he’d long ago let dwindle.
They ran to keep up with Ginger. For a small dog with short legs, she moved at a swift pace with her nose in the air. Jason noticed Serena didn’t appear at all winded. He on the other hand needed to get back to his workout regimen. “How does this work?” he asked. “Are you sure she’s following the sniper’s scent?”
“Dogs have an amazing olfactory sense, a million times more sensitive than ours. Combine that with the fact humans are constantly emitting microscopic scent particles that become airborne. Ginger has had very specialized training, again thanks to Mayor McIntyre. Ginger and I were sent to Montana to train with the FBI K-9 unit. Sheriff Reinholt doesn’t get it. And refuses to fully utilize Ginger and me.”
“Why don’t you stand up to the sheriff? You’re doing your job well. And you have the mayor in your corner. The sheriff should be grateful to have you two.”
“That’s what my parents say.”
“You should listen to them.”
“I want Ginger and I to make it on our own merits.”
“I can respect that. You’re your own person and that’s really great, but sometimes you have to call in the big guns.”
“If we catch the Red Rose Killer, maybe I won’t have to.” She didn’t sound hopeful.
They came to a halt at the crest of the bluff. Ginger jumped on top of a boulder, sniffing the air. She pointed her nose down over the side of the bluff.
“Has she lost the scent?”
“No. There has to be a path. Ginger will pick up the scent again.”
They ran along the bluff until they found a very well-used steep gravel path leading down to flat treed land below.
Ginger led them along the rocky trail. Jason slipped and slid in his cowboy boots. He and Serena ended up hanging on to each other as they half stumbled, half skidded to the bottom of the bluff.
“Go find,” Serena instructed Ginger. The dog lifted her nose once again to the air and took off at a fast clip.
Jason noted the fresh tire tracks. The Red Rose Killer wasn’t trying to lose them. He probably figured there’d be no way they could trail him.
But he didn’t know about Ginger. Their secret weapon.
“Did they capture the man who killed your wife and partner?” Serena asked when they stopped to catch a breath beneath the shade of a large oak tree.
Jason wasn’t surprised she’d asked. As a cop, it was a logical question. He could answer honestly while hoping she’d let it go once he did. “Yes, we apprehended the criminal. He’s behind bars. But nailing the guy didn’t exactly fill anyone with the warm fuzzies. While he didn’t take out his intended target, he did end up having the last laugh at my expense, right?”
She winced. “Why were your partner and your wife in your vehicle?”
He barked out a laugh full of a bitterness he could never contain around this subject. “That’s a good question.” One he didn’t want to face.
“You think the worst. That they were having an affair.”
How could she read him so well? “Wouldn’t you?”
She laid a hand on his arm. “For all you know they could have been planning a surprise party for you.”
The thought sent him reeling. Now was not the time to think about the tragedy that had changed his life. “Come on, let’s keep moving. We don’t know how far he’s traveling.”
Jason glanced at the sun. It was making its way across the sky. “We don’t want to be out here in the dark. We’ll never find our way back.”
“I have every confidence that Ginger would get us home.”
He had his doubts, but he’d trust her judgment. He usually was a good judge of character. But his partner and wife together... He shook off the memory as the radio on her utility belt crackled to life.
She answered. “Evans.”
“Where—Can’t—You—” The sheriff’s gravelly voice broke in and out.
Serena made a face. “Cross the creek. Follow the tracks.”
There was some more garbled speech he couldn’t make out.
She checked her cell phone. “No bars. I’m in so much trouble.” She marched ahead of him with Ginger taking the lead.
Jason easily caught up to her. Despite her admonishment that she didn’t want his help, he’d make sure the sheriff and the mayor knew she was a top-notch deputy.
They hiked in silence for a long time, stopping occasionally to allow Ginger a drink of water and to each take a sip. Just when he thought they’d have to turn back they came to a dense forest of mesquite and oak trees that blocked out the sun. Tucked behind scrub brush was the ATV.
“Good girl,” Serena praised the little dog.
Renewed energy flowed through Jason. “He’s on foot now.” Which meant they had more opportunity to catch the serial killer.
Serena allowed Ginger to sniff the off-road vehicle. “Go find.”
Ginger loped ahead of them deeper and deeper into the wooded area until they came to the property line marked by a barbwire fence.
Jason massaged the back of his neck where tension had set in. “We cross this, and we’re not on my land anymore.” He hadn’t taken the time, or had the interest, to meet his neighbors.
“You should stay here,” Serena told him, her tone grim, her pretty eyes determined. “You’d be trespassing as a civilian.”
“You don’t have a warrant,” he pointed out.
She gestured to Ginger. “I have probable cause.”
He liked the way she thought. “And I’ll take my chances.”
Without waiting for her permission, he crossed over the barbwire fence, careful not to snag his clothes or flesh. He lifted the sharp metal rungs for Serena and Ginger to pass under. Once they were on the other side, they picked their way through the foliage for another three hundred yards. Through the trees Jason could just make out the faint outline of a structure. He put a hand on Serena’s shoulder to halt her and put a finger to his lips. He tugged her behind a tree and whispered, “Do you see it?”
She nodded.
They’d found the Red Rose Killer’s lair.
In a low crouched run, they headed toward the structure and went around to the back. The place appeared ready to collapse at any moment. Serena gave Ginger a signal with her hand. At Jason’s questioning glance, Serena whispered, “Quiet.”
Respect for both the dog and human spread through his chest. Keeping his weapon at the ready, he moved to where he could step on a log waiting to be chopped and peered into the lone window at the back of the shack. Though the one-room interior was dim, he quickly determined the place was empty save a table, chair and bedroll.
Back on the ground, he kept his voice low, “He’s not inside.”
“The radio will make noise,” she whispered back. She checked her cell phone again. Still no signal.
“Let’s check it out, then we’ll go meet the sheriff.” Jason cautiously looked around each corner before proceeding to the front of the building. He stepped onto the porch and positioned himself next to the door. Serena followed suit opposite him. He grabbed the rusty door handle and pushed the door open with a squeak as loud as a gunshot blast. His breath imprisoned in his lungs, he waited several heartbeats,