Page 54 of Colorado K-9 Rescue

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Evan wanted to strangle him through the phone, but he needed to play along. “Okay, we have a thing going, but I’m also worried about her and a case we’re working together. I’ll see if I can get a quick warrant and then, can you find her?”

“I can try, but it’s going to take some time. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Evan said, hanging up before the tech guy could ask more questions that he wasn’t ready to answer yet. At least not until he talked with Mckenna and made sure she was safe and then told her he was completely in love with her. He hoped what she’d written in her journal was true and she still felt the same way.

Getting out of his car, Evan headed in the direction of the deputy watching the scene. He signed in on the sheet to keep track of who was at the crime scene. Then he headed inside, hoping to find some answers and not more questions.

The first buildings of the ghost town appeared as Mckenna’s vehicle reached the top of a hill, bouncing on a gravel road. Clouds had rolled in, threatening an afternoon thunderstorm and what Mckenna called a five-inch rain—one drop every five inches. Some of the buildings had broken windows, boards falling off and signs hanging half down. There were some dead trees around what used to be an old church, their branches like ancient, gnarled fingers waiting to grab you.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Mckenna checked her phone, but there was no signal at all. It didn’t matter. She just wanted to find the location of the mining camp and then see if she could find the trees with the curved trunks. After that, she’d leave.

Her stubbornness kept her driving here, but the closer she came, the more she realized that this was only her reaction to all the emotions hitting her at once. She couldn’t let it go even though she knew it should. All that talk about moving on and being so strong was often something she said to make herself believe that.

The truth was, she still struggled, but she knew part of being strong was continuing. She would see what she could see and then leave. Mckenna was going to get Mocha out of the vehicle,but with the clouds and cool breeze, she decided she could open all her windows and the back hatch. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees, with the storms threatening to roll in. Another reason she needed to find the trees quickly.

Mocha thumped his tail, but he was curled up on his crate bed, so she figured he was happy to stay and sleep here anyway. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, buddy.”

She pulled out her map and studied it again. So many people had become used to using GPS on their phones, but her father had taught her how to read a map, use a compass and not rely on technology. She was grateful for that now. Based on what she could tell, she needed to walk to the west side of the town and then down a hill to the south. She should be getting close to the location once she navigated down the hill.

Map and water bottle in hand, Mckenna grabbed her phone too. Just in case she managed to get a signal. Plus, she felt naked without it.

Another small gust whipped up, picking up dirt in its path and shaking the dead tree by the church. The debris hit her eyes and Mckenna had to turn her head to avoid it. The wind died down as fast as it had started. More clouds blew in, and the sky darkened. If there was lightning, then she really needed to get out of here. Lightning strikes happened often in the mountains. As a child, she’d been knocked down by a bolt that had struck near her house. She’d never forgotten the power and fury of Mother Nature.

Mckenna picked up her pace, almost jogging, feeling her chest tighten. Was it from anxiety? Altitude? Both. For a moment, the sun came out from behind the clouds. A shadow appeared to her side and she whipped around.

No one was there.

Then she heard it. The cry of a hawk circling and hunting. A predator stalking its prey—although a hawk didn’t play catch and release. A hawk struck hard and fast, its prey rarely knowing what hit them. Mckenna shuddered and broke into a run, ignoring the shallow breaths that plagued her.

Just find these trees, see if there’s a mining camp and then get out of here.

Finally on the edge of town, she found the hill that went down toward the creek. There wasn’t a clear path, but there also wasn’t a lot of vegetation or trees in her way. The hill was steep enough that she almost had to sit back on her butt and slide, but she managed to get down. Looking back over her shoulder, she realized that had been the easy part—going back up was going to be the hard part. Maybe she could find an easier spot to get back uphill.

She continued toward the location she’d found on the map. It was still about a quarter mile’s hike and the terrain was rough. Rocks jutted out and dead trees had fallen over, making her journey more difficult. Slipping a couple of times, Mckenna scraped her knee, ripping her pants, blood trickling out.

Great. Good job. This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Well, maybe not the dumbest.

Being the wild child of the family, she’d tried plenty of stupid things, but this was right up there with the best of them. The old mine and camp buildings had to be close by. Mckenna stopped and checked the map again. It had to be right over that hill.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

She better hurry up. As the thunder died down, Mckenna had an uneasy feeling. The one she had when she was followed. As she was about to scrap her plan and run back up the hill to her vehicle and leave, the wind started again.

This time it brought a faint odor of rotten eggs with it.

She was close. The answers were so close. Just a little bit further. That was all she needed.

Forcing herself to not chicken out, Mckenna continued. Her legs burned, and she kept gasping for air as she navigated the rough terrain. Stopping again to catch her breath, she heard a loose rock roll down the hill until it landed in the creek with a soft plop. Then there was another noise. Human. Cries for help.

Someone else was here.

CHAPTER 35

The smell in the house made Evan gag and cough. It wasn’t decomp. More like dirty dishes and old food that had sat in the sink for several days. Walking into the kitchen, he found exactly that—dishes piled in the sink, not even rinsed. Flies buzzed around the mess.

Through the kitchen and down the hall was the back door area where Keith had seen the boots sitting outside. Sure enough, there were a pair of Ariat boots. Evan had put on gloves before he even came into the house. He also had on shoe booties to try not to disturb the scene. He wanted to find Rex, but he also wanted to convict him. If Evan messed up anything, a good defense lawyer would manage to get a “not guilty” charge for their client.

Pulling out his phone, Evan stepped out the back door and took pictures of the boots. He didn’t want to touch anything, but he wanted everything documented. The boots were a key to this. If they matched the prints outside his window, then he would know that Rex was the one there watching them.