Page 24 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

She managed a nod, even though she was far from okay. She kept her gaze on Denali as the dog turned and sniffed a specific section of the side of the road. Then she sat and let out a bark.

Alexis lunged forward to examine the area where Denali alerted. She didn’t see anything at first, but then she caught a glimpse of brass that was mostly hidden in the tall grass. “Griff?” She looked over her shoulder. “She found the shell casing.”

Griff quickly dropped down to see for himself. “Looks to be the same make and model as the other shell casing.”

“Let me see.” Paul must have been trailing them. He knelt beside Griff, then rose to his feet. “Looks like our perp was standing here with a rifle when he took the shot.”

Alexis shivered as she realized there was a direct line of sight from here to the street they’d been on. If she hadn’t turned at the right moment, the outcome could have been very different.

“I’m sure he was standing on the ground,” Griff said. “If he’d been positioned in the truck bed for example, the bullet would have struck the SUV higher.” He lifted his arms as if simulating a rifle shot. “And the bullet would have had a downward trajectory rather than hitting straight on.”

“Maybe this guy isn’t a hunter,” Paul said with a shrug.

“Oh, he’s a hunter.” Griff scowled darkly. “He just chooses to hunt young women rather than elk.”

Alexis shivered again. Only a very evil man would hunt and kill young women. Was Maureen already dead? She didn’t know.

Thinking of that poor girl had her steeling her resolve. She squared her shoulders. They needed to set a trap for this guy.

And if that meant putting herself in harm’s way, then so be it. Better that than to let him prey on more young girls.

Griff watched as Paul bagged the shell casing. Every bit of evidence helped, but he was anxious to get back to the hotel to use the computer. If Calvin Jenkins owned a cabin nearby, he wanted to find it.

Even if that meant approaching the place at night.

“We need to get back to the hotel.” Griff began walking back to where they’d left the SUV. “There’s more work to do.”

“Understood.” Paul didn’t argue. “We know how to reach you.”

“I may need your help, though.” Griff eyed the deputy. “If I find this guy owns a cabin, I’ll want you and Cam and others to go with me.”

“Absolutely.” Paul frowned. “You think Maureen is still alive?”

“I hope so.” Griff tried not to think the worst.

“I have a computer in the squad,” Paul said. “We can check if Calvin Jenkins owns a cabin before you go.”

“Great.” He glanced at Alexis who stayed close to his side. “Can Denali wait a few more minutes for dinner?”

“Yes. There’s food in the back of the SUV.” She turned to look behind them. “It’s hard to stay out here, though, knowing he could be nearby.”

“I know.” He longed to pull her into his arms. To reassure her he wouldn’t let anything bad happen.

But that was a promise he couldn’t keep. The shooter had hit their SUV without his even knowing the guy was in the area. Griff imagined the killer had parked his Ram truck, maybe watching them with binoculars as they worked. Then took the opportunity to fire at them.

Why he hadn’t done that when they were walking outside in the open, he wasn’t sure.

Unless the shooter had only intended for them to crash so that he could take Alexis by force.

“Hey, Cam, would you start canvassing the neighbors around the location where we found the shell casing?” Paul asked.

“I’m going to let Griff log into my computer.

In the meantime, having a better description of the Ram truck would help.

If we knew a specific color, we could ask all deputies to stop and question the drivers. ”

“Sure.” Cam didn’t hesitate. “Join me as soon as you can.”

“Will do.” Paul opened his squad door and slid in behind the wheel. Then he punched the keys to the computer mounted inside. Griff waited until he was finished, then took his place.

He started with a background search on Calvin Jenkins. The guy was clean. He found the property listing for the house, then searched for additional properties owned by Jenkins.

Nothing popped up.

His heart sank. No cabin? He’d felt sure there had to be a connection. He looked for civil actions and found a marriage and divorce.

Calvin’s wife’s name was Elise Sanford. He searched for properties under her name but didn’t find anything.

He resisted the urge to smack the steering wheel. Paul leaned in. “No luck?”

“No.” He slid out of the squad. “I’m going to keep searching, though. I’ll dig into the backgrounds of all the owners of the other property too. And maybe see if there are grandparents involved.” Doing so would take time.

Time Maureen Kaufman didn’t have.

“Okay, keep us informed,” Paul said. “We’re working second shift and will be on duty until eleven tonight.”

“I will, thanks.” He turned toward Alexis. “Ready to grab that pizza and head back to the hotel?”

She nodded, her expression troubled. “I really hoped the cabin idea would have helped narrow our search.”

“It still might.” He strove to sound positive. “I feel like we’re getting close.”

They hurried back to the SUV. Once Denali was secure in the back and they were seated, he pulled away from the curb.

“We need to set a trap for him.” Alexis pinned him with a look. “If we don’t find a cabin to search, that has to be our next step.”

“I’m not?—”

“You have to,” she interrupted. “He has likely already killed Maureen, and that means other girls are at risk too. This must end, Griff. Now. Tonight.”

He wanted to argue. But there was no denying time was running out. “We’ll see. I think we’ll find a cabin connected to one of those two homes.”

“The double-wide?” She scoffed. “Doubtful.”

“You never know. Maybe the killer’s family moved from the double-wide to live in the cabin year-round. Or they’re spending the summer there.” He didn’t want to give up on the possibility of finding a cabin.

It was better by far than using Alexis as bait.

He didn’t see a pizza place along the way back, but vaguely remembered the pub across the street had them on the menu. “We’ll stop at the pub first.”

“Okay.” She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “As I was saying before the gunfire, I like my pizza with the works.”

“Duly noted.” He tried to smile. “We’re getting close. I can feel it.”

“Not close enough.” She winced, then added, “Sorry, I’m just feeling depressed. It seems like every time we get one step closer, we’re thrown three steps back.”

“I hear you.” He understood and shared her frustration. The killer may have seen them coming to the neighborhood, managing to get away in time. The way he kept taking shots at them, though, seemed reckless. Sooner or later, someone would see and identify him.

Maybe the canvass would turn up something useful. “Stay here. I’ll head inside to order.”

She nodded, and he thought it was a testament to her exhaustion that she didn’t press to follow him inside. The place was packed, and he immediately realized they should have called in their order.

When he found a server, she confirmed his suspicion. “There’s a twenty-to-thirty-minute wait. You want to come back to pick it up?”

“Do you deliver across the street?”

“Yes. Give me your room number.” She took down the information, and he paid for the meal.

“I figured.” Alexis sighed when he returned to the SUV to give her the news. “Summertime is busy around here.”

He should have thought of that for himself. “They’ll deliver it when it’s ready.” Griff drove across the street and went around to the back to park. He opened the back for Denali.

Alexis hauled the large pack out of the back seat. It had been on the floor, or the bullet would have hit that too. “Come, Denali.”

He rested his hand on his weapon as he followed them inside. He paused at the doorway of their room. “I’m going to the business center to use the computer. Stay in the room with the door locked, okay?”

“Yes.” She nodded at the dog. “I’ll feed Denali and then wait for you before taking her outside to get busy.”

“Good. If the restaurant calls, let me know.” He had to resist the urge to kiss her. “I’ll be back soon.”

She nodded, used her key to unlock the door, and pushed it open. Denali went through first. Griff considered clearing the room, but Denali would have alerted if someone was inside. Especially the killer.

Leaving Alexis and Denali in the room wasn’t easy. He’d become accustomed to having her nearby. He wondered how he’d handle not seeing her once this was over.

The thought bothered him, but he shoved it aside. There was no time to think about his future. Not when Maureen’s life was on the line.

He settled down at the computer and began searching for relatives of Elise Sanford. If his theory of the cabin was correct, it could be in her mother’s name. Out here, property was often handed down from one generation to the next.

Ten minutes passed before he found an obituary for Elizabeth Holms. There, he saw the daughter’s name of Elise Sanford. He wasn’t sure why they didn’t have the same last name, until he realized that Elizabeth Holms was also divorced.

But best of all, there were two grandsons mentioned in the obituary. James and Tyler Jenkins.

More searching revealed James Jenkins had died three months ago in what had been deemed a suicide. Tyler didn’t have an online presence at all, which was odd. Most kids did.

He made a note of Tyler Jenkins’s name and continued searching for additional properties that may have been owned by either Elise Sanford or Elizabeth Holms.

Another ten minutes passed before he found it. Elizabeth Holms had a mountain home. And when he put the address into his map app, he was surprised to see it was located about halfway between Greybull and Shell.

That had to be it! He jumped to his feet and headed through the lobby. A harried-looking teenager came in holding a pizza.

“That’s mine, thanks.” He pulled cash from his pocket to give him a tip. Then he hurried down the hall to the suite.

He ignored the rumbling of his stomach at the mouthwatering scent of the pizza. There wouldn’t be time to eat. He needed to get to that cabin ASAP.

Silently praying that Maureen Kaufman would still be alive when he reached it.

He unlocked the door. “Alexis?”

Denali barked and ran back and forth from the bedroom to him. A chill snaked down his spine. He dropped the pizza on the table and reached for his gun. “Where is she? Where’s Alexis?”

Denali whined and ran back to the bedroom. Griff cautiously entered the room, taking note of the fact that Alexis’s gun and key fob were on the bedside table. Then he spotted the open window, and his heart dropped to the soles of his feet.

Alexis was gone. And he was sure Tyler Jenkins had her.