Page 75 of Searching Blind

Back at home, Sawyer tried to sleep. He really did, but his brain wouldn’t shut off.

Something about his conversation with Chuck kept replaying in his mind, a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit with the rest. After a restless hour, he sat up in bed and swung his legs over the edge. He held out a hand, and Zelda nuzzled his palm. “There’s my girl. Let’s take a walk over to the command center.”

He felt around for her harness. When he held it up, she poked her nose through the neck loop, and he gave her a kiss on her muzzle as he fastened it around her belly.

Zelda led him out of the apartment and across the grounds of Redwood Coast Rescue. He used to have an apartment in town, but since he couldn’t drive and the small town didn’t have a bus system, it became difficult to find rides to work. But after a wildfire destroyed the original rescue two years ago, they’d had to rebuild from scratch and Zak suggested they could build him an apartment on the grounds to make his commute easier.

The command center was his domain where he ruled from his desk in front of a wall of computers, and it wasn’t far from his apartment.

Thanks to his years of working for the rescue, Sawyer knew the layout by heart—the radio equipment near the front, the lockers along one wall, the large table strewn with maps and search plans...

He made his way toward what he knew was a corkboard full of photos and notes. He didn’t need to see it, but he reached out anyway, fingertips brushing over pins and paper edges. His mind formed an image of the board based on memory— dozens of Polaroids, some old, some new; countless scraps of paper with hastily scribbled notes; and at its center, a printout with “Redwood Coast Rescue” boldly typed across it.

The chatter of radio communications filled the room during the day, but now it was silent.

“Sawyer?” Zak’s voice broke the silence.

Sawyer startled. “Zak? What are you doing here?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Zak replied gruffly. “You?”

“The same.” Zak’s prosthetic leg hit the floor with a heavy thud. As usual, he’d been lounging at his desk with his feet up. “I don’t like it when Anna’s not home.”

Sawyer winced. “It wasn’t my idea to have her stay with Lucy. If I had it my way, I’d still be there.”

Zak chuckled. “Of course not. It was all Anna’s. She was afraid you were gonna keel over or something. Which—” He paused, and Sawyer felt his considering gaze. “You look like you might.” A chair scraped over the floor. “Sit down.”

Sawyer felt his way to the seat and sank into it. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t grateful to be off his feet. He let himself enjoy it for a moment, then sat forward. “Is my backpack here or did it get left on the mountain?”

“No, it’s here.”

“Lucy’s?”

“Yeah, hers too. Why?”

Sawyer shook his head. He couldn’t explain it. “Just an itch I need to scratch before I can rest. Can I see them?”

“Sure,” Zak said with a shrug in his voice. He walked across the room, and there was some shuffling. Then, he came back and put both bags on the table in front of Sawyer. “Looking for anything in particular?”

“A phone.”

Zak grunted and rummaged through the bags. “Your phone is here.”

“Not looking for mine.”

“Lucy’s, too.”

“Not hers, either.” He stood, grabbed the first bag his hand hit, and upended it. He heard the other phones clatter out onto the table.

“Jesus. How many phones are you hoarding in there?”

“Help me find charging cords for all of these.”

“The hell for?” Zak grumbled. Despite his sleep-deprived irritation, there was a layer of concern lacing his tone that only Sawyer could pick out.

“A hunch?”

“You don’t sound too sure about that,” Zak said but moved away to find cords.

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