Page 67 of Scent of Peril

“I’ll show you where it is,” Big Al said, clearly knowing Teddy would find the opening.

“Teddy, heel,” Jess called. “Heel.”

Her K9 wheeled from his task and trotted to her side.

Doug pushed Big Al forward. “Show us.” The pilot obligingly led the way toward a large rock. Behind it, there were what looked to be two cellar doors. Logan watched as Doug opened them, revealing stairs that led downward.

“Used to be an old homestead here,” Big Al explained. “The building fell down, but we discovered the cellar led directly into the mine. We think it was used for bootlegging at one point. It was Matthews’s idea to turn it into a drug lab.”

“Is anyone else down there?” Doug asked.

The sound of gunfire rang out, answering that question. Doug threw Big Al to the side and headed down the stairs. Logan followed.

The strong scent of chemicals hit them as they hit the bottom of the tunnel. Logan pulled his weapon, trailing Doug as he sprinted down toward the awful smell.

Without warning, Doug came to a stop. When Logan caught up, he gaped in shock. A man was lying on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his chest. Logan recognized him.

Andrew Tolliver. Their classmate who’d gotten a full ride to Montana State because he was so brilliant in science.

Doug nodded at FBI agent Griff Flannery. “Nice shooting.”

“Thanks. He didn’t give us a choice. Although he asked if Ethan had sent us, which makes me suspect Ethan Dover’s death was no accident.” Griff gestured to the weapon that was still sitting on top of the table, next to the Bunsen burners that were cooking some sort of drug combo. Logan was surprised to see that a large generator powered the entire lab. “I didn’t dare touch it.”

“Agree, nobody should touch anything,” Doug said. “We’ll need to get a hazmat team here to dismantle this mess. Meanwhile, even a small amount of fentanyl can be deadly, so let’s clear out of here.”

Logan was only too happy to comply. He turned and retraced his steps to reach the cellar doors, then climbed up to where Jess and Teddy were anxiously waiting.

“It’s over for good,” he said. “Andy Tolliver is dead.”

“Andy?” Jess appeared stunned. “What happened to his full ride to Montana State?”

“No clue.” Although he suspected it wasn’t an original story. That it was likely Andrew had gotten himself involved in drugs and had decided to use his science skills to make money rather than getting an education and a real job. “Griff said he mentioned Ethan, so I think your theory that Ethan was trying to find the source of the drugs was right. Maybe Ethan ran into Andrew and figured out the connection. Especially since Ella once dated Andy.” He jerked his thumb toward the cellar doors. “Based on the sophisticated setup down there, they’ve been at this for a while. Months for sure, possibly up to a year.”

“Well.” She let out a long sigh and rested her hand on Teddy’s head. “I’m glad we were able to shut them down.”

“Me too.” He stepped toward her. “Do you think Teddy will mind if I kiss you again?”

A smile bloomed on her face. Then she looked at her dog. “Teddy, lie down.” She waited for the K9 to obey, then stepped into his arms.

He kissed her, savoring the moment. Jess kissed him back, giving him hope. While she’d been missing, he’d promised himself that he’d tell her everything. Including the role he’d played in Ella’s overdose. Not in the way she’d accused him of, but the fact that he’d broken things off with her.

“We need to talk,” he whispered, when they needed to breathe.

“I know.” She gazed up at him. “The reason I was so upset after Ella’s death was because I had a crush on you.”

“What?” He blinked, not expecting that. Then he was struck by even more guilt. “Jess, I need to explain about the night Ella died.”

That made her rear backward. “What do you mean?”

“We argued that night. I broke up with her. Told her in no uncertain terms our relationship was over. I didn’t want to see her anymore because I was more attracted to you.” He braced himself for her wrath.

“You broke up with Ella?” She looked dazed. “Are you just saying that because I confessed about my crush on you?”

“I’m telling you the truth. I broke up with her that night. She was livid. Called me—well, that doesn’t matter. She was upset. Then she overdosed and died.” He still felt terrible about how the events had played out all those years ago. “Don’t you see? It really is partially my fault. Not the drugs, I swear I knew nothing about her using them. But the reason she’d taken them? Oh yeah. That was totally my fault.”

“Oh, Logan.” Jess shook her head. “Couples break up all the time, especially in high school. Breaking up doesn’t make youresponsible. Ella made the decision to use drugs. She didn’t deserve to die from her mistake, but it’s not your fault.”

“Maybe if I had waited... or handled it better?—”

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