Page 21 of Scent of Death

Now Alexis dominated his thoughts.

Not good. He needed to stay focused on finding this killer.

He opened the door and peered into the hallway. Seeing nothing, he stepped back and held the door for Alexis and Denali. She shrugged into her backpack and crossed over to join him. “We’ll use the exit on the opposite side of the hallway. Not the one we used earlier.”

She nodded in understanding and led the way. Griff followed her and Denali as they headed outside. Even in July, the mornings could be cool, but today seemed to be an exception. A warm breeze washed over them as they took a circuitous route away from the hotel.

He kept a sharp eye out for his suspect, but the hour was early enough that there weren’t many people up and around. It wouldn’t take long for the tourists to flock to the streets.

“Hold on.” He snagged Alexis’s arm when an SUV pulled out of a gas station parking lot. The driver’s side window was down, and he briefly wondered if Denali would pick up the driver’s scent. The white car sped past them without seeming to notice or care that they were there. He relaxed and let her go. “Sorry. I guess I’m a little on edge.”

“With good reason.” She managed a wan smile. “Let’s hope he’s far away by now.”

Griff had no intention of banking on that. Not when this guy was clearly becoming obsessed with Alexis. He hoped to convince her siblings to take her back to the ranch. He knew she didn’t want to place her family in danger, but she would be much safer there with people around, not to mention nine dogs.Ten, he silently amended as they turned down a side street to cut through a parking lot. There was the new puppy, Bear, who was growing like crazy.

Alexis would never move, yet another reason he needed to ignore his attraction to her. Despite covering the entire state, he had to live in Cheyenne where the federal office building was located.

“Hey, the Corner Café is open,” Alexis said, interrupting his thoughts. “I could sure use more coffee.”

He wouldn’t mind coffee and food. “Hopefully, they won’t mind Denali.”

“They won’t. We’ve been here before.” She sounded certain, so he didn’t argue.

They were on the opposite end of the city from Della’s Diner, but the menu was much the same. As the first customers, they had their pick of seats. Alexis chose a booth in the corner. He took the side where he could keep an eye on the door. Alexis sat across from him. Denali crawled under the table and stretched out at her feet.

“Coffee?” A middle-aged woman with brassy-blond hair came over with two mugs and a full pot. Her name tag read Louise.

“Yes, please,” he and Alexis said in unison.

Louise laughed, poured their coffee, and tapped the plastic menus. “Let me know when you’re ready to order.”

Griff took the menu, already knowing he’d have his usual. He noticed Alexis didn’t bother to check it out. “You know what you’d like?”

“Yes.” She flushed. “I love their veggie omelet. I’ll call my family as soon as we order.”

Louise returned and refilled their coffee mugs before pulling out her pad. He asked for two eggs over easy with toast, bacon, and hash browns. Alexis ordered the veggie omelet with fruit.

Sipping his coffee, he listened as she made the call.

“Hi, Anna, it’s Alexis. Is Joel or Justin around? I’m fine, just need a favor.” She waited silently for a moment, then, “Hey, Joel. Everything is fine.” She rolled her eyes. “The shooter did show up at the hotel early this morning, so I need you and Justin or whoever is around to bring two SUVs. We’ll use one here; you can ride the other one back home.”

He could tell by her relieved expression her siblings were going along with the plan.

“Great, thanks. We’re at the Corner Café on the west side of town. Thanks, Joel.” She lowered the phone. “They’ll hit the road ASAP.”

“Good.” He knew the Sullivan K9 ranch was about forty-five minutes away. He’d never been there but had looked it up online. Their website was nothing fancy. Most of their business came through local law enforcement agencies and word of mouth.

He admired their dedication to serving the community.

When their breakfasts arrived, he glanced at Alexis, knowing she’d want to say grace.

She surprised him by reaching across the table to grasp his hand. Her warm fingers curled around his, making it difficult to think straight.

“Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are blessed to eat. We ask for You to continue keeping Wendy Evers safe in Your care. And please guide us to the man who seeks to do harm. Amen.”

“Amen.” He forced himself to release her hand. “Thanks, Alexis.”

“Of course.” She reached for her fork.

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