Page 8 of The Fragile Ones
“Our other car won’t handle any type of off-road conditions. With all our gear, there’s only room for four people to fit comfortably.”
“That’s fine. One of you can ride with me and Cisco.”
Matt smiled. “I would love to, but unfortunately I’m allergic to dogs.”
Katie looked to the others and there was an awkward silence. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was a cop or that Cisco was a jet-black German shepherd staring intently out the window at them.
“I’ll ride with you,” said Ty as he walked up to Katie.
“Okay!” she said, hurrying back to her Jeep. “We’re going to drive up to Rifle Ridge and then cut on to Hidden Trail, which will be bumpy and slow going for about an hour, especially if the rain starts up again. Don’t worry, it will take us up to an area about a mile and half from the first location by the town of Silo.”
“And?” asked Butch.
“And then we hike.”
“Okay, sounds good,” said Matt.
“Any questions before we go?” she asked, looking to each one.
“Yeah, when do we eat?” said Butch.
Everyone laughed.
“I hope you’ve packed some provisions,” said Katie. “If not, we can stop before heading up the mountain; otherwise, you’re going to get very hungry and thirsty before we make it back.”
“No, we packed food and water,” said Keith, the sound technician. “We’re all good.”
“Good,” she said. “We’re ready to go.”
Katie climbed back into her Jeep and Ty took his place riding shotgun. He hesitantly slipped his backpack behind his seat as Cisco watched his every move. The dog’s black coat, wolf eyes and alert ears made the researcher move cautiously.
Katie sat with the Jeep idling while the rest of the crew got settled in their SUV. She couldn’t help but notice that the four men gave each other some rolling-eye expressions as they took their seats. Matt was driving, beside him was his assistant director Emir, and Keith and Butch squeezed into the back seat around their equipment and packs.
“Don’t mind them,” said Ty as he fiddled with a little charm around his neck.
“Why do you say that?”
“They can be jerks and say stupid stuff—it’s best to ignore them. It’s been tense recently because we’re on such a tight schedule and there are budget issues. I’ve done the best I can at scheduling new locations.”
“I think you’ll find some areas of interest in Pine Valley,” she said, smiling.
Katie watched as Matt gave her the thumbs up, a low growl coming from the back seat.
“What’s that mean?” said Ty.
“It means that he’s ready to go. That’s Cisco, by the way.”
Ty turned and looked directly at the dog. “Hey, Cisco, nice to meet a war dog.”
Katie glanced at Ty and realized that he must’ve done his homework on her. Since he was the writer and researcher for the film company that made sense. He seemed to be fairly relaxed as he gazed out the window, even with Cisco in the back. His waterproof jacket was expensive and his hiking boots were top of the line—she was grateful that he, at least, had arrived prepared. She guessed that he came from affluence and cared about how he presented himself to others. His wavy dark-blond hair, clean-shaven look and almost perfectly pressed clothes made him appear more like a catalog model.
Katie eased the SUV out of the parking lot followed by the film crew and was soon lost in her own thoughts. She didn’t mind that Ty was quiet as well, and it wasn’t long before they turned onto the gravel road that led to Rifle Ridge.
“What’s that sound?” said Ty, looking up with some apprehension.
“Don’t worry. It’s just the truck shifting into four-wheel-drive mode. Believe me, we’re going to need it where we’re going.”
“Oh,” he said, turning around to his satchel and pulling out a slim laptop. Moments later he was tapping away. Katie drove for almost half an hour with only silence from her passenger, which gave her time to reflect on the cases she was working on, and what leads she should pursue next.
