Chapter 101: A Nose for Tracking
Eddie is walking down the hall of the 5-4 when her cell phone rings. She fishes it out to see the house phone ID flash on the screen "Hello home." She greets.
"AUNT EDDIE!" Mia cries in despair.
Eddie abruptly stops walking "Mia what's wrong?"
"Reagan ran away!"
Eddie's breath hitches "What do you mean he ran away?"
"I opened the door and he just ran out like a shot! You have to come home and find him! I don't know what to do!"
"Okay did you go outside and call him?" Eddie prompts.
"Yes!"
"Did you shake his kibble bag?"
"Yes! He didn't come back!" Mia cries "Aunt Eddie he doesn't know the neighbourhood! What if he's lost?"
"Okay Mia calm down. Your Uncle and I are just finishing up here at work and then we'll be home okay. Just promise me you won't go out looking for him yourself okay? Just stay home. You can keep calling and shaking the bag but do not leave the property. He's a cat and they have an excellent sense of hearing and smell so if you keep doing that hopefully he'll just follow the sound of your voice and the bag and come home on his own okay?"
"Okay." Mia mumbles before hanging up.
Eddie takes a deep breath then turns and heads back to her office "You almost ready to go?" She prompts her husband "We have a bit of a situation at home."
Jamie immediate lifts his head
"Reagan ran out the door. Mia can't find him. She's freaking out."
Jamie cringes "Damn it."
"I know." Eddie sighs "And it's not like he's an outdoor cat that knows where home is."
"Okay." Jamie decides as he starts to pack up "Let's go."
…..
Jamie and Eddie pull into the driveway to see Mia standing on the front porch, kibble bag in hand, shaking it.
"Okay so he hasn't come home yet." Eddie deduces as Jamie stops the car in the driveway to let Eddie out before driving into the garage.
"He hasn't come home!" Mia cries as she comes running down the path to Eddie "I keep going back and forth between the front and back yards and nothing!"
"Okay let's not panic yet okay." Eddie tries to sooth "Where's your Mom?"
"Inside with the baby."
"Well what does she say?" Eddie inquires.
"She says you're the police!" Mia exclaims in exasperation "She's letting you handle it!"
Eddie sighs "Right. Too many cooks in the kitchen."
"Status?" Jamie inquires as he walks up.
"He's still lost." Mia whimpers out on the verge of tears "Uncle Jamie you HAVE to find him! He's all alone out there scared and lonely! What if he's hungry? REAGAN!" Mia then screams out again as she feverishly shakes the bag and heads for the edge of the property.
"So finding a lost pet must be like looking for a perp right?" Eddie reasons "Leg work, door knocking."
"Posters." Jamie tacks on.
Eddie sighs "This is NOT how I envisioned spending my evening."
"REAGAN!" Mia calls again.
"Okay, you go left, I'll go right?" Eddie offers as she pulls a photo of Reagan up on her phone. "You got his photo?"
"Yup." Jamie confirms as he pulls his own phone out.
"And you better take Mia with you." Eddie adds "Right now you can run faster then me and no one will call the police on you if you actually have her with you as proof you really are looking for a lost pet."
Jamie jostles his head from side to side "I could just show my shield but true." he admits "Okay Mia come on!" He calls "Let's go do some door knocking."
So for the next two hours Jamie with Mia and Eddie went up and down the street looking for Reagan – all to no avail and when they finally converged back at the house, Mia is just flat out crying.
"No we can't stop looking!" She cries.
"We have to for the night Mia." Jamie tries to sooth but even he was starting to get really worried "It's getting dark and we all need to eat. If he isn't home by morning, we'll go out again."
…..
"Any luck?" Rosa hopefully inquires as soon as everyone walks back in the house.
"No." Mia mutters in dejection as she heads up the stairs.
Jamie, Eddie and Rosa all adorn their own sad faces as they watch her climb and once she disappears in her room, Rosa sighs and lifts her phone. "Guess it's time to report him lost." she sadly admits as she hits send on his profile she had already created.
Eddie raises her eyebrows at Rosa.
"I didn't want to waste anymore time if you didn't find him." She explains "I know he's technically Mia's cat but I love him too."
Jamie sighs "I think we all do."
….
By the next morning the mood was very subdued in the Reagan / Ruiz household.
Reagan had not returned home and no leads had been found on his whereabouts.
It was now noon and everyone had converged back at the house to regroup.
"We should have put a tracker on that cat." Eddie mutters "Why didn't we think of that?"
"Wait." Jamie slowly realizes as his wife's words give him an idea "Maybe we can track him…"
Eddie and Rosa turn to look at Jamie.
"Jamko." Jamie simply states "I mean it's a long shot but…"
Eddie looks at her husband at first in surprise and then complete agreement with his idea "Well it's the only one we've got!"
So Jamie pulls out his cell phone and dials his brother…
…..
Jamie, Eddie, Rosa and Mia all stand in the driveway watching Danny pull his car up to them and stop. He gets out, turns, opens the backdoor and goes to clip the leash in his hand to Jamko's collar but the dog is too quick as it jumps out and makes a beeline straight to Eddie happy to see her. She gives his head an enthusiastic jostle in greeting "Hi Buddy."
"You really think this will work?" Danny states as he walks up and attached the leash to Jamko's collar.
Jamie shrugs "Got nothing to lose in trying." he tells his brother before looking at Mia "Alright Mia give me Reagan's bed."
Everyone watches as Mia hands the cat bed over, Jamie takes it, then crouches next to Jamko.
"Okay Jamko, we need you to find Reagan for us. Can you do that?" Jamie asks as he holds the bed up to Jamko "Find Reagan Buddy."
Jamko sniffs the bed and as he does, Jamie notices the shoes his brother has on "I thought I told you to wear sneakers."
Danny scrunches his face up in rejection "What makes the difference?" he counters but at that moment Jamko takes off like a shot startling Danny as his arm springs out to try to hold onto the leash but fails.
"THAT'S WHY!" Jamie answers as he takes off after Jamko himself with Danny following.
"Do we follow?" Mia prompts in confusion before simply deciding "I'm following." as she starts to run after the dog and Jamie and Danny.
"MIA!" Rosa calls as she takes off running after her daughter.
Eddie opens her mouth "I'LL JUST WAIT HERE!" she calls out but at a full run Jamie and Danny can barely hear her anymore.
"Jesus this dog is fast!" Danny calls.
"I KNOW!" Jamie calls back as they race down the sidewalk after the dog and see a couple out for a leisurely stroll coming towards them.
"Sorry! Excuse us!" Jamie profusely apologizes as he side step shuffles to get around them.
"Official police business." Danny tacks on as he does the same when suddenly Jamko turns and heads into someone's yard "You sure he knows where he's going…" He calls to his brother "…and not just leading us on some wild goose chase?"
"I'm telling you this dog KNOWS." Jamie reiterates back as Jamko runs up to a shed. He begins to bark as he jumps up onto his hind legs so he can use his front legs to paw at the door.
Running up a second later Jamie takes control of Jamko's leash and tries to get him to settle down "In there huh Buddy? REAGAN!" Jamie calls but Jamko keeps barking so Jamie turns his attention back to the dog "Shhhh. You barking is not going to make him want to come out and come home."
"What's going on out here?" An irate male voice sounds "Who are you? Why are you in my yard?"
Danny and Jamie both immediately hold up their shields.
"Oh." The guy accepts in surprise.
"Sir we're going to need you to open this door." Danny states.
The guy looks at the brothers confused "Why?"
"Because we are looking for something and the dog thinks it's in there." Jamie explains.
"Look there is nothing in there… " the guy begins to protest as Mia comes running up panting with Rosa not far behind "Did.. did we find him?"
"Him who?" the man questions.
"Her cat." Jamie continues "He's lost. The dog thinks he's in there." He reiterates as he points at the shed.
"REAGAN!" Mia continues to call as she moves around the building "REAGAN!"
Suddenly a weak little "Meow." Is heard in response.
"That was Reagan." Rosa notes in surprise.
"REAGAN!" Mia calls again in a mixture of relief, excitement but also panic "I hear him! He's in there!"
"Oh." the guy breathes out in surprise and concern "Um let me get the key."
"Thank you." Jamie states before turning his attention to his brother "Danny." He instructs as he holds Jamko's leash out towards his brother "Take the dog. I don't want Reagan running the second the door opens."
Nodding, Danny takes the leash and leads Jamko a good distance away as the man hurries back up with the key. He unlocks the door then steps back.
"Thank you." Jamie again offers the guy before looking at Rosa and Mia "Reagan is likely very scared so we want to be slow and cautious. Mia come here. I need you to keep talking to Reagan okay? Be calm and soothing."
Nodding, Mia begins to talk to her cat and as she does Jamie slowly cracks the door open just enough to try to peer inside. He doesn't see Reagan near the door ready to run so he pulls his head back out. "Okay I'm going in." he tells the group.
"I'm coming too." Mia decides "He'll come to me, I know he will."
"Okay." Jamie accepts so the pair slip into the shed.
"Reagan." Mia calls again inside "Reagan it's me."
A timid "Meow" comes from near the back of the shed.
Jamie zeros in on the sound and gestures for Mia to keep talking.
"Reagan, where are you?" Mia continues as she and Jamie slowly move in the direction of the sound.
"Meow."
The duo step past a shelving unit and there in the corner trying to huddle under a table is a very scared looking Reagan.
"Oh Reagan!" Mia cries as she drops to her knees in front of him.
"Meow." Reagan repeats as he begins to awkwardly limp, hop towards his owner.
"Oh my god Reagan!" Mia cries in despair as she reaches for her cat.
"Easy." Jamie immediately warns as he moves to pick the cat up instead "We don't know what's wrong with him."
Reagan let's out a cry in pain.
"Okay, okay, sorry Buddy." Jamie profusely apologizes as he tries to get a better and less painful hold on the cat "Let's get you out of here."
So he and Mia and Reagan exit the shed.
"Oh my god Reagan." Rosa sighs in relief at the sight of the cat.
"He's hurt." Jamie explains as he stops for only a brief moment so Rosa can give the cat a reassuring pet on the head "He needs a vet."
"Damn." the owner of the shed breathes out "Is he going to be okay? I had no idea he was in there."
"We hope so." Jamie replies "Thank you for helping us find him." he adds before looking at Rosa and Mia "Come on." he prompts and as they begin to leave.
A distance way still watching, Danny pats a very well behaved Jamko "Ya did good." he praises the dog who had just been silently sitting there watching the scene unfold…
… that is until Jamie, Rosa, Mia and Reagan round a corner out of view and suddenly Jamko gets up and moves to follow.
"Okay." Danny accepts "Guess we're going now too."
…..
Watching as Jamie, Rosa, Mia and an injured Reagan pull out of the driveway, Eddie sighs then looks over at Danny still holding onto Jamko's leash and she smiles a little "You did good Buddy."
"I told him the same thing." Danny offers as Eddie let's out a yawn "Guess we should go now though, let you get some rest."
Eddie nods "Thank you for bringing him by."
Danny nods and starts for the car with Jamko. He opens the back door for the dog "Jamko, come on." He prompts but when Jamko realizes what's happening he begins to back up and resist.
"Jamko." Danny repeats.
Jamko starts to whine and fight to move back towards Eddie causing Danny to frown and Eddie to heavily sigh so Danny gives in and lets Jamko make his way back to Eddie.
"He doesn't want to go." Eddie notes as she pets the dog who sits down beside her.
"Clearly." Danny agrees as brother and sister in law look at one another wondering what to do now.
...