing more water. She pulled on Cisco’s long leash and tried to get hold of his collar. She could see clearly now that there was a plummeting hole in front of them—unnatural to the area. She felt Chris’s arms around her waist trying to pull her back.

“Cisco!” she yelled. Helpless, she could see the black dog begin to sink, as if in quicksand.

The dog used his big paws to make a paddling motion but this wasn’t something he could swim out of. He had managed to turn in her direction, so Katie could see the wolf eyes staring at her. Her heart began to pound in her chest.

“Pull!” she yelled to Chris. She could hear his breath and groans trying to pull both Katie and Cisco back to safety. She knew that she could lure the dog but she anchored her feet to keep the tension on the leash. “Get to your rope and tie it around me!”

Chris quickly dropped his pack and retrieved the rope.

Katie could feel her strength dwindling.

Cisco was sinking, but she could still see her dog’s face. He wasn’t thrashing or barking, but rather he remained strangely still as his expression seemed to say, I trust you and I love you.

Katie couldn’t see Chris, but felt his body behind her tying the rope securely around her waist. She still kept a tight hold of the leash, pulling it toward her as she moved forward—she would never let go as she realized in horror that she could see only Cisco’s head and shoulders. She had a couple of minutes before the dog was completely submerged.

Chris finished and secured the rope. He seemed to know what to do without saying it. “I got you!” he said, letting Katie know that she could begin to move forward.

Katie felt a hard tug and then the rope was let out. That’s when she slowly moved forward, pulling the leash in, getting a tighter grip closer to Cisco. As she moved she felt her own body begin to sink.

Inch by inch. Breath by breath.

Katie was almost to Cisco, where she could grab the handle on the search vest. She inched closer. Her feet weren’t touching the ground anymore and she had to tread the muddied water. Everything about Cisco flashed through her mind, from the day she picked him to his last search for a cold case. He had been there through it all.

Katie let out a yell. It was frustration and sheer determination.

Cisco moved his paws and closed the three-inch gap.

Katie grabbed his collar and wrapped her other arm around his body. She didn’t say anything except for a plead to God to save them.

Chris yelled, “Hang on!” His voice sounded strange, as if from another dimension.

Katie felt a tug as the rope squeezed her waist. She held on to Cisco as hard as she could. They began to move back slowly. It seemed like a mile, but it was only about ten feet.

Once close enough to Chris, Cisco pushed his big body to safety with what energy he had conserved. Katie, covered in mud, sat on the side where the ground remained solid. Cisco came to her, licking her face.

“You okay?” said Chris. His face said everything about the incident.

Katie could only nod. Her breath seemed paralyzed. All she wanted was to be somewhere safe. There was something about this location that spooked her and she never wanted to see it again.