Woof! Woof! Rex ran through Harbourside Park, along the Atlantic Ocean. Huge waves crashed along the beach rocks.

"Hey, bud, wait up!" Charlie called after him. Rex sat, looking at him attentively, and then turning to look at some movement in an ancient oak. "What's that, Rex?" A grey bird with a white underbelly was hanging upside down from a branch.

"Woah, that is a cool bird!" He remarked. "I wonder why it's hanging upside down like that."

"That's a white-breasted nuthatch," A voice beside him said, and a pair of binoculars were thrust into his hands. "Nuthatches are the only birds that are able to climb down trees, as well as up them." Rex growled at the bird. The bird chirped right back at him. The figure beside him bent down to pet Rex. "Cute dog. My name's Robin, by the way. Robin Tailor." Robin had bright red hair like a robin's, pale skin, and a freckled face. She stood up and held out her hand for Charlie to shake, which he did. "I'm a birdwatcher, and entrepreneur."

Charlie let out a little laugh.

"What?" Robin asked inquisitively, turning her head a little, the way Rex would sometimes do when he couldn't hear somebody talking.

"Oh, I just find it kind of ironic that your name is Robin, and you're a birdwatcher. I'm Charlie Hudson, and this is Rex."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hudson and Mr. Rex." Robin said as the nuthatch flitted to another tree down the path. Robin ran ahead, but Charlie stood still. "Aren't you coming?" She asked him.

Charlie chuckled and ran ahead to her.

"So," He said. "You said you're an entrepreneur? What do you do?"

"Oh, right!" Robin said. "I run Get Outdoors Adventures. We host nature walks and birding classes here in the great province of Newfoundland and Labrador!"

"Personally, I'm a detective."
"Oh! That's pretty cool!" Robin replied absent-mindedly. "Darn it! I lost the nuthatch!"

"Oh?"

"WAIT. LOOK." She continued in a hushed whisper. "IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?"

"What?" Charlie asked. "And why are you whispering?"

"SHUSH. That could be a Bonaparte's Gull! I've never seen one before!"

"A…. Bonaparte's Gull? Like, Napoleon Bonaparte?"

"NO SILLY. It was his zoologist nephew! Come on, let's get closer."

Together, they crept along the path to where a black-headed gull was standing on the beach. Unfortunately, Robin forgot about Rex.

Then, Rex barked. As loud as he could. At the gull.

The gull stared at the odd group for a moment, crouching along the brush behind the beach, blinked once, and then flew off towards the ocean.

Robin sighed, and scratched Rex's head. "Rex here really must not like birds, huh?" She said with a little laugh.

"Yeah, he's quite the character." Charlie replied. "I really should teach him some manners."

"It's fine. No one can stay mad at this cutie patootie for long."

"You got that right!"

"Hey," Robin stopped and looked at him playfully. "You should come do a hike sometime. Rex can even come!"

"That sounds gr-" Charlie was cut off by some commotion on the path ahead. "I wonder what that is?"

They jogged up ahead to where a group of people were crowded around a spot on the ground.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Charlie said to the crowd, flashing his badge as they moved away. Lying on the ground, in front of him, was a man in his fifties. He was under a large tree, and was holding a compound bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.

Charlie turned to a bystander. "Call 911." He bent down to try and see if he could feel the man's pulse at his neck. There was none. Charlie swallowed a lump in his throat. His entire career was investigating dead bodies, but he could never get used to seeing them. "He's dead."

Robin came up behind him. "What is i-" She gasped.

Charlie turned towards her. "Did you know this man?"

"Umm…" Robin looked horrified. "Um, y-yes. His name was Alexander Mikaweitz."

The bystander looked at Charlie and said, "The police are on their way."

"Looks like blunt force trauma to the back of the head. It looks like he hit his head on his tree branch. He was probably pushed." Sarah said to Charlie. "But we'll know more when we get the autopsy back. Do we have a name?"

"Yes, Alexander Mikaweitz. Robin told me." He said, motioning the woman's copper red hair, glinting in the sunlight. She was shaking, but wrapped in a blanket, and being comforted by Rex. "But I have a better question. Who owns a bow in this day and age?" Charlie remarked.

"I don't know, but from what I can tell, it's a high quality one- look at how smoothly the string pulls."

"You do archery?"

"No, but I figured it's always good to learn something new every day, huh?"

"Yeah. Ok, let me know if you find anything else." Charlie strode off towards where Robin was sitting. Robin ruffled Rex's fur on his head, and he whined.

"Can you tell me anything about Alexander?"

'Yes. He did a few walks with us. He was kind of rude to everyone around him, but I didn't know him very well, because I wasn't the one to do the walks. When the business got bigger, I hired Abigail Hill. Now I only do a few walks but mostly just handle the finances." Robin said, at a near whisper.

"Can I have her phone number so I can contact her?" Charlie said, handing her a notepad and pen. Robin scribbled it down.

"Here you go."

"Thank you. Rex, let's go." Rex licked Robin's face, causing her to crack a miniscule smile. Rex trotted ahead in his happy dog way, ready to play his favourite game, track the scent. He got to play, and then he would get a treat, or even play another game with a tennis ball! Track the scent was his favourite part of the day. He ran over to the spot where a man was lying on the ground and wondered why he wouldn't get up, even with all these people around him. He sniffed the strange contraption in the man's hand. He sniffed it. Far off, in the distance, he smelt something similar near the ocean. He barked.

"Sarah!" Charlie yelled. She looked up from examining the tree branch. "Rex found something!" He started running after his German Shepard. Rex galloped down the steep banks of the beach to a bundle of feathers with an arrow sticking out of it. He barked in excitement. He finished the game!

"Good boy, Rex!" Charlie said, tossing him a treat, which he caught in midair. Charlie turned to look at the strange combination of objects in front him.

"Oh, dear." Sarah said, catching up. "What is that?"

"I don't know yet, but whatever happened here didn't turn out well for whatever this thing is."