Half a mile in, they found a faint path of crushed grass and boot prints softened by rain. Valorian paused, hackles rising, tail stiff. “Something’s ahead,” the handler warned. The mastiff turned toward a cluster of trees where a tarp sagged under water, its edges pinned by stones.
The detectives drew closer, flashlights sweeping the gloom. Beneath the tarp, they found remnants of a camp—discarded wrappers, a rusted stove, and a child’s pink hair tie half-buried in the mud. The mastiff sniffed it once, then looked up at the detective, a soft whine escaping his throat.