Page 23 of Scent of Death

“I didn’t slug him.” Alexis scowled. “I shoved him against the locker, kicked him in the groin, and told him if he touched me again, I’d make him pay.”

Griff narrowed his gaze. “You left out the part where you were the sexual assault victim.”

“Not me,” she quickly denied. “Although maybe I should have reported him. He assaulted a girl named Maria Gomez.”

“Maria claimed he grabbed her breasts and shoved himself up against her,” Justin added. “I don’t blame her for filing charges. Not that it did much good.”

“It sort of did,” Joel argued. “Brent was kicked out of school.”

The more he heard about this Brent Wilson, the more he liked him as a suspect. The sooner he got the results from the lab on the shell casings, the better.

6

Alexis wasn’t convinced Brent Wilson was the serial killer, but investigating crimes wasn’t her area of expertise. Her brothers muttered a quick prayer, then dove into their meals. She was annoyed they’d brought up her old boyfriends.

Lots of guys weren’t faithful to their wives or girlfriends. That didn’t make them more likely to become a monster who strangled women to death. It made them players who had no interest in settling down, despite their claims to the contrary.

The shell casings they’d found should help narrow their search. In a way, she hoped Brent was the killer, as they’d be able to find and arrest him. Knowing who they were going after was half the battle.

“When does the lab open?” Alexis reached beneath the table to stroke Denali’s fur. It was crowded under there with three dogs, but they didn’t seem to mind. Playtime could get rambunctious at the ranch, but the K9s knew this wasn’t the place for that.

“Seven thirty.” Griff looked at his watch. “But the lab techs don’t come in until eight.”

“Logan and Jess were going to try to be there by eight,” Justin said as he ate. “Logan said he knew where it was located.”

“This isn’t the first time he’s taken evidence to the lab,” Alexis said. “He helped Doug back in January.”

“I remember,” Joel said.

“I appreciate Logan’s help.” Griff sipped his coffee. “As soon as the lab opens, I’ll call to have them expedite checking for fingerprints from the casings. Considering we have a missing girl, not to mention two dead bodies, I’m sure they’ll accommodate my request.”

Alexis was worried about Wendy Evers. She feared the girl might already be dead. That the killer had either buried her someplace else or was hiding her body until he had a chance to get back to the same place that he’d buried the others.

She looked at Griff. “Are you going to keep someone posted at the scene where we found the victims after they’re finished looking for evidence?”

He grimaced. “I’d like to, but we don’t have the manpower for that.”

“What if the killer goes back in a few days to bury Wendy Evers?” She bit her lower lip, and added, “Assuming he’s already strangled her.”

“I know. I’ve thought of that.” Griff stared down into his coffee mug. “I could rig up a trail cam. See if we can capture him that way.”

“That’s a great idea.” Joel’s gaze was full of admiration. “They work pretty well for capturing photos of wildlife.”

“Just make sure you put it somewhere this guy won’t see it,” Justin said. “If he finds it, he’ll just pull it down, swipe the SIM card, and do his thing.”

“That alone will let us know to head up to find the body,” Griff said grimly. “Although I’d rather get a clear picture of him. With our facial recognition software, we’ll be able to match him with driver’s license photos.”

Alexis nodded. “I say we do that first thing. Hopefully, this guy isn’t smart enough to anticipate we’d plant a camera.”

“Heading up to place the camera works for me.” Griff glanced at his watch again. She sensed he was feeling impatient to get to work, but there wasn’t much they could do at the early hour. Even during the summer tourist months, stores didn’t open until nine in the morning, and it was only seven forty-five now. She could see Griff doing the time calculation in his head. After a long moment, he looked up and held her gaze. “I’d really like you and Denali to head back to the ranch. I can mount the camera and take care of things from here.”

“I’m not bringing danger to the ranch.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she held up a hand. “This is not negotiable. Besides, this guy is preoccupied with me, which means he’s not out there hunting, kidnapping, and harming another girl. If it’s too late for Wendy, the least we can do is protect other women.”

Griff shook his head. “I refuse to use you as bait.”

“Chase would not like that,” Joel agreed with a dark frown.

She wasn’t fond of that idea herself but forced a smile. “Let’s use the word distraction. My presence will keep him distracted and nearby while we gather evidence to identify him.”

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