Page 28 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

“Maureen Kaufman. I—he found me at the Greybull campsite.” With her free hand, Maureen rubbed at her temple.

“He acted nice, commenting on how he’d smelled my cinnamon roll.

I was going to offer him some, but he suddenly grabbed me and dragged me toward him.

Before I could scream, he shoved a gun into my side and told me he’d shoot if I made a sound. ” She shivered. “I believed him.”

Alexis remembered the crushed cinnamon roll near the campfire. In the recesses of her brain, she vaguely remembered Tyler mentioning a bakery during their tutoring sessions. Was something so simple as a cinnamon roll the reason he’d abducted Maureen?

“My head hurts, and my mouth is cottony.” Maureen rubbed at her wrists. “I—I think he drugged me.”

“You’re probably right,” Alexis agreed. “We suspect he drugged his other victims too. I also heard you moaning as you regained consciousness from whatever drug he’d given you.”

“How many others?” Maureen asked.

She hesitated. “We don’t know for sure. Don’t worry about that now. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters. There’s water in the kitchen. Can you stand? Are you able to walk?” With her cracked or broken ribs and pounding headache, she could barely walk herself, much less carry the girl.

“I’ll try.”

“Good.” She stood and backed away as Maureen pushed herself upright, then swung her legs out of the bed. The teenager swayed for a moment.

“Dizzy,” Maureen murmured. Then she looked up at Alexis. “How long have I been here?”

“I believe you’ve been here about twenty hours or so. We’ve been searching for you since early afternoon.” She patted Maureen’s arm. “Take it slow, okay? I’m sure the drugs he gave you are still in your system. Try to stand when you’re ready.”

Denali pressed her snout into the teenager’s lap, as if knowing the girl needed support. Maureen looked surprised, then lifted a hand to pet the dog. “So soft. How did he get here? Is he your dog?”

“Yes, but she’s a female. Her name is Denali, like the national park.” Alexis had to smile at how Maureen looked enthralled with her K9.

“Sweet girl,” Maureen crooned. Then with determination etched on her features, she pushed herself up to a standing position.

“Easy.” Alexis put a hand on her arm. “Slow and steady.”

They made their way out of the bedroom. Denali stayed close to Alexis’s side, as if understanding how close she’d come to being killed. The kitchen chair Tyler had intended to tie her to was lying on its side. Alexis didn’t remember knocking it over but knew she must have kicked it.

A low groan escaped from her throat when she bent to pick it up. Her chest was on fire, and she hoped the cracked ribs didn’t puncture a vital organ.

“Are you hurt?” Maureen asked.

“A little.” She moved to the sink to fill a glass with water. “Take it slow,” she advised. “You don’t want to throw up.”

“Okay.” Maureen sipped the water. She looked as if she wanted to ask more questions, but Denali turned to stare at the door seconds before Griff walked in.

“He’s gone.” Griff shook his head. “I’m not sure how he got past Cam, but he used the four-wheeler to escape.”

Battling despair, Alexis sank into the other kitchen chair. Denali pushed her nose into her lap as she blinked back tears. She was glad they’d saved Maureen.

But if they didn’t find Tyler soon, it was only a matter of time before he abducted a young woman and killed again.

Griff hated knowing Tyler had gotten away, yet he couldn’t deny being grateful to have Alexis safe and sound. “Hey, don’t worry.” He knelt beside her and Denali. “We’re going to find him.”

She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. He frowned at the grooves of pain bracketing her mouth.

“What happened?” He reached for her hand. “Where does it hurt?”

“Ribs and head.” She grimaced. “I rushed him, and we hit the floor. That’s when the gun went off. He struck me in the head, then kicked me before bolting out of here.”

A red wave of anger hit hard, but he forced it back. “We need to get you both to the hospital.”

“Maureen, yes.” Alexis stroked Denali with her free hand. “Not me. We need to find him. Denali will track his scent for us.”

“She can do that?” Maureen asked in awe. “Find people?”

“Yes.” Alexis smiled. “She’s very talented.”

“You’re hurt,” Griff protested. “You need to be seen by a medical professional. I’ll take Denali. She’ll follow his scent for me.”

“Is that how you found the cabin?” Alexis asked.

“Sort of. We followed the trail of the property ownership and narrowed in on Tyler Jenkins. From there, Denali did the rest.” He squeezed her hand, then stood. “You stay with Maureen. We’ll head out to find Tyler.”

“I’m coming with you.” Alexis pushed to her feet, a steely determination etched on her features. “Let’s go. He already has a head start.”

Since that was true, he didn’t want to waste time arguing. The door opened, and Paul stuck his head in. “Ready?”

“Yes.” He gestured to Maureen. “Ask Cam to stay here with her until our backup and ambulance arrives.”

Cam, who had been standing behind Paul, pushed into the room. “This is my punishment for letting him get past me.”

“No, Cam, that’s not it,” he assured the deputy. “We did our best. When Maureen is safe, you can meet up with us.”

“Come, Denali.” Alexis took a moment to fill a shallow dish with water, offering it to her K9. Denali lapped at the water, then stared up at Alexis. She gestured to the door. “Let’s go outside, okay? I don’t want her to alert in here.”

Griff nodded, and they headed out to the back of the cabin.

Paul followed, letting the two of them take the lead.

He heard the faintest sound of an engine, but then it stopped.

How far had Jenkins gotten? He didn’t know, but they had to try.

When they were in the general vicinity of where he suspected Jenkins had kept the four-wheeler, he stopped.

Alexis looked at Denali. “Are you ready to work? Search! Search bad guy.”

Denali instantly lowered her nose to the ground, sniffing the area. It did not take long for the K9 to pick up Jenkins’s scent. When she did, the dog increased her pace, trotting deeper into the woods.

“I wish we knew how much gas he has in the tank,” Alexis said as they hurried to keep up with Denali.

“I agree. He could be miles away by now,” Paul said.

Griff tried to hide his disappointment. “Who knows, maybe he’ll find a place to lie low for a while.”

Alexis grimaced, either from his lame suggestion or her injuries.

Denali leaped over a fallen log. Griff followed, then stopped to give Alexis a hand. She smiled weakly in gratitude. Paul quickly joined them.

“I want you to head back if the pain gets too bad,” Griff said, keeping his voice low in case Jenkins was within earshot. When she scowled, he added, “Please, Alexis. I know Denali will lead the way.”

“I won’t slow you down.” Alexis picked up her pace.

Griff exchanged a look with Paul but didn’t say anything more. Alexis would push herself to keep going until her body failed her. If that happened, he’d ask Paul to stay back with her while he continued following the trail.

More deputies should be arriving on scene soon. Time had passed with excruciating slowness as he, Paul, and Cam had gotten around the cabin to find the Ram truck, but he knew that it hadn’t taken as long as he’d feared.

Still, they needed to find Jenkins. Before he killed again.

Griff lifted his heart in prayer, asking God to guide them on the right path. Denali was a superstar, moving through the woods with ease and determination. The K9 never wavered from her path.

By unspoken agreement, they fell silent as they continued through the woods. After about twenty minutes, Alexis whispered, “Griff? We’ll need to give Denali a break soon.”

“I understand.” He didn’t want to push the dog past her limit. Speaking softly, he continued, “Maybe we should give up and head back to the cabin.”

“Not yet.” Alexis looked from him to Paul. “I don’t hear a four-wheeler, so we’ll either come across a road or he’s hiding someplace.”

Denali abruptly stopped, sniffing one specific spot for a long moment before turning to glance up at Alexis. When Alexis put her finger to her lips, Denali simply sat there looking at her.

Griff was impressed and bent to examine the ground.

Denali had jumped over a log or two, which had to be a shortcut as the four-wheeler wouldn’t have been able to do that.

He remembered that dogs could track skin cells that were left behind along with beads of sweat.

He didn’t dare use his phone but studied the ground from different angles.

There. He could make out the barest hint of tire tracks.

Denali had come through. They were on Jenkins’s trail.

Alexis lowered herself to the ground, drawing Denali down too. “Rest, girl,” she whispered.

Denali stretched out beside her and lowered her head between her paws, clearly familiar with the routine.

Paul stood beside Griff. “I don’t like feeling exposed,” he whispered. “We can barely see six inches in front of our faces.”

“I don’t either.” Sweeping his gaze over the area, he tried not to imagine Jenkins sitting out there, waiting for them. “I’m sure he’s far from here, but we need to try.”

“Okay.” Paul didn’t look thrilled.

Alexis waited a full five minutes before struggling to her feet. In a low whisper, she said, “Search, Denali. Search bad guy.”

Denali followed the softly spoken command, putting her nose to the ground and moving forward through the woods. Griff made sure he was between Denali and Alexis, leaving Paul to cover their back. And to help Alexis if she succumbed to her injuries.

They walked another ten minutes in silence before Denali abruptly veered to the left. The darkness made it difficult to see, but he believed the path was wide enough for a four-wheeler.

The K9 took them up a gradual incline. He tensed, trying to see if Jenkins was up ahead, waiting for them. He pulled his weapon, holding it down at his side, and hoped Paul had done the same.

Better to be ready for the worst-case scenario.

Denali seemed to be on a mission. She pushed forward as if eager to find the bad guy. Griff knew the Sullivan K9s viewed the search as a game, but in this instance, he was convinced the dog understood this search to be different.

There was a break in the trees allowing moonlight to stream through. Catching a glimpse of a large rock, he stopped.

Alexis seemed to read his mind. “Denali, stop. Heel.”

The words hung in the air for a second. Then a crack of gunfire rang out. Griff dropped to the ground, turning to cover Alexis with his body. It took a moment for Denali to wheel around to join them. He eased to the side so that Alexis could draw her K9 close.

They’d found Jenkins.

Unfortunately, the killer had the advantage over them. Perched on higher ground, Jenkins could see them better than they could see him. Even worse, the guy had a handgun and probably a rifle, too.

It was only a matter of time before he fired again.