Page 32 of Scent of Death (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #5)

Chapter One

A heavy thudding sound woke Trina Warren from sleep.

Blinking in the dim light, she frowned, straining to listen.

It took a moment to remember she shared her house with her eight-year-old nephew, Ben.

The boy was her responsibility now that her older sister had passed away from a tragic biking accident back in May.

With a grimace, Trina jumped out of bed, shoved her feet into a pair of slippers, and opened the door to the hallway.

Ben’s previously closed bedroom door hung ajar.

“Ben? Is everything okay?” She pushed his door open, expecting to see him in bed, but the room was empty.

A shiver of panic snaked down her spine. “Ben? Where are you?”

No response. Moving quickly through her small three-bedroom house, it didn’t take long for her to verify the boy was nowhere to be found.

Her stomach knotted as she hurried back to Ben’s room.

Flipping on the light switch, she scanned the room.

As usual, it was a mess, but she grimly realized his shoes and favorite long-sleeved western-style shirt were missing.

Along with the brand-new school backpack she’d purchased for him last week.

A sense of dread seeped into her bones. Ben had been struggling with the loss of his mother and with moving from Laramie to Cody.

Her sister had lived in an apartment after her divorce from Ben’s father who had taken off when Ben was five.

At the time, Trina had thought bringing Ben to live at her house, giving him a fresh start here in Cody, had been the better option.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

Praying he hadn’t done anything stupid, she spun around and bolted outside. At five thirty in the morning, dawn was just breaking over the horizon. Raking her gaze over the area, she searched for him. “Ben! Ben, where are you?”

The early morning breeze rustled the leaves on the trees.

Dew on the grass dampened her slippers. Her home was in the northwest corner of Cody, close to the local nature trail.

Ben had looked at her in disgust when she’d suggested hiking the trail a few days ago.

Maybe because of the way his mother had died in a mountain bike accident?

She wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking.

Ben hadn’t opened up to her. She wasn’t even sure he opened up to his psychologist.

Would he have gone for an early morning hike on his own?

It didn’t seem likely, but she wasn’t sure where else he’d gone.

Swallowing hard, she turned and ran back inside.

She swapped her slippers for hiking boots and drew on a sweatshirt.

Early mornings in August could be chilly.

First, she’d go through the neighborhood, then check the trail. Maybe he hadn’t gone far.

Trina grabbed her phone, then paused when she noticed one of the kitchen cabinet doors was open.

Obviously, Ben had taken more than just his backpack.

She turned and headed back outside. Considering he’d taken his backpack, she didn’t really think he’d be in the neighborhood, but she forced herself to walk up and down the streets anyway.

When she didn’t find him, she headed through her backyard to the shortcut that would take her to the nature trail.

If she didn’t find Ben soon, she would call the Sullivans for help.

She’d gone to high school with the twins, Joel and Justin Sullivan.

At one time, she’d harbored a crush on Joel, but the day she’d hoped to ask him to homecoming, she’d found him with Bethany, one of the high school cheerleaders.

They’d made a striking pair with Joel’s dark hair and Bethany’s long blond tresses.

Trina with her red hair and freckles looked like Peppermint Patty from the Snoopy cartoon, so she’d kept her distance after that.

Still, the family was well known throughout the region for their search and rescue services. Trina walked along the path, concerned because there were points where the trail paralleled the path of the Shoshone River, which flowed rapidly enough to be dangerous.

Especially for a child who hadn’t grown up in the area.

“Ben!” She followed the trail to the south, hoping that was the direction he’d taken. But really, he could have gone either way.

After ten minutes with not seeing him, she turned and ran in the opposite direction. How far could an eight-year-old walk anyway? She had no idea.

The incline was steeper along the north path, and after a few minutes, she gave up. Her voice was hoarse from yelling his name. If Ben hadn’t stayed on the trail, he could have been anywhere.

She pulled out her phone and called the Sullivan ranch. Even at barely six in the morning, her call was quickly answered by a female voice. “Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue.”

“Good morning. My name is Trina Warren, and my eight-year-old nephew, Ben Warren, is missing. I—we live in Cody. I went to school with Joel and Justin and need help, fast.”

“Of course. Joel and Royal are free to help.” The woman’s tone was cheerful yet calm. “What’s your address?”

Trina rattled off the information.

“Great. I’ll give him your contact information, okay? He’ll call when he’s on the road.”

“Thank you.” Knowing help was on the way brought a wave of relief. After pocketing her phone, she decided to keep going up the path. After all, she knew it would take almost forty-five minutes for Joel to get there.

Maybe she’d find Ben before then.

She continued walking, scanning both sides of the path for any sign of Ben. Her earlier annoyance with his going off on his own had morphed into fear. What if he’d tripped, fallen, and hit his head? Her sister, Evie, had died of a severe head injury.

She couldn’t bear the thought of losing Ben the same way.

For a moment, she thought of Ben’s father.

Brian Ashland had made it clear he had no desire to be married or tied down to a child.

Evie had gotten pregnant right after high school.

Brian had gotten a job in Laramie, so Evie and Ben had moved there too.

They’d gotten married, but things had not gone well for the young couple.

Trina hadn’t been surprised when Brian left.

Evie had been glad to be rid of him, having confided that Brian’s drinking had gotten worse over the years, and when he was drunk, he slapped her around.

In Evie’s eyes, she was better off without him.

The one who’d suffered the most was Ben. As a five-year-old, he hadn’t understood the undercurrents between his parents. One day his father was there, the next Brian was gone.

Her phone rang, startling her. Pulling it from her pocket, she quickly answered. “Hello?”

“Trina? Is that you?”

Joel’s husky voice almost brought tears to her eyes. Until that moment, she’d carried the weight of Ben’s absence alone. “Yes, it’s me. Sorry, my voice is hoarse. I’ve been hiking the trail calling for Ben.”

“Understandable,” Joel said reassuringly. “I’m on my way, should be there in fifteen minutes or so.”

“Thank you.” He’d made good time, and she turned to head back home. There was no point in wasting more time. She knew Joel’s K9, Royal, would be able to find Ben.

“I’ll need dirty socks or T-shirts from your nephew to use as a scent source for Royal,” Joel said.

“Trust me, his room has plenty of dirty clothes strewn about.” She tried to smile, but fresh tears pricked her eyes instead. “I’m heading home now.”

“Sounds good. Don’t worry, my black lab Royal is a great tracker.”

“I’m glad.” She swiped at her face. “See you soon.”

“Soon,” he echoed, before ending the call. Shoving her phone back into her pocket, she picked up the pace. She was convinced Joel and his K9 would find Ben. Especially if the boy had left the trail.

Ben would be okay. Tired, hungry, and maybe sore if he’d fallen, but he’d be fine.

She couldn’t bear the thought of finding the young boy seriously hurt or worse.

Joel used his thumb to end the call with Trina. He remembered her from high school, although they hadn’t shared many classes. She’d been a quiet, shy girl who’d preferred books over people.

He hadn’t known her nephew was staying with her and wondered if that was a temporary summer vacation kind of thing or something more permanent. Not that it mattered. A missing child was always a high priority.

His phone rang again, but this time, it was Lisa’s name on the screen.

With a low groan, he quickly hit the end-call button, sending her to voice mail.

This was the third time she’d called this week.

It had been a mistake to give Lisa Schilling his number.

The strikingly beautiful female hiker he and Royal had found and rescued over a month ago now had mistaken his concern for her welfare as something more.

She’d repeatedly asked him to lunch and dinner.

He’d tried to let her down gently, but she had continued calling anyway.

He’d been even more concerned when she’d let him know she’d moved to Wyoming from Arizona.

Again, he’d told her he was busy with SAR work, but she claimed she loved it here.

He’d suspected she’d moved for him.

Justin told him to block her number. And after this week, he was on board with that plan.

Why was she calling him so early in the morning anyway?

Was there a problem of some sort? He resisted the urge to call her back.

More likely she was being persistent, accustomed to getting her way.

Bethany, the girl he’d dated in high school, had been the same way.

As if beauty alone was all that mattered.

Whatever. He’d deal with her later. For now, he had work to do.

Keeping his foot planted on the accelerator, he pushed the speed limit, hoping there weren’t any state patrol cars in the area. The sense of urgency to get to Cody was difficult to ignore.