Page 56 of Scent of Evil
Decker had been there!
“Good boy,” Justin called softly. He didn’t throw the stuffed penguin, and she belatedly remembered it had been in the saddle bags that were right now heading toward Sheridan, Wyoming. “Search Decker.”
Despite not having his favorite toy as a reward, Stone jumped up and went back to work. She caught sight of something blue buried in some brush along the back of the property. Before she could move closer, Stone headed in the same direction.
Her breath caught in her throat as Stone once again buried his nose near the bush, then sat and barked.
“That’s the four-wheeler.” She ran forward to see the machine for herself. Then she turned toward Justin. “Did you get a look at the ATV? Was it blue like this one?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t see it. I only heard it from a distance. But Stone alerted on it, so I’m sure that’s the one Decker had been using.”
She agreed with that assessment. A sense of dread washed over her. If Decker had been here, she felt certain the convict had taken Stringer’s Ford Explorer. “Let’s keep going.”
“Good boy!” Justin bent to lavish the lab with praise, then stood and gestured toward the house. “We need to be careful. I don’t trust Decker not to have booby-trapped the place.”
“He wouldn’t have had time or the materials for that.” She moved swiftly toward the back of the house, closest to the four-wheeler. “And really, there’s no reason for him to cover his tracks. He picked a place that’s isolated from the others. If not for Dawn missing Colin’s routine visit to the mini-mart, we’d never know Decker was here.”
“Still, we can’t afford to take any chances.” Justin’s jaw was set in a stubborn line. “This guy is capable of anything.”
“I know. But I need to search inside.” She cautiously approached the set of patio doors. There wasn’t a formal deck, but the ground was packed down, and a few chairs were set up in a circle around a small fire pit.
The patio doors were closed. Cupping her hands around her face, she peered inside.
Her heart sank. Colin’s body was lying on the floor near the patio doors. He was lying on his back, face up with what looked like gunshot wound in the center of his chest, blood spread across the hardwood floor beneath him. Colin had been shot at close range, just like the first victim had been. The one found at the side of the road.
Decker had been there and was likely using Colin’s black Ford Explorer as an escape vehicle.
As awful as she felt about Colin’s murder, she was grateful for the lead. Maybe they’d find the Explorer in time to save Amanda.
* * *
Justin helpedRaine clear the area, verifying the Explorer was missing and was likely being used by Decker. He shouldn’t have been surprised Decker had killed another man. The guy was evil and cold-blooded in his desperate need to escape.
He had no doubt the convict would continue to leave a string of bodies behind. Hopefully not Amanda’s.Please, not Amanda’s.
For the second time since learning about the girl’s abduction, he silently prayed.Please, Lord Jesus, keep Amanda safe in Your care! Guide us so we can find and rescue her before it’s too late!
He listened as Raine pulled out her phone and called Griff. “Colin Stringer has been murdered, and Stone alerted on Decker’s scent near an abandoned four-wheeler. We have reason to believe Decker is in a black Ford Explorer owned by Stringer. We need to issue a BOLO on that vehicle ASAP!”
He couldn’t hear Griff’s side of the conversation but figured his brother-in-law was already following through on their new intel. The air wasn’t smoky there, and he felt certain the forest fire had been mostly extinguished by the storm.
Ironic how Raine’s decision to head into the mini-mart to talk to Dawn and handing over her business card had led them there.
That thought made him wonder how long ago Stringer had been murdered. At least an hour, likely longer. Yet he wasn’t sure how Decker had gotten to Sheridan to snatch another girl so quickly.
“Good, thanks. Let us know if Logan sees anything.” Raine finally lowered her phone. “Every cop in the state will be searching for the Ford Explorer.” Their phones buzzed as the Amber Alert was updated to include the vehicle information. “I’m hopeful we’ll find Decker.”
“Good. If anyone deserves to rot in jail, it’s him.” Jail was almost too good for him, but it wasn’t up to him to be judge and jury. He’d settle for Decker being stuck in solitary for a long time. He gestured to the patio doors where they’d found Colin’s body. “How long before the locals to show up? It would be nice to have an estimated time of death.”
“Soon, but we’re not waiting.” Raine turned to head to the front of the house. “I want to get to Sheridan.”
“Come, Stone.” He waited for the yellow lab to bound over, then quickly caught up to Raine. “Trevor will start the search for Amanda.”
“I know. But I can’t help but feel guilty that Decker has been on the run for this long already.” She shook her head wearily. “Most convicts are caught within the first few hours. It’s rare that they escape for this long, much less continue to commit crimes.”
Frustration laced her tone. He opened the back hatch with his key fob. “Up, Stone.”
His lab leaped inside the crate area, tail wagging as if ready for the next search game. His K9 was raring to go, his previous exhaustion sated after his long nap.
