Page 3 of Scent of Evil
He pushed the speed limit as much as he dared, considering his cargo. He would have rather run the horses back to the ranch, but there wasn’t time. One of the problems of doing SAR missions in Wyoming was not only the mountainous terrain, but also the miles of distance between towns.
After bringing up Allen Decker’s mug shot on his phone, Justin made a point of eyeballing the drivers of the vehicles around him. None looked like Decker, although he knew it was possible the guy was using a disguise.
When his phone rang, displaying US Marshal Raine Whitman’s name on the screen, he answered. In the back crate, Stone lifted his head, his ears pricked forward with interest. “Raine?”
“Decker has Ginny.” Her voice held a note of panic. “He’s in Buffalo and has my niece.”
The statement shocked him. “Are you sure?”
“She called, said he was there. She was hiding, but I heard him breaking in.” Her voice trembled, then steadied. “The police should be there by now too. Maybe they’ll be able to stop him. How close are you?”
“Five miles.” Justin instinctively pressed harder on the gas.
“Hurry. I may be a few minutes behind you.” Raine abruptly ended the call.
Justin couldn’t believe Decker had gone after Raine’s niece in Buffalo. Why would he do such a thing? The perp had to know that Raine would anticipate his movements.
As the highway curved, he slowed, double-checking the trailer in the rearview mirror. He used his GPS system to reach Raine’s sister’s home, nestled toward the back of a dead-end road. He pulled over to the side and hit the release for the back hatch. After the long drive, Stone didn’t hesitate to jump down.
“Come, Stone.” He ran toward the police cruiser, his lab keeping pace beside him. There was the high-pitched sound of a small engine, maybe a four-wheeler or a motorbike. He frowned when he saw a rusty black Ford F-150 truck. The way it was parked down the street made him think Decker had driven it there. He caught up to the sheriff’s deputy, someone he didn’t recognize. His name tag identified him as Bolton. “Did you find Ginny?”
“Who are you?” Deputy Bolton frowned, then must have noticed Stone. “Oh, you’re one of the Sullivans I’ve heard so much about.”
“Justin.” He nodded and gestured to his K9. “This is Stone. We’re here because there’s a pedophile on the loose, and Ginny is in danger.”
He’d barely finished talking when an SUV zoomed up the street, stopping so abruptly the vehicle jerked. A second later, a short slender woman with long dark hair strode toward them. From the tense expression on her face, he knew she was Raine Whitman. She was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a marshal badge on her chest. Raine glanced from him to the deputy. “Where’s Ginny?”
Deputy Bolton threw up his hands. “I don’t know who Ginny is, but there’s nobody here.”
Raine paled, then bolted past the deputy and headed for the house. Instinctively, Justin followed with Stone beside him. When he noticed the damage to the front door, he feared the worst.
Allen Decker had been there.
“Ginny!” Raine shouted as she moved through the house. Stone sniffed with interest as they followed. His stomach twisted more when he saw that the back door was open. Raine ran outside, glancing frantically from side to side. “Ginny!”
Justin paused, scanning the interior. Aside from the broken front door, there was no sign of a struggle. Then again, Raine had said the guy was armed.
A young girl couldn’t fight against a man with a gun.
Raine whirled toward him. “Can you track him?”
“Stone can.” He gestured to his lab. “Do you want Stone to track your niece or the perp?”
“Both.” She dragged her hands through her hair, her expression grim. “They couldn’t have gotten too far on foot.”
“Are you sure they’re not using something else? When I got here, I thought I heard a small engine in the distance.”
Raine’s blue eyes widened in horror, and she spun around to head back outside. There was a shed off to the side, the door hanging ajar. It only took her a moment to look inside and glance back at him. “The four-wheeler is gone.”
Not good. Justin jerked his thumb toward the road. “I hope you can ride because our best chance at finding Ginny is to use my horses.”
“Horses!” Raine looked relieved. “I can ride.”
“Good. I’ll get them out of the trailer and geared up.” He was glad he’d included saddles and bridles for the trip. He’d intended to ride Blaze in the area where the piece of his parents’ crashed plane had been found but had put that aside once Griff’s call had come through. “You need to get Stone a scent source for your niece. Dirty socks or a shirt would work. I’ll need something for Decker too.”
“Okay.” To her credit, Raine didn’t waste time arguing.
“Come, Stone.” Justin jogged around the house to his horse trailer. He opened the back and quickly led Timber and Blaze from the trailer. The horses stomped their feet and tossed their heads as if glad to be out of the trailer.
