Page 17 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

“ I s there a way to find the light-colored Ram truck?” Alexis looked at Griff expectantly. “You must have access to a database that can provide that information.”

He nodded and reached for his phone. “I’ll call the office now to request DMV records for white, silver, and gray Ram trucks. The list may be long, so this may not help as much as we hope. But it’s a starting place for sure.”

Large trucks were highly popular in Wyoming. She waited as Griff made the call, stroking Denali’s fur as the dog sat beside her. When he finished, she asked, “Do you think there’s a chance this guy is from out of state?”

“Anything is possible, but I hope not.” Griff sighed and shifted the pack. “Let’s go. We have more people to talk to.”

She nodded, surprised they’d gotten so much information from the first family they approached. If not for Tim and Darla’s late-night walk, they wouldn’t have learned anything new. “Come, Denali.”

She and Griff made their way through the campground.

Several people mentioned hearing the sound of an engine that could have belonged to the four-wheeler but claimed they didn’t see the ATV itself or who was riding it.

They found Darla and her parents, who were also not happy to learn of her late-night walk with Tim.

Darla was a pretty girl with long dark hair, but as Griff questioned her about the ATV, she couldn’t provide anything more than they’d learned from Tim.

“I didn’t even know it was a Ram truck,” she said.

“Thanks.” Griff offered another of his business cards. “If you think of anything else, please let me know.”

“And if you see the man riding the ATV again, stay away,” Alexis added. “We’re concerned he may have hurt another girl.”

Darla’s mother drew her close. “Thanks for the warning.”

Griff nodded, and they moved on. “I’m glad you mentioned that,” he confided when they were out of earshot. “I didn’t want to cause alarm, but I should have warned the people here to stay far away from him.”

She grimaced. “I’m not sure he’ll be back. Even if he didn’t notice Tim and Darla in the trees, he won’t want to risk coming here again. Especially not once he realizes we’ve found Wendy Evers’s body.”

Griff sighed. “You’re probably right, although I hope he does come back, or putting up those trail cameras was a fruitless effort.” He glanced at his watch. “Let’s keep going. We’re almost finished covering the campground.”

She nodded. Denali was a trouper, staying close and sniffing the air with interest as they passed people cooking over a campfire.

By the time they’d returned to the parking lot, the hour was going on noon. Griff stood for a minute surveying the space. “What are you thinking?” she asked when he didn’t say anything for a long moment.

“I was debating taking down license plate numbers to make sure we talk to everyone who was here.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure they’d have any more information, though. And I’m starving. I’d rather head to Shell for lunch.”

She nodded. “I agree that Tim and Darla are the key witnesses. It sounds like they were alone here; their parents didn’t even know they were gone.”

“Yeah.” Griff hesitated, then quickly pulled out his phone. “I’ll take pictures of the plates. If the DMV list of Ram trucks doesn’t reveal anything to go on, I can reach out to the owners of these cars.”

“Okay.” As he did that, she opened the rear hatch of the SUV for Denali. Thanks to the July sun, it was hot and stuffy inside, so she opened all four doors too. Then she started the car, cranking the air-conditioning on high.

She gave Denali water, then signaled for the K9 to get in. The interior of the vehicle was tolerable by the time Griff finished. He tossed the backpack onto the floor of the back seat.

“I’ll drive if you don’t mind.” Alexis quickly slid in behind the wheel. “If that list comes through, you can start reviewing it.”

“That may take time, but I have the autopsy reports to read.” He went around to the passenger side and got in.

He peered at his phone as she headed toward Shell.

“I hate knowing these girls have been drugged, then assaulted and murdered. This guy is a predator. I need to get him off the street as soon as possible.”

She nodded. It had been difficult to look at Wendy Evers’s face. Knowing their names made it more personal. “Griff?” When he looked up from his phone, she said, “You need to talk to Wendy’s grandmother.”

A pained expression creased his face. “I know. We’ll head back to Greybull soon. Thankfully, the media hasn’t been around yet, but I’m sure that will happen soon enough. I feel the need to check Shell, see if there’s any reason to suspect our guy has a place there.”

“Sounds good.”

Shell was smaller than she’d remembered. Alexis had driven through without paying much attention in the past, but seeing it now, she realized there were probably fewer than a hundred people living there.

As with every small town, there was a restaurant/bar and a gas station. No doubt the town survived on the spattering of tourists who visited the Bighorns in the summer and the hunters who flocked to the area in the fall. As she pulled into the restaurant parking lot, Griff looked up from his phone.

“Wow, this place is tiny, huh?” He looked disappointed.

“Yep.” She opened the back hatch for Denali and slid out of the seat. “If we had a better description of this guy, we’d probably be able to rule this place out. I’m sure the residents here know each other pretty well.”

Griff sighed and joined her behind the SUV. Denali stretched, then stood with her nose up, sniffing the air. “I guess this is a wasted trip. I don’t see a Ram truck, and I doubt this guy is sitting inside the restaurant. I’m too hungry to head back to Greybull without eating.”

She glanced at her K9, then reached into the back seat for the piggy. “Let’s see if Denali alerts on his scent.” She hunkered down near the dog. “Are you ready to search? Huh, girl? Search bad guy!”

Denali eagerly went to work, sniffing the parking lot, then trotting toward the door. Alexis knew that even if her K9 alerted on the killer’s scent, that didn’t mean this was his home base. It only meant he’d been here recently.

Her K9 sniffed at the corner of the parking lot, then sat and barked. Alexis was surprised but quickly went over to praise her dog. “Good girl!” She tossed the piggy into the air. “Good girl, Denali.”

Griff watched Denali run around with the pink piggy in her mouth. “What’s your thought on how recently this guy was here? Hours? Days?”

“I’d say twenty-four hours, give or take a few.” She stared at the ground. “Scent particles can linger on the ground. Based on this alert, I’m thinking she alerted on drops of his sweat or maybe his saliva if he spit.”

“Okay.” Griff gestured to the door. “Let’s see if anyone will tell us if they’ve seen a light-colored Ram truck recently. I’ll pretend I backed into it and am trying to find the owner to pay for damages.”

She arched a brow. “Okay, but out here, people don’t fix minor dents and dings.”

“I’ll pretend I’m from Colorado, where people are more civilized.” His tone was teasing, so she didn’t take offense.

After getting the piggy from Denali, they headed inside. There were a handful of people seated within the restaurant and a few more at the bar. A plump woman in her fifties with gray-streaked hair pulled into a bun appeared to be taking orders and serving meals. She waved them in. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” There were no booths, so she picked a table away from the others. Denali stretched out at her feet and promptly fell asleep. The poor dog had worked hard.

The menu was limited to sandwiches and pizza, but that was okay. Griff didn’t seem to mind either.

“My name is Ellen. What can I get you to drink?”

“Water for me, thanks,” Alexis said.

“I’ll have a Coke,” Griff added. “And if you don’t mind, we’d like to place our food order.”

“Go ahead.” Ellen pulled out her notepad.

“I’ll have the cheeseburger.” Alexis smiled to put the woman at ease. “Thank you. We haven’t eaten since really early this morning.”

“I’ll have a cheeseburger too,” Griff said. “By the way, do you know if anyone here drives a light-colored Dodge Ram pickup truck? I struck one, but the guy took off before I could offer to pay for the damages. He’s a younger guy, maybe in his twenties? Wears a baseball cap?”

Ellen flipped her notebook shut. “Gotta say that describes a lot of people who pass through. I don’t pay attention to their cars, though. Sorry.” She moved away. “I’ll get your orders in.”

“Do you think she’s being vague on purpose?” Griff asked.

She shrugged. “Why would she?”

“I don’t know.” Griff sighed again. “It’s my nature to be suspicious. Since Ellen doesn’t seem to know cars, I’ll ask the guys at the bar when we leave.”

“Where did you grow up?” Alexis realized she didn’t know much about Griff’s personal life. He’d mentioned his wife’s passing, but she had assumed he’d grown up in the area.

“Phoenix, Arizona. I went to college at the university and worked for the local police department before applying for a position in the FBI.” He cocked his head. “I was kidding about Colorado. Although I will say things are different in Wyoming. Less civilized in some ways.”

“I’ve heard this isn’t a post most agents want.”

“I don’t mind. I like hunting and fishing. Not that I get as much time off for recreational activities.” He sat back in his seat as Ellen brought their drinks. “Thanks.” He downed half his soft drink in one long gulp.

“We’ve always lived here,” Alexis said. “My older siblings were spread across the state until my parents died. They came back to the ranch for Trevor’s and Kendra’s sake.

Maya had the idea of doing search and rescue.

” She reached beneath the table to pet Denali.

“I’m glad. Not only did this profession keep us closer together as a family, but I like knowing we’re providing a service to the community. ”