Page 22 of Long Road Home

“Hello?” she called out again, looking around, but saw no movement. No people.

Where were they?

She’d have dispatched more than one cop and a K-9 handler. Maybe the sheriff didn’t believe Marion had been telling the truth, so he’d only sent one deputy. Or they simply didn’t have the resources to go out in pairs.

Kenna heard a faint sound, beyond the dog in the trees. She jogged over uneven grass that crunched under her feet. Thankfully, there weren’t inches of snow on the ground But still, digging up bodies would be hard work with the frozen solid ground.

The dog ran between trees ahead of her. Desperation in his movements. Alerting her, bringing her to…what?

Kenna followed the trail the dog took. “Is someone out here?”

“Watch your step!” That was a man, maybe Kobrinksy.

The dog stopped at the edge of a hole in the ground and crouched down, looking in. Whining.

Kenna approached with easy steps. “Who’s there?”

Kobrinsky had blood on the side of his face. Beside him a blonde lay with her hair over her face, not far from him. Her body twisted at an uncomfortable angle—if she was awake to feel it. They’d fallen into a hole in the ground that had apparently been disguised.

A trap.

And it was up to Kenna to get them out.

Chapter Seven

Kenna shook her head. “I can’t lift her.”

Kobrinsky stared at her, thunder in his eyes. “We have to lift her out.Youhave to lift her.”

She didn’t want to explain about the injury she’d sustained years ago. But if he knew who she was, then why didn’t he know about that? “Where’s your stuff? We need rope, and I’ll call it in.”

Was there a helicopter available in this part of the state? Remote areas usually had some form of Life Flight.

His jaw flexed.

Kenna said, “Are you hurt?”

“My leg. I can walk.” The way he said it made it seem like sheer determination rather than an assessment of his physical ability.

“Rope?”

“Back of the rig. I was gonna get the evidence bag after we actually found something.” He motioned with his fingers. “Give me your phone. Mine is shattered, and she must not bring hers on searches because it’s not on her person.”

“I’ll call. And I’ll be back.” She looked at the dog. “Stay.”

Kenna ran to the deputy’s vehicle, paying a mind to where she stepped. Off to the side, she spotted an area she thought might be another trap. A hole in the ground that had been disguised, which would leave her broken like that K-9 handler.

Once she was sure she didn’t have to worry about falling into a hole and being another victim, Kenna called 911. She explained about Kobrinsky and the dog handler, then requested a helicopter. It would take firefighters longer to get there, as they were all volunteers in this county.

She told the dispatcher, “I’ll get them out of the hole.”

Somehow.

She swung a coil of rope over her shoulder. The dispatcher told her it would be twenty minutes. Kenna said, “Tell them to hurry,” and ran back to the hole.

Hyper-aware, she spotted a few areas in the uneven ground she wanted the chance to check out. And another spot that looked like the leaves and branches that had fallen into the hole with Kobrinsky and the woman. If she was asked right now if she believed the victims were buried out here, she’d have said yes. There were too many indications of burial spots.

Kenna looped the rope around a nearby tree and tied off the end around her waist. She threw the other end to the hole. “Tie her off.”

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