Page 33 of Scent of Death

“No. His escalation is a sign of losing control.” Griff stared at the freshly turned dirt. “I should dig a bit to make sure the victim is Wendy. I trust Denali’s nose; someone is down there. We’re assuming Wendy, but it could be someone else.”

The possibility was horrifying. Could this guy have killed another girl so soon?

Yes, he could have. Anyone who would strangle women, bury them in the wilderness, attempt to poison her dog, and shoot at a fed could do anything.

Griff hung his head for a moment. “I can’t believe he made his way back here between the various attempts he made toward you.”

“Both of us.” She stepped closer, putting a hand on his chest. “This isn’t your fault, Griff. The killer did this, not you.”

He covered her hand with his. “I failed to find Wendy in time.”

Her heart ached for him and for Wendy’s grandmother. She moved closer, sliding her arms around his waist to hug him. “You didn’t fail. You’ve been doing everything possible to find him.”

Griff froze for a second, then hauled her close, burying his face against her hair. She held him, wishing she could say or do something to make him feel better.

“We’re going to find him,” she whispered. “At some point, he’ll make a mistake, and we’ll find him.”

She leaned back, tipping her head up to look at him. As before, his gaze clung to hers, then dropped to her mouth. A secret thrill ran through her. When he didn’t move, she went up on her tippy toes to kiss him.

The chaste kiss instantly morphed into something more. He crushed her close and deepened their kiss. Logical thought evaporated like mist. Her mind only knew Griff’s mouth on hers and his warm embrace.

Denali nudged her, breaking the moment. Griff lifted his head, and she frowned when she noticed the regret there. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I kissed you.” Stung by his words, she stepped back and took the piggy from Denali. “But don’t worry, it was just a kiss. I don’t expect anything from you.”

“Alexis.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I care about you, but I also need to stay focused on finding this guy.”

Did that mean she was a distraction? That the awareness sizzling between them wasn’t one-sided? She forced a smile. “I understand. There’s work to be done. Let’s get those cameras mounted.”

He looked like he might say something more but then stepped back to shrug out of the backpack. As he pulled the cameras, hammer, and nails from the pack, she walked the area, searching for a good tree to use as a mounting post.

“How about here?” She motioned to a tree that overlooked two of the three gravesites. The first one she’d found was farther from the others.

“I like it.” Griff glanced around. “I need a tree stump to stand on.”

Denali followed her like a shadow as she searched for something appropriate. When she found one, it was too heavy to lift, so she rolled it toward him.

“I’ve got it.” Griff grunted as he lifted the stump. Five minutes later, he had the camera mounted to the tree. As it was tan, green, and brown camouflage in color, it blended pretty well with the tree trunk.

“I think the second camera should go up on the other side, closest to the first grave.” Alexis gestured with her hand.

Griff nodded and hauled his log step stool across the open field. Once the second camera was mounted, he headed back to the fresh grave.

“I don’t have cell service, do you?” He looked up at her from the edge of the dirt.

“No, but the sat phone should be in the pack.” She rummaged through the items, finding the phone near the bottom. She turned it on and nodded with satisfaction. “Ready to go.”

“Thanks.” He dug through the dirt with gloved hands. The grave was so fresh it was easy to sift the dirt away to expose the body. It was a young woman.

Her stomach rolled, and when Griff brushed the dirt away from the face, Alexis had to look away.

“It’s Wendy.” He sounded sad. “Looks as if she was strangled like the others.”

Alexis toed the satellite phone. “Make the call. We’ll have to stick around here until the crime scene techs show up.”

Griff removed his gloves and reached for the phone. She scanned their surroundings but didn’t see anything alarming.

Denali would alert her if the guy was close. Although earlier, she hadn’t done that because the wind had been coming in from the opposite direction.

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