The bear sniffed the breeze, not the fish. Its gaze was fixed on the doors where the boy had disappeared. Rain softened to mist, steam rising from soaked fur. “Collared, not food-motivated,” Parker murmured. “Not territorial. Looks trained…Circus animal, maybe?” She unpacked a tablet. “If we can tag it remotely, we should.”
Meanwhile, Evan’s skin warmed beneath forced air. The cardiac monitor steadied to a thin, stubborn rhythm. A tech called from the counter, “Lab is rushing the toxicology report.” Anika noted bruising, too narrow to be from a fall. “Photo-document,” she said. “Measure and record everything.” She wrote beside vital signs: Possible abduction?