Page 4 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

After ten minutes of trotting, Justin slowed his horse to a walk. She was both thankful and anxious about the possible delay. The fact that they still hadn’t caught up to Decker nagged at her. How much longer would Decker wait before doing something drastic?

She was afraid to find out.

The beat of her heart throbbed in unison with the pain reverberating through her thighs and knees. Raine could admit that riding on trails was far different from cutting a path through the woods in pursuit of a convicted felon.

But she wouldn’t let it stop her either. When Justin continued walking his horse, she leaned forward to ask why they’d slowed down, then she heard the high whine of the four-wheeler engine again.

Louder this time.

They’d gotten closer to Decker and Ginny!

Settling back in the saddle, she kept quiet and decided then and there that she needed to trust Justin and Stone. As a search and rescue team, they obviously knew what they were doing.

At that point, she was literally just along for the ride.

* * *

Justin easily sensed Raine’s frustration with his decision to give Stone a break but admired her ability to keep her complaints to herself.

He understood her concern. Even a minor delay seemed like a lifetime in a situation as tense as this.

He couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for her to know your young niece was in the hands of a pedophile.

Thankfully, Stone’s energy hadn’t abated much since they’d headed up the mountain, but he suspected the dog would tire soon.

The tire tracks were spotty, and he’d rather use Stone’s nose for as long as possible than depend on the tracks alone.

Especially if Decker got wise to their tactic and made circles or doubled back to confuse them.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see a weary yet determined expression on Raine’s face. “How old is Ginny?”

“Eleven.” Her eyes closed briefly, then she added, “She’ll be twelve in November. Decker grabbed her when she was nine.”

Nine. He swallowed hard. “How did she get away?”

Raine shook her head. “It’s a minor miracle if you ask me.

She was walking home from school after soccer practice when he approached and grabbed her.

He dragged her toward his car when something distracted him.

Ginny kicked him in the privates and took off running.

She ran through the woods and out onto the highway farther down from Decker.

A family of four found her, and she told them about the man who tried to abduct her.

Thankfully, they called the police. Ginny provided a very detailed description of him and the car he was driving.

They found and arrested him.” She paused for a long moment.

“Ginny testified against him in court. He was sentenced to ten years but only did two before he managed to escape.”

He grimaced. Decker’s escape should not have happened.

But hearing the story of how Ginny had survived the previous abduction attempt gave him hope.

The poor kid was probably scared, but she’d escaped him once before.

He firmly believed she’d find a way to do so again.

“Sounds like she’s smart. I’m sure she’ll find a way to stay safe this time too. ”

“I hope so.” Raine didn’t look the least bit reassured. “He didn’t have a gun last time, the way he does now, though. That changes things.”

He was forced to admit that was true. The weapon was a problem in more ways than one.

“We’ll keep praying for God to watch over her.

” Justin and his siblings were big on faith and the power of prayer.

Ever since their parents had died in a plane crash six years ago now, they’d grown closer to God and to each other.

“I guess.” Again, she didn’t look convinced.

He wanted to press the issue, but Stone took an abrupt turn to the south, forcing him to tug on the reins to follow. The whine of the engine was about the same, indicating they were keeping pace but not gaining on their quarry.

Part of that was by design. They’d been riding for almost an hour, and he’d hoped the four-wheeler would eventually run low on gas.

The Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue Ranch had used four-wheelers, too, for some of their searches, along with snow machines for the winter months.

But in his humble opinion, it was better to be on horseback than dependent upon fuel.

They typically carried an extra gas tank just for that reason.

He hoped Decker hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Finding Decker and Ginny was only part of the problem. The convict had Ginny as a hostage and that would change things. They couldn’t just stroll up and arrest him.

No matter how much Raine wanted to.

He pulled out his cell phone for the second time since they’d left Ginny’s home, grimacing when he noticed there was still no service.

He took solace in the fact that the police knew the general direction they were headed and that by now they should have been in contact with his brother-in-law, Griff.

Hopefully, additional resources were on the way to back them up.

But that didn’t change the fact that for now they were on their own.

Would Griff send choppers or small planes to assist in the search? He scanned the cloudy sky, then decided it was still too early for an air response. The closest airfield was in Yellowstone, unless Griff called on private plane owners, like his sister Jessica’s husband, Logan, for help.

Logan would jump into his plane without hesitation. Logan loved being in the sky and would want to do his part in aiding the search.

As he glanced up again, though, the clouds seemed to be getting darker. He frowned in concern. A thunderstorm would not only slow them down, but it would also likely obliterate what was left of Decker’s tire tracks.

Realizing he needed to save Stone for that possibility, he reined in Blaze and threw his leg over the saddle to dismount. “Here, Stone. Come here, boy.”

The yellow lab lifted his head, his ears pricked forward. Then the K9 wheeled and trotted to his side.

“Another break?” Disappointment laced Raine’s tone. “It’s only been a few minutes since we last stopped.”

He didn’t answer, waiting for Stone to trot back to him. He bent and scooped the seventy-pound yellow lab into his arms. Then he carefully draped the dog over the saddle. “Stay.”

Stone stared up at him, his dark-brown gaze seeming to hold reproach. This wasn’t the first time Justin had ridden with Stone on his horse, but that didn’t mean his K9 enjoyed traveling this way.

“What’s wrong? Is he too tired to continue?” Raine asked as he remounted the horse, settling behind Stone. Once he was situated, he lifted the dog, shifting the K9’s weight so that Stone was cushioned across his lap.

“No, but I’m giving him a rest anyway.” He nudged Blaze into moving forward, then gestured at the sky. “See those clouds rolling in from the west? If it rains, we’re going to lose the tire tracks.”

“What? No! We can’t lose Decker.” Raine’s voice rose in alarm.

“We won’t.” He flashed what he hoped was a reassuring grin. “Stone will be ready to go when we need him.”

Following the tire tracks wasn’t as easy as he made it out to be, and twice he thought he’d lost them when they’d abruptly shown up again. The terrain was soft in some places but hard in others. Typical for fall when the temperature cooled dramatically at night, even in early September.

A few minutes later, he realized the sound of the four-wheeler engine had stopped.

His stomach tightened with the fear that they might lose Decker.

With Stone lying across his lap, turned enough that the K9’s spine was pressed against his abdomen, Justin didn’t urge Blaze into a trot. The choppy gait might dislodge the dog.

As they continued through the woods, he listened intently, hoping and praying the engine would start up again. Hearing nothing, he figured either Decker had stopped the four-wheeler for some reason, or the convict had gotten far enough away that the wind carried the sound away from them.

“Justin? I can’t hear the four-wheeler.” Raine’s voice was low and urgent.

“I know. Don’t worry, we’re still on his trail.” He spoke with confidence while secretly hoping they weren’t heading into a trap. He debated stopping long enough to put Stone back on the ground to follow the scent.

Then fat drops of rain fell from the sky. Feeling the wetness on his face, Justin pushed Blaze forward, eager to follow the tire track indentations as long as possible.

Behind him, Raine urged Timber forward. “Come on, big guy. You can do this.”

He appreciated her attempt to calm the horse, but Timber was steady and surefooted, even in the rain. Blaze was far more temperamental.

The darkening clouds made it even more difficult to follow the tire tracks. He pushed forward, then was forced to come to a stop when he lost them.

Battling a wave of fear, he slid Stone forward so he could dismount. Then he lifted the dog down, placing him on the ground. He’d managed to give his K9 a twenty-minute break, which wasn’t a lot, but better than nothing.

He glanced at Raine, and the fear etched on her features tugged at his heart. “What if we lost them?”

“Stone will pick up the scent.” Since they were stopped on the trail, he took a moment to remove rain ponchos from the saddle bags of his horse and hers.

He offered her one before pulling the other over his head.

Then he bent and stroked his dog. “Are you ready, boy? Search! Search for Decker and Ginny!”

Stone lowered his nose to the ground, sniffing intently. Then the dog turned to head farther up the rocky incline. Justin quickly swung back into the saddle.

“What about the storm?” she asked. “Won’t the rain hamper Stone’s ability to find Decker?”

He shook his head and gently dug his heels into Blaze’s sides.

The gelding moved forward. “It has the opposite effect. Moistening a K9’s mucus membranes enhances their ability to track a scent.

” He didn’t add that the downside of the storm was that Decker wouldn’t be shedding as much sweat.

A key factor in Stone’s ability to track him.

“Is that why you give him water each time you tell him to search?” She sounded surprised.

“Exactly.” The rain came down harder now.

The plastic poncho helped sluice moisture from his clothes, but water still clouded his vision.

He should have brought his cowboy hat along, he thought sourly.

It was the one thing he hadn’t bothered with when double-checking his gear.

He swiped the moisture from his face, squinting through the rain.

Stone was about twenty yards ahead, his nose still on the ground. Good thing he had Stone to help guide them.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by rolling thunder.

He glanced back at Raine, worried she was lagging behind.

Thankfully, she appeared as determined as ever, riding gamely behind him as he followed Stone’s progress through the rugged terrain.

As the rain pelted down on them, it occurred to him that Decker might have killed the engine of the four-wheeler to seek shelter from the storm.

If so, he knew Stone would lead them straight to the convict’s hideout.

Although stopping in a cave or some other sort of shelter would also give the creep an opportunity to hurt Ginny if he was so inclined. Justin had to work hard not to focus too much on that horrific scenario.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, silently praying for God to watch over Ginny and to give them the strength they needed to reach the young girl in time.

Another jagged bolt of lightning split the sky like a knife followed by a crack of thunder.

Louder this time, as if the storm was gaining on them.

He momentarily lost sight of Stone. He frowned, then relaxed when the dog emerged from the foliage.

His K9 stopped long enough to shake the moisture from his fur, then he went back to work, unfazed by the less than optimal working conditions.

Urging Blaze forward, he wiped the rain from his face and scanned the horizon. He wasn’t familiar with this particular section of the mountainside and realized they were high enough on the slope that there were plenty of places for Decker to hide with Ginny.

Too many , he thought grimly.

On the heels of that thought, another gunshot reverberated through the air. He instinctively ducked, tightening his grip on Blaze’s reins as the equine danced nervously away from the perceived threat.

“Easy, boy,” he said, hoping the horse could hear. Then another gunshot rang out, and Blaze reared up on his hind legs.

Justin gripped the animal with his knees, wrestling with the reins and struggling to maintain control. Between the storm and the gunfire, his horse clearly didn’t want to continue along this path.

They needed shelter, and fast. Before one of the bullets flying through the air found its mark.