Page 59 of Scent of Death

A sense of peace washed over him. He could do this. Alexis would know he was coming, that’s why she set the key fob beside the gun.

Stepping back, he closed the back hatch, then ran around to the driver’s seat. His thoughts whirled as he drove to the cabin.

Was Maureen still alive? If so, they had two potential hostages. That wasn’t good, yet he tried to believe the two women wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.Especially Alexis, he silently admitted. It would not surprise him if Alexis did something to draw Jenkins’s attention away from the seventeen-year-old, even if that meant getting hurt or even killed in the process.

He and the other deputies would need to have a plan to prevent that from happening. He told himself Jenkins wasn’t as smart as he thought. Using the same spot in the mountains to bury his bodies was proof of that.

At some point, Griff needed to call his boss who was no doubt getting an earful from Cheri. She’d looked annoyed to realize her services weren’t needed after all.

Not that he cared, as she hadn’t given them anything useful to go on in the first place.

He took Highway 14 past the intersection that led to the shooting location. He wondered how Jenkins had gotten from this location to the highway and subsequently to the hotel without them noticing.

There must be another street that crosses the river. Or the Ram had taken a wide circle around the neighborhood to get past them. The latter option was more likely, as Jenkins obviously knew the neighborhood better than they did.

If only he’d chosen to check those properties first! Maybe they’d already be on their way to the cabin, rather than giving Jenkins the opportunity to take a shot at them.

He shook off the thought. Going back and wishing he’d done things differently was a waste of time. He needed to deal with the reality that Jenkins had Alexis and might already be drugging her to kill her.

The way he had his other victims.

Denali let out a whine as he drove. He glanced at the rearview mirror to see she had her head up. The dog was perceptive enough to know Alexis was in danger.

“Soon, girl.” He spoke to the dog the way Alexis would have if she was here and was surprised at how much he believed the K9 could understand his words. “We’re going to find her very soon.”

There was a thumping sound as her wagging tail hit the bottom of the crate in response.

If only Denali could talk, he’d know more. Then again, he wasn’t sure how it was that Denali hadn’t alerted Alexis to the danger in the first place. Had they been wrong about the dog latching onto the killer’s scent?

No way, Denali had proved herself over and over, tracking the suspect’s scent several times, and they’d found the shell casings nearby too.

His phone rang, and he recognized Paul’s name on the screen. “Take a left-hand turn off Highway 14 to Hawkeye Road. You’ll find us about two miles down the road.”

“I’ll be there soon.” Of course, the deputies had gotten there before he had. First, Cheri Aztec had held him up, and the hotel was farther away.

He increased his speed but then had to abruptly slow down as the beams of his headlights flashed on the street sign identifying Hawkeye Road. He made the turn, his headlights illuminating the cracked asphalt road.

It was surprising how quickly darkness had fallen. Forced into driving slower than he liked, he navigated the curvy road. It was after one sharp turn that he saw the two sheriff’s deputy squads parked off to one side.

Only two? His heart sank. After pulling off the road behind them, he killed the engine and hit the button to open the back hatch for Denali.

If Alexis wasn’t at the cabin, he prayed Denali would be able to lead them to wherever Jenkins had taken her.

If the guy used his truck to take Alexis somewhere far away, they’d be out of luck. They’d have a better chance of finding her if the perp used his four-wheeler.

“Okay, the cabin you’ve identified is about two miles from here,” Paul said in lieu of a greeting. “I agree that we should go in on foot, surrounding the cabin.”

“Keep in mind we don’t know if he has cameras posted around the property,” Griff said. “I’m worried we’ll tip our hand.”

Paul frowned. “I’m open to suggestions.”

“I don’t have any.” Griff raked his hand through his hair. Then his gaze landed on Denali. “I could send Denali in first, see if she raises an alarm from anyone inside.” He hesitated, then added, “I’m not sure Alexis will appreciate this approach. I believe she left Denali behind on purpose to protect her K9. We already know Jenkins tried to poison the dog to eliminate her from the equation.”

Paul glanced at the dog who stood beside Griff, her nose in the air as if she were already trying to find Alexis. “Alexis might not like the plan, but I do.”

Griff knew if anything happened to Denali, Alexis would never speak to him again. And he wouldn’t blame her. But he’d rather have her alive and angry with him than dead. He looked back at Paul. “We need to get closer to the cabin. Denali can’t follow a scent trail from this far back, not if the killer drove here with Alexis in the truck.”

“Understood.” Paul gestured to Cameron. “Let’s drive a little closer so we only have to walk a mile or so.”

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