Page 6 of Scent of Peril

But in all honesty, it could be from any plane. Who knew how many small planes were lost in the mountains each year.

Probably more than she wanted to know.

Logan took the piece of metal from her hands and tucked it into the backpack upside down. The broader base of the tail fin wouldn’t fit inside the pack, but he wedged the smaller end inside as far as it could go, zipping the sides up as much as possible to keep it in place. He nodded and glanced up at her. “This should work.”

“I agree.” She was glad they wouldn’t have to leave it behind. “Do you want me to carry that pack?”

“No, you have your own. I’ve got this.” He glanced up at the ridge again, then stood and shouldered the pack. She hoped the extra weight wouldn’t be a problem. “We need to move. You go first with Teddy. I’ll cover our backs. The sooner we get down the slope, the better. I don’t want to run across this guy up close and personal.”

Jess didn’t want that either. She slowly rose to a crouch, then did a quick examination of her dog to make sure he wasn’t injured. He was fine. “Come, Teddy.”

The dog looked up at her, then quickly followed her out from the shelter of the trees. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose in alarm as she took the lead in retracing their steps back down the mountain. Jess found herself hunching her shoulders, anticipating another attack. But after a solid ten minutes of walking, she slowly began to relax. There was nothing to worry about. They were already making good time heading back to the plane.

Maybe the shooter had been a hunter. A really bad hunter.

Logan stayed behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to check on him. He offered a reassuring smile. “You’re doing great. Just keep following our original tracks down and to the east.”

“Down is easy,” she said lightly. That wasn’t necessarily true. Her footing slipped in the snow more often than she liked, forcing her to grab at various branches along the way to keep herself upright. She was glad to have their previous footprints to use as a guide. The tracks should lead them back to where they’d started.

Teddy wasn’t having any trouble navigating the terrain. All their search and rescue dogs were athletic and comfortable moving through the woods. Teddy glanced up at her often, staying close to her side. He wasn’t a hunting dog, but the loud crack of gunfire was more than enough for him to identify a potential threat. If the shooter had been closer, Teddy would likely have alerted on his scent and growled in warning.

More proof that the shooter had purposefully stayed far away. Logan was right about the guy using a rifle.

After forty minutes, Logan called a halt. “Let’s take a break.”

She nodded and stopped near a group of pine trees. This wasn’t the spot where they’d previously taken a break, but it would do for now. She knew Logan was anxious to get back to the clearing where they’d left his plane. “No sign of anyone following?”

“Not that I can tell.” Logan glanced at Teddy. “Your dog didn’t seem to notice anything off either.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.” She sat on a stump, gratefully accepting a sip of water from Logan. Then she poured some water into a collapsible bowl for Teddy. “I don’t understand why anyone would shoot at us.”

Logan’s expression hardened. “I have one possible theory.”

“Like what?”

“My charter client claimed he was here to do hunting and fishing. I dropped him off at a location that isn’t that far from here. That’s how I spied the piece of plane debris.” He made a circle in the air with a gloved hand. “Because I was here in this area.”

She wasn’t following. “And you think that guy may have been the shooter?”

“Him or one of his cronies.” Logan glanced at Teddy again. “Your K9 alerted to the scent of drugs in my plane where Craig Benton dropped his glove. Now that we’ve been targeted by gunfire, I’m less likely to believe he had a legitimate prescription for narcotics.”

Realization dawned. “You think he is involved in drug trafficking. And he fired those shots to drive us away.”

“Exactly.” Logan shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of being hired by guys like Benton to bring drugs in and out of the area.”

“I don’t either.” She swallowed hard, considering his theory. “We need to call the local sheriff’s department and the game warden. They’ll need to head back to that area to see if they can find that guy. What’s his name? Craig Benton?”

“That’s the name he gave me.” Logan grimaced. “Like I said, he paid in cash. If he’s involved in drugs, I doubt he used his real name.”

“You’re right; he probably didn’t.” She stroked Teddy’s soft ears. “Maybe we should turn around and head back. See if Teddy alerts on anything.”

“No way.” Logan’s tone was sharp. “Too dangerous.”

With a sigh, she nodded. He was right. She wouldn’t risk her dog without having more backup. “Okay, I get it. Neither of us is armed. I can bring Teddy back with the local authorities later.”

He scowled. “Still too dangerous.”

“Maybe.” She knew her brothers would share his opinion. “But Teddy is the expert when it comes to finding drugs. And if that’s what’s going on here, then he’s our best chance at discovering where they may be hidden.”

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