Page 49 of Scent of Evil
“Oh, great. I’ll take those.” She reached for his clothes. “I’m tossing everything in the washer.”
“Thanks.” He watched her for a moment, keenly aware of how beautiful she was. The fact that she hadn’t smacked him when he’d kissed her made him wonder how she’d react if he kissed her again.
A real kiss this time.
When she disappeared into the laundry room, he turned away, allowing the scent of pepperoni to lead him back to the kitchen. Griff was still focused on his computer, giving Justin the impression the guy could work in the middle of a rugby match without losing his concentration.
“It’s almost ready,” Cami said. “Please have a seat.”
He noticed Ginny had finished eating and was in the living room working on a project. Rather than sitting under the table the way their K9s usually did during mealtimes, Stone had jumped up to sleep beside Ginny. She stroked his fur as she worked. He smiled, hoping the girl took some solace from Stone’s presence. And he prayed she hadn’t suffered any nightmares from being abducted by Decker.
“Can I help?” In their family, everyone chipped in.
“No, please, just sit down. It’s ready.” Cami pulled the pizza out of the oven and set it on a cutting board. After slicing it, she brought it to the table. Raine joined them a minute later.
He was about to say grace when Griff said, “I don’t believe it.”
“What?” He jumped up to go around to see the screen for himself. There was a driver’s license photo on the screen. He frowned. “That looks like Decker.”
“Yep. Because Decker and Jim Kluck are one and the same.” Griff shook his head slowly as Raine gasped and quickly joined them. “Kluck is an alias. There’s no background on the guy at all, so I was suspicious. That previous address? It’s bogus. The deputy who headed over said it was an abandoned building.”
Justin stared at the face on the screen. Decker and Kluck were the same person. Now he understood why the cabin had been wired to blow. And it made sense that Decker had made a beeline for the place the minute he’d gotten out. If he hadn’t stopped to kidnap Ginny, giving in to his evil weakness, they’d never have found him.
Yet he couldn’t help but wonder if Decker had other aliases at his disposal. And if so, how in the world could they find him?
12
“That’s insane.” Raine stared at Griff in horror. “How could we not have known about Decker’s alias?”
“I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t.” Griff scrubbed his hands over his face. “If I had known Decker and Kluck were one and the same, I’d have arranged for an entire team to converge on that cabin. I didn’t even notice the resemblance right away because Decker’s hair was shaved while being in prison.”
“I’m glad you didn’t, as it was nothing more than a trap.” Raine threaded her fingers through her still-damp hair. Showering felt wonderful, and the pizza smelled good too. But this news rattled her.
She turned away to grab her phone. “I need to call my boss. Mike Rowe had a hand in the original investigation and arrest of Decker. We need to review his case file again, see if there is anything that will lead us to where Decker is now.”
“Good idea,” Griff agreed.
“Hold on, Raine, please eat first,” Cami said. “Don’t let your food get cold.”
As Justin had already taken a seat at the table, she set her phone aside and dropped into the empty chair beside him. He looked amazing, and she tried not to remember the way he’d kissed her.
“Okay, we’ll eat first.” She went along with the idea because they needed strength for what the rest of the day might bring. And she’d downed four ibuprofen to help with her headache and sore muscles.
“I’d like to say grace.” Justin flashed her a smile, then reached for her hand. Caught off guard, she didn’t pull away; instead, she bowed her head to listen. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for saving our lives today. We ask for Your continued strength and guidance as we seek this evil man. Please also bless this food. Amen.”
“Amen.” The response came naturally after the way she’d prayed earlier as they strove to escape the fire. When Justin gently squeezed her hand, she smiled at him. “Thanks, that was nice.”
“Anytime.” After a long second, he released her and reached for his pizza. “Thanks, Cami. This smells delicious.”
“Cooking a frozen pizza is the least I can do.” Cami’s expression turned somber as she glanced toward her daughter and Stone. “Although I really wish Decker was back behind bars.”
“Me too,” Justin agreed.
“We’ll get him.” Raine strove to sound confident. She gestured to the topographical map Justin had brought inside. “What’s the closest town to the cabin?”
Griff peered at the map. “Saddlestring is to the northeast, and Hazeltown is southeast of Buffalo and the cabin.”
She bit into her pizza, thinking about the two options. “Saddlestring is unincorporated and doesn’t have much to offer as far as an escape plan. Decker needs another vehicle if he intends to leave the area.”
