AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank heavens,” one woman says and drops onto the bench of the picnic table, and the other five investors quickly join. Miss Chardonnay stays standing.
“The demonstration will run for approximately fifteen minutes. After that, we can stay as long as you like for your questions and further discussion.”
“Oh, that’s a good way to do it,” Alli says under her breath, and we all turn to look at her. She flinches. “Sorry, don’t mind me.”
“Who’s that?” a man sitting on the back bench asks.
“This is Allison Baker.” I gesture to her, and she gives a meek smile. “My assistant during contracted rescue missions.” Phew, quick thinking.
The man nods for me to go on.
“Let me start by telling you a few stories about how rescue missions have touched the lives of people in this very park.”
I recount the stories and then launch into the basics of mountain rescue missions. I describe the equipment, the necessary expenditure for the basics, and what they serve.
The youngest man of the group gets up from the picnic table as I speak and straightens his slim-fitting suit. He saunters over, even though I’m still explaining the use of the dog harness.
He checks out the other equipment in the box.
“Do you have a specific question I can address?” I ask him.
“No, no. Carry on. I’m just getting bored out of my mind.” He waves his hand. “Not your fault. I’m just eager to see the beast in action.”
Don’t let him get your goat. This is the guy with the money to make this happen.
“Of course. And let’s use this opportunity to transition into that part of our session. Ranger!”
He sits in front of me.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve hidden a doll out there wearing one of my t-shirts.” I gesture to the wide expanse in front of us. Planting the doll was not as easy as I would have liked, but with the change to Parking Lot Four also came a steep cliff before the hills even out. For Ranger, it’s nothing. For me, on the other hand, it’s pretty treacherous.
“I will now command Ranger to find the doll and bring it back. Ranger, mission!” He stands in front of me, awaiting command. “Find the target.” I use the hand motion he and I trained with for seeking a human in the wild, right fist in left palm. “Bring it back.” I point to the ground in front of us. “Go!”
Ranger runs like the wind.
“But that drop is perilous!” A woman wearing the highest possible heels doesn’t dare to stand but shields her eyes as she tries to follow Ranger’s trajectory down the side of the mountain.
“He can handle it, don’t you worry.”
“Looks awfully dangerous to me.” She turns to Miss Chardonnay. “Is this safe? I don’t want to be involved in a project that includes animal cruelty.”
“Ma’am.” I step closer. “If I may, this is what Ranger lives for. He has a visceral need to work. It’s in his blood. And with his four legs, he’s closer to the ground and has more control than we can imagine.”
“He ees right.” Miss Chardonnay nods to me. “Carry on ze demonstration.”
“In fact.” I point to a running brown and white furball in the distance. “I think I see Ranger making his way toward us now.”
“Is it?”
“Already?”
“That was fast!”
The young man narrows his eyes first at Ranger and then at me. “He saw where you put it.”
“He didn’t. He was in the truck around that side over there while I planted it.”
He throws up his hands. “This demonstration is fixed.”
