Page 53 of Scent of Evil
“Oh yes, lots of families stay there.” Dawn spread her hands. “But the season is over. They’re only open in the summer months. By September 1, they’re closed.”
“Okay.” Raine’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad to hear it. Thanks again.”
Justin understood her concern. “Are there other young girls living in the area?” he asked as they headed back outside. “We can stop there to check on them.”
“I have the address of a couple with two daughters; it’s not far.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she glanced at him. “Great minds think alike.”
He ached to pull her into his arms, but he managed to ignore the urge. She looked both frail and strong at the same time.
“How far is the address?” Justin opened her door for her.
“Just a few miles up the road and to the left.” She slid into the passenger seat. “It won’t take long, but I need to make sure the girls are safe.”
He wasn’t about to argue. He quickly clued Trevor in on the detour, then settled in behind the wheel. Moments later, they were on the road heading through the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Saddlestring.
“Up there, turn left on Bear Creek Road.” She leaned forward as he made the turn. “It’s a brown house about a mile down on the right.”
He nodded, noting that Trevor followed behind them. Finding the house wasn’t difficult. A pretty woman and her teenage daughter were working in the garden. That was when he noticed the rain had finally stopped.
“Nothing appears amiss.” He pulled over to the side of the road and put the SUV in park.
“I know, but I want to talk to them anyway.” She opened her door. “There’s another daughter here, too, that I don’t see.”
Before he could respond, she shut the door and crossed over to the woman and her daughter. He climbed out of the driver’s seat but couldn’t hear the details of the conversation. The woman and her daughter greeted Raine with a smile at first, then frowned as she explained the purpose of her visit. The mother instinctively wrapped her arm around her teenage daughter, pulling her close.
A second girl came out of the house, younger than the one who’d been helping in the garden. She had a book tucked under her arm and was heading for the hammock when her mother called her over.
It didn’t take long for the woman to hustle both girls into the house. Raine returned looking grim. “I’ve warned them about Decker. They promised to help spread the word to other families.”
“You did good.” He reached over to touch her arm. “Best that they understand the risk.”
“Yeah.” She sighed and turned to look back at the house. “I just pray they stay safe.”
As he was about to give her a reassuring hug, her phone rang. She pulled it out and said, “It’s Griff.” Then she answered, putting the call on speaker. “Hey, Griff, did you find something that will help us find him?”
“I’m afraid I’m calling with bad news,” Griff said. “An eight-year-old girl was abducted from Sheridan, Wyoming. Her name is Amanda Cates, and she’s been gone about thirty minutes.”
As if on cue, their phones buzzed with the Amber Alert.
“Sheridan? That’s miles from here.” Raine lifted her tortured gaze to his. “How could Decker have gotten that far in such a short time?”
“We don’t know for sure Decker’s behind her abduction,” Griff said. “Nobody saw anything useful. No description of the guy either. Just a frantic mother reporting her missing.”
“If it’s not Decker, it’s a strange coincidence,” Justin said. “But I agree with Raine, there’s no way Decker could have gotten as far as Sheridan on a four-wheeler. Not without help.”
“Maybe he has help,” Griff pointed out. “I’ve been trying to see if he has other aliases out there but haven’t found any yet. In the meantime, I’d like you to drive to Sheridan to help search for her.”
“Absolutely,” Justin agreed. “We’ll get there as quickly as possible.”
“Send me all the information you have on Amanda,” Raine said. “And is there any way to get Logan over there to do a flyover? At the very least, he should be able to see if Decker is still on the four-wheeler.”
“I’ll ask him to do that, but I doubt Decker still has the ATV.” Griff sounded almost apologetic. “As you said, a four-wheeler wouldn’t get him that far.”
“Understood. Thanks for trying.” She ended the call, her expression stricken. “Another girl, Justin. I can’t stand knowing he’s taken another girl!”
“I know.” He pulled her in for a quick hug, his heart aching for the missing Amanda.
The embrace ended quickly, and he gestured for Trevor to follow as he slid in behind the wheel.
