Tahoe Blowup

by Todd Borg

  Pussy Cat whirled and threw herself up against the bars of the cage. She stood on her hind legs and snarled, her mouth open and fangs bared. A powerful front paw flashed between the bars and cut through the air an inch in front of Spot’s nose.

  We all jerked back.

  Spot growled and barked and wagged. He glanced at me, then looked back at Pussy Cat. His tail was on high speed.

  Dr. Peralta spoke first, her voice a bit shaky. “Is that what he needed? To see that she’s okay?”

  “Yes. That was perfect. Thank you.” I pulled Spot away. “Come, your largeness. The good doctor has work to do.”

  Street took the other side of his collar and helped me pull him down the hall. As we left, he strained to look back. His tail was held high and he pranced.

  About The Author

  Todd Borg lives with his wife in Lake Tahoe where they write and paint. To contact Todd or learn more about the Owen McKenna mysteries, please visit toddborg.com.

  Titles by Todd Borg:

  TAHOE DEATHFALL

  TAHOE BLOWUP

  TAHOE ICE GRAVE

  TAHOE KILLSHOT

  TAHOE SILENCE

  TAHOE AVALANCHE

  TAHOE NIGHT

  TAHOE HEAT

  TAHOE HIJACK (August 2011)

  This book is for Kit

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Unfortunately, this novel requires that Owen drive off-road in some of the mountains surrounding Tahoe. This commits offense against all of the indigenous plants and animals.

  Although this story gives serious treatment to the role of fire in maintaining a healthy forest, I want to also stress that forest health can never be achieved unless we all tread lightly in the woods. A good rule of thumb is this: If the road isn’t paved, don’t drive on it. Further, one cannot really enjoy the sights and sounds and smells of the forest unless one is unencumbered by engines and motors and their attendant noise and exhaust.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Although many people were helpful in writing this novel, special thanks go to South Lake Tahoe Fire Department Division Chief Merle Bowman. He taught me a great deal about fire departments and fire fighting. While any mistakes I’ve made are my responsibility alone, Merle deserves the credit for whatever I got right.

  Thanks also go to Sandy Bryson, dog trainer extraordinaire. What I know of search and rescue dogs I learned from her and her books Search Dog Training and Police Dog Tactics.

  I’d also like to thank the U.S. Forest Service and all of Tahoe’s fire-fighting agencies. They do an admirable job at what sometimes seems like the thankless assignment of looking after Tahoe’s forests. In addition to charting an intelligent course through the maze of government regulations and current forest science suggestions, they also have to navigate the preferences of many groups who have strong opinions about the stewardship of the forest.

  Many thanks as well to Kate and Tim Nolan. They provided great help with the countless details of making the characters of this story come alive. I smile with gratitude every time I think of Kate’s Post-it notes. Each one was a golden trail marker on my path to a better story.

  Thanks again to my agent Barbara Braun. Her suggestions on this novel were especially good and helped focus the story. She has helped in more ways than she knows.

  And as with Tahoe Deathfall, Tahoe Blowup is blessed by a great cover and map designed by Keith Carlson.

  Finally, my wife Kit is a writer’s greatest companion, support group and editorial staff all rolled into one person. I could never thank her enough.