“You know there’s nothing I can act on here, right?” Kate Murphy sounded harassed. She balanced her coffee mug on a pile of LAPD files and reached for a pen. “No. I need at least the licence plate of the van and a description of the gangers. You know that, Mac.” She scribbled a note on a pad. “I can have a car swing by there a little more often, but more than that and I have to answer to the Chief.” She listened again, shaking her head and waving away a junior detective who tried to add another file to her crowded desk.

“The Chief says, ‘Now’.” The junior detective shrugged apologetically as Kate rolled her eyes.

“Mac, I gotta go.” Kate listened again and her eyes widened. “No! Absolutely not! You can’t just go chasing after… No. OK.” She looked at the receiver in disbelief. “That is hands down the dumbest smart guy I know!” She hurried away to her meeting, shooing the junior detective in front and hoping MacGyver wasn’t about to land himself – and a lot of homeless people – in a heap of trouble.

“No problem. We just go about finding the kidnappers another way.” He picked up the receiver again. “I don’t suppose you have any spray bottles round here, do you?”

Maybe some plant sprayers left over from the Community Garden project.” Doc got up from the desk. “You want me to go look?”

“Please.” MacGyver dialled a number and listened to the phone ring. “Billy? That you? I know, right? Been a while.” He listened, nodded and smiled. “Good to hear you too. Listen, are you busy? I got a favour to ask you. Well, really it’s a favour I need from Frog…”

“Frog there will be able to track that scent for miles.” MacGyver indicated the bulldog, collapsed in a wrinkled heap at Billy Colton’s feet. Frog sat up, hearing his name, and Billy patted his head

“He’s right. Frog here, he can track anything. Best nose in the business, right Boy?” Billy scratched behind Frog’s ears and the dog leaned into his touch.

“What business are you in?” Leonard looked at Billy, unable to decide whether he was looking at one of the good guys, or just a different kind of ganger.

“Uh… Retrievals.” MacGyver cut in before Billy could answer. Finding out that Billy was a bounty hunter might spook Leonard, and he didn’t want that. “Relax, Leonard. Billy’s a friend.”

“What are you using, anyway?” Billy picked up a plant sprayer and sniffed, careful not to get any on himself.

“Aniseed. Shake it up in water and bingo – instant scent trail for Frog to follow.” MacGyver picked up two of the sprayers and put them into a bag. “Want to give me a hand here?”

“Let me see if I have this right.” Billy picked up two of the sprayers, handing them to MacGyver. “We go down to Leonard’s bridge, tool up the street army with these-“ he held up a sprayer as though aiming a gun and cracked off an imaginary shot. “Lie in wait disguised as street people and hope the kidnappers show up. I miss anything?”

“That’s about the size of it.” MacGyver zipped the bag shut.

“What if they don’t show?” Billy folded his arms.

“We do it all again tomorrow.” MacGyver smiled.

“Your plan stinks.” Billy shook his head in disgust.

“That’s the idea!” MacGyver sniffed his fingers, where the aniseed lingered.

“Unbelievable.” Billy picked up the armful of old clothes that would be his disguise and whistled to Frog. “I’ll see you later, guys.”

Billy looked around at the faces in the firelight. MacGyver, dressed in his ‘Grazer’ disguise, could pass for one of them, but Billy felt out of place in his borrowed clothes. Frog had picked up on his discomfort and sat pressed against his leg. No-one had tried to stroke him. In this world, dogs were almost always unfriendly and treated with caution.

Two of the group remembered ‘Grazer’ from before, having lived under the bridge and in the area for years. The rest of the group had been keen to take part in the plan and now each person had a plant sprayer hidden in a pocket or bag. MacGyver thanked them for their help and the group dispersed to their assigned places, to watch and wait.

Leonard stayed with MacGyver and Billy, warming his gloved hands at the fire.
“I want them to come back, so we can find Jose.” Leonard shifted and sighed. He’d spent every spare minute looking for the van and asking anyone who would talk to him about the kidnappings. “But what if this doesn’t work? What then?”

“It’ll work.” Billy added some more wood to the fire. “My man here, he comes up with some of the craziest plans I have ever heard, but his kind of crazy is the kind that works.” He grinned at Leonard. “Even impressed my Momma, and believe me, that ain’t easy to do!” Leonard nodded, returning the grin with a tiny smile. Then his head snapped around as he heard a vehicle slow down and come to a halt.

The homeless woman on lookout stood up and shook out her blanket, their prearranged signal.

“Ok, here we go.” MacGyver stood up and Billy stood with him, leaving Frog’s lead in Leonard’s hand. “Keep them busy long enough for the others to tag them and the van with aniseed, OK? No knockout punches, at least not right away.”

“Right.” Billy felt adrenaline fizz in his stomach. “Just an ordinary night, playing decoy for a bunch of kidnappers. Probably armed and dangerous.” He took a deep breath and glanced at MacGyver. “And me with no gun. You take me to all the best parties, Mac!” Around him, Billy could hear the rustle of the homeless readying their improvised scent markers.

“Time to look like a victim, Billy.” MacGyver nodded to him and then turned, shuffling across the open space towards the van, muttering to himself. He seemed to shrink, making himself look small and vulnerable. Billy took another deep breath and followed him, pretending to be drunk. He staggered out, weaving his way towards the end of the bridge and the van full of kidnappers.