Page 53 of Scent of Peril

She glanced at Logan before pouring some water into a collapsible dish for Teddy. She offered it to her dog, who lapped the water. Then she knelt beside him. “Are you ready to search? Are you?” She injected enthusiasm in her tone. “Search for peppers. Peppers, Teddy. Search!” She’d considered using the search terms for both gold and peppers but decided to stick with the more important one.

Knowing Teddy, he would not hesitate to let her know if he smelled the gunman or caught a whiff of someone carrying a weapon.

Her K9 lifted his head to the air and sniffed for long minutes. Then he trotted into the woods, darting between several large trees. She hurried to catch up. As she covered the rocky terrain with Teddy, she sent up a quick prayer, tagging on to the one Doug had given prior to breakfast.

Lord Jesus, cover us with Your protection and love!

Logan followedJess and Teddy as they moved swiftly through the forest. He shouldn’t have been surprised the dog seemed to be taking them up along the same path they’d used yesterday. Maybe it was the fact that they’d left some of their scent behind. Their footprints could be easily seen in the areas that were still covered in snow, but other areas of the forest floor held only rocks and twigs.

It made him wonder if the gunman had used the same path. Although if that was the case, he wasn’t sure why the guy hadn’t just taken them out of the picture while they were still in the woods.

Behind him, Doug was advising the group to stay radio silent unless there was something to report. Instantly, the radio chatter in his earpiece went quiet. He was glad Doug had issued the order, as he’d found the chatter distracting.

Jess, on the other hand, appeared single-minded in working with Teddy. He didn’t like the idea of her taking the lead, but he understood the dog was their most important asset.

He had faith in Shane’s Bryce too. He’d found it interesting that the Sullivan family used the same search terms for their K9s. Must be part of the cross-training Jess had mentioned. As Jess had gotten Teddy revved up to search, Shane had done the same with Bryce.

Having two highly trained search dogs was a recipe for success. So why couldn’t he shake the feeling of impending doom hanging over him?

Lack of sleep may be a contributing factor. While he’d appreciated Doug’s prayer, he didn’t have a lot of practice in reaching out to their heavenly Father for support and guidance. And really, why would God listen to him?

When, not if, they survived this, he would ask Jessica about which church she and her family attended. The way they leaned on their faith to get through times of trouble was humbling. And it made him realize he had a lot to learn.

As he pressed himself to keep up with Jess and Teddy, he swept his gaze over their surroundings. They weren’t deep enough into the woods to be anywhere close to the area where they’d found the plane debris, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Glancing behind him, he was reassured that Doug appeared to be on high alert too.

After forty minutes, Jess stopped to give Teddy a rest. He and Doug flanked her on each side as she sat on a log and encouraged Teddy to stretch out beside her.

“Good boy,” she murmured, stroking his black fur. The dog didn’t appear as short of breath as she was, Logan thought, but he didn’t mention it.

“He seems to be on a mission,” Doug said.

“He has been going faster than I anticipated.” She smiled weakly. “I suspect that’s because he loves the search game and is anxious to find peppers.”

“Giving Bryce a break,” Shane said in Logan’s ear.

“Same with Teddy,” he responded.

Jess glanced up at him. “I figured we were still on radio silence.”

“It’s fine,” Doug waved a hand. “I don’t mind occasional updates, but in the beginning, these guys were chattering worse than a group of high schoolers.”

Logan nodded. “I thought so too.” He consulted his compass. “We’re on the right track, but we still have a few miles to go.”

“We’ll get there.” Doug grinned. “I’m just glad it’s not snowing.”

Logan had heard about the blizzard rescue Doug and Maya had pushed through when they’d tracked his missing sister to an isolated cabin in the woods. He had to admit that while this mission they’d embarked on was dangerous, the weather conditions were better.

After ten minutes, Jess stood and began going through the now familiar routine. In his ear, he heard Doug give a brief update. “Rest time over.”

“Roger that,” Shane replied.

After providing Teddy with some water, Jess got him excited about the search. “Are you ready? Search for peppers!”

Teddy eagerly attacked the trail, sniffing intently as he continued heading toward the coordinates he’d given Doug. They were fifteen minutes into the walk when Teddy abruptly veered toward the left.

Jess quickly followed her dog. Logan and Doug scrambled to keep up. He wasn’t sure what had captured the dog’s attention, but it occurred to him that Teddy may be taking them on a more direct route.

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