Chapter Thirteen
Suzy is confused. The smells of these two standing near the Suburban are wrong. She whines to her Mistress, Debbie Hutchinson, asking what to do. Ah, there's a scent on the shirt put to Suzy's muzzle. Adult female. Distinct and now unforgettable to the canine. She's ready but lays patiently, waiting for the command.
"Where's the transmitter for their Sat phone? You say you've tried at least once an hour since 8am and no answer? Well, these can be iffy during snowstorms but since the sky is clear blue again, the signal should be able to beam. We'll keep it with us and maybe we'll get lucky." Debbie has been with Mountain Rescue since her early twenties and Suzy is her third Rescue animal over 20 years. Her first was an Akita, and then a yellow lab yet neither had Suzy's acute senses and big heart.
Debbie has seen just about everything but these Kostans are weird – weirder than Hunter S. Thompson – and Suzy has shown her discomfort with them. They are bundled up from head to toe even though the temp is very mild today with the sun shining. A typical Aspen winter day besides being Christmas eve. Debbie shakes her head, thinking to herself "you wanted to have a nice, warm indoor life?" No way would she miss this one. Somehow it felt different than previous rescues. She and Suzy would go out, locate these people, and then … we'll just have to see. Maybe a Christmas miracle! After all, we're in Aspen. Stranger things have happened.