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strain. ‘When he does, he’ll bark, but he won’t touch them.’
    Reynolds looked less than happy, but before he could reply, Taz picked up a strong scent to the left of the rock and surged forward.
    â€˜Steady, Taz. I can’t see a bloody thing!’ Daniel told him, slipping and stumbling over the smaller rocks at the base of the outcrop, but the shepherd was excited now, his enthusiasm transmitting clearly down the tracking line to Daniel’s hand. All at once the line went slack and a short, sharp bark carried back on the swirling misty air.
    â€˜Good lad. Stay there!’ Daniel began to gather up the looping canvas and feel his way towards the dog. ‘He’s found them,’ he said over his shoulder.
    As Taz uttered another bark and then another, Reynolds barged roughly in front of Daniel and plunged ahead into the fog.
    â€˜No, wait!’ Daniel’s command went unheeded, and swearing under his breath, he hurried after him, gathering in the line as he went.
    After a moment, he saw Taz through the milky whiteness and, beyond him, a taller shape that was almost certainly Reynolds. Daniel heard a scream, cutting off abruptly, and then Reynolds shouted, ‘It’s Elena. Take that dog away!’
    When Daniel reached Taz, he was growling in a low, grumbling fashion, no doubt unsettled by Reynolds’s interference – as he saw it – in the execution of his duty. Daniel calmed the dog’s ruffled feelings with a word and told him what a clever boy he was, pulling a tug toy from his pocket as a reward.
    As he played with the dog, the second man passed him and went to where Reynolds, just feet away, was cradling the slight figure of a child. The girl’s jumper now showed as a splash of orange through the fog and Daniel caught a glimpse of a thin, white face with enormous eyes and dark, straggly hair before her father hugged her closer and snapped crossly, ‘Take that fucking dog away!’
    Your daughter would still be lost if it wasn’t for the ‘fucking dog’, Daniel thought, keeping a lid on his temper with an effort. Police work had taught him to accept that stress can adversely affect the behaviour of the most genial of people, and he doubted that Reynolds was ever particularly genial, even on a good day. He retreated a few paces.
    â€˜Is she all right? Are they both there?’
    â€˜No. Katya’s gone on alone. We have to find her.’
    â€˜We can try, but it won’t be easy,’ Daniel warned. ‘The dog’s been working for an hour or more. He’ll be tired, and as far as he’s concerned, the job’s done.’
    â€˜But he can do it, right?’ Reynolds materialized out of the mist, empty-handed. He made a quick gesture behind. ‘Elena’s OK. Just a bit cold and frightened. My brother will stay with her. I’m sorry I shouted. We must go on.’
    â€˜Does Elena know which way her sister went?’
    â€˜She’s not sure.’
    Daniel sighed. ‘I wish they’d stayed together. It’s so important.’
    Leading the dog on a little further, away from the confusing scent of his first quarry, he gave him the command to ‘seek on’.
    At first, Taz was unenthusiastic, casting about in a half-hearted way before coming back to Daniel with his ears flattened and his tail held low. He was clearly unsure of what was expected and Daniel repeated the command. Obediently the shepherd dropped his nose once more and began to quarter the area. In spite of the unpleasant conditions and the desperate urgency of the search, Daniel felt a warm glow of pride for his dog. He was fairly young and relatively inexperienced, but he was trying hard.
    Just when it seemed that all his efforts were going to be in vain, Daniel saw Taz’s tail come up and begin to wave, and with a renewed sense of purpose he set off once more, pulling into his harness as he moved away along a