Page 14 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

“I will. Take care.” Mrs. Tripp scooted around her to duck inside the lady’s room.

Alexis hurried back outside. Kenny had been a decent kid.

Really, they all had. Steve had been the quietest of the group, more withdrawn than the others.

Tyler had struggled the most, despite her help, and after a few months of tutoring, he’d stopped coming.

Last she’d heard, he’d dropped out of high school. Kyle and David had done okay, though.

Shaking off thoughts of the past, which seemed like another lifetime, Alexis hovered at the main entrance.

After watching the street from the doorway for a moment, she headed out.

She wanted to run but forced herself to walk calmly around the corner of the building to where the parking lot was located.

As she joined Joel, she glanced at her watch again. Griff and Justin had been gone for twelve minutes.

She lifted her gaze to the sunny sky and silently asked God to keep them safe.

“I recommend this one.” Justin thrust the box at Griff. “Do you want two just in case?”

“Sure.” Griff waited for Justin to grab a second camera.

“Buy a hammer and some nails too,” Justin suggested. “I have plenty of gear but no tools in the car.”

Griff picked those items up, too, then he turned toward the cash register. He hadn’t been separated from Alexis since she’d found the bodies and was struck by how much it had bothered him to leave her behind.

He used the self-checkout register and used his personal credit card rather than his government-issued credit card. His boss haggled over every charge ad nauseam to the point he found it easier to submit a receipt for reimbursement. Granted, that process tended to take longer, but he didn’t care.

Outside, he led the way to the back sides of the building to avoid being seen by the people and cars moving up and down the main street. The trip back to the Attwell Restaurant didn’t take too long, and when he saw Joel and Alexis standing outside the SUV, a wave of relief washed over him.

“You’re back.” Her blue eyes lit up when she saw him.

Griff longed to pull her into his arms but managed to hold back.

The last thing he wanted was for her brothers to think he might take advantage of her.

He smiled and nodded. “I have two cameras. Justin described how they work; it’s good they have batteries rather than needing to be charged up. We’re set.”

“Great.” Alexis turned to her brothers. “Let me know when the evidence has been dropped off.”

“That’s my line,” Griff said mildly. Alexis blushed but didn’t argue. “I would like to know as soon as the lab has tested the dog food. Make sure you let them know it’s related to this serial killer case.”

“Okay.” Justin opened the back hatch for the labs, taking a moment to give them water.

Joel hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want me and Royal to come with you?”

“I’m sure.” Griff wouldn’t mind back up, but three people and two dogs would be more noticeable. “Thanks, though. You’re helping by getting the evidence to the lab.”

“I think we’ll head down Main Street,” Justin drawled. “Maybe this guy will follow us instead of you.”

“Works for me,” Joel said.

Alexis frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You need to take the back roads the way we are.”

Griff kept silent, even though part of him liked the idea of a diversion.

Not that he wanted to put any of the Sullivans in danger.

Either way, he figured the twins would do what they wanted.

Every Sullivan he’d interacted with over the past few years had a stubborn streak.

He doubted Justin and Joel were any different.

Joel turned toward Alexis, then gave her a brotherly hug. “Be careful, sis.”

“I will.” Alexis hugged him back. “You too. I hope you find that hiker. Come, Denali.”

As always, Griff was impressed at how well trained the Sullivan K9s were. Denali trotted to Alexis’s side. She offered Denali water as well, and the dog lapped eagerly. When Denali finished, Alexis took a moment to hug her dog, stroking her fur before stepping back.

“Get in,” she said.

Denali leaped into the back. As soon as they were settled, Griff drove out using the same back road he’d used earlier.

Alexis turned in her seat to watch the rear window for a moment, before settling back. “I’m glad they’re not behind us.” She glanced at him. “I really don’t want my brothers in danger.”

“I know.” He gestured to the cameras on the floor at her feet. “Once we get them mounted, we’ll find a different town to stay in for a while.”

She frowned. “Maybe we should head back to Greybull. We know he’s been there several times. He may have grown up here or worked here. He seems to know the area well.”

“I’ve considered that,” Griff admitted. “But I don’t want him to make another attempt to harm you or Denali.”

“I get that, but we can’t find him if we stay away,” she argued.

She was right, but he didn’t care. “We’ll take things one step at a time. First the cameras. Then we could head to Shell for lunch.”

“Lunch?” She shot him an exasperated look. “We just had breakfast.”

He shrugged. This little side project would take time. By the time they hiked to the crime scene, mounted the cameras, and headed back out, he would be hungry again.

Under different circumstances, he wouldn’t mind hiking the Bighorn Mountains with Alexis.

They rode for several miles in silence. When he finally approached the turnoff where they’d parked last time, he gestured. “Should we park here or try a new spot?”

“New location,” Alexis said without hesitation. “Maybe the campground parking lot would be better. More cars there to hide our vehicle. And we can take the same route your suspect used.” She grimaced. “Although let’s just hope he didn’t beat us here.”

Griff felt certain the guy was still back in Greybull, but in truth, there had been enough time for the killer to return to this location.

Yet why would he? There’s nothing for him here. Just the opposite. Knowing that there may be crime scene techs returning to the burial site should keep him away.

Five minutes later, Griff parked in the campground parking lot, backing the SUV into a space between a large diesel truck and a minivan. Alexis let Denali out of the back, then reached for her backpack.

“I can carry that for you,” he offered.

“It’s mostly stuff for Denali.” She nodded toward the cameras, hammer, and nails. “I’ll make room for that.”

“Only if you let me carry it,” he said. “That hammer and the cameras add weight you shouldn’t have to bear.”

She reluctantly nodded. “Okay, fine.” She knelt on the ground, opened the pack, and moved stuff around. He handed her the cameras, minus the boxes, along with the hammer and nails.

He took the pack and settled it on his shoulders. It was heavier than he’d anticipated.

Alexis gave Denali water, then crossed over to join him. She didn’t tell Denali to search, but the K9 had her nose to the ground regardless and trotted toward a familiar group of trees.

“She knows the way, huh?” he asked as they followed the dog.

“Yes.” She smiled. “Denali is amazing.”

“No argument here.” He subtly shifted the pack into a more comfortable position. He was amazed that the Sullivan family carried so much gear for their K9 search and rescue missions. Alexis had carried this pack as if it weighed a feather.

The path Denali took didn’t look familiar to him. He pulled out his compass and verified they were headed in the right direction. Not that he didn’t trust Denali’s nose. Or Alexis’s skill. Alexis strode through the woods as if she knew exactly where they were going.

And maybe she did. The Sullivans had combed the mountainside searching for their parents and pieces of the plane they were in when they’d crashed.

“Do you have any idea what happened to your parents?” he asked.

“No.” Alexis’s expression turned somber. “They were heading home from a weekend away in Billings. We’ve considered foul play, but what would have been the motive?”

She had a point. As far as he knew, the Sullivan kids had inherited the ranch through a trust. “I don’t know. I guess the crash could have been weather related.”

“It was fall and not storming.” She glanced at him and shrugged.

“Kendra, the youngest believes they were targeted on purpose. But even if that’s the case, it’s going on six years since they were killed.

I highly doubt finding the remains will provide any answers.

” She looked up at the sky overhead. “I hate to say it, but I think their deaths will remain a mystery.”

He nodded in agreement. He knew some cold cases were solved years after the crime had been committed, but those instances were few and far between. Advances in DNA had helped solve some of them, but that was because of the ability to use new technology.

“I’ve made peace with God over taking our parents,” Alexis said. “It helps to know they’re in heaven together.”

“Losing my wife two years ago was difficult.” He surprised himself by mentioning it. “And she was a believer, like you. But I can’t get over the fact that God took her from me. There’s no reason I should be here, while Grace is gone.”

Alexis lightly grasped his arm. “You’ll always miss your wife, Griff, the same way we’ll always miss our parents. But the truth is they’re in a better place. And if you accept Jesus into your heart and soul, you’ll see her again one day.”

He covered her hand with his for a moment, then stepped away.

“I don’t know, Alexis. Maybe you’re right.

” He paused near the cluster of trees where the K9s had alerted on the shell casing.

There was a clear view from this hilltop to the burial site below.

“There certainly is enough evil in the world.”

“Exactly, and Jesus is the light of hope.” She followed his gaze. “We should give Denali a break before we head down there.”

He shrugged out of the pack so she could access the water and collapsible dog bowl. Then she dug out what appeared to be a rectangle-shaped cookie. She offered it to Denali who eagerly chomped on it.

“Sweet potato dog treat,” Alexis explained. “Anna makes them.”

He stared down at the area below. Was it his imagination, or was there an area beyond the two gravesites that had been disturbed recently. Had the crime scene techs dug over there for some reason?

A chill snaked down his spine. Or had the killer returned?

“Alexis? We need Denali to search for napoo.”

“Why?” She followed his gaze. “Oh no. It looks like someone dug into the ground over there.”

“Could be nothing,” he said, although he didn’t believe it. “Maybe the crime scene techs set up a staging area there.”

Alexis looked pale but didn’t hesitate to kneel beside her dog. “Are you ready to search? Huh, girl? Search! Search napoo.”

Denali licked her chops to get the last crumbs of the cookie bone, then lowered her nose to the ground. He and Alexis followed the K9 down the slope to the grave site.

Griff hoped he was wrong. That the darker area of ground wasn’t a grave, but a staging site as he’d suggested. Alexis hung back, giving her K9 room to work. Denali didn’t make a beeline for the area in question but sniffed along the ground making a circle around the first grave site.

“Shouldn’t we go straight to that area?” he asked after a moment.

“No. If there’s a body there, Denali will find it.” Alexis’s gaze was glued to her K9. “It’s not smart to try to lead the dog to where I want to go. Better she does her thing.”

He tried to be patient, but his pulse kicked up as Denali made her way to the dark patch of earth. As they grew closer, it was clear his theory of a staging area was off the mark.

Denali went straight to the edge of the overturned earth, sniffed for a long moment, then sat and barked.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling sure the K9 had found Wendy Evers’s body. The idea of using the trail cameras to get a picture of this guy was too late.