Page 40 of Scent of Death

“Amen.” Griff’s fingers tightened on hers for a moment before he withdrew. “Thanks, Alexis. I hope we are able to find him soon.”

Their burgers were good, and they ate in silence. Alexis was surprised her appetite had returned. She wasn’t sure how Griff handled the violent crimes he investigated.

Not that searching disaster sites with Denali for victims was easy.

When they finished, she headed for the restroom with Denali on her heels. When she emerged, she saw Griff was already at the bar, chatting with the customers. He crossed over to join her. “Nobody knows anyone living in the area with a light-colored Ram truck, and the town is small enough that they would.”

“Maybe he lives in Greybull after all.” She started the SUV remotely as they walked toward it.

“I need to talk to Barbara Evers,” Griff said, his expression grim. “After that, we’ll go over the list of light-colored Ram trucks.”

“Okay.” The description was their best lead. Everyone in Wyoming drove trucks, vans, or SUVs. The weather made them a necessity. But the state also wasn’t as highly populated as Colorado or others. Maybe they would find something to go on.

They quickly covered the distance between Shell and Greybull. Griff gave her directions to Barbara Evers’s home. When she pulled into the driveway, she noticed an older woman peeking out the window.

“Wait here.” Griff pushed out of the car and strode to the front door. Barbara had already opened it and stepped out. The hopeful expression on her face collapsed as Griff spoke. Then she was sobbing into her hands. Griff pulled her close and patted her back.

Alexis blinked away her tears. Three dead girls and only a vague description of a car and the man responsible to go on.

She closed her eyes and prayed again for strength and guidance.

Givingdeath notifications was the worst part of the job. Griff had done it more as a cop than in his role within the bureau. Yet he was shocked by the strength of Barbara’s faith as she pulled herself together. “Thanks, Griff. I’m going to take some comfort in knowing Wendy is with God now.”

“I’m doing everything possible to find this guy.”

“I know you are.” Barbara offered a watery smile. “Will you let me know when that happens?”

“Of course.” That was the least he could do. “Please take care of yourself.”

“You be careful too.” Barbara patted his arm, then stepped back. “You know, I had a bad feeling she was dead. I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew she was gone.”

He didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded and turned to head back to the SUV. He drew in a deep steadying breath before opening the door. That Barbara could find peace knowing Wendy was in heaven humbled him.

Maybe it was time for him to accept the idea Grace was in a better place too.

“Are you okay?” Alexis’s gaze mirrored concern. “That must have been difficult.”

“Barbara Evers shares your faith.” He eyed the small house as Alexis backed out of the driveway. “She’s dealing with the loss better than I could have imagined.”

“Faith and prayer can ease the grief,” Alexis murmured. “We leaned on our faith after losing our parents, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t miss them. Barbara will miss her granddaughter for a long time.”

He nodded, tearing his gaze from the Evers’s home. “I hope I can figure out a way to narrow that list of trucks.”

“We will.” She sounded confident, but he wasn’t convinced. Checking his phone, he grimaced when he didn’t see the email yet. Being back in Greybull was unsettling. It was only a few hours ago that the killer had tried to poison Denali.

Was he still in the area? “Keep your eye out for big trucks.”

“I’ve noticed two black Ram trucks.” She glanced at him. “They’re rather distinctive, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, that’s the one thing in our favor.” He scanned the vehicles as she drove through town. “As much as I’d like to keep driving around, we need a hotel. I want to print the truck list when I get it. That way we can both look it over.”

“We could go back to the hotel where we spent the night. Could be our guy won’t expect us to return there.”

Griff mulled over that for a moment. It wasn’t as if they had many options. Maybe she was right that the killer would think they’d avoid the place. “Okay, that works.”

Alexis drove through town, past the campground and the hardware store. There were more vehicles out and about, and when he caught sight of a large Ram truck sitting in the parking lot of the Attwell Restaurant, he grasped her arm. “Turn in there.”

She hit the brake and made the turn. The truck looked new, which didn’t match the description provided by Tim Johnson. Yet it had been dark, close to midnight. Maybe the kid had made a mistake.

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