Page 27 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)
R aine felt like a complete failure. How could she have let Decker stay on the run long enough to kidnap another young girl? If Amanda suffered at his hands, she’d never forgive herself. They should have had Decker in custody by now.
But wallowing in guilt and frustration wasn’t productive.
Swiping at her face, she straightened her shoulders and tried to think through their options.
Prayers would only get them so far. She needed to anticipate what Decker would do next.
He had Amanda, which meant he’d likely try to find a place to take her.
But where?
Her boss hadn’t returned her call about getting choppers in the air to help search for the Explorer.
Depending on how far away Decker’s next destination was located, they needed to find that vehicle as soon as humanly possible.
It would be best to find the Explorer while it was still on the highway, before it was tucked away somewhere they’d never see it from the air.
Remembering Logan and his small plane, she quickly called Griff.
“Have you heard from Logan?” She glanced at Justin who was also keeping a keen eye on the traffic around them. “We saw his plane but don’t know if he’s been able to identify anything helpful.”
“Yes, he’s doing his best to track black trucks. His wife, Jessica, is with him, and she has binoculars to help zoom in on the vehicle in question. They’ll do their best to find it.”
She tried not to let despair overwhelm her. “I understand, and I’m glad Logan has an extra set of eyes to help us. I think Decker will avoid the main highways if possible, so ask Logan to concentrate on those lesser-known highways.”
“Will do,” Griff agreed.
“I also need a list of isolated properties in the area.” When Griff remained silent, she said, “I know it’s a long shot.
I’m not sure what else to do. It could be that grabbing Amanda was a crime of opportunity, but I’m convinced Decker has a backup plan.
He must have another place to go. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have blown up the cabin. ”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing about his having a backup plan.” Griff blew out a breath. “I’ll narrow down a few possible locations outside of Sheridan.”
“Thanks.” Staying close to Sheridan might not be smart, as Decker might have wanted to put more miles between him and the site of Amanda’s abduction. But she couldn’t come up with a better idea. “Stay in touch.”
“You too.” Griff ended the call. Raine peered through the windshield and tracked Logan’s plane. He appeared to be making a large circle over the area. How many smaller roads led out of town? There couldn’t possibly be that many.
“Hey, Logan will come through for us.” Justin shot her a reassuring look. “He’s a good pilot, and with Jess’s help, they should be able to identify the Explorer.”
She forced a smile, despite her concern.
“I hope so.” One plane was better than nothing, but she was still irritated that Rowe hadn’t returned her call.
Then again, maybe he’d put the chopper request in motion.
It would take time for them to get there, so she put that issue aside to focus on the next steps.
“Is that a black truck?” Justin narrowed his eyes on the vehicle coming from the opposite direction, heading out of Sheridan.
She leaned forward, her fingers tightening on the phone. It was a black truck, but she soon realized it was a pickup, not the SUV model like the Explorer. “Not our guy.”
“Yeah, I see that.” Justin’s gaze stayed on the vehicle until the black pickup whizzed past them. “We’ll find him soon.”
She wished she could be so certain. A sign indicating Sheridan was only five miles away cheered her up. Maybe Trevor and Archie had found something helpful.
Justin was forced to slow down as they reached the city limits. She was encouraged to see several state troopers and a local sheriff’s deputy squad on the road. As they drove up toward Amanda’s home, she could see Trevor’s SUV and the horse trailer parked along the side of the road.
Justin passed them and found another area to park their car and trailer. She bolted from the car the minute he stopped, hurrying toward Trevor and Archie. “Anything new?”
“No.” Trevor looked as disappointed as she felt. “The good news is that Archie knows Amanda’s scent, so if we can figure out a general location of where Decker might be, we can use Archie to narrow the search.”
“Okay.” She looked up as Logan flew past in his plane. “In addition to waiting for Logan to spot something, Griff is identifying possible isolated cabins in the area. Maybe Decker is closer than we realize.”
“That sounds good.” Trevor glanced over to where a crying woman was being comforted by her husband. Amanda’s parents, no doubt. Her heart squeezed in her chest, and she turned to look back at where Justin was coming over with Stone.
“I think we need to make sure both Stone and Archie can identify Decker and Amanda.” Justin nodded at his brother. “Decker’s shirt is in a plastic bag in the back of the SUV you were driving. Grab that and then let’s work with the K9s to make sure they can identify and follow both scents.”
“Works for me.” Trevor strode quickly to the SUV with the horse trailer attached. As much as she wanted to be doing something more constructive, she watched with interest as the two Sullivan brothers worked with their K9s on the two scents.
A few minutes later, they returned. “We’re good to go,” Justin said.
“Yeah.” She glanced up at the sky again. Logan’s plane appeared to be lower now, which was good. “Too bad I don’t have a place to start looking.”
“Griff will come through for us.” Justin lightly touched her arm. “I think your idea of a cabin in the area is a good one.”
As if reading their mind, her phone rang. Seeing Griff’s name on the screen, she quickly answered. “Griff? Do you have something?”
“Logan and Jess spotted a black truck on Ramo Road, it’s northeast of Sheridan. They can’t see the license plate, but Jess believes the truck fits the description of the Explorer.”
“Ramo Road?” She looked at Justin and Trevor, then turned to jog toward their vehicles. “We’ll head that way now. Will Logan be able to keep eyes on the vehicle?”
“Yes, that’s the plan, although you should know it’s very wooded there, so the vehicle has been in and out of view a few times. There’s more,” Griff said. “I’m going to head there, too, because I found two cabins in the general area of that road. One of them is owned by a guy named Sawyer Collins.”
The name didn’t ring a brll. She slid into the passenger seat as Justin got Stone settled in the back crate area. “Why does that matter?”
“Because I started digging into the guy’s background, and he has no work history to speak of.
I’m concerned the name could be another alias.
” Griff sounded grim. “Maybe he’s just some loner living off the grid like some people do in these parts, but I’m thinking that may be where Decker is headed with Amanda. ”
Her pulse kicked into high gear as Justin pulled away from the side of the road and began the laborious process of turning around. “Text me the coordinates. Is Logan aware of the possibility?”
“Yes, they’re going to stay in that area until we can get there,” Griff said. “The good news is that Jessica brought her K9, Teddy, along. He’s a good tracker, too, so we’ll have their help if needed.”
After what seemed like eons, Justin had the SUV and trailer heading toward Ramo Road. “I don’t understand why that matters. They’re up in the sky. Teddy can’t track from there.”
“Logan told me he’d land the plane on the road if needed to join the search.”
She winced. “Sounds dangerous.”
“It is,” Griff agreed. “But a young girl’s life is at stake.”
“Okay, thanks. We’re heading that way now. Call me if you hear anything more.” She ended the call, lowered the phone, and tried to think positive. It didn’t seem logical that Stringer’s black Explorer would be so close to Sheridan, considering Decker had taken Amanda about at an hour ago now.
“What was that about dangerous?” Justin asked.
“Logan has his wife and her K9 in the plane.” She was humbled all over again by how the Sullivan family had gone out of their way to help her get Decker. “He mentioned landing the plane on a road if we need additional search support.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Logan.” Justin sighed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
She quickly filled Justin in on what Griff had uncovered about one cabin owner named Sawyer Collins.
“We’re going to head there first. There’s another cabin in the area, too, but Griff didn’t say much about that one.
I’m sure he hasn’t had much time to dig into all the property owners while driving. ”
Justin nodded. “He’s good, but that level of in-depth searching takes time.”
Her phone buzzed with the coordinates from Griff. She opened her map app and homed in on the location. “Okay, turn right at the next intersection. That goes north and will take us to Ramo Road.”
“Got it.” He glanced at his side mirror. She did the same, glad to see Trevor had caught up to them.
Raine prayed again for God to keep Amanda safe until they could get there.
If she and Decker were headed for the Collins property.
It still bothered her that they weren’t that far out of town.
Where had they been for the past two hours?
Driving around? She pushed that thought away.
All they could do was focus on the next clue.
“We’ll need to approach the cabin on foot.” Justin glanced at her, and she wondered if he’d guessed at her thoughts. “The dogs will lead the way.”
“Okay, but once we know Decker is there, you and Trevor need to stay back so I can take the lead.” The memory of the cabin explosion was too fresh in her mind.
When Justin didn’t agree, she narrowed her eyes.
“I mean it, Justin. You and your brother have been wonderful, but I don’t want to risk your lives. Or your K9s,” she added.