Page 11 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

A lexis wasn’t convinced Brent Wilson was the serial killer, but investigating crimes wasn’t her area of expertise. Her brothers muttered a quick prayer, then dove into their meals. She was annoyed they’d brought up her old boyfriends.

Lots of guys weren’t faithful to their wives or girlfriends. That didn’t make them more likely to become a monster who strangled women to death. It made them players who had no interest in settling down, despite their claims to the contrary.

The shell casings they’d found should help narrow their search. In a way, she hoped Brent was the killer, as they’d be able to find and arrest him. Knowing who they were going after was half the battle.

“Seven thirty.” Griff looked at his watch. “But the lab techs don’t come in until eight.”

“Logan and Jess were going to try to be there by eight,” Justin said as he ate. “Logan said he knew where it was located.”

“This isn’t the first time he’s taken evidence to the lab,” Alexis said. “He helped Doug back in January.”

“I remember,” Joel said.

“I appreciate Logan’s help.” Griff sipped his coffee. “As soon as the lab opens, I’ll call to have them expedite checking for fingerprints from the casings. Considering we have a missing girl, not to mention two dead bodies, I’m sure they’ll accommodate my request.”

Alexis was worried about Wendy Evers. She feared the girl might already be dead. That the killer had either buried her someplace else or was hiding her body until he had a chance to get back to the same place that he’d buried the others.

She looked at Griff. “Are you going to keep someone posted at the scene where we found the victims after they’re finished looking for evidence?”

He grimaced. “I’d like to, but we don’t have the manpower for that.”

“What if the killer goes back in a few days to bury Wendy Evers?” She bit her lower lip, and added, “Assuming he’s already strangled her.”

“I know. I’ve thought of that.” Griff stared down into his coffee mug. “I could rig up a trail cam. See if we can capture him that way.”

“That’s a great idea.” Joel’s gaze was full of admiration. “They work pretty well for capturing photos of wildlife.”

“Just make sure you put it somewhere this guy won’t see it,” Justin said. “If he finds it, he’ll just pull it down, swipe the SIM card, and do his thing.”

“That alone will let us know to head up to find the body,” Griff said grimly. “Although I’d rather get a clear picture of him. With our facial recognition software, we’ll be able to match him with driver’s license photos.”

Alexis nodded. “I say we do that first thing. Hopefully, this guy isn’t smart enough to anticipate we’d plant a camera.”

“Heading up to place the camera works for me.” Griff glanced at his watch again.

She sensed he was feeling impatient to get to work, but there wasn’t much they could do at the early hour.

Even during the summer tourist months, stores didn’t open until nine in the morning, and it was only seven forty-five now.

She could see Griff doing the time calculation in his head.

After a long moment, he looked up and held her gaze.

“I’d really like you and Denali to head back to the ranch.

I can mount the camera and take care of things from here. ”

“I’m not bringing danger to the ranch.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she held up a hand.

“This is not negotiable. Besides, this guy is preoccupied with me, which means he’s not out there hunting, kidnapping, and harming another girl.

If it’s too late for Wendy, the least we can do is protect other women. ”

Griff shook his head. “I refuse to use you as bait.”

“Chase would not like that,” Joel agreed with a dark frown.

She wasn’t fond of that idea herself but forced a smile. “Let’s use the word distraction. My presence will keep him distracted and nearby while we gather evidence to identify him.”

Griff, Joel, and Justin exchanged pained glances.

“You know I’m right,” she added after a long moment. “About being a distraction and keeping the danger away from the ranch.”

“You can be the one to tell Chase,” Justin said. “He’s likely to bite our heads off.”

She rolled her eyes. “You make him sound like an ogre. He’ll be fine. You can point out that he didn’t bring the rest of the family into his predicament back in February for the same reason.”

Joel and Justin looked at each other and shrugged.

They didn’t say anything more as they finished their meals.

Louise cleared their plates and left the check on the end of the table.

Griff snatched it up before anyone else could move.

When he reached into his pocket for his wallet, Justin put a hand on his arm. “We’ve got this.”

“No, I do.” Griff frowned. “Your family is doing more than enough to help me. Buying breakfast is the least I can do.”

Justin glanced questioningly at her. She shrugged. “I’m sure Griff can put it on his expense account.”

Griff nodded, but the way he avoided her gaze indicated he had no intention of doing that. The thought of his expense account reminded her of the FBI profiler that was due to fly into town.

“When does your colleague arrive?” she asked.

“Not sure. I told her to call me when she lands.” Griff placed cash on the table. “I need to call the lab, but we’ll need someplace safe to hang out before we can buy the trail camera.”

“Maybe with the tourists around, we can hide in plain sight.” She gestured to the window where the city was beginning to wake up. Even in a town as small as Greybull, there were pedestrians milling about outside, enjoying the warm summer weather. “We can always take Denali to the park.”

Griff frowned. “This guy knows what Denali looks like.”

That was true, but she couldn’t come up with an alternative. “I’m open to other suggestions.”

“Try the Greybull campground,” Joel suggested. “Plenty of people and your guy probably won’t look for you there.”

“Okay. That works.” Griff looked relieved to have a plan. “Let’s get out of here.”

Her brother’s stood, and their respective K9s quickly scrambled out from beneath the table. Denali emerged last, her tail wagging with excitement at the prospect of playing outside.

She followed her siblings out. Within seconds, the dogs were jumping and running around the open area to the left of the café. She shook her head wryly, then held out her hand. “I need the keys to the SUV.”

Joel handed them over. “Are you sure, sis?” He kept his tone low so Griff couldn’t hear. “We can find a place in Cody to keep you safe.”

“I’m sure.” She was touched by his concern. “Thanks, though.”

He held her gaze for a long moment. “You care about him, don’t you?”

“What?” Her cheeks heated. “No, I mean, yes. Of course, I care about Griff like any other friend. But that’s not the reason. I really want him to find this guy. Denali knows his scent and might be able to help us if we get close.”

“Royal knows his scent too,” Joel said. “I can stick around to work with Griff.”

She hated to admit that was true. “I’m the distraction, remember? Just keep your phone close in case we need more K9 support.”

“Okay.” Joel’s expression was resigned. “Justin and I are here if you need us.”

“Thanks.” She gave him a quick hug. “Be safe driving home.”

He nodded and glanced to the trio of dogs. “They act like little kids sometimes.”

“Most of the time,” she agreed with a laugh. “Until they’re asked to work, which for them is just another form of play.”

“Here, Stone!” At the sound of Justin’s voice, his yellow lab spun and trotted toward him.

“Royal, come!” Joel said. At his command, Royal also returned. Without having anyone to play with, Denali loped to her side.

“By the way, we restocked the SUV.” Joel gestured toward the closer of the two SUVs. “There’s more dog food, baggies, bowls, and other supplies inside.”

“Thanks.” She’d anticipated they’d make sure of that. They’d all learned early on to make sure their K9s were well cared for. The safety of their dogs was foremost in their minds. “Don’t forget to keep your phones close.”

“Ah, Joel? Anna just called.” Justin showed him the phone. “There’s a lost hiker near Antelope Butte. Apparently, she’s been missing since yesterday. Anna wants us to head over right away.”

Joel glanced at her. She gave him a shove. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

Griff came up to stand beside her as the twins and their dogs got settled inside the SUV. Within seconds, they were driving away.

“Does that happen often?” Griff asked, watching them leave.

“Calls for missing hikers? Oh yeah, especially in the summer.” She shook her head. “Compass training should be a requirement for anyone who intends to hike in the mountains. It’s easy to get turned around.”

“I had no idea the calls were that frequent.” Griff gestured to the SUV. “Let’s head to the campground. It’s almost eight. I’ll call the lab supervisor from there.”

Using the key fob, she opened the back hatch for Denali. She double-checked the supplies, then stepped back so Denali could jump in. She almost wished now that she hadn’t fed Denali early, but Anna’s homemade cookie bone would work as a snack later.

She drove through Greybull, heading east toward the campground. She gestured to the right when they passed a hardware store. “That’s where we’ll find trail cameras.”

“Good.”

They were asked to pay a fee for a day pass inside the campground. Griff passed the cash over, and they were waved through.

“I like that we had to pay,” Griff said. “Makes it less likely my suspect will show up.”

“I agree.” She pulled over into one of the first empty campsites she found. There was a fire pit and a picnic table. They climbed out and headed to the picnic table. “This is nice.”

Griff nodded and reached for his phone. She listened to his side of the call.