Page 16 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

“Maybe he’s a truck driver,” Alexis suggested. “Or has a sales job that forces him to travel across the state.”

“Those are good possibilities.” He shook his head wearily. “I wish we had more to go on. Having fingerprints that aren’t in the system isn’t helpful.”

“That eliminates anyone who has been in the military, law enforcement, or a government job.” Alexis sighed. “That doesn’t help, as most of the people in Wyoming have never worked in any of those professions.”

“I’m aware.” Running federal investigations in Wyoming had many disadvantages. Between the weather, the spread-out communities, and the wilderness, he often felt as if closing cases took forever.

And Wendy Evers had paid the price.

He gestured toward the gravesite. “The crime scene techs and local police are on the way. So is the medical examiner. I’m not sure if Dr. Klem has finished the autopsies of the first two victims.” He’d intended to stop by to get the results for himself, but the shooting at the hotel had interrupted his plan.

“That’s good they’ll be here soon.” Alexis made her way through the woods to a fallen log. “Denali alerted here, but I don’t see anything that resembles evidence.”

Griff knelt to inspect the ground. It was covered with fallen leaves, twigs, and a smattering of pine needles. “I don’t see anything either.”

“You can see the third grave from here.” Alexis dropped down onto the log. Denali stretched out on the ground beside her. “I believe he sat here to rest and admire his work.”

Griff nodded. “Then he rode his four-wheeler out of here.” He abruptly straightened. “We’ll need to get back to the campground. Maybe someone noticed a man putting an ATV on a trailer.”

“That sounds like a possibility.” She gazed up at him, and for a moment, he was lost in the memory of their kiss. Then he shook it off as she added, “I can’t imagine there are many four-wheelers in the campground. I’m sure someone riding it would have been noticed.”

He wanted to head out immediately to begin interviewing campers, but they needed to wait until the local police arrived. It would be nice to talk to the medical examiner too.

Hurry and wait , he thought with a sigh.

He joined Alexis on the fallen log. No sense in standing around. They could keep an eye on the gravesite and were protected from the sun by the tree canopy overhead.

“Water?” Alexis offered a half-finished bottle.

“Thanks.” He drank, leaving the last quarter for her. “I hope the deputies get here soon.”

“They will.” She finished the water and carefully tucked the empty bottle in the pack. “They’re familiar with the area this time.”

“Yeah.” They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then he caught movement from across the field. He shot to his feet and narrowed his gaze. “I think they’ve arrived.”

“Great.” She rose, and Denali jumped to her feet too. They crossed the field just as deputies Paul Holland and Cameron Newton emerged from the woods.

“Sorry to drag you out here again,” Griff said by way of greeting. He gestured to the gravesite. “We found Wendy Evers over there.”

“A fresh grave this time,” Cameron said. “Considering we were here most of the day and into the evening, he must have done this in the dark.”

“That’s my assessment,” Griff agreed. “And we know he showed up at the Greybull hotel at three in the morning. That narrows the time frame even more.”

“The hotel?” Paul frowned.

“Denali alerted us to his scent,” Alexis said. “He fired at us and escaped. She tracked his scent to a dead-end road where we assume he had a car waiting.”

Paul and Cameron exchanged looks. “You didn’t call it in?”

Griff shook his head. “There’s no reason to wake everyone up. The lab was able to lift fingerprints from the shell casings but didn’t get any hits when they ran them through the system.” He shrugged. “We still don’t have much to go on.”

“We did find a tire track from an ATV,” Alexis said. “Denali alerted there, so I believe the killer used that to bring his victims here to bury.”

“I should have thought of that,” Paul said with a frown.

“Me too,” Griff agreed. “I’m heading back to the campground parking lot. I’m going to talk to the campers there. If this guy brought a four-wheeler in, someone may remember seeing him.”

Cameron nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

“I need you guys to stay here until the crime scene techs and medical examiner arrive.” Griff was itching to start the canvass.

“Okay by me.” Paul glanced to the now-exposed gravesite. “You’re sure that’s Wendy Evers?”

“Yes.” Griff’s stomach clenched as he thought of how he’d failed Wendy. And her grandmother. “I’m sure.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” Paul slapped him on the back. “We’re all doing the best we can with the information we have.”

“I know.” Logically, Griff knew the deputy was right. Emotionally? The taste of failure was bitter on his tongue.

“We’re going to find him, Griff.” Alexis patted his arm. “Let’s hike back to the campground.”

“I’m ready.” He could always talk to the ME later. Following up on this potential lead was more important.

He set a brisk pace, hoping they hadn’t missed their window of opportunity by not interviewing the campers sooner. Hopefully there were several who’d been there for a few days or longer.

They passed the halfway point when his phone rang. Obviously, they’d gotten within cell service. He didn’t recognize the number but answered it anyway. “Agent Flannery.”

“Agent Flannery, this is Dr. Marybeth Klem. I’ve just arrived at the scene, where are you?” The ME sounded annoyed.

“I’m following up on a lead to our killer, otherwise I would have stayed to talk to you.” He realized she must be using a satellite phone and glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry, but it’s going to be a while before I can get back there.”

“A lead is good, I guess.” Dr. Klem backed off. “I wanted to share my preliminary report on the first two victims. I won’t have the final report ready until the tox screens come back, which could take up to thirty days.”

He was familiar with the delay on toxicology results. Didn’t mean he liked it. “Can you email the reports?”

“I can but let me give you the Cliffs Notes version.” She paused, then continued.

“Both women were sexually assaulted, then strangled to death. Unfortunately, the killer used protection. And I also didn’t find skin cells or blood under the victims’ fingernails, which makes me think he drugged them so they couldn’t fight back. The tox screen will tell us more.”

Griff swallowed hard. He’d suspected the girls were sexually assaulted, but hearing the words struck deep. If he could have found Wendy in time... but he hadn’t. He cleared his throat. “Sounds like our perp is smart enough to minimize DNA.”

“Not as smart as he thinks,” Dr. Klem said. “We found some hair fibers and will send those for DNA testing. I’ve asked for the results to be rushed, but I suspect it will still take a few days.”

A few days sounded good, but who knew how many girls this guy might grab during that time frame.

If the killer didn’t get close to Alexis would he settle for someone else?

Griff didn’t know. “We lifted prints off shell casings, but they didn’t match anyone in the system,” Griff told her.

“We may have better success with DNA, but I won’t hold my breath. ”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Still, you never know.” Dr. Klem sounded hopeful. “We may be able to use one of those DNA sites used to find ancestors.”

“I’m happy to go that route once we get the results.” Griff ducked under a low-hanging tree branch. “Thanks for the update. I’m sorry I couldn’t stick around.”

“That’s okay. Anything you can do to find this guy. I have a thirteen-year-old daughter. The thought of something happening to her...”

“I know. Trust me, I want this guy as badly as you do.” Probably more, Griff silently added. His gaze landed on Alexis walking beside Denali. He couldn’t bear the idea of this guy getting his hands on her. “Send me the autopsy reports and let me know about the DNA and tox screen.”

“Of course.” Klem paused, then said, “I’m sorry to learn about the third victim.”

It was hard to speak around the lump in his throat. “Me too.”

Klem ended the call. Griff pocketed his phone and hurried to catch up to Alexis. The flash of chrome bumpers through the foliage indicated they were close to the campground parking lot.

He quickened his pace, ignoring the way his knee protested. Maybe later he’d dig the ibuprofen from the backpack.

As they reached the parking lot, a family of four headed toward an SUV. Two parents and two kids one male, one female who appeared to be early teens.

Griff decided he’d start with them. He jogged toward them, the pack bouncing uncomfortably on his back. “Excuse me? Can I have a moment?” He held up his FBI badge. “I need to ask a couple of questions.”

“FBI?” The father of the kids appeared to be in his mid-forties. “I’ve never talked to the FBI before.”

“Is there a problem?” The woman stepped closer to the kids.

“No problem. I’m wondering if any of you have seen a man with a four-wheeler.” Griff didn’t want to spread panic through the campsite. “He was probably here over the past few days.”

“Is he a suspect in a crime?” the woman asked fearfully.

“I just want to talk to him,” Griff said. In his periphery, he noticed Alexis and Denali had moved close enough to hear the conversation without being intrusive.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen him,” the man replied. “Have you, Sheri?”

“No, I haven’t.” Sheri looked thoughtful. “I may have heard a four-wheeler, but it could have been a car.”

The engine of an ATV was much smaller than a car, but Griff nodded. He was about to pull out a business card, when the boy said, “I saw him.”

Sheri whirled to look at her son. “Tim, are you sure? When did you see a four-wheeler?”

Tim glanced up at his father, then shrugged. “Okay, you won’t like this, but Darla and I took a walk late last night. We came this way for privacy.”

Tim’s mother looked like she might faint. “Tim! You’re too young to be dating!”

Tim rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a date. We just wanted a quiet place to talk.”

“To talk or make out?” Sheri demanded.

Griff held up his hand. As much as he appreciated Sheri’s concern for her son, he needed information. “Go on, Tim. Tell me about the four-wheeler.”

“Oh yeah. Well, Darla and I heard a rumbling sound. We stopped and waited, thinking someone was pulling into the parking lot.” Tim flushed beneath his mother’s piercing gaze.

“We didn’t do anything,” he said defensively.

Then to Griff, he said, “I realized the engine wasn’t a car, but a small motorcycle or ATV.

And I was right because just then a guy came riding out of the woods into the parking lot. ”

Griff’s pulse skyrocketed. They had a witness! “Did you get a good look at him?”

Tim grimaced. “Not really. He was about as tall as my dad but way younger. Maybe in his twenties? He had dark hair. He walked to a large Ram pickup truck with a small trailer. He used a ramp to get the ATV into the trailer, and then he drove away.”

Griff nodded encouragingly. “You’re sure he was driving a Ram pickup truck?”

“Yeah. It was an older model, but it’s just like the one I’d like some day.” Tim glanced at his parents. “Hey, I’ll be sixteen in a year and two months!”

“What about the color of the truck?” Griff asked, before Sheri could interrupt. “Or a license plate?”

Tim shook his head. “I didn’t look at the plate. The truck was light in color, but in the dark, it was hard to see. Maybe gray or silver. Could have been a dirty white.”

Griff knew there were hundreds of white, silver, or gray Ram trucks in the state. But he could at least get a list to see if any of the names popped. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the driver? Anything specific that you noticed?”

Tim frowned. “Not really. Oh, he wore a baseball cap. Does that help?”

Griff nodded. “Yes, Tim, you’ve been a great help.” He turned to Tim’s parents. “Do you mind if I take down your names and phone numbers?”

“I’m Dave Johnson, and this is my wife, Sheri. Our son, Tim, and our daughter, Sylvie.”

Griff entered their personal information into his phone. Then he stepped back as the family piled into the car and headed out. No doubt Sheri was giving Tim grief over his late-night walk with Darla.

A man in his twenties wearing a ball cap and driving a white, silver, or gray Ram truck pulling a trailer. It was the first solid lead he’d gotten since this nightmare had started.

For the first time since Grace had passed away, Griff lifted his gaze to the sky and opened his heart to prayer.

Please, Lord Jesus, help me find this man before anyone else gets hurt!