Page 23 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

“T hat’s insane.” Raine stared at Griff in horror. “How could we not have known about Decker’s alias?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t.

” Griff scrubbed his hands over his face.

“If I had known Decker and Kluck were one and the same, I’d have arranged for an entire team to converge on that cabin.

I didn’t even notice the resemblance right away because Decker’s hair was shaved while being in prison. ”

“I’m glad you didn’t, as it was nothing more than a trap.” Raine threaded her fingers through her still-damp hair. Showering felt wonderful, and the pizza smelled good too. But this news rattled her.

She turned away to grab her phone. “I need to call my boss. Mike Rowe had a hand in the original investigation and arrest of Decker. We need to review his case file again, see if there is anything that will lead us to where Decker is now.”

“Good idea,” Griff agreed.

“Hold on, Raine, please eat first,” Cami said. “Don’t let your food get cold.”

As Justin had already taken a seat at the table, she set her phone aside and dropped into the empty chair beside him. He looked amazing, and she tried not to remember the way he’d kissed her.

“Okay, we’ll eat first.” She went along with the idea because they needed strength for what the rest of the day might bring. And she’d downed four ibuprofen to help with her headache and sore muscles.

“I’d like to say grace.” Justin flashed her a smile, then reached for her hand.

Caught off guard, she didn’t pull away; instead, she bowed her head to listen.

“Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for saving our lives today. We ask for Your continued strength and guidance as we seek this evil man. Please also bless this food. Amen.”

“Amen.” The response came naturally after the way she’d prayed earlier as they strove to escape the fire. When Justin gently squeezed her hand, she smiled at him. “Thanks, that was nice.”

“Anytime.” After a long second, he released her and reached for his pizza. “Thanks, Cami. This smells delicious.”

“Cooking a frozen pizza is the least I can do.” Cami’s expression turned somber as she glanced toward her daughter and Stone. “Although I really wish Decker was back behind bars.”

“Me too,” Justin agreed.

“We’ll get him.” Raine strove to sound confident. She gestured to the topographical map Justin had brought inside. “What’s the closest town to the cabin?”

Griff peered at the map. “Saddlestring is to the northeast, and Hazeltown is southeast of Buffalo and the cabin.”

She bit into her pizza, thinking about the two options. “Saddlestring is unincorporated and doesn’t have much to offer as far as an escape plan. Decker needs another vehicle if he intends to leave the area.”

“We know Decker was last seen heading north,” Justin said. “Even if the fuel tank on the ATV was full, it won’t last forever.”

“There’s a town called Kearny that’s a little north of Saddlestring.” Griff met her gaze. “That may be a good place to start.”

“I agree.” It felt good to have a plan and a starting point. Hopefully, they didn’t guess wrong. After everything they’d been through, they couldn’t afford to make another mistake. “Maybe we should drive through Saddlestring on the way. Just in case.”

“And do what?” Justin tipped his head to the side.

“I’m not being sarcastic, I’m curious as to how we’ll find him.

We can’t visit every citizen’s home in Saddlestring or Kearny to see if Decker has been there.

He could find an isolated ranch property, kill the owner, and take off with the owner’s vehicle without us knowing. ”

The image of another dead man brutally murdered by Decker made her wince.

“I know, and that’s unfortunate. On the plus side, news travels fast in small towns.

” She took another bite of her pizza. The slight churning in her stomach settled down as she ate.

“If we stop at the local pub or gas station and flash Decker’s photo, we may learn something. ”

“Works for me.” Justin finished one slice of pizza and started on a second. “We just need to decide if we should take the four-wheelers or the horses.”

“Maybe both.” Trevor walked into the room with Archie at his heels. “I left the horses in the corral of the Lucky Charm farm for now, but it won’t take long to get them back into the trailer. I think it’s best if I go with you.”

Raine was humbled by Trevor’s offer, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty. It was bad enough she’d dragged Justin and Stone into danger. Adding another Sullivan sibling and his K9 was too much. “I’m not sure that’s necessary.”

“I disagree.” Justin frowned at her. “We don’t know what we’ll need to use once we pick up Decker’s trail. And having another K9 in the mix can only help, not hurt us.”

Griff made a face. “I can just imagine what Chase will think about both of you working the case.”

Trevor waved that off as he took the last chair at the small table and reached for a slice of pizza. “Chase doesn’t need to know. Besides, it’s not like he’d sit back while some creep escaped.”

“Trevor is right, Chase would be the first to go after a scumbag like Decker. He’s not here, but we are, and we can handle this.” Justin pushed his empty plate away. “I think it’s best to have options.”

Raine sighed and finished her pizza. There was no point in arguing. It wasn’t as if she could stop Trevor from following them. “Fine. I need to call my boss. Then we’ll hit the road.”

“The rain seems to be letting up.” Trevor reached for a second slice. “That’s good and bad. I’m hoping the storm dumped enough rain to douse the forest fire.”

She nodded, deeply troubled by the thought of the fire spreading.

Buffalo was east of the fire, and any change in the wind could bring the flames dangerously close to town.

She picked up her phone and called her boss, Mike Rowe.

He’d gotten promoted after Decker’s arrest, although she had been involved in that as well, and he seemed to prefer doing his job from his desk.

Normally, she didn’t care, but right now, she could have used his support.

“Raine? What’s going on?” Mike asked in lieu of a greeting. With cell phones these days, nobody bothered with pleasantries anymore.

“Decker and Jim Kluck are one and the same,” she said bluntly. “How did we miss the fact that Decker had an alias?”

“How should I know?” Rowe sounded defensive. He’d understood that when she’d said we she’d really meant him . “He didn’t have additional identification on him when we arrested him. How could anyone have guessed he also used an alias?”

She drew a deep breath to keep from snapping at him. “Well, he does, and that’s how he rigged his mountain cabin to explode when we got there.”

“He blew up his own cabin?” Rowe sounded incredulous. “That’s crazy.”

“Tell me about it. He started a forest fire that Justin and I narrowly escaped.” She knew her anger and frustration toward her boss was unwarranted.

It wasn’t Rowe’s fault Decker had stayed one step ahead of them for the past twenty-four hours.

Still, she was irked and couldn’t hide her feelings.

“I need you to email me Decker’s file. There may be something we’ve missed that will help us track him down. ”

“He’s back on the run?” Rowe asked.

“Yeah, he had a four-wheeler at the cabin that he used to get away. We tried to track him, but when the fire burned out of control, we had no choice but to abandon the search to escape the blaze.”

“I’m sorry, Raine. I’m glad you’re not hurt.” There was some background noise indicating her boss was in a car. “I’ll get you the file ASAP. Is there anything else I can do?”

“We may need additional support if we find him.” She knew Cheyenne was hours from Buffalo. “We’re heading out to check the two closest towns where Decker may have gone to get another ride.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Rowe agreed. “Keep me updated on your progress.”

“Will do.” She wanted to ask where he was headed but decided not to bother. Rowe was likely grabbing lunch too.

Must be nice , she thought as she ended the call. Not that she was itching for a desk job, but if she was the one in charge, she’d be in Buffalo the way Griff was.

Taking a more hands-on approach to the investigation.

She pocketed her phone and turned back to the others. Her boss was no Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive , that’s for sure.

“Anything new?” Justin arched a brow.

“He’ll send me the file.” She tried to smile. “I’ll read through his notes as we drive.”

“I’m ready.” Trevor jumped to his feet. Archie took that as a sign to crawl out from under the table.

Stone lifted his head but didn’t move from his spot next to her niece, until Justin said, “Come, Stone.”

The dog slid off the sofa, stretched, and then trotted toward Justin. She was glad the dog would have time to rest as they drove to Saddlestring.

“Raine, if you don’t mind, forward those notes from your boss to me too,” Griff suggested. “I know you’ll look them over, but a fresh pair of eyes can’t hurt.”

“I will, thanks.” She smiled grimly as she crossed over to join the Sullivan siblings. “Trust me, I’ll take all the help I can get.”

“Stay in touch if you uncover anything new.” Griff walked with them to the door. “I’ll head out to join you if needed.”

“Why don’t you take my SUV with the four-wheeler trailer attached.” Trevor tossed the key fob at Justin. “I’ll head over to get the horses and meet you in Saddlestring.”

“Okay.” Justin patted his pockets, then sighed. “I forgot, you already have my keys.”

“Yep. You take my car with the four-wheelers. Come, Archie.” Trevor grinned and darted outside to the SUV and empty horse trailer. He opened the back for his K9, who quickly jumped in. She and Justin waited for Trevor to pull away, before making a similar dash to the second SUV.