Page 59 of Scent of Evil
“Works for me.” Trevor strode quickly to the SUV with the horse trailer attached. As much as she wanted to be doing something more constructive, she watched with interest as the two Sullivan brothers worked with their K9s on the two scents.
A few minutes later, they returned. “We’re good to go,” Justin said.
“Yeah.” She glanced up at the sky again. Logan’s plane appeared to be lower now, which was good. “Too bad I don’t have a place to start looking.”
“Griff will come through for us.” Justin lightly touched her arm. “I think your idea of a cabin in the area is a good one.”
As if reading their mind, her phone rang. Seeing Griff’s name on the screen, she quickly answered. “Griff? Do you have something?”
“Logan and Jess spotted a black truck on Ramo Road, it’s northeast of Sheridan. They can’t see the license plate, but Jess believes the truck fits the description of the Explorer.”
“Ramo Road?” She looked at Justin and Trevor, then turned to jog toward their vehicles. “We’ll head that way now. Will Logan be able to keep eyes on the vehicle?”
“Yes, that’s the plan, although you should know it’s very wooded there, so the vehicle has been in and out of view a few times. There’s more,” Griff said. “I’m going to head there, too, because I found two cabins in the general area of that road. One of them is owned by a guy named Sawyer Collins.”
The name didn’t ring a brll. She slid into the passenger seat as Justin got Stone settled in the back crate area. “Why does that matter?”
“Because I started digging into the guy’s background, and he has no work history to speak of. I’m concerned the name could be another alias.” Griff sounded grim. “Maybe he’s just some loner living off the grid like some people do in these parts, but I’m thinking that may be where Decker is headed with Amanda.”
Her pulse kicked into high gear as Justin pulled away from the side of the road and began the laborious process of turning around. “Text me the coordinates. Is Logan aware of the possibility?”
“Yes, they’re going to stay in that area until we can get there,” Griff said. “The good news is that Jessica brought her K9, Teddy, along. He’s a good tracker, too, so we’ll have their help if needed.”
After what seemed like eons, Justin had the SUV and trailer heading toward Ramo Road. “I don’t understand why that matters. They’re up in the sky. Teddy can’t track from there.”
“Logan told me he’d land the plane on the road if needed to join the search.”
She winced. “Sounds dangerous.”
“It is,” Griff agreed. “But a young girl’s life is at stake.”
“Okay, thanks. We’re heading that way now. Call me if you hear anything more.” She ended the call, lowered the phone, and tried to think positive. It didn’t seem logical that Stringer’s black Explorer would be so close to Sheridan, considering Decker had taken Amanda about at an hour ago now.
“What was that about dangerous?” Justin asked.
“Logan has his wife and her K9 in the plane.” She was humbled all over again by how the Sullivan family had gone out of their way to help her get Decker. “He mentioned landing the plane on a road if we need additional search support.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Logan.” Justin sighed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
She quickly filled Justin in on what Griff had uncovered about one cabin owner named Sawyer Collins. “We’re going to head there first. There’s another cabin in the area, too, but Griff didn’t say much about that one. I’m sure he hasn’t had much time to dig into all the property owners while driving.”
Justin nodded. “He’s good, but that level of in-depth searching takes time.”
Her phone buzzed with the coordinates from Griff. She opened her map app and homed in on the location. “Okay, turn right at the next intersection. That goes north and will take us to Ramo Road.”
“Got it.” He glanced at his side mirror. She did the same, glad to see Trevor had caught up to them.
Raine prayed again for God to keep Amanda safe until they could get there. If she and Decker were headed for the Collins property. It still bothered her that they weren’t that far out of town. Where had they been for the past two hours? Driving around? She pushed that thought away. All they could do was focus on the next clue.
“We’ll need to approach the cabin on foot.” Justin glanced at her, and she wondered if he’d guessed at her thoughts. “The dogs will lead the way.”
“Okay, but once we know Decker is there, you and Trevor need to stay back so I can take the lead.” The memory of the cabin explosion was too fresh in her mind. When Justin didn’t agree, she narrowed her eyes. “I mean it, Justin. You and your brother have been wonderful, but I don’t want to risk your lives. Or your K9s,” she added.
Another long second passed. “Fine. You can take the lead once we know he’s here. But I’m going to back you up, Raine. No matter what, you’re not going to face him alone.”
She wanted to protest, she’d come to care for Justin far more than she should. So much so that the thought of him being hurt twisted her gut into knots. Despite her growing feelings for him, she sensed arguing would be useless. And if she were honest, she’d admit she’d probably need his help and Trevor’s to get Amanda out of harm’s way.
Her goal was to take Decker down once and for all.
