Adding her name wasn’t standard, but Souze knew Elisa. If there was any chance Rojas could strengthen the command, it was using her name to emphasize who they wanted to find. Souze dropped his nose to the ground and got to work.
An onlooker might not notice, but Souze was systematic about the way he searched for scents. He went to work in the area Rojas had set him in, moving back and forth in a grid-like pattern. Checking the ground, any plants or walls a person might have brushed past, and even lifting his nose to the air to catch airborne hints. In less than two minutes, Souze froze to indicate he’d found her scent.
“So ist brav,” he praised Souze. Then he gave him the next command with terse urgency. “Revier.”
Souze ranged out ahead as far as the six-foot lead would allow him. Rojas desperately wanted to give Souze his head. Let him off the lead so he could get up to his full speed of thirty miles per hour. Too risky, no way to know who or what was ahead, and Rojas didn’t want to lose sight of the dog.
Souze had the trail for sure and led them unerringly across the street and to a set of steps headed down to the canal trail. They vaulted down them three, four, five at a time.
As they hit bottom, Rojas speed dialed Ky. Souze was getting into it now, taking in huge, loud snorts of air as he worked in a quick grid to re-establish the scent trail.
“Officer Graves.”
Souze froze for a heartbeat, flipped an ear, and without a word needed between them, the two moved fluidly back into a dead sprint north up the canal.
“Ky. Rojas here. Elisa’s stalker made a grab for her.” Rojas hated the pace he needed to keep to remain understandable. He needed to make this quick. “Get to the Delaware Canal Towpath between West Mechanic and Ferry if you don’t want anything permanent to happen to this bastard before he sees justice.” That duty done, he ended the call and began to focus on setting a personal record for speed.
You don’t believe me. Elisa had been hurt. By him. And he’d walked away from her.
Don’t let me be too late; please don’t let those be our last words.
Souze pulled on the leash, snapping Rojas’s full attention past the slight bend in the canal and the outgrowth of bushes obscuring the rest of the trail ahead. He had visual.
Elisa, his Elisa, was running hard down the trail away from him. She was headed toward the next bridge and another set of stairs out of the canal farther east.
He slowed ever so slightly. The resultant clearer vision and hearing allowed him to take in every angle of the situation as he approached.
Between him and Elisa, a soaking wet man was climbing out of the water in the middle of the canal, yelling. Farther down the canal, beyond Elisa, a figure was quickly picking out footing as he came down from an awkward lookout-style perch on the far side of the bridge. The far man was clearly moving to intercept Elisa.
Rojas wasn’t sure what she’d had in mind, but if she was trying to get to the bridge and the next set of stairs, the other man was going to catch her on them. Rojas wasn’t going to be able to reach her in time, not even at top speed.
Without slowing his pace, he pitched his voice to carry and bellowed, “Elisa! Freeze!”
Elisa stumbled to a skidding stop, falling to the side against the steep bank. Thank god for practical, intelligent partners who could think and think fast.
With his previous target stationary and to one side of direct line of sight, Souze wouldn’t misunderstand Rojas’s next command. Rojas dropped Souze’s leash and pointed. “Fass! Fass!”
The German Shepherd Dog streaked forward. He’d been desperate for the command.
The oncoming man’s forward progress faltered, and he even turned to run as an oddly high-pitched little whimpering noise seemed forced out of him—so he did have a brain cell or two. The sight of eighty-five pounds of incoming black-and-tan German Shepherd Dog intent on doing you harm was enough to challenge any person’s courage.
Souze picked up even more speed at the sight. Sure of his target, the dog drove forward, following his instinctual drive to run down prey. In moments, the big dog caught up with the man and launched himself. Strong jaws clamped on the man’s right arm, and Souze’s forward momentum swung him around his anchor point, the man’s shoulder. The resultant forward jerk took the man completely by surprise, and they fell forward to the ground, landing heavily. Souze regained his footing first, jaws remaining clamped on the downed man’s arm.
Rojas turned his attention to the man just stumbling out of the canal.
“Bitch!” the man screamed. “I don’t need you. I could take your hand and your eye and leave the rest of you to rot. How dare you!”
“Stop.” Rojas had to warn the man. Had to give the man the chance to leave off. Minimum force necessary. He reminded himself over and over against the rising tide of rage he was feeling. “It’s over. Leave her alone.”