Page 48 of Chasing a Kidnapper

“A blue pickup truck. Why?” Then she nodded. “Oh, I see, you’re trying to estimate how big this item is.”

“Yeah.” He remembered now that the BOLO had included the blue pickup truck registered under Bryan Little’s name. “I’ll feel better if we at least check the bus station.”

“Me, too,” she said with a weary smile. “That way we can check one possibility off the list, right?”

“Spoken like a true investigator,” he teased.

She flushed. “You’re nice to say so.”

It wasn’t nice, it was the truth. There was a small parking lot out front, but then a much larger parking area behind the building. He pulled into the closest spot, then glanced at her. “I wonder if finding Bryan’s truck would help us narrow down what this is.”

“Maybe. I’m surprised it hasn’t been found yet.” She pushed her door open as he did the same.

Moments later, he had Peanut on leash. He gave her a sip of water, then said, “Find tools, Peanut. Tools!”

Peanut wagged her tail, excited at the chance to work. Or play, as she was taught. The dog eagerly walked beside him, her snout in the air.

They were here to search for a possible hiding spot for Bryan Little’s stolen stash, but he wanted Peanut to be on alert for weapons, as well. Two birds, one stone.

It was the same approach he’d used at the Fitness Guru Gym, which had revealed one stolen weapon.

He counted at least a dozen people inside the bus depot. To the left, there was one wall with lockers, smaller in size compared to the gym lockers. They weren’t tall and skinny for hanging clothes. They were small and square, roughly big enough for a small duffel bag.

Peanut’s nose worked as he and Trisha walked toward the lockers. Scanning them, he only saw a handful that had locks. And all of those were combination padlocks, rather than ones that needed a key.

Probably not the location of Little’s secret stash. Peanut sniffed the lockers with interest, then surprised him by sitting right beside a locker that was located farthest from the bus depot front counter.

Her alert had him glancing around, curious to see if anyone was watching. No one was paying them any attention.

“Is there a gun in there?” Trisha whispered.

“Either there now or had been recently.” Peanut’s nose was good—she could sometimes capture the smallest amount of gun oil left behind. He tugged on the lock, then reached for his phone. Thumbing the screen, he found the Dakota Gun Task Force leader’s name.

“What’s going on, West?” Dan Slater asked.

“I’m at the bus station. Peanut has alerted on a locker here secured by a combination padlock. We were searching for something else, but I think we need to know what’s inside.”

“I’ll be right there,” Dan said.

“Bring a bolt cutter with you,” West advised. “Weapons are not allowed in here and these lockers don’t belong to any person in particular, so we shouldn’t need a search warrant to get inside.”

“Got it.” Slater ended the call.

“I’m going to the front desk to see if anyone recognizes Bryan,” Trisha said.

“Good idea.” It was a smart move, and he thought again that Trisha had great investigator instincts. As she walked away, he pulled Peanut’s ducky from his pocket and tossed it as her reward for a job well done.

Trisha returned a few minutes later. “Nobody recognized him.”

Before he could respond, he caught a glimpse of Dan Slater, accompanied by his Great Dane, Dakota, entering the building. The ATF agent must have broken speed records to get there so quickly.

“This the one?” Dan asked, hefting a bolt cutter up with one hand.

“Yes.” He grinned as Dan snapped the lock off. Then frowned when the inside of the locker was empty. He knelt down and cautiously sniffed, catching just the slightest scent of gun oil.

“A gun was kept in here at some point.” He straightened and shrugged. “This could be used as another drop point for a small gun sale. The locker is only big enough for about ten handguns.”

“I’ll ask an officer to stake the place out for the next day or two,” Dan said. “I’ll request photos of people going in and out to see if we can match them with perps having a criminal record.”

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