The sunrise was a smudge of gold in the sky. Kat whistled her dog into the cab of her black 1991 Toyota pickup truck. She started the engine, flipped on the defroster, and Jake watched as she scraped ice off the windows. By the time she got back into the cab, the interior smelled like dog.

"Let's go get that girl, huh?" She'd brought her best buddy, and extra leashes, in case Jade might be attracted to a fellow canine. It was worth a try.

Her dog huffed, his breath a nimbus in the chilly cab. His thick, otter-shaped tail thumped on the seat, as if in agreement.

An hour and a half later, Mount Holmes and the neighboring mountains over thirteen miles away came into view. Today, she had scheduled a search between Ice Lake, Virginia Cascade, and the notoriously steep Blanding Hill. Until the road was realigned in 1957, it was the first part of the Canyon to Norris road to become impassable in winter. It was near the site of the accident, and not far from the construction site where Jade had last been spotted.

She led her dog out on leash and headed toward the small group waiting for her. Among them was Patti Johnson, who she knew from Facebook but hadn't met in person. Kevin Torphy identified himself as the electrician working on the new solar power system. She'd been told he was devoted to saving large-breed dogs considered unadoptable. A perfect candidate to help her find Jade, she thought. Introducing herself, she shook the hand of the tall man with close-cropped graying hair and matching beard.