Page 65 of Scent of Death

“Not yet.” Alexis looked from him to Paul. “I don’t hear a four-wheeler, so we’ll either come across a road or he’s hiding someplace.”

Denali abruptly stopped, sniffing one specific spot for a long moment before turning to glance up at Alexis. When Alexis put her finger to her lips, Denali simply sat there looking at her.

Griff was impressed and bent to examine the ground. Denali had jumped over a log or two, which had to be a shortcut as the four-wheeler wouldn’t have been able to do that. He remembered that dogs could track skin cells that were left behind along with beads of sweat. He didn’t dare use his phone but studied the ground from different angles.

There. He could make out the barest hint of tire tracks.

Denali had come through. They were on Jenkins’s trail.

Alexis lowered herself to the ground, drawing Denali down too. “Rest, girl,” she whispered.

Denali stretched out beside her and lowered her head between her paws, clearly familiar with the routine.

Paul stood beside Griff. “I don’t like feeling exposed,” he whispered. “We can barely see six inches in front of our faces.”

“I don’t either.” Sweeping his gaze over the area, he tried not to imagine Jenkins sitting out there, waiting for them. “I’m sure he’s far from here, but we need to try.”

“Okay.” Paul didn’t look thrilled.

Alexis waited a full five minutes before struggling to her feet. In a low whisper, she said, “Search, Denali. Search bad guy.”

Denali followed the softly spoken command, putting her nose to the ground and moving forward through the woods. Griff made sure he was between Denali and Alexis, leaving Paul to cover their back. And to help Alexis if she succumbed to her injuries.

They walked another ten minutes in silence before Denali abruptly veered to the left. The darkness made it difficult to see, but he believed the path was wide enough for a four-wheeler.

The K9 took them up a gradual incline. He tensed, trying to see if Jenkins was up ahead, waiting for them. He pulled his weapon, holding it down at his side, and hoped Paul had done the same.

Better to be ready for the worst-case scenario.

Denali seemed to be on a mission. She pushed forward as if eager to find the bad guy. Griff knew the Sullivan K9s viewed the search as a game, but in this instance, he was convinced the dog understood this search to be different.

There was a break in the trees allowing moonlight to stream through. Catching a glimpse of a large rock, he stopped.

Alexis seemed to read his mind. “Denali, stop. Heel.”

The words hung in the air for a second. Then a crack of gunfire rang out. Griff dropped to the ground, turning to cover Alexis with his body. It took a moment for Denali to wheel around to join them. He eased to the side so that Alexis could draw her K9 close.

They’d found Jenkins.

Unfortunately, the killer had the advantage over them. Perched on higher ground, Jenkins could see them better than they could see him. Even worse, the guy had a handgun and probably a rifle, too.

It was only a matter of time before he fired again.

15

Covering Denali with her body, Alexis braced for more gunfire. Her pulse had jumped into the triple digits, and her breathing went shallow. Between her pounding headache and her screaming ribs, she wanted nothing more than to turn around and crawl back to the cabin.

But that wasn’t an option.

She tried to take a deep breath, ignoring the fiery pain that lanced through her. Tyler had them pinned down. How well could he see them in the darkness? She wasn’t sure and was afraid to move to find out.

“Paul,” Griff whispered. The deputy was on her left, Griff to her right. They spoke in hushed tones over her head. “We need to split up and box him in.”

“Okay,” Paul agreed.

“Wait.” She grasped Griff’s arm to keep him from moving. Keeping her voice low, she asked, “You’re going up the incline?”

“You have a better idea?” Griff’s mouth was near her ear. “He has at least two weapons and who knows how much ammo.”

---