JohnLock 3: Missing Sherlock

Meanwhile...

Milo ran into what was fondly referred to as the front parlor, slamming the door and hollering as nine-year-olds are wont to do. "Mama?" He skidded to a halt when he spotted his mother, Marisol Hooper, known to most as Molly, wiping the table next to the sink with a homemade dish towel. "Mama, Mama ! I found a pirate on the beach. And a big dog. They washed up and the man ain't moving."

"The man is not moving," she corrected the boy automatically. She turned sharply to face her son. "He's not moving?"

"That's what I said. Come and see. He's got blood in his hair and could need a doctor, Mama." Milo grabbed her hand and started dragging her to the door. She resisted long enough to grab a shawl, a leather sac of water, and her beaded etui. Holding onto Milo's hand, she half-ran, half-walked down the white sand beach to where the "pirate" lay near the far rocks that bordered the lake on the North.

He lay face down, his head turned toward the rocks, the big dog licking his face and grasping the collar of his jacket and pulling him higher onto the shore. Noticing the two running toward him on the beach, the pooch, a roan-colored Mastiff, let out a yelp and started bounding around his erstwhile master, barking sharply. Milo observed, "He wants us to help the man, Mama."

"I can see." Molly squatted at the gentleman's head and carefully lifted his upper body out of the sand. "Milo, help me turn him over." Milo ran around to the gentleman's far side, and pushed on his shoulders until the man flopped over onto his back.

Molly sucked in a shocked breath when his face was exposed. He was "quite the prettiest man she had ever seen..." Even with a blotch of dried blood on his brow and in his hair, he was quite beautiful, with longish dark wavy hair, long dark lashes fanned over high sharp cheekbones, and translucent ivory skin, which she guessed must be even more pale than would be usual.

"Milo, run back to the shed and bring the dog cart and the bridle. I know we cannot carry him, and we need to get him out of these wet clothes." She had taken one of the gentleman's hands in hers and realized how very cold he was. "I have an idea about his dog."

Molly lifted her hand palm down toward the dog and allowed him to sniff her fingers. The big fella sniffed noisily and slid his head under her hand expecting to have his ears ruffled. He was not disappointed. Scratching behind his ears, she pulled the dog into her arms and nuzzled him as if he was an old friend. The friendly mastiff raked a rough black tongue from her chin to her temple.

Molly cooed, "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?" The big dog squirmed excitedly. Molly discovered he had an intricately carved leather collar with the name "Shelby's Mariner" emblazoned on it's surface. "Is your name 'Mariner'?" She glanced at the pirate's still form, "And this must be your Daddy, Shelby, ... or Mr. Shelby..." The dog cocked his head as Molly spoke the names. "Uh, huh...Good boy!"

Milo pulled up beside her, his small body in the traces as if he was the "dog" for which the cart is named. He maneuvered the little cart so the traces were facing away from the water and close to the gentleman's head. Sliding a heavy quilt under his shoulders, Milo and Molly tucked their arms under the quilt and pulled the quilt and his prone body into the cart. They kept tugging until he was completely in the cart except for his feet.

Milo asked, "What now? I don't think I'm strong enough to pull him across the sand."

"Like I said, 'I have an idea.'"

She turned to "Mariner" and smacked her hands against her thighs. He bounded over and stood directly in front of her, panting. Milo looked at the dog and then the cart. He nodded his head sagely when it occurred to him what Molly had in mind. The two of them manhandled the big dog into place between the traces and buckled him into the bridle. Since he was such a big animal, they had to work especially hard to get the straps to meet and buckle in place. Placing her rescue supplies on the seat of the cart, she proceeded to lure the mastiff "home."