“Yep.” I sensed a tiny bit of gold dust, the same trifling amount found in almost any river or stream, but nothing as big as a locket. “I’m confident he did not go in that direction.”

“So we head upriver,” he says. “He’s a smart boy. At four, I would have known to avoid the river and quicksand. After we go far enough, we’ll turn inland until we find another trail or wash and then make our way back to camp. Like cutting slices out of a pie.”

That makes sense to me. “How big a pie?”

“As far as a four-year-old can walk. Did I ever tell you about the time, after my mama left, when I decided to walk into town to find her?”

“Never heard that one.”

“I was only five, but I made it more than halfway to town, all the way past the old sawmill. I was sitting there, by the side of the road, when your daddy found me and took me home.”

“Daddy came looking for you?” Hearing something about him that I didn’t know before is like a drop of water in the desert.

“I don’t remember if he was looking for me on purpose or if he found me by accident. All I’m saying is that a little boy with single-mindedness of purpose will make it farther than you might think.”

I nod. “Upriver it is, then.”

The dogs dart ahead, tails wagging, even though I know they’re as exhausted as I am. That’s what I like about dogs. They’re always happy to help out and be with their people.

“Andy!” Jefferson’s shout makes me jump.

I add, “It’s Lee and Jeff! Come home!”

“What if he’s hurt and can’t answer us?”

“We need to make our path twisty, make sure we look in every crack and crevice.”

“We can go faster if we split up,” he says, and guides the sorrel mare away from me.

“No!”

He startles at the strength of my answer. Jefferson could pass within ten feet of Andy, and if he’s tucked into a holler or huddled under a bush, he’d never notice him. But not me. I’ll sense him in the dark, clear as a meadowlark’s song, as long as I get close enough.

“Two sets of eyes are better than one,” I tell him, knowing it’s a weak argument. I think of a better one, which I almost don’t say, but the words come tumbling out anyway. “Also, Jeff, I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you. I’m not letting you out of my sight this far from camp.”

“I . . . All right.”