Rose arrived early, and started breakfast. Donny was just pulling in when he spotted his grandfather picking up the newspaper in the front yard. They entered the house together and proceeded to the kitchen. Rose was busy as a beaver as the two sat down. The old ranger winked at his grandson, lifted his spoon, and tapped it loudly on his coffee cup. The sudden clanging caused Rose to jump, and swing around quickly.
“I’m moving as fast as I can. If you pound on that damn cup one more time, I’ll take that spoon, and bop you on your hard head with it,” she growled.
“How about some service. You got two hungry men here,” he said grinning.
She served up breakfast, and sat down at the table with them. When finished, she cleared the dishes away as they headed for the porch. “Don’t start till I finish these dishes!” she shouted after them.
They made small talk while waiting for her grand appearance. It wasn’t long; they heard the flip-flop coming their direction. Shifting his weight in the rocking chair, he cleared his throat, and continued with his story telling.
Virginia busied herself baking a yellow cake and had decided on chocolate frosting. Hearing the phone ring, she answered, “Hello, oh, Sheriff Sparks…yes, Frank’s home. He’s in the garden counting tomatoes. “Oh, my goodness, how long has he been missing? How old is the child? Yes…I know exactly where that is. I’ll have him and Jack over there right away.”
Virginia turned the back doorknob that Frank had just painted gold, and failed to tell her. She mumble something under her breath, and shouted from the opened door. “Frank, Jack, come to the house.!”
Jack was resting under the grape arbor. It served as his lookout station. Jack knew by the sound of her voice it was time to get serious. He caught up with Frank in a flash and trotted along with him, as they raced to the house.
They rushed inside and found Virginia in the bedroom. She tossed his favorite coveralls, and checkered shirt onto the bed, and pulled his boots from the closet.
“What’s going on?” Frank asked.
“What’s that on your hands?” she said pointing.
“Err…I painted the back doorknob. Be careful if you go out,” he said sheepishly.
“Thanks for the warning,” she said showing him the palm of her hand. He didn’t answer. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he began to put on his coveralls.
Virginia relayed to him the message from the sheriff. Frank knew the Nelson family lived just eight miles away. Expecting to make the trip in fifteen minutes or less. Frank and Jack hurried to the truck. After elbowing Jack from behind the steering wheel, he started for the Nelson’s home. Virginia stood in the front yard, but didn’t return their goodbye wave, as she was busy cleaning the paint from her hand.
Frank, normally a moderate driver, increased his speed. His mind was preoccupied with the lost child. The red pickup careened around a sharp curve, and sped along a road that was bounded by heavy brush and dense woods. At first he failed to see the buck deer, as it leaped from the cover of the brush, and darted into the road. Frank slammed the brakes hard, but not in time to avoid hitting the buck broadside. The animal was knocked, tumbling to the side of the road. It scrambled to its feet, and staggered for several steps, and collapsed in the middle of the road.
Jack was thrown to the floor of the truck by the sudden stop, and impact. He bounded back to his seat, and wildly looked out the front windshield, searching for the deer. Frank quickly examined Jack for injuries. Finding nothing visible, he and Jack appeared to be okay. They both squeezed through the truck door, at the same time. Jack ran in the direction of the downed deer. Frank shouted a command to halt, that brought Jack to a complete stop.
“Never rush up on an injured animal, Jack, you might be sorry,” Frank said, as he cautiously approached the buck.
No warning was given when the buck snorted, and struggled to its feet. It charged Frank, slashing at him with its antlers, ripping off the front part of his shirt. It slashed a seven inch long gash across his chest, and knocked him hard to the ground. Jack charged the buck, and stopped short, as Frank shouted again to halt. The buck continued to snort, and stamp his hoofs, as he wobbled across the road into the dense forest. Now out of sight, Jack was excited, and wanted to pursue the deer. He made several false starts in its direction, but held his ground waiting for instructions from Frank.
Clutching his chest, Frank rose and made his way to the truck. He pulled the first aid kit from under the front seat. “Get in the truck Jack, I’m not bleedin’ too bad. This pressure bandage will do for now.”
Frank sat and rested for a moment in the truck. He removed the tattered shirt and rummaged under the seat again, pulling out a dirty tee shirt he used to check the trucks oil. “At least it’s in one piece,” he said to Jack, as he eased it over his head, and the pressure bandage. Climbing from the truck, he wanted to survey the damage to the front of the truck. The fender and grill had been heavily damaged from the impact.
“Well, Jack, how are we going to explain this to Virginia?” Jack wasn’t listening, he stood at his side, but his full attention was on the area where the deer had disappeared into the brush. “I know, he didn’t go very far, but we’ve got other things on our mind now. Let’s check out the truck, and see if it’ll run.”
Frank started the truck, and very slowly drove down the road. Hearing no strange sounds, “They don’t make trucks like this anymore. This old Ford is a real warhorse.”
Increasing the speed, they arrived finally at the Nelson’s home. It sat close to the road, and was enclosed with a chain link fence, that went around the entire large yard. Frank noticed several deputies outside the fence. Stopping in front of the house, Frank snapped the leash onto Jack’s collar. They both pushed through the door together.
“One of us has to lose weight, or decide who gets out first,” Frank grunted, and clutched his chest. It was stinging, and causing a burning sensation now. He nodded to one of the deputies as he headed his way. The deputy’s attention was drawn to Frank’s dirty tee shirt and the underlying bandage.
“What happened to you?” He now noticed the damaged truck. “You didn’t let Jack drive over here did you?”
“I wish he was driving. I hit a buck a couple miles back, and he showed me what he thought about it.”
“You need to go to the hospital?” the deputy inquired.
“No, not now, but when Virginia finds out, she might put me there permanently. What’s the situation here?”
The deputy, still unsure about Frank’s injuries, finally said, “The missing youngster is four years old. The last time he was seen, he was playing in a sandbox in the back yard.”
“Are the parents’ home?” Frank asked.
“The mother is inside. She’s very distraught. Her sister has been notified, and should be here pretty soon. The father is out with some deputies, the back gate was found partially open. The boys’ older brother is in the house with his mother. What do you need from us?”
“Just something the boy was wearing is all.” Frank said.
The deputy handed him a small shirt provided by the mother. Jack nuzzled and sniffed as Frank led him to the sandbox. Jack started to track. Immediately Jack hit on the scent of the boy, and followed the trail. He worked his way to the side of the house and stopped. Rising up on his hind legs, he placed his front paws on the side of the house, and excitedly sniffed the weather boards.
Frank broke him off the track, and led Jack back to the sandbox. Jack once again tracked around the yard and stopped at the same place beside the house. Frank studied the side of the house. No windows or doors were near where Jack led him. He closely checked the foundation for any crawl space the child could have entered. Frank decided the boy must have played there earlier in the shade. Coaxing Jack to the back gate, he started him tracking in that area.
Whispering into Jack’s ear, “Come on boy, you’re embarrassing me. Let’s check the outbuildings. I guess the accident has you upset. Just calm down. You’ll be back in your prime soon. Just settle down,” he said rubbing Jack’s neck and head.
Frank entered the open garage door. Jack pushed past him, and made a fast sweep through the garage. Jack returned to a pail with liquid inside, and began to examine it. “Halt!” Frank screamed when he saw what Jack was doing. He quickly dipped his finger into the substance and smelled it. “This is anti-freeze. I know it smells, and tastes sweet, but it’ll kill a dog faster than a bolt of lightning. Never forget this odor, and leave it alone.” Jack turned around, and continued to a ladder that lay on the floor of the garage. He tracked from one end to the other. Giving a soft growl, he turned toward Frank and gave a short bark. Frank stepped outside the garage, and asked one of the deputies to fetch the boys’ brother.
The older boy entered the garage with the deputy as Frank pointed to the ladder, “You boy’s have this ladder outside today?”
“Yes sir, we were playing ball, and the ball went on the roof. It rolls down and gets caught in the gutter sometimes. We use the ladder to get our ball back.”
“Do you usually leave the ladder there?” Frank asked.
“Well, if we forget to put it up, mom or dad puts it up.”
Frank picked up the ladder and was halfway to the house when the pain in his chest caused him to drop it. Two deputies ran to his aid. “I’m okay; help put this ladder against the side of the house.”
The deputies picked up on what Frank was getting at; one scrambled up the ladder to check the roof. The deputy cautiously made his way over to the chimney.
“Call the fire department, he’s wedged about eight feet down, head first!” the deputy yelled down.
His partner on the ground yelled up, “Is he alive?”
“No!” he shouted back.
“I’m sorry I can’t stay, and help you get’em out. I’m feelin’ mighty sick, and my chest hurts. Me and Jack are goin’ home,” Frank said, with tears in his eyes.
Letting Jack enter the truck first, he climbed in. Leaning out for a moment, he felt like vomiting. After several deep breathes, the nauseated feeling passed. Driving past the spot where he struck the deer, he decided not to stop. He’d have Virginia call the ranger station when he got home and report it then.
Jack laid his head on Frank’s lap, and didn’t move the rest of the way home. When the truck stopped, Jack trotted to the grape arbor, and stretched out on his side. Frank slowly entered the house through the kitchen door. Virginia had seen the damaged front of the truck, and immediately noticed the dirty tee shirt, and bandage bulging under it.
“Get out of those dirty clothes, and into the bath tub. I’ll see to your chest, and have a snack ready when you’ve cleaned up,” she said rushing about.
He didn’t answer, just did as he was told. Not sure what had happened, she knew that now wasn’t the time to ask. While he finally got into the tub to soak, she went to the back door and called Jack. After a careful examination, she feed and watered him. She returned to the kitchen, and laid out medical supplies for Frank. Time now to go find out what had happened and patch him up.