Page 46 of Scent of Death

“I see that.” She frowned. “None of these names are familiar. The older guy, Gary’s name isn’t on the Greybull list either.”

“That’s okay. With only six trucks listed, we’ll drive around until we find them all.” He rose. “Do you need anything from the room?” He was anxious to hit the road.

“More water for Denali.” Alexis turned to head toward their suite. “I’ll refill the empty water bottles from the sink.”

He didn’t argue, knowing that giving the K9 water was part of the search routine. Alexis had mentioned how important it was to keep the dog’s mucous membranes moist. Something even more crucial in these hot summer months.

Five minutes later, they were back in the SUV. He’d completely forgotten about taking ibuprofen for his knee and decided it could wait.

Maureen could not.

He scanned the six addresses and plugged them into the map app on his phone. After taking a moment to get his bearings, he chose the address closest to their current location. Interestingly, it was also the closest house to the campground where Maureen had been taken. He doubted this guy would be that stupid, but stranger things had happened. Especially since he knew this guy was spiraling out of control. “Okay, turn right on 2ndAvenue. The house we’re looking for is halfway down.”

She nodded and made the turn. Upon reaching the halfway point, she slowed to a stop. “Which side of the street?”

“North side.” He checked the address, then eyed the house numbers. “That’s it, the dark-brown two-story.”

“I don’t see a truck,” Alexis said. “It’s either in the garage, or the owner could be at work. But we can see if Denali alerts.”

Going up the truck owner’s driveway would technically be trespassing, but he didn’t hesitate. “Go ahead. See what she does.” Even as he said the words, he knew he was pushing it.

Maybe they couldn’t use the search in court, but Maureen’s life was at stake. As far as he was concerned, the missing teenager along with Lindsey who saw a large gray truck was more than enough of a coincidence to use exigent circumstances to do what might otherwise be considered an unlawful search.

And if Denali alerted, he wouldn’t hesitate to break down the front door to search inside the house.

Alexis parked and released the hatch. He got out of the car, standing nearby to watch Denali work. He found himself holding his breath as the K9 sniffed along the end of the driveway, then made her way up to the closed garage door.

He half expected someone to come out of the front door, demanding to know what they were doing. He alternated between watching Denali and the main entrance.

Unfortunately, the dog didn’t alert, even when Alexis had the dog sniff along the closed driveway door and all the way up the front walkway. Nobody came out of the house either. Or peered at them through the windows as far as he could tell.

He swallowed a groan. One down, five more to go.

Griff tried not to think about what his next step would be if Denali didn’t alert on any of the vehicles here in Greybull. Sure, they could check Cody next as that town wasn’t too far away, but after that?

He scanned the list. There was no feasible way they could check every single one of the fifty-two trucks scattered across the state in eight different cities.

If they didn’t find something soon, he feared Maureen Kaufman would pay the price.

11

Alexis tried not to feel disappointed that Denali hadn’t alerted. Obviously, there were still five more trucks to check. Yet thinking of what Griff had said about the truck possibly being registered to someone else gave her pause. “What if this guy isn’t living here? If he’s driving a car registered to a parent or older sibling, maybe he keeps the truck someplace else.”

Griff nodded slowly. “You have a point. You may want to get into the SUV, while I check the garage.”

She frowned, but then realized he may need a quick escape if anyone saw him peering through windows. “Okay. Come, Denali.” Using her key fob, she opened the back hatch.

As she settled behind the wheel, she watched as Griff moved around to the side of the garage not attached to the house. She started the engine and eased forward to see better.

There was a window along the side wall. Griff was over six feet tall, but he had to stretch out to look inside. Then he turned away and jogged toward her. A moment later, he slid into the passenger seat.

“The truck is inside, so I think we can safely cross this one off our list.” He clipped his seat belt. “Good thinking on your part, Alexis. I’m glad we checked.”

She hoped he didn’t notice her blush. “Me too. What’s the next destination?”

Griff consulted his phone. “Ah, we’re going to head to 5thAvenue. The addresses are confusing. Main Street is really 6thStreet. But then there’s a 6thAvenue too.”

“I’m sure most people here don’t bother to use street names; they find places via landmarks.” She glanced at him. “In a town this size, everyone knows everyone else, including where they live.”

---