Glacier Highway

Jen watched, her dog, CD, go into the brush following a new scent. She smiled, looked up, and felt the sun on her face. She closed her eyes and took in the smell of the evergreens and fresh air. The smell of mildew and decay would come later in the summer. For now, it was just fresh air. It was a good day. Spring in the mountains was her favorite time of the year. She sent up a quick prayer of thanks. She was home and safe. A day in the mountains was a treat. Jen and CD had spent the last two hours hiking near Avalanche Campground at the base of Glacier Park. There was still a lot of snow, and she had to walk over several piles of still-melting snow and mud. The Going-to-the-Sun Road would not be open for several months, even with the early spring. She remembered when her father and grandmother, Nana, would bring her to Avalanche Campground on Mother’s Day. They would bring a picnic lunch, hike, and throw a Frisbee. Occasionally, they would hear the rumble. The warmer weather would begin the spring thaw, and as the snow melted, sheets of it would begin to break apart and create an avalanche. The rumble was the sound of the snow moving, and if they looked up at the right time, they could see the snow cascade down the mountain. She missed her grandmother, but the memories brought a smile. It had been such a good time, a safe time for her. She was glad she had decided to wear a jacket and her hiking boots. The trails had not been cleared yet, so the walking was a little more difficult than usual. She had not planned to be out long, but CD was having such a good time they had just kept hiking. A wind had come up, and it was a little chilly. She reached down and massaged her thigh; it hadn’t been that long since she had gotten out of the hospital. It still ached when she walked too much. She heard a rumble and looked up to see the snow going over the side of a mountain. She had come on a good day. She always got a thrill when she saw the snow avalanching. She was almost back to the parking lot when she rounded the bend and saw two scruffy men coming toward her. One was tall and dirty with a leering grin. The other was shorter with the same look. She took a deep breath. She remembered seeing them in the old van that had been parked at the service station where she had stopped to get gas and water. They didn’t seem to be the hiking type. “Hey, pretty lady, what do you say you come with us, and we’ll have a little picnic.” Jen shook her head and started to move past them down the trail. The tallest grabbed her arm, and she brushed him away. “Come on. Don’t be that way. It—” That’s all he got out before she knocked him to the ground with one move. Just as she did that, the other grabbed her. She kicked him in the knee, and he went down, but her foot slipped on the patch of snow, and she started to fall. As she caught herself, the first one grabbed her legs and pulled her to the ground. She struggled, kicking and screaming. She got up and felt something hit her in the back of the leg where she had been shot a year ago. As she went down again, she whispered a prayer, “Please, God, help.” They started dragging her down the trail. She continued fighting, but their grip was tight. She saw one pull something out of his pocket that looked like a needle. The last thing she saw was fur flying. Suddenly she was surrounded by gunfire. She saw Rog hit and heard CD yelp. She felt the pain in her leg. It seemed to last for hours. The fog started clearing, and she heard screaming. “Call him off, call him off!” She looked up and saw CD had one man down with his mouth wrapped around his throat. She saw the other one standing with his hands up, looking behind her. She heard an insistent voice saying, “Ma’am, are you OK? Are you hurt?” She looked behind her to where the voice was coming from and saw a tall man with a g*n extended from his hand. “Are you OK?” Jen nodded, waited for a few beats, then said, “Release, CD.” Jen started to get up and felt her leg start to give way. The man with the g*n put out one hand and helped her up. When his hand touched hers, she felt a jolt, sort of like when you walk across a rug and touch something; it snaps with electricity. “I’m Agent Zack Julion, Homeland Security. Are you OK, ma’am?” She nodded as she saw him take out handcuffs and plastic ties for her attackers. She noticed the one that CD had attacked had wet himself in fear. She tried to hide a little smile. She thought he could now say he had the pee scared out of him. “Did they hurt you?” Agent Julion asked. “I’m … I’m fine. Glad you came along when you did. Although CD had it under control.” She smiled. “I’m taking these two in. Would you be willing to come down to the station and give a statement?” She nodded. CD came and rubbed against her leg. She patted his head. “Good job, CD.” They walked toward the parking lot, the two men in front of them. CD walked closely next to her. She told him she had seen the two men at the service station when she stopped there. As they walked, he shared with her that he had recently been assigned to the Whitefish area. He had grown up in Hamilton, sixty-nine miles south of Missoula, and wanted to get back to Montana after he left the Rangers. As they walked, she snuck glances at him. He was tall, probably 6’2” at least. He had on a jacket but appeared to be fit. His hair was dark and fairly short, but maybe he needed a haircut because it was a little unruly. Some of the hair fell across his forehead. He smelled of the outdoors and had an easy smile. She found him very nice to look at. He asked about CD, and she told him that he was a retired military dog. He started to ask more questions but picked up on the tension in her body and let it go. Just as they neared the bottom of the trail, the two men took off running. “You’ve got to be kidding,” Agent Julion mumbled as he went after them. In a few strides, he had knocked the first one to the ground, but the other one was ahead of him. Jen smiled. “CD, takedown.” The dog took off running and then jumped on the back of the one getting away, knocking him down. “Stop, stop, I give up.” “CD, release.” The dog backed away but stood guard. Agent Julion walked over and hauled the man to his feet. Jen noticed he wasn’t breathing hard; he must be in good shape. She shook her head. Why would she even notice that? “Thanks, CD. I may need to deputize you.” Jen looked at him. Puzzled. “The dog.” He grinned. “Deputy Charlie David Dog. It has a nice ring to it.” She smiled. He pushed the man toward the other one. “Now move. Let’s see, resisting arrest can be added to the charges. Want to add any more?” Both men shook their heads and moved forward. Agent Julion pointed them toward a black SUV, opened the back door, and put them in. “Do you know where the office is? Are you OK with coming in now?” “I’m not sure. Is it at the police station?” Agent Julion affirmed it was at the police station. He walked her to her car, a red Toyota RAV. She got in and pushed the button to open the back door for CD. Agent Julion came around to her door. “Are you feeling OK to drive?” She assured him she was, and then eyed her muddy clothes. “CD is wet, so I think I’ll drop him by my house on the way and take time to change if you’re OK with that. Then I’ll come over. It will just take a few minutes.” He turned to look at her. “No problem. I’ll see you soon.” Jen started a little. She had not looked him directly in the face before. He had startling blue eyes, and the smile—well, the smile. She nodded. well