Page 66 of Scent of Death

Wincing, she knew he was right. What choice did they have? Griff and Paul heading up the mountain would leave her and Denali vulnerable. It was a better alternative than leaving the area, allowing Tyler the opportunity to escape.

No, that wasn’t an option. Tyler would kill again. He was sick, partially through no fault of his own if his mother really had abused him. Yet every abused child didn’t turn into a serial killer.

Besides, was her staying here any different than her original plan to use herself as bait? Nope.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll draw his attention so you and Paul can move.”

Griff frowned but must have realized there wasn’t another option. “Use a rock, tossing it behind you while keeping your head down.”

“Okay.” She steeled her resolve to do her best. It would be easier if she didn’t have Denali at her side. She worried the white areas of the dog’s coat would be too easily seen. Tyler had made it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her K9.

The ground beneath her fingers was dry. But there was some loose dirt. Digging her fingernails into the earth provided enough dust to help hide the white fur.

Griff must have been feeling along the ground, too, because he pressed a rock into her palm. “Here. When you toss it, we’ll make our move.”

Curling her fingers around the rock, she nodded. Then remembering how Tyler had ordered her to shut up, she whispered, “He has control issues. I’m going to start talking to him. He won’t like it, but you need to use that as your opportunity to move.”

“Be careful.” Griff stared down at her for a moment, then surprised her by giving her a quick kiss. Then he inched farther to the right to get ready to move. Paul mirrored his actions, inching slightly to the left.

She drew a breath, and shouted, “Tyler, it’s over! Give yourself up!” Griff and Paul moved as she spoke. On the last word, she tossed the rock over her shoulder. It hit the ground with a dull thud. She quickly bent over Denali and smeared more dirt over the K9’s coat.

The responding gunfire was instantaneous. She flinched, but the shot went over her head in the same trajectory as the rock.

Her heart hammered against her sternum, but she forced herself to stay put. It wasn’t easy. Feeling around in the earth, her fingers closed on another rock. It was smaller, though. She wasn’t sure it would draw Tyler’s attention.

But she had to try.

“The cops are going to find you,” she called. “It’s only a matter of time.” Again, she tossed the rock over her shoulder.

Tyler fired again, but this time, the bullet hit the ground just three feet away from her location. She froze, her throat tightening with fear.

Could he see her? Or was he aiming at the sound of her voice?

Likely the latter, as the rock she’d tossed had barely made a sound. Digging in the dirt, she didn’t find any more rocks to use either. There was plenty of debris, though, and she slowly finished smearing bits of dirt, grass, and leaves into the white patches on Denali’s coat. She relaxed a bit when she noticed the dog was much harder to see now as a result of her efforts.

How much time would Griff and Paul need to get into position?

With deliberate slowness, she scooted backward toward the base of a tree. If she could use it as cover, she could keep Tyler occupied a while longer.

She hoped.

Her fingers stumbled over a stick. It was too light to make a sound hitting the dirt, but maybe she could toss it high enough to make the leaves flutter. A long shot, but she was running out of options.

“Tyler!” She shouted his name at the top of her lungs. “Stop this right now! You’re a very naughty boy!” On the last word, she threw the stick up into the tree branches, then quickly pulled Denali behind the wide trunk.

This time there was a momentary hesitation before she heard the resounding crack of gunfire. The slight pause in his reaction made her wonder if he’d momentarily imagined it was his mother yelling at him.

If so, she’d gladly play that role as long as possible.

Sweeping her hands along the ground, she searched for more rocks and sticks but found nothing.

She closed her eyes in despair. She couldn’t fail Griff and Paul. She just couldn’t!

Swallowing against the pain, she stretched out on her stomach, reaching her arms wide. This time, she found another rock. A bigger one than before. She drew it close, then rolled to her back. Denali licked her cheek.

“Stay,” she whispered. Then she forced herself into a sitting position. She had to wait for the pain to recede before she could call out to Tyler again. “You better listen to me, Tyler,” she shouted. “You know what happens when Mommy gets mad!”

She threw the rock with all her strength, which honestly wasn’t saying much. Again, there was a brief pause before the responding gunfire. She almost screamed, though, when the bullet hit the tree she and Denali were using for cover.

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